What the woman had just listened to was so unbelievable that she could hardly grasp it. Her condition was already poor, but what she had just listened to could have made her feel even worse about herself. 

"Don't try to trick me into thinking I'm stupid! Just put me out of my misery right this instant and kill me!" Despite her obvious difficulty in communicating, the woman insisted.

On the other hand, Vandread did not seem to be the kind of person who would eventually back down so quickly. Even more so when he realized how much he stood to gain from achieving his objective, he would press forward with unwavering determination.

Vandread cocked his head to one side in order to get a better look at the woman's face. They were in such close proximity to one another that the tips of their noses actually touched. The woman was caught off guard by the unexpected move, and all of a sudden she felt ashamed of the predicament they were in. 

Unfortunately, she could not push him away from her. It was clear at that moment that Vandread was simply too powerful for her to contend with. 

“Why would I even do that? If it weren't for you, I doubt I would have made it out of that ogre's den alive. Also, I'm serious about what I just said. I’d be willing to become your slave, a fighter slave.” Vandread answered her instead. 

His eyes were a deep shade of crimson that was almost black, and just looking into them was enough to send chills down the spine of even the most hardened of criminals.

“Why? I don’t get you. You’re an enemy.” After a moment of silence during which she did not look at him, the woman finally spoke. She avoided making direct eye contact with his intimidating eyes by angling her head ever-so-slightly away in his direction.

“You aren’t my enemy. Despite the fact that you may have provoked some anger in me earlier, I do not dislike you all that much. You should know that after I defeat my opponents, I don't normally do anything to help them. However, I'm going to go ahead and make an exception for today." 

The woman's face flushed very deeply in response to Vandread's remark, and she found it difficult to look back at him again after she did so. After hearing that from him, she was perplexed as to why she was experiencing a strange pulsating sensation within her body at that very moment.

The woman made an effort to keep her eyes open in spite of the difficulty she had in overcoming her weaknesses. It was impossible for her to act with such confidence in his presence. 

Even if he did tell her that, she knew that she couldn't just let her guard down around him no matter what. Everything that he told to her holds the potential to later turn out to be a trap.

“I haven’t asked your name. I’m Vandread, by the way.”

It took quite some time for Vandread to realize that what he had been hearing was simply the sound of the wind and the birds singing from the branches of the trees that they were traveling through.

"I suppose at this point you are not interested in introducing yourself to me," Vandread said.

It wasn't until then that she gave a barely audible response, "Shesmaire."  

“Huh?”

“My name is Shesmaire.”

“Shesmaire. You have a lovely name, and at the same time, it sounded like a powerful name. It suits you well.”

Shesmaire's chest began to throb for no apparent reason after another remark made by Vandread. She had an epiphany of sorts, but she still couldn't accept the fact that the reason she felt differently whenever Vandread praised some aspect of herself was because of him.

Shesmaire had high hopes that she would be able to flee from him. She does not want him to carry on their conversation any further. Shesmaire was under the impression that the manner in which Vandread communicated with her was peculiar and that this was the root cause of her contrasting emotions. It seemed as though Vandread was making an attempt to be seductive in such a manner.

“By the way, where exactly do you live, Shesmaire?” Vandread eventually asked.

Because Shesmaire was unsure as to whether or not she would place her trust in Vandread, she came to the conclusion that it would be in her best interest to keep the truth from him. If her death was imminent, she would ensure the doom of the man who had robbed her of her spirit energy as well.

“I live up in the mountains. There's a temple not far off the path, and the elderly priestess and I make our home there." Shesmaire's response came as she acted as though she had a coughing fit. She merely acted ill by faking the rest except for her body’s weakness, which was the only genuine one she felt.

“Is it far from here?”

“Not really. I could get there in a single bound using my powers, so it's not that far away, but walking there would take quite some time.”

“I see. All right, just make sure to keep your grip on me because I have a feeling this is going to be a pretty long walk.”

“Wait, what?! No!” 

However, before Shesmaire could even speak a word of her protest, which was nothing more than an act on her part, Vandread started walking in a speedy manner that Shesmaire was not prepared for. Initially, Vandread was only walking, but as their pace quickened, Vandread eventually started running on his feet while carrying her in his arms.

Vandread kept Shesmaire in his arms as they traveled to the mountains. Nevertheless, there are times when both of them need to get a little bit of rest. Shesmaire's return home was a top priority for Vandread, and he was determined to make it happen.

Finally, after what seemed like an endless journey at a breakneck pace, Vandread came upon the temple to which Shesmaire had referred. It stood at the summit of the mountain's base.  The location of the temple was almost hidden from view due to the dense canopy of towering black walnut trees that surrounded it.

The sight of the temple, which was there when they arrived, made Vandread's eyes light up with amusement. It was a temple constructed out of marble stone, onyx stone, and white jade. For a temple over a century old that has been located in the middle of the forest on a mountain, it has a pretty luxurious appearance. 

The fact that someone like Shesmaire and a single priestess are the only inhabitants of such a temple was difficult for Vandread to comprehend. If he hadn't known any better, he probably would have concluded that the temple was merely a place of recreation or a place of repose for the royal family.

When Vandread thought about the royal family again, he couldn't help but feel a great deal of rage rising up inside of him all over again. 

He made a solemn oath to himself that as soon as he had regained his full strength and powers, he would without a doubt exact his revenge on those individuals from the castle who had betrayed him and made him out to be a fool, and that Princess Camilla would be the first person to meet her end at the hands of his lethal vengeance.

“You can put me down now. I need to speak with the priestess inside alone first.” Shesmaire insisted this time. 

Shesmaire was guided to the front porch of the temple by Vandread with great care, after which she allowed Shesmaire to proceed inside. And because Shesmaire was already inside the temple, Vandread proceeded to look around in order to investigate the surrounding area. 

He was surrounded by such profound tranquility that he had a hard time accepting the reality that such a place even existed. If he were to be given the opportunity, it would be pleasant for him to retire in such a place as long as he had sufficient food and drink to keep him company. He sure found the entire area relaxing. A filthy thought even crossed his mind that he would have to construct a pavilion or bath in the middle of a large group of naked women who surrounded him. 

Vandread had just fantasized about having a harem all to himself. Even the mere thought of it aroused strong desires within him for it. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to sidetrack from his primary mission in favor of collecting women for his personal harem.

But just as Vandread was starting to calm down, he heard a screeching sound coming from the bushes nearby. Because it happened so quickly, he was unable to recognize either what or who it was.

Above Vandread, a screeching noise suddenly jumped out. It obscured the sun's rays so quickly that Vandread had a hard time identifying it. Whether it was an animal or a human was unclear to him, but he could say with certainty that it didn't look like a person.

Vandread quickly unsheathed his sword and was about to swing it towards the creature that was heading towards him when he was brought to a halt when he heard someone scream, "Haltos!"

An enchantment that quickly rendered both him and the creature numb. The next thing that was said was, "If you end up killing that creature, you'll end up dead."­­­­­

In an effort to discover who was responsible for the enchantment, Vandread turned his head to the side. And Vandread was in shock and could not believe it after finding out who it was…