Chapter 383: The Price of Protection
"And even knowing this, you are asking me to declare open war against the entire kingdom," Alexander continued, taking a step forward to corner them against the doorframe. "I stand with Princess Liora, not the Spider Queen. Protecting this piece of dirt means crushing the factions currently controlling the territory."
The widow and her two daughters exchanged glances, trembling before Alexander’s imposing presence. They beat around the bush, clinging to their dresses without having the nerve to say outright what they knew he was expecting to hear.
Alexander let out an annoyed click of his tongue.
"You keep begging, yet you don’t even have the nerve to be frank and direct," said Alexander, turning his back on them to walk back to the bar counter. "You’d better get out. Taking care of an entire city is a pain in the ass. Besides, I’m hardly short on cunts; I have more than enough at my absolute disposal without wasting time on you. You have nothing interesting to offer."
At Alexander’s dismissive words, the widow felt their last shred of hope slipping through her fingers. Without a second thought, she dropped to her knees on the wooden floor, dragging her two daughters down beside her.
All three women remained kneeling at Alexander’s feet, their heads bowed and their chests heaving with quiet sobs and sheer terror.
"Please, we beg of you!" exclaimed the widow, looking up with tear-streaked eyes and trembling lips. "We will do whatever you command... We will surrender ourselves entirely to your desires, both us and every woman in this city. Just please don’t abandon us to die!"
Alexander slowly turned around, looking down at them from his height as he took a final sip from his glass. The sight of the mature widow and her two submissive daughters on the floor, ready to yield their last bit of dignity to buy his protection, brought a cold smirk to his face.
"Are you absolutely certain you won’t regret this?" asked Alexander, narrowing his eyes with sharp, dark intent.
"Never, My Lord!" the widow replied instantly, pressing her forehead against the floorboards in absolute submission. "We have nothing else to offer... Please, save us."
"We will never regret it, My Lord... please..." prayed the two daughters in unison, trembling as they looked up at him.
Alexander set his empty glass on the counter and stepped toward them, stopping in front of the widow’s bowed head.
"Alright, fine... I’ll take charge of the city," said Alexander in a slow, commanding tone. "Besides, I have some interesting plans for all of you."
"Let’s go," said Alexander, heading toward the exit. "I want to see the survivors."
The widow and her two daughters scrambled to their feet, straightening their clothes with trembling hands, and immediately guided him toward the main plaza. The rest of the residents were gathered there; dozens of women and young girls waited with pale faces and worried eyes, fearing that the new lord of Plyaro had decided to leave them to their fate.
Alexander arrived at the center of the square and greeted them with a cold, piercing gaze. Now that his perception had reached the level of a Vampiric Emperor, he could scan the area instantly and trace even the faintest hint of mana or energy within people.
"I see why you were so desperate..." said Alexander under his breath, sweeping his gaze across the crowd. "There isn’t a single female adventurer among you. Any magic beast from the forest that stumbles upon this place could wipe you all out without the slightest effort."
The women and young girls bowed their heads at his words, acknowledging the bitter truth in a silence with shame and fear.
"Well, that won’t be a problem," Alexander continued, maintaining a calm tone. "Starting today, this place will be safe."
Alexander extended his right hand. The shadows at his feet swirled briefly until a small shadow vampire materialized, taking flight and floating off at full speed toward the dark forest.
"I asked for help sending a message," said Alexander, slipping his hands into his pockets. "They will come to repair the city. Furthermore, this place will be a sanctuary from now on; if anyone tries anything interesting here, there will be no mercy."
"I must leave," said Alexander, adjusting his jacket collar. "The area is infested with insects, so I need to clean it up a bit while I look for someone. Do not step foot outside the city. And when the reinforcements arrive, I expect you to treat them with kindness. In my city, discrimination against any race for any reason is strictly forbidden; this will be a place where everyone can live in peace."
The women nodded in silence, gazing in awe at the man who had just claimed dominion over the land.
Without another word, Alexander’s body instantly dissolved into a thick cloud of darkness that split into hundreds of crimson bats. The swarm erupted upward and shot into the night sky, vanishing into the horizon at breakneck speed.
As Alexander flew through the night sky, his Vampiric Emperor senses expanded across the entire territory, tracking the life force of every living creature on the ground below. He needed to locate large, organized groups, but the overwhelming number of magic beasts moving in scattered packs throughout the dense forest was starting to cloud his perception.
"Sorry, little ones, but I’m in a hurry," Alexander muttered with disdain.
"[Shadow Vampire Summon Level 1]."
A army of shadow vampires detached from his body and rained down like a meteoric shower of darkness onto the canopy below. The magic beasts’ screams of terror echoed throughout the entire valley as the shadow creatures slaughtered them without mercy, ruthlessly wiping out every pack lacking the speed to flee fast enough to clear their lord’s path.
Meanwhile, several kilometers away, right at the base of a towering mountain, torchlight sliced through the forest gloom. A large force of spider-kin warriors formed a tight circle, ruthlessly surrounding a young girl who lay severely wounded, defenseless, and on the verge of collapse upon the damp dirt.