Fatima: The Slave Princess

From the distraught expression on his face, it's safe to assume he's familiar with it. If so, explaining this any further might trigger some sort of trauma.

"Continue…" his voice quavered as he cleared his throat.

"Y-yes…"

An aracnocrobe is a demonic black spider whose bite is lethal to any species. The male one is hairless, with long legs and a body as hard as a turtle's shell. Their growth limit is typically the size of an adult's hand. In contrast, the opposite gender grows half their size, which would often cause them to suffocate in the process of mating. Both are equally deadly, with the male being the most venomous. They're very easy to spot from the amount of demonic energy they exude. They do so to keep humans at bay since we are difficult to prey on.

After biting their victims, they have approximately forty-eight hours to devour them whole. Many of them consider this task tedious and all the same enjoyable, depending on the size of their catch. However, failure to completely consume such prey will result in their death. That being said, how did the duke come across such a dangerous creature? It's highly unlikely he was attacked by one out of the blue. Someone had to have captured it and lured it to him on purpose. If that's the case, then…*sigh* That isn't important right now. I must focus on healing him first.

"Sir Nate?" I called as I raised my head.

"What is it?" 

His eyes did not waver from the window. His tone was curt, and his attitude towards me was no different. Under normal circumstances, I would've already started an argument with him. However, now is not the time for me to be sensitive.

"I-I believe I can cure him." I stuttered in a low tone.

"Don't be ridiculous. No one survives the venom of an aracnocrobe."

As he uttered those words, his clenched fist was shaking. I could tell at first glance there was far more behind that sentence than he let on. He was trying to conceal his emotions by hiding his face behind the curtains, but I knew something was wrong with him.

"I trust you, Sir Nate."

That's right, in order to save the duke, I must trust you. I must believe that you will protect my secret forever and will be on my side always. Duke Kartier is an important pillar in my life therefore, I cannot stand by and let him die knowing I can help. On a fair balance, a life weighs far more than a mere secret.

++++++

Where did they hide such an important paperwork? I searched everywhere, and all I found was useless rubbish. I rummaged all over his desk, scanned through every single book on the shelves, and even unlocked all of his drawers, to no avail.

"Instead of finding the will, I ended up making a colossal mess."

Thankfully, he's ill at the moment, so I'll have time to have this cleaned up before he passes away. Wait until I find out which imbecile decided to deviate from the original plan.

"Looking for something, mother?"

Good heavens! That frightened me.

"Oh! Hello son, how is your father faring?"

"What is all this mess, mother?" he questioned as he strode towards me.

Like father, like son, always ignoring my words. Who do they think they are?

"My darling son! I missed your father so much that I came here to reminisce about our time together. Your father gave me the best years of my life, as well as five beautiful children that I will forever be grateful for."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're somewhat eager to send him off."

Curse that perceptive instinct of his. Nothing gets passed him, just like his father.

"Please do not utter such heartbreaking words, my dear son. I can't live without your father. If he passes on, so will I." I sobbed pitifully.

It's obvious he's not buying any of this. His facial expressions are quite telling. If I blabber any longer, he will probably draw his sword to my neck.

"It's alright, mother. Father will return to normal. He is duke Kartier after all."

Oh? Perhaps I underestimated my acting. His embrace feels rather warm, and his chest very sturdy. When did he become so burly? It's no surprise the princess recalled the cancellation of their engagement despite the severity of the scandal back then.

"Yes, my dear son, your father will make it back to us in no time. He must!"

No one will get in the way of my love for you…my dearest Dimitriu. If I fail this time, I'll simply try again.

++++++

First, I must keep calm. Agitation in the mind can derail the healing process, which may result in the worsening of his condition. Breathe in, breathe out, and repeat until peace of mind is ultimately established. Next, I must swiftly extract the demonic energy from his heart. Luckily, it's all gathered in one place, and it's not a lot. This part will be especially painful; hence I must be swift. An aracnocrobe' s venom is dangerously potent; therefore, I can't take the risk of discarding it anywhere inside the estate. I must absorb it myself and hope that my body pulverizes it before it can take effect.

I took one last deep breath and placed my hands on his chest while closing my eyes. I could feel the evil energy coursing through my body as I absorbed it.

"Who are you? And why are you interfering?"

Huh? Where am I? And whose voice is speaking so loudly in my head? Did I fall into a trance in the middle of healing the duke? More importantly, where is this foul stench coming from? My poor nose will shrink at this rate. It's so dark and damp in here, I can't see a thing.

"I asked who you are! Answer me!" the strange voice continued to rumble.

"You're the one who summoned me here, hence I do not owe you any explanation."

How rude!

There are two types of people who can successfully summon a human's consciousness into their realm. A warlock or a sorcerer. Both are a Sant's arch enemy as they are the most faithful servants of the demons. Warlocks possess the power to plunge the world into madness by unleashing powerful demons such as the 'Baphomet'. Hailed as the most fearsome of its kind.

Sorcerers, however, are merely a warlock's underlings. Although their powers pale in comparison to their masters', their abilities are not to be underestimated. They often use demonic beasts to concoct lethal poisons that are most harmful to all living beings. Much like a warlock, they can summon a human's consciousness into a separate dimension controlled by a time lock. If such lock is broken before its predetermined time, they will perish. However, that is not the case for a warlock whose realm is timeless.

"Why are you after the duke?"

My voice sounded different just now. My tone was assertive and strong. There was also a massive surge of energy coursing through me that felt like an adrenaline rush. What is this unfamiliar feeling?

"It is none of your business. I do not know who you are, but you had best give up now before you wake up dead in the real world."

It seems they are adamant about taking the duke's life. This wasn't an accident after all. Well then, time to find out who exactly I'm dealing with. I'm already here, and the only way to leave is for one of us to become severely injured or die.

"You summoned me here to deal with me, so why are you throwing empty threats at me like a coward?"

They must be wondering why I'm still awake despite the immense amount of demonic miasma they're releasing. I'm sure if they knew of my real identity, they would never have brought me here in the first place.

"What do you say to a fun bout of hand combat? Oh, silly me, you can't use weapons in here anyway."

This is a spiritual realm, therefore, no weapons from the outside world are effective.