Chapter 52: Ch 52: Promise of Freedom

"What is going on here? I was trying to sleep, but your loud chatter woke me up. Just what is it about..."

An elderly man came out from inside, but his eyes narrowed as soon as he saw what had happened.

He let out a disappointed sigh as he looked at the obese man lying on the ground, and he quickly came over to check up on him.

"Tsk, my stupid son is just unconscious. He is already stupid, and now he is finding more ways to cause me trouble? Take him back inside and lay him down. I will be heading back to sleep now."

The old man ordered Caelion, who flinched and moved out of instinct, but one look from Aiden froze him in place.

Aiden did not miss the way the old man’s eyes shined, and he quickly looked at Caelion with a look of disapproval.

"You lowly slave, what do you think you are doing ignoring my orders? I told you to grab my son—"

"I am afraid that this person is no longer your slave, but my fellow priest who belongs to Goddess Apophis now. As such, you have no authority to command him."

Aiden was firm in his decision as he stood in front of Caelion...not that it helped because Caelion was taller than him.

But it was the thought that counted, not his action itself.

"Just who do you think you are to say all this and even defy my commands in my own territory? Do you have a death wish?"

The elderly man asked, and Aiden just sighed at him in pity.

"It’s rather pitiful to call this place a territory, right? As for who I am? Let me introduce myself. I am Aiden, the chief priest of Goddess Apophis, and I came here on my fellow priest’s recommendation to help his former colleagues out."

Aiden told the elderly man, who looked taken aback by his introduction.

He had clearly heard of Aiden or at least his Goddess before, but he still pretended he did not know them.

"Hmm. Is that so? Well, as you can see, I don’t need your help. So go and run your pity party somewhere else. But leave my slave behind. I don’t care if he’s your fellow priest or not, he belongs to our family."

The old man assured Aiden, but his bravery was all but a facade. It made Aiden let out a laugh, which angered the old man. He decided to raise his fist, and it bore a mark on it.

"By the old seal, I command you—show me your loyalty and grab this ignorant man, my slave."

The elderly man ordered, and the seal shined. But nothing happened.

Aiden could feel the magic in the seal, and he knew that it was working. However, that magic was so insignificant in front of his goddess’s protection that it had no effect on Caelion.

Caelion stood tense, but once he noticed that his former owner’s magic was not working, he relaxed.

"H-How could this be? My power...how could it fail like this?"

The old man tried to reason, and he looked shocked. But Aiden was not shocked to see this. Instead, he turned to look behind the elderly man, where other slaves had gathered, and he watched hope return to their eyes.

"Our goddess accepts everyone who wishes to become her follower. If you want to become free, then dedicate your body and soul to her. Become her follower, and you shall be free once more."

Aiden was offering these slaves a lifeline, and all they needed to do was grab it.

The choice was theirs to make.

The four slaves hesitated, and the elderly man quickly turned to look at them in shock and betrayal.

"No, I won’t allow you to leave me! I command you to—"

"I would like to surrender myself."

"Me as well."

"I want to serve Goddess Apophis as well."

"My body is hers now."

The four slaves behind the family head quickly became the goddess’s followers, causing the magic cast by the family head to fizzle out.

Now, he had no slaves left in his possession.

"H-How could this be? I cannot believe...our family’s standing..."

The elderly man looked beyond shocked before he looked at Aiden with angry eyes and rushed toward him with a knife he took out from his thigh carrier.

"It is all your fault. Once I kill you, they will return back to normal—"

Caelion knocked the old man out before he could harm Aiden. The former slave looked down at his body with a shocked expression, but it soon faded into a free smile.

"I-I did it! I acted against my master, and I am free now. Priest Aiden, I don’t know how to—"

"Tsk, we are not done here yet. Since we came in the name of Goddess Apophis, it is time we liberate this village and turn it into another of her strongholds. Go and spread the word. Anyone who wants to be free is welcome to come to Goddess Apophis and seek her protection."

Aiden declared with a happy voice. He could feel his goddess’s satisfaction after defeating the family head.

But his body was still lying on the ground, and it was an eyesore.

"Let’s put the people who tormented you all behind bars for now. We can decide what to do with them once we free everyone who wants to be free."

Aiden was not going to force freedom on the people who did not want it. But those who did want it would get it and more.

By the end of the day, he had more than 20 people liberated, and they became Goddess Apophis’s followers.

And soon, the news of what he was doing spread across the village.

Most slaves looked for ways to meet him, even the ones from the River family. But how could those in power allow this to happen? Especially those who were dreaming of becoming a god?

So the River family closed their doors and forbade their slaves from leaving. And then, they sent an envoy Aiden’s way to get rid of him.