Chapter 19: The Binding Contract

“Don’t move, little man.” Feeling the man struggling, Selene, without a change in her tone, tightened her grip on the “Binding Spell,” and pressed the dagger in her hand against his neck. She whispered her threat in a low, masculine voice.

Because she was still in disguise, her voice was also deep and masculine.

“Shadow Walker” immediately stopped moving and, in a voice that had a clear, hidden, obscured tone, said mockingly,

“You’re a little man too, aren’t you? How much taller than me are you? 10 cm?”

Selene, long reconciled to her height of 5’4” in this life, smiled and said,

“I’m a little man. But that doesn’t mean you’re not.”

“…. I’ll be a good boy and go with you.” “Shadow Walker” decided not to argue with Selene. “How did you do it? How did you sneak up behind me without me noticing you in the shadows?”

“To ask such a stupid question, it seems he is still a newbie to the superhuman world.” Selene thought to herself.

She didn’t intend to answer the question seriously, but pulled him towards the side of the hallway, away from the two people who were still performing their ritual, and vaguely replied,

“There are differences between superhumans, you know.”

“Shadow Walker” snorted and didn’t argue, but asked a question.

“What are you going to do with me?”

Selene pulled him into the shadows and pretended to ponder.

“Your identity? What were you following me for? What were you doing at the cemetery last night?”

“I am who I am, I’m not like those two… Uh, those shameless guys. I’m not part of any organization.” “Shadow Walker’s” expression seemed to be changing, as Selene, looking down, could see a few color blocks shaking. “As for what happened afterwards, you think I’m going to tell you?”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t tell me.” Selene smiled. “I give you three choices. One, tell me everything and I’ll kill you. Two, say nothing and I’ll still kill you. Three…”

Her hand, which was gripping the dagger, seemed to be performing a magic trick. A piece of brown parchment appeared between her fingers. The parchment, with strange patterns drawn on it, was stretched so that “Shadow Walker,” looking down, could see the writing. A pale purple mana pulled it, making one side of it stay nestled between Selene’s fingers, and the other side floated in the air so that “Shadow Walker” could see the words.

“Sign it. Sign your real name.”

“I can’t read this. I’m not signing.” “Shadow Walker” tried hard to understand the terms on the parchment. But he couldn’t understand a single word. This made him angry.

Selene nodded, confirming her assumption that “Shadow Walker” was an illiterate superhuman. She thought for a moment, then said,

“This is a ‘Binding Contract.’ The script on it is ‘Atinewen.’ It’s a language that has long since disappeared, and its meaning has changed. It’s very common in the superhuman world. Its effect is that the person who signs it will be bound to the owner of the contract for a certain period of time and obey their commands…”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Before “Shadow Walker” could open his mouth, she added,

“Of course, they can’t be compelled to commit suicide or take their own life, because the power of the contract is based on the witness of the God of Order, and he doesn’t allow humans to kill each other. So if I ask you to do that, the contract will immediately be broken. I can’t give you an order that would make you seriously resist and want to commit suicide on the spot. The power of the contract is limited, it can only restrict the physical body, it can’t touch the mind… At your level, you can’t influence the material world with your mind.”

It didn’t make sense scientifically, but it was very mystical, very magical.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

“You don’t need to know if it’s true or not. There are only two choices, live or die.” Selene smiled. Seeing that he seemed to accept reality, she loosened her grip on the “Binding Spell” around his hand. “Remember, sign your real name.”

“Where’s the pen?” “Shadow Walker,” with a slight movement of his right hand, asked.

“Just write with your hand. It’ll automatically fill in the text based on your handwriting.”

“Shadow Walker” didn’t ask any more questions. He boldly wrote his name on the parchment.

The moment he finished, the “Binding Contract” emitted a dazzling silver glow. The mark of the God of Order, intertwined crossed swords, overlapping books, and the eye of an iris, appeared at the top of the contract. That eye, which seemed to see everything, slightly shook. It looked at “Shadow Walker,” then showed no special reaction.

Selene curled her lips upwards, knowing that the God of Order had verified the authenticity of the signature. The contract was established. So, she issued her first command,

“You are forbidden from taking any action that would harm me.”

Then she immediately released the Binding Spell, and the dagger in her hand spun several times before being retracted.

“Shadow Walker” unconsciously raised his left hand, which was hidden under his clothes, and his left hand holding the dagger flew out. But it stopped mid-air, poised to stab Selene. The muscles in his hand trembled, unwilling to move even a fraction further.

He wanted to yell out loud, to attract the attention of the two “shameless guys” over there. But the words, reaching his throat, were blocked by his muscles. An unpleasant feeling spread through his body…

Selene covered his mouth, preventing his coughing from being heard.

“No need to thank me.” The corner of her mouth curled upward, and she smiled, like a fox. Her gaze moved to the parchment, towards “Shadow Walker’s” signature. “Let me see if you’re a mister or a miss… What is this?”

It was a kind of script she hadn’t seen before. It looked chaotic, almost like a painting. Twisted curves circled a very short word.

“Ha, ha.” “Shadow Walker,” wanting to cough, but prevented by Selene's hand, smiled. “Illiterate.”

“…. I won’t hold it against you.”

Okay, illiterate superhumans can be intelligent.

She retracted the contract, then looked back at “Shadow Walker,” her expression sincere.

“I have some connections with the station. If you behave along the way and are willing to cooperate, I can vouch for you, and we can avoid the charge of attacking the cemetery. You know what that means.”

This was a bribe. And it wasn’t just empty words. Helping to dismantle a cult’s base of operations was a much greater achievement than attacking a cemetery. Since “Shadow Walker” was a superhuman, the station could offer him certain benefits. Even if the crime couldn’t be wiped away, it would still give him a chance to make amends.

As far as Selene understood, this chance meant becoming a superhuman working for the station. Those who were fortunate enough to get this chance, if they performed well during their observation period and passed the criminal probation test conducted by the “Spirits Tribunal”’s clerics, not only would their past be erased, but they could even join the station’s superhuman soldiers.

As for the “Arbiters” who hunted down heretics, or the “Hunters” who hunted down superhuman criminals—those were secret soldiers with no public duties or titles. She couldn’t know anything about that.

This was an invitation that was sufficiently attractive to most wild superhumans, offering a path to social status, rewards, and advancement.