Chapter 37. Oath of Obedience.

After roughly dealing with the piled-up work, Ji-hyuk began to intensively train the psychokinetic Celli.

Perhaps because she had been diligently training while he was away, her skills had noticeably improved. Her movements had become more agile, and she used her psychokinesis well. It seemed she could now fully carry out her role as a member of the team.

These days, she was dedicated to training to increase the intensity of her psychokinesis. At first, she crushed twigs, then wooden sticks, then wooden barrels… gradually increasing the intensity in this way. Having increased it step by step, she had now reached the stage where she could barely crush stones.

“Attack my fist once.”

Ji-hyuk pointed to his tightly clenched fist and told her to crush it. Celli hesitated a bit, but after repeated urging, she finally used her psychokinesis.

However, the disciple could not crush the master’s fist, which was firmly wrapped in mana. It was as hard as a boulder. Sweating profusely, she struggled for a long time before finally declaring her surrender.

“I can’t, haa, haa, I can’t do it, haa.”

“You definitely felt it, right? Until now, you’ve been crushing inanimate objects, but ultimately, what you need to successfully attack is a living creature with magical energy. Of course, it’s impossible to crush it so crudely, but I mean for you to train with that level of determination. So, is your goal somewhat set?”

“Yes, I understand. I will keep Master-nim’s words engraved in my heart…!”

As the saying goes, disciples resemble their masters, Celli observed Ji-hyuk’s actions and demeanor in every move and gesture, imitating them. It was all to learn even one more thing.

Having survived in a ruined world, Celli was not particularly close to the concept of justice, but after receiving the teachings of her righteous Master-nim and constantly watching him from the side, her disposition gradually began to change. Her timid and quiet personality had largely disappeared, and an active and gentle personality took its place.

The lizardman Kayak, who watched Celli with fatherly eyes, bowed politely to Ji-hyuk after helping with the training.

“You’ve worked hard, Daegang-nim.”

“…You’ve improved a lot. It’s a bit early this year, but you could try the Hero Exam next year.”

The two briefly watched Celli, who was sitting on the floor in meditation, before turning away.

Ji-hyuk walked down the hallway with Kayak and then said, “Oh, right.”

“This time, we’re going to the Cursed Tower. Keep it in mind.”

“The Cursed Tower, you mean?”

The lizardman seemed a bit surprised. Having heard many things during his long mercenary life, he had also heard about the Cursed Tower. Since it was a notoriously infamous place, worry was inevitable….

Ji-hyuk, noticing Kayak’s worry, quickly reassured him.

“Don’t worry. It’s one of the less dangerous places. Still, our team should be able to handle it now… what do you think?”

“I am ready to jump into a fire pit at any time if it is Daegang-nim’s command. And the others will be the same.”

“Not that, your judgment. Be cold about it for once.”

When Ji-hyuk asked that, the lizardman Kayak flicked his long tongue once before opening his long snout again.

“I don’t know to what extent Daegang-nim means by ‘less dangerous’…, but I think we can give it a try with our current strength. Didn’t we successfully complete the subjugation battle before?”

The Hero nodded lightly. Then, he smiled and patted the lizardman’s arm.

“I’m relying on you a lot, Kayak.”

Kayak bowed deeply. And then, lifting his head again, he opened his mouth.

“But shouldn’t we find a healer?”

“…Yeah, that’s the real problem. Can you look into it?”

“I will do my best.”

The lizardman immediately left the mansion to fulfill the Hero’s request.

Ji-hyuk returned to his office and resumed his unfinished work. His mind was very complicated. So, even while working, he spent long periods of time spacing out.

The old Emperor’s chronic illness, the power struggles in the Imperial Family, the Hero’s factionalism, the Oath of Obedience, the Cursed Tower, the Succubus Queen, Old Man Kurd….

He scrubbed his dry face roughly with his palms. He felt like the burden on his shoulders was increasing as time went on. It was what he had prepared for, but it wasn’t easy.

Eijel Master-nim…!

He remembered his Master-nim’s face, calling out to him, “Ji-hyuk-ah, let’s eat,” with a bright smile.

What could he be doing now.

Could he be tending to the vegetables in the front yard?

Could he be feeding the chickens?

Could he be preparing a meal in the kitchen?

He missed his Master-nim. But he didn’t have the time to go. …It was the inevitable fate of a Hero.

Leaning back in his chair, Ji-hyuk was reminiscing about happy memories when he was suddenly awakened from his reverie by a knock on the door. He transformed from a disciple who lusted after his Master-nim’s hot pussy back into a dignified Hero.

“Who is it?”

– It’s me, Your Excellency.

“Come in.”

It was the caretaker, Durka. He opened the door, entered the office, and bowed deeply.

“What’s the matter?”

“A letter has arrived.”

“Bring it here.”

The caretaker approached the desk and handed him the envelope. The Hero first looked at the seal that was stamped on it. It was from the witch Jeanne. His eyes briefly met the caretaker’s before looking away.

“I see. You may go now.”

Durka bowed again and carefully left the office. As soon as he confirmed that he was gone, Ji-hyuk tore open the envelope and looked at the contents. There were many lengthy words, but to summarize, she had roughly looked into the Oath of Obedience, so please visit her whenever you have time.

Originally, he was planning to visit on the third day, which was tomorrow, but if the work was finished sooner than expected, there was no reason to dawdle.

Ji-hyuk reflexively looked out the window. The sun had reached its peak and was slowly setting, but it was still bright. If he went quickly, he could return before evening.

He stopped what he was doing, left the mansion, and got into the carriage that was always on standby.

The carriage sped away and stopped near the plaza. Ji-hyuk sent the carriage back and began walking down a secluded alleyway.

Just because it was the capital didn’t mean there were no beggars or thugs. Compared to other cities, their influence was weaker, but the capital still had its own gang leader.

Anyway, after navigating through the complex alleyways, Ji-hyuk finally arrived at the witch’s house. This time, he used the back door again. There was no one watching.

When the Hero knocked, the witch opened the door not long after. She seemed a bit surprised that he had arrived much earlier than expected.

“Did I come too early?”

“No, it’s not that. I just didn’t expect you to come so quickly….”

“I didn’t think it was a problem to drag it out…. Please understand that I’m a bit urgent.”

“Of course, Your Excellency. …Please come in.”

The Hero strode into the witch’s house. Having visited quite a few times, he was now quite familiar with this place. The structure of the house, the fluffy sofa, the sweet tea, the bitter herbal scent….

Ji-hyuk did not sit down on the chair but stood in the living room, waiting for the witch’s proposal. Jeanne quickly led him to a small room. The two entered that secluded room again.

In the enclosed space, the two looked at each other, relying on a single candle.

“How did it go?”

“I have examined all the records.”

“You’ve worked hard. …So, is it possible?”

However, she did not answer immediately, with an ambiguous expression.

“In fact, there were no records of a human being the caster. So, I cannot give you a definite answer yet.”

“Is that so? …Then, what about the Oath of Obedience?”

“The method was described. …However, there are several restrictions.”

“Tell me.”

The witch swallowed hard. Perhaps it was because of the candlelight, but her face felt a bit flushed.

“First of all, the Oath of Obedience is a spell close to magic. Therefore, it seems that it will be quite difficult for Your Excellency to handle it.”

“I’ll practice that. I’m confident in handling mana anyway.”

If he practiced steadily for a few months, it wouldn’t be difficult to imprint the brand. After all, magic and spells also involve handling mana. If it’s really difficult, he could get help from Yael.

“However, whether it is possible if the caster is human…, I’m not sure myself.”

As expected, that was the problem. Then, the witch, who had been hesitating, spoke again.

“…However, there is a way to find out, not entirely…, Your Excellency.”

“How?”

Jeanne looked at the Hero with hot eyes.

“Wouldn’t it be possible to test it on a being with magical energy…?”

“There’s no one to test it on right now.”

After saying that, something suddenly flashed through Ji-hyuk’s mind. The Hero looked at the witch with a questioning gaze.

The witch Jeanne lowered her eyes and said in a moist voice.

“I will do it….”

However, Ji-hyuk shook his head firmly.

“No. You know what the Oath of Obedience is, too.”

Jeanne smiled faintly. She knew that Hero-nim would refuse.

Of course, she was worried about this situation and had prepared in advance.

She rustled her clothes off on the spot.

ㅡ!

The Hero turned around. The witch soon became naked, without a single thread on her body.

“Your Excellency, Your Excellency, look at me. Your Excellency…!”

“You don’t have to do this.”

“…The preparations are already complete.”

ㅡㅡ!!

Ji-hyuk turned his head sharply. A beautiful nude body came into view first. And at the end of his gaze, he saw a clear brand imprinted on her lower abdomen. It was the Oath of Obedience mainly used on succubi.

“The brand of obedience has already been imprinted. Now, Your Excellency only needs to take it.”

“You really…!”

The witch Jeanne smiled prettily. And then, she slowly approached him. A sweet fragrance entered his nostrils.

“If there’s anything I can do to help, I want to help….”

Ji-hyuk sighed deeply.

“You are Ludvine’s mother.”

“And I am also Your Excellency’s servant.”

“I have never had you as a servant. I have never even thought of that.”

“Witches are originally such beings. Slaves who beg to become servants to a sublime being.”

The witch grabbed the Hero’s hand and placed it on her breast.

“Your Excellency is someone who must go higher. It is an honor for me to be a stepping stone for such a person. Please…, do not ignore my sincere devotion.”

The warm breasts were clearly felt by Ji-hyuk’s palm.

…In fact, before learning how to imprint the brand of obedience, it was a priority to confirm whether it would work or not. There was no need to learn something useless if it didn’t work.

However, the problem was that once a brand was imprinted, it would never disappear unless the caster died. That’s why the Oath of Obedience was so terrifying.

“…Your Excellency…!”

The witch urged the Hero’s decision.

Ji-hyuk closed his eyes for a long time before opening them again. There was a resolute light in his eyes.

“Okay. …If it succeeds, you know there’s no turning back, right?”

“Yes.”

In the end, the Hero decided to use the witch as an experimental subject for the oath.