A dozen or so small spiders crawled back from the large hole and gathered around Rosebayne. After a moment of silent communication, she reported, "My little spiders have found the Overlord Spider's hiding place; they can guide us."
Everyone looked at the Warden, who was deep in thought. What to do was entirely up to him. Nightmoon's suggestion to wait for the Six-Headed Lizard to return and watch the fight from the sidelines seemed appealing, but there were too many uncertainties. What if that beast didn't return for ten days or half a month? Wouldn't that miss the opportunity to fight and give the Overlord Spider a chance to recover?
After much deliberation, Unas finally made up his mind and said to Rosebayne, "Lead the way. We must finish this off tonight."
"Lord Unas," the Beautiful Spider pleaded again, mimicking Nightmoon's form of address, "Please believe me, help me subdue that Overlord Spider. With it, I can quickly amass a group of spider minions. Then, I can not only help you obtain the Black Soil, but also join Miss Nightmoon in seeking revenge against the Purple-robed Person."
Unas looked at Nightmoon for a consultation. The Night Elf neither nodded nor shook his head, indicating that he would make the decision himself. He then looked at Haikesi, Troll had been silent for a while, cautiously revealed his thoughts. "If it was the Purple-robed Person who turned Miss Sunstrider into this state, then he must have clues about Shadra. I also want to find out his background."
The implication was that they supported the Beautiful Spider. The three of them had reached a consensus. They were all Purple-robed Person. With such a terrifying and evil guy as their neighbor in the Canyon, Unas naturally regarded him as an enemy. Moreover, as the Beautiful Spider said, a living and obedient Overlord Spider was far more valuable than a dead one. If they could control it, it would be a great help.
"Miss Sunstrider, I promise you, I will give you the Overlord Spider," Unas, looking into Rosebayne's eyes. "And I'm also partly responsible for the Purple-robed Person's affair. His presence is a threat to the stronghold in the Canyon, and as the Warden, it's my duty to eliminate him."
"Thank you so much, Lord Unas..."
"Don't rush to thank me. There are conditions. Black Soil is just a small part of the goal. My ultimate aim is to eradicate all spiders, turn the Canyons and Forests into the territory of Argent Dawn, and ensure the safety and food supply for those who come to seek refuge. You must promise to help me realize this dream."
"Eliminating all the spiders is too difficult..." Rosebayne's expression shifted from joy to worry.
"I'm not leaving this to you alone. My army is the main force, and with your abilities, building a spider army with my help is only a matter of time."
The Beautiful Spider remained silent. Unas said threateningly, "This is my only condition. If you don't agree, we can't help each other anymore."
"I promise you, Lord Unas," she said, taking the bait immediately. "It's a great and difficult dream, but I will help you achieve it."
Unas smiled slightly, "Very well, then I need you to sign a pledge to guarantee that you will keep your promise."
"Is this... necessary?"
"Miss Sunstrider, we've only known each other for a day, and just an hour ago we were enemies. I don't know anything about your reputation. A valid magical oath would put both of us at ease."
What is its effect?
Unas deliberately flashed a fierce glint in his eyes. "If you break your promise, you will be burned to ashes by demonic fire. Of course, once you fulfill your oath, the spell's effects will naturally dissipate."
If the Beautiful Spider backs down at this point, it means she truly intends to break her promise and is untrustworthy; if she accepts, she will fall into Unas's trap.
In reality, Unas didn't make any magical vows. While talking to the Beautiful Spider, he was also secretly communicating telepathically with Bessarius. The Dreadlord had repeatedly promised to help him enslave others, and now it was time for the demon to fulfill his promise.
The magical oath is just a facade; in reality, it's a slave contract, a common trick used by demons. Once the Beautiful Spider signs it, she becomes Unas's slave.
If he could, he wouldn't want to resort to such unorthodox methods, but he really couldn't be sure whether Rosebayne was trustworthy. What if she subdued the Overlord Spider and turned against him? Unas might as well go find a block of tofu and kill himself.
To prove that she could be trusted, Rosebayne hesitated for a moment before quickly agreeing to sign the oath. Unas secretly decided that as long as she kept her promise and did not do anything out of line, he would pretend that the master-servant contract did not exist and would never force her to do anything.
Following the demon's instructions, Unas slit the Beautiful Spider's wrist, drew a Magic Circle on the ground with her blood, moved her onto the Magic Circle, and even carved his mark on her spider abdomen. This scene reminded the Gnoll the Troll from before, and he looked away uneasily, not daring to say a word.
Nightmoon and the Beautiful Spider were also puzzled by the bloody spell, but neither of them were spellcasters. Unas just made up a few words like "a blood oath, of course you have to bleed a little" to fool them.
Rosebayne recited the oath word by word with Unas, while Unas, guided by the demon, silently chanted another set of incantations. Unbeknownst to her, the Beautiful Spider had willingly become Unas's slave.
The moment the oath was completed, a flash of green light passed over the Magic Circle and the Beautiful Spider. Rosebayne felt an emptiness in her heart, as if she had lost something indescribable yet very important. She didn't know that thing was called "self."
Unas breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to untie her while asking with concern, "How are you feeling? Is there any discomfort?"
Rosebayne suddenly felt an almost suffocating pressure emanating from the young human smiling at her. She managed to reply, "I... I'm... fine."
"Something's clearly wrong." Unas beckoned the Troll over to heal her. The bleeding wound on her wrist healed quickly, and the wound on her abdomen wasn't large either, but the venom injected by the Overlord Spider's stinger was extremely corrosive. She had fainted because of the severe internal injury.
Unas's Cleanse, the Troll's Holy Light, and the herbs made her feel much better. Slightly roused, she forced a smile and said to the two, "I feel much better. Let's not waste any more time, let's go."
Unas nodded, then tentatively ordered, "Leave half of your spiderlings around the Cave to keep watch, just in case the Six-Headed Lizard suddenly returns."
Rosebayne followed his orders so naturally that she was somewhat puzzled. The human's commands were like divine decrees to her, and she felt no will to resist.
Unas was quite pleased with this, Dreadlord thought to himself, "How about it? Isn't the thrill of arbitrarily controlling others very interesting?"
"Hehe, I'm increasingly convinced that you really are my friend, Lord Demon King," Unas said with a veiled compliment.
A demon's triumphant laughter suddenly rang out, not because of Unas's insincere flattery, but because he believed that this human Paladin would become increasingly addicted to the pleasure of enslaving others.