Alice’s eyes stayed on Isaac, her hand still gripping his collar. She had expected confusion, maybe even a nervous laugh. But Isaac... was smiling.
That infuriating, calm smile of his.
The realization hit her like a slap.
He had done it on purpose.
"You bastard," she muttered, not even trying to hide the anger in her voice.
Her hand clenched into a fist. For a second, it looked like she was seriously considering punching him. But she held back. With a sharp exhale, she let go of his collar and turned her attention to Emily.
"I can understand why he did what he did," Alice said, her tone tight, "but what I don’t get is why you fought so recklessly. Why did you put yourself in that much danger just because he told you to?"
Emily flinched. She hadn’t expected Alice to be angry at Isaac.
"I... I thought it’d be fine," Emily said, her voice small.
"That’s not an answer," Alice snapped. "Why would you jump into that situation without thinking? What, if he tells you to walk into lava next, you’ll do it without question?"
"I— I just trusted him..." Emily mumbled.
Alice’s eyes narrowed. "That’s not the point. You should’ve thought for yourself."
"B-but you would’ve done the same—"
"What?"
"...Nothing," Emily muttered quickly, trying to shrink into the cushion she was sitting on.
She turned to Isaac with pleading eyes.
He smiled, and gave her a small gesture, pointing subtly at her neck.
Emily blinked. Then realization struck.
Right—the pendant!
"Actually, I wasn’t in any real danger," Emily said, a bit more confidently this time.
Alice raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Prove it."
Emily reached beneath her collar and pulled out a small, metallic pendant on a thin chain. It shimmered faintly under the light. She held it out with both hands.
"This," she said. "It’s the Soulbind Pendant. Isaac gave it to me before the mission."
Alice’s eyes narrowed as she studied the pendant. Her anger shifted into confusion, then recognition.
Only Isaac and those he formed a Bond with could use the pendant. If anything had gone wrong, Emily could’ve retreated into it instantly. That pendant would’ve protected her—she hadn’t been in real danger at all.
"I see," Alice muttered. Then she turned her glare back to Isaac. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. He knew what she was thinking.
Isaac just smiled again, leaning back on the chair.
"Now, now," he said casually, "let’s talk about something else."
Before Alice could protest, he pulled her closer and sat her down on his lap. She gave him an annoyed look but didn’t resist. It was her way of showing she was still pretending to be mad.
Her gaze shifted to Emily, who was now floating slightly above the ground, seated comfortably on a wide, soft cushion.
As her control over flight improved, Emily had begun levitating things besides herself, and right now, she was using her strengthened ability to its fullest.
"You said something about completing Quests?" Alice asked.
"Oh!" Emily perked up. "I almost forgot."
She quickly opened her system interface and started listing the details with enthusiasm.
"I completed the Main Quest during the mission!"
[Quest Requirement: Defeat the Metavore Brood located in Sector 2 of Fortified City 89, by yourself, or with others while following your Lord’s command.]
[Main Quest completed.]
[You have proved yourself to be the Lord’s Pride!]
[Reward: +100 Silver Coins, Access to Daily Quests, Map of Inner Sectors of Fortified City 89]
[Applying perks: Lord’s First Subject, Hell mode Difficulty]
[Perk Result: 2x reward]
[+100 Silver Coins (Additional reward), Access to multiple Daily Quests (Upgraded Reward), Memory Map of Inner Sectors of Fortified City 89(Upgraded Reward)]
"Good job," Isaac said, reaching out to gently pat her head.
Emily beamed. "That’s not all! I unlocked Daily Quests too!"
She pulled the floating screen closer and began reading it out loud.
[Daily Quests:]
[1. Defeat 10 Initiate rank monsters (10/10). Reward: 1 Bronze Coin]
[2. Defeat 10 Adept rank monsters (10/10). Reward: 10 Bronze Coin]
[3. Defeat 10 Elite rank monsters (10/10). Reward: 50 Bronze Coin]
[4. Defeat 10 Master rank monsters (10/10). Reward: 1 Silver Coin]
[5. Defeat 10 Champion rank monsters (1/10). Reward: 3 Silver Coins]
[Four Daily Quests have been completed]
[Reward: +1 Silver Coin, +61 Bronze Coins]
[Perk: 2x reward]
[End Reward: +2 Silver Coin, +122 Bronze Coins]
"Ho," Isaac said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "You completed quite a few already."
Emily nodded enthusiastically. "The hive had a ton of monsters, so most of the kills counted!"
Isaac leaned back slightly and began thinking. The only Quest she hadn’t completed was the Champion-rank one. Finding ten Champion-rank monsters wasn’t easy. And defeating them would definitely be a challenge.
’She’s already defeated over fifty monsters from Initiate to Master rank... but Champion-rank is a different level entirely,’ he thought. ’If she tries to fight ten on her own, it’ll be too dangerous. I’ll need to find a controlled way to expose her to that level. Somewhere I can watch over her properly.’
"I also got a map," Emily added, tapping her temple. "It got implanted into my memory. If you want, I can draw it out."
"Good," Isaac nodded. "We’ll do that tonight."
"And there’s another Main Quest now!" Emily said, her voice jumping with excitement again. "Listen to this!"
[Main Quest Issued.]
[The Flagbearer!]
[You must show to the world that your Lord has begun his conquest.]
[Quest Requirement: Eliminate or tame all monsters located in Sector 2 of Fortified City 89, by yourself, or with others while following your Lord’s command.]
[Reward: 100 Silver Coins]
Alice raised an eyebrow. "That sounds grand."
Isaac rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The reward’s a little less than last time... but it makes sense. The strongest threat in Sector 2—the Metavore Hive—is already gone. Cleaning up the rest will be easier."
"It’s basically a free quest," Emily said, grinning.
"Don’t let your guard down," Alice warned. "Even scattered monsters can kill if you underestimate them."
"I know," Emily said quickly. "I’ll be careful."
Isaac looked at both of them and gave a small smile. The atmosphere had settled again. Emily was bubbling with energy. Alice was calming down, though still pretending to be upset as she looked away.
He glanced at the pendant still hanging from Emily’s neck and then at the floating cushion supporting her effortlessly.
Emily followed his gaze as it shifted toward the pendant resting around her neck. Her expression lit up.
"Oh, right!" she said. "Come inside the Soulbind Pendant. There’s something I need to show you two."