CHAPTER 17: AIR ONE’S DIRTY LAUNDRY

The room was colder than usual. It was large, vaulted, with dark stone walls studded with candles melted down to their stubs, their flames flickering in yellowish circles. The tiled floor, stained with dry mud and something darker—blood or old wine—carried the heavy smell of poorly burned fireplace smoke.

Hagan was seated on the makeshift throne—a high wooden armchair reinforced with rusty ironwork—chin resting on his fist, eyes downcast. The thick leather coat, dyed dark red, creaked with each tense breath.

Beside him, in a lazy flight, the fairy hovered, bluish light pulsing at a slow rhythm. She seemed carefree, twirling in the air like a bright fly.

Hagan inhaled sharply, his clenched teeth grinding.

"Damn..."

The fairy stopped, hovering in the air, her wings vibrating like fine crystal.

"Wow. Poet’s language today, boss?"

Hagan didn’t respond. His free hand tapped the arm of the throne in a nervous rhythm.

The fairy tilted her tiny head.

"Still brooding over the guy you sent and who didn’t return?"

Hagan raised his eyes. They burned like embers shoved into wet coal.

"’Didn’t return’ is a nice way to put it. He was torn to pieces."

The fairy swayed in the air, as if reflecting.

"I heard it was clean too. Quick. Not too bad to die quickly."

Hagan snorted.

"He was my best. Best. The most discreet."

She laughed.

"Maybe not so discreet if the other noticed."

Hagan raised his clenched fist and sighed before slamming it hard on the arm of the throne.

"I underestimated the kid."

Silence.

The fairy stopped laughing, settling on the backrest of the throne.

"Well... you’re not exactly famous for overestimating anyone."

He turned his head slowly, jaw tense.

She raised her tiny hands.

"I’m saying it with love."

Hagan exhaled a rough sound, almost a growl.

The fairy settled more comfortably.

"But seriously, right? This Monster Tamer... did you see the report? They say he... — she twirled her hands in the air, glowing — fried the assassin."

Hagan closed his eyes.

"It wasn’t just that. He read him. Anticipated everything."

The fairy winked.

"Smart, then."

Hagan opened his eyes slowly.

"Worse. He’s calm. Cold. Doesn’t hesitate."

She clapped her tiny hands.

"You’re charmed."

Hagan gritted his teeth.

"Shut up."

She laughed, the sound like fine chimes.

"I’m just saying... for you to get so pissed at someone, he must be at least... handsome."

Hagan didn’t respond. But his fingers gripped the torn leather of the throne until they creaked.

He finally stood up. His boots thudded heavily on the floor.

"Enough. Bring the damn reports."

One of the aides approached with a crumpled parchment, trembling slightly.

"Sir. There’s news from the village to the south."

Hagan snatched the paper from the man’s hand.

"Speak."

The man stammered.

"A... a Monster Tamer passed through there. Solved a problem with local monsters. They say he had two with him. A slime... and... and something they called a wolfess."

Hagan read the rest in silence.

The muscles in his neck bulged.

The fairy floated nearby.

"Slime... wolfess... sounds familiar, doesn’t it?"

He sighed, tossing the parchment to the floor.

"Son of a bitch. He got another humanoid-shaped monster? How did he... DAMN IT!"

The fairy floated to his shoulders.

"Well... at least he’s moving. Won’t stay in the middle of nowhere."

Hagan frowned.

"Tell me where he went."

The man looked at the floor.

"North. Heading to... to the city of Barovik."

Hagan raised his gaze to the dark ceiling.

Barovik.

A major trade center.

"He’s going to want to sell loot. Replenish. Hire."

He took a deep breath.

"He won’t get there without speaking to the local guild."

The fairy yawned theatrically.

"Barovik. Full of parasites. Are you going to ask them for permission?"

Hagan clenched his fist.

"I’ll negotiate."

She laughed.

"You? Negotiate?"

He turned his head slowly to face her.

She fell silent, but the smile didn’t fade.

Hagan walked to the map table. His elbows crushed papers and nearly melted candles.

"Get the falcon."

An aide hurried, holding a thick glove. A dark falcon, with a sharp beak, turned its head with predatory intelligence.

Hagan pulled another parchment, dipping the quill in ink.

He wrote quickly, with crooked but legible lines.

Folded it and tied it in the leather tube, which he fastened to the animal’s leg.

The fairy perched on the map, looking at everything upside down.

"What did you write?"

Hagan ignored her. Helped adjust the clasp, then slammed hard on the backrest.

"Go."

The falcon darted for the open window, flapping its wings powerfully. The shadows swallowed the animal in seconds.

Silence.

Hagan breathed heavily, his shoulders rising and falling.

The fairy perched on the throne’s backrest again, swinging her little legs.

"You look handsome when you’re planning."

Hagan closed his eyes.

"Shut up."

She laughed, spinning in the air. She loved when her boss finally lost his cool. Hadn’t seen him like that in quite some time.

Hagan sat down again, weighing every word.

"Son of a bitch Monster Tamer. You won’t enter Barovik without me knowing. Nor leave."

The nearest candle flickered, spitting liquid wax on the floor, as he was already beginning to plan the next move.

⋆⋅☆⋅⋆

The dawn had been as cold as wet stone. The wind entered through the cracks of the ruins in spaced gusts, carrying the smell of wet moss, old leaves, and cold earth.

Eren wasn’t sleeping—he didn’t need to. He spent the entire time sitting close to one of the less destroyed walls, the heavy cloak over his shoulders, his eyes fixed on the carved runes, glowing slightly with the System’s aid.

The translation was fragmented, metaphorical, almost too lyrical for his taste. But it became clear that this Absolute Contract wasn’t about pure domination, like the older, more brutal models he knew. Instead, it spoke of "two wills becoming one," of "fusions" so complete that any separation was destructive.

"Both need to accept each other. They must want it. No brute force can compel them. It’s not obedience—it’s synchronization."

The problem was evident.

Kaela saw Nyssa as a soft toy, something to bite and test. She took pleasure in provoking her, displaying her strength and control. Meanwhile, Nyssa would shrink, trembling at every harsh word, sobbing and popping in panic when Kaela got too close.

Eren inhaled slowly.

"Fusion? They can’t even fight in basic formation."

He didn’t sigh for dramatic effect. He was simply calculating. He had seen people in the old world who couldn’t stand their coworkers but learned to respect function and outcome. But monsters? They didn’t reason the same way.

"I’ll have to train them like... people. Worse: I’ll have to do therapy."

The idea disgusted him. Social drama was the part he despised the most. In his experience, 80% of problems could be solved with brute force: destroying the ego and superego, reducing everything to cold analysis and objectives. But they weren’t algorithms.

Kaela was pure id. Nyssa was a bundle of embodied anxiety.

"Wonderful. I’ll be babysitting emotional creatures."

As the light began to invade the temple, tinting the cracked walls gray, Eren stood up. He cracked his back, rotated his neck. He approached the corner where Kaela slept curled in her tail, her face buried in her arms.

"Wake up."

Kaela growled softly, her eyes opening slowly. Slit pupils gleamed amber.

"Grr... early."

"Wake up."

She huffed, rising in a lazy feline movement.

Further ahead, Nyssa squirmed inside her cloak, trembling. She emitted a long, distressed plop as she noticed the light.

"M-master...?"

"Get up."

Nyssa rose slowly, trembling even more. A thread of slime dripped to the floor before being reabsorbed into her translucent body.

She let out a timid plop.

Kaela yawned widely, her fangs gleaming.

"Why so early? Kaela slept well."

Eren ignored the complaint. He began rummaging through his bag, pulling out some strips of dried meat and a canteen. He divided the portions, tossing a piece to Kaela, who snapped it up like a wolf, chewing noisily.

He handed another to Nyssa, who held it carefully, trying not to let it slip.

"Th-thank you..."

Eren sat down on a piece of fallen stone.

"We need to talk."

Kaela stopped chewing.

"Talk?"

Nyssa shrank.

"A-about... what?"

"You."

Kaela furrowed her brow.

"Kaela already knows about Kaela."

Nyssa buried her face in her cloak.

"I-I’m not good... at talking..."

Eren ignored them.

"Yesterday. Combat. A disaster."

Kaela lifted her chin, smiling.

"Kaela killed well."

Nyssa made an offended, almost sharp plop.

"Y-y-you kept calling me s-soft!"

Kaela licked her teeth, amused.

"Because soft is soft."

Nyssa began to liquefy more, sobbing.

"I-I’m not... not..."

Eren raised his hand, silencing them both.

"You don’t work. There’s no order."

Kaela crossed her arms.

"I’m stronger. Don’t need order."

Nyssa sniffled.

"I-I want to help... but... I’m not good..."

Kaela rolled her eyes.

"Soft turns into a puddle and gets scared."

Nyssa plopped loudly, like a contained burst.

"B-because you bite me!"

Kaela opened her mouth wide in a grin.

"Fun, isn’t it."

Nyssa gritted her "teeth"—if that counted as teeth.

"It’s not f-fun...!"

Eren watched them like someone observing two beasts fighting in a circus.

Waste of time. But necessary.

He spoke dryly.

"I need synergy. Without it, the contract doesn’t work properly."

Kaela tilted her head to the side.

"Contract?"

"Yes, a contract. But this one’s different. In this one, I need both of you to fuse so you can both become strong."

Kaela scratched her chin.

"Hmmm... Kaela doesn’t understand well, but if Soft becomes strong, Kaela agrees."

Nyssa swallowed her tears.

"I-I don’t want to hurt... anyone."

Kaela sniffed.

"Soft has to want it. Or dies."

Nyssa remained silent. A wet plop echoed.

Eren interrupted them.

"You need to cooperate. Respect. Or no evolution."

Kaela growled softly.

"Kaela commands."

Nyssa whimpered.

"I-I... I... obey..."

Kaela smiled.

"See? Solved."

Nyssa sobbed.

"No..."

Eren sighed—the closest to emotion he would show.

"That’s not solving. It’s imposing."

Kaela furrowed her brow.

"Kaela doesn’t understand."

Nyssa sniffled.

"I-just wanted... to help... but everything I do... you laugh... and bite me..."

Kaela opened her mouth to retort. But stopped.

Silence.

The sun filtered through the temple cracks in pale beams, warming just enough not to be uncomfortably cold.

The shadows of the broken columns projected crooked on the floor covered with old leaves, giving the place an almost homely air—if one ignored the smell of mold and the ancient history etched into the walls.

Eren sat on a piece of stone, adjusting his coat.

Kaela sprawled in front of him, legs open in a relaxed V, arms crossed over her chest, ears twitching restlessly.

Nyssa shrank beside him, trying to make herself as small as possible, the cloak swallowing much of her gelatinous body, letting out anxious plops from time to time.

Eren clapped his hands on his knees, looking at the two.

"We need to talk."

Kaela arched an eyebrow.

"Kaela doesn’t like talking."

Nyssa gave a tearful plop.

"B-but... we need to."

Kaela growled softly, but without anger.

"Hmph."

Eren raised a finger.

"Kaela. Stop biting to intimidate."

She looked at him, confused.

"But Kaela likes to bite. It’s affection."

Nyssa gave an offended plop, her voice rising a pitch.

"It h-hurts!"

Kaela wrinkled her nose.

"But... Kaela bites Eren too."

Nyssa froze, blushing (as much as a slime could blush).

"W-when...?"

Kaela looked away, sulking.

"Sleeping on top. Smelling neck. Same."

Nyssa made a long, wet sound.

"I thought... thought it was... I-I was going to die..."

Kaela scratched her chin, embarrassed.

"Not kill. Just affection."

Eren watched the two like someone analyzing failing experiments.

"Kaela. Explain."

Kaela took a deep breath.

"Kaela bites who she likes. Marks. Says ’it’s mine.’"

Nyssa shrank further.

""M-Mine?""

Kaela shrugged.

"Not eat. Not kill. Just have."

Nyssa made a wet sound that resembled a defeated sigh.

"P-plop... is that... is that... a-affection?"

Kaela nodded.

Nyssa sighed.

"Okay. B-but... d-does it hurt less?"

Kaela narrowed her eyes.

"Kaela bites slowly."

Eren interrupted in the most neutral tone possible:

"Better that way."

Kaela huffed.

"Softie complains a lot."

Nyssa stomped her wet foot.

"I-I’m not a softie!"

Kaela laughed.

"Softie."

Nyssa grumbled.

"I’ll... I’ll... bite back!"

Kaela widened her eyes, surprised.

"Huh?"

Nyssa puffed up a bit, blushing more.

"It’s... it’s a-affection, isn’t it?"

Kaela blinked.

"...Ah."

Silence.

Then Kaela leaned forward, gave a nibble so light on Nyssa’s gooey shoulder that it only made a plop sound. Nyssa shuddered all over. Kaela smiled.

Nyssa took a deep breath.

Eren watched them as if he wanted to bang his head against the wall.

Social drama. Worst part.

He breathed slowly.

"Kaela."

She turned her face, attentive.

"Hm?"

"Instead of laughing at her weakness, encourage."

Kaela wrinkled her nose.

"Encourage?"

Eren sighed.

"Help. Say "good job.""

Kaela opened her mouth, testing the words.

"Good... j-job?"

Nyssa gave a timid plop.

"S-sounds... good..."

Kaela grimaced but nodded.

"Kaela try."

Eren turned to Nyssa.

"Nyssa."

She shrank back.

"Stop apologizing."

She bit her lip.

"I... I didn’t—"

"No apologies."

She stopped. Breathed.

"Okay."

Kaela laughed.

"Softie learning."

Nyssa made an annoyed plop.

"I-I’m not a softie!"

Kaela raised her arms.

"Okay, okay."

Nyssa relaxed a bit. Eren shook his head.

"Shake hands."

Kaela looked confused.

"Shake?"

Nyssa extended her gelatinous hand, trembling.

"L-like this..."

Kaela looked, hesitant. Then she inserted her claw into the goo, holding on as best as she could. Nyssa shuddered.

"Cold..."

Kaela growled in amusement.

"Gooey."

But she didn’t let go. Eren analyzed them, serious.

"Resolved."

Kaela pulled her hand back, shaking it.

"Softie slimes Kaela."

Nyssa sniffed, almost laughing.

"S-sorry... — she stopped. — Okay."

Kaela raised a crooked thumb.

"Good j-job."

Nyssa blushed.

"P-plop... thank you."

Silence.

Eren stood up.

"Great. Part of the deal done."

Kaela raised her eyebrows.

"And now?"

Eren wiped his hand on his coat, looking at both with no emotion.

"Now we just need to have sex."

Dead silence.

The scene froze with both of them staring at each other, confused.

Nyssa trembled and let out plops in moderate panic.

Kaela was trying to understand what Eren had said as if it were an ancient riddle.

While Eren himself stood there, arms crossed, waiting for the sex to happen as if he were a pimp.