"Some soldiers were positioned outside the dungeon. As soon as we exited, I noticed that we were in a rather wide ravine, and high above us was the silhouette of a castle.

"Your Majesty, Lord Iroxy has requested me to inform you that the clan lords wish to know exactly what happened with the intruder and what Your Majesty discovered about him so that we can enhance the castle's security," said a green-eyed soldier, who appeared somewhat anxious as he spoke.

"Tsk, a bunch of vultures," the queen already had a stern look as she responded, "Tell him to inform the others that this incident was caused by a metamorphic light butterfly and that it was personally handled by me." She proceeded forward, heading towards the staircase on the ravine's wall that led to the castle. I followed closely and silently, as we had agreed.

The guards did not seem to notice my presence, but I decided to keep a good distance from them to be cautious. It wasn't very difficult since they kept their distance from the queen as they escorted her.

I couldn't help but notice the difference in the atmosphere; the air in the dungeon was rich in mana, but it was a strange and inaccessible mana, like a lifeless body. The mana outside was the complete opposite.

"I can feel the mana being absorbed through my pores and lungs; it seems to be accumulating in my brain or...mind. I have the feeling that it's mainly going to that mental space, but I can sense a small part nourishing my brain just as Qi did with the rest of my body."

Speaking of Qi, I can still make my Qi actively consume the mana I absorb, but the sensation of my veins being on fire is much worse.

"Thank goodness this doesn't happen passively; it requires intent for my Qi to actively consume the mana. So, if there's no intent, the mana will flow through my body smoothly." The first time, I had the intention to infuse the obsidian with Qi, and probably because it was already filled with mana, my Qi combusted and consumed the mana in the stone, transforming it into more Qi to fill the space. Thus, my intention was achieved; the stone was infused with Qi, wild Qi? Yes. Does consuming too much cause burning and progressive damage? Yes. But it's Qi.

"Basically, my Qi is a faithful follower of Niccolo Machiavelli's phrase, 'the ends justify the means.'"

We arrived at what I assumed was the back entrance of the castle's territory. The guards accompanied us through the courtyard and dispersed when we reached the castle's side entrance.

Upon entering, we were greeted by a butler and two maids who curtsied to the queen.

"Welcome back, Your Majesty. I hope your stay in the dungeon wasn't too exhausting," the butler spoke.

"Fermos, cancel my appointments for the rest of the day. Tell Madame Bervet that I am tired today and that she can come here tomorrow for tea."

"Certainly, Your Majesty," the butler nodded.

"Then, come to my personal office. I want to discuss some things." The butler nodded once more, turned, and left.

The queen then looked at the two maids and said, "Dina, prepare my bath for two hours from now. Erin, accompany me." The two maids, who seemed to be twins, nodded. The first one left, and the other went behind the queen.

The twins had dull, matte orange eyes. When Erin moved to accompany the queen, she stopped beside me, and for a moment, I had the impression that she looked at me, and a soft, clear, sky-like blue glow appeared in her eyes.

"It must have been a sunlight reflection," I thought, since unlike Earth, where the sun is a yellow dwarf, here the sun is blue. They don't seem much different in size, but the distance may be greater, so there's no way to know if it's a blue dwarf or a blue giant.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

We continued walking through the labyrinthine castle corridors until we arrived in front of a double wooden door, finely crafted. The maid stepped forward and opened the door for us.

Inside was a spacious office with two sofas facing each other and a small table in the middle, a finely crafted wooden desk with two chairs for guests, and a majestic armchair befitting a ruler.

Except for the door and the table, everything else was made of stone, marble, or some noble metal like gold, silver, or platinum.

The queen sat in her black marble armchair with golden veins, while Erin closed the door. She gestured for me to sit in one of the white stone chairs across from her, and that's what I did.

"It's as comfortable as sitting on the floor," I couldn't help but think.

A sudden pressurizing sensation followed, and the queen said, "Now that we're alone, allow me to introduce my maid, childhood friend, and personal guard, Erin. She will be at your disposal from now on." The maid gave a slight bow to me.

"Erin, this is Teseu Sailboat, a distinguished master of body enhancement arts who was exiled from his country and sought refuge in our realm. In exchange, he promised to teach me his unique techniques." She finished speaking and fell silent for a while.

*Clap* "Done," Erin said with a clap, and the pressurizing feeling disappeared, like a burst bubble.

*Sigh* "Saphir, this human will cause many problems just by existing. I hope you know what you're doing," the maid vented while lounging on one of the sofas in the office.

"Sorry, but I'm a bit confused. What just happened?" I asked.

"Erin possesses a very rare affinity for us Earth-born, an affinity with the air. This makes her incredibly skilled in sealing spaces to prevent unwanted listeners," the queen replied.

"And is she always like this?" I asked jokingly; the girl, who didn't seem to be older than 19, was completely sprawled on the sofa, not even taking off her shoes.

The queen looked at her slouching maid and said apathetically, "I've given up on her a long time ago. Now that the other leaders are here, she's been behaving in front of them, but they'll leave eventually, and you'll have to deal with this."

The queen seemed a bit more relaxed too, not only in her manner of speaking but also in how she was sitting in her chair. Obviously, she didn't seem to notice.

"Anyway, let's get to the point." She pulled a parchment from a drawer and started writing something with a quill.

After a few minutes, she handed me the contract with all the clauses we had discussed before. I read it patiently to make sure everything was there.

"It seems like everything is here, but I don't see where I can sign?" The queen smiled and stifled a laugh at my question.

"You really are not from around here, are you?" she asked rhetorically. "I suppose I'll have to give you an advance to finalize our contract." She got up and went to a cabinet that was nearby. Some metal parts began to glow with runes that faded as the queen touched them.

She opened a compartment within the cabinet and

retrieved a strange object along with a tangerine-sized indigo crystal.

"This is a 'túndalo,' an artifact capable of inscribing a power rune within your eyelids."

"'Túndalo,' what a strange name... wait, within my eyelids!?"

"'Túndalo' is a term used in the ancient language, meaning 'that which writes the world,' essentially, it's the creator god's pen," she explained. The 'túndalo' was a kind of helmet with wire apparatus with two semicircular "spoons" and two needles connected to pipes; these were linked to a compartment on top of the helmet where the queen inserted the crystal.

"Let's calm down; I'm sure we can find a better solution." I tried to argue, but the queen didn't seem interested.

"Indeed, there are other options, but they are all too slow and inefficient."

"At least tell me what the other options are! I don't even know why this is necessary."

She stopped, looked at me with irritation, and then sighed. "Well..." she put the instrument of torture, also known as the 'túndalo,' on the table.

"To make a magical contract, the involved parties must inscribe part of a binding runic circle. To do this, you need access to your mana sea, and that's where the 'túndalo' comes in. We use the 'túndalo' to inscribe runes within your eyelids so you can visualize them while meditating. Over time, the rune will be assimilated by your mana sea and become an anchor, and with this anchor, you can easily access your mana sea." She had her arms crossed and an eyebrow raised, as if her explanation should be enough for me to put that instrument of horror on my head and thank her for the opportunity.

"Sorry, but I don't think..." she didn't wait for me to finish speaking.

"However! Having access to the mana sea is just the minimum requirement!"

"A contract made with mana from the mana sea doesn't pose much risk to those who break it. You must sign the contract with the essence of your own mana core, and a mana core can only be formed by having a fully formed rune charged with your own mana from the mana sea." She raised her head, "And I won't accept anything less than a contract signed by mana core essence."

She already seemed quite irritated, and I didn't want to worsen the situation just because of my cowardice. "All right, I'll do it, but please be quick."

I sat down again and let her put the damn 'túndalo' on my head, and then, the torture began.