Chapter 3 - Zanis Lustra
The blade rested against his forehead.
The pain from the cut on his neck was momentarily forgotten as his widened eyes locked onto Mahiro standing before him in abject terror.
"Hurry up and let him!"
"You dare hurt our captain? Don't even think about leaving here today!"
"If anything happens to him, forget about yourself—your whole familia won't escape!"
The Soma Familia members surrounding them shouted furiously, poised to attack Mahiro at any moment.
"It seems your members really care about you, Captain Zanis."
Mahiro then pressed Hyōrinmaru forward slightly.
"Y-Yes… I'll say anything…" Zanis stammered, swallowing hard as the cold sting from his forehead fueled his dread.
Seeing Mahiro's taunting expression, he couldn't shake the suspicion that Mahiro might actually kill him.
"Get back, all of you! Stop crowding around!" Zanis barked at his subordinates.
In truth, he wanted them to swarm Mahiro and deal with him.
But with a sword still pressed against his forehead—and recalling Mahiro's blinding speed moments ago—he doubted they'd even reach him before he cut them down.
Reluctantly, the familia members dispersed under his command.
"T-That…" Zanis forced a weak smile, his tone shifting to a plea.
"Can we talk inside?"
"Since Captain Zanis has so kindly invited me, I see no issue," Mahiro replied.
He withdrew Hyōrinmaru, sheathing the Zanpakutō with a casual flick, and offered a warm smile.
To Zanis, however, it was nothing short of a devil's grin.
With the threat to his forehead gone, Zanis scrambled to his feet.
Humiliation flashed across his sinister features before he brushed it aside, masking his embarrassment as he led Mahiro toward the reception hall.
"Lili, you come too," Mahiro said, glancing at Lili, who had been lingering in the shadows.
"Yes, Mahiro-sama," Lili replied, taking a deep breath before stepping forward.
At this point, there was no turning back—she could only follow Mahiro into the abyss.
"May I ask," Zanis ventured, a hint of surprise in his voice, "what's your relationship with Arde?"
He knew Liliruca Arde, of course—one of the Soma Familia's lowliest members.
How had she gotten tangled up with this dangerous figure?
"She's mine," Mahiro answered simply.
Lili said nothing, trailing silently behind him in tacit agreement.
Zanis blinked, caught off guard by the response, and stole a glance at Lili.
In his eyes, Lili's only worth lay in her years of experience as a supporter—hardly anything remarkable.
Yet, for someone like Mahiro to claim her as "his," Zanis speculated she might possess some hidden appeal, perhaps catering to specific tastes.
To latch onto such a powerful figure so suddenly… it seemed he'd need to reconsider his treatment of her going forward.
Under Zanis's lead, the two entered the reception hall.
Mahiro cast a mocking glance around the room, sensing the faint rustling of movement nearby.
His gaze settled on Zanis with a half-smile.
Zanis squirmed under that look, unnerved, but forced himself to sit calmly across from Mahiro.
"Captain Zanis, it's time we discuss compensation," Mahiro began bluntly.
"After all, your people tried to kill me in the dungeon."
"I don't know who would dare harm you," Zanis replied, adjusting his glasses with an officious tone.
"If it's true, I'm willing to offer compensation."
Mahiro glanced at Lili.
"It was Canoe and his group," she said from the side.
"Canoe?" Zanis frowned.
"If it's him, that complicates things."
"What, planning to shield them, Captain Zanis?" Mahiro asked, his tone playful yet edged.
"Just kidding," Zanis said quickly, waving a hand.
"Canoe is one of the few Level 2 adventurers in the familia. I'm only Level 2 myself, so it's hard to control him."
"But since no serious harm came of it, I can offer you one million valis as compensation. I hope you'll forgive them."
"Do you think my life's worth so little?" Mahiro sneered.
"Or that someone can try to kill me and get off with such a paltry sum?"
"Then what do you want?" Zanis snapped, his patience thinning.
"Originally, I only intended to take half your familia's income," Mahiro said.
"But now, I think I've been too lenient. I want the entire Soma Familia."
"What?!" Zanis exclaimed, incredulous.
Whether it was half their income or the whole familia, the demand struck him as absurd.
"I want the Soma Familia to serve me from now on," Mahiro clarified.
"If I need anything, they'll cooperate without question. In short, the Soma Familia will submit to me."
"Impossible!" Zanis's face twisted in outrage.
This was tantamount to turning him into a lapdog.
"I told you, you don't have a choice," Mahiro said calmly.
"There's no way I'd agree to such an outrageous demand," Zanis shot back, glaring at Mahiro.
"You weren't even harmed this time."
"Take it to the Guild, and you'll get nothing! At most, we'll pay a bit more compensation."
"Captain Zanis, it seems the trash lurking around has given you some misplaced confidence," Mahiro remarked, his half-smile returning as he glanced at the shadows.
From the faint sounds, he estimated hundreds were nearby.
Zanis flinched, rising to his feet instinctively.
His plan had been simple: placate Mahiro if possible, and if not, find an excuse to slip away and let the familia's adventurers ambush him.
He hadn't expected Mahiro to notice so quickly.
Sweat beaded on his forehead as tension gripped him.
At a distance, he'd feel secure.
But this close, Mahiro could likely end him in an instant.
"I've already said you can't refuse," Mahiro continued, his voice slow and deliberate.
"I'd rather not waste my first familia war on a third-rate group like yours, but if I must, I'll apply to the Guild for a War Game against the Soma Familia."
A War Game—a brutal contest between familias, and a perfect tool for gaining prestige.
Mahiro had long intended to target an irritating familia for one, though he'd hoped for a stronger opponent than the Soma Familia, whose highest adventurers were mere Level 2.
"Imagine I win the War Game and force the Soma Familia to surrender," Mahiro mused with a smile.
"You won't be so lucky then, sitting here negotiating with me. You'll pay dearly for wasting my time."
"That wouldn't meet Guild regulations," Zanis countered, grasping for an out.
"They wouldn't approve, and Soma-sama would never agree."
He was already plotting his escape, ready to strike back later.
Mahiro's ability to strike so swiftly suggested he was Level 3 at most.
Against hundreds of Level 1s and a few Level 2s, Zanis doubted he'd prevail.
"Still clinging to hope, I see," Mahiro said lightly.
"Call your people out."