Civil City, 6 a.m

Just like before, Lucien’s house appeared in the empty space and the fog covering the space perfectly covered its shape.

Lucien stood up from the seat, bringing Mumu with him as he entered the house.

Finally.

It’s time to sleep!

Lucien had just walked to his bedroom when the door of the tenant room across his room suddenly burst open— and then a bullet flew towards him.

Bang!

Lucien subconsciously tilted his head and the bullet barely grazed his cheek, drawing a line of blood.

Lucien’s inner soul instantly screamed,

Assassin!!

But then, he saw Lurenzo barging out of the room, eyes haggard, a cigar in mouth.

He pointed a gun at Lucien and the gun was still steaming with smoke.

"Y-you!"

Lurenzo gritted his cigar harder and his fingers slowly pressed the trigger once more.

"T-this daddy is done being your slave!"

Bang!

Along with the second bullet, Lurenzo’s roar echoed in the house.

"This daddy is rebelling!!"

....?? What the hell??

Lucien waved his hand and this time, the invisible force inside the house stopped the bullet just an inch away from touching Lucien.

The bullet froze, unmoving. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Lucien glanced at Lurenzo coldly but his inner soul was screaming,

Ahhh! Why is this bastard rebelling?

Assassination attempt! Courting death!!

At the same time, Lurenzo swallowed his saliva, eyes on the unmoving bullets.

He was sweating profusely.

He’s done for.

He can’t kill the monster.

He will be killed!

Lurenzo slowly closed his eyes, thinking that a quick death would be better but then...

A cold, emotionless voice rang in his mind.

[What kind of nonsense are you spouting?]

! T-this monster can speak with telepathy??

Lurenzo almost dropped his cigar but he still tremblingly pointed the gun at Lucien, his eyes resolute.

"Y-you are a monster! You enslaved me, almost killed me and kidnapped me to the Death Zone— "

"This daddy has had enough!"

Lurenzo’s voice was so loud that Mumu finally bounced angrily, his shrill voice rivalling Lurenzo’s

"Muuuu!"

What is this slave saying, glurg!

You shot at the bad uncle!

Bad uncle, kill him!!

"Hah! You vermin! I-I will kill you too!" Lurenzo spat at Mumu tremblingly, his will to rebel was even greater than his fear.

Lucien kneaded his temple at the two noisy voices.

So Lurenzo now thought that he’s a humanoid monster and he enslaved him?

...not a bad misunderstanding, but the slave part had to be corrected.

And so, Lucien once again donned on his ’inhuman’ persona and spoke, his eyes sharp.

[Human.]

Lurenzo flinched.

Mumu also quieted down.

[I will not tolerate slander. You are not my slave— you’re just a tenant.]

...?

Lurenzo blurted out until saliva splashed everywhere.

"Lie! Didn’t I sign that contract— "

Lucien shrugged and spoke with disdain.

[It’s a tenant contract. A slave is much more valuable than a mere tenant like you, who only pays rent once a month.]

...??

Lurenzo almost dropped his gun, his eyes widened.

"A...tenant?"

What kind of bullshit is that??

Which tenant had to be hunted down by the entire city, dragged to the death zone, witnessed the house changing to a big hall and the landlord becoming a monster?

Which tenant was nearly killed by their own landlord and then dragged to the Death Zone TWICE??

Lucien saw Lurenzo’s disbelief and his aura surged, his silence was like a blade against Lurenzo’s throat.

Lurenzo swallowed and spoke tremblingly.

"I-I don’t believe it! You must have enslaved me to eat me later or something..."

Lucien chuckled and spoke, his voice dripping with contempt.

[Eat you? You’re not worthy.]

[If you don’t want to be a tenant, you can roll out. The door is that way.]

Lucien waved his hand and a sofa drifted from outside. He sat down, cross-legged, without looking at Lurenzo anymore.

Lurenzo slowly moved towards the door, eyes still on Lucien’s figure.

"Really? I-I can leave?"

Lucien didn’t speak but inside, his inner soul was pacing back and forth.

No, no, how could he let go of such a useful slave— tenant??

He had to keep this guy here.

And...he knows how.

Lucien’s inner soul wagged his devil talk and outside, Lucien suddenly snapped his fingers.

Plop.

Two slimes, one navy and one almost transparent, fell from the air towards Lurenzo.

Lurenzo instantly screamed while pointing his gun at the slimes.

"Ahhhh! I know it! You want to silence this daddy!!"

Lucien rolled his eyes and snorted.

[Nonsense.]

The slimes quickly bounced towards Lucien and Lucien stroked them carefully, his eyes full of satisfaction as he mumbled through telepathy.

[Good job melting the thumper’s shell.]

"Glurg!"

[And you...]

Lucien looked at the transparent slime and nodded.

[Your medicinal gel will be useful too.]

Lurenzo, who was sneakily "eavesdropped", widened his eyes.

The gun in his hand fell to the floor with a chatter.

"What....?"

Those slimes melted the thumper’s shell and...medicinal gel? What’s that??

Only then did Lurenzo saw the two slimes’ appearance—

They indeed looked different!

He had never seen such slimes before— even the mutated ones didn’t look like that.

Lucien pretended to only notice Lurenzo just now and his eyebrows furrowed.

[What are you doing here, human? Aren’t you leaving?]

His eyes were saying: leave before this lord eats you.

But Lurenzo’s eyes flashed with a bright light. The fear was suppressed to the bottom of his heart.

"W-wait! Wait! M-may I know...are those slimes...yours? Uh, from your dungeon?"

Lurenzo felt that it was a mere dream, but Lucien clicked his tongue while nodding.

[Mmm.]

Lurenzo almost fell to his knees.

Seriously??

"But you don’t look like a slime?? You look like a humanoid spider— "

Wait.

That guy also had slimy membranes around his body.

Is is...a hybrid?

Lurenzo couldn’t understand Lucien’s identity but Lucien didn’t wait for him to understand.

He tapped the armchair and spoke calmly, his chin rested on his right hand.

[Human. Are you leaving, or not?]

Lurenzo kicked the gun far away and and immediately rubbed his hands, his eyes never leaving the two slimes.

"T-that my lord, I was joking earlier, hahaha. How could I rebel and leave you?"

"It’s my honor to serve such a powerful being like you!"

Lurenzo went as far as kneeling, massaging Lucien’s legs despite his trembling hands.

Inside, he was roaring:

Endure it! He can’t leave yet when such treasures exist!

As if reading Lurenzo’s mind, Lucien casually "ordered" Lurenzo around.

[Since you won’t leave— dispose of all those worm corpses.]

"H-huh? You have...the thumpers and the diggers’ corpses?"

Lurenzo’s mouth fell open wide enough to fit two eggs.

Lucien just looked annoyed, as if it was a burden.

[Sell them for money or something. It’s filling up my dungeon.]

"Ah...how many?"

[Twenty? Fifty? Didn’t count.]

Lurenzo almost clenched Lucien’s legs tightly.

"Crazy!!"

So many precious thumpers and diggers??

Lurenzo instantly bowed at Lucien, his eyes bright.

"Don’t worry, my lord! I’ll sell it for you! Really!"

And maybe he could corrupt some money...

But Lucien’s next words crushed his expectations.

[I’ll come along.]

".....huh?"

[To that Grindhall City.]

Lurenzo paused and he suddenly recalled something.

"W-wait, wait my lord— "

Weren’t they still wanted by the whole city?

How could they return??