Rebirth: Building the Strongest Party with my Overpowered Harem.-Chapter 17: Cursed children

"I want you, Alice Grayson, to join my party, Dancing Corpse."

"What?"

"You heard me. I want you to join my party," Adonis repeated.

'Is this dude serious? Of all the things to ask me, this is what he went for?'

Alice sighed.

Gently standing to her feet, she placed one hand on her waist, her eyes completely hitched with calmness.

"You want me to join your party?"

"I'm pretty sure you heard me the first two times."

"Needed to be sure I heard you right. You met a stranger, and this is the first thing you want? You don't need to do any type of background check? What if I am an enemy of humanity?"

Adonis smiled. "Then it will be my responsibility to take you down."

To any other person, Adonis was definitely doing something reckless. But to Adonis, it was a very smart move.

He already knew who Alice was thanks to the novel. Having her join his party was a major win on his part.

"You're truly a weird man." Alice sighed again. "Not that joining your party isn't something I can't do. It's just... doing that would mean I have to give up the people I am fighting for. I can't do that."

"When you say people..."

"I'm talking about the cursed children," she chimed in.

Years ago, during a gate breakout, a weird phenomenon occurred where the entire kingdom was filled with strange magic particles.

Some people were affected by this—typically younger ones—and hence, they became the cursed children.

It was said the cursed children were dangerous and a threat to society, which was why the king wanted to eliminate them for good due to their high magical capabilities.

"If I leave them be, there's no telling what would come over them," Alice uttered, clearly feeling bothered about it.

Adonis placed his hand under his jaw. 'She's not entirely wrong. If the kingdom gets their hands on the children, they'll most likely be used for experiments. There's simply only one way I can think to help them.'

He slightly lifted his head. "Mind taking me to where they are?" he asked.

Alice was a bit taken aback by his question, mainly because she didn't trust him yet.

Adonis knew this and yet still asked.

If she were to accept, his plan would work out in his favor, gaining more of her trust.

"Why do you want to meet the cursed children? You do realize just getting in contact with them can flood your body with unnecessary mana," Alice uttered with suspicion.

"Oh? Aren't you a genius?" Adonis began to move closer.

"Are you mocking me?!" Alice shouted. "I don't care if you saved my life! I am not taking you to them! I'd rather die than... eh? What are you—?"

Adonis was moving even closer, his face hitched with seriousness.

Alice couldn't help but turn red.

"W-wait... wait, hold on... d-don't just... I'm... I'm not ready!!!" she yelled.

In that moment, Adonis grabbed her top and raised it up, revealing her bare stomach.

Like open wounds, the scars glowed, pulsing as if they were a living organism.

The fear on Alice's face was enough proof.

"What are you doing?!" she shouted, yanking Adonis's hand off before she leaped back.

But that didn't faze Adonis as he still stood there, the serious expression still playing on his face.

'Now that I think about it, I knew she was a mercenary. I was taking care of some mutant kinds. But that was about all. The author never really specified what type of disease it was. I guess that explains why people never really liked the novel to begin with. How could I have missed that?'

Adonis shook his head a bit.

He then looked at Alice. "Listen. It's getting dark. I have to be somewhere. Meet me here. Same time. And bring just one of the infected kids, alright?"

"Why on earth do you think I'll listen to a word you say?"

"Because I can help you. Quit being annoying and do as I say."

Adonis turned away and moved toward the dead body of the Orc King.

"Awaken."

Dark energy surged out of his body and completely swallowed the Orc King.

Once the energy was dispersed, a Dark Orc King was standing before Adonis.

[You have added a Dark Orc King to your army.]

[You have gained the skill, Orc Slam.]

[Would you like to give your summon a name?]

'This one gets to keep a name? Probably because it was a higher rank.'

Adonis didn't need to think too much about something so small.

"Darth," he replied to the system.

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And almost immediately, the icon appeared right on top of the Dark Orc King's head.

'I should get going then.' Adonis took one more look at Alice. "Tomorrow."

He said it one more time before charging forward, right after his summoned Dark Orc King disappeared alongside the dark goblins.

With Adonis gone, Alice finally caught her breath, resting her back on the tree.

'Did he seriously just turn the Orc King into a shadow? I don't think even high-ranking necromancers can do something like that. The most they can do is summon dead creatures. Even then, it's temporary.'

She sighed. 'I should head back.'

Steadily, Alice began to walk away, trying to get past the thick bushes in front of her.

As she arrived at the other side, she noticed something that freaked her out a bit.

Waiting on the other side was one of Adonis's dark soldiers, and it was holding the unconscious body of the man Alice had wanted to kill.

Not just that—even her team of two men was safely guarded by two other dark soldiers.

"Did he..." Alice was surprised.

One by one, the soldiers disappeared.

Leaving her standing there with a confused face.

She couldn't quite understand why Adonis would help her, a complete stranger.

"Honestly. Such a weird man," she uttered to herself before pulling out her blade.

Just like that, she killed the man.