Chapter 3 :Carry Me
However, he immediately frowned and crouched down on the ground, still clutching his chest.
“Youāve done well to stay alive in that condition.”
What was trying to kill him was likely the powerful magic embedded in his heart.
“A slave contractā¦ Didnāt your master tell you that if you run, you die?”
“ā¦haā¦”
The boy pressed his forehead against the ground as he continued to breathe roughly.
The pain must have been unbearable.
His body twisted, and he gritted his teeth, yet he didnāt let out a single scream or cry.
Instead, he desperately pushed himself up and raised his face, glaring straight at Claudia once more.
The black haze clinging to his body was trying to drain his life away.
It must have been agonizing, and yet he still maintained that gaze.
But Claudia didnāt care about being glared at.
She walked closer without hesitation and crouched neatly in front of him.
(How rare. A slave contract that binds its target with magic and forces obedience until deathā¦ There are still people in this era who use such a curse.)
The magic of a slave contract imposes absolute restrictions.
The boy must have made such a contract with his master in exchange for something.
But he violated that contract and tried to escape, resulting in punishment.
“And not just thatā¦ Did you try to tear the contract apart by force?”
“ā¦Shut upā¦”
“How foolish. Even if you do that, youāll just die, and it will only make the pain worse.”
“Shut upā¦ just shut upā¦!!”
Despite having such a beautiful face, his language was quite rough.
Claudia pouted slightly, but then noticed something about his movements.
“ā¦Donāt tell me youāre still resisting and trying to tear the contract apart even now?”
“āā¦ā¦”
The boy did not respond.
But his silence spoke volumes.
Even without that, Claudia could clearly sense the magic within him raging uncontrollably.
“Itās useless, you know. Until the moment you die, itāll just be incredibly painful and agonizing. If you stop provoking it, the little black snakes would calm down too.”
“So what?”
The boy forced out his hoarse voice as he glared at Claudia.
“Until the moment I die, I have no intention of remaining that manās slave. Even if I can only escape for a secondāa mere instantāI donāt care.”
Claudia could see the strength gathering in the hand pressing against his heart.
“I couldnāt choose how I livedā¦ but if Iām going to die anyway, at least Iāll choose how I die.”
“Fufu.”
Claudia clasped her hands behind her back and giggled softly.
“You really are beautiful. But just a little foolish.”
“Whatā¦ are youā¦”
Facing the boyās displeased gaze, Claudia smiled gently.
Then she told him.
“Because, if anythingā¦”
Chanting silently in her mind, a dagger appeared in her hand.
“āInstead of choosing such a boring way to end things, you should choose a way to live.”
“ā¦!?”
And with that, she plunged the blade into her own left chest.
“Youā¦!!”
“āā¦ā¦”
She lowered her eyes, confirming that the magical blade had reached her heart.
As she felt the tip touch it and her magic surge outward, she pulled the dagger out in one swift motion.
Red blood spilled out, and the boy reflexively grimaced.
But this blood was, of course, no ordinary blood.
“ā¦Your bloodā¦ is glowingā¦?”
Her blood, tinged with a golden radiance, stained the blade of the dagger.
Grabbing the boyās chin, Claudia forced him to look up.
Looking down at the haze coiled around his neck, she pressed the tip of the blade against his left chest.
“Iāll cut away those ugly chains. Just endure it for a little while, and donāt struggle, even if youāre scared.”
When the boyās eyes widened, Claudia smiled in satisfaction.
Even up close, those obsidian-like eyes were captivating.
Parting her lips slightly, she took a short breath and chanted.
“āBreak.ā”
“ā!!”
One of their hearts thumped loudly.
Claudiaās blade pierced into the boyās left chest.
The cursed magic surged in reverse, and the black haze deepened in color.
The slave contract magic was going berserk.
The hilt of the sword in her right hand felt as though it were melting and boiling.
“Oh my. Youāre resisting?”
Finding the sensation novel and amusing, Claudia let out a small laugh.
“This body of mine isnāt enough. It canāt be helpedāIāll overwrite your slave contract instead.”
“Overwriteā¦?”
The boyās face twisted in pain, yet he never looked away from Claudia.
“Donāt worry. Iāll remove your collar soon.”
“ā¦!!”
Just as he was about to say something, a sharp cracking sound echoed.
A powerful gust of wind blew, making it difficult to keep oneās eyes open, and her dress fluttered wildly.
Holding down her milk-tea-colored hair, Claudia slowly opened her eyes once the wind subsided.
“ā¦This isā¦”
The boy looked around with disbelief.
The forest, now cleared of the black haze, was filled with gentle silence.
Then, he looked down at his own left chest beneath his shirt.
There was no black snake, nor even the wound from the dagger.
The dagger Claudia had held had also dissolved and disappeared.
“Did you stop the punishment? Noā¦ not just thatā¦ even my slave contractā¦”
Claudia answered with a soft yawn.
“Itās not gone. I only reconnected it.”
“Reconnected?”
“I changed the end of the chain attached to your soulāfrom your previous master to me.”
She brushed off the hem of her dress, though her small hands didnāt do a very good job.
If the dirt stood out this much, perhaps she shouldnāt have made the dress white.
Pouting slightly, Claudia looked up at the boy.
“All thatās left is for me to cancel the contract. Whatās your name?”
“ā¦I donāt have one.”
“I see. Then for now, Iāll call you Noah.”
Was it really so strange that she didnāt dwell on the fact that he had no name?
The boy, now named Noah, looked at Claudia with undisguised caution.
“What exactly are you? Thereās no way youāre just a child.”
“Hmmā¦ I donāt mind telling you, and I do need to cancel the contract, butā¦”
The ground had been swaying faintly for a while now.
Claudia raised her hand toward Noah and cast a simple spell.
“āHeal.ā”
“!”
A small sphere of light appeared and circled around Noah.
“You feel better now, right? In return, carry me.”
“Whaāhey, wait a second!”
Before he could object, she reached out, and Noah reflexively caught her.
Their height difference placed Claudiaās forehead around Noahās abdomen.
It seemed she was still too small to be properly carried, which she found deeply disappointing.
“You see, Iām very sleepy.”
“ā¦Huh?”
“Probably used too much magicā¦ my body canāt handle itā¦ Iām at my limitā¦ fuaaā¦”
After letting out a big yawn, Claudia leaned limply against Noah.
“Wait. Donāt tell me youāre going to sleep here?”
“Take meā¦ backā¦ my homeā¦ mnnā¦”
“Heyā¦!!”
Before he could finish, her consciousness faded.
Resting her head against Noah, Claudia began to breathe softly in sleep.
No matter how much he shook her, she showed no sign of waking.
Holding the sleeping Claudia, Noah muttered in a lost voice.
“ā¦You never told me where your home isā¦”