Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 212: A Painful Journey [Bonus - ]

Chapter 212: A Painful Journey [Bonus Chapter]

Dimo ended up a stray on the streets of Medeus until he was picked up by slave traders who recognized he had good features and could be sold for a good price.

He was bought by an old man from another kingdom who said he would make him a servant.

Dimo did not really care anymore what happened to him so he was fine with anything and did not go against it.

However, when he was twelve, the old man tried to assault him. He was a pedophile.

Dimo was reminded of his Aunt Sonia and the head butler doing carnal things.

In his rage and disgust at what the old man tried to do to him, Dimo set him on fire and run away. The old man didn’t die but he gained burn marks on his face and whole body.

Vengeful and angry, the old man sent people to kill Dimo saying that he was a dangerous slave who tried to kill his master in order to be free.

In a kingdom that allowed slavery, this was an abomination that had to be extinguished to set an example to others so they would not copy Dimo’s actions.

Thus, since then, Dimo had always been on the run. He got caught several times and escaped with his fire magic.

But despite surviving all the time; Dimo lost an eye and earned burn marks on his face and body since he did not know how to use his abilities yet.

To protect himself, he ended up hurting and killing those who were chasing him and became a wanted man at the age of thirteen.

At such a young age, Dimo had to live in the shadows of society.

Seeing the wanted posters, an underground guild took interest in Dimo for being able to kill several adult men all on his own. They saw value in his tenacity and ability to escape.

His ability to make fire out of nowhere was also what interested them most. They knew it was fire magic.

The guild saved Dimo when he was captured by the old man’s men again. They slaughtered all those who were trying to catch him and killed the old man so Dimo wouldn’t have to run and hide from him anymore.

However, in exchange, the guild wanted Dimo to join them. Since he had nowhere to go anyway and had already committed crimes, Dimo agreed.

The underground guild provided Dimo with expensive books of magic so he could master his abilities.

With years of painstaking effort and self-teaching, Dimo learned to control his fire magic through those books and learned to use other kinds of magic as well.

One time, Dimo was about to be killed by a monster when he experienced teleportation for the first time. He did it unconsciously because he did not want to die yet. He was never able to do teleportation again though until when he learned how to cast it.

Dimo became an important member of the underground guild and they profited a lot from everything he learned and was able to do.

He was transferred from branch to branch until he was recommended to Arabella one day when she was looking for people to work for her.

It was rare to find a magician for hire like Dimo was. Magicians themselves were rare so they were always already affiliated with someone powerful. However, Dimo wasn’t.

The underground guild was indeed influential in the underworld and had a lot of branches in various kingdoms but Arabella was the Empress of Valeria.

She had both the money and power to obtain what she needed. And so, she asked for Dimo.

Since she did not know how long she would require his services, Arabella offered to buy Dimo’s services for life.

Arabella offered to set him free once her goals were achieved. He could also enjoy all the luxury he wanted. And she also promised to help him if he needed her help.

Dimo did not care about freedom or luxury. What he wanted was revenge against his Aunt Sonia who was ruling Olivier to destruction; wasting all his father and mother’s former efforts for the dukedom.

Thus, Arabella promised she would help him and Dimo agreed to come with her.

Because of what they were earning from him, Dimo also knew the guild would never let him leave if not with Arabella who was in a powerful position. Arabella on the other hand only needed him for his abilities and not because of profit.

And indeed, the guild did not want to set Dimo free since he was very much profitable to them. But Arabella offered they could name their price instead.

The guild asked for twice the profit they could earn from Dimo if he worked for them his whole life. Arabella gave thrice the said amount and Dimo became her mage.

The Magic tower which had become empty after Alwin was gone became Dimo’s abode. With all the useful books there, Dimo was able to heal all his burn scars and regain the eyesight he had once lost in his left eye.

Arabella supported Dimo financially and helped hire some men to help him pursue his revenge.

Dimo defeated his stepmother and the head butler. He revealed the truth to everyone in Olivier.

Brent and Monica were exiled since they still had a bit of ducal blood. Sonia and the head butler were publicly executed for their crimes.

Dimo was supposed to become the Duke but he refused and let a more reliable relative reign as duke in Olivier.

Once his revenge was accomplished, Dimo focused on serving as Arabella’s mage.

And when Arabella thought her goal was achieved, she made Dimo leave for another continent where he could leave a new life free from bounds.

. . .

"I’m a monster," Dimo said between sobs.

"No, you’re not. You were never a monster. You were just able to use fire magic unconsciously," Arabella said and explained to Dimo what Alwin told her earlier.

Ferdinand agreed to help Dimo since Arabella knew him and sympathized with him. Helping Duke Olivier and his son could prove to be useful in the future as well.