TYBMB 31

Chapter 31. Contract with Ernant
2024.01.31

When Ernant told me to focus only on him, I let out a shallow sigh and replied,

“…I’ve already paid a lot of attention to Your Majesty. And it’s not like I’m going to have a long conversation with the Captain. I just wanted to ask if he’s enjoying the ball.”

“Doesn’t it look like he’s having fun without you having to ask?”

Ernant gestured subtly toward the Captain and continued,

“With that many ladies surrounding him, he must be enjoying himself. If anything, he might feel interrupted if you go over.”

“But—”

“Let him enjoy playing with the ladies. More importantly, do you remember I said I had something to show you? I’m thinking of showing it to you now.”

He had said that earlier, in the carriage on the way to the Imperial Palace.

“I want to show you something amazing.”

Though I was curious about what it was, my concern for the Captain outweighed my curiosity, so I hadn’t responded right away.

Then Ernant whispered,

“It’s something very important. Things that could change the fate of the Empire.”

“Change the fate…?”

“That’s how important it is. Let’s go see it now.”

“……”

After a long moment of hesitation, I finally nodded.

I was still worried about the Captain, but it seemed more important to find out what Ernant was hiding.

He said it could change the fate of the Empire — that alone gave me a bad feeling.

“Stay close.”

With that, Ernant began walking ahead, and I followed nervously behind him.

He exited the ballroom and started heading toward the main palace.

Unlike the annex where the first banquet hall was, the main palace was deeper inside the grounds.

After walking a few minutes, we arrived at the main palace. Then he began leading me underground.

What could he possibly be hiding so deep inside?

I was also disturbed by the heavy security.

As we descended each underground level, we had to pass through thick steel doors and be checked by Imperial Guards.

The deeper we went, the more suffocating the growing anxiety became.

When we reached the third basement level, I couldn’t hold back anymore and asked Ernant,

“What you’re going to show me… is it a weapon item? Like a new type of explosive?”

“It is a weapon. But not an item.”

“…?”

It’s a weapon, but not an item?

Did he mean a simple steel sword or spear?

But earlier Ernant had said that what he was about to show me was something that could change the Empire’s fate.

A mere sword wouldn’t change the fate of a nation. So it couldn’t be an ordinary weapon.

I gave up speculating and simply followed behind Ernant.

No need to stress over it — I’d see it soon enough.

Suddenly, Ernant stopped walking.

We were standing before an old iron door at the deepest corner of the third basement.

He pointed to the door and smiled.

“It’s stored beyond here.”

“…Please, show me.”

“I will. But before that, there’s something I want to ask you.”

“Ask me…?”

After all the trouble we’d gone through to get here, what was he suddenly talking about?

I frowned instinctively.

Ignoring my expression, Ernant pulled something out from inside his coat.

It was a rolled-up sheet of paper tied with a red ribbon. Then he explained what it was.

“A contract. Before you see my secret, you need to read this and sign it.”

There was only one kind of contract he would hand me in this situation.

So I already knew what it was without needing to read it.

“A confidentiality agreement.”

“Yep, exactly.”

Ernant nodded cheerfully and opened the contract for me.

As expected, it contained a clause forbidding me from speaking of what I saw in the basement to anyone.

Not only speaking — it forbade me from writing, gesturing, drawing, or conveying the secret in any form.

What on earth was he hiding that required this level of secrecy?

Ernant added further explanation.

“It’s not an ordinary contract. It contains a cursed ability.”

“…An item?”

“Yes. Once you sign and then ‘break’ the contract, the curse activates. And the curse will take your life. You’ve heard of those, haven’t you?”

Just as he said, I had indeed heard of such contract items before.

They were used occasionally by nobles when forming extremely important agreements.

But what in the world was hidden behind that door that required such a rare and expensive item?

He never mentioned anything like this before my regression.

In the previous timeline, Ernant had never even hinted at this.

Had our relationship changed so much that he was now willing to show me his most secret cards to keep me close?

While I was still debating, Ernant said,

“If you sign this, I’ll trust you and show you my secret.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Sorry, but you’ll have to leave.”

“……”

Naturally, I fell into deeper thought.

If I signed this contract, I would be ‘staking my life’ on keeping Ernant’s secret.

Even a slip of the tongue could lead to my second death.

Logically, it would be best not to sign…

But I had a bad feeling.

His earlier mention of something that could “determine the fate of the Empire” still lingered in my mind.

“I’ll sign.”

“Smart choice. As long as you keep the secret, there’s no danger. And like I said, nobles often use this item for important contracts.”

Despite the chilling clause that I would “lose my life if I broke the secret,” I signed the contract.

Ernant also signed next to my name, finalizing the agreement.

With a satisfied expression, he pulled a key from his waist.

He inserted it into the keyhole and turned it.

And then—

Creeeaaak…

A chillingly familiar sound came from beyond the iron door.

The moment I recognized it, I shouted toward Ernant.

“Wait! Don’t open it!”

“Hm?”

“I just heard a monster’s cry from the other side. I’m certain. It was definitely a monster.”

“Oh, really?”

Despite hearing that there was a monster in the palace basement, Ernant seemed oddly unfazed.

I soon found out why.

“You heard right.”

“…Excuse me?”

“What I want to show you — it’s something like that. More precisely, you could call it a ‘chimera.’”

A chimera usually refers to an artificially created creature made by combining various animals.

Alchemists with synthesis abilities would mix animals to create new lifeforms called chimeras.

But I had the feeling that Ernant’s chimera wasn’t going to be the ordinary kind.

By then, he had opened the door to reveal the basement inside.

It was too dark at first to see anything.

All I could sense was an overwhelming stench that hit my nose.

Then Ernant tapped on a glowing orb mounted next to the door.

As the item activated, a row of orbs on the wall lit up brightly.

And finally, I could see what was inside the basement.

“Your Majesty… No, Ernant… What are these…”

Shocked, I stood frozen, unable to finish my sentence.

Inside were a dozen or so iron cages.

Each cage was wrapped in chain items meant to suppress abilities — probably to neutralize whatever was inside.

Ernant introduced them with pleasure, as if enjoying my reaction.

“Take your time looking. These are chimeras made by our brilliant royal alchemists.”

“Chimeras…?”

Ordinary chimeras were made from animals.

For example, mixing a wolf and a dog would create a strong, obedient hunting dog chimera.

Mixing a chicken with a larger bird would produce a chicken with far more meat than usual.

That was what chimeras were — mixing two or more existing animals to create something useful.

But what I saw in front of me now was nothing like the chimeras I knew.

Unable to believe what I was seeing, I asked Ernant,

“The creatures in those cages… aren’t they monsters?”