ALL NOVEL chapter 34
34 – Dragon Education (4)
“… Ah, I understand.”
So who should sign the contract?
“This person here seems to fit the description based on what I’m seeing.”
“… What?”
Me?
“Wow, I’ve been chosen by the dragon~ How lucky~♡”
“You have no soul in your words, seriously.”
But I was more curious about the reason. Is it possible that the dragon’s contractor likes someone with low stats?
“Why do you think I’m suited for this?”
“Don’t feel bad. Well… to contract with a dragon, it’s preferable to have someone with low resistance to magic. That way, the contract can be smoothly established.”
“……”
“Oh well, if you say so~?”
It turned out that my pathetic stats were actually a good thing.
Among our party members, there’s Clara who doesn’t have the resistance to magic characteristic. Why did they choose me?
“What should be the contents of the contract …?”
The contents of the contract… let’s think about it carefully.
We need to make an airtight contract. There should be no room for error. I shouldn’t make any mistakes in the contract, because then the dragon could take advantage of it.
After thinking hard, I opened my mouth.
“I will always listen to the words of the owner, no matter what requirements are made. I will not act without orders. I will not harm party members, including myself. I will not seek help from other dragons. The contract cannot be arbitrarily terminated, and can only be terminated with the agreement of both parties.”
I was concerned if they would refuse to accept any demand, but I had to do it in order to fully trust the dragon.
Knowing this, the dragon did not object greatly. I could tell that they weren’t too pleased with it.
“I understand. So, how long should the contract period be?”
“The contract will be until I die… No, wait.”
The dragon asked with curiosity.
“…Do you plan to set a separate deadline?”
“Um.”
The dragon and the party members all raised their eyebrows in confusion. Clara seemed to say that she didn’t quite understand.
“…Why set a deadline? It’s good for the dragon, isn’t it?”
“Well, it could be the opposite.”
“…Huh?”
Ignoring Clara’s question, I told the dragon about the deadline I had in mind.
“Until the hero subdues the Demon King.”
“…Wha- What did you say? The Demon King!?”
“Don’t like it? If you don’t like it, then die.”
“No, isn’t this too much? Being bound until the subjugation of the Demon King is completed, that’s madness!”
I turned to Frey.
“Frey? He says he doesn’t want to live here.”
“…Is that so?”
“Well, wait a moment. I understand! I understand, so calm down!!”
I gestured for Frey to wait and looked at the dragon.
“Do you understand?”
“… I understand it perfectly.”
“Can you accept those conditions? Without any objections?”
“W-well, yes.”
“If you break any of these terms, your dragon’s heart will explode and you’ll die.”
“… I understand.”
The dragon raised a trembling finger to its mouth, suddenly starting to gag. What the hell is it doing…
“Gugwek.”
“Hey, what are you doing!?”
Why is it suddenly vomiting and causing a ruckus?
“It’s… pulling out the dragon’s heart
“It’s a real dragon heart.”
What the dragon expelled was indeed a real dragon heart. Unlike the muscular mass of a typical creature’s heart, it looked hard and red like a gemstone.
“Why did you take this out?”
“If the dragon’s heart is inside, the contract magic won’t work due to the dragon’s superior magical resistance, so I took it out.”
Taking out and putting back his own heart… Dragons are truly fascinating beings.
“Now, should I make the contract here?”
“Yes. Do you happen to know how to cast contract magic?”
“…I don’t know.”
“Then why suggest such an offer…”
“I will cast it for you.”
Fortunately, Leticia stepped forward. Come to think of it, she could be considered a master of contracts. She had even contracted not only the Four Great Elementals but also the Elemental King.
“Should we use the terms we discussed earlier for the contract, Allen?”
“Yeah, did we forget anything?”
“No, I don’t think we left anything out. With the clause stating that ‘we must fulfill any request,’ we can pretty much do anything.”
“You could say it’s an unscrupulous provision.”
I saw the dragon.
“What?”
“Oh, no. Your Excellency misheard.”
…Will you look at it just once?
“I’ll proceed.”
Letitia incanted a spell that was difficult to understand. It didn’t seem like a regular enchantment but rather the ancient language of the runic magic.
“I confirm the identities of the contracting parties, the contractor Allen, and the contracted subordinate Blue Dragon Caius.”
Letitia looked at me and the dragon as she spoke.
“Yes.”
“That’s right,” we answered.
Then Letitia’s magic flowed out and transformed into the shape of chains. The two chains wrapped around our hearts as Letitia continued with the contract.
“This contract will be valid until the warrior conquers the demon king. The contracted subordinate must unconditionally fulfill all of the contractor’s orders. Subordinates shall not act without the permission of the contractor. Subordinates shall not harm the contractor or their companions. Subordinates shall not seek help from other dragons for this work.”
Letitia recited everything I requested flawlessly, lightly clapping her hands afterward.
“In return for complying with all of these contractual provisions, the contractor guarantees the life of the contract worker.”
“Okay.”
“As agreed upon by both parties, the contract is valid from this moment onwards until it is terminated. The contract will not be terminated unless there is mutual agreement between the parties.”
Then, the chain tightly bound Dragonheart and the chain that had wrapped around me shrank, reaching towards my palm.
“Ugh!”
And with a sensation of heat, a strange symbol was engraved on my palm. Letizia looked at it and spoke.
“It’s done. That proves that the contract has been successfully executed.”
“…It’s simpler than I thought.”
“A mutually agreed-upon contract is originally quite simple.”
If the mutually agreed upon contract is easy… On the other hand, does that mean there are also forced contracts that are difficult?
“Isn’t that a bit scary?”
Setting aside my apprehensive thoughts, I looked at the Blue Dragon Caesius.
＜Demon Information＞
◈ Name: Caesius
◈ Species: Blue Dragon
◈ Statistics
[Strength: 200] [Agility: 378]
[Stamina: 620] [Intelligence: 65]
[Magic Power: 748] [Divine: 0]
◈ Possessed Traits
[Dragon Aura Lv.3] [Self-healing Lv.7] [Mana Restoration Lv.8] [Mana Circulation Lv.5] [Physical Resistance Lv.7] [Mana Resistance Lv.9] [Curse Resistance Lv.10] [Fanatic’s Curse Lv.???]
◈ Current Status
– Bound by Contract [Contractor: Allen]
It appears that my condition is bound by a contract, and my name is mentioned as the contractor. And I have acquired a curse trait… What is this? Fanatic’s Curse?
In the midst of confusion, the dragon muttered.
“Haah, never thought I would end up making a contract with a human…”
“If you’re unhappy, I can terminate it and kill you. Yet, it remains.”
The spear summoned by Frey was still present. Upon witnessing this, the dragon exclaimed in surprise.
“Ah, no! It’s not a complaint, but I didn’t expect it to turn out like this…”
“…invading human territory as they please and thinking so highly of themselves.”
If it wasn’t for the contract, it would have been death. I really don’t understand where their confidence came from.
“Now give me the gem.”
“Ah, understood.”
Having finished the contract, I couldn’t refuse the command. The dragon reached out the gem to me, and I attempted to accept it.
“Phew.”
It’s heavy. It’s not just its size…
“Just carry it yourself. It’s heavy.”
“Ah, I understand.”
The Blue Dragon, Caius, held it up again and spoke.
“What… what should I call the nobleman?”
“Allen.”
“You mean by name?”
“Well then, what about calling me ‘Master’?”
“Wouldn’t that be right? It’s just easier for me if you call me by name…”
“I don’t have a hobby of listening to a lizard calling me Master.”
When I waved my hand, signaling him not to say that, Caius frowned slightly.
“A lizard? I am a great dragon.”
“Yes, a dragon bound by a slave contract. Unlike the free lizards.”
“Ugh….”
I told Frey.
“It’s okay now, Frey.”
“…Can you really control it, Allen?”
“We’ll see.”
But I whispered to Frey, who couldn’t find peace of mind.
“If it seems impossible, just kill them.”
“…What?”
“Don’t you remember the clause before? The contractor is required to guarantee the life of the dependent. I’ll do my best, but…”
I said.
“What can I do if my efforts are in vain?”
“…Allen, have you heard of an unfair contract?”
“I know it well.”
He came from a country filled with unfair contracts.
When I chuckled lightly, Frey looked at me with slightly worried eyes. I turned my head from Frey’s whisper and looked at Casius.
“If you don’t listen, you won’t get fed.”
“…I don’t plan on rebelling, so there’s no need to worry.”
That’s good then.
“But how can I not handle the size?”
“Poly morph, let’s do it.”
Oh, Poly Morph.
He was talking about the dragon changing into a different form.
“Then you should always be in the form of Poly Morph and only return to your original form when necessary.”
“I got it.”
Caesiuss’ magical power surged, and the form of the huge dragon disappeared without a trace.
“Huh?”
And I was a little surprised. It was a sense that other party members didn’t expect. As we realized that our eyes were strange, Caesius showed his embarrassment.
“…Why are you like this?”
“No, you…”
“She was a woman…?”
Her name was Caius, so I naturally thought she was male…
The guy transformed into the beautiful appearance of a woman.