Her beautiful emerald green eyes stared eagerly at the guy. The girl clenched her fists and approached him.

«Master... Where did you get this divine gift?» - She asked, surprisingly without hesitation or pause.

«Why did you come?» - Kyon said coldly. He was not flattered by the words "divine gift." In his world, anyone can have Synergy. (1% of people)

«Let's make a deal!» - The little angel continued, not paying attention to the grinning servant. – «I suggest you become the head of the Stones' Development Center! You will enjoy the highest status among the younger generation! All the resources of the family will be available to you. You will get into my grandfather's good books…» - The servant's laughter made her shut up.

«All in all, you want me to become a cash cow.»

«Not at all!» - Juno exclaimed. - «I want to…»

«Shut up and do not play games with me or else I will never purify any more keys for you.» - He didn't want to listen to Juno's terrific offer. He was doing well without her.

After his words, the girl jumped from fright, closed her mouth with her hands, and froze with fear. To lose the opportunity to become a talent that was superior to heavenly geniuses? Not in her lifetime.

If the servant agrees to her terms, she will get rid of the slave shackles. Then she will inflict a terrible vengeance on him, force him through pain to make her the master of all the elements... After that, she will hand the pathetic sc.u.m over to her grandpa. Their family will rise beyond the heavens after grandpa arranges key purifying on a paying basis. Juno will train hard and in a year or two, she will humiliate her sister. But the reality wasn't so sweet... The servant didn't want to listen to her. Why does he cherish his position of being her master? A sneaky b.a.s.t.a.r.d... He won't live long, anyway. Someone will notice the formation on her forehead sooner or later.

«Master... Tell me please, where did you get this ability? Who gave it to you?»

Kyon gave her a malicious smile. «What if I've had it since I was born?»

Juno wanted to protest but she kept her cool. She had the courage of her convictions and couldn't believe that a slave had a G.o.d-like pedigree. But she didn't want to come back to that point - what if he didn't lie?

«Master, can I do something to win your favour? Can you get my key purified even more?» - Juno made a pitiful-begging expression, folding her arms in front of herself. A hungry puppy asking for food will give way to her charm.

Kyon could hardly look away. The little devil annoyed him with her enigmatic behavior and natural magnetism. «First, tell me where I can find recipes and techniques for unique bodies.»

After a moment's hesitation, Juno a.s.sumed the position and bowed her head. «Follow me, master.»

The guy was about to strangle her. Her false deference, phoney humility drove him round the bend... What a hypocritical snake! She faked those emotions so well that they could mislead anyone but him. {Little trashy b.i.t.c.h, you can't fool me.}

Kyon followed Juno to the secret library, then to the treasury.

The girl came to the wall, put her hands in certain places and infused the pure energy in the right way.

*squeak*

The wall parted and another secret pa.s.sage came into view. It looked like an old damp tunnel in the catacomb.

With his lips pressed together into a thin line, Kyon followed the girl. He should have guessed that the treasury had another level... Otherwise, what kind of family legacy was that? He decided to order Juno to tell him about other secrets in the mansion after he explored the treasury thoroughly.

The place was saturated with ancient times. It once again suggested the idea that the mansion was built here for a reason.

«Juno, do you know why the mansion, in fact, the whole estate was built here?»

The girl slowed down a little and said in a quiet pleasant voice:

«Many centuries ago, our ancestors settled in this area because of the increased density of energy in the air. Grandfather says that many elements in the crust release energy.»

«And that's it?»

The girl fell silent, thinking whether to continue the conversation but answered, after all:

«He also said that the past civilization must have left something valuable in the local catacombs. But they didn't carry out excavations as they were afraid it would collapse.» - She said only half of the truth.

«But they carried out excavations in the mines, didn't they?»

Juno turned around in surprise. «How do you know that?»

Kyon's guess was correct. The mines were built on the site of the catacombs not only because of their easy conversion but also in order to find something left from the past civilizations. It's hard to imagine the price of the technique that opens the keys or the recipe of breakthrough medicine... That would definitely stir up the whole empire.

The girl did not receive an answer to her question. She turned away and continued walking in silence. She was a little surprised by the young man's expert knowledge. The information is so confidential that it is not mentioned in any books and all of a sudden, there appear compet.i.tors greedily scouring for profit. She didn't even tell him everything.

The couple walked another hundred meters. There appeared a treasury carved from the earth about 500 square meters.

Kyon was astounded by what he saw: lots of racks with shelves, on each of them there's a single cloudy sphere of nephritis in a special niche. The cupboards are full of boxes with aromatic herbs. He looked closely with his modernized eyes and saw a barely visible barrier that regulated humidity and temperature in each box of herbs.

The guy knew that herbs were not stored in the rings but in the open air for a reason. They got saturated with energy and enhanced their properties with time. He could feel with his soul the ancient place contained a huge amount of energy.

There were also beautiful gla.s.s display cases with boxes on the shelves. In each of them there was the medicine of specific nature - enzymes (for the development of the body), tempering the spirit (helping to concentrate), therapeutic, specialized (for some unique bodies), poisonous and others. All that was in the form of ointments, bottles with a drink, capsules with powder, pills, and even vapors enclosed in the container. Next to each box was a familiar cloudy green stone with information.

Juno looked carefully into the servant's eyes and waved her hand. «Master, to develop a unique body you need to put a sprout in your soul and grow it. For this, you need to take one of these pills once and comply with the terms. You will know which ones either with your soul or from the description…»

Kyon glanced at the pills of different colors and asked:

«Is there medicine of all the unique bodies that your family can make?»

«No, there isn't. But you don't have to wait till it's made. I recommend that you choose a unique body with ready-made medicine. The unique body of a strong spirit will help to use pressure that is much superior to peers in development. And thanks to the unique body of strong flesh, you will almost never lose physical stamina. I recommend choosing one of these.»

Kyon thoughtfully stroked his chin. It was possible to have only one cultivated unique body, moreover, it was for life. The unique body could be destroyed, but it would significantly lower the stage of development as it played the role of the second foundation for soul development. It would take a lot of time and effort to develop a new one.

In addition to permanent benefits in the form of enhancement or special features, boost in the development and even changes in talent, the unique body can grant a rare trait or ability. This is its main value. The energy quality can increase significantly.

The choice needed careful consideration, therefore, the guy said:

«Thank you for your advice but I am going to explore what can be made here and is available. You are free to go now.»

«No, master. I'll stay here so you won't be lonely.» {And stupid.}

«Suit yourself.» - Kyon said in a cold, emotionless voice and began to explore the treasury. Apparently, it would take some time.

The young man took the first stone and made an attempt to infuse it with pure energy to get the information. However, he failed.

There was a quiet, contemptuous laugh behind him.

Kyon turned around - «What is the pa.s.sword to the family formation?»

The girl smiled smugly and answered confidently:

«Master, you don't need to know the family code to gain access to the family's heritage. All it takes is a person with the highest level of access. It so happens that only ten people have access to heritage, including me.»

Juno proudly approached the guy, grabbed the nephrite from his hands and put it on her wrist, then she waved it around. «It has been granted access for an hour. Now anyone can use it after infusing pure energy.»

Kyon grunted unkindly - what a fool, way to go! «You aren't useless, after all. Now go to each nephrite and grant me access for at least three days.»

«Are you going to study everything here?!»

«Less talk, more work.» - Kyon smiled and s.n.a.t.c.hed the nephrite from her hands.

The girl laughed inwardly. {Dumba.s.s! If you study too much information at once by infusing pure energy you will get a strong migraine, or even worse. Alright, I'll laugh at you...}

A few hours later, Kyon was distracted by someone's stomach rumbling. He looked at Juno who was applying nephrites to her wrist. Her face gave nothing away only a treacherous blush appeared on her tender cheeks.

The guy couldn't help but smile at her sweet face. He remembered it was lunchtime and after lunch, Flitz was going to call on Marina. The old man should be watched closely. If he dares to offend the girl, he can go to h.e.l.l and rot in the abyss of depression.

Kyon planned to help Marina resolve the conflict from her troubled past. Will she forgive Flitz? Will she reject him? Or will she swallow her pride? In any case, they must meet face to face. She can't defeat darkness by running from it.

«By the way, give the guards the order to add Flitz to the VIP list. He is coming after lunch to take a walk with Marina in the park.»

The girl raised her eyebrows and shook his head, baffled. Then she frowned angrily, showed her straight white teeth like a wild animal and exclaimed - «How dare you make my friend suffer?! If... if Flitz comes, then…» - Each word was an effort for the poor thing. Now she was torn between the intoxicating l.u.s.t for power and her duty of a friend.

«Calm down. Marina does not mind. You can ask her yourself at lunch.» - Kyon didn't want to answer any more questions and went to the exit. Alright, the little demon went up a little in his estimation.

Along the way, Juno dared to ask him to give her some freedom to communicate with Flitz. What if Kyon does something wrong? And she can't even raise her voice because of the cage of orders. The guy agreed.

They left the storeroom. Kyon went to have lunch in his room, while Juno and Marina sat at the top table. Actually, only the highest persons dined there and the lady's close friend was one of them, wasn't she?

Towards the end of the meal, Flitz came to the mansion ridiculously dressed. He was wearing a white jacket, trousers, a bow tie... His rare white hair was combed back. He was looking polished and put together. However, dark circles under the old man's eyes gave away his health.

Kyon could not believe his eyes. The image of the wise master was completely erased from his mind. Now the talented formacist resembled a gigolo with a warm heart and heavy underpants.

Flitz went into the dining room. The two lovely blonde girls were, no doubt, the main decoration of the room. The silent waiters walked around the big table.

When Marina saw her former master she felt a sudden loss of confidence. She wanted to feel protected and grabbed Juno by the hand.

When he saw the girl's reaction, the old man hunched over and looked down. With his disheartened look, he gave the appearance of being guilty. He admitted what a weak-willed fool he was.

«h.e.l.lo, Juno. Greetings Marina.» - He said hoa.r.s.ely.

Juno slammed her little fist on the table. «I'd never have let you in if my best friend didn't ask me to! You should be grateful for her kindness and sympathy. She will tell you everything she thinks about you. Am I right, Marina?»

The poor blonde wished the ground would swallow her up.

Flitz coughed, pulled a box out of his bosom and handed it to embarra.s.sed Marina. - «Please accept my humble gift as a token of good faith.»

Marina raised slowly her beautiful, surprised eyes at the skeleton-like old man. With all his heart, he handed her a s.h.i.+ny little box with a gift.

When their eyes met, the old man looked down at once, following the advice of the servant. The girl did not have a chance to do the same.

Marina opened her mouth, amazed at what he said. There was no trace left of her master - a tyrant, a despot, a malicious s.e.x maniac. - {What's the matter with him?}

The girl hesitantly accepted the gift, and Juno whispered in her ear:

«Don't take it if you don't want to. Just say a word, and I will drive the old fart away like a dog.»

Marina shook her head and opened the box. There was a deliciously looking nutcake. Her heart started beating faster... So, Flitz remembered her favorite delicacy - the landan cake with kerker nuts, a rare and very expensive treat.

Overwhelmed by two contrary feelings, the girl looked at the old man. - «Sir…»

«Please, call me Flitz.» - He smiled, avoiding looking at her.

Holding the sweet present in her hands, Marina rose from the table and slowly approached the old man. The girl had decided, as Kyon said, to move on. She wanted to face and accept all her past suffering and to live on. She wanted a fresh start.

The girl said bravely:

«What about taking a walk, Flitz?»

The old man coughed again at such an unexpected offer. It was the first time, Marina had suggested going for a walk together. She grew bolder quickly... The friends.h.i.+p with Juno must have given her confidence.

«Yes… Sure.» - He answered with his wrinkled smile.

Together they left the mansion and went into the beautiful park.

Marina planned to tell her former master that she would not return to him no matter how much he "loved" her. She was completely dissatisfied with her past life. She was determined to do it even if he begged or started threatening her... At the same time, she felt sorry for Flitz who would have to abandon his dream to restore his seed and have a child from her. She was unreachable for him now. She refused to be his slave. He may look for another s.e.x toy...

Marina wanted to tell him all that right away. She just needed to get the conversation on track... Come on, scaredy-cat, be brave. Speak up!

The girl walked in the park with the old man for five minutes, but she could not squeeze out a word! It was hard for her to speak with the former tyrant master... Kyon was right, she should be stronger, but how? The saddest thing was that Flitz was also silent.

Suddenly, he spoke:

«In my youth, I lived as a guttersnipe. My life was based around cheap booze, harlots, and fights. I would never have believed that in a hundred years, I would find a girl I could not live without... Your escape to Lady Juno opened my eyes to the ugly truth: who I am and what I am. I realized that I treated the woman I loved like a loathsome egocentric monster because my senile selfish heart was afraid to start a real relations.h.i.+p. I was afraid to take responsibility. If you had refused me, I would have died of grief... I wanted to believe that since you are my servant, s.e.x, and even love, is your duty... What a fool I was. Marina, a million words will never be enough to express how much I regret my terrible att.i.tude towards you. But I'll be bold, I'll ask you to forgive me at the twilight of my years. Have mercy on a skinny half-dead old man.» – He looked at the girl with wet eyes full of regret.

Flitz had prepared his speech to touch Marina's feelings but there was a great deal of truth that the old man did not want to accept. He was losing his mind without this girl. He had different thoughts going through his head, in many of them, he regretted the abuse and harsh treatment his beloved woman received from him. Flitz used to consider her a stupid naive baby but Marina's words that she hated him, despised him and wanted to leave were sharper than any daggers. He was afraid to give her the right to speak in their relations.h.i.+p. He was afraid of responsibility.

Marina found herself at a loss for words, even if she remained silent all the time. Her former master was sorry for the first time... He was so sincere and she'd wanted it for so long! It was unusual to see him like that as if he was a different person! Now the girl felt an unbearable burden of responsibility. If she was straight with him, if she destroyed his hope to have his dream come true, Flitz, who had saved her from the hungry street life full of darkness, who had given her shelter and raised her, would die of a broken heart. She couldn't say that... She's not a murderer!

«Flitz... I... I can't forgive you straightaway…»

«I understand, Marina.» – The old man said grimly. – «I do have a lot to atone for. I will dedicate my remaining life to make it up to you…»

There was a pause.

Marina was embarra.s.sed like never before. Something absolutely incredible was going on. All of a sudden, she felt so warm and cozy. She wanted to believe in the words of her former master, she wanted things to change for the better and even get better than before!

«How are you feeling?» – She asked him with concern.

Little by little, they started a friendly conversation.

For the first time, the girl talked so long and freely with Flitz. He did not seem to her cruel, rude, perverted hypocrite as before. Far from it, the elderly formacist was polite, attentive and courteous. He apologized for all sorts of nonsense... Was he the same Flitz? Were his intentions really pure? She had no words, he was a different person! She even smiled once when he joked, she felt so free. Kyon said that the old man would change his att.i.tude but to that extent?! How could the guy predict that?! It seemed to Marina she was having a good dream where everything was getting better, the wounds from the past were healed, and everything bad in people turned good... She can't break the old man's heart.

A couple of hours pa.s.sed quickly. Flitz gallantly kissed the girl's hand goodbye and said respectfully:

«I enjoyed our walk very much. Thank you for meeting with me. Do you mind if I come by tomorrow?»

«Hmm, okay. You may come.» - Marina gave him a little smile, tucking a lock of silky hair behind her ear.

Happy Flitz left the mansion. His old wrinkled face smiled. Warmth and delight reigned in his heart. For the first time, Marina was so talkative... She had never laughed at his jokes before. She has an amazing smile! It was like the brightest ray of light illuminated his dark soul... The bird got out of the cage, spread her wings and showed her true pristine beauty. Indeed, he fell in love with her for a reason. Only she was worthy of his senile, dementiridden love.

Kyon was right when he said that the girl would open up if he treated her like his equal. And even if Flitz did not feel at ease talking with the young silly woman in that way, it turned out to be the only right approach. Well, it looked like he couldn't get back the old way with her, and he didn't want to. In that case, goodbye beloved maid, h.e.l.lo beloved potential wife.

Kyon had been watching their walk from beginning to end. He followed Flitz with an indifferent look. He did not offend the girl and even asked for another date. If his intentions were pure, he may spend time with her in the future. After all, Marina would be glad to mend fences with the person she unconsciously felt grat.i.tude for the good deeds of the past, even if they weren't numerous.

Juno had been nearby all the time. She resembled a guard dog, closely following the actions of the stranger - Flitz.

Kyon was already mentally choosing a collar for her. The kind owner Marina will take good care of her...