Chapter 559: Token of Friendship
Ignis clapped his hands together, drawing attention back to himself.
"Well then, since we’ve all shared, I suppose I should reveal my own interests," Ignis said with a charming smile. "I enjoy taming."
Given the sickening interests of the other dragons, Arthur already knew what Ignis meant by it. Just listening to this conversation, which all of them took as completely normal, was making his skin crawl. Perhaps if he had not fallen in love with a human slave girl a few years back, he would also be like them, treating every other race as mere playthings.
The human slave had made him realize that they were not much different from the dragons except for their fragile bodies. They could also feel emotions; they also cried when hurt and laughed when happy. Dragons had no right to treat them with such cruelty.
But right now, that was the least of his worries. He was more afraid of Maximilian, who had been sitting terrifyingly silent until now. Unlike him, Maximilian had been different since birth. He was too kind, treating every race equally. It was considered an anomaly, called weakness by the other dragons. Yet Maximilian never cared about the opinions of others. The first thing he did after obtaining authority over the Éclair clan was ban slavery.
He wanted to implement the same rule across the seven clans, but he did not have such authority. Only the Almighty Sovereign possessed such authority, and he had never accepted Maximilian’s request.
While Maximilian still sat with an unreadable expression, Ignis continued. "I find a woman of strong will, one who resists with every fiber of her being. A woman who screams, who fights, who would rather die than submit."
"And then?" Marcus prompted, leaning forward.
Ignis’s smile sharpened. "Then I slowly break her. The resistance only makes the eventual surrender all the sweeter." He picked up his goblet and took a sip of the red wine. "The ones who yield immediately are boring. It’s the spirited ones that provide the most entertainment."
The room filled with appreciative murmurs, everyone looking at Ignis with respectful gazes.
"I am relieved that we all share similar tastes," Ignis said, gathering everyone’s attention as he rose from the sofa, reaching the opposite head of the table from where Arthur sat. "I was afraid you wouldn’t like the gifts I have prepared for you all."
"Gifts?" Vincent asked, raising an eyebrow, excitement filling his silver eyes.
Ignis nodded. With a series of hand signs, all the walls except the one with the entrance door shifted, descending into the floor. The small room turned into a large hall, even greater than the hall below where the banquet was still going on.
What was revealed beyond sent chills through Arthur, his eyes widening in shock.
"What is the meaning of this, Lord Ignis?" he demanded in a loud tone, no longer able to hold himself back.
Around the four walls of the hall, over a hundred rooms were built in sections, closed off by transparent glass at the front. Each room had only one bed, a shower, and a toilet on the front wall, with a human woman kept inside, skin bare to the light.
Ignis’s brows furrowed at Arthur, annoyance clear on his face. How dare a weakling who was an insult to the mighty dragon race raise his voice at him. If not for Maximilian, he would have already shown him his place.
"This is my personal collection. I wanted to show you all," Ignis said, keeping himself calm. "The ones on the left are already broken, submitted to the ecstasy. The ones on the right are still under training."
He pointed at the rooms at the front and back and continued with a proud smirk, "These are the fresh batch that I haven’t touched yet. The slaves at the front are still pure, while those at the back still have some experience from the mortal world."
He spread his arms and declared, "You may select whichever you like. This will be the token of our newly formed friendship."
"In-incredible," Felix exclaimed in astonishment and awe, his eyes darting through the rooms. "Lord Ignis, wh-where did you find them? Some of them are even more beautiful than my concubines."
"There are women from the phoenix and demon clans as well," Marcus added, equally shocked. "Won’t it create diplomatic issues if this is revealed?"
"Haha, that’s why no one besides us is aware of their existence," Ignis chuckled, his tone proud. "Consider this my trust in you, that I revealed them here."
"Are you really sure that we can choose any slave from here?" Julian asked, taking a gulp, his blue eyes already filled with something sinister.
"Please do," Ignis offered, extending his hand forward.
"Generous! You are too generous, Lord Ignis," Vincent declared with a wide smirk. "In that case, I will not hold back at all."
They were about to move when Arthur shouted, "Have you all gone insane? How could you play with the lives of other people just for your amusement?"
"Lord Arthur, mind your language," Vincent muttered, the eldest of the seven. "What people? I cannot see any dragon inside the room."
The others also shared the same sentiment, looking at Arthur as if he were the problem here.
"So you don’t even consider the other races living beings," Arthur muttered, his fists clenching at his sides. "I have seen enough of this. I am leaving."
"You are free to live as you wish, Lord Arthur," Ignis added as Arthur began walking towards the door. His voice dropped cold as he ordered, "Just keep in mind that nothing inside this room shall be revealed outside."
Arthur’s jaw tightened, his eyes burning with fury. Yet he had to answer if he did not want his life to turn into hell.
"I understand," he muttered, his hand extending to grab the door handle.
Suddenly, a hand with sharp claws grabbed his wrist. It was Maximilian’s hand, as he stood beside him with a dark expression.
"My Lord—"
Bam!
Before he could speak, a punch connected straight into his gut with a thundering sound. He fell forward onto all fours, confusion and pain surging through him.
Maximilian landed a kick at his side, sending him rolling across the floor.
"Cough, cough... M-my Lord?" Arthur murmured, holding his side while lying on the floor.
"Get up," Maximilian ordered, his terrifying voice leaving no room for discussion.
Just as Arthur rose, Maximilian punched him in the jaw. Once. Twice. Thrice.
The thundering impact of Maximilian’s fist connecting with Arthur’s face was the only sound ringing inside the room as the other dragons stood frozen in their places, their faces filled with shock and confusion.