Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 717: Inside Emberfang

Once inside Emberfang, we spread out.

Darius barked orders, rallying his warriors to hunt down the freed warbeasts that now rampaged through the city. What once had been caged predators were now maddened creatures set loose, turning the streets into their new hunting grounds.

Vex departed as well, with Raika in tow. They barely exchanged a word, yet their intent was clear. Their expressions were filled with an ice-cold wrath that promised a single fate to any lionkin still drawing breath.

Death.

Ignis, however, stayed with us.

I turned to Kitsara, who had already started walking. My girls were following behind her. No words were needed. We all knew where we were going.

The ranches.

The lionkin had caged humanoids here. Kitsara and I had seen them from a distance when she infiltrated the city. Now it was time to take a better look at just what exactly was going on.

We stepped inside the first building.

The stench hit first.

Thick, rancid, suffocating. The smell of waste, decay, and suffering soaked into every surface, saturating the air until breathing felt like an intrusion. It was the kind of stench that didnʼt just exist: it lingered, it clung, it crawled into your skin and refused to leave.

Then came the darkness.

Dim lanterns lined the long, narrow corridors, casting weak light over rusted metal bars. Cells lined the walls in an endless stretch, packed with bodies. Some were standing, some huddled in corners, and others barely moved at all.

The captives—if they could even still be called that. Their skin was stretched thin over bones, their eyes dull, unfocused. The ones that still had the strength to acknowledge us flinched back, either out of fear or conditioned obedience.

Chains rattled. Some were still bound to the walls, their arms locked in cruel metal cuffs that had rubbed their skin raw. Others had no bindings at all, yet they remained slumped in place, as if shackles still existed in their minds.

Kitsara clenched her fists.

I heard Blossom growl under her breath.

Ignis stepped forward and knelt beside the nearest cell, gripping the iron bars so strongly they broke apart under the pressure. His voice was low, almost soft.

”…Bastards.”

As a hardened criminal, he mustʼve seen quite a lot of horrible things. The fact that he reacted like this to the sight before us told me how brutal it truly was. ṜÁΝổΒЁʂ

A sudden movement caught my eye, but I didnʼt react because it was an older elven woman who threw herself forward, her frail body collapsing at Seraphielʼs feet. Her fingers clutched at the dirt in front of my elven lover with so much strength that her knuckles went white out of pure desperation. Tears streaked down her sunken cheeks, and her voice was raw with terror.

”Please! My daughter! My little girl! The lionkin took her! They said... they said the city lord was angry and would only calm down if he got to feast on the flesh of a beautiful elf!”

Her words sliced through the heavy silence like a blade, making Seraphiel flinch. I saw her throat bob as she swallowed hard, her lips pressing together in an attempt to stop herself from breaking down on the spot. Tears welled in her golden eyes, glistening with sorrow.

In this moment, I was once again ascertained that my elven girl wasnʼt some old war surgeon whoʼd seen it all. She came of age a year ago according to elven customs, and sheʼd lived a sheltered life back before she was conscripted into the army of Elvardia.

All that is to say—despite her age, despite the things sheʼd been through in recent times, she was still an extremely kind-hearted, pure woman. This amount of cruel suffering thrown her way all at once had overwhelmed her heart.

She turned to me with trembling lips, silently pleading for guidance.

I gave her a firm nod.

”Liora,” I called. Kaiʼs ex-slave was a more experienced woman, not only with suffering in general but also tolerating such ugly sights. ”You and the others start going through these ranches. Heal whoever you can save. Anyone who canʼt be saved...” I let my words trail off, but they all knew what I meant. Some wounds ran too deep, either physically and mentally, or perhaps even both. For those who couldnʼt be helped, mercy would be the only option.

Liora bowed her head. ”Understood.”

”Those who canʼt stomach this sight should wait outside and secure the perimeter,” I said while eyeing my women in particular. However, every single one of them firmly shook their head. With furious eyes that told me they were starting to convert to Vexʼs ʼkill all lionkinʼ mindset, they moved toward the captives to see who could be saved.

Understanding their wrath and feeling a similar emotion in my own heart, I turned back to Seraphiel and saw her hands shake. Without another word, I reached out and took her hand in mine, gripping it tightly.

”Come on,” I murmured.

She barely had time to react before I lifted her into my arms, holding her close in a princess carry. Her breath hitched, but she didnʼt resist. Instead, she clung to me with her fingers curling into my armor as if grounding herself while her head rested against my chest.

Then, I kicked off the ground, taking to the skies.

The city stretched beneath us in the form of a maze of burning buildings, bloodstained streets, and crumbling stone. The war had painted Emberfang red.

I narrowed my eyes, scanning the horizon. If the city lord was as important as his title suggested, he wouldnʼt be living in a little shit-shack. Heʼd be in the largest, most fortified building Emberfang had to offer.

A structure caught my attention almost immediately. It was an opulent manor at the heart of the city, standing on a little hill so that it would arrogantly tower over everything else in its surroundings. Despite Sylvarisʼs heavy moonbeam barrage, it stood spotless, likely reinforced with great defensive materials and artifacts.

I landed at the manorʼs front entrance. Seraphielʼs grip on my neck loosened as I gently set her down, but she lingered against me for a second longer before taking a deep breath and straightening her back.

Her hands rose, light gathering in her palms before solidifying into a golden sword—a manifestation of her will through [Divine Arsenal]. The radiant weapon hummed with power as she took a step forward.

I didnʼt bother knocking.

With a single kick, the massive double doors exploded inward, splintering as they crashed against the walls. A grand, lavish hall stretched before us. Its polished floors and ornate furnishing were untouched by the chaos outside.

As we moved forward, a sudden whimper reached my ears.

In the corner of the hall, a frail human woman huddled against the wall. Her form was thin, and her once-white dress was now gray and tattered.

The lionkin prided themselves on being superior. They had no lionkin maids. That meant this woman was either a ranch survivor, too old to be considered a ʼtastyʼ meal, or someone who had birthed enough fresh ʼlivestockʼ to be allowed to live as a form of mercy.

Disgusting.

I had no time to waste. With a flick of my wrist, wind surged around her, lifting her effortlessly into the air.

She screamed from the top of her lungs with her limbs flailing, trying to fight against the unseen force.

”No-no! Please! Iʼll be good! I-”

She cut off with a gasp the moment her wide, fearful eyes took in my and Seraphielʼs form.

Hope flickered in her eyes. We did not look like lionkin one bit.

”Whereʼs the young elf the city lord wanted to eat?” I asked hurriedly.

”You… youʼre here to save us?”

I didnʼt answer. I didnʼt have to.

She began nodding frantically, her voice urgent. ”I-Iʼll show you! Please, follow me!”

Seeing how weak she was, I didnʼt let her walk. Instead, I kept her floating ahead of us, moving her with wind manipulation as we advanced through the halls.

There were no guards. Not a single servant. The lionkin must have either fled or joined the battle outside. It was eerie. The entire manor felt silent, untouched. It was a cruel contrast to the carnage outside its walls.

We turned a corner, stepping into a corridor where two doors stood opposite each other.

”The study,” the maid whispered while pointing at the door on the left. ”H-He always… always ate in there…”

We stepped forward.