I Ended My Engagement With The Woman Who Despised Me

༺ 𓆩  Chapter 29  𓆪 ༻

「Translator — Creator」

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ˚ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

[Slave Soul Binding Contract]

A contract that permanently destroys the soul if contract conditions are violated. Since the contract is bound by the soul itself, it cannot be undone by any means—unless both parties explicitly agree to nullify it.

‘That’s why it’s such an incredibly rare and difficult item to obtain.’

But…

When I told Dominic Carsaril—the head of the Carsaril family—that I wanted to receive this as my reward for the prize I had yet to claim,

he had simply poured an obscene amount of money into acquiring it and handed it over to me.

Just like that.

'Anyway, what's important is that with this contract, no matter how much Dale struggles, it's impossible for him to nullify it.'

Having decided to use this to make Dale my slave, I placed the contract on the desk.

"... Hurgh."

Perhaps due to the repeated blows to his head, he still appeared disoriented.

... The endless pain must have driven him to the brink of madness.

I tapped the desk while looking at Dale and spoke.

"Sign this, and I'll release you and give you the cure you so desperately want."

"........."

At these words, Dale rolled his eyes down to look at the contract.

Since he still seemed to hesitate despite all the persuasion (physical), he must still think there's a way to escape, so

Just as I was about to pick up the hammer for more forceful persuasion...

"I-I'll do it."

Dale spoke with slurred speech, agreeing to the contract.

I nodded to indicate it was a good choice, untied his hands, and handed him a quill.

Of course, this could be a ploy for one final struggle, so,

I gestured to Loraine to strike his head if he tried anything suspicious, then pointed to the contract.

'This should eliminate any possibility of escape.'

With none other than Loraine watching,

No matter how he struggled, he couldn't escape from here.

Dale seemed to understand this too, as he froze and stared blankly at the contract.

"Sign right here."

"........."

The terrifying aspect of this contract was that 'whatever was done to the other party during the contract signing was completely irrelevant.'

In other words, even if the contract was formed under threats like this, once signed, neither emperor nor pope could nullify it.

'So using this, one could forcibly bind someone and use them like a slave.'

While I succeeded in forming the contract through extremely peaceful persuasion after lengthy convincing, I heard there were many cases of cruel usage in the world, which naturally led to significant problems.

Of course, it wasn't all advantages.

There were drawbacks like its extremely high price and the inability to form other binding contracts while a soul binding contract was in effect.

Though these disadvantages existed, they weren't particularly problematic given the contract's overwhelming binding power.

"... D-done."

I nodded upon seeing Dale write his name on the contract.

Having completed the most basic step, it was time to move on to the next phase.

I asked Loraine to guard me as I proceeded with about ten contractual procedures.

𓇘

To summarize—

The contract was successfully sealed.

Other than Dale’s feeble attempts at escaping midway, there had been no significant issues.

As I sat before him, watching his dull, empty gaze, I came to a conclusion—

Repetitive persuasion is definitely effective.

"Heh..."

Though I'm not sure if broken is the right expression for a human, Dale had broken down despite not being used much.

Looking at him, I pulled out the cure from my chest and fell into thought.

'It would be better to give it to him now.'

Since the contract stipulated that I would give the cure 'only once',

Making him experience temporary effects would likely make him desperately beg for more.

Thus, I could draw out motivation that couldn't be obtained through the contract.

Thinking it wasn't a bad investment, I made Dale drink the cure without hesitation. As I was spraying a potion on his head to heal his wounds, a question suddenly arose in my mind.

'If potions can heal all wounds, why can't they cure being a eunuch?'

followed by questions like 'Why does the cure only work for one day?'

But since these questions weren't particularly important now that the cure had served its purpose, I brushed them aside lightly.

𓇘

Even after dousing Dale with a healing potion, his condition didn’t improve much.

So, on a whim, I let him drink some of the tea—

And to my surprise, his state noticeably improved.

I hadn’t expected it to be this effective.

It was honestly a little shocking.

Then again, in the original story, this tea was said to be a miracle elixir—

A drink so potent that even the weakest of individuals could endure grueling training with its aid.

‘I had experienced its effects firsthand, after all.’

As I watched Dale’s retreating figure, I found myself replaying our earlier exchange in my mind.

‘…Extra.’

The word extra itself wasn't the issue.

The problem was that Dale said ‘You goddamn extra,’ with full awareness that Damian had originally been an insignificant background character.

That single remark connected every lingering suspicion I had been holding onto.

‘…A transmigrator or a reincarnator, huh?’

Though it sounded unrealistic, amusingly, both possibilities were plausible.

After all, I myself had been transmigrated into this world.

So, it stood to reason that others like me could exist.

Of course, this alone wasn’t enough to confirm anything.

But my instincts screamed that Dale was not the original protagonist.

That he was someone else entirely.

Half-convinced already, I decided to operate under the assumption that he was either a transmigrator or a reincarnator.

And with that, my thoughts shifted to a far more intriguing question—

How best should I put him to use?

𓇘

The next day, Rihanna visited my lodgings to deliver a piece of information.

"The Council has decided to select Dale as the Hero."

It was earlier than expected, but hardly surprising.

Not that it mattered.

With Dale bound to me as a slave, there was little reason for concern.

"However, since his achievements are insufficient for Hero selection, they plan to have him undergo some sort of test."

The test was a development that hadn't existed in the original story.

But since the Council had decided to make Dale a Hero, they would pass him somehow regardless of how badly he performed, so his becoming a Hero could be considered certain.

As I was nodding at this, she suddenly asked me a question.

"By the way, did you give Dale the cure?"

Judging by her question, it seemed she hadn't planted any monitoring devices in the sealed room I had used.

Keeping this in mind, I nodded, and she let out a faint laugh.

"Pfft. Ah, ahem. Well done."

".........?"

"Well, it does cure, but in a rather different way... ah, never mind."

Something seemed odd, though I couldn't tell what.

I considered probing further but decided to ignore it since it wasn't particularly important, when she addressed me again.

"If it's not too presumptuous, could I have a cup of that tea you sent earlier? I tried it yesterday, and the effects were remarkable."

Since it wasn't a difficult request, I handed her the tea I had brewed for Loraine (who growled at this), and Rihanna accepted it with a chuckle.

"The moment I drank it, my mind became crystal clear. On top of that, it even lifted my mood. There’s no way this is just an ordinary tea."

I nodded.

She wasn’t wrong.

Taking on a more serious tone, she continued.

"Liquids with effects like this usually have addictive properties, so I had it tested… but that wasn’t the case."

I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes slightly.

I had given her tea, and the first thing she did was analyze it?

Sensing my unimpressed stare, she averted her gaze and offered a weak excuse.

"Working in the Information Guild, we get many assassination attempts like this..."

"........."

"Anyway, it's incredible. With slight exaggeration, I'd say it's comparable to an elixir in terms of mental effects."

Loraine nodded in agreement with these words.

While I agreed, having consumed it often myself, I was pondering whether comparing it to an elixir was really appropriate when she continued casually.

"So, I tried making it myself the other day."

It made sense.

She had observed my daily habits up north, so of course, she had also watched me brew tea.

She had likely used her abilities to spy on my kettle, my pot, or even my clothes to figure out the process.

I gave her a deadpan stare.

She, apparently possessing some semblance of guilt, awkwardly laughed and averted her gaze.

"Even though I made it exactly the same way, it had no effect at all."

No effect? That couldn't be.

Looking at her questioningly, she crossed her arms and continued.

"I'm not entirely sure, but perhaps it only works when you make it."

The moment she said that, a memory surfaced—

The time I had gone to retrieve Daisy, the sun spirit.

Back then, Fenrir had told me that I had a scent that spirits found pleasant.

Could this be another one of those unexplained differences from the original story?

As I pondered the possibility, she casually waved a hand.

"It’s absurd, I know. But in a world where a potion exists that can turn someone into a woman, is it really that strange for tea made by you to have elixir-like effects?"

…A potion that turns someone into a woman?

I glanced at Rihanna, arching a brow.

She met my gaze with a perfectly innocent expression, as if she had no idea what I was implying.

Instead, she smoothly changed the subject, "So... if possible, could you brew some tea for the Saintess? She's been struggling lately..."

It wasn’t a difficult request, so I nodded.

That’s when she casually tried to slip in another request.

"And while you’re at it… maybe a cup for me too—"

"You’ll get one if you bring me some decent information."

"Ah… You’re so cruel."

"I’d say your conscience is what’s cruel here."

"…I apologize."

I smiled wryly at her response and let it slide.

I had gathered enough information for now, and I was about to shift my focus back to planning when—

"Damian."

Siren, who had been gazing out the window with an unreadable expression, called out to me.

I turned to her, wondering what was wrong.

Her face remained neutral, but there was a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes.

"Dale is coming this way. But… something’s off."

When I asked for more details, Siren spoke with a complicated expression.

"... It's definitely Dale. But she's a woman."

At these words, Rihanna, who had been sitting, suddenly started coughing.

END of CHAPTER

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