ch 6: The Contract of Submission
Several days after the duel
Elias stood in the middle of a dark alley in the Gray District of the capital.
Beneath his feet, the last "thug" of the fifth group he had taken down this week was groaning.
He wasn't killing them out of a sense of justice, nor did he enjoy the fight. It was simply... an advertisement. A bloody message written in corpses to attract the attention of only one person.
"You are persistent, boy."
The voice came from the end of the dark alley. A female voice, soft but carrying the sharpness of a blade.
Elias turned slowly.
A woman stepped out of the shadows. She was in her mid-twenties, possessing a sharp, cold beauty. Long black hair cascaded like a waterfall of night, and blue eyes glowed with suppressed anger. She wore tight, practical clothes suited for quick movement, with a long leather coat over them.
Marinda. The Information Queen of the Black Market.
She walked toward him with confident steps, her eyes scanning the mess he had created.
"So, you are the madman who has been breaking my men's bones all week?" she asked accusingly. "What do you want? And why are you doing this?"
Elias replied coldly, dusting off his shoulder, "They tried to rob me, so I killed them. Self-defense."
Marinda laughed with bitter sarcasm. "Do you think I'm a fool? If it were one or two, I'd believe you. But dozens? In different areas? And all of them targeted you specifically?"
She stopped at a safe distance from him, a clever smile forming on her lips.
"You weren't the victim. You were the bait. You were making noise to draw me out... am I right?"
Elias didn't deny it. He looked directly at her and said, "Marinda. Information broker, and exiled mage. Follow me, and I will grant your wish."
Her smile faded, replaced by a serious, mocking expression. "As if a child like you knows what my wish is."
She raised her hand suddenly and snapped her fingers.
SNAP!
In an instant, the alley burst into motion. From the rooftops, from behind crates, and from sewer entrances, dozens of armed men appeared. They surrounded the alley from all sides.
"You should think about how to get out of here alive before dreaming that I would be your subordinate," Marinda threatened.
Elias scanned the crowd with a quick, indifferent glance. "A bunch of thugs... do you really think they can protect you?"
Marinda smiled, and her hands began to glow with a bright yellow light.
"Well... we shall see who needs protection in the end."
She struck the ground with her heel. A complex magic circle spread beneath the feet of all her men simultaneously.
[Group Buff: Battle Frenzy]
Unlike ordinary mages who buff a single individual, Marinda's talent was "Command."
The thugs' muscles swelled, their eyes turned red, and their speed and strength tripled in a single second.
Elias said nothing. He began to walk toward her, step by step.
In his mind, the dialogue was fast and decisive.
I want a comprehensive physical enhancement. Maximum speed. Reaction time beyond human limits.
[Price: 70 Gold Coins... and excruciating muscle pain for half an hour after the effect wears off.]
Accepted.
The coins vanished from his remote bank account.
And suddenly, Elias disappeared from his spot.
No one saw him move. It was like teleportation.
He appeared instantly in front of the nearest thug. Before the man could raise his enhanced sword, Elias's fist had already buried itself in his stomach.
BOOM!
The man fell unconscious, foam spilling from his mouth.
"Attack!" Marinda screamed, shocked by the speed.
Everyone attacked at once.
But Elias danced among them. Whenever they tried to surround him, he broke the circle at its weakest point, always turning the battle into a series of one-on-ones.
Sword, dagger, punch.
He moved with surgical precision. Breaking an arm here, shattering a knee there, striking the throat with deadly accuracy.
Marinda's buff magic was powerful, but it meant nothing if her men couldn't touch the opponent.
In less than a minute, silence reigned over the alley once more.
The ground was carpeted with broken bodies.
Only two remained standing. Elias... and Marinda.
He approached her slowly, his eyes still holding that terrifying glint. He stopped directly in front of her as she took a step back, her mind unable to comprehend what had happened.
Elias leaned toward her and whispered in a mocking, calm voice:
"It seems you are the one who needs protection, Marinda."
"What... what are you?" she stammered, her voice trembling.
He interrupted her sharply: "I will repeat my offer for the last time."
He extended his hand toward her.
"Follow me, and I will grant your wish. Follow me, and you will never taste loss again."
His face moved closer to hers, and his voice turned into a low growl:
"Or... die here and now."
Marinda looked into his eyes. She saw no mercy, no hesitation. She saw only absolute power and boundless ambition.
She sighed, her shoulders slumping in surrender. Her merchant's intuition told her this boy was the "deal of a lifetime," even if it was dangerous.
"I accept."
"Good."
Elias pulled an old scroll from his pocket. It pulsed with dark magical energy.
"This is a Magical Loyalty Contract. Master and Servant."
He read the terms in a clear voice:
1-The Master commits to fulfilling the "Servant's Greatest Wish."
2- The Master guarantees the Servant's safety and protection.
3- The Servant obeys the Master's orders with absolute loyalty.
Betrayal means the immediate death of the Servant by heart rupture.
4- The contract automatically terminates after 10 years or whenever the Master decides
5- If one of the parties dies due to circumstances beyond their control, the contract is considered void.
"Sign with your blood."
Marinda hesitated for a moment looking at the last condition, then cut her thumb and pressed her blood onto the paper.
The contract glowed red and then vanished, leaving a small invisible tattoo on her wrist.
She belonged to him.
Elias turned his head toward the mess in the alley. "Do you have a quiet place where we can talk?"
Marinda nodded silently. "Follow me."
He walked behind her through the winding alleys until they reached a building that looked like an old, dilapidated inn.
She entered and headed toward the main counter. The place was empty except for a huge bartender wiping glasses.
Upon seeing Marinda, the bartender nodded respectfully.
"Deal with the trash in the fourth alley," she said coldly. "And clean the place well."
The bartender nodded and rushed out immediately.
She entered a back room, and Elias sat on a leather sofa while she sat opposite him, trying to regain her usual composure.
"So..." she said, clasping her fingers. "Now that you are officially my Master. You must explain to me. How did you get this power? How did you know about my wish? And who are you really?"
Elias leaned back comfortably. "Details are not important now. You will know everything in time. For now, I have work for you."
She nodded, realizing her role now was to execute, not to question.
Elias said seriously, "First mission: I want you to find the 'Martial King'."
Marinda's eyes widened. "The Martial King? The vanished legend?"
"Yes. Track his trail. Try to estimate his current location. Do not contact him, just pinpoint where he is."
"Second mission..."
He pulled out a folded paper and pushed it across the table.
"This is an investment list. I want you to buy shares in these projects and raw materials."
Marinda picked up the paper and began to read. Her expression shifted from seriousness to astonishment.
The list was terrifyingly precise:
Buy the entire stock of "Moon Herb" in the market before the next full moon.
Invest in the Northern Iron Mines (currently considered failing).
Buy deeds for specific lands in the slums.
Dates, quantities, buying and selling prices... everything was detailed with extreme precision.
"Once you find a thread leading to the Martial King, inform me immediately," Elias said, standing up.
"That is all for today."
He turned and walked toward the door without a goodbye.
"Wait," Marinda whispered, but he had already walked out and closed the door behind him.
Marinda sat alone in the silent room, looking at the paper in her hand, then at the invisible tattoo on her wrist.
"What a rude bastard..." she muttered, taking a sip from a glass of water on the table. "He didn't even tell me his name."
But she was lying to herself. As the best information broker in the capital, she knew his face well.
She smiled a small smile, her eyes shining with new curiosity. The boredom that had plagued her for years had vanished tonight.
"Elias Reinhardt..." she whispered in the darkness. "A first-year student with the strength of a monster and the mind of a demon... truly interesting."
