“Seimei? You know the Seimei?”
I couldn’t help but ask. I don’t know why, but I get a bad feeling about this.
“Yes. We’re basically serving the Seimei Family.”
The blue dragonman said this while nodding his head.
“In exchange for giving us protection, we have sworn to offer them contracts with our young ones. It’s a win-win relationship.”
Hearing this, my heart skipped a beat. It feels like my premonition was spot on.
“Don’t tell me… that the next one to be contracted is Igni?”
I asked while wiping the cold sweat from my forehead. To this, the blue dragonman tilted his head.
“How did you know? Yes, my daughter, Igni, is the one that is to be contracted next.”
“…”
This was awkward. I can’t tell them that I ended up contracting Igni now, could I? However, before I could even mutter some excuses, Igni came from the side.
“Father, actually…”
She explained the events from the beginning. How the village was suddenly attacked by the Demon Tamers, how Aira helped her escape, and how she ended up getting into a contract with me in exchange for offering help.
“It’s a Faux Contract, though, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?” .𝙘𝙤𝙢
I tried to reason it out. If I were to believe what the system said, then the Faux Contract would be temporary and only last for a week. It should be terminated after that time limit.
“Faux Contract? What are you saying? A contract is a contract.”
However, Igni’s father didn’t even consider the idea of a temporary contract. Well, it should be impossible in reality, so I guess he has a point. What is this Faux Contract anyway, and how did I activate it?
“Well, we can’t take her out of the contract now that it’s done anyway. We’ll explain it to the Seimei, so don’t worry too much about it.”
He said while shrugging his shoulders. Then she tapped Igni’s shoulders and pushed her forward.
“So, I ask you to take care of her from now on, not just as her tamer but also as her mate.”
“Yes, wait, mate?!”
I was surprised at the word that Igni’s father blurted out.
“What? Isn’t that what most tamers go for? Aren’t those two your mates too?”
Well, it’s true that there’s a trend for tamers to choose their monsters based on their sexual preference. Most female tamers choose male monsters, and male tamers choose females. I turned to Igni, trying to ask for her opinion.
“Igni, what about you? Do you really wish for this?”
“Yes, my lord. As I’ve claimed before, I would do anything in return for your help. Becoming your tamed monster is already a given, but I have no qualms with being one of your mates.”
Mate, mate, mate, can’t they use a more sophisticated term? It makes me sound like a vulgar guy that goes around taming girls just to get laid.
I sighed. Seeing as how even her emotions didn’t include a single negative emotion, she must be really willing to become my tamed monster. Rather, her joy and expectations were overflowing, way above normal levels.
Rather, this makes me worried about the 1-week duration of the Faux Contract. Would I be able to re-contract her through normal means by then? Other than aging, Mental Energy only increases through feedback from evolution, though. Should I make Fang and Ember evolve early just to reach the threshold to contract Igni?
Technically, Ember was at the first stage less than a week ago. Even if we include the time we spent inside the sealed space, that’d be a little less than a month. We’d probably earn the world record for the fastest stable evolution to stage four if we did it.
“…Wait, did you say [most tamers do]? You mean…”
Although my words were incomplete, Igni’s father quickly understood what I was implying.
“Yes. Igni was selected by the first son of the Seimei Family head. Well, we can’t do anything about it now.”
When he mentioned the first son of the Seimei Family, Igni’s face briefly showed a disgusted expression. I’m not liking all these flags that I’m raising. Isn’t one of these a death flag by now? “For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.”
I’d better postpone visiting the Seimei until this matter settles. Having two big families on my tail would be hell.
“I understand; I would make sure Igni is safe and sound.”
Despite my internal fluster, I still replied with dignity. Igni’s father nodded his head in contentment.
“We’ll be heading for the Seimei now; are you coming with us?”
He suddenly asked. Looking around, most of the elders were injured and in need of healing. They should be going there for treatment, especially for the one named Aira, who was pretty much tortured heavily by the Demon Tamers.
“No, we’ll be heading further northeast from here.”
I said.
“Northeast? You mean, to the frontlines?”
Our current location was the closest to the frontlines right now. If we move a little more to the northeast, then we should be able to see the border, where most tamers fight 24/7 to protect our territory.
“Are you sure you wish to go there? I know it’s rude to say this, but you’re not strong enough-”
“I could kill Demon Tamers easily. Those demons at the border should be easier.”
I quickly stopped his words and reassured him. He must be worried that his daughter would be going to a dangerous place, but we had no choice as we were being chased. We need to go somewhere that the trackers wouldn’t even consider our destination, like the frontline. Of course, I asked Igni’s father to keep quiet about us without telling him the reason.
Igni’s father thought hard with a frown. Then he stared at me with all seriousness before speaking.
“Okay, but you must promise to protect my daughter to the best of your abilities.”
“I will. And not only her but Ember and Fang too. They’re irreplaceable companions to me.”
Soon, the dragons went away, heading west from our spot, toward the Seimei Family. On the other hand, the four of us headed for the northeast, towards the frontlines. The night sky was already turning brighter as we set off. By then, I had no idea what was waiting for us ahead.