Chapter 206 – Contracts and Enforcement

The force that had been trying to move vanished from the scythe still embedded in me. When I released the Shield’s restraint, it fell from my palm.

To destroy it or not? Whether the scythe could determine Orjius’s life or death was questionable, but if he were alive, there was no doubt he could manipulate the scythe.

Considering the possibility it had its own will, I tightly bound it with Earth Magic and Light Bind before packaging it, then placed it within visible range where I could deal with it if it moved.

I jumped over the large hole and headed toward Rosemary. She looked stunned beyond words.

Rosemary was unharmed. I had fired the Meteor Hammer with my back turned to keep her outside the magic’s range, and had double-insured with both Defense Field and Chimera Coat.

“That hand… your shoulder too. Show me your wounds.”

Rosemary cut the hem of her dress with a stiff expression, making an impromptu bandage. She had borrowed a dagger from the alchemist’s shop.

“…Yeah. Thanks.”

…I should just accept her kindness straightforwardly. I let her bandage my palm and shoulder.

“For the severity of the wounds, there’s surprisingly little bleeding.”

“I’m using Shield to stop the bleeding.”

At my words, Rosemary nodded as if understanding.

“I wonder how wounds work in this world?”

“They say as long as it’s not a fatal wound, you’ll be fine once you leave.”

That said, things like massive blood loss could lead to death in this world, and apparently that would mean dying outside the book too. So it’s not like getting injured is acceptable.

As for the pain issue, well, during battle I don’t really notice it much. After the fight ends, it gets pretty tough though.

“Do you always fight like that?”

While bandaging me, Rosemary asked.

“That depends on the opponent. If I can lure them by pretending to create an opening, I consider it a necessary expense.”

In evenly matched situations, it becomes a matter of luck or turns into a battle of attrition, neither of which I particularly welcome. So it’s better to guide them toward predictable actions and draw them out… but sometimes they take the bait without biting the hook, so it’s tricky.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you fight seriously, so you were holding back considerably against me. —There. This should do.”

Rosemary finished bandaging and stepped back. Regarding pain and ease of movement, it felt somewhat better. As long as I reinforce it with Shield, there shouldn’t be any problems.

“So then. How do we get out of here?”

“They said if we defeat the guardian, the maintenance would fail and we’d be released.”

Looking around, the noise occasionally running through the space had become quite severe. It seemed certain that it was on the verge of collapse.

“Ooohhhhaaahhh!”

Then, a pained voice came from the large hole in the throne room’s floor. An owl-shaped Aura-like thing was crawling up from below.

“Did he… survive that?”

Rosemary frowned. Well—I wonder.

Orjius didn’t leap at us, but stood facing us from a distance.

“Y-your victory. I’ll… let you out of here…”

Orjius painfully said such words. I… scoffed at them.

“Let us out? If you’re destroyed, we can get out, right?”

The noise running through the scenery intensified further. That it was on the verge of collapse was obvious to anyone, and Orjius himself looked completely battered.

“If I admit defeat, you will be released. Don’t you want this world? L-let’s make a new contract—”

“…Wrong. Lying isn’t good, Orjius.”

I laughed. When I pointed it out, Orjius clearly panicked.

“W-what do you—”

“Normally, no one should survive a direct hit from Meteor Hammer. Yet you survived like that and are approaching negotiations in your Ethereal Body. But even though you’re in Ethereal Body, you look pretty rough, don’t you?”

I chose the purely physical Meteor Hammer with this world’s rule in mind—that the more fair something is, the stronger it becomes. Meteor Hammer shouldn’t affect an Ethereal Body, yet Orjius was barely breathing. Perhaps because the body is constructed according to the rules, the damage taken by the physical body is reflected in the Ethereal Body too. But that’s probably not all.

“S-stop. No more…”

Orjius’s voice sounded almost pleading. Along with my words, not just noise but creaking sounds emerged as cracks ran through the space. And then. I spoke the decisive words.

“In other words… you’re still in the middle of the match. Moreover, right before the outcome was decided, you abandoned the body you should have in this world and escaped. Thinking that without a physical form, you could mitigate Meteor Hammer’s power. But that’s a contract violation, right? You have to properly receive Meteor Hammer’s full force with your physical body.”

I paused briefly, then said.

“Even if—it means dying along with the contract.”

“Gghh, hii—”

Flames burst from Orjius’s eyes and mouth, from inside him. If he weren’t a Psychic Lifeform, such an accusation probably wouldn’t mean anything.

But this guy is a Demon. If strict adherence to contracts is demanded, then settlement will occur retroactively.

In this case, that means he’ll be forced to properly pay the damage from the Meteor Hammer he tried to cheat.

“P-please… even now… contract renewal. Either way is fine…”

While spewing flames, Orjius reached toward us.

A contract loophole… insurance he left for himself to survive in case of defeat, probably. But I had no intention of letting him live.

After treating that many victims as toys, thinking he alone could survive—such a convenient story shouldn’t be allowed.

“Not needed.”

“I don’t need it either. This book reeks.”

The clear words of rejection from me and Rosemary. The next moment, Orjius scattered as if exploding from within. Simultaneously, the world also shattered to pieces, and the ground beneath us vanished.

Since I felt the sensation of falling, I took Rosemary’s hand and cast Levitation.

“Contracts are scary, aren’t they?”

“Absolutely.”

I quipped back at Rosemary’s wry smile. The sensation of rising. Our bodies floated upward toward the distant light in the sky.

Countless spheres of light surrounded us. The souls of the victims. Probably released now that Orjius was dead. They too rose upward, leaving behind phosphorescent light. It was a fantastical scene.

“…When we return, there’s just one thing I’d like to ask.”

“What?”

“I want you to remove the Subjugation Magic just once. Of course, you can recast it afterward.”

“Fine by me… but it’s not solely my decision.”

Rosemary nodded. What does she intend to do?

“You’ve saved my life twice now.”

“Twice?”

“This time, and when we fought before. Last time I thought I couldn’t complain even if killed, and this time even if rescue hadn’t come, it would have been getting rid of a nuisance.”

“When we fought before, you survived on your own.”

I had various reasons for not intending to kill her. The subsequent negotiations with King Melvin were probably Rosemary’s doing, and partly due to King Melvin’s virtue too.

“That’s after negotiations began. On the battlefield, it depended on your discretion. …Royalty shouldn’t bow their heads lightly. I believe that, but even so, this is too much. Not only did you save my life, but I made you get injured due to my failure.”

After confirming she wouldn’t fall even if I released her hand, Rosemary bowed deeply.

“My rude behavior since we first met. Involving Ambassador-sama and the Count’s family in my schemes, attempting to drug you, and pointing my sword at you—I humbly apologize. I know this isn’t something that can be forgiven with just a bow, but I beg your forgiveness.”

Since we first met, huh. For Rosemary, given that she had factions like Greg’s to consider, she probably couldn’t act subservient to someone of lower status in public, even if it meant making a bad impression on me.

She behaved according to the character she had established with those around her, while maneuvering behind the scenes. That was Rosemary’s strategy.

Well… if Father or others had suffered harm, things would have been different, but that’s just hindsight. As for receiving her apology, I too had aspects I couldn’t speak of lightly.

“Show me those words through your future actions.”

“Yes.”

Rosemary nodded. Perhaps she had expected to be told that.

“But well, your way of speaking can stay the same as before. Somehow, it feels awkward otherwise.”

When I said that, Rosemary’s eyes widened for a moment before she laughed.

“That way… is easier for me too.”

With those words—we were swallowed by the light.