William coughed a few times due to the odd and entrapping floating sensation that greeted his wake.

He looked around and saw rose-red walls and a small-girl before him.

He soon noticed two arms of contrasting details by his sides.

One was burly,brown and veiny.

The other was tenacious,pale and covered in an odd black rag.

Either way he was stuck.

William then looked forward and saw a beautiful, black-tinged green haired girl.

He tried to wave but then remembered that his arms were locked.

William's consciousness and mind finally caught up to the situation as he desperately flailed his arms within their constraints.

"L-et me go."

He grunted with furrowed eyebrows as his face become desperate.

His voice was frustrated and clinically annoyed.

Vein merely looked down with a condescending gaze whilst Darren remained stoic.

William looked forward to a pondering Scarlet.

"You can go."

Williams face gained a hopeful expression.

"Really?"

His blonde hair sat softly on his head.

His eyes gleamed.

"Of course. Just sign this little contract and you'll be freed right away."

Scarlet gave a noble smile as she passed over a small and clearly aged sheet of paper.

Its edges had become crispy-black and it smelt of sandpaper.

William couldn't decipher what was on it but he could easily make out where he had to sign.

William almost asked for a pen when he reconciled the situation.

Wouldn't this be the perfect time to make him a life-long slave?

"What does it say?"

Williams tongue was coated with suspicion as he squinted at Scarlet.

"Does it matter?"

Williams face irked.

Scarlet stood up and walked around William in circles. Keeping her form graceful and noble.

"Think about it like this."

"What's going to happen if you don't sign it? Hmm?"

The grips on Williams body tightened significantly.

William let out a loose and realizing sound.

"Oh."

His emotions rampaged within him as he desperately held them back.

A wrong move could be a broken arm.

He merely looked at Scarlet with irreducible and as far from wan as you could get repulsion.

Scarlet merely sat back on her chair and shoved the contract into William's face.

William stared at it with hatred as he felt his life slipping from his grasp

William needed something. Anything.

In a last stand, he tried checking Scarlets stats. Perhaps some vulnerability was waiting for him to find it and defeat this witch.

Nothing.

His system was sleeping.

William could only assume it would be a long sleep after 4 years of wake.

William was soon pushed violently back into the real world when Vein made his mind.

"Hey kid. Hurry up. The Young Lady is being patient."

William felt like he needed to put some resistance up.

"And what if I don-."

Pwash.

A red mark marauded the right of William's cheek.

A loud slap rang through the air in the room.

Vein blew his hand and looked at Williams sore face and teary eyes in satisfaction.

"Now hurry up. I can do this all day."

William was once again reminded of his powerlessness.

William cried in his mind as he thought of all the things he wanted to do to this man.

Vein read his thoughts via his expressions and began punching him all over brutishly.

He didn't speak as his fists implanted all over William.

He merely looked down coldly and did the commission given.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Although it was partially the Young Lady's order, a small section of it was his icing on top.

He despised the pure and light-hearted.

Darren merely kept William up whilst thinking of what food he would consume later that day.

He had grown numb to the corruption in this Dukedom.

Williams eyes got darker and deeper as the beating continued.

'I guess I'm not really having fun am I."

He remembered the Old Ladys words and felt the hope get beaten out of his body with every punch.

The punches were at the level where William felt soaring pain, yet far from enough to knock him out.

William didn't even realize a certain figure blasting through the door, sword in hand and rage in eyes.

Fenn pieced every atrocious piece of this horrifying puzzle as his blade's curse had already unveiled itself.

Soon, Fenn's body was covered and invaded by strange maroon symbols that tainted his skin.

His eyes became a voidious black, all the light had long gone.

His muscles enlargened within their parameters and he was covered in unforeseen veins.

His adventurer clothes seeped with an abnormal and seducing black liquid.

His blade remained the same yet its hazel-shade had become ominous and mystifying.

Fenn aimed to chop off Darrel's arm and then Veins.

Sparks flew from two directions.

Fenn showed no reaction to this change and merely kept moving onwards.

He had lost most of his reasoning already.

As Vein and Darrel clash with Fenn from all angles, the room became marauded by sparks.

Darrel blocked a full-powered blow from Fenn and slid back several feet.

His mouth gaped at this development.

How much strength had Fenn been hiding?

Vein merely clashed with Fenn aware that he was physically superior.

As he drew out his dagger and sword to meet with Fenn's his eyes soon widened.

"What."

His voice was not shocked but rather rageful.

He had always the arrogance to name himself the strongest of the 9 yet Fenn was rivaling him in power in this short trade.

He felt his blade shake tremendously before Fenn followed up with a kick.

Vein rolled to the right before Darrel leaped over Fenn.

Fenn's hollow eyes met with an armada of sword skills before it let out its own.

Fenn's voice was no longer his own. It was coarse and rusty.

"Call of Dusk."

Fenn's form was that of a samurai as he drew his blade faster than the eye could follow.

In an instant, a huge slit appeared on the wall of the room.

The air trembled and blasted in every direction, causing chaos.

Darrel and Vein were pushed back tremendously as Fenn's figure blurred right before them.

Dust fell from the ceiling and Darrel and Vein found themselves struggling to keep up with Fenn who was only getting stronger.

As the duel continued William ran at Scarlet.

He needed to end this before Fenn ran out of juice.

Jumping in a desperate clamor, William soon reached Scarlets shoulders.

He used his overwhelming strength and put her in a loose and clumsy headlock.

He couldn't actually choke her due to her position so he merely acted.

Scarlet who had neither brawn nor magic merely sat there with the smallest inkling of surprise.

"Congrats."

William's eyebrows furrowed at this sudden compliment.

"But do you really think your friend is going to survive much longer?"

William looked deeper into the battle.

Fenn's position was getting worse and worse.

As Darrel and Vein adjusted to this new-tier of fighting, Fenn found his once-overwhelming attacks getting parried and blocked more and more.

It got to the point where not even his techniques were up to their combinations.

Every single clash caused more of the symbols and tainted black liquid on his body to lessen and retract.

As his power began to fade, Vein dashed past his defenses and let his dagger slither freely through his innards.

Yanking it out and leaping backwards, Vein let out a smug smile as Darrel guarded him.

This cruel attack gave Fenn's consciousness a bit of space.

As Vein readied his stance to jump in again Fenn's now blood soaked body began to move inordinately.

"Wait."

Fenn's voice was hoarse and riddled with pitch-changes.

"We can come to an agreement."

Fenn was forced to keep his blade to his head as Vein slowly made his way towards him.

Fenn didn't crack due to the pressure and merely tried every point they had.

"Do you want the Young Lady to die? Do you want to lose your arm?"

Seeing how Vein still swung his blade madly, Fenn realized he was now being overpowered.

After getting pushed to the end of the room after a long series of clashes and ringings from steel-on-steel Fenn shouted desperately.

"WAIT. I'll step ba-(Ching)ck if you (Chang)offer a... different. (Do-ong) Contract.

His shouts muffled over the sound of sword trades.

Fenn's eyes dazzled upon realizing Vein had stopped briefly.

Vein himself had an ironic vein at bursting point on his forehead.

He was staring in impudence at the Young Lady who had risen her right hand slightly.

Despite being in an atrocious choke-hold she looked calm as ever.

"I accept."

William ran behind Fenn as Fenn drew wary eyes to his fellow highswordsmen.

The room gained an uneasy temperament as all individuals eyed each other suspiciously.

Despite all this, Scarlet rewrote her contract quite joyously. As if she was in a world of serenity.

Her quiet hums filled the stoic room.

Fenn coughed lightly and brung some atmosphere into the annoyingly tense room.

"Well. I couldn't tell you this earlier due to certain matters however, you are brilliantly strong for your age, William. Possibly one of if not the strongest."

Whether he was trying to ramp up the quality of William's contract or just helping William get some more confidence after the past trauma of today, William did not know.

William did, however, nod and give his short thanks.

Darrel spoke humbly from his side of the room.

"Seeing how he did activate your curse it would be hard to deny such a fact."

Vein glared at him and his tongue was on the brink of releasing a fowl snark.

He held himself back and whispered something into Darrels ear.

Darrel nodded firmly before keeping his mouth shut tightly.

And so the room remained silent with the exception of Scarlets innocent hummings.

William felt the urge to sit down but resisted when he noticed Scarlet holding the contract up to the light.

"Yep."

Her voice was inaudible due to the pitch and the distance.

She soon stood up, alerting everyone in the room.

As she walked towards Fenn she met William's eyes and gave a dreamy smile.

William kept his mind cautious as he stopped himself from taking a step back.

She tousled her hair cordially as Fenn checked the Contract.

Whilst reading it with squinted eyes, Fenn muttered out various words and phrases.

"Permanent connection to the Dukedom..."

"Free materials..."

"Must attend vassal meetings..."

"Cannot disobey orders unless a Veto is used."

"3 Vetos from start to end of service."

"Must use a log-book to record the days work until end of service."

"All future achievments will be partially credited to the Deuce family..."

"... Gold."

"Payments can be expected on the dates of ... and ..."

Fenn put the contract down.

The only reason they were even contemplating was because his sword was still slightly wild.

One could see it rattle his sheath from time to time.

Fenn looked at William.

"It's a suspicious contract with good benefits."

"So I'll leave it to you."

William scratched his head.

He had seen the sweat form on Fenn's brow.

If he accepted the contract now then he may regret it later.

But if he didn't then Fenn may be injured and he would have to take a worse-contract.

William sighed.

He took out a pen that Fenn had held out to him and jotted his signature down before handing the sheet back to Scarlet.

"Happy to be in your service."'

His voice felt strained and tediously forced.

Scarlet merely nodded in content to his statement.

She slowly turned around and headed for the door.

William was left confused.

Darrel and Vein soon lightly barged past him and followed her in boredom.

William followed their tracks after waving a small bye to Fenn.

He owed him a lot.

{System rebooting...}

William laughed sadly.

'Ah. I really could've used some help you know?'

Upon receiving no response William sighed.

He was left to wallow in his meekness.

He then remembered the dream he experienced whilst he was cursed.

It felt so close yet too far.

'Close the gate.'

William shrugged his shoulders dreamily.

It surely wouldn't be anything important.

But he did note down the appearance of the boy so that he could recognize him one day.

He then remembered the kind words of the swordsmen.

Being complimented by Lord-Ranks wasn't too bad.

Although he most certainly couldn't beat Fenn,Vein or Darrel he could easily beat any of his generation.

Afterall, System+Reincarnater=Unstoppable.

Right?

And with that William began his days as the Youngest Bodyguard of the Young Lady of the Deuce family.