To be completely honest, under normal circumstances, Devashtich and Spandarmad would never have qualified to become his Slaves. Their Celestial Stage cultivation alone was irrelevant in his eyes, and their potential utterly atrocious. If his sole other Slave knew that they were sharing this category of Subordinates with wastes like the twins, then their facial expression would be... interesting, to say the least.
Yet, despite looking down on them this much, he had still accepted them into his ranks in this way. There were a number of reasons which had led to this outcome.
Chiefly, if he aimed to make use of them to manipulate or influence the Naxsir in any way, then it would be best for them to remain alive. If they had become Fly Slaves, then it might have been possible for their true fate to be discovered. He at least wanted to keep this door open, just in case it could come in handy in the future.
That aside, he could always need some disposable cannon fodder. His Retainers and Followers were more near and dear to him than mere Slaves, which was why he wanted to keep their casualties to an absolute minimum–especially this early on in the Heavenly Succession. With expendables at hand, he would be able to bet their lives on more risky manoeuvres.
Technically, with Coattail Ascension in play, any- and everybody could eventually be reared into becoming a capable soldier. So, why the twins?
Well, Devashtich appeared to have a relatively decent head on his shoulders. Some easier tasks could be delegated to him with peace of mind. As for Spandarmad, as long as solely brawn-related missions were given to her, she might actually show some promise.
It would be a waste of resources for these non-negligible strongmen to be killed off just like that. They had no worthwhile Talents to gift him, and if he truly wanted to 'harvest' their Attribute Points, he could always do so later. Until then, keeping them around was simply not an issue.
-----
The confrontation between Theodore and the two Naxsir–conversation aside–took less than a few seconds. Even the initial viewing of the recording had been excruciatingly painful for Han Junqiao to endure. With her sole focus being on her beloved, she hadn't taken note that Kjartan had disappeared from his corner of the room at some point. Only when he appeared on-screen a bit later did she realize it.
After all this time at Theodore's side, and considering her origins, she was almost entirely numb to regular graphic violence. The loss of life had become something that wouldn't rattle her too much any longer either. Heck, she had even personally delivered plenty of people's tickets to the afterlife!
But no matter how many dreadful scenes she had seen, none of them had meaningfully prepared her to deal with watching those who she cared for more than anyone else suffer. Her lover's body being torn to shreds, burning up like a torch, his flesh practically melting off of the bones... it was a harrowing sight, to say the least.
A part of her desperately wanted to look away, to avoid witnessing those gruesome events, but another one kept her watching every single detail. She knew that she would have to grow used to seeing Theodore get injured, therefore she wanted to do her very best to arrive at that point as quickly as possible–even if it would hurt a lot.
Fortunately, there was hope to be found amidst the despair, and a light at the end of the tunnel. Whenever her beloved got wounded, he would always recover incredibly rapidly. He didn't even blink at the unimaginable pain that he was indubitably drowning in, instead focusing on overcoming the obstacles in front of him with a calm mind.
As absurd as it sounded, there was a beauty in that. Still, it ultimately couldn't distract her from the fact that he was suffering, and so was her heart. To rub salt into the wound, Vigdis replayed the recording of the direct clashes between Theodore and the twins many times over, choosing different angles and distances to showcase it all.
Han Junqiao had half the mind to shoot her a pleading gaze, yet she ultimately stopped herself. As much as it hurt, this was for her own good! In the future, she wouldn't be distracted on the battlefield, and would more rationally be capable of coping with witnessing her lover enduring bodily harm.
At some point, unknowingly, she had begun to cry. Maybe, it had even been this way since the very beginning? She wasn't sure. All that she knew was that after a couple dozen watches of the recording, she eventually noticed the teardrops drenching her cheeks.
Embarrassed, she pulled out a handkerchief and dried herself off, only to finally take note of her sister next to her. Almost like a mirror image, Xie Mei was staring at the projected scenes with her eyes wide open and clenching her fists.
Agony was written all over her usually adorable face, and her eyes were dangerously red. Whether that be due to crying so much or because of the hatred she felt for those who had harmed Theodore, that was hard to say. Likely, it was a combination of the two.
With a gentle, doting smile blossoming on her lips, Han Junqiao carefully reached out a hand and placed it atop Xie Mei's tightened fist.
Although they had experienced a whole century together and could be thought of as rather old, her sister always loved being pampered. If there was a chance to get spoiled, she would absolutely take it. Naturally, she wouldn't overstay her welcome and annoy others–she knew exactly when and who to target.
As the one who had been with her the second–formerly third–longest, and who was arguably the closest to her besides Theodore, Han Junqiao had long since grown used to taking care of her sister. Frequently, the act of spoiling her also brought a sense of peace and fulfilment to her heart.
In her current situation, that was what she craved the most. Therefore, in a way, they both got exactly what they wanted.
"Qiao'er...!"
Noticing her touch, Xie Mei shot her a tear-filled, heartbreaking glance. Not caring about any sort of decorum, she almost instantly tackle-hugged her, silently sobbing into her chest. All along, though, she kept track of the still repeatedly playing recording from the corner of her eye.
Faced with what felt like unspeakable horrors, they clung to each other's warmth, simultaneously doing their best to harden their hearts.
Watching them with a tender smile, Cheong Suhyeon reached over to pat their heads. As an effectively 'old monster', she herself wasn't burdened by what all of them were seeing–but that didn't mean that she couldn't empathize with them and understand what they were going through.
"I'm proud of you. Stay strong!"
Whispering these words to them, she silently kept them company.
Nobody else reacted as viscerally to Theodore's injuries. Satoru especially glowed with respect and admiration, feeling like he had found a kindred spirit in his Master. As for the rest of the 'old monsters', they were naturally not worth mentioning.
Conrad and Kiran barely showed any changes in their expressions, but they felt a lot more reassured about the past choices that they had made. Corinna was deep in thought, noting down that she might have to add a lot of additional relaxation courses to her and her fellow maids' repertoire. It couldn't be healthy to shrug off such agony as if it was nothing. Healing ailing hearts could also be considered a part of her duties.
As the latest addition, Cristyn had not really integrated into the rest of the group just yet–heck, she had barely even interacted with them outside of official matters. Still, the battle that she had been made to witness was certainly an eye-opener.
'With someone like him watching over us, we Sybillans should be relatively safe. And any threats that he can't deal with... would certainly be way too much for us to handle, too.'
Turning to face the room's entrance, she was greeted by the sight of Theodore and Kjartan leading the freshly subdued Naxsir twins inside. In comparison to their earlier behaviour, their absolute obedience now felt a bit terrifying, but it wasn't anything that she hadn't seen before.
"Sorry for being late. Come, gather around. If you have any questions for these two, now would be a good time to ask them."
Walking up to his two sobbing lovers, Theodore wrapped them into an embrace, gently stroking their backs. All the while, he maintained his composed expression. Some suffering was simply necessary for further growth, and he wouldn't allow his treasured few to avoid it. That said, he would of course be there to cheer them up and lend them a shoulder to cry on.
"I guess I'll go first, then. You two: Who and what exactly is the Venerated Ikhshid?"
Having picked up on the term earlier, Conrad obviously could surmise that it was their leader–but he wanted the specifics.
"Ever since the very beginning of the Eternal Voyage, the highest authority governing us Naxsir has always been called the Venerated Ikhshid. It can roughly be translated to 'king' or 'ruler' in other tongues. The position is hereditary, but it's not always conferred to one's children or descendants. It's completely merit-based. It just so happens that being born with unimaginable advantages far surpassing the regular folk usually allows it to stay in the family."
As the more educated one of the two, Devashtich took it upon himself to resolve his Master's Subordinate's confusion. Very quickly, however, he was interrupted by his sister–who entirely ignored his annoyed glare.
"Our father, Thurgar, is the current Venerated Ikhshid–and he also came from an utterly average background! After many ages without any surprise upsets or dark horses, he was the first one to surpass his predecessor's descendants and lead to a new family taking the reins!"
Puffing out her chest in pride, Spandarmad's eyes shimmered with satisfaction. From an early age, she had been the biggest fan of their father. He was her greatest hero! Even now that she had become a Slave, this wouldn't change.
"Say, what if your father decides to stand against your Master? What will you do?"
Both intrigued yet curious, Kiran put forth this pointed question. A hint of an amused smirk could be made out as he eagerly anticipated the twins' reaction.
"We'll try to talk him out of doing such a ridiculously foolish thing, of course! But if he really won't relent... then a ruthless beating is what he shall get!"
Snorting in annoyance, as if even imagining such a scenario was highly unpleasant, Spandarmad crossed her arms in front of her chest, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
From one moment to the next, she had transformed from a devoted fangirl to a harsh critic. The abrupt switch-up felt both natural yet abnormal, and decidedly eerie. It once more highlighted the fact that their very cores had been warped significantly ever since they had accepted Theodore's offer.
"Enough about that. What we're all a lot more interested in is this: Why won't you Naxsir stop your hunt for true prodigies?"
Diverting everyone's attention from that uncomfortable truth, Cheong Suhyeon brought up likely the most important topic. Especially because Devashtich had thrown all caution to the wind when his sister had attempted to answer it before, it was clear to everyone that an enormous secret had to be buried here. And now, it would finally be the ideal moment to unearth it!
This time, it was Devashtich who chose to reveal the truth.
"It's all because of the 'great undertaking'. It's the mission whose fulfilment our entire civilization has pledged itself to. As it's the fundamental purpose behind all of our actions, we cannot let up on catching promising individuals that could help us advance it, no matter what."
Rolling his eyes, once Satoru noticed that the explanation wasn't continuing, he chimed in from the side.
"So? What's that 'great undertaking' exactly? Don't leave us hanging!"
"The 'great undertaking' is–"
Right as the words were about to leave his mouth, Devashtich's gaze grew vacant, and his speech halted, as if he was an appliance that somebody had suddenly put into standby mode.
"As soon as he tried to reveal it, this part of his memory was automatically sealed. Quite impressive. I didn't expect to come across such sophisticated methods this early on."
Having flashed next to the twin the instant that his behaviour had become strange, Vigdis carefully scrutinized him and presented her findings. This development left her considerably intrigued. Such skilful manipulation of the soul was extremely hard to accomplish at the mere Celestial Stage.
"I'll take a look personally. Vigi, keep an eye on the girl. Don't ask her any more questions in the meantime, alright?"
Glancing at the worried and confused Spandarmad, Theodore made his way in front of Devashtich and raised his right arm. Planting his hand atop the twin's forehead, he closed his eyes.