Normally, Yujin wouldn’t have made a decision without a moment’s hesitation. But there was no way for him to verify if everything Tiamat had said was true.
Frankly speaking, if Tiamat were trying to deceive Yujin, who knew nothing, he wouldn’t have had any proper way to counter it. So, he had no choice but to be cautious.
But since there was no apparent way out of here, he thought spending time worrying would just be a waste of time.
What could he do? If the only way out of here was to make a contract with her and become a dragon, well… frankly, even if this was all a trick to deceive him, he didn’t have any other options.
If she’s deceiving me, is there another option? Besides, she’s not gonna teach me how to get outta here anyway.
Expecting to escape on my own would be foolish when there’s no method in the game to break free from a trap room by yourself. So, might as well go along with it.
“Is it really true?”
“I don’t wanna sit around doing nothing and dry up here. Even if I die someday, I’d rather go peacefully.”
“Hmm…”
When Tiamat heard this, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his simple reason for agreeing to the contract. Though, isn’t survival an issue that shouldn’t be taken lightly?
“And personally, I also want to help you, Tiamat-sama. You did say your goal is to liberate the dragons trapped in the tower and restore their original status, right?”
Meanwhile, as Yujin spoke, Tiamat responded.
“Yeah, I said that. Even if we set aside status, I want to free my children.”
“Personally, I resonate with that idea. The heart of a parent thinking about their child is always beautiful, isn’t it?”
Yujin recalled his parents, who worried about him until their last breath, and said so. To which Tiamat replied somewhat sheepishly.
“Hmm, ahem… W-well, yeah. Of course, they’re not technically my biological children…”
“…Ah, I see.”
Does this mean dragons, being the leaders of their kind, live incredibly long lives but are still virgins? Or maybe they missed their chance due to aging and now lack suitable mates…
“Are you by any chance thinking something extremely rude right now?”
“Haha, not at all.”
With the eerie feeling that if his thoughts were discovered, he’d be killed, Yujin smiled casually and denied it. Hiding emotions was his specialty.
“Suspicious…”
“Anyway, how exactly do we proceed with the contract? And you mentioned reconstructing your body using your bones—how does that work?”
Yujin quickly changed the subject. Fortunately, it was a timely and necessary topic.
“…Hmm, right. Let’s start with the contract first. Pour your mana into my heart.”
“…Understood.”
After all, Yujin wasn’t just anyone; he was one of the Awakened Ones who had awakened to mana, specializing in magic that involved manipulating mana to perform various tricks.
For someone like him, channeling mana into an object wasn’t particularly difficult.
Still, there was a fleeting moment of hesitation.
‘What if Tiamat is scheming to take over my body?’
It wasn’t a scenario he hadn’t considered. In fact, he thought it quite plausible.
But Yujin dismissed these concerns with the following thought:
‘At least it’s better than starving to death here without food or water.’
Ultimately, it came down to two choices: dying of starvation or having his body taken over and dying. Wouldn’t the latter be less painful?
Of course, if Tiamat suddenly revealed her evil true nature and tried to punish him with eternal torment for daring to challenge a Transcendent being, things would be different.
But doubting everything led nowhere. Hadn’t some scientist once said:
“To doubt everything or to believe everything are both ways of avoiding thoughtful consideration.”
True, this quote originated in the realm of scientific hypotheses, but logically and rationally, it wasn’t wrong.
If you doubted everything, what could possibly be accomplished? At the very least, you needed to differentiate between what to trust and what not to trust.
At least trusting the kindness and goodwill she had shown him so far seemed reasonable.
Thus, Yujin channeled his mana into Tiamat’s heart.
“My heart contains an endless concentration of my mana. When you pour your mana into it, the two will mix… and this mixture will serve as a medium connecting the two beings.”
“…I see.”
Yujin could feel it even with his eyes closed—an overwhelming power emanating from the mana.
Compared to this, his own mana felt trivial, weak, and insignificant. Yet, Tiamat didn’t seem to mind the insignificance of his mana at all.
“Now, Yujin, through this process, we’re not just communicating via the heart as before. We’re spiritually connected. Open your eyes.”
At her words, Yujin slowly opened his half-closed eyes. Then…
“…!”
“Do you see me? Can you see my form?”
In front of him stood an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
Her jet-black hair flowed gracefully, and her crimson eyes, akin to purest rubies, gazed directly at Yujin.
Her violent figure contrasted sharply with her serene smile, creating an enchanting yet delicate beauty.
She radiated a paradoxical allure.
At the very least, she was incomparably more beautiful than any woman Yujin had ever seen.
“I could appear before you in my dragon form, but it’s too massive and might feel oppressive. So, I’ve polymorphed into human form. What do you think?”
“…She’s breathtakingly beautiful.”
Yujin absentmindedly answered, his half-lidded eyes wide open without realizing it. Tiamat chuckled softly upon hearing this.
“Hehe, thank you. Your eyes are also quite beautiful.”
“…Haha.”
Realizing his wide-open eyes, Yujin awkwardly chuckled and slightly squinted again, regaining composure as he looked at her.
Tiamat asked,
“Do you remember the terms of the contract I mentioned earlier?”
“Yes, I remember them.”
“Now, I’ll initiate the Soul Contract. After I state the conditions I must fulfill, you’ll repeat the conditions you must uphold.”
“Is that all?”
“Yeah, after casting the Soul Contract, that’s it. Casting the Soul Contract is my job.”
“I see… Are there any precautions we should keep in mind?”
“Rather than precautions, I should tell you what happens if it fails. First, the conditions each party must adhere to or protect must be mutually agreed upon. If either party states a condition not previously agreed upon, the other won’t consent, and the Soul Contract will break.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Mutual agreement means there’s almost no risk.
“The only other thing… if the mana connection breaks, the Soul Contract can also be severed mid-process. However, doing so risks damaging the mana circuits.”
“We need to be careful then.”
“In my case, since I’m a dragon and currently just a heart, that risk is negligible. So unless you sever it yourself, it won’t be dangerous. Shall we begin?”
“Yes, please begin.”
“Then, let’s start the Soul Contract now.”
As she spoke, Tiamat began the contract.
Woooom!
The surrounding mana lit up, illuminating the area.
Simultaneously, Yujin felt a sensation as if something fundamental within him was connecting to Tiamat.
Tiamat began.
“First, I, Tiamat, shall offer my heart to Yujin.”
Next was Yujin’s turn.
“I, Yujin, agree to form a joint destiny with Tiamat and bind our souls together.”
As the clause extended, he felt something like chains tightening around his soul.
“Second, I, Tiamat, shall transform the counterpart into a new dragon.”
“I, Yujin, dedicate my efforts to liberating the Dragons of the Maze and restoring the dragons’ status to what it was before the Great War, as per her request.”
“However, I, Tiamat, can adjust my requests based on mutual consultation with Yujin. Should my demands be deemed impossible, Yujin’s judgment takes precedence.”
“Tiamat-sama?”
This was a term they hadn’t discussed beforehand, but it favored Yujin.
“I believed it was a necessary clause. After all, I can’t force impossible tasks.”
“…I understand.”
Since it wasn’t detrimental to Yujin and Tiamat had deemed it necessary, the Soul Contract remained unbroken.
Charrrrr!
The chains constricting his soul extended.
“By this, we have formed a Soul Contract, and I swear to uphold and honor the agreed-upon conditions to the best of my ability.”
“I swear.”
Whooshhh…
Gradually, the mana’s glow dimmed.
“…Is it done?”
“Yes, the Soul Contract has been established.”
“…Hmm.”
Though the sensation of chains tightening around his soul had disappeared, they likely still lingered.
“Shall we finalize the Soul Bond while we’re at it? It’s probably better to reconstruct the body and accept the heart afterward.”
“Ah, are the contract and bond separate?”
Yujin had assumed the Soul Bond and contract happened simultaneously, but apparently not. Tiamat explained.
“A contract is just that—a contract. While a bond is also a type of contract… Hmm…”
“Is there a difference?”
“Um, hmm! Well, if I must compare, the bond is closer to marriage. Think of it as a spiritual marriage between souls.”
“Marriage…”
He had vaguely suspected something like this when hearing about the Soul Bond, but he didn’t realize it carried such a close resemblance to marriage.
Perhaps due to their mana connection, Tiamat read his thoughts and clarified.
“No, of course it doesn’t mean we’re actually getting married! It’s merely a metaphorical comparison…”
“Haha, of course. I understand.”
Yujin also thought she meant it metaphorically. After all, it couldn’t possibly be real marriage.
“Good, then I’m relieved.”
“So, let’s begin. Do we follow the same procedure as before?”
When Yujin asked, Tiamat shook her head and replied.
“Not exactly the same. This isn’t about stating conditions like a contract. It’s a straightforward process of binding our souls. So…”
Saying that, Tiamat extended her hand.
“Take my hand. That’s all you need to do.”
“…”
At her words, Yujin instinctively extended his hand and grasped her intangible one.
Strangely, he felt the cold touch of a woman’s hand.
“Now, henceforth, this one shall become my soulmate.”
“And I, as his mate, shall remain with him for the rest of my life.”
“And I, as her mate, shall remain with her for the rest of my life.”
As he spoke, he felt the same sensation he experienced earlier when connecting with her.
This time, it felt stronger and more resilient, forming red threads that wrapped around their clasped hands.
Gradually, the red threads faded and vanished…
“…Is it… done?”
“Phew… Yes, we are now united as one soul.”
Being united as one soul felt strange. Yujin briefly squeezed the hand he had held and then spoke to Tiamat.
“So, now…”
“Yes, it’s time to turn you into a dragon.”
And thus, the process of transforming Yujin into a dragon begins.
