Chapter 1973: Black Fang’s Demand
His gaze snapped back to hers, and Black Fang lifted her chin by the smallest amount. She knew exactly what she was asking for. The surprise in his eyes only seemed to irritate her further.
’Even after all this time, I still have no fucking idea what to expect from this woman,’ Quinlan chuckled inwardly. ’Can she be any more random?’
"Does that hurt?" Seraphiel asked, moving her palm.
"Yes. I’m dying."
Quinlan nearly choked.
This woman was not only a walking talking surprise, but also a terrible actor.
Black Fang tightened her grip on his coat, and he swallowed the laugh before it escaped. Her improvised complaint was growing more awkward every time Sera invited her to elaborate.
Yet beneath his amusement, affection filled him with such force that he wanted to pull her into his arms.
She knew what his Subjugation meant. She had seen his enemies obey, seen the authority he could wield through the bond, and she was offering him that power over herself in the middle of a crowded Guild hall.
She wanted to belong in the conversation, and she trusted him enough to ask for this.
He held her gaze until the impatience in her expression eased. For a moment, he let her see his own question plainly: did she truly want to give him that authority?
Black Fang held his eyes and nodded to him.
Seraphiel shifted her palm and traced another bright pattern with her fingers.
"[Healing Light]. There, let’s try once more."
As fresh healing mana gathered beneath Sera’s hand, Quinlan cast [Subjugation] silently. His magic reached Black Fang amid the elf’s conspicuous treatment, and a familiar system prompt appeared before the assassin’s eyes.
[The Primordial Subjugator wishes to Subjugate you! Do you accept?]
Black Fang accepted.
The bond took hold, and Quinlan opened [Master’s Link] to include her in the family’s discussion.
Her fingers loosened on his coat.
"I’m better now."
"Happy to hear. Let me know if it hurts later!" Seraphiel beamed, patting the Venomborne Terror’s belly for good measure while her healing light faded.
"..." With immense difficulty, Black Fang moved on from what she had gone through just to enslave herself.
Then, without even needing to calibrate how to use [Master’s Link], she joined.
Black Fang began.
Ayame finished thanking the woman who had explained the route. Through the link, her voice rose with sheer delight.
Vex’s voice burst into their minds.
Quinlan replied.
Lucille smoothed a crease in the notice before her, her public expression pleasantly attentive.
Seraphiel giggled.
Vex remained beside the map, listening while an adventurer described the condition of the south road. She asked whether the wagons had damaged it badly after the last rain.
Inside Quinlan’s head, she was beyond overjoyed.
Her voice was practically beaming, every word spilling over with happiness, while her face remained absorbed in the very ordinary subject of wagon ruts.
She had spent so much of her life looking up to Black Fang. Having her mentor here, sharing the place where Vex laughed, complained, and adored her husband, made the Hexwitch happier than she could possibly keep to herself.
Black Fang turned her violet eyes toward Quinlan. Realization became evident in them as she began to fully understand just what she signed up for.
Vex was already a raving lunatic who could keep yapping about him for hours on end without having unlimited access to her mind.
Now...
Quinlan chuckled softly, leaning closer as though checking whether her stomach had improved.
The look Black Fang gave her became considerably less trusting.
Quinlan kept his amusement inside the link. He would certainly try, but listening to the joy pouring out of Vex, he suspected her mentor’s peaceful days were in serious trouble.
He sure as hell wasn’t pressing the mute button on his beloved wife.
Black Fang had demanded this. She could enjoy the consequences of her actions alongside the benefits.
Blossom edged closer to Black Fang.
Her tail began wagging.
"See anything you like?" the woman beside Lucille asked when she noticed Blossom’s wagging tail.
"The boars seem interesting," Lucille answered, giving the dogkin’s hair another fond stroke.
Quinlan laughed at that while Black Fang returned her attention to the contracts with immense determination.
she said.
Aurora leaned in to read beneath her finger.
[MISSING EXPEDITION: INVESTIGATION AND RECOVERY]
[Issuer: Celia, enquiries through this branch]
[Location: Underground ruins in the southern hills. Expedition route lodged with the Guild.]
[Objective: Establish the expedition’s fate and investigate the condition of its sole returned member. Recover belongings and relevant samples where possible.]
[Reward: 300 crowns]
[Provision advance: 30 crowns, deducted from the reward]
[Suggested party size: 10-20]
[Requirement: Grade Three leadership. Lower-grade members may join under the leading party’s responsibility.]
[Warning: Cause of the expedition’s loss remains unknown.]
Quinlan read the final line again before looking toward the route attached beneath the notice.
Seraphiel’s eyes began sparkling as she cleared her mental throat.
The blonde elf cleared her throat a second time, just to ensure everyone was paying proper attention, then began.
Black Fang continued reading, apparently content to let the elf elaborate. It was proof of her translation function working properly.
Quinlan pressed his lips together beneath his helmet.
Ayame’s voice was full of amusement.
Black Fang eyed the petite samurai then replied with a tone that sounded as if she was questioning whether her little sister was dropped on her head as a kid.
Aurora reminded her.
Black Fang didn’t seem dismayed.
<...Damn.>
The harem chat, for once, was very, very silent.