Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Sammael, the high-ranking Marauder and direct subordinate of Grand Marshal Maltiel, had come to the Enker High Plain for no special reason.

The Grand Marshal Maltiel he served had lost most of his mutant army in a previous battle with the Sword Saint. Therefore, Sammael was searching for materials to replenish the forces when he heard a rumor that a young Dragon had landed at the Enker High Plain. With that in mind, he casually arrived here to confirm the situation and possibly take the Dragon away.

However, once he reached the Dragon’s nest, the young Mage that the Grand Marshal had risked his life trying to kill was there.

‘If you see the grey-haired Mage, run away. He’s not someone you can defeat. His talent is truly horrifying.’

Sammael recalled the words Grand Marshal Maltiel had said when he returned to the cave, those words echoing in his ears.

‘This is bad… This is truly…’

What made things worse was that the terrifying grey-haired Mage was not alone. Somewhere nearby was an old Mage with immense magical power and also an elite infantry unit supporting them.

In contrast, Sammael had not brought a single mutant to assist him. He had left them all at his lair, fearing that mobilizing a large force would attract the attention of the allied forces.

“What are you… You.”

Sammael felt as if he had been struck by lightning while walking down the road. All he could think was that he had to escape.

However, even this action was not simple. If he exposed his back to the youth who had silenced the Dragon with a single strike, it was certain that his entire body would turn to ashes.

“…It’s a Marauder! A Marauder has been spotted 700 meters ahead! This is an unknown organism according to our records! Judging by the size of its wings, it’s presumed to be a high-ranking Marauder!”

“Hey, sleep…! Move! Protect General Bin! Everyone, form formation number two!”

Not too far away, the foot soldiers began to move. An unexpected misfortune was slowly suffocating Sammael.

[Luck: 1]*

…Ah, so this is also a choice. What a garbage situation.

“Damn, things have become too tangled.”

Sammael clenched his teeth and anxiously repeated the opening and closing of his fingers.

Why are you saying my lines?

Lifting my head, I began to analyze Sammael’s expression as he alternated between looking at Alter and me. His face was filled with both absurdity and fear.

Fear?

Fear?

How could a monster over level 70 be fearing something?

‘Neither in his expression nor his attitude does it seem like he knew we’d appear here…’

I started to puzzle out the cause of this bizarre phenomenon. Surely the answer to escape this inconvenient encounter was hidden somewhere in there.

‘Taking an incredibly defensive stance… Although my life may have relatively high value among Marauders, this defensive behavior is highly unconventional. Compared to Maltiel who, despite being a Grand Marshal, didn’t hesitate to risk his own death and attack me.’

I began unraveling the tangled mess of insanity one by one.

Thanks to being born with the characteristic [Calm], my brain continued to function properly in this insane situation.

…Is he thinking he can’t defeat me, perhaps? That monster?

Because I couldn’t understand why he had this impression, I started revisiting how I was perceived.

A Mage whom the Grand Marshal decided was necessary to kill at all costs, to the point of risking his life.

A Mage who had fought evenly with the Grand Marshal, remained uninjured, and even almost killed him by exploiting a flaw.

A Mage that the Sword Saint had noted and immediately wanted to include in his team due to overflowing talent.

A Mage so extraordinary that the former head of the Magic Tower was hired as his personal tutor.

…The more I considered these factors, the more it seemed strange that Sammael wasn’t afraid of me instead.

Moreover, Sammael must have personally witnessed me precisely targeting the young Dragon’s vital points and killing it in one blow, proving that all these accolades attached to me were not mere illusions.

…It’s not just that he thought he couldn’t defeat me; he must have judged that even if he threw everything at me, not a scratch could harm me. Anything else wouldn’t make sense.

As the conclusion became clear, I swiftly formulated a plan in my head and put it into action.

“Is it even possible to escape?”

As I gave Sammael the same arrogant smile that I had given Maltiel before, I tried to show off some bravado.

Shit, I never imagined I’d have to pull off this act again.

“I just came to deal with a bothersome dragon but ended up with an unexpected big fish falling into my hands. Sammael, right?”

“How… How do you know my name…?”

Sammael, extremely flustered, flapped his sharp-feathered wings and wavered unsteadily in the air.

“How do I know? Well… Isn’t that irrelevant right now?”

I maintained a calm and cold facade, subtly irritating him.

Sammael couldn’t reply, simply clamping his mouth shut after hearing my words.

Of course.

This monster is indeed scared out of his wits.

A 70-level monster cowering in front of a barely level 1, low-stat mage.

…It seems like I might have found a way out of this sudden misfortune.

I turned my head slightly and waved at the soldiers and Alter Heinzel rushing towards me.

“I’ll take care of it soon, please wait there.”

The soldiers and Alter Heinzel expressed their doubts, asking if I was okay.

“Ah, this? No problem, I can handle it alone.”

With the casualness of someone disposing of garbage, I waved them off.

If they knew the real situation, what they might find comical would instead seem pitiful. For now, this is the only way I have to survive.

The soldiers who were rushing towards me immediately stopped their hurried steps and began watching my conversation with Sammael in silence, surprised by my calmness amidst the sudden appearance of a Marauder.

“Are you planning on continuing to fly around and hurt people’s necks? If not, come down. I have no intention of harming you.”

“How can I trust that?”

“If I were planning to kill you, you’d surely fight for your life. In such a case, I would scorch this entire area with lightning magic… This place is a major granary that produces seventy percent of the continent’s wheat. Such destruction would be a loss, not just for this continent but for humanity overall.”

My heart was pounding, my mind going blank, but somehow I found a rationale for why I might not attack Sammael.

“What happens next is up to you. Either fight me here and die, or choose to retreat for another day. If you choose the former… it would be a great setback for your species. Losing a high-ranking Marauder suddenly would not be easy to recover from.”

At this point, what mattered most was momentum and intimidation.

He was adrift in a sea of misconception, and I needed to take advantage of this situation.

No matter how confusing the situation was, I had the rudder in hand.

“Should I just let you go because this place is not ideal for a fight? No, that would be a bad choice.”

If I were to simply let him go with a warm smile, it could potentially instill in Sammael doubt: “Why is this guy letting me go so easily? He might not be as strong as I thought. Maybe I should test his strength?”

Once Sammael starts testing, he’ll quickly discover that I’m not as strong as he imagined, and then I’d definitely die.

“If you want to fight, fight. Killing you could also result in some significant benefits.”

I suppressed the sudden urge to flee from this terrifying creature and maintained a haughty smile.

So, how do I make this high-ranking Marauder leave this spot without a doubt in my supposed strength?

…The solution I found was “extortion.”

Like a neighborhood thug, I had to extort something from the high-ranking Marauder Sammael.

I had to threaten him to demand something in exchange for sparing his life.

Although I questioned whether someone who has just started learning the basics of magic like me should even dare to do this to a high-ranking Marauder…

“I have no choice… There’s no other way.”

“Come down and talk to me. Otherwise, I’ll chop off your head right here.”

My patience was waning as I cracked my neck from side to side while speaking.

Fortunately, thanks to the [Calm] trait, the turmoil inside me didn’t show on my face.

“Damn, things are terribly screwed up.”

With a face twisted in humiliation, Sammael slowly descended onto the Dragon’s corpse.

Marauders are designed to move solely for the benefit of their race. They value emotions like shame or anger as trivial and prioritize the interests of all Marauders.

Thus, it was embarrassing for a high-ranking Marauder like Sammael to lower himself before humans, but it was necessary for the good of the entire Marauder race.

Because if Sammael were to perish here, 300 subordinate Marauders and tens of thousands of mutants would become like battery-less toy robots.

“Since it’s at this site… I don’t really want to fight. But I can’t just ignore the sight of a high-ranking Marauder.”

“Speak your purpose.”

“Alright, bring out the contract first? Surely you’re not planning to proceed with just oral promises, are you?”

After finishing my statement, I maintained my expression and tilted my head slightly toward Sammael.

‘Do you have it? You must have it, right? Otherwise, it’ll be a disaster if you don’t… This negotiation won’t even start if you don’t have it. If the table collapses, I die. Please tell me you have it.’

Soon, Sammael clenched his lips and tore his own skin to reveal a lime-yellow sheet of paper beneath it.

“Devil’s Contract, you are indeed a high-ranking Marauder.”

As hard as I tried, I couldn’t suppress the inner cheering voice. I acted as though I had expected this all along.

Devil’s Contract.

A special magic tool that forcibly takes the user’s life if the terms are not followed.

High-ranking Marauders typically use this contract to turn intelligent beings, which are too valuable to be mere mutants, into slaves.

They use it to employ high-tier wizards as researchers or skilled commanders as strategic advisors, but…

This time, it was intended for extortion.

That too, for a human to extort a Marauder with.

‘Thank goodness he carried this around. Had he not, this negotiation would have escalated into sheer chaos.’

I swallowed the only bit of fortune amidst the layers of misfortune.

“I’ll let you go. But in return, you’re going to give me something equal to your life and take it with you. What do you think?”

Sammael didn’t respond to my provocation, instead lightly biting the tip of his sharp fang-tooth to release a stream of toxic blue blood.

Sammael began to evenly drip his blood across the entire lime-yellow contract, the blue liquid dancing on the paper as if poised to become letters at any moment.

“…Stop rambling, tell me what you want.”

Sammael glared at me through clenched teeth.

“Hmm, what would be appropriate…”

On the outside, I acted cool, pressing my temples with fingers tingling with static electricity…

…While inside, I was completely turning to ash from anxiety.

I had only about two minutes of the remaining bloom time. I had to quickly find something appropriate, complete the contract with this monster, and chase him to a distant place.

If I asked for something too trivial, it might seem odd to him.

On the other hand, an overly heavy request was impossible.

If I had asked him something like “Tell me the location of the Grand Marshal,” he would have rebelled and gone berserk, preferring to fight and die over fulfilling such demands.

Whatever it was, it couldn’t be balanced incorrectly. Either way, my life would be on the line.

“…Something a bit less valuable than a high-ranking grand marshal’s life would be appropriate. That way, this guy wouldn’t raise any objections.”

Prolonged negotiation would be the worst-case scenario.

If time were spent aligning conditions, I would likely lose consciousness with the bloom time expiring.

“Akilipthus forest area occupied by all Marauders and mutants – I demand a withdrawal.”

After some brief thought, my decision was this.

The Akilipthus forest, where the spirit of lightning slumbered, was not only an excellent strategic site but also a place from which I could significantly enhance my own abilities by obtaining the blessing of the lightning spirit.

It was a double profit scenario – not only did I bloodlessly take this strategic point, but I also opened up the opportunity to gain blessings from the lightning spirit.

“…I’m infuriated that I have to give up this region so easily. How many mutants did I have to create and sacrifice to secure it?”

“Unless you want to die here and lose all your subordinates, including all Marauders and mutants. Though you’re not as high as the Grand Marshal, you’d deliver a significant blow to the Marauder army.”

“…”

Sammael clenched his fists and stared at me with murderous eyes.

Oops, why is he reacting this way? Did I push too hard? Hey, sorry, I’ll apologize and let’s settle this smoothly…

“I’ll accept it.”

Sammael begrudgingly dabbed his blood on the Devil’s Contract one more time.

“My request is this: to let me leave this area, and no tracking of any kind for the next three days.”

“I’ll accept it.”

I took out the quill pen I had always carried while studying in the carriage and used its tip to cut my finger, smearing blood on the offered contract.

The contract, having absorbed the blood of both Sammael and me, split into two pieces and stuck to our wrists like bracelets.

This bracelet will stay on my wrist until the contract’s effect expires, monitoring me. Should I attempt to track that monster during the next 72 hours, it would instantly release mana to crush my brain and heart.

Of course, I had no intention of trying to pursue such a monster.

Trailing an unbeatable Marauder is akin to attempted suicide.

Hooo!

As soon as the Devil’s Contract attached itself to our wrists, Sammael immediately spread his sharp wings and ascended high into the sky.

As he hid amongst the stars in the now-star-filled night sky, I could only let out a deep sigh of relief as I watched his disappearing figure.

“Damn… I should have upped my luck to 1 more…”

I never wish to encounter such a crazy event again.