"Well, I'm sorry, I was only 7 seconds late." I said whilst looking at my watch.

"Whatever, here's the contract." She said, uncaring about my transgression unfit of a former high ranking noble.

Knowing her, I knew that she would just keep silent and talk as little as possible to fulfill her goal, so I waited for her to continue as she started moving.

Taking out a piece of paper from a suitcase, she handed it to me and I immediately started to read it.

"What's up with this?" I asked, pointing to a particular part in the contract after I had finished reading the whole thing, in under one minute I might add.

"I want to spar with you every day, is that too much to ask?"

"No, I'm talking about the clause afterwards saying that you won't be responsible if you accidentally kill me..."

Hearing this, she raised her eyebrow like it was obvious.

And, with her character of using little words, I knew that she wasn't going to comment.

I mean, I knew that that clause was probably only there in case I turned, so that she had a good excuse for killing me afterwards.

"Sigh, how about this part, can I renegotiate it so that it's only 3 days?"

"That should be doable, is that all?"

"Yeah, the rest is normal, so I don't really care."

Hearing this, she wordlessly handed me the mana pen, the tool that I would use to sign the contract.

You see, once I signed the contract with the mana pen, it would prick me and inject a mana pact into me, making sure that I would have to follow whatever I agreed to unless I wished for certain death.

Anyways, after I finished signing, I stood up and left, as we had no business left to do together.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

And, if you were wondering what the 3 days thing was, well, it was basically just an agreement that there would be three days where I would have to help Vasilie to my fullest potential unless I had a high chance of dying during whatever operation she asked of me.

Well, I was mostly satisfied with the terms of the contract.

Now, to explain the contract.

Basically, Vasilie and I were now going to be partners in everything, whether it be study groups, monster subjugations, or even lunch buddies, we would basically be joined at the hip.

This was actually a pretty old system that was utilized in the Pantheon, as it helped a noble get more followers and backing using the strength of their partner.

Of course, this now threw a wrench in most of my plans to befriend some of the other important characters, but I considered Vasilie the utmost priority due to her broken bloodline.

You see, she had inherited the previous hero's infinite mana pool, meaning that she could be an infinite nuclear bomb if she wanted to.

But, as she had no talent for magic, something that the author had put in surely to not make her too OP, she could only use that infinite mana to strengthen her attacks.

And, because her body wasn't tempered fully yet, she really couldn't make her attacks all that powerful right now as her body couldn't yet stand the amount of strain that serious mana enhancement attacks would put on it.

Again, this was another nerf to her strength, but I was planning to fully unlock her potential by guiding her.

After all, the contract also said that I would teach her one of my techniques, so, I would teach her the technique I knew was most suitable for her.

If she had started training with this technique earlier in the story instead of only until the very end, she could have very well surpassed my sister in terms of strength alone.

But, I also knew that my sister was much stronger now due to her desperation to try and find a cure for me, so I didn't need to worry about whether they would be disciple and master or not, it was just a matter of time.

Of course, in return for my teaching her, Vasilie would either teach me one of her techniques of equal value, or she would compensate me with a sum of money or an artifact of equal value.

Well, anyways, arriving in front of my room, I swiped my keycard and entered, only to find both Char and Gwen standing there, waiting for me.

"Have you already signed the contract?" Asked Char.

Not surprised at how she knew this information, I replied,

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"Unfortunately, Young Master, the Duke has asked for your presence in front of him."

Hearing this, I almost started laughing like a crazed maniac again, but I held it in.

"When?" I asked, my tone and voice unnervingly low in more ways than one, my simmering anger apparent by the dark look in my eyes.

"Tomorrow, Young Master."

Hearing this, I held my head in my hand as I walked over to the window and looked out of it, keeping my hand up as I put the other hand under its elbow for support.

Weighing my options, I already knew what I had to do.

After all, if I didn't follow the Duke's orders, I would most likely be killed for disobeying a high ranking noble, which would definitely throw all of my plans in the water.

I mean, if I'm dead, then what was the point of all that planning?

"Tell him that I accept."

I continued staring out the window as I heard the door of my room open and close from behind me.

"Sigh... I can already smell the scent of trouble in the air."

Talking to myself, I blankly stared at the rising smokestacks contrasting with the setting sun in the distance, proof that the factory underbelly of the city was alive and well.

"Well, I think it's time that I make some useful connections."

Turning around and flopping myself onto my bed, I put on my thinking face as I thought of every possible scenario for tomorrow.

After all, you should never run into no man's land unprepared, as certain death awaited the foolish.

I let a few minutes pass before I finally let it all out.

"Haha... Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

A creepy laughter resounded through the dorm rooms for the rest of the night, the gears in the factories still turning in the distant background, as so did the gears of fate as they shifted endlessly, plucking the strings of destiny one by one, slowly, ever changing.