Author: Himezaki Shiu	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Jiro	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“W-Whipping? Why?!”
“Regardless of the circumstances, you are the slave and I am the owner. Don’t tell me you don’t understand that?”

I pointed to Monia and myself and explained it in plain words. Regardless, Monia still seemed like she wanted to say something. If I had asked Lulus, I would have received a very radical response, so I decided to pass. I believed it was fine to do the same with her as I’d done with my classmates.

“But, I’m willing to let you go under certain conditions.”
“Really?!”
“What would I get from lying to a slave? So, what do you say? Do you accept? I’ll have you know that the moment you accept, a Contract will be formed.”
“I’ll do it.”

I already knew this, but this girl was quite the airhead. This was the part where she should’ve asked some questions first. Having said that, even if she had refused, since she’s a slave, she wouldn’t be able to decline, in the end.

“First, I forbid you from telling anyone else about Lullus or me. I also forbid you from dying without permission. Do your utmost to stay alive.”
“Understood.”
“I’ve already gotten your permission, so there’s no need to reply.”

Unfortunately for her, the contract skill was already in effect. I had wondered if it would still work under such unexpected circumstances, and to my surprise, it did. Maybe it was because I was a Demigod? Maybe the skill itself was out of the ordinary, or maybe it was just that skills worked this way from the get-go. Judging by God’s reaction, it seemed this skill was far from ordinary. After all, it operated at a level that restricted a person’s abilities.

“Next, you are forbidden to enter any town or village where a human settlement exists.”
“What?”
“I have not addressed you. As a condition for fulfilling the contract, you are to retrieve the scales of the Ancient Dragon. Once that is done, you will be freed from your slavery. Also, I may face consequences because of this, so please refrain from committing any crimes until the contract is complete. That is all regarding the terms.”
“No way! There’s no way I can do that! I can’t complete that without any preparation!”

I wondered if she truly understood that she was now a slave—and that if I wanted to, I could simply order her to carry out what I had just said, and the compulsion would force her to obey. She seemed to be speaking in a rather frantic manner.

“At first, I thought I would at least provide you with some useful tools, but you kept saying and doing things that showed me you don’t realize you’ve become a slave. This is your punishment. Before we continue, let me make one thing clear—I won’t regret it even if you die, so there’s no point in using that as a shield.”

Monia swallowed the words she was just about to say. Then, she bowed deeply.

“I-I apologize.”
“You do?”

An apology at this point wouldn’t persuade me. It was obvious she simply wanted to say the words, even if reluctantly, to extract the best possible terms. If she were truly remorseful, she needed to show it through her actions, not just her words.

Her rudeness aside, I had no intention of preparing anything for her. I wasn’t obligated to. So I had no interest in seeing a dissatisfied expression on her face, as if she were complaining about receiving nothing even after apologizing.

“Well then, do your best. The Ancient Dragon scales are in the crater of the highest volcano in the kingdom.”

That was all I said before kicking Monia out of the house. It wasn’t difficult—thanks to the slave collar, she couldn’t resist. If she tried, it would trigger her self-destruction.

All I could hope for now was that she would find a way to survive. Maybe she’d carve out a life for herself in some remote corner of the world, far from any human settlements, living quietly and avoiding death. Or maybe she’d head toward the crater, prepared to dive into the magma.

Still, she’d likely collapse from exhaustion before she ever reached it.

And even if she did, there was no guarantee she’d find the cave. Her best chance was a lucky encounter—stumbling upon the Ancient Dragon after he had left his lair and picking up one of his shed scales.

If that happened, I would release her from slavery, just as the contract stated.

“That’s a harsh contract, Master Finis.”
“You think so? I think she would’ve had it worse if I left her to you, Lullus.”
“Probably. The only thing that comes to mind is choking the air out of her.”
“I figured as much.”
“But, Master Finis, isn’t this worse than a moment’s suffering?”

It sure was. It’s just that, this time, I thought I’d free her from her slavery if she could achieve the same thing she had requested. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, it was easy to understand.

“Now she won’t be allowed inside a town until she dies, right?”
“Technically, she wouldn’t be allowed even after she’s dead. Do you think she’ll be able to obtain the Ancient Dragon scales before the collapse of the world?”
“Impossible. With her current status, it would take her a lifetime to even have a chance. Sure, there’s always the possibility she gets lucky… but if we start relying on that kind of thinking, there’s no end to it.”

Lullus looked at me as if she wanted to say something. I understood what that look meant—because I had even crushed the slim possibility of Monia getting lucky. She was right to want to speak up.

“That aside. How is the Spirit of Fire?”
“If I share a little bit of my power with it, it should take anywhere from 2 to 30 days.”
“I see. I thought it would take longer, but in that case, I suppose this will be settled before Fraus’ war is over.”

That meant the order for collecting the spirits would be Rubel, Nigel, Aquilus, and Caeruleus. Rubel’s spirit only needed time to recover, and I was confident I could retrieve the one in the Nigel Kingdom without much trouble. That left just two more.

Surprisingly, it looked like I would finish sooner than I had expected.

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