Chapter 8: Contract and Covenant (1)

“…It is a last resort.”

She's been in that state because of some kind of curse, and that curse is broken when a contract is formed with her as a slave.

“This girl, you mean…?”

“She is not a girl.”

In the sense that she's an elf who has lived for at least several hundred years, and also in the sense that she's a being who could never be called an ordinary girl.

Therefore, if I absolutely had no choice but to awaken her here── say, if a full-blown battle were to break out, there was no other way but to form a contract.

“Anyway, let's hope we don't have to use it.”

But I would leave that as the very, very last resort.

Wiping the blood flowing from my bitten finger, I then rolled up the 'Eastwood's Contract' on which I'd written my signature and tucked it inside my clothes, and the others similarly hid their own contracts somewhere inside their garments.

If I had my way, I would have wanted to tear them all to shreds, but it was impossible to physically destroy these contracts right now anyway.

Although not yet bound by blood to a contractor, the brand linked to the contract was effective from the moment it was seared.

Thus, if the contract was torn, burned, or harmed in any way before the contract was formed, it would be judged that the 'product' had escaped somehow, and the brand would activate.

Meaning, they would be burned alive.

To prevent such a thing, a skilled mage was needed to dispel this formula.

That too was something that could only be done outside.

Still, at least the objective of finding the contracts was accomplished.

Now, all that was left was to actually get out of here.

The problem was, this brewery had only one exit.

From the basement to the office was located in a secluded corner of the brewery, so it might have been fine, but to get to that single exit, we had to pass through the middle of the auction house.

Perhaps that's why those who noticed this fact seemed much more nervous than before.

“Don't worry too much. Everything will be fine.”

At that, I looked at each of them and reassured them.

To be precise, You will all obtain true freedom.

I (Encourage) them.

Your encouraging words give your party members courage.

(Encourage), a core skill for the standard support Bard, gives a buff to various dice rolls regardless of whether it's a combat or non-combat situation.

For example, if someone were to find one of them suspicious and start questioning them, it could also help in (Deceiving) them.

“…Yes! You're right, sir!”

“Let's not get too scared, everyone. We're almost there, right?”

“Just a few tens of minutes ago, I couldn't even imagine being able to get out of here.”

Right now, my skill level is low, and (Encourage) itself isn't a skill whose efficiency noticeably increases just because the Charisma stat is super high, so it would probably be hard to expect a great effect, but, “Well then, let's go.”

Whatever it was, it was much better than not having cast it at all.

“Yes!”

After leaving the office, we formed a formation again as we had been doing and started walking towards the auction house.

“1700 gold!”

With me, who had entered as a guest, leading the way, the slaves walked in a line between the muscular woman disguised as a guard walking beside me and the man carrying the 'Companion' on his back walking at the very end.

So that if someone saw us, it would look as if I had bought those slaves as a group and was taking them away with the help of the guards.

“We have 1800 gold!”

And just as expected, perhaps because it wasn't a particularly strange sight, at least within this space, everyone's gazes were fixed on the stage (?) where the auction was in full swing, and no one was really looking our way.

Occasionally, there were startled reactions from nearby, but it seemed they were all surprised not by the slaves following behind, but by the sack I had over my face.

As if the procession of slaves following in a line didn't bother them at all.

They probably wouldn't even dream of thinking they were slaves who hadn't even been put up for auction yet.

And that wasn't just true for the buyers.

The setting was that since so many slaves came and went, most of the guards working here couldn't memorize each and every one of their faces, and indeed, a few of the guards who passed by didn't seem to find our procession particularly suspicious.

But even they would recognize the 'Companion's' face immediately.

She was a Northern Elf, rare in these parts, and also had an appearance that was bound to be memorable.

So I had her disguised separately.…Well, it was just a matter of putting on a coat we found in the office and pulling the hood down to cover her face.

Of course, there were also guys like the 「Guard Captain」 who remembered the faces of every single 'product' that came in here.

So naturally, he was the biggest obstacle to getting out of this place, and it was best to simply not run into him.

As I walked silently, trying to look as natural as possible, we had crossed more than half the auction house before I knew it.

The gatekeeper would probably stop us for confirmation, but I was confident in [Persuasion], [Deception], or [Intimidation].

So now, if we could just go the other half and reach that door, we could get out of here without any conflict──

“──Hey.”

“…!”

I tried to ignore it and keep walking, but I couldn't.

“Stop for a moment.”

My shoulder had already been grabbed.

“……”

At that, I carefully turned around, ‘…Shit.’

As expected, “I've been watching you for a while now…”

It was the 「Guard Captain」.

The one guy we absolutely couldn't get caught by here.

The level 6 boss of this hidden dungeon.

The man looked over the faces of the slaves who had stopped with me one by one, then approached the 'Companion' being carried on the back of the tense man and slightly lifted her pressed-down hood.

“…Just as I thought.”

And then, he smirked, twisting the corner of his mouth upwards.

“These things you're taking with you right now all look like our products.”

It was a confident sneer.

“Products that haven't been put up for auction yet, that is.”

“……”

At his words, the surrounding gazes, sensing that something was happening, all turned this way.

By the time I belatedly realized it, even the auction had stopped, and only a heavy silence filled the brewery.

“Care to explain why unsold products are wandering around outside instead of in the basement?”

Gulp, the sound of someone swallowing could be heard from somewhere.

The 「Guard Captain」 who approached me again already had one hand on the sword at his waist.

As if he would draw it and cut me down in a single stroke at any moment, depending on my answer.

“…Haa.”

This wasn't an opponent I could talk my way out of.

If it had been anyone else, there might have been room for an excuse, but with this guy, there wasn't even a chance for a conversation involving [Persuasion] or [Deception].

So, well, there was no choice but to fight.

“…First, may I take this off and explain?”

“What?”

Perhaps not expecting me to actually try to explain, he seemed a bit flustered.

He seemed to ponder for a moment, but in the end, he nodded with an expression that said 'go ahead and try'.

In any case, I didn't really have any intention of explaining either.

I just wanted to buy some time.

“…!”

As expected, the slaves who understood my signal immediately turned their heads away from me.

Seeing that, I immediately whipped off the sack.

“──!?”

And the moment my beauty was revealed to the world, everyone around gasped.

The 「Guard Captain」 was no exception.

He had even lowered the hand that was on his sword, and was staring blankly at my face as if possessed.

“Ah…”

It was the image of someone perfectly 'Charmed'.

“Beautiful……”

As someone's murmur proved.

“…I'm sorry.”

“…What?”

Feeling a momentary pang of guilt, I inadvertently turned my head, but she still looked like an empty shell with no interest in the surrounding commotion.

Still, I really, really didn't want to use this method.

But I had no choice.

I gripped the contract I had tucked inside my clothes tightly.

[Contract established.]

And the moment I murmured it, the collar around her neck began to glow with the light of magic.

“──! This bastard, the contract…!”

At the same time, seeing the contract inside my clothes also begin to glow, the 「Guard Captain」 snapped to his senses and raised his hand to grab his sword again, but, “──「Gale」.”

Fwoooosh──!

He was hit by a fierce wind that suddenly burst out as if the air had exploded, and was sent flying.

Crack!

The flying 「Guard Captain」collided with one of the large barrels lined up against a wall, and the fragments of the completely shattered barrel scattered in all directions along with the liquor it contained.

“Wha──”

Another guard, surprised by the sight, belatedly drew his sword and tried to rush towards me, but,『You're slow as hell but quick to die!』

“Ugh!?”

My tongue was faster than his feet.

As the man foamed at the mouth and collapsed from my 「Vicious Mockery」, another guard who was rushing in with him flinched, seemingly startled.

The muscular woman didn't miss the opening and swiftly approached him, swinging her sword.

Chwaak!

Blood from the tip of the sword splattered.

“──U-Uwaaaah!?”

A guest who ended up covered in that blood belatedly screamed.

And, “Th-The slaves have escaped!!”

All hell broke loose.

“Kyaaaaak!”

“Help me!”

The merchants and guests began to flee in terror, pushing, falling, colliding, and rolling on the floor trying to escape first, amidst the clang! of breaking glasses, the crash! of toppling chairs, and the sharp screams and sharp clashing of metal erupting from all sides in succession, plunging the entire auction house into chaos in an instant.

“It's them! Get them!”

In the midst of that pandemonium, a guard was seen urgently running this way.

“Move!”

I still needed a little more time to use 「Vicious Mockery」 again.

But, “「Fireball」!” her magic wasn't.

──Kwaang!

Almost simultaneously with my shout, a ball of fire flying from behind the man directly hit him and exploded.

A part of the sparks from it landed on a broken wooden chair lying on the floor, and whoosh!

It caught fire.

That flame, which could have easily spread to her long clothes, she passed by without giving it a single glance and just trudged over to stand beside me.

“Master.”

Looking up at me with the same inorganic eyes as when we first met.

“Your orders.”

She said in a tone as emotionless as her gaze.

A line of mana connecting you and the girl can be felt.

As long as that line exists, the girl will follow any and all of your commands.

“Y-You damn slave bastard, how dare──”

『You pathetic coward who only stabs people in the back!』

“──Keok!”

A guard who came running, aiming for her, tried to swing the axe in his hand, and just in time, my 「Vicious Mockery」 was ready, so I immediately shot it at him.

Thud!

The large body tumbled to the floor.

I grabbed my companion's shoulder and gently pulled her so she wouldn't collide with the falling man, and so his head fell right at her feet.

With that much noise, one would expect her to at least glance down, but she still didn't take her eyes off me.

“First, we're going to wipe this place clean.”