The contract master produced his golden staff and lightly tapped the crystal ball with it.
Merlin watched as that golden thread shot straight out of the crystal ball and, astonishingly, burrowed directly into the contract master’s head.
Merlin had the unsettling sensation of watching a parasite burrow into a person’s brain, but seeing the contract master’s expressionless face and how he casually withdrew his staff from the crystal ball, Merlin knew the man was clearly fine. This was standard procedure.
It was just… a bit terrifying to witness.
The contract master closed his eyes after the golden thread entered his mind, leaving Merlin, who was waiting for an answer, restless and fidgety.
He looked down at the crystal ball beneath his hands. Except for the area where his hands rested, the entire surface was now covered in densely packed golden threads.
Honestly, it had a strange sort of beauty to it.
Merlin withdrew his hands from the crystal ball, and the golden threads reverted to how they had looked when he first entered, scattered haphazardly across the crystal ball in no particular order, turning it back into an ordinary crystal ball with barely any golden glow.
“Whatever. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Besides, the results aren’t even out yet, why am I worrying?”
Merlin listened to Ange’s inner thoughts and felt oddly comforted by them as well wait, he was actually being comforted by a liar!
The contract master, who had been standing with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. His gray eyes now flickered with golden light, as if in that instant he could see through every secret hidden within Merlin.
“This is an ancient contract, and it’s incomplete, which is what allows you to hear the other’s thoughts.”
Merlin quickly pressed further: “Aside from that, does it have any other effects on me?”
The contract master’s eyes still swirled with golden light, making Merlin, who was meeting his gaze, instinctively want to look away.
“Don’t you already know? What he feels.”
Merlin was left speechless.
“This contract isn’t one of subordination it’s an equal contract. However, because the contract was never truly completed, the two of you experience different effects. That said, I’ve never seen such a complex contract before. I could only identify a few simple edge symbols, but those symbols haven’t been used in centuries. I have no way to resolve this contract. If your relationship with him is decent, then complete it according to the unfinished steps. If you’d rather not, then your only option is to go to Greynor Academy City Hospital and find Professor Foster. He’s the best contract master on the entire continent and might be able to resolve this. However, I don’t have any connections there you’ll have to sort that out yourself.”
Professor Foster? Merlin had actually heard of that professor before, since he was a well-known figure at Greynor Magic Academy.
Though, given the academy’s prestige, it was only natural that its professors were among the finest.
If it was an academy instructor, though, he could ask his own teacher for help.
“Still, based on my limited knowledge, this contract is actually quite beneficial to both parties. If you two aren’t enemies, I think completing the contract would be the better choice.”
Merlin recalled everything that had happened the previous night and eventually frowned. “But we have no idea at all how this contract even came to be.”
“Perhaps the two of you have magics that are incredibly compatible, and it formed accidentally during a moment of intense emotion. Or perhaps it’s due to the bloodlines you both carry, or even magical items you’ve acquired by chance. These are things you’ll need to discern yourselves, or you could consult Professor Foster.” The contractist’s quill had already finished writing the form on its own, and with a tearing sound, the paper detached itself from the thick ledger and floated directly in front of Merlin.
Merlin saw the diagnostic result written on it: Incomplete equal contract, unable to identify specifics, recommendation to seek further examination at a higher-level facility.
Merlin let out a sigh but still reached out to take the examination form, rising to his feet.
But the moment he turned toward the door, Merlin froze completely.
“How come the results still aren’t out? Why does half an hour feel so long!”
Merlin:
He had forgotten that Ange was still waiting outside for the results of his blood test!
No, what was he supposed to do now?
Merlin absolutely did not want to run into the other man at the hospital!
Merlin could only pretend he had thought of another point of confusion, turning back to face the contractist with his head held high despite his reluctance. “Regarding this contract, the other person can’t hear my thoughts, but the idea that he needs contact with me to survive popped into his head. However, I also used magic to examine his body, and it seemed like there was nothing wrong with him.”
The golden light in the contractist’s eyes had long since faded, and those eyes had returned to their murky gray. But even so, being looked at by him still made Merlin feel like he had no privacy at all in the other man’s gaze, which filled him with intense guilt.
“That could be a misconception, and it’s even more likely that since you’re not a professional physician, you failed to detect the damage to his body. Some contracts allow you to share your lives, but because this contract is incomplete, it may require physical contact to take effect. I recommend having him come to the hospital for an examination. Given the complexity of your contract, I’d suggest going to a better hospital for a check-up.”
Although Merlin couldn’t hear Ange’s thoughts right now, he knew the other man definitely hadn’t left.
Given how active the other man’s inner voice was, if the results had come out by now, Ange’s thoughts would definitely have expressed it!
So Merlin could only steel himself and continue asking, “Then why is it that after he comes into contact with me, he feels like I have a unique fragrance on me? This fragrance is tempting him, and he can’t help but gravitate toward me.”
The contractist’s normally impassive face finally showed a hint of a strange expression. He looked Merlin up and down, then finally said, “What you’re describing sounds a bit like that ABO novel my daughter has been reading lately, how Alphas and Omegas all have a unique scent that attracts each other, and they even have heat cycles. When they sleep together, the two scents mix and become something like red wine roast beef or whatever.”
Merlin:
What ABO? This novel sounded incredibly improper was this contractist making a dirty joke at his expense?
Wait, where had that utterly serious and mysterious contractist from before gone?
“Maybe it’s because he likes you that he finds you fragrant, and because he likes you that he wants to get close to you.” The Contractor gave a relatively serious answer at the end.
Likes him? Merlin didn’t believe it one bit.
“Knock, knock, knock.” A knock came at the door.
Merlin snapped back to reality in an instant, breaking out in a cold sweat as he looked outside. No good Angus was still out there!