Bro, I'm not an Undead!

Benzard didn’t know if what this giant said was to be believed.

Power.

Strength.

He did yearn for those but…

Benzard focused his senses and discovered that he couldn’t determine the level of strength that this giant held, regardless of the amount of concentration he invested into the task.

There was no doubt…

This creature was strong.

Perhaps it was just as strong as Fulgardt or it could be conman that wanted him to become a puppet that would do its bidding while being quite proficient in hiding its strength._.

From the looks of it, there was a 100% guarantee that this creature wanted something from him and Sause didn’t make much of an effort to hide it.

“I refuse.”

The refusal that Benzard issued to the offer presented made Reon, who was bound to Sause, breath out an internal sigh of relief.

‘His head is still in the right place at least.’ Reon thought. ‘Don’t listen to this bastard!’

Benzard’s response didn’t garner any expression of disappointment from Sause. The giant merely kept smiling cheerfully as it gazed at Benzard.

“Profound. Despite the burning desire I sense from you, you’re not irrational. These qualities make me even more interested in reeling you in,” Sause said.

“I’m not interested.”

“Why? It’s a great deal.”

“I don’t know anything about you. I wouldn’t hand myself over just for pretty words. I’d rather die trying to get a legacy that’s guaranteed.”

“Oh. Is that right? Are you sure it’s guaranteed? Have you yet started to wonder why you’re still having to fight all these enemies that are bound by yokes? They are practically spoon-fed to you? Doesn’t it all seem strange? A long journey of collecting cumulative mana and getting the slightest bit of increase to that element you were given for free after every slaughter. Does it all… feel right?”

Benzard’s heart skipped a beat as he heard this.

It was indeed something that had crossed his mind. What was the point of this? Why were the enemies he had to face bound? Why could they only be defeated by the strange darkness that felt alive?

His faith in this mission was put to the test. Even though he had said that he would gladly die trying to gain the power that Fulgardt left behind, a seed of doubt began to bloom.

This was enough for Sause who grinned even more disgustingly.

Getting a class above ‘Advanced’ right now instead of battling who knew how many enemies seemed pretty tempting to Benzard.

‘That does seem… a lot better than this. Should I…?’ Benzard thought.

“I still refuse. I’d rather work with something I know more about. I still have strength to spare. I won’t die so easily,” Benzard said with a stern expression.

Sause’s cheerful grin didn’t vanish. His eyes merely lost some of their lustful sparkle.

“That’s too bad.  I really thought you were a perfect candidate. How unfortunate. Well… Reon here told me that unlike the Key that the other one possesses, yours’ ownership can be changed by simply killing you. So… thank you for the meal.”

Immediately after saying that, Sause’s face stretched as he opened his mouth eerily wide to reveal the large molars, incisors and canines that decorated the space within!

Saliva dripped from his mouth as he lunged forward to devour Benzard in one feel swoop!

The movement was extremely fast, catching Benzard off guard!

For some reason, he had partially ruled out the possibility that this creature would simply kill him after finding out that it was interested in him. Had he hoped that it saw something that would make it spare his life?

His body wouldn’t move.

There was nothing he could do.

After the blow that Eobald had dealt, making him feel like all that he had done for the past few years was nothing, Benzard had felt hollow.

What would one do after finding out that an investment they made to build a lavish house for years turned out to be only have been for a pigsty?

Perhaps that wasn’t the best analogy, but the point still stood that Benzard truly felt the need to have strength he could believe in.

Dying here right after learning that all he had done had been was for a ridiculous cause made his soul scream.

Not yet. Not yet

NOT YET!

“WAIT!”

Sause’s eyes turned into crescents.

It had worked.

This man who had had an unshakeable will before had now gained an even more radiant fire within.

He wouldn’t let himself die like that especially when his unwavering belief in the legacy had been made to waver.

Sause withdrew his head, his face returning to normal as he wore a diplomatic grin.

“Fine. I will do it,” Benzard said with a sickened frown that pulled on his facial muscles to show the conflict within him.

He felt like he was selling his soul to the devil.

“Now that wasn’t so hard was it, aha ha,” Sause said cheerful, his bald head and naked body giving off the wrong vibe from his words.

Reon who was at the side couldn’t help but be shocked. He would have loved to walk over and punch Benzard for making such a decision but he couldn’t.

Sause stretched his large hand over Benzard as his body suddenly started to explode with a ridiculous amount of mana that overpowered the space around them, distorting it and bringing forth a radiant glow to his large body.

Sause’s large palms reached to Benzard and he touched the man’s forehead with his index finger, a thick and concentrated light of mana shooting into Benzard!

“Perfect,” Sause murmured. “After this, you’ll help me steal away that other one too. Can’t have Fulgardt getting his way after screwing me over now can we? Aha ha.”