Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Did Orion really think that having some stolen crystals gave him comparable respect?

That coercion created the same stability as genuine authority?

It was delusional… And dangerous. Because he’d act on that delusion.

Selphira couldn’t let him do as he wanted.

But for now, he had Victor. And that gave him leverage regardless of whether his broader strategy was viable.

“Hahaha, don’t make that face,” Orion continued with confidence bordering on arrogance. “The proof is that you yourself with all your power can’t touch me. And that will remain true as long as I control the resources I’ve secured. So you can follow me if you want to sign a treaty in which you give me total control of the Starweaver family and territory now that Sirius has been gone for quite some time and accept that I’ll have absolute control of everything in the ruins I open from now on without interference from the castle or any other authority.”

He paused to permit the weight of his ultimatum to settle before adding the final threat.

“Otherwise, you can say goodbye to Victor here and now. I have no problem eliminating him for good if he doesn’t serve the purpose for which I’ve kept him alive to this point.”

The casual state of murder. Like it was a simple business transaction or like Victor’s life was just another negotiating chip to be cashed in if the terms weren’t met.

Selphira had met monsters before. Had fought against tamers who killed without hesitation or remorse. But there was something particularly cold about Orion’s approach to the moral and social consequences.

And the terrifying part was that he was right. She couldn’t touch him… Not while he had that barrier, even while Victor’s life hung by a thread in a situation that pulled her to the maximum input.

Orion turned and began walking, dragging Victor back toward the building guarding the ruin’s entrance. Smiling to himself with satisfaction coming from recognizing he’d established the situation exactly as planned.

Selphira was trapped thinking about her options. And she’d have to follow him if she wanted any chance of recovering the hostage.

Victor’s body scraped across the ground. The crystals growing from his wounds left trails in the dirt.

And Orion didn’t look back. Didn’t check to see if she was following. Just walked with absolute confidence that she would. Because he knew he’d won this round. He had calculated her responses perfectly and trapped her in a situation where every option was terrible but where the less terrible option at least kept Victor breathing.

Selphira turned to see the army behind her maintaining defensive alert but not actively attacking now that negotiation had begun.

And farther away she could see Arturo still fighting against the mutants continuing to emerge in a flow showing no signs of ceasing. His position looked increasingly desperate. How long could he hold alone? How long before exhaustion overwhelmed even his considerable skill?

Then she looked toward Orion’s retreating back. The figure representing a dilemma that seemed impossible to resolve satisfactorily.

But was this actually advantageous to her?

Did Orion believe Selfira’s signature would be some unavoidable oath here?

She was indeed someone who kept her promises… but she wasn’t stupid.

Could she really exchange Victor for a treaty that would be essentially empty? Would she and the princes respect the clauses they signed, or would it simply be paper without real meaning the moment it was convenient to ignore it?

She certainly wouldn’t respect it as soon as she found a way to rescue Victor.

Sign under coercion and then pursue any opportunity to invalidate an agreement that had been forced through threat to family member’s life. Treaties signed at clawpoint weren’t legally binding for her.

So why was he bothering with the formality? What did he gain from a piece of paper everyone knew was worthless?

They just had to heal Victor and attack with the three princes together at the right moment. Surely the barrier would fall then.

Combined assault from Julius, Arturo, and Victor at full strength. Three Gold-rank tamers coordinating techniques. That should be enough to overwhelm even the artifact-enhanced defenses. Especially if she supported them with her own power.

If she could help Victor by pretending to sign something willingly now, conserving the appearance of cooperation until they had the opportunity to act… That was a evaluation deserving serious evaluation.

Except that raised a puzzling question: Did Orion really believe she’d respect the treaty signed under these circumstances?

Maybe even against the 4 Orion thought he still would win?

But even then, was he that confident in his position that he thought a simple document would be sufficient to guarantee compliance?

Or was this about something else entirely? An additional layer of planning that Selphira wasn’t seeing completely yet?

Perhaps the treaty itself wasn’t the objective but some other political thing that the signing process would facilitate. Public ceremony creating fait accompli or witnesses who’d seen her acknowledge his authority? Documentation that could be used to legitimize his position regardless of whether she later repudiated it?

Or maybe something more sinister. Some mechanism in the signing process itself like some ancient blood oath that would actually bind her?

Some convenient ancient contract magic that modern tamers didn’t know existed… Never seen before, very unlikely.

She didn’t know… Couldn’t know without more information. But the uncertainty was itself warning that she was missing something critical.

There wasn’t any other realistic option than following him anyway.

Not when the alternative was permitting Victor to die without even attempting his rescue that seemed like it could succeed if executed appropriately after signing.

Maybe she was walking into a trap. Probably she was… But doing nothing guaranteed Victor’s death, while following at least offered the possibility of success even if it came with risks.

And she’d spent her entire life taking calculated risks. Accepting danger in service of objectives that mattered… this was just another gamble.

Risk versus reward.

And Victor’s life still tipped the scales despite everything.

But before committing to following Orion toward what was probably an additional trap, she needed to prepare as completely as circumstances permitted.

Selphira reached the pocket where she’d kept the potion she’d been reserving for emergencies.