I shrugged my shoulders dismissively. "What do you think? They're my sexy slave girls, of course."
"…" A deadpan stare welcomed my explanation before she sighed defeatedly, "I truly fell for a horrible thug of a man, didn't I? The influence those trio of crazy chicks had on me can no longer be denied… I have the worst taste in men."
I smiled once again, though not with amusement this time. It was a quiet, crooked smile, full of things left unsaid. My hands roamed along the curves of her butt, until finding the entrance to her backdoor, which they began eagerly massaging.
At the same time, Vex's expression shifted, going from a face full of mischief to one that spoke of horror. Just as my index finger found itself lined up perfectly with her entrance and began its descent, an alarmed yelp sounded in my ears. "Kya!!! Okay, I got it! You're an awesome boyfriend, not a horrible thug of a man!"
"And what about your taste in men?" I asked with narrowed eyes.
"I only settle for the very best! Whoever is the greatest man in the universe shall receive my maidenhood!"
Hearing her words, my finger stopped its descent and retreated. At the same time, I nodded, with a satisfied smile returning to my lips. "Good girl."
She giggled lightly, enjoying our playful banter. Afterward, she tilted her head to the side. "So… is there a benefit to being one of your 'sexy slave girls,' then?"
"A few. I grant all my subjugated companions telepathy with me and with each other. They can speak to me at any time, from anywhere. Well, unless I leave this world."
Her eyebrows rose.
"That's not all," I continued, brushing her white hair back behind her ear. "I can see and feel through their senses using [Overlord's Eyes]. And, if I wish, I can lend a portion of my power to them through [Overlord's Magnanimity]. Boost their stats with mine. Strengthen them."
"That's extremely powerful!" she shouted, clearly surprised by it.
"It's a primordial class for a reason… [Overlord's Sacrifice] lets me take on any damage directed at them."
Instead of remaining surprised, she pouted, poking me in the nose. "It's basically like the hex curse I gifted you to celebrate our union. Not fair."
"Yours has more utility," I assured her. "It works on mana depletion and hunger, too. Mine doesn't."
That earned me a satisfied, genuine grin. Her red eyes gleamed like twin rubies in the low light of the basement now that the ritual circle was no longer brightening the room. She leaned in even further against me in a needy manner.
Then, in a much quieter voice, she whispered, "Could I… also be one of them?"
I paused.
No teasing. No flirtation. Just a request, offered gently.
I didn't answer with words. I simply sent her a [Subjugation] request.
It let her choose her own terms. No chains. No bindings. She could write it on her own terms, if she wished to accept.
Her breath hitched. Slowly, her eyes began shining with more and more determination as she willed her mind to click on 'Accept.'
Nothing happened.
We both blinked.
A small alert blinked red in my vision.
[ERROR: Insufficient Subjugation Capacity]
[The discrepancy between Subjugator and Target is too large. Capacity exceeded.]
I stared at the message with wry eyes.
Vex's smile returned, as mischievous as ever this time. "Wait, let me guess, hubby~ This wifey of yours is way too strong for you, hmm?"
"…"
"Your silence is louder than a thousand words," she giggled. But then, her fingers began tracing idle shapes across my skin as she rolled off my chest, landing nestled up against my side. "Moving back onto our original topic, about the reason why a weak bodyguard became an Elite Soul while strong lionkin soldiers ended up being Lesser ones…" ℞ÅƝɵ𝔟Ës
She stared up at the ceiling, thinking for a dozen or so seconds, after which she parted her delicate lips.
"Maybe it wasn't about power."
I turned my head toward her. "What do you mean?"
"Think about who she was," Vex said, gesturing toward Eve's soul. "She was the personal bodyguard to the Greenvale twins. That family's not some merchant house from the countryside. They're royal dukes. Eve didn't just swing a sword; she held status. Trust. A place close to the heart of one of the kingdom's pillars."
The realization struck like thunder rumbling through a closed cathedral.
"She mattered," I said slowly.
Vex nodded. "Exactly. You killed many stronger lionkin, but were any of them more important?"
"…No." I thought back to the battlefield. "They were soldiers. Mid-tier. Some squad leaders, maybe. Not generals. Not nobles. The elites of the lionkin army could tank my firestorm and wait out its duration by moving outside its range. The only named ones who died in that blaze were the lower-ranked."
"And what about that foxkin archer?" she asked.
"Prince Veyrin," I replied. "He was their chief's son."
"There you go, hubby. My hunch tells me that this isn't about levels but about weight. Not physical, but spiritual. Narrative. Fate. Whatever it is that spins the world, maybe it values certain deaths more than others. Killing a blade trusted by important people is valued differently from killing a hundred regular soldiers."
I stared at Eve again. This time, I saw her not as a mistake in the Codex, but as a message.
A ghost, yes. But a meaningful one.
"I think you're right," I murmured.
"Of course I'm right, when am I not?" Vex purred smugly, curling closer against my side again. "What kind of necromancer would you be without your sexy hex witch by your side to explain the rules of your own magic?"
I chuckled, but even as I pulled her tighter, my mind drifted. The Codex hadn't just shown me a soul.
It had given me a clue.
To bolster my necromantic army, I had to collect the souls of important people.
Then, my focus shifted. Not to Vex, but toward another spell in my Necromantic Codex.
[Soul Fusion].
It was time to see how soul upgrading worked!