For a moment, my body froze. The ominous feeling had been right. He, with his brown hair and green eyes, was on the hunt for a new scapegoat.
“I didn’t come here for pointless activities like cracking down on illegal potions,” he said.
He lifted the corners of his lips, narrowing his eyes. To an outsider, it might have looked like a friendly smile.
“I’m well aware that the potions were part of the Count’s plan.”
“Then why are you taking me away?”
Suddenly, he turned his gaze to the shelves.
“Achieving such results on your own… It’s quite impressive. Worthy of praise, even.”
He inspected each of my concoctions, his eyes gleaming with interest.
“I hear you haven’t even received proper training.”
I stood silently, listening to his words. I couldn’t grasp what he was trying to say.
“I value your skills. I’d like to invite you to become a researcher at the Mage Tower.”
“A researcher?”
“I assume you’ve heard of the Mage Tower’s researchers.”
Of course, I had. Although their existence wasn’t widely known due to their small numbers.
“A researcher? That’s absurd. I’m just a criminal.”
“I still remember you declaring your innocence before the Count.”
“That was to say we were both guilty.”
“As I mentioned earlier, such things are irrelevant.”
His dismissive tone made me realize I should abandon any hope of heading to prison.
Eon pulled a small scroll from his coat. I could feel the magic radiating from it. When he unfurled it, unfamiliar characters appeared.
“What’s this?”
“A contract.”
“It doesn’t seem to be a simple employment contract for the Mage Tower.”
Though I couldn’t understand its contents, its very mystery made it even more suspicious. Watching his expression carefully, I spoke.
“I don’t even know what’s written on it.”
“True. Explaining the terms of the contract comes first.”
Surprisingly, he agreed without resistance.
“This is a subjugation contract. The master of the contract can see through the subordinate’s present, past, and everything about them. Additionally, the master can convey their emotions and thoughts to the subordinate.”
His violet eyes glowed faintly red as he continued.
“The subordinate can also sense the master’s emotions and thoughts, but only what the master intends to convey.”
“So the master can control the subordinate with just a thought.”
“Exactly.”
“And the subordinate wouldn’t be able to keep any secrets from the master.”
“That’s correct. That’s the essence of the contract.”
A bitter and heavy lump formed in my throat.
“Then, the master of this contract is…”
“Of course, it’s me, Eon de Granoua.”
Eon stated it matter-of-factly. There was no need to ask who the subordinate would be.
“Isn’t this an incredibly unfair contract? I refuse.”
I turned my head to the right as I spoke. It wasn’t courage. It was a primal instinct, like fleeing from a predator chasing me.
‘If I agree to this contract, I’ll end up dying a miserable death.’
“I think you misunderstand…”
Eon’s fingers lightly touched the tip of my chin. His fingertips were cold, but the way he turned my face toward him was gentle. Though confused by the contradiction, his following words immediately stifled my unease.
“I didn’t explain the terms of the contract to seek your consent. I merely informed you to follow formal procedure. Don’t misunderstand.”
He held out a pen.
“No ink is needed. Your breath will serve as the ink.”
My breath as ink? It felt like selling my soul to the devil. No, even deals with devils come with something in return. This murderer wasn’t offering anything, making it worse than a contract with the devil.
“Selena.”
The moment the final glowing letters of my name were inscribed on the contract,
‘Urk.’
an indescribable foreign sensation welled up from the depths of my chest.
“Do you feel nauseous? Dizzy?”
Eon asked, his expression unmoving. He wasn’t worried about me. He was simply observing my reaction, like a scientist watching a lab rat.
“It may feel strange at first, but you’ll adapt soon enough.”
As I stared into Eon’s glowing red eyes, I realized I was sensing his emotions.
‘So this is… What is this?’
It was a faded, unrecognizable feeling, like a line from an ancient history book. Dust had to be swept away and the surface carefully polished to discern its true form.
But it was a feeling I had no desire to understand.
It took less than an hour to pack my belongings. There wasn’t even a murmur of activity at the mansion, likely under the Count’s orders. It felt as though I had only been a guest staying until today.
“Miss, please take care of yourself.”
Despite my protests, only Mary came to see me off at the carriage.
“Yes, go back inside now.”
Fearing Eon might target Mary as well, I hurriedly said my farewells. And so, I left the place I had thought of as my home. The familiar buildings and streets gradually disappeared from sight, replaced by unfamiliar landscapes.
‘We must be near the hunting grounds.’
Not that it mattered—I wasn’t on a leisurely outing. Still, I kept my eyes fixed outside the carriage window, if only to avoid looking at the murderer sitting across from me.
No matter how hard I tried not to face him, I couldn’t ignore his presence. Was it the confined space or that cursed subjugation contract? The icy sensation seeped into my body.
‘Is this… bloodlust? Ugh, this is maddening.’
My chest tightened, my heart raced faster. If this continued, I’d either suffocate or faint.
‘Alright, I might as well speak up.’
I opened my mouth.
“A carriage, huh? You’re more romantic than I thought.”
I had imagined I’d freeze up and stay silent if I ever met a murderer. Reality turned out to be slightly different. When faced with something overwhelming, I had a tendency to ramble as though my brain had checked out. Unfortunately, I only realized this about myself after meeting Eon.
Whether it was because I wanted to deny reality or because fear had numbed my rationality, I wasn’t sure. It seemed to be some kind of defense mechanism.
“I thought you’d use teleportation magic or something.”
“There’s no rush, is there? Besides, with such a beautiful lady by my side, taking our time in a carriage seems like a good idea.”
Eon’s lips curved into a smile. It was a smile that only touched his mouth. His eyes remained fixed on parts of my body, one at a time, as if he were examining me. No matter how much he pretended to be a normal person, I couldn’t be deceived—I knew the original story.
I stared absently at the mark etched on the inside of my wrist. It had appeared when I made the subordination contract with Eon. It was essentially a brand, marking me as a slave.
Had Eon made subordination contracts with others too? If so, it explained why the protagonist’s group could never find evidence of his murders.
“Do subordinates have to kill themselves if their master commands it?”
“Well, I’ve never considered such a command. Killing someone is far too cruel, isn’t it?”
Of course, he was lying.
“It would be a waste to have a subordinate die after all the effort it took to make one. Besides, living people are far more entertaining.”
Correction: Eon wasn’t lying—he was telling the truth.
Even though his lips hadn’t touched me, I felt as if my entire body had frozen over.
“Dead people lose their color too quickly. For instance… beautiful eyes like these, brimming with life, would wither away.”
Eon’s gaze traced my eyes intently, as if savoring them. His gaze felt like a tongue licking a candy, clinging and relentless.
I knew nothing good would come of it, but I spoke again.
“Your skills must still be lacking. I know of a place where they transplant the corneas of the deceased. Well, technically, it’s not the eyes themselves but the corneas…”
By this point, my words were spilling out without passing through my brain. My brain, preoccupied with more important thoughts, didn’t have the bandwidth to participate in the conversation.
“An interesting idea. Then preserving a corpse to make it appear alive might also be possible.”
While my brave mouth dealt with the murderer, I examined the carriage door. The latch was simple—a light push would open it from the inside.
‘Could I escape… by jumping out of the carriage?’
I knew it was dangerous to leap from a moving carriage. But being dragged along by Eon seemed far worse. Besides, the carriage was currently heading toward the hunting grounds, atop a hill. If I could jump out here, I might find a place to hide from Eon.
The only thing bothering me was the subordination contract. Based on the explanation, even if I managed to escape, he’d likely know my exact location.
‘No, I can’t trust his words completely.’
This was someone who lied as easily as breathing. He might have said that just to scare me. It was better to act than to cower and do nothing.
“Selena.”
Suddenly, he called my name. I turned to face him.
“Selena?”
He wasn’t just calling me. It was a warning.
I know exactly what you’re thinking. Don’t even think about doing anything foolish.
Seeing the smile playing on Eon’s lips made it clear.
“Tower Master, you know what I’m planning, don’t you?”
“If you mean that foolish thing, I’m naturally expecting it to remain nothing more than a fantasy. After all, you’re a mage, not a knight.”
“You’re right. Physical stuff isn’t exactly my specialty.”
As I said that, I silently counted in my head.
‘One, two, three.’
It was like a mantra to steady my courage and push away the fear inside me.
