msmithbooks Chapter 259 259: He Had a Choice (He Didn’t).
Chapter 259 259: He Had a Choice (He Didn’t).
A smile spread across my face as I stepped into my domain, it was finally time to interrogate… Naga.
As soon as I arrived, I saw Naga kneeling before Ra, who sat upon a smaller throne.
Ra waved at me immediately.
"Finally here, huh?"
I stepped forward, arriving beside him where my throne stood. Taking my seat, I looked down at Naga, the poor guy we had scammed into becoming our subordinate.
But to be fair, it was his own fault for trying to scam us.
"So, Naga." I smiled at him. "Tell me, what were you planning to do once we released you from the binds of the Heavenly Demon?"
Naga gave an awkward smile.
"I was planning to be helpful to you, my mas—"
Before he could finish, I cut him off.
"Quit lying. Tell me the truth."
His body stiffened instantly as his expression twisted immediately.
"I was planning to escape the domain somehow, then take over anyone nearby and rip you to shreds in the most painful way possible."
His voice was as hostile as it could get.
"Damn, that sounds dangerous." My voice remained smooth. "But why such animosity toward me? I don't think I have done anything to deserve that kind of hate."
His face twitched, probably in anger, fully aware that I was just playing around. I mean, it didn't take a genius to figure out why he hated me so much. It probably had something to do with the First Successor.
"You fucking bastard—"
"Mind your language. And explain everything you can, without blowing my mind, in simple, civilized terms."
I cut him off before he could drift too far into expressing his… affection for me. This guy did know things that had nearly made my head explode before so I had to be careful he didn't say something he shouldn't.
I had been suppressing him with a command before, but now that I was questioning him directly, who knew if he might use that opening to reveal something he shouldn't, just to kill me.
"It is because of the First Successor. He was the first one behind my misery, the one who forcefully captured me and my siblings."
His tone shifted sharply as he bit his lip, trying to hold himself back but, naturally, it didn't work.
"I was one of the few beasts in a peaceful forest who somehow gained sentience. I ruled the entire forest as its king, and then one day… that monster fell from the sky into my domain."
Naga's voice was laced with restrained anger.
"He began wreaking havoc in my kingdom, killing my subjects and destroying nature itself. So I, as their ruler, stood against him… but he defeated me without even lifting a finger and took me with him as emergency food."
He gritted his teeth.
"But once he discovered that I possessed a seed of divinity, he abandoned the idea of eating me and instead enslaved me."
"Damn, that does sound cruel," I muttered as Naga looked at me. "So many inhumane people exist in this world. I can't imagine someone enslaving another without their permission. But I suppose kindness has been dead for quite some time now."
Naga's expression was something to behold. His face turned red as if he might explode at any moment and honestly, it was kind of entertaining to watch.
Still, he forced himself to calm down before continuing because he knew it himself there was no use in arguing with someone who can shut him off with one command.
"The First Successor sealed me near a tree, giving me the duty to protect the nearby village. He said someone would free me one day as long as I fulfilled that role. He extracted my seed of divinity and sealed it within the center of the village to keep me in check."
His voice dropped.
"But just as I was regaining my strength, close to breaking my restrictions and reclaiming my seed, that bastard Heavenly Demon attacked and sealed me once again. So tell me… how can I not hate someone connected to not one, but two people responsible for my suffering?"
I honestly felt a bit bad for the poor guy.
Not only had he been enslaved by my predecessor, then sealed by my ancestor… and now, I had enslaved him too.
So, I decided to cut him some slack.
"That's fair, I guess." I continued in a calm tone. "But let me be clear. I don't wish to enslave you. If anything, I would take a trusted subordinate over a slave any day."
"I won't take away your free will and I will even give you a body, a talented and influential one. But in return, all I want is your loyalty. As long as you don't scheme against me or try to get the upper hand against me, you are free to live your life however you want."
"And remember this, I can always force you to obey… but that's not what I want."
I took a deliberate small pause.
"The choice is yours."
I had thrown the carrot and now it was his turn to bite.
And I was sure he would.
Because he was smart. He knew that no matter what he chose, he would still be enslaved. So it was better to have a little freedom than none at all.
And, just as I expected, he nodded.
"I accept."
I nodded back.
"Good. I will be giving you a new body soon, so try to be excited about it."
My smile widened just thinking about what I was planning.
Still, I wanted to make sure he wouldn't betray me even with the chains in place. So I looked at him, sensing the chains bound to his soul and their connection to my domain.
"From this moment onward, if you ever betray me or act in any way that harms me, anyone close to me, or take part in anything that could do so…"
The entire domain trembled as I used its power to engrave my command onto his very soul, using the chains as the medium.
"Your soul will burn and you will die the most painful death possible."
As soon as the words left my mouth, the greenish chains within his soul glowed briefly before going dormant once more.
Naga looked at me in stunned silence.
"Welcome to the team, Naga. Now… tell me everything important you know."
—
After speaking with Naga for a few more minutes, I came to understand that the First Successor was an even bigger scamming bastard than me.
Though, there wasn't anything particularly useful.
Most of what Naga shared were grudge-filled stories and minor details. The rest… he simply couldn't reveal due to restrictions.
Honestly, I didn't mind that.
At my current level, knowing too much was fatal. And besides, it wasn't fun knowing everything, life needed a bit of mystery and thrill of the unknown.
So, after wrapping up everything in my domain, I exited, leaving Naga with Ra, who had somehow fallen asleep while listening to Naga's rather emotional storytelling.
Once I was back in my room, I glanced around calmly. It was time to say goodbye to the castle but before that, there was someone I needed to meet.
The Demon King.
According to what Lillith had told me before I entered my room, that guy had something to share with me.
With a quiet sigh, I got off my bed and stepped out of my room, making my way toward the Demon King, to see what he had to say this time.