Chapter 105: Dangerous Contract

"Then that is fine too! All you need to do is find the dungeon core! Once we locate it, we can come up with another solution!" Rogue continued pressing Viktor as though he absolutely refused to let him escape.

It’s seems he really is desperate.

That probably meant the situation with the Dungeon Castle was even worse than Qiu Nuoya had realized.

"Well, you heard him. Why not? Even if this guy is lying, you can escape with Nuoya immediately if things get dangerous, can’t you?"

"That is true."

"Then why not help him a little? He’s offering to take care of our living expenses, after all. And this dungeon is perfect for helping these kids improve their skills. Nuoya would probably like to live a more peaceful life for a while too, wouldn’t he?"

Well, he does have a point.

If Rogue really was the Guild Master of the Adventurer’s Guild in this city and was willing to refrain from reporting Qiu Nuoya to the Church, then Qiu Nuoya would no longer have to live while constantly hiding and running away.

That would certainly be a huge relief.

Qiu Nuoya glanced at Viktor. Viktor seemed to be considering Igor’s words. After remaining silent for a while, he finally let out a long sigh and said, "I do not fully trust you yet. However, can you swear before the gods that everything you have just told us is true?"

"Yes, absolutely!" Rogue nodded emphatically.

"Then put everything you have promised into a formal contract and follow the proper procedures. I will accept it as a request. I will also require a magical oath to be attached to the contract."

"A magical oath? You mean, in the event that the contract is violated..."

"Depending on the circumstances, you may be required to compensate us with your life."

Rogue’s face immediately went pale. However, after a long silence, he finally squeezed out an answer and said, "I understand."

That oath sounds terrifying!

And somehow, Rogue had actually agreed to those terms!

"As a substitute, I will not ask for a reward. Either way, selling the dungeon items will probably earn us more money. However, there are some essential conditions. We want you to guarantee our safety and living arrangements in Oraria, and keep all information concerning Nuoya completely confidential. Can you agree to that?"

"Yes, absolutely! That would be incredibly helpful! Of course, of course! I can promise you that much without hesitation!"

"You are agreeing rather too readily. However, remember this clearly. If you violate that oath, you yourself will have to pay an appropriate price." Viktor glared at Rogue with cold eyes. His handsome face remained as composed as ever, but the intensity of his stare was genuinely frightening.

It was common knowledge that Viktor was an exceptionally powerful adventurer, so Rogue immediately straightened his back.

Viktor said earlier that Rogue was no ordinary person, but Viktor is far more terrifying. Thank goodness he isn’t an enemy.

"Then we can establish the formal agreement at a later date. For today, this will be a provisional contract." With that, Viktor raised his palm toward Rogue and a faint light radiated from his hand before slipping into Rogue’s body and disappearing.

"What was that?"

"As I said, it is a provisional contract. Since the terms have not yet been formally finalized, it will only activate if anything happens that threatens Nuoya. In other words, for the time being, your life is in the palm of my hand."

Whoa, that’s scary!

If the Adventurer’s Guild was really going to keep the Church from contacting Qiu Nuoya, then that was exactly what he wanted. But the thought that his freedom might come at the cost of someone else’s life was terrifying.

"Please, don’t kill him! Even if the Church finds me, they’re not going to kill me, so please don’t misunderstand that part!"

"Qiu Nuoya..."

Rogue looked at Qiu Nuoya with an emotional expression, but Qiu Nuoya was doing this for his own sake.

I don’t want my freedom to come at someone else’s expense!

"Nuoya, you are too kind." Viktor smiled beautifully at him as though praising him. Yet there was something unfathomable beneath that smile and it made Qiu Nuoya a little nervous.

"Viktor, you’re a little scary when you threaten people with such a gentle expression. Please just be your usual self. I like the usual Viktor much better."

"People can betray you very easily, especially when you are not yet close to one another..." There was a strange weight behind Viktor’s words, and Qiu Nuoya felt sad when he heard them.

Elves lived much longer than humans, and Viktor had lived a long life that Qiu Nuoya could not even begin to imagine. Perhaps he had experienced betrayal himself in the past. But being unable to trust other people at all was a sad thing.

Qiu Nuoya remember when Viktor clinging to him while drunk, pleading, "Don’t leave me behind."

His long life probably had not been filled with nothing but happy memories. Qiu Nuoya understood that and precisely because of that, he did not want Viktor to speak about himself so sadly.

Qiu Nuoya gently placed both hands against Viktor’s cheeks and looked directly into his eyes. "Viktor, you were kind to me from the very beginning, even though I was just some unknown kid with nowhere to go! If I hadn’t met you and Igor, I wouldn’t be here right now. I might have even died out there. I’m grateful to both of you, and I love you both. I can’t let you kill someone for my sake. If making you do something like that is the price of keeping me here, then I’ll go turn myself in to the Church with my own two feet."

"Wha..."

"Lady Sherria only wants to make me a Divine Child. She isn’t trying to take my life. So you can’t demand someone’s life as an equivalent exchange. You understand that, right, Viktor?"