If the strength of both parties were equal, then the terms of the contract could not possibly involve one side oppressing the other.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Chillingus continued to read further, and the more he saw, the more alarmed he became.
These contract terms were actually even harsher than the slavery terms he had been forced to sign by humans using a [Trickery Contract]!
‘How… how is this [Justice]?!’
Glancing through, he saw that all these clauses were imposed on the party signing the contract, until Chillingus reached the very last line.
Only then did he see a single term imposed on the provider of the contract.
“Falia shall provide protection for Anahita and promises to voluntarily abolish the contract once Lance Fallos reaches Saint Rank, returning full freedom to Anahita.”
Chillingus froze on the spot. In an instant, it felt as if cold water had been poured over him; a sudden chill ran through his blazing body.
The law of [Justice] certainly existed; there was no doubt about that.
But this also meant the law recognized that the final term offered by the woman before him was enough to balance out the dozen or so harsh clauses from before.
What did this imply?
‘This woman’s power is beyond imagination!’
Even if a Saint-Rank expert were present, it would be impossible to force an Elemental Tier to sign such terms under the control of the law of [Justice]!
Thinking of this, Chillingus no longer held any unrealistic fantasies.
His front hooves knelt, and he bowed his head submissively. His body could not stop trembling, and finally, he could only say waveringly, “Praise be to you~”
“Oh?”
The smile returned to the corners of Falia’s eyes. She said with a chuckle, “So, are you going to sign or not?”
“Lowly and humble as I am, I cannot make the choice. Everything shall be decided by your supreme, most high, and most great self!”
The little fire calf lowered its head and eyes, not daring to offer any opinion.
The Witch Falia clicked her tongue twice, seemingly reflecting on the fire calf’s transformation.
She then summoned another blank contract, transcribed a copy of the contents signed by Anahita the Ice Bird, and handed it to the fire calf.
“I won’t bully you either; your treatment will be the same as hers. Once my disciple reaches Saint Rank, I’ll let you go. No problems, right?”
“As you command~”
Trembling all over, the fire calf lowered its head and stamped its hoof print onto the contract.
The contract was immediately established, and the sensation of being enslaved once again shrouded Chillingus’s soul.
Only this time, he could not even muster the slightest thought of resistance.
Falia nodded with satisfaction, patted the fire calf’s back, and soothed it. “You don’t need to worry. Weren’t you two constantly getting hurt because you couldn’t get close to each other?”
“That won’t happen in my Element Pool. Even if the two of you were to embrace directly, it would be fine.”
Hearing these words, the fire calf’s body shuddered, and its lowered head sank even deeper. It still did not dare to say a word.
Feeling a bit bored, Falia said nothing more. With a wave of her hand, she threw the submissive fire calf out of her little nest.
“Remember, Lance Fallos is your master. Be more respectful to him…”
……
In the real world, Lance and Astrid stood side-by-side, watching the Fire Element Lord standing frozen on the spot.
A large number of bold Takins had already gathered behind them, including the Takin Fourth Elder.
“Lord Saint Envoy, Lord Lance! What is going on?”
By now, the Fire Element Lord had been standing there for thirty minutes.
Once the Takins had shaken off their panic, they grew bold enough to step forward and ask about the situation.
Lance turned around and placed his index finger in front of his helmet, making a shushing gesture to signal the Takins to be quiet.
Seeing this, the group of Takins immediately covered their mouths, fearing that even the slightest sound would affect the great work of the Lord Saint Envoy and Lord Lance.
But how could Lance know what was happening?
He had made that gesture entirely out of fear of exposing his own confusion.
Meeting Astrid’s scrutinizing gaze, Lance felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. He didn’t know how to explain the situation to her.
‘I can’t possibly tell her about the existence of my Witch Master!’
Left with no choice, Lance had to grit his teeth and endure, remaining silent throughout the quiet situation.
Fortunately, Astrid also seemed to understand that Lance had some unspeakable hardship.
She shook her head and asked nothing, though an imperceptible flicker of loneliness and sadness appeared in her eyes.
Suddenly, the Takins let out a burst of exclamations.
Lance looked up and found that the flames on the fire giant before him were surging wildly.
His heart tightened instantly. Grabbing Astrid, he flew backward.
The Takins also scattered and fled, fearing they would be caught in the aftermath.
Once they had pulled back a sufficient distance, the giant of several dozen meters gradually grew smaller.
Within a few breaths, it had shrunk to one meter in size.
Its form was no longer that of a fire giant, but rather a gentle-looking fire calf.
After the fire calf solidified, it ran toward Lance.
Lance and Astrid reacted immediately; one drew his Magic Power Greatsword, while the other summoned her longsword.
Then, a scene that shocked everyone unfolded!
As the little calf approached, it landed with a thud, kneeling its head down two meters in front of Lance.
“Greetings, Master!”
Lance: ?
Astrid: ?
The group of Takins who couldn’t hear the voice: !
Lance had a look of bewilderment on his face. Just then, Falia’s voice spoke up again.
“It’s done.”
After saying that, the Witch Falia let out a deep yawn, her weariness impossible to hide.
“I’m going to sleep for a bit; don’t disturb me unless it’s important.”
With that, Falia’s voice vanished without a trace, as if she had never appeared at all.
Lance fixed his gaze on the bowing fire calf and asked uncertainly, “Lord Chillingus, did you sign a contract too?”
“No, no, no! Please, just call me Little Qi. I wouldn’t dare be called ‘Lord’ by you.”
‘What exactly did Master do? How did she turn such a wild and arrogant Fire Element Lord into this?’