Exill absorbed what she said, the warm washbasin separating their bodies. Luna released the sloshing container, finding to her embarrassment that the blouse was now soaked and clung to her bosom.
‘Ah, this is bad,’ they both thought to themselves.
“I think I’ll need some more water,” he played for time as he gently nudged the maiden out and closed the door, ensuring it was locked. ‘That could have escalated dangerously’ he exhaled, feeling his heart rate slowly return to normal. He cleaned himself in record time and came out of the room, fresh and dressed.
“Is the water ready yet? I’ll wash my clothes and boots outside, they’re too messy.” He called out for her benefit.
Escaping outside, the tension slowly began to ebb away. He sat on the edge of the stairs, cleaning his clothes and boots, then wringing them dry. The people passing by greeted him during all this and he tried to return each friendly ‘hello’. A decent amount of time had passed by this point and when Exill returned, he was relieved to find Luna upstairs in a clean blouse. The crisis had been averted.
“You came back early and I haven’t gone to the market yet. What would you like to eat for dinner?” Luna asked nonchalantly, trying to bury the memory of asking Exill to wash her. He was equally glad that she broke the delicate silence that lay between them.
“Ah! I brought back a few mud crab legs; I hope you don’t mind if we have some for dinner. I’ve never tried it before.”
“Did you collect some of the innards?”
“I’m afraid Envy has it and she likely sold it.”
“That’s okay, I’ll grab some greens to make the stock then.” Luna marked a few ingredients on her clay shopping list.
The silence returned and stayed for a minute until Exill posed a question that had been on his mind since that morning, “Say Luna, do you know anyone who specialises in contracts?”
“Are you talking about people with the [Notary] job?”
“No, not the people who produce and witness documents. Is there anyone who understands the principles of contracts and how they work?”
“Notaries advise on contracts too, but I think what you are looking for are [Jurisconsults]. It is a bit out of the way, but there is a market near the Magistrate’s, and maybe we can go together?” Luna grabbed her woven shopping bag, ready to leave.
“Sure, I’ll meet you downstairs.” Exill gathered his effects and popped into the attic to search Envy’s belongings.
It was dim up here as usual, but he was familiar with the surroundings. She didn’t own much, and he quickly found the inert contract nestled preciously between her sparse collection of clothes. There was a pang in his conscience as he noted the worn creases on the parchment, where it had been opened and folded multiple times. Snatching it up, he hurried downstairs to the lobby.
“All done?” Seeing Exill nod in response, Luna flipped the open sign of the Clinic and locked the door behind them. They walked along the bustling streets in companionable silence, pointing to each other the absence of familiar stalls amidst several new ones. Soon, they arrived at a junction where a small market could be seen to their left.
“That’s the market, the Magistrate’s is just up ahead, and you should see a row of houses lining the plaza. Their signage should be a set of scales embossed on top of a crown. Don’t take too long and I’ll see you back at the Clinic!” Luna smiled and cheerily waved him off.
Exill’s mood was buoyed by the maiden’s smile, and he continued on until a large, paved square overlooked by the imposing Magistrate’s came into view. He had been here several times before but was always impressed by the large central dome sheathed in gleaming copper plates that reflected the afternoon sun. Adjacent to the large institution was a row of unassuming houses with the gold embossed signage described by Luna earlier.
Choosing the nearest one, Exill entered the building and was greeted by a clerk who spoke in hushed tones, “Thank you for visiting the office of Spencer, Esq. is the Consult expecting you today?”
“No, I do not have an appointment, I… need some advice on a notarized contract.” Exill handed over the contract for the Clerk to study, and the man scanned the document quickly with pursed lips.
“I see it’s a slave contract, we specialise in commercial law, but the Consult has advised on matters that relate to slaves before. He happens to be available, and a thirty minute appointment costs 180 Denars. Would you like to go in and see him now?” The Clerk passed the contract back to him and stood attentively.
“…Yes.” Exill hesitated only a few seconds as he inwardly winced at the price. If a mere thirty minute consultation cost the same as a [Notarized Contract], it was understandable why most businesses and commoners frequented the [Notary] and took the law into their own hands. He was led inside to a well-furnished sitting room and was given tea while the Consult was notified of his presence.
Soon, a dignified man stepped into the room and greeted Exill, gesturing that the visitor should remain seated. Lowering himself onto the padded chair opposite the client, he adjusted his waistcoat and smiled warmly. “Good afternoon, I am Spencer, the owner of this practice. My clerk advises me that you have a somewhat unique slave contract, so how can I help you mister…”
“You can call me Exill. I need your professional assessment of this contract and identify any weaknesses.” He slid Envy’s contract over the lacquered table for the Jurisconsult to inspect.
Spencer, Esq. attached a monocle to one eye and examined the contract with furrowed brows, his lips moving silently while scanning the document. He eventually let out a small sigh and began to speak in a mellow voice. “I understand the gist of your intentions with this contract, but ideally this document should be split into six separate agreements. If I may be so bold, could I enquire about your profession or the Academy you graduated from? It is obvious you have some knowledge on agreements but lack the finer nuance of execution.”
“I am a Witchdoctor, and have no formal education.” The engineer with a master’s degree admitted through gritted teeth.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
“Ah~ so you are him! Well that simplifies things. I am aware your time is limited so let me cover the basics, what do you know about [Notarized Contracts]?” Spencer wiped his monocle with a cotton handkerchief.
“I know it is produced by a [Notary] and that the World Spirit enforces the contract.”
“Therein lies the problem. Rule of law is a societal construct built on top of ever changing values, language, and terminology. It is constantly evolving. Trying to enforce that through a System as old as time is the height of hubris. That is why we must also rely on the courts for the finer execution of sensitive clauses. Excuse my blasphemy, but the World Spirit operates on its own set of modes and operandi, making it an unreliable arbiter of justice.
Exill looked unconvinced and the expert pointed to some of the mistakes made. “See this usage of the word ‘divulge’? It is the derivative word of ‘divael’ which means to ‘profess your sins to the World Spirit.’ Language has moved on since ancient times, but so much of our vocabulary is steeped in spiritual significance. Writing a good contract requires you to be as much a linguist as a historian. We like to joke that you know your contract is solid when it is written in ancient runes.”
Spencer, Esq. chuckled at his own joke, then after a brief pause, explained the humour. “The joke is that a contract written wholly in ancient runes wouldn't work because you need both parties to understand runic sigils to agree to it.”
Taking note of Exill’s still doubtful gaze the Jurisconsult continued, “This is not to say it doesn’t work in the majority of cases, but your situation is hardly that. We will need to rely on the courts as well as multiple contracts to enforce this agreement. I’ve dealt with a few cases similar to yours, but all of them cater to favoured concubines who are granted freedom after their master’s death. The tricky part is you want to free them while you are alive.”
“So what do I need to do?” Exill asked, overwhelmed by all this information.
“I understand it may appear daunting, but I’ll be with you every step of the way. We just need to overwrite this contract with another [Notarized Contract] crafted by a [Notary] with more years of experience. You and your slave will sign six contracts and an intermediary document binding it all together, and I will file the necessary enforcement paperwork with the Court.”
This all sounded incredibly expensive, and Exill asked the dreaded question, “How much will this all cost?”
The Jurisconsult steepled his fingers, knowing that he was approaching the most sensitive part of closing a deal, the quoting phase.
“We at Spencer’s normally charge 12% of contract value for our services, but as a new customer we have an introductory rate of 10%. There may be other incidentals and hourly charges along the way, but could you really put a price on knowing your safety is guaranteed and secure?”
Exill mentally tallied up the costs so far.
[Notarized Contracts] crafted by a higher proficiency [Notary] were around 300 Denars, multiply that by seven and it came out to 2,100 Denars. Ten percent of the 30k contract value was 3k Denars… not to mention the hourly fees. He suspected the whole endeavour would cost over 6k Denars, close to half the cost of freeing Envy himself.
“Consult… on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate the safety of myself with the current contract?”
Spencer exhaled softly and fixed his gaze on a painting to Exill’s right in concentration, “I can’t say without meeting the slave, but I would rate the contract in its current state a solid 6/10. If you engage our services we can raise that to 9.9/10.”
‘Ah, so even a legal expert cannot fully guarantee my safety.’ Exill thought bitterly when he rose to his feet. He shook hands with Spencer, assuring the Consult he would think upon the matter and excused himself, paying the clerk 180 Denars on his way out. He paused with one foot out the threshold and turned to ask a final question.
“Do most slave owners engage the services of a Jurisconsult?”
The Clerk smiled surreptitiously and glanced back to check the owner was not eavesdropping. “Our services are mainly targeted to the nobility. It brings peace of mind to situations where a slave might otherwise be... bound in chains.”
Stepping out into the sunlit plaza, Exill gained new perspective on how the elite managed slaves in this world. Envy had four former masters, and they had undoubtedly engaged the services of a Jurisconsult to draft a contract. She would have been bound and gagged upon purchase, then provided a modicum of freedom only upon agreeing to the binding terms.
The restrictions were so complete that one could only shake their head in amazement that Envy had managed to kill her previous master at all, what many would laud as an impossible feat.
‘Little good all that precaution did him.’ Exill grew even more curious about the condition of the previous owner’s demise.
Perhaps it was better that he had negotiated her freedom, as opposed to forcibly bending her to his will. This way, they could at least work with each other. Exill heaved a sigh of exasperation, “What should I do about that damnable Vampire?”
***
Earlier that afternoon, Envy had leapt the queue and stashed the mud crabs behind Iris’s counter to the Guild clerk’s consternation, then swiftly exited the Guild, tailing Exill. She observed him for a while sitting on a bench, smiling like a fool. Then she stalked him to the Eastern Market in the Outer City.
Her suspicions had tingled further as he looked around surreptitiously before skulking down an alleyway. She nearly missed him entering the covered tent in a corner of the bustling market.
She was now here, in front of the tent, after confirming Exill had returned to the Clinic. He was a mystery wrapped in an enigma, and Envy was keen to unravel some of his secrets.
‘Why did he look so ecstatic after looking at his Card? Why did he rush here of all places?’
She lifted the tent flap with a hand resting on her sword hilt and slid in. The wary bloodlust emanating from the Vampire startled a middle-aged woman, who promptly scrambled for something under the table. Envy eyed the trembling woman dispassionately, judging her to be holding a knife. The Diviner cursed her luck as a menacing woman with the eyes of a killer stalked into the tent.
“W-what fortune would you like read? Your future? Compatibility with your partner? I can answer a-all for ten Denars…” Only a slight tremor gave away her nervousness as she recited the lines she had repeated a hundred times before. Envy looked up in interest, realizing she was a Diviner, her curiosity grew further.
“What fortune did the man before me seek, the one with green eyes.”
The Diviner cursed the man who had been forsaken by the world for dragging her into this dangerous situation. She replied the truth:
“He didn’t want a reading this time, he came for advice on the divination arts.”
Envy was puzzled, it made sense he would ask for advice from a Diviner. He was always playing with those bones like a little child, appearing disappointed with the results each time. However, it didn’t explain the ‘why’.
“You said ‘this time’, what did he want before?”
The Diviner looked visibly distressed, and it was obvious she didn’t want to talk about it. Envy transfixed the woman with the best murderous glare in her arsenal.
“H-he did come... with an elf... he asked for his fortune.”
“And what did you see?”
The mumbling woman had visibly aged ten years from terror and despair, convinced that Envy wouldn’t like the answer, “I don’t know... just that he is forsaken by the World...”
Envy stood there for what seemed like minutes, absorbing this new information and trying to put it in context. After some hesitation, she tossed a large copper coin to the Diviner.
“Read my fortune.”
The shawled woman hurriedly poured out the divination bones onto her palm and hesitantly reached out for Envy to touch them, afraid the Murderess would chop them off. Then, she fuelled the throwing bones further by injecting her own mana into the mix until they shone blindingly bright. The ivory fragments slipped through her fingers and flashed in sequence, quickly dissipating its charge. She finally looked up; the whites of her eyes visible as a terrible revelation hit.
“But you are supposed to be d-dead... h-how can this be?”
Envy leapt forward and grabbed the woman by the neck, swatting the Diviner's feeble dagger aside. She snarled, eyes ablaze.
“Tell me everything that you saw.”