Chapter 311 311
"Minami."
Keith whispered her name as soon as he exited the dressing room, having woken up very early in the morning.
He smiled as he found Qingyue asleep in his bed, and though she had woken up last night, he had tired her enough to put her back to sleep after a few strenuous love-making sessions.
As soon as he exited his room and walked down the hallway, he watched the door of a room open and out walked his ever-so-loveable daughter, dressed up for the day and wearing a very light smile on her lips.
"Good morning, Father." She bowed to him, and then raised her head and closed her eyes, smiling brightly as she received her morning forehead kiss.
"Good morning." He nudged his nose with hers and then grabbed her hand, leading her out of the Manor.
They moved with absolute silence, and no sound came of out their steps, shielding them from the ears of the people who would have picked up on those sounds.
The summer mornings in Sameran were quite chilly, but to the natives, it was the most refreshing feeling. And it was something that both Keith and Minami enjoyed a lot.
"I am sending your brother away." Keith lightly said as soon as they arrived outside the Manor and walked down the cobbled path that led to the house where Victor and Ryou stayed.
He glanced at her and watched her understandably nod her head.
"He will be leaving this world, and it will be a long time before you see him again." He smiled at her when she curiously looked at him.
"Lower Heaven?"
"Yes." He nodded, and Minami again understandably nodded her head.
There was no hint of worry on her face. And it was not because she did not care about Ryou. She cared a lot about him. It was just that she trusted Keith with all her heart and mind.
"And before I send him to the Lower Heaven, I will make him take an Eternal Vow of Servitude." He told her, and Minami smiled at his words.
"He won't refuse." She confidently said, and Keith nodded to her words.
Yes. Ryou would not refuse if he asked him to take the Eternal Vow right now, which was exactly why Keith wanted to have it done before sending him away.
Once taken, there would be no turning back for the Assassin, and he would forever be rendered incapable of betraying him and his family, no matter what happens.
The two of them arrived outside the house, and they saw the young man they were here to see, practising on the front lawn with his draggers.
"Master." Ryou was surprised when he saw the two of them and was a little alarmed and amazed as well since he had not even realised or sensed their presence until his eyes landed on them.
"Ryou." Keith nodded to him, and the young Assassin walked over to him before he dropped to his knee in a proper greeting. "Stand." He said and then smiled at the young man. "You have done exceptionally well in the last few years."
Ryou found his words a little strange but kept his head lowered.
"It was all thanks to you Master."
"No. You did your best too. The credit is yours." Keith shook his head. "Here." He said and then threw a black box to the young man, who deftly caught it. "A present for you. Congratulations on stepping into the Late-Stage of the Spirit Profound Realm."
"Thank you, Master." Ryou did not stand on the ceremony and graciously accepted what he gave him, but as soon as he opened the box, his eyes widened and were transfixed at the two beautiful daggers lying in the box. There were two small vials inside it as well, one containing a couple of Pills and the other containing a Potion.
These were the Marrow Baptising Pill and the Aura Refinement Potion. But the young Assassin had his eyes set on the two beautiful blades.
Ryou had never before seen a metal with such an intricate pattern and a flawless dark grey colour. And the handles were simple and elegant with strange runic markings on them.
Just a look at those blades told him that they were deadly sharp, and Ryou was certain in his heart that these were not some normal daggers.
"Master..." He was a little at a loss for words now, but when he saw Keith nod to him, he carefully picked up one dagger and inspected it.
"Like it?" Keith knowingly asked.
"It's beautiful." Ryou nodded his head and then placed the box down on the grass as he wielded the daggers in his hands.
He frowned a little when no matter how swiftly he swung them, there was no sound of cutting through the air, and it all made him believe even more that these daggers were not normal.
"Be very careful. You could cut your hands with them, and even your Aura Soul would not be able to save you." Keith warned him and enjoyed the alarm and shock on Ryou's face.
"Thank you for the gift, Master." Ryou smiled and thanked him again, and Keith nodded to him before looking the man in the eyes. "I have a mission for you."
"Please command."
He smiled when he heard the man's response.
"But it depends on your response to my next question."
Ryou frowned at his words and nodded to him.
"I will give you a choice today, Ryou." Keith folded his hands at his back and seriously looked the man in the eyes. "You are free from this day onwards if you wish for freedom or you can choose to submit yourself to me for eternity." He shook his head when he saw that Ryou was about to hastily answer him. "Think carefully. And what you should know is that if you choose to serve me eternally today, there will be no turning back. I will make you take a very special Vow, an Eternal Vow, which would kill you if you ever try to run from my clutches or betray me. You will forever be my Eternal Slave."
He laid it all out to him, not keeping anything.
Keith had no reason to manipulate the young man, and it was also because he needed Ryou to take that Vow with willingness, knowing everything it would entail, which would make it stronger and would leave no way out for the young Assassin.
Ryou remained silent after he heard those words, and he subconsciously looked at Minami, who was lightly smiling at him.
He had never seen her sad since they had come here, and with every passing day, he had seen the happiness in her expression and eyes only becoming more profound.
There was nothing in his life he wanted to do, and after staying with this family and serving them, he developed a familial connection with this household.
Yes, Keith and Rebecca made him do things that could have cost him his life. But he was always ready to give it because he knew that they deeply cared for his little sister and that she would stay happy by their side even if he was gone.
Besides, Keith had fulfilled his end of their deal by fixing his little sister's sense of hearing. It was truly something he was eternally grateful for.
"I wish to serve you for eternity, Master." Ryou dropped to his knees and announced his decision.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Keith smiled and then stepped forward.
"Draw your left hand forward." He ordered, and Ryou obediently did as asked. "Pull your sleeve up."
As soon as Ryou revealed his forearm, Keith placed the tip of his forefinger on his wrist and then started reciting some very mysterious verses.
His finger moved, tracing a strange pattern on Ryou's arm, which glowed in a beautiful golden light and stung a little as well.
"Say your Vow, taking your name and mine, and promising yourself in servitude to me and for eternity," Keith said after he was finished drawing the Sacred Rune of Servitude on Ryou's arm.
It did not matter which language Ryou would say his vows in. The Divine Laws could understand all languages, and if his heart was sincere enough, the Vow would take root. If not, then the Sacred Rune of Servitude would disappear from his arm.
"I, Ryou, a servant to my Master, Keith Argus Demiliore, Vow myself in servitude to him for eternity."
As soon as his words finished, the Rune on his forearm brightened up, and then Ryou felt a strange constriction take root in his heart.
It was nothing that disturbed him, but he could sense that he was now bound by something he could never escape from.
Keith watched the Rune settle down in his servant's arm and then smiled at the young man, gesturing him to stand up.
"Your command, Master." Ryou asked him about the task Keith had prepared for him.
"You will be leaving this world in a few days and ascending to a higher world. There, you will be on your own for a very long time, and your mission is to form an organisation in that world. An organisation of the finest killers, so that when we arrive there, we have some Power under our hands."
Ryou was stunned after he heard those words and amazedly looked at Keith.
He could have never imagined that his mission would be something like this. It was too hard to believe, but he believed every word that Keith said to him.
"How much time do I have?"
"It's hard to say. It could be decades or even centuries." Keith smiled at him. "You can take your time. The organisation you create does not have to be too powerful or big. It is fine if it is a small organisation, but everyone you recruit should be capable and loyal to you. Other than that, focus on learning, living your life as you want, and exploring the world you will be sent to. Have fun. Understood?"
"Yes, Master." Ryou lowered his head and acknowledged his words.
He felt a little desolate as he was going to go away on a mission that would last for decades.
"The Pills are very precious. Consume one once you enter the Primal Desolation. After you enter the Martial Realms, consume the Potion and focus on Cultivation. You can save the second Pill, and if need be, sell it. Remember, this Pill is extremely precious, and if someone sees it and recognises it, many powerful people will come after your life to steal it."
"I will keep it safe." He promised, feeling extremely grateful that Keith was willing to give him something so precious.
"The Daggers are special too. Don't lose them." He smiled and said, refusing to tell him what was special about them.
He wanted Ryou to explore the potential of these daggers on his own.
"Sleep." He suddenly said, and before Ryou could react, Keith had pressed a few acupoints on his neck and the back of his head, making him fall unconscious.
Keith then telekinetically lifted the body and entered the house with his daughter.
Arriving in Ryou's room, he settled him down on the bed and then gave instructions to the System to transfer the drop of blood he had chosen for Ryou.
Keith closed his eyes, and soon he sensed the drops of Blood that revolved in his heart.
They were not all equal, some were very precious and powerful, like the one he gave to Minami, and there were some that he could never generate again, something he had given to Venessa. And then there were a set of drops of Blood that could be regenerated and were very different from the ones he had given to Venessa and Minami.
These drops of Blood were his creation in a true sense rather than his progeny, and they did not link to him in a familial sense, but rather that of a Master and a Servant, a Creation and their Creator. Therefore, these drops of Blood were meant to be given to people who would serve him and his family as their Servants, but he could sense great power from a lot of them.
In all, these drops of Blood in his heart could be classified into four Tiers, and the first two Tiers held a very strong and familial connection to him, whereas the other two Tiers were meant for people who were deemed to serve him, a different race of lesser beings.
The one he was giving to Ryou was one of the most powerful of the Third Tier. It was what the System had recommended, and Keith could regenerate this drop of blood exactly a thousand years from now.
Minami silently watched as her brother was shrouded in a strange Orb of Light, and waited patiently as Keith observed and checked the state of her brother's body.
She narrowed her eyes a little when she saw Ryou gaining height at an alarming rate. In a matter of an hour, Ryou, who used to be a man of average stature, was well over six feet now, and all the scars on his body had disappeared as well. His complexion had gotten a little fairer, and his above-average-looking face had changed as well, making him appear quite handsome.
He was still recognisable, but only to the people who were familiar with him. The others would never be able to realise who he was unless they were told. It was how much he had changed.
"Do you want to stay here?" Keith asked after the changes in Ryou's body had stopped taking effect.
"No, Master." She smiled at him, and then placed her hand in his, allowing him to hold it and lead her away.
"He will be fine," Keith assured her.
"I know." She sweetly smiled, showcasing all her trust in him.
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