Primordial Villain with a Slave Harem

Chapter 1355  Her Purpose

She bent forward, bracing her hands on her knees, breath coming in short pulls. Her glasses sat crooked. She pushed them back into place with shaking fingers, then shot him a glare that lacked any real bite.

”My body canʼt take these rapid shifts in altitude! Be more careful!”

”I think your body is more prepared to take rapid shifts in altitude than a dwarven cannonball to the chest.”

”… Duly noted.”

Quinlan stepped forward and caught Mira again, one arm slipping under her, letting the woman sit upright in his hold. Before she could protest, he shifted his grip and reached down with his free hand.

The cellar hatch was old wood reinforced with iron bands. A thick lock sat at its center.

Quinlan pulled.

There was no strain. No visible effort. The lock tore free with a muted crack, and the boards split along their grain, folding inward as if they had decided resistance was pointless. The hatch dropped open.

Mira stared.

Her glasses slid down her nose again; this time, she did not notice. ”What barbaric strength…” she muttered.

Quinlan glanced at her. ”You really are a slow one. I can fly without casting spells, but you find my strength strange? A level 20 warrior couldʼve done this.”

”…”

She looked at him sideways.

Part of her wanted to slap him. Another part wanted the ground to open and swallow her whole because he was painfully correct. Far be it from her to admit the second part; she huffed and looked away.

He stepped into the opening and dropped.

Darkness swallowed them.

The air below was stale and cool. The smell of damp stone and packed bodies filled Miraʼs nose at once. Quinlan landed without a sound as he absorbed the fall again while still holding her securely in his right arm.

For a heartbeat, nothing moved.

Then a whisper trembled through the dark.

”Did you hear that…?”

Another voice, thinner. ”Someone broke the hatch…”

”What do we do?” a third whispered. ”Sister Elvane?”

No answer came.

The elder nun had risen to her feet. Her hands shook at her sides. She was staring straight ahead, eyes locked on two red points floating in the dark.

She swallowed and forced her voice to work. ”You two,” she hissed to the younger nuns without looking away. ”Get the children moving. Now. The monsters are already here.”

The children began to stir. A few muffled sobs broke free. Small bodies pressed closer together.

Then light bloomed.

A small flame formed in Quinlanʼs free hand, its glow filling the cellar like a torch. Stone walls came into view. Crates. Bedrolls. Dozens of children huddled in a corner, eyes wide and reflecting firelight.

They froze.

The sight made no sense. A towering figure wrapped in black armor, face hidden, eyes glowing red. In his arm, a freckled young nun in simple robes, hair mussed, glasses crooked.

The contrast held them all still.

Quinlan released Mira from his arm.

”Your time to shine.”

She dropped with a small, undignified yelp and landed on her feet. She spun on him at once, eyes narrowed.

”Stop having fun at my expense!”

He did not answer.

That only made her glare sharpen, but before she could say more, she noticed the silence around them. Dozens of eyes fixed on her.

She exhaled through her nose.

Then she turned.

”Itʼs all right,” Mira began, voice steadier than she felt. She stepped forward, placing herself between the children and the Bastard Hero without thinking about it. ”No one is here to hurt you.”

The elder nun hesitated. ”Sister Mira…?”

”Yes,” Mira said, lifting her chin. ”Itʼs me.”

The name steadied the room more than she expected.

One of the younger nuns swallowed and glanced past her, eyes darting to the black armor and the red glow behind it. ”Were you… Were you controlled by that creature?”

Mira flinched.

Then she understood.

This was why he had dropped her down and let her take center stage. Why he had said it was her time to shine. He was not here to argue nor to persuade. He was here to move fast, and fear slowed people down.

She was the bridge.

”No,” Mira decreed firmly. ”I am not controlled.”

She turned, pointing back at him with a sharp motion. ”I know he looks like an enemy of humanity. I know he looks terrifying. But listen to me. He saved my orphanage. He saved Sister Alene. He saved fifty children who would already be dead if not for him.”

The cellar stirred.

”He brought the others to safety. He is evacuating shelters. He is not here to hurt you, but to do the exact opposite. And if you keep hesitating, you are wasting time we do not have. Other orphanages are under attack right now, so every second he spends here, the worse the chances of survival for others.”

”[Warp Gate]. Step in,” that was all Quinlan said, happy with the convincing speech of his sexually repressed, bratty sidekick.

Silence stretched.

Then the elder nun nodded once. ”Children,” she said. ”Move.”

That was all it took.

One by one, then in quick clusters, the children were ushered through. The younger nuns followed, hands tight on shoulders, murmuring prayers that came out tangled and rushed.

Mira stood at the side, directing, counting, and waving them forward.

When the last child vanished into the light, the cellar was empty again.

She turned slowly.

Her chest lifted as she exhaled, then she looked up at Quinlan with a small, smug tilt to her mouth. ”Well?” she asked. ”Am I still useless?”

Quinlan raised a hand and placed it on her head, petting it.

”Good job.”

Her smile vanished. ”I am not a dog!” She slapped his hand away, cheeks heating. ”Donʼt pat me!”

”Then why are you looking for praise?”

Her eyes narrowed. ”You are too rude to me. Iʼm starting to doubt if it was truly your alchemist wife who created that elixir. With such an attitude, no woman should be able to tolerate you.”

”Is that so?”

He asked without interest. Then he reached down and lifted her into his arm again.

”Wait-”

He did not wait.

The cellar vanished beneath them as they shot upward, cold air rushing in to replace the dark. Mira clutched his armor and swallowed her scream.

And so it went.

The Primordial Villain and the freckled nun cut through the city in sharp dives and sudden rises, opening gates, breaking locks, pulling children from the dark before the dark could close in.

No banners. No cheers.

Just speed.

And just like this, the siege of Greyhaven was concluded.

Now, it was time to move on. Numerous important events awaited!

…

Author: I hope todayʼs chapters were good, but I understand if they were lacking. I wrote them in a rush, lacking time to polish. I wish you all the happiest of holidays! If you spend it with your family, then good luck tolerating the drunk uncles and the nagging aunties. And if you are the drunk uncle, then go easy on the zoomers. Itʼs not their fault.

If you spend Christmas alone, treat yourself to something nice. Your favorite dessert, milk tea, and cozy anime time sounds good, no? Or, well, you can go for the tried and true hookers and cocaine combo too, whatever floats your boat. I donʼt judge. Just donʼt spend your Primordial Villain budget on hoes and white powder. Then I will judge. Harshly.