episode_0023

“The criminal has been securely handed over. He was one of those troublemakers from the organization that’s been running rampant lately. I’ll take responsibility and punish him myself.”

The first thing the two men and the succubus did was hand over Darken, now nothing more than useless baggage, to the guards.

Thanks to Daniel’s interference, Darken had at least managed to keep his life—though he’d never know it himself—which could be considered a stroke of luck.

The guard who received Darken was unusually respectful, likely because he recognized the infamous Daniel Height.

But as she listened to their conversation, Arina couldn’t help but reconsider her thoughts.

‘This doesn’t feel like just catering to a wealthy noble. That look in his eyes—respect? Seems this man has quite the reputation.’

It wasn’t strange, given that he was a man who had saved two unrelated women and was even willing to take responsibility and protect them.

Not to mention his unwavering belief in Liel Frost’s innocence and his determination to help personally—his righteousness was beyond question. Arina’s estimation of Daniel was skyrocketing.

With the baggage dealt with, they needed a quiet place to talk. Naturally, their feet led them to the tavern they had visited yesterday—and the day before.

In fact, it was the same place they had frequented every single day for the past week without fail. As soon as they took their seats, the owner, who had already memorized their faces, quietly poured Arina her favorite dark beer.

“I wasn’t planning on drinking.”

“Should I take it away?”

Without answering, Arina took the glass. Leaving it in front of her would only tempt her—a classic trait of an alcoholic.

“Shall we continue our discussion, then?”

The conversation returned to its starting point. As Arina began to speak, Lilit slammed her hands on the table and shouted.

“There’s nothing to discuss! ‘Become a slave if you want to pass the checkpoint’—there’s no way someone like Master would ever accept such an offer! And honestly, I don’t care what happens to Master, but that would make me a slave’s slave! Absolutely not!”

“……”

Silence fell for a moment. The two others stared at her, unsure where to even begin correcting her, while Lilit stupidly tilted her head back and forth, trying to gauge their reactions.

Arina sighed, pressing her temples.

“Only a succubus would jump straight to perversion. What Daniel meant wasn’t that—it’s about disguising as a slave to pass through the checkpoint. It’s a common method used by escaped slaves or criminals crossing borders.”

But this method had one major flaw: they would have to bear an actual slave brand.

Because it was such a frequently used tactic, the brands were thoroughly checked for authenticity.

A slave brand forced absolute obedience to the master. The moment the slave harbored rebellious intent, excruciating pain would seal their movements, making it impossible for even the strongest humans to resist once branded.

The only ones who might resist would be heroes—those blessed by the goddess, whose bodies surpassed human limits.

But the idea of a hero willingly choosing to become a slave was truly lamentable.

In any case, branding oneself as a slave was a method that couldn’t be used without complete trust in the person playing the role of the master.

In truth, during her adventures, Arina had seen more than a few people betrayed by those they trusted, ending up as real slaves. Handing over control of one’s body to another was that dangerous.

“The problem here is—how do I trust you?”

Arina held Daniel in high regard. His reputation was solid, and she had personally witnessed his unwavering sense of justice.

But the world was full of people who pretended to be saints. It wasn’t rare for truly wicked individuals to have spotless reputations.

Arina wasn’t foolish enough to fully trust someone in such a short time.

“If you truly can’t bring yourself to trust me, I’ll also take a slave brand.”

“A mutual slave contract is impossible, isn’t it?”

“But there’s one more person here, isn’t there?”

At those words, Arina glanced at Lilit. If Arina branded Lilit, Lilit branded Daniel, and Daniel branded Arina, then Arina could use Lilit to prevent Daniel from betraying her.

“But the eldest son of the Height family willingly taking a slave brand—are you serious?”

“If it’s placed somewhere inconspicuous, it shouldn’t be a problem, right? If that’s what it takes to help a hero, then of course I’d do it.”

A slave brand wasn’t permanent, either. Once the agreed-upon duration passed, the brand would disappear.

The minimum duration of one year was a bit inconvenient, but if it was placed somewhere hidden, keeping it concealed for that long wouldn’t be too difficult.

“I’ve held back until now, but this thing is a filthy succubus, right? You’re really okay with making a slave contract with a bug-like demon spawn?”

Flinch. Lilit forced her mouth and eyes into an innocent expression.

“It’s fine. I trust Liel-nim.”

Arina was momentarily speechless at those words. Despite Daniel’s display of boundless trust, her heart wavered uncharacteristically.

“Fine. I’ll trust you.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my utmost to repay Liel-nim’s faith.”

“It’ll be awkward if you keep calling me ‘Liel-nim.’ Just call me ‘hyung.’”

“…That’s a bit weird, so I’ll just call you ‘noona.’”

“Suit yourself. But don’t actually mistake me for a woman.”

For that moment, Arina spoke with absolute seriousness. If Daniel harbored any ulterior motives, things could get messy—especially with the slave contract involved.

Besides, she was sick and tired of men’s so-called kindness.

“No need to worry about that. I’m a sodomite.”

“Huh? …Seriously?”

“Of course. Don’t believe me?”

Daniel boldly began recounting his (?) experiences with men.

Though his intention was to reassure Arina, someone who still remembered being a man herself couldn’t exactly enjoy the detailed descriptions.

Her face paling, Arina cut him off.

“Enough, I get it, you can stop now…”

Though she felt a bit queasy, how could she criticize this kind-hearted friend?

“Well… I respect your preferences.”

“Kuhahaha! Your face says otherwise, noona!”

Completely unbothered, Daniel laughed cheerfully. Beside him, Lilit tugged at his sleeve and whispered in his ear.

“Tell me more about that later.”

“Sure! Once we finish our business, I’ll tell you everything!”

Was it because she was a succubus? She held no prejudice against homosexuality and, surprisingly, got along with him well.

Arina, unable to insert herself into their lively exchange of obscenities, moistened her lips with beer instead.

In a guest room of the Height family’s temporary residence.

“I swear to become Daniel Height’s slave for the next year.”

As Arina finished speaking, the brand engraved by a special magical tool glowed brightly before changing color.

The red brand, placed conspicuously along the collarbone where it would be visible even without removing clothes, stood out starkly. Arina adjusted her attire and perched on the edge of the bed in the room.

“Hiding this for a year is going to be a pain.”

“They say shared sorrow is halved. Let’s endure this year together.”

Daniel removed his shirt to brand himself as well.

“Stop, Daniel. You don’t have to do it.”

“Huh? Noona, what do you—”

“Showing your willingness is enough. It was about trust from the beginning, so there’s no need for you to suffer too.”

“Are you really sure?”

“You showed me trust, so I’ll return the favor.”

The two exchanged smiles. In the heartwarming atmosphere, only Lilit was left swallowing her tears.

‘Damn it, do that for me too.’

Such was the lament of the succubus, now burdened with a permanent slave brand.

“When do we leave?”

“Our company is heading to the Empire for trade in three days. You can pass through with us then.”

“Guess I’ll be free for a while.”

“As if you weren’t already doing nothing.”

Lilit, her lips jutting out, grumbled—but for once, no punishment came. Arina simply lay down on the bed and pulled the blanket over herself.

“Now that we’ve got nothing to do for a while, everyone out.”

“Young Master, is it really okay to let your slave act this insolently?”

“I told you, it’s not a real slave contract. Get out.”

Daniel pushed the family’s brander out of the room. The only one left inside was Lilit.

“Lilit. You’re on leave starting today. Get out.”

Wearing a rebellious expression, Lilit crossed her legs and retorted sharply.

“How unlike you, Master. For someone who distrusts others to the point of paranoia, you sure accepted this slave contract awfully easily. Did you, in all your femaleness, fall for some dependable man?”

Her words were blatantly critical—the kind she’d never dare utter under normal circumstances, fearing punishment.

But this time, she couldn’t stay silent. Arina’s actions were simply beyond her comprehension.

She had claimed not to care what happened to Arina, yet her sharp tone betrayed her concern.

Knowing this, Arina didn’t get angry. ‘For a demon, she’s become quite human,’ she thought, sitting up.

“If he were going to betray me, his attitude would’ve changed the moment the contract was over. No need to worry.”

“And what if he had betrayed you? What were you planning to do, already bound by a slave contract?”

“You’re such a worrywart.”

As she spoke, Arina ran a finger over her collarbone. As her hand passed over it, the red brand reverted to its original black—the color it had when first engraved.

It meant the contract hadn’t been finalized yet.

“Satisfied?”

“How did you…?”

“I’m an archmage. Once a slave brand is applied, even I can’t do anything about it—but delaying the contract is possible. We’ll finalize the brand at the checkpoint.”

“So if the other party reveals their true colors before then, you can still act.”

“If they planned to sell me out to the kingdom, they’d make their move before crossing the border.”

“And here you were talking about trust.”

“Let’s be honest—we’re not that close yet. Daniel would probably prefer being doubted for a bit over having to hide a brand for a year.”