Chapter 196 Irena
196 Irena
Albert couldn't say anything when seeing Irena's face. He just stepped aside and said, "Come in."
Irena nodded solemnly and walked together with Albert. However, she already fell to her knees before Albert reached his chair.
*Thump!*
Hearing the sound produced by her action, Albert stopped and turned around. He had already expected what was going to happen.
"Master, I'm sorry. Even though you have given me everything, I can't follow you to fight for another country," said Irena.
'I guess this is the time I'll part with her.' Albert thought, imagining what would probably happen.
But to his surprise, his imagination couldn't be more wrong.
The moment he turned around, Irena took out a small knife and cut her palm. The blood flowed so much that it started dripping to the ground.
Yet, Irena didn't let out a single groan as if she had prepared for the pain.
She poured the blood to Albert's feet and smeared them.
Even Albert was bewildered by what was happening. He didn't understand what Irena was planning to do.
As if noticing his confusion, Irena said with a serene tone. "A Dark Elf can only serve one three people: The Demon King, the teacher, and the husband."
"The Demon King represents the symbol of faith and order. The teacher is the symbol of parental figures. And the husband is the partner for life.
"I have followed Master like following a teacher or a husband." After smearing the blood, she kowtowed to him until her forehead touched the ground. "But that's not enough… From this point onward, Irena is ready to dedicate her body and soul to the Demon King, Albert Gran. With my blood as the witness, Irena has greeted Your Majesty."
"I am prepared to do anything for Master. If you wish to destroy the world, I will be the first one to advance. If you wish to kill someone, my blade will be the fastest one to reach their throat. If you wish to protect the world, I will use my own body as that shield."
Albert was stunned when he heard those words. In fact, he got goosebumps.
As someone oblivious to races' characteristics and traditions, he never thought that his question would lead to an ever bigger choice for Irena.
It was no wonder she took so long to decide.
"…" Albert felt the heaviness of her oath as his expression turned grim. He also lowered his body and said, "I promised that you will always be standing beside me. Even if the world abandons you because of this decision, I won't."
Irena stared at Albert's face for a while before lowering her head again. "I'm looking forward to working for you, Master."
"…" After understanding those three figures, Albert realized that the moment Irena followed him, she had considered him as a teacher.
He had taught her how to use both elements, so it was no wonder he would be regarded as her teacher. However, it felt like Irena had also expected him to make a move on her as if Albert would be sneaking to her bedroom.
No matter what people said, Irena was still a slave. Even if she hadn't been trained for that, she had prepared for this occasion.
Still, neither a husband nor a teacher could make her give up the blood inside of her. She was still a person from the Wrath Kingdom, she couldn't afford to fight for another country.
Hence, Irena had decided to change that one figure in her heart, the figure of the Demon King. Instead of serving the Wrath Kingdom, she chose Albert as her Demon King and planned to serve him.
Instead of serving the Lust Kingdom, Irena wanted to dedicate her life only for Albert.
Irena had been with him for a few months already and Albert already had some attachment to her like the rest of the group. That was why Albert promised to protect her and wouldn't let her go no matter what.
Irena suddenly reached her t-shirt and tried to pull it out before Albert held her hands, stopping her.
"What are you doing?" Albert's eyes opened wide, stunned by her action.
"I have dedicated my body and soul for Master, so—"
Albert only hugged her and said with a sad tone. "I'm sorry, Irena. That's one of the things I can't do."
"…" Irena looked down with a sad expression. In the Wrath Kingdom, the dark elf was a peculiar race. They rarely came down their mountain because they had that tradition.
If they worked for the kingdom, the moment they swore that oath to the king, they would be his.
Of course, everyone wanted a dark elf. They were strong, beautiful, and wild. Many nobles wanted them or even the king wanted them.
As an anomaly, Irena left the mountain because she wanted to learn how to control both elements. She had gotten some good will from the people of the Wrath Kingdom. Even if she hadn't regarded someone as a king, a teacher, or a husband, the Wrath Kingdom had been number one in her heart.
After falling to a scheme, she had been reduced to a slave. She struggled every day and made sure no one was going to get her because she wanted to return to the Wrath Kingdom, a place that had given her warmth.
It was at that time Albert appeared in his life. She found someone who could understand her and even give her the power that far surpassed anyone could imagine. At the same time, she also found warmth in this small group.
Even though Jessie acted coquettishly all the time, he was a caring person who knew when to step back. He wasn't annoying to her but instead looked like a fun companion.
Bepe felt like he was omnipresence. He knew what the entire group needed and prepared everything beforehand so the moment they needed it, he usually already had it. Irena considered him as the most reliable teammate.
Shella had become the second teacher of hers. Even though she rarely met her, Shella would always answer her questions, especially regarding their power. Shella told her anything that she found about Albert's power and shared it with anyone who wanted it.
As for Yale, she regarded him as a little brother. Yale's status might be far higher than him and Yale's action might always remind her as Albert's slave, but it was just to protect Albert from making the wrong choice. Despite doing all that, he never mistreated them or anything… he just wanted the best for his teacher… A simple goal like that of a kid.
This group had given her the same warmth as the Wrath Kingdom. That was why she had been weighing which one she truly wanted to serve.
Now that it had reached this point, she thought there was one more step that needed to be done.
She remembered the scene where she watched Jessie training.
He was simply standing in the garden without doing anything. He only closed his eyes for a moment before something invisible knocked him back for no apparent reasons.
"Jessie?" Irena was bewildered and checked his body, wondering if someone hurt him or not.
However, Jessie stopped her and explained. "I'm fine. I'm just practicing my borderline state of horniness."
"Borderline state of horniness?"
"Yeah. You should know that we're different from the people we bonk. They will lose their horniness for a while and it will go to them again after some time.
"However, we are different. We can't even become horny despite having a clear mind. If I try it myself, I can just imagine some sex scenes to raise my horniness, but the moment I fall to horny, this power bonk me automatically. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
"That's why I can't get hard no matter what I do. I have consulted to Master, but it seems he's going to announce something about it after Prince Yale graduates.
"I don't know how long do I need to wait for that kind of power, so I'll practice this first."
Irena felt weird when listening to his explanation. "We can't be horny?"
"Yes. For others, it will be for a while. For us, it's going to be eternal. In other words, I don't think it's possible for us to have children."
When she remembered this memory, she couldn't help but reply to Albert's apology. "I know, Master. We can't be horny anymore… Even if I seduce Master like this, you can't do it."
Albert was bewildered by her statement. "I don't know what you're talking about. What we do is not severing the chain of reproduction. It's to contain the unnecessary horniness."
"But Jessie said…"
"I don't know what he said, but my first fight was to save people who wanted to have sex with two goblins aiming for their lives. That's our target. As for us, you can be horny for a period of time after Yale's graduation since I will be able to get more power.
"As I said earlier, we're not severing the chain of reproduction, including us… In other words, you can still have a child, just not do it outside that can endanger your life." Albert explained.
Although she felt relieved with his explanation, the sadness also struck her. After all, Albert's answer could mean he wasn't interested in her.
"As I expected, a slave body can't be arousing to Master…" Irena bit her lips.
"No. That's not the case. It's just…" Albert sighed. "Lilith is my fiancee. It's been a few months already…"
"Eh?"
"Yeah. You don't need to look down. Your body is tempting even for me, but it's just I have sworn to dedicate my love to one person…" Albert shook his head.