“Let’s go to Alice and Arthur’s residence.”
Noctis announced this as though he were inviting everyone to a casual dinner.
Alice and Arthur didn’t object.
In fact, they seemed just as interested in discovering who Noctis and I really were.
I glanced toward Noctis.
“Do I really have to go?”
He smiled.
“Of course!
Otherwise, they might start making strange guesses about us.
Wouldn’t that be troublesome?”
I didn’t bother responding.
Knowing Noctis, he was probably the one who would create the strangest misunderstandings in the first place.
Still, I followed him.
About five minutes later, we arrived at their residence.
The building was considerably more luxurious than the surrounding houses.
After everything that had happened in the kingdom, it seemed that Alice and Arthur had become two of its most influential figures.
They led us into a dining hall, where a table had already been prepared with food.
As soon as we sat down, Noctis turned toward our hosts.
“Before we eat, I’d like to apologize for what happened earlier.”
He smiled awkwardly.
“I’m sorry for the trouble my friend caused.”
Alice looked at him calmly.
“The person who attacked us hasn’t apologized, yet you’re asking for forgiveness on his behalf.”
I smiled faintly.
“Well, I’m not the same person I used to be.
At least I don’t cut off someone’s hand the first time I meet them.”
The moment those words left my mouth, the atmosphere changed.
Alice froze.
Arthur’s expression stiffened.
Neither of them said anything.
Slowly, their heads lowered.
Perhaps they remembered that day in the desert.
The day Alice had cut off my left arm.
The day they had left me behind, believing I was no longer their problem.
Noctis glanced between us before breaking the silence.
“What’s done is done.
There’s no point thinking about the past forever.”
I leaned back in my chair.
He was right about one thing.
The past couldn’t be changed.
But that didn’t mean I had to forgive them.
Noctis clapped his hands lightly.
“Anyway, let’s eat before the food gets cold!”
I turned toward him.
“I can’t see anything.
Tell me where the food is.”
“Right, right.
Don’t worry.
I’ll help you.”
He moved closer and began guiding my hand toward the dishes.
I still couldn’t sense auras accurately enough to identify everything on the table.
Depending on the situation, I sometimes needed his assistance.
As Noctis helped me with my meal, Alice suddenly spoke.
Her voice was quieter than before.
“What happened to your eyes?”
I smiled.
“Nothing particularly interesting.”
She waited for me to continue.
“After you left me behind, monsters attacked me.
I lost my eyesight.”
I paused briefly.
“Fortunately, Noctis found me.”
I tilted my head toward her.
“That’s all there is to say.
Are you satisfied now?”
Alice lowered her head further.
Arthur remained silent beside her.
From beginning to end, neither of them seemed interested in their food.
I, on the other hand, continued eating.
Their guilt wasn’t my responsibility.
Eventually, we finished our meal.
Noctis wiped his mouth and smiled contentedly.
“That was delicious!
Thank you for the hospitality.”
He stood up, apparently intending to leave.
However, before he could take a step, Alice spoke again.
“I want to talk to Nameless.”
I turned toward her.
“What is there left to discuss?”
My voice was cold.
“I already understand what happened.”
I paused.
“Or are you planning to kill me now that I’m alone?”
Alice immediately shook her head.
“No.
That’s not what I want.”
She looked directly at me.
“Please.
Just talk with me once.”
I considered her request.
Talking wouldn’t cost me anything.
Besides, I was curious about what she wanted to say.
I turned toward Noctis.
“You go and rest.
I’ll come later.”
He looked at me for a moment, seemingly considering whether to object.
Then he shrugged.
“All right.
Don’t take too long, Nucky.”
With that, he left the dining hall.
Alice and I were finally alone.
Or so I thought.
A Conversation Beneath the Stars
Alice led me toward the palace walls. New chapters come out on g.com first.
We climbed the stairs and eventually reached the top, where the night breeze swept across the stone walkway.
Above us, countless stars glittered in the dark sky.
The desert stretched into the distance, an endless sea of darkness beneath the moonlight.
For a long time, Alice remained silent.
She stood beside me, seemingly struggling to find the right words.
Eventually, I grew impatient.
“Are you planning to stand there all night?”
She didn’t answer.
I turned away.
“If you have nothing to say, I’m leaving.”
Just as I began to walk, she suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Wait!”
I stopped.
Alice’s grip tightened slightly.
“I…
don’t know what to say.”
I looked in her direction.
“Then don’t say anything.”
She fell silent for a moment.
Then she spoke again.
“I want to take responsibility for what I did to you.”
I raised an eyebrow beneath my blindfold.
“How?”
Alice turned her face toward the distant desert.
“I will become your eyes.”
For a moment, I didn’t respond.
Then I laughed softly.
“And what about Arthur?”
She looked at me.
“There’s nothing between Arthur and me.”
I remained silent.
I had no reason to care about their relationship.
Whether they were lovers, friends, or merely companions made little difference to me.
What mattered was the past.
“You cut off my hand without hesitation,” I reminded her.
“You abandoned me in the desert, knowing how dangerous it was.”
My voice remained calm.
“So tell me, Alice.
How exactly do you intend to become my eyes now?”
She didn’t answer.
Instead, something unexpected happened.
Slash!
A sharp sound cut through the night.
I felt a sudden movement beside me, followed by the unmistakable smell of fresh blood.
Alice had cut off her own left hand.
For a moment, I couldn’t speak.
Blood dripped onto the stone beneath our feet.
She stood there with an unnervingly calm expression.
“It’s equal now.”
I stared in her direction, stunned by what she had done.
“I can’t give you my eyes,” she continued quietly, “so I gave you this instead.”
I finally recovered enough to speak.
“Are you insane?”
Alice didn’t respond.
“Stop the bleeding first!”
Before she could say anything, hurried footsteps sounded behind us.
Arthur had been watching from a distance.
The moment he saw Alice’s injury, he rushed over.
He immediately used his healing ability, restoring the severed hand and reconnecting it to her wrist.
Within moments, the wound disappeared.
Alice flexed her fingers once, confirming that her hand had been restored.
Then she turned toward Arthur.
“Leave us.”
Arthur hesitated.
He looked at Alice, then toward me.
For a moment, it seemed he wanted to say something.
But in the end, he remained silent.
He turned around and walked away.
Once his footsteps disappeared down the stairs, Alice and I were alone again.
I shook my head.
What a troublesome woman.
I had expected an apology.
Perhaps an explanation.
I hadn’t expected her to cut off her own hand.
And judging by her expression, she hadn’t done it impulsively.
She had genuinely believed that hurting herself would somehow make things equal.
That was the most disturbing part.
Alice’s Confession
Alice spoke first.
“If you don’t trust me, we can make a Soul Contract.”
I tilted my head.
“A Soul Contract?”
“You don’t know about it?”
“No.”
Alice looked surprised.
Then she explained, “A Soul Contract binds two souls together through an agreement.
Depending on its terms, it can impose restrictions and establish obligations between the people involved.”
She paused.
“If we make one, I’ll obey your orders.”
I smiled faintly.
“That sounds troublesome.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Her voice became more urgent.
“I just want you to listen to me.”
I said nothing.
Alice slowly turned her gaze toward the stars.
“When I was little, my parents were killed.”
Her voice was unusually quiet.
“I grew up alone.
No one taught me how to distinguish right from wrong.
I learned to survive by relying on myself.”
She paused. This story is hosted at g.com.
“When I met you in the desert, I could have saved you.”
The breeze moved through her reddish hair.
“But I thought about myself first.
I decided that helping you would be inconvenient, so I abandoned you.”
Her fingers tightened around the stone railing.
“Later, I realized I had made a mistake.”
She lowered her head.
“But by then, there was no way to undo what I’d done.”
I listened without interrupting.
“When I saw you again today, I finally understood something.”
She turned toward me.
“I can’t erase the past.
I can’t return the time you lost or undo the suffering you experienced because of me.”
Her voice trembled slightly, though she continued speaking.
“The only thing I can do is take responsibility for my actions.”
She took a breath.
“That’s why I want to give myself to you.”
I smiled slightly.
“So this is your way of making up for everything?”
“Yes.”
“Then become my servant.”
Alice didn’t hesitate.
“All right.”
Her immediate agreement caught my attention.
She was willing to accept the condition without even asking what it would entail.
But then she continued.
“However, I have one wish.”
I folded my arms.
“What is it?”
“My goal is to travel across the Seven Continents.”
Her eyes hardened.
“And I want revenge on the people who killed my parents.”
For the first time during our conversation, I sensed something fierce beneath her otherwise controlled demeanor.
“I don’t know how long it will take, or what I’ll have to sacrifice.
But I won’t abandon that goal.”
She looked directly at me.
“After I’ve achieved it, if you order me to die, I’ll die.
If you order me to become your slave, I’ll become your slave.”
I laughed quietly.
“That’s a rather ambitious dream.”
Alice remained silent.
I tilted my head.
“But what if I forbid you from taking revenge?”
For the first time, she seemed unable to answer immediately.
The silence stretched between us.
Finally, she spoke.
“Then I’ll give up my life.”
I shook my head.
“That won’t work.”
She looked confused.
I continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Who would throw away a hen that lays golden eggs?”
Alice stared at me.
For a moment, she seemed completely lost.
Perhaps she had expected me to accept her offer without question.
Perhaps she had even expected me to punish her.
Instead, I was treating her as though she were a valuable asset.
Which, in a way, she was.
Alice possessed strength, intelligence, and abilities that could prove useful to me in the future.
Throwing all that away simply because she felt guilty would be foolish.
And I wasn’t interested in making foolish decisions.
After a while, I asked, “How do we create this Soul Contract?”
Alice answered quietly.
“If both parties truly desire the contract, it can be formed.”
I frowned slightly.
That sounds suspiciously convenient.
Before I could ask another question, a familiar voice echoed inside my mind.
“My Lord, may I assist you?”
I recognized the voice immediately.
Shadow.
The mysterious entity connected to my black blade.
I focused my thoughts on it.
I want to create a Soul Contract.
Can you do that?
“Yes, My Lord.”
Then do it.
“Please place your hand on her head.”
I hesitated briefly before following the instruction.
I reached forward and gently placed my hand on Alice’s head.
For an instant, nothing happened.
Then—
Black shadows flowed from my palm.
They spread across Alice’s body like living threads before sinking beneath her skin.
Alice stiffened.
A strange sensation passed through the air, as though something invisible had connected us.
Then a notification appeared in my mind.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Soul Contract Completed.
I slowly withdrew my hand.
Alice stood motionless before me.
I couldn’t tell what she was feeling, but I could sense that something had changed.
The connection between us was no longer merely a promise spoken beneath the stars.
It had become something far more substantial.
I took a quiet breath.
Then I issued another command.
Open Alice’s status panel.
The System responded immediately.
A translucent window appeared before my eyes.
And the moment I read the information displayed on it—
I froze.
For the first time that night, I was genuinely shocked.
Alice’s status was far more extraordinary than I had expected.