novelraw Chapter 52 : Chapter 52
Chapter 52 : Chapter 52
Chapter 52: There Is No Absolute in the World (10)
'Well, that went smoother than I expected.'
I was quite nervous at first, but as I kept talking, that trembling somehow vanished.
By the end, I felt that the trade proposal I offered was perfect, even by my own standards.
Then again, every single line was a result of me desperately trying to analyze this crazy woman's psychology, so it was only natural.
'It looks like it worked, too.'
Judging by her expression and the look in her eyes, I had a feeling she would accept the proposal I offered.
Her snickering and the way her eyes shimmered with madness gave me a bit of a bad vibe, but as long as the result was good, that was all that mattered.
Soon enough, the crazy woman opened her mouth and spoke exactly the words I had anticipated.
"Fine! Just as you said, I think this will be a trade without regrets. It sounds like it is going to be really fun!"
"That is an excellent choice."
I almost added the word 'customer' at the end.
It is good to be immersed in a role, but becoming too immersed can be a problem, so I swallowed the word 'customer.'
Man, finding a talent I never knew I had feels quite strange.
"Yes, yes! It certainly is! No matter how I think about it, I am the one losing out on this deal."
"You do not need to worry about that. You will be able to experience more than enough enjoyment to match the value. Now, if you will excuse me, may I leave?"
I tried to soothe whatever lingering anxiety the crazy woman might have had before turning my back to leave.
The deal was finished anyway, so I had nothing left to say.
However, her next words stopped me in my tracks.
"You cannot go yet! I am not the type to trust verbal contracts. We should write a formal contract, should we not?"
"A contract?"
A contract all of a sudden? Considering our respective positions, a contract would be practically useless, so why bother?
However, that naive thought of mine evaporated exactly three seconds later.
I only had to look at the contract the crazy woman pulled out for a moment to realize its identity was anything but ordinary.
[Guardian Document of the Unchanging Pledge x2]
Rank: S
Category: Semi-permanent Consumable / A pair of two documents.
Information: An early contract created during the Mythological Age when gods were able to interfere in the human world. It was created for humans by a god who grew tired of them constantly asking to witness their pledges. If one violates the terms of a contract made through this document, they will regret it throughout their life and for eternity even after death.
Usage: Write the details of the contract, then drop blood on it to form the pledge.
'Wh-What on earth is this...?'
I never imagined something like this would appear.
No, this was just a contract for a momentary interest for this crazy woman, yet she was burning an artifact of this caliber on something like that?
I started to think that this woman was much crazier than I had initially realized.
'But I cannot back out now.'
What would happen if I said I did not want to write a contract and tried to leave?
It would no longer be a matter of a deal; it was obvious that something wouldn't be strange even if a blade were thrust into my throat right then and there.
Therefore, whether I wanted to use this contract or not was not the point. It was a contract that I absolutely had to sign.
'Dammit, to think the first S-Rank artifact I use after coming to this world would be a contract...'
They say you never know what is around the corner in life, and they are right.
The sages of old said one should not speak recklessly, and this case was the perfect example of that.
But I could not just stand here lamenting forever. Since I had to sign the contract anyway, I needed to adjust the details as quickly as possible.
I had to make it as favorable to me as I could.
Thus, I looked at the crazy woman and spoke first.
"We should insert the terms of the contract first. Is there anything you want?"
"First, I have to be listed as Party A! I do not want to be Party B."
"...Understood. Anything else?"
"Also, you have to include a clause stating that you will absolutely make time for me. I might get angry if we sign a contract and then you never meet me."
"Then let us try to align our opinions and coordinate the details."
With that, the crazy woman and I sat down right there and began a fierce debate.
Starting with "I can never accept this clause," we went through "This part seems fine," "Is this not too unfair?" and "Let's do it this way instead," and so on.
The conversation continued for a long time without a break, as if it would never end.
***
Finally, we reached the end of the debate and completed the contents of the contract after a long period of endurance.
"Whew, are we going with this? You are really not going to change your mind again?"
"Kyahaha! Yes, yes. I do not think I have had such a fun argument in a very long time."
For me, it was a sweat-inducing time spent trying to insert even one favorable clause, yet this person found it fun. I felt a bit of resentment, but I could certainly endure it.
'Because I succeeded in writing it under conditions that are quite favorable to me.'
I suppose it was thanks to this crazy woman, who did not care much as long as the content was interesting to her.
With that thought, I looked over the contents of the completed contract.
The Mad Puppeteer (hereinafter referred to as 'Party A') and Choi Yu-seong (hereinafter referred to as 'Party B') swear to strictly observe the following contract and to pay a corresponding price should they fail to do so.
Article 1 (Basic Pledge between Party A and Party B)
Party A must relay all details regarding the actions her organization plans to undertake to Party B.
Party B must not reveal Party A's identity under any circumstances while this condition is being fulfilled.
Article 2 (Safety Regulations during Contract Execution)
1-1. In a situation where one is in danger and the other is in a position to help, Party A and Party B must provide all possible assistance to each other.
1-2. However, if providing such assistance makes one's own safety uncertain, they may act according to their own judgment.
Article 3 (Items Requested by Party A)
1-1. Party A may request a meeting with Party B at most once a month, and Party B must faithfully fulfill this request.
1-2. However, if Party B cannot respond to the request due to unavoidable circumstances, the contract may be coordinated through mutual agreement. During these meetings, Party A must not make any troublesome requests of Party B.
Article 4 (Items Requested by Party B)
1-1. In exchange for faithfully fulfilling the items requested by Party A, Party B may request full support from Party A. If a request is deemed unreasonable, Party A and Party B shall coordinate with each other.
2-1. Party B may request a meeting with Party A whenever he wishes, and Party A must faithfully fulfill this request.
2-2. However, if Party A cannot respond to the request due to unavoidable circumstances, she must provide corresponding compensation.
Article 5 (Validity Period of the Contract)
This contract is valid for one year from the moment it is finalized. Subsequent contract issues may be extended in one-year increments through mutual agreement.
If either party becomes unable to fulfill the contract (death or serious injury), this contract loses its effect.
[Contract Precautions]
This contract is formed using blood as a medium, and the effect begins from the moment both parties agree to the contract.
If the contract terms are violated, the violator will face the corresponding consequences.
The contents of this contract cannot be disclosed to anyone except the parties involved. If disclosed, it will also be considered a violation of the contract.
'Hmm. It looks good even after reading it again.'
It was a simple and clear contract for something written using an S-Rank artifact.
But this was unavoidable.
Neither I nor the crazy woman before me were people who had ever experienced corporate life, so how could we write a perfect contract?
However, because the core essentials were included in the contents, I could smile with satisfaction.
'I made plenty of loopholes to slip through.'
The basic pledge in Article 1 was the original plan, so that was fine, and I managed to write the rest with plenty of room to maneuver.
That was the case for the safety regulations in Article 2 and Party A's requirements in Article 3.
'I did a good job including the parts about one's own safety being uncertain or unavoidable circumstances.'
Article 2 could be avoided by claiming our relationship might be exposed, and Article 3 was something I could talk my way out of depending on the situation.
What a perfect contract. Of course, I had to work hard and talk a lot to coax this crazy woman, but seeing the result, I barely remembered the hardship.
'Furthermore, the items I requested were written much better.'
Even if this woman was a lunatic driven by simple interest, she was still a human who had reached S-Rank.
Being able to receive full support from such an S-Rank villain was something truly incredible.
Since she was likely someone with little interest in money or material things, it was practically the same as gaining a financial sponsor.
'And unlike that crazy woman, in my case, I can meet her whenever I want to. That is also very significant.'
Since she enjoyed the situation of being with me itself, it was a clause I could easily include.
On top of that, unlike the part in Article 3 about mutual agreement for unavoidable circumstances, I wrote that in my case, I must receive corresponding compensation.
Even I thought it was a bit of a trashy condition, but so what? She is a villain anyway.
'I thought she would be an easy target to exploit, but I did not expect her to be this easy.'
Well, there were other advantages besides these, but there was no need to mention them further.
The important fact was simply that this contract was much more favorable to me.
With that thought, I spoke to the crazy woman in a pleasant voice.
"Then you agree to proceed with these contract terms, right?"
"Yes, let us do it this way! It does not really matter as long as you keep me entertained."
"Understood. Then let us proceed immediately."
A contract with such crazy conditions must be finalized quickly before the other party changes their mind.
Therefore, I quickly drew the Blood Wish Sword that was hanging at my waist.
As written in the artifact description, this was a contract that used blood as a medium.
As I cut my palm with the Blood Wish Sword and let blood flow onto the contract, the crazy woman suddenly spoke to me.
"Now that I think about it, we have not decided how to address each other. In our setting, we are classmates, so it would be funny if you kept using formal speech and calling me Ms. Puppeteer, right?"
"Ah, that is true."
She had a point.
I could not exactly call her a crazy woman every time we met.
Furthermore, since her character setting was that she extremely disliked her real name, she probably would not tell me even if I asked.
Therefore, while I was wondering what to call her, the name tag she was wearing caught my eye.
The name 'Kim A-ra' was written on it. It was likely a pseudonym she used to sneak in as a cadet, but I thought that would suffice.
"Then I will call you by the name written on your tag."
"That sounds okay! Then should I call you by your name as well?"
"Do whatever you want."
"Kyahaha! I like how cool you are. Fine. Let's do that!"
With that conversation over, the crazy woman also let her blood flow onto the contract.
There were no dramatic effects like the contract suddenly glowing brilliantly, but we each took one copy, and the contract was successfully finalized.
Then, the crazy woman immediately let out a pleasant laugh and spoke to me.
"Hehe, then I will look forward to working with you!"
"Yeah, I look forward to working with you too."
"What?"
"Since we are supposed to be classmates, formal speech is a bit much."
In the first place, using casual speech was technically legitimate, was it not? I even used casual speech with that guy Yu-hyeon.
And for me, I did not particularly want to use formal speech with her anyway.
Fortunately, she did not seem to mind much.
"You are right! Actually, I think this way is more fun."
'Is there anything this woman does not find fun?'
"Then I have to go check who broke my toy, so I will be going now!"
The crazy woman, who quickly spit out only what she wanted to say, immediately left the generator room.
I knew exactly who had broken it, but I did not bother telling her.
Besides, even if she found out, she certainly would not be able to do anything to Shin Yu-hwan, so I had no worries.
'The Puppeteer's talent is one that becomes thoroughly strong against the weak.'
That meant she was no match for Shin Yu-hwan, who was strong against both the strong and the weak.
So, my own condition was more important than that.
"Haaa, I feel completely drained."
I had not used my body much, but considering the tension I had maintained at first, I had poured out an immense amount of mental energy.
It was only natural to be this exhausted.
I had even considered using up all my points if things had gone wrong.
Given that situation, it was only natural for my energy to be sapped away.
Still, I could not stay here forever, so I forced my exhausted body to stand up.
"Then I should head back to the dormitory and organize my thoughts."
It is not as if everything is over just because this matter is settled.
However, it was true that I had overcome one major hurdle. Therefore, I slowly walked away while maintaining a reasonably pleasant mood.