Chapter 18: Ch 18: Becoming Iris’s Master
"Y-You have gone mad! Master told me that he paid a hefty sum to get his hands on that MED. You’re all going to die by its hands if you face it. Only I can deactivate it-"
The announcer tried to make himself seem important, but the MED did not care for his speech.
One second, the MED was far away, and the next, it decided to kill the announcer. It did not even give the announcer enough time to yell for help.
The MED dug its claws into the dead body, and once it was sure that the announcer was dead, it turned its head toward Iris and Kael.
"This is beyond going mad. Is the functioning of this thing broken?"
Kael commented as he watched the MED stagger for a bit before running toward them.
He moved forward to intercept the attack, but Iris was faster and blocked the MED with her greatsword before forcing it back.
The MED lost its balance and fell backward, and Iris used that momentum to keep pressing forward.
Now that she no longer had the burden of saving human lives, she was going all out. And that included her ability to use aura.
The MED tried to blow up, but Iris caught it before it could and drove her greatsword through its stomach.
"If you are going to blow up, then do it somewhere else."
She yelled before throwing the MED into the fire. It exploded, feeding the already spreading fire. It would be hard to get this fire under control.
"Are you feeling better now?"
Kael asked Iris as he watched her relax her shoulders. She looked much more relaxed and happier compared to a few seconds ago.
"Hmm, I am free and I don’t have to come back to this arena ever. I guess this is the happiest I’ve ever been. And it’s all thanks to you."
[Iris Trust +20]
[Iris affection +15]
Kael’s standing with Iris had finally become positive, and it was a huge improvement compared to what he had until now.
But Iris was not done thinking about him.
She immediately dropped to her knees and gave him a bow. Her eyes looked bright and clear when she looked at him.
"I will offer you my life. Since you fulfilled your part of the contract, I will make sure to fulfill mine. You are my master until my side of the contract is done."
Kael did not want to see Iris as his servant, but he did not want to say anything to her at the moment.
It must have taken Iris considerable effort to put her past behind her and make this vow to him. And Kael chose to honor that vow.
He reached toward Iris’s shoulder to tell her he accepted, but a loud scream stopped him short.
"NOOOOO! Not my office! A-All my papers and property...G-Grand Master Kael, please help me. You can restore my office and all my papers, right? I-I will pay you anything. Please help me out."
The noble who owned this arena and the former master of Iris cried as he ran toward him.
"Grand Master, please help me out. That office is my whole life. What am I going to do without it? I-"
The noble reached to grab Kael but was stopped immediately by Iris.
She stepped in front of Kael and blocked his body with her own.
"Keep your distance from my new master. I can sense your bad intentions toward him and I won’t allow you to come near him."
Iris told her former master, and the man stopped cold and stared at her in shock. It took him a few seconds to recognize who Iris was, but once he did, he got angry.
"What are you talking about? What do you mean your new master? Your only master is me and that will not change. Now come and stand by my side or else-"
Iris did not move. She did not even show any signs of being afraid of being affected by her slave contract.
It made the noble realize that something was wrong, and he paled before taking a step back. Iris followed his movements, not allowing him to get too far away.
"Y-You...are you free now? But how? Your contract-"
"It must have gotten burned in this fire. I guess this was not a normal fire after all."
Kael told the noble the truth, which made the noble collapse in shock. But after a few seconds, something changed.
The noble suddenly realized what was happening and gave Kael a wide-eyed look.
"Grand Master Kael, you did this? No, this is not a question. I know you did this to me. Do you think I will sit around and do nothing? I am going to ruin you just as you ruined me. Just you wait and watch. I will-"
Iris decided she had heard enough. She raised her sword and, with a quick stab, ensured that the man in front of her would not be able to speak again.
The noble looked at his pierced abdomen with a wide-eyed look of betrayal.
"H-How could you? I am your master-"
"You were my master. But you were also the worst thing that ever happened to me. So I am going to make sure you are not able to become anyone else’s nightmare."
Iris stabbed her former master even deeper until he choked on his own blood.
Once she was sure her former master was dead, Iris pulled her sword back and gave Kael a blank look.
"Are you going to turn me in for killing another person?"
She asked, bracing herself for her fate.
But Kael took one look at her and decided to turn his head away.
"I will pretend I did not see anything this time. Since you and I are in the same boat from now on, I will also protect you. But next time, make sure you ask me before you kill someone. Otherwise, it will be hard for me to defend you."
Death of someone like this noble did not bother Kael. In fact, he would have killed the man himself if Iris had not done it first.
But he still did not like to see dead bodies and a lot of blood. It reminded him of the two times he had died and how they had felt.
Iris did not say anything, but the look in her eyes told him that she would do as he asked.
[Iris Trust +10]
[Iris affection +5]
At least he was making progress with her.
