But this guy was far too dangerous. His personality was vile, and he didn't possess a shred of chivalry! He had even drained her mana to fight just now. 'Damn it, how can I make him do my bidding?'
Right... the contract!
She stole a glance at the three blood-red Command Seals on the back of her hand.
When she had first summoned Leo, a flood of information regarding the contract had rushed into her mind, but she hadn't had the chance to process it until now.
These three 【Absolute Decrees】.
Each one could force a servant to do anything, even commit suicide!
As long as she used these three Command Seals wisely and combined them with a bit of regular discipline...
The corners of Lucrezia's mouth curled upward uncontrollably, revealing a smile that was both wicked and triumphant.
That’s right! It was just like training a dog!
First, use the Command Seal to establish authority and break his back. Then, offer a few crumbs of favor to make him bow at this princess's feet step by step!
I’ll make him the sharpest blade on my path to revenge!
At that thought, Lucrezia couldn't help but let out a giggle. Her laughter sounded somewhat unsettling in the silence of the night.
"Hey, you're smiling like a villain. What are you thinking about?"
Leo's voice suddenly rang out, startling her.
Lucrezia quickly pulled back her smile and coughed, putting on a serious face.
"Nothing!"
She paused, her eyes flickering as she looked at Leo. "Hey! You... small fry? Bastard? What was your name again? Whatever, forget it... What's the deal with your power?"
Leo raised an eyebrow and casually tossed a branch into the fire.
"First of all, my name isn't 'small fry,' it's Leo. Secondly..."
Leo stood up, brushed the dust off his rear, and walked over to Lucrezia.
With that inscrutable smile on his face, he suddenly reached out and pinched Lucrezia’s soft, tender cheek, pulling it to the side like he was kneading dough.
"I’d also like to know what’s going on. I was minding my own business, eating hot pot and singing songs, just about to retire in glory, only to be summoned to this godforsaken place by a little brat like you."
"Hiss—!"
Leo's grip was quite strong, making Lucrezia gasp in pain.
"Now I’m being hunted by a bunch of lunatics and forced to be your babysitter. Tell me, how should we settle this debt? Hmm? Kid?"
As Leo spoke, he increased the pressure on his hand.
He had been annoyed with this girl for a while now. Calling him "small fry" this and "low-life" that—did she really think she was superior?
If he didn't fix her attitude now, she would be a nuisance for the rest of the journey.
"Mmph! You—mmph—bastard! Let go!"
Lucrezia hadn't expected Leo to actually lay hands on her. Tears of pain began to well up in her eyes.
"I order you to let go! Don't pull my face! You lowly commoner! I am your master!"
She struggled desperately, her small hands clawing and scratching at Leo's wrist.
"Master?"
Leo chuckled, leaning close to her face until his warm breath brushed against her sensitive ear.
"What if I say no? Wake up; you're dreaming."
The playfulness in Leo's eyes intensified. "Understand the situation. You're the one begging me, not the other way around."
As he spoke, his other hand went even further, roughly ruffling the silver twin-tails on top of her head, turning her smooth hair into a bird's nest.
"Aaaaah! This is outrageous! Unacceptable!"
Lucrezia completely lost her temper.
As the princess of a nation, when had she ever suffered such humiliation? To have her face pinched like a pet and be mocked on top of it!
'If I don't show him who's boss, how will I ever control him?!'
'I must establish authority! Now! This instant!'
Fury clouded her reason. Lucrezia’s red eyes snapped wide as she thrust her left hand high. The first Command Seal on the back of her hand erupted with a blinding red light!
"You lowly stray dog!"
The girl’s youthful yet authoritative roar exploded in the night air.
"Since you refuse to be human, then you shall be my dog!"
"In the name of Master Lucrezia Sylvania, I decree!"
Buzz—!
An indescribable and massive wave of mana descended instantly. Leo felt as if the space around him had frozen in that moment.
His body stiffened. An absolute force, originating from the depths of his soul, took over his motor nerves.
'Not good!'
Alarm bells rang in Leo's mind. He tried to resist, attempting to circulate the mana in his body to wash away that power.
But this force didn't come from the physical realm; it came from the mysterious contract linking their souls! It was a rule-level suppression!
Lucrezia watched the frozen Leo, a morbid, victorious grin spreading across her face.
She extended a leather boot—wrapped in mud-stained white silk stockings and containing a delicate small foot—and slammed it down onto a tree root in front of Leo.
Her boot was covered in swamp mud and rotting leaves, emitting an indescribable smell.
The girl looked down at him with disdainful eyes, as if looking at a lowly ant.
"Lick my boot—now!"
Boom!
Leo's mind went blank.
'What the hell? Are you for real?'
He roared internally, desperately trying to regain control of his body.
But the power was too tyrannical!
His knees buckled uncontrollably; his spine bent forward against his will.
Under Lucrezia’s gaze, which trembled with excitement, the only "Arcane Emperor" in the entire server—the man who had been so arrogant just moments ago—was now shaking violently.
Even with the veins bulging on his forehead and his teeth clenched until they bled, his body still leaned forward inch by inch, helplessly approaching the mud-caked black leather boot.
Ten centimeters... five centimeters... three centimeters...
The fishy scent of the mud already filled his nostrils.
"Yes! Just like that! Hahahaha!"
Watching this, Lucrezia felt an unprecedented wave of pleasure rush to her head. This was the taste of power, the thrill of controlling the strong!
"Good dog! This is how you should be! This is the price for offending your master!"
"If you beg me now, I might just have the mercy to forgive you! Hahahaha!"
It was slippery, cold, and smelled of earth.
The moment the tip of Leo's tongue touched the leather surface—
"Buzz—"
The absolute force that had been weighing down on Leo’s body like a mountain suddenly... vanished without warning?
Leo froze for a second. His black eyes, which had been filled with humiliation and rage, flashed with a moment of confusion before instantly turning into a look of brilliant amusement.
'The check is over?'
'Was it because the definition of the verb "lick" was too vague?'
'Or was a single contact judged as the completion of the decree?'
'It seems this so-called 【Absolute Decree】 has quite a few logical loopholes to exploit.'
Leo didn't stand up immediately.
He maintained his position, kneeling on one knee and holding the girl’s small foot.
Above him, Lucrezia was still immersed in the twisted pleasure of trampling a "strong man" under her foot. Her delicate face was flushed with excitement, her breathing ragged, completely unaware that the "vicious dog" at her feet had already broken his leash.
"Hmm?"
Lucrezia's laughter came to an abrupt halt.
She looked at Leo in confusion.
"Why did you stop? Keep going! I didn't tell you to stop! Who gave you permission to stop!"
Seeing Leo remain motionless, Lucrezia shook her stocking-clad foot impatiently. She even went as far as trying to use the tip of her boot to tilt Leo's chin up.
"Heh..."
A faint, wicked chuckle rumbled from deep within Leo's throat.
The man slowly raised his head.
In those black eyes that had been filled with resistance and fury, where was there any trace of humiliation left?
In its place was a brilliant look of amusement, composed of three parts playfulness and seven parts madness.
"How is this possible..." An ominous premonition rose in Lucrezia's heart. "The Command Seal... failed?"
No.
It hadn't failed.
Rather—
"The logical priority of this 【Absolute Decree】 seems to be only at this level."
Leo's voice was hoarse and low, carrying a spine-chilling mirth.
He didn't get up.
Instead, he maintained his forward-leaning posture. The large hand that should have been bracing him against the ground suddenly shot up, clamping firmly around Lucrezia’s slender ankle!
Snap!
His hand tightened like an iron shackle!
"Eek?!" Lucrezia was startled by the sudden force, and her body instantly lost its balance.
Before she could react, Leo’s face—previously twisted in humiliation—transformed in an instant. A radiant, "sunny" smile bloomed on his face, yet it was the kind of smile that made one's skin crawl.
"Is that so? However, there is one thing I need to correct you on, my Princess."
"In my line of work, we don't call this a punishment."
Leo narrowed his eyes, looking like a gourmet appraising top-tier ingredients, or perhaps a pervert who had completely let himself go.
"We call this... a reward!"
Rate on N.U.
