Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1256: Return to Aldoria

The usual barking of merchants, creaking of carriages, people’s chatter, and distant bells filled the air, the same ones he had heard all the way back when he first entered the city and, after buying Ayame for the best deal of the century, explored it together.

But it all dulled when he passed. People instinctively stepped aside, lowering their heads without knowing why.

Beside him, Vex hopped lightly. Her mood was a striking contrast to the subdued crowd. The woman’s grin was uncontainable; her braided hair bounced with every cheerful step.

“You actually meant it,” she chirped. “A date. Just you and me. I thought you were teasing me when you said that.”

Quinlan did not respond beyond extending his elbow to the white-haired beauty, to which she promptly clung like a proper couple.

After the chaos they had caused in the royal capital, Quinlan wasn’t foolish enough to repeat the same there. But Aldoria was a different story. Here, his odds were better. His face wasn’t as well-known, and no royal special forces were likely to sweep through this snow-blanketed city.

Still, precautions had been taken.

He and Vex were dressed as wealthy merchants from the Duskmere duchy, traveling with ledgers, letters of passage, and cargo seals, all flawlessly forged by Jasmine and her mother, Gina.

Pretending to be nobility risked inspection and politics; pretending to be money, however, only really required confidence. And confidence was something neither of them lacked.

But beyond that, they took more precautions as well. Vex’s usual white hair had been dyed a fiery red, her ponytail allowed to flow freely down her back without being tied together.

Quinlan wore his hair shorter than usual, and his sharp features were softened by thin spectacles. Their clothes were finely tailored but practical, the kind a trader with deep pockets would wear for winter travel. Furthermore, makeup had been applied to them both in a skillful manner, ensuring they did not resemble the faces on their wanted posters.

Yes, the girls had the time of their lives after being given the green light from Quinlan to use their makeup skills on him.

As they made their way through the main avenue, people instinctively moved aside once more. The merchants in their stalls lowered their voices; carriages slowed down when the group passed. There was a quiet air of wealth and purpose about them that demanded unspoken respect.

At the first checkpoint near the central boulevard, two Winterwood guards stepped forward with their spears crossed. Their breath puffed in the cold air.

“Papers,” one barked flatly. His tone was more habitual than suspicious.

Quinlan stepped forward and slipped a handful of silver coins into each of their palms as he handed over the documents. The men blinked, glanced at the glinting coins, and immediately bowed their heads.

“Apologies for the delay, sir, ma’am,” one stammered, already stepping aside.

The pair passed through without pause, without having their documents even glanced at.

Bribes, after all, were the universal language of efficiency.

Their pace quickened as the streets widened. The stone homes grew grander, their walls inlaid with pale marble and carved sigils. The smell of spice and fine wine replaced that of wood smoke. Servants bustled about with wrapped parcels, and distant laughter carried from the upper terraces.

They had reached Aldoria’s richest district, the Winterlight Quarter, where every building gleamed under the lanternlight like a jewel dusted in snow.

They walked without hurry, feeling the winter air crisply against their cheeks.

The further in they got, the quieter it became, muffled by snow and the wealth that bought silence.

Ahead, through the curtain of falling flakes, rose the towering castle of the Winterwoods. White stone spires, frosted battlements, and banners that hung still in the cold air. The very heart of the county.

Quinlan’s lips curved upwards as they stopped in the center of the district, not far from the gates. “Two notorious criminals reached the seat of power,” he said with quiet amusement. “And not a single inspection or question came for us on the way. Well, at least not ones we couldn’t ignore with a few cheap bribes.”

Vex purred beside him as she whispered with a silky voice, “Such is the state of affairs in these lands… When people are reduced to numbers on the ledgers of their lords, they lose the will to protect anything but themselves.”

Quinlan observed their surroundings and absentmindedly responded, “Is that so?”

Her smile was small but sharp, especially when his observant eyes found her face.

He studied her for a long moment, then reciprocated her smile. “Being a redhead suits you. It goes well with your gorgeous red eyes. I can’t wait to see how you’ll look once the pentagram eyes come out.”

“Oh?” Vex lifted a small hand mirror from her bag and examined herself, turning her head so the red strands caught the light. “I like it too. Should I keep it?”

“Up to you,” he said with a warm tone. “You pull off both perfectly. Maybe you could rotate them.”

She hummed approvingly and leaned into him, clutching his arm tighter against her chest. “Is it wrong to feel this happy from such a small exchange? I can’t stop smiling…”

“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Quinlan replied simply. “We fight so we can enjoy these moments until the end of time.”

Vex’s lips softened until they became as gentle as ever. “I love you, Quinlan.”

Quinlan returned the love-filled air as he responded, “I love you too, my bewitching lunatic.”

As Vex’s head landed against his shoulder, happy as ever, his grin returned. The air around him became charged with that quiet, dangerous aura that always surfaced before he set things in motion.

“Now,” he said with his eyes flicking back to the castle gates, “let’s get started, shall we?”

Vex nodded softly.

They slipped away from the lantern-lit avenue into a narrow alley between two merchant halls.

Vex leaned into him without a word, her hands sliding around his chest. He responded in kind, wrapping an arm over her hips and pulling her closer.

Wind stirred at their feet.

Quinlan’s eyes lifted. The nonchalant calm in them disappeared.

The air detonated.

A thunderous crack split the alley as the wind exploded, launching them skyward in a blink. The alley vanished beneath them, rooftops turned to a blur, and within a heartbeat, the entire city of Aldoria shrank into a quilt of snow and light far below. Only the echo of the soundwave remained, rippling through the streets they had just left.

They pierced through the clouds. The world went silent at the peak of their ascent. For a brief second, there was no sound, only the touch of snowflakes landing on their faces as the entire county lay bare under them.

Vex turned to him with eyes that were no longer a mere red as the pentagrams in them came out, signaling that she’d already begun making her preparations to raise hell.

He caught her by the waist with both hands and pulled her in. Their lips met fiercely high in the skies, a final tender moment before getting down to business.

When they parted, one of their hands remained joined, holding onto each other’s.

Quinlan commanded the winds, flipping their bodies in the air until they faced downward, becoming two falling stars aimed at the Winterwood castle.

“Synchra, Soul Reaper. Begin.”

The merchant disguise ignited mid-descent.

His fine coat, gloves, and monocle burst into deep red flame, consumed without smoke or sound. Beneath the fire, black armor unfolded across his body, polished like obsidian, edges outlined with crimson veins that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat.

His spectacles dissolved into cinders before flaring outward, reshaping into a red visor that sealed into a sleek battle helm. The cloak trailing behind him solidified into a dark cape that fluttered in the violent winds.

At the very same moment, a streak of blue fire shot from his pocket ring, the Soul Reaper answering its call. The black saber blazed through the air before slamming into his waiting palm, its blade roaring with vivid blue flame, eager and alive.

Vex’s laughter echoed beside him as her own mana flared and she, too, summoned her sword.

Together, they plummeted down toward their chosen victims like twin comets, forcing the sky to split open in their wake.

Quinlan could have hidden it all. He could’ve muted the light, silenced the power, and entered with less flair.

But he didn’t.

Because this time, coming quietly wasn’t part of the plan.