Chapter 39

Part 14: The Soaring Phoenix (2)

A few hours later, the phoenix hunter and I headed to a shrine in the eastern part of the city with Juan.

The shrine in the duke's territory was different from the one in the city of the marquis; it was a beautiful but ordinary shrine.

Inside the shrine, as usual, there were believers and priests. Due to my position as the duke's son, I was able to meet the priest.

He was not the same priest who had rushed to heal my illness when I was young, but the priest in the shrine seemed to be a capable one.

He welcomed me warmly. Fortunately, as a believer in the deity, he did not show any outward contempt for me being a bastard.

Leaving Juan in the chapel, the mercenary and I went to the inner chamber with the priest.

"What brings you here, young master?"

I handed him a bundle of papers.

It was the contract we had been drafting with the phoenix hunter.

"I came to have it notarized."

The priest, who took the contract, looked through the bundle of papers with a stunned expression.

"Are these all contracts?"

"Yes."

At my words, the phoenix hunter shook her head.

She seemed to recall the hours we spent filling out the contract.

It was a meticulously written contract, drawing on my experience from my previous life.

"The notarization is not a problem, but I rarely see such detailed contracts..."

Contrary to what the priest said, it was not that special a contract.

It only contained essential clauses such as prohibitions during the contract period, profit distribution, and prevention of information leaks.

Moreover, it did not include provisions for dealing with or compensating for breaches of contract.

Unlike in my previous life, there were no courts or prosecutors here to resolve contract breaches.

Well, the lord might handle similar matters within the territory, but unlike the lord's subjects, mercenaries were free to leave the territory.

Furthermore, as the son of the lord and a noble, it would be difficult for her to protest if I breached the contract.

However, this world had its own way of ensuring contracts were honored.

It was the priest's notarization.

According to the priest, notarization meant that the deity would oversee the fulfillment of the contract. To me, it seemed like a form of mana utilization or inheritance ability (of course, I couldn't say this to the priest).

In any case, in this world, contracts took effect through the priest's notarization.

There were no issues when the contract was properly fulfilled, but if it was breached, the deity's curse would fall.

Well, the deity's curse wasn't as grand as it sounded.

"Does it come with a tracking function and alert the priest in the next contract?"

"You know well."

The priest nodded at my words.

Unfortunately, the tracking function was a simple directional tracking like a compass, and the priest would only know if the previous contract was fulfilled in the next contract. However, this was enough to satisfy me.

Well, if one secretly killed the contract partner and never sought notarization again, it might not be discovered, but even in my previous life, such criminals were hard to catch.

By adding a few safety measures besides notarization, the probability of betrayal could be minimized.

"Then, both of you, place your hands on the contract."

The priest of the duke's territory pointed to the contract placed on the altar.

The young priest and I placed our hands on the stack of contracts, and the young priest cut his palm with a small dagger, letting the blood drip onto the contract.

The blood flowed onto the contract, and it stained both our hands.

Then, he began to pray.

"This promise is made in the name of the deity. Those who break it will have their blood flow like a river..."

The prayer, spoken with closed eyes, was unexpectedly terrifying.

'Is this notarization or a curse?'

His words continued, and his blood began to emit a faint light.

"...Thus, in the name of the nameless deity, I certify this contract between the two. Karat Brit."

He spread his hands and declared.

"May the body of the one who breaks this promise be torn apart in the name of the nameless deity. Karat Brit."

At the end of his words, the contract and our hands placed on it faintly glowed.

I felt unfamiliar mana flowing into my hand.

'Should I try to push it out?'

The mana was weak, and such thoughts crossed my mind, but I let it seep into my body, thinking it would protect the contract.

The mana swept through my body and disappeared somewhere.

The blood that had pooled on the contract was no longer visible, and the priest's hand, which had been cut, was now healed.

"Is it done?"

"Yes. The contract is certified in the name of the deity."

"Surely, it won't end with blood flowing and death, as in your prayer?"

His prayer was different from the stories I had heard, so I cautiously asked.

"Haha, no. It's just a tradition passed down from the wise man during the Great War. There is a legend that the wise man's contract certification had similar effects, but the actual effect is as known. You don't need to worry."

I sighed in relief. This world was full of unexpected events, and my worries seemed to grow continuously.

"Thank you. Then, as a small amount, I will offer a tribute to the deity who has bestowed this favor."

I took out a money pouch from my clothes and handed it to him.

It was just the notarization fee, but in a shrine, the method of passing it was quite cumbersome.

He brightened up when he took the money pouch.

Did I do a good job with my greeting?

"Oh, you brought it yourself. That's fortunate. If I had to send a message to your mansion to receive the offering, it would have been quite troublesome."

He was pleased not because of my greeting but because I had brought the cash.

While I was collecting the contract and leaving the shrine, he complained about the nobles who didn't bring the money themselves.

"This territory is relatively better. In other places, they even pay with checks. Paying with checks for offerings... If it weren't for the benevolent deity, there would have been many people receiving divine punishment."

Perhaps because of his high position, he continued to criticize the nobles, whom commoners couldn't easily speak ill of, until we parted ways.

After meeting Juan in the chapel and leaving the shrine, the mercenary spoke for the first time since we entered the shrine.

"Let's meet in front of the south gate tomorrow morning."

She left, leaving only those words, still wearing her hood.

"Ugh, did I write the contract too harshly?"

"It doesn't seem so."

I shook my head at Juan's words. I could ask her tomorrow anyway.

More importantly, tomorrow was the problem.

"What excuse will I have to come out again tomorrow..."

I needed to come up with a proper excuse since I had to be well-prepared.

* * *

The next day.

Fortunately, I could leave the mansion without a special excuse.

It was because of the visit of Adria, Simon's fiancée, who was arriving in a few days, making everyone very busy.

It was a visit in response to Simon's visit to the marquis family and to finalize the engagement.

'Is it a few days later than in my previous life?'

The visit date didn't change much. I thought it would be quite different due to the many events I had set in motion, but the butterfly effect wasn't as significant as I expected.

Wait, Adria was coming today?

"Ah! Now that you mention it, was it today?"

"What day is it today?"

Suddenly mentioning it, Juan, who was walking with me, asked.

"Ah, no."

I shook my head.

It wasn't something I should tell him.

Calculating, it was the day I died in my previous life.

The day I went to see the fortress with Adria and was chased by mercenaries, leading to my death.

In a few hours, it would be the time I died.

Those who had killed me were all dead, and there was no reason for me to die suddenly, so I could finally see the message again.

Four years was not a short time. Without a goal, it would have been a very difficult period.

In a few hours, I wouldn't have to repeat that long time again.

Juan and I walked hard and soon arrived in front of the south gate.

She was waiting there, as always, wearing a hood.

"Come on... Are you really going to use that?"

She stopped waving and pointed at my hand.

I was carrying a sword wrapped in cloth, which was too large and dragged on the ground.

Juan offered to carry it, but I refused because I needed to get used to it.

"Whatever sword it is, wouldn't it be better to use one that fits you? Using such a sword will only form bad habits."

She was right, but I didn't want to go to the place where I died with a sword that fit me.

A sword that fit me was the best for swordsmanship, but to others, it looked like a small knife for a child.

It was short, light, and toy-like.

Moreover, it was a mass-produced training sword, which would break easily when clashed with a well-refined sword.

Having experienced this, I needed a sturdy sword that wouldn't break.

'Well, if I had money, I could order a proper sword...'

As yesterday, the money I had saved recently was quickly spent, leaving me with little.

"Seems like you prepared well, but why did you bring such a sword... I thought you were smart, but you're showing off in strange ways."

She was right; I had prepared well.

I was wearing leather armor, and Juan was also properly equipped.

"Well, we won't be fighting here, so it should be fine even with such a sword."

After saying that, she sighed.

"What do these mercenaries live on here? There are no monsters, and the security is good. They must follow merchants, but can they even make a living?"

"Indeed, they often protect merchants and nobles. Although the territory is safer than others, monsters do appear in the mountains and forests at the borders. I've heard that the rewards are higher, so it's not bad, even if the frequency is lower."

The phoenix hunter pursed her lips at Juan's answer.

"Oh, the territory offers high rewards? The duke must be a good lord."

She praised the duke while looking at me, but I wasn't interested in such praise.

"Let's go. If we don't hurry, we won't be back today."

"Ah, right."

I led the way, and she followed with a slightly embarrassed look.

The guards recognized Juan and let us out.

We started walking down the road we had taken in a carriage in my previous life a few years ago.

It took twice as long as in the carriage, but we eventually reached a place where the ruins were visible in the distance.

Confirming the ruins as before, I turned in the opposite direction.

A large forest, the Ons Forest, spread out a little to the west of the ruins.

There was no reason to take the same path as in my previous life.

Our destination was the abandoned tomb. Entering from the exit would be much faster.

The female mercenary, Juan, and I headed to the abandoned village where the tomb's exit, an empty well, was located.