The carriage jerked to a stop.

The driver opened the door with practiced grace and bowed slightly.

"We have reached the destination, sir."

Jax stretched lazily. "And where exactly were you told to drop us?"

The driver pointed toward a slightly larger house at the end of the cobblestone path.

Traditional elven architecture.

Wooden beams carved with intricate patterns. A garden that looked like it cost more than most people's lives.

"That is the residence of the village head. Mr. Chisa."

Jax felt lighter immediately.

'Perfect. So the quest details I completely fucking forgot to collect won't be an issue after all.'

His plan was simple. Walk in. Let some old elf drone on about their boring village problems.

Nod sympathetically. Pretend to care. Then solve whatever trivial nonsense they were dealing with.

Boom. Mission complete.

How hard could it be?

-- -- --

Five to six hours later.

Jax strolled through the capital streets, tossing a small bag of silver coins in the air and catching it with theatrical flair.

The mission briefing had been exactly as boring as he had predicted.

Some syndicate had appeared in the village about a month ago.

Some old story members in red hoods. Very dramatic. Very cliché. Since their arrival, citizens had been disappearing regularly.

The village head, Mr. Chisa, had rambled on about devil worshippers. Sacrifices. Dark rituals. The usual paranoid nonsense old people loved to believe.

Jax had listened with half an ear.

'Red hoods appearing exactly one month ago? That timing screams champions.'

That explained why the academy took this quest. They suspected otherworldly involvement.

But Jax had a different theory.

'Organ traffickers. Has to be. Why would champions want random villagers? And in such small quantities? If they wanted chaos, they'd take hundreds. Not a handful every few days.'

This was beneath him.

So he'd done what any responsible professor would do.

He dumped the entire workload on his students.

He recalled his conversation of that time.

"You can handle this," he'd told them with a dismissive wave. "Consider it a learning experience."

Some had protested. Most had accepted. A few had looked genuinely relieved they wouldn't have to work alongside him.

'The feeling is mutual, you ungrateful brats.'

After that, Jax had needed funds. A man couldn't survive on nothing.

He'd found a modest house. He then Slipped inside. Used his Soul thief skill, Located their savings.

Pathetic.

Just some silver coins and a handful of bronze.

Jax had taken the silver and left the bronze behind.

'I can show dignity as well.'

Then he had caught a carriage to the capital. And now here he was.

Free. Funded. Ready for entertainment.

He looked around at his surroundings. Residential district. Houses lined the streets in neat rows, separated by attached parks and gardens.

The architecture was traditional elven style, but the craftsmanship was genuinely impressive.

Every face he passed had pointed ears. Elegant features. That ethereal elven beauty that made humans look like potatoes in comparison.

'Speaking of which...'

A familiar thought surfaced.

The mission. The real one. Fuck every race to unlock interdimensional travel.

And here he was. Surrounded by elves. With money in his pocket. And absolutely nothing better to do.

'I just need to find a brothel or fuckin NTR someone.'

His mood peaked. He tossed the coin bag higher. Caught it with a grin.

'Today is going to be a good day.'

Then something caught his eye.

In the distance. A royal carriage. Polished wood. Golden trim. Surrounded by at least a dozen soldiers in ceremonial armor.

Two figures emerged from the carriage.

Both wore expensive clothes. Royal quality. But they were hiding their faces.

The woman wore a gown that screamed high nobility—silk, embroidered, probably worth more than most people earned in a lifetime.

The man beside her wore a royal cloak with the hood pulled low.

They approached a house.

Not a royal house. Not a noble mansion. Just... a regular house.

The man signaled the soldiers to stay back.

Then both figures disappeared inside.

Jax's smile widened.

'Now that's suspicious as fuck.'

He activated stealth mode.

Jumping wall to wall. Ducking behind corners. Avoiding the patrolling soldiers' gazes with practiced ease.

Finally, he settled behind some bushes with a perfect view of the entrance.

And waited.

Five minutes passed.

The door opened.

A woman appeared.

She wore a loose robe tied with a single knot. The kind that could fall open with one wrong move. Her exposed skin was thin. Almost too thin. Aged, clearly. But her face?

Glowing. Pretty. The kind of mature beauty that made younger women jealous.

Her voice cut through the air. Commanding. Authoritative.

"Have you brought what I asked?"

The cloaked man straightened. "Yes, Mother. But—"

She cut him off immediately. "You didn't forget the vampire again, did you?"

"No, Mother. I brought him too." He sounded defensive. Almost whiny. "However, acquiring a vampire slave is quite difficult. They're restrictions and—"

"And the others?"

"A human. A catboy. And a dragonkin."

The woman's lips curled into a satisfied smile. "Good. What are you waiting for? Send them to Aldric."

She began turning back inside.

"Mother, please."

She paused.

The man's voice cracked slightly. "I need you in the castle. We need you. Everything is falling apart without your guidance. The elders are becoming unmanageable. In your absence, I cannot—"

"Oakryn."

Her voice was ice.

"You are a king. And an adult. Handle these matters yourself."

"But Mother—"

He stopped. Seemed to reconsider. Then tried a different approach.

"Aeliana will be arriving in the kingdom soon. I think you should—"

"I will think about it."

She waved dismissively.

"Or rather, it depends on my mood. When I grow bored of these young boys, I might consider returning."

Her smile turned wicked.

"Now leave. My body is screaming to do dirty things."

Jax watched the woman beside the king; the queen, presumably. she turn crimson with embarrassment.

The door closed.

The royal couple retreated toward their carriage. Shoulders slumped. Defeated.

Jax's mind was racing.

'King? He's the fucking king?'

'And that old woman is his mother?'

'Which means the embarrassed lady beside him is the queen.'

'And Aeliana... is their daughter.'

His student. The elven princess who'd threatened him in the carriage. The one whose ear he'd flicked.

'Small world.'

But more importantly—

'Slaves? Different races? Young boys? And "dirty things"?'

The pieces were connecting in his head.

And the picture they formed was absolutely depraved.

'Don't tell me...'

Movement near the carriage caught his attention.

Four boys were being pushed forward. Tied together with rope. Bound and gagged. Forced toward the door by soldiers.

All of them looked around Jax's age. Maybe younger.

The soldiers knocked.

"Your Grace, the presents have arrived."

The door opened instantly.

An old elf man appeared. Weathered face. Cold eyes. He grabbed the rope and dragged all four boys inside without a word.

The door slammed shut.

Jax stared.

'What the actual fuck is happening in there?'

His grin stretched ear to ear.

'Only one way to find out.'

Getting inside took longer than expected.

Five minutes of climbing, crawling, and squeezing through gaps that were definitely not designed for human-sized intruders.

But finally, Jax dropped silently into the house.

His eyes scanned the room.

Three boys. Held by the old elf man with a leash system. Standing in what looked like a waiting area.

Three.

Not four.

'The vampire is missing.'

The old man Aldric, apparently stood guard. Watching the remaining boys with bored disinterest.

Then Jax heard it.

"Ahhhh—!"

A scream. Muffled. Coming from the adjacent room.

Jax moved silently toward the sound.

The door was slightly open.

He peered through the gap.

And what he saw made his brain short-circuit.

The vampire boy was tied to a massive bed. King-sized. His legs were spread to the absolute edges—practically splitting him in half. His arms were cuffed to the headboard.

He wore nothing but underwear.

And standing over him?

The old woman.

But she wasn't wearing the loose robe anymore.

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