Konrad made sure to focus his spell's offensive power on the five to avoid harming either Nils or Koloman.
"A mid-grade Third Circle Spell? This…how could it be?"
Koloman staggered and fell on his rear. Although he possessed no affinity for magic, as a nobleman of a duke's house. He was well versed on the topic. Using a spell whose level surpassed the caster's cultivation was in theory not impossible, but the results were often disastrous.
Spells first drained the mind, and when it didn't have enough to offer, they siphoned the body, sucking as much life force as necessary to power the circles.
Konrad's spiritual cultivation was only at the Grand Priest Rank. To use a third circle spell of the lowest grade should at best cause him to cripple himself and at worse to die from exhausting his lifeforce.
However, he was safe and sound.
To say nothing of Koloman, even Nils, a spiritual cultivator, had a hard time comprehending the current scene.
"Unless…his physique is powerful enough to completely ignore the strain. But how could that be?"
Konrad paid no heed to their stupor and shifted his attention back onto Nils.
"Apologies."
Before she could register his voice, he struck the middle of her forehead with his index, causing a stream of spiritual energy to infiltrate her mind and knock her out.
His eyes then fell back on Koloman.
"Do you want to live?"
Those five words restored the gravity of the situation within Koloman's mind.
Sweat quickly spread on his forehead while his limbs trembled, and his eyes widened from fright.
"I already told you, I don't like repeating myself."
"Yes, yes I want to live! Please spare me!"
Konrad's lips curled into a radiant smile.
"That will depend on your performance. My offer is simple. Your freedom in exchange for your life."
The pentagrams and demonic glyphs of the Master-Servant contract flew into the air, carrying with them clear demonic energy signature. Sensing it, Koloman almost soiled his pants.
"Demonic…demonic energy…you are…of demonic blood. The Divine Lords have mercy on me."
"Hahaha, mercy is in short supply. Only my will can save you.
If you choose to willingly sign a contract of eternal servitude, I can spare your life and take you as my servant. That is your only road to survival."
Konrad's nonchalant stance and indifferent tone further oppressed Koloman who didn't doubt his desire to behead him.
Instinctively, he crawled toward Konrad's feet and kowtowed, keeping his face firmly pressed against the ground in a show of deference.
"I…just want to live. Whatever you want from me, I will give without a second thought."
His lips quivered, fear coating his every word. In the face of death, there was no trace of dignity left within his body.
Seeing his pathetic display, Konrad sneered.
"Tss, tss, tss. Where is the might and arrogance with which you portrayed yourself? What about the dignity of an Uradel noble? You won't even try to resist?"
If his words caused discomfort within Koloman's heart, he showed none of it.
"I won't take the chance. To be dignified, you first need to breathe. All is smoke and ashes once you're dead. And I cannot die…at least not until I slake my thirst for von Jurgen blood."
The hatred within the last words was as clear as a waterfall.
"Very well then, let's sign the contract."
The words were spoken, the pledges made, and the Master-Servant contract established.
"Now, I will not take your life, but considering that you've humiliated my woman in the past and harassed her in the present, you can't escape punishment.
Castrate yourself, remove everything and scram. When I need you, I will let you know."
Koloman's eyes widened in disbelief. The thought of losing his manhood filled him with dread. However, Konrad's words echoed like divine commands he couldn't resist. He summoned an energy dagger and sliced off both his balls and rod.
"AAAAAAARGH!"
Blood gushed from his groins and his scream pierced the sky. Without another word, Koloman dragged his bloodied, emasculated body and left.
"Why not just kill him?"
The System's voice echoed within Konrad's mind.
"Dead he serves no purpose. Alive, the possibilities are many. Since I can make us of him, why waste his worth? Planting a spy within a duke's house is not easy.
Moreover, dying is simple. It is living that is difficult. Fret not, I have plenty of hardships in stores for him."
"You truly are a demon."
"Naturally."
Konrad placed Nils on his shoulder and left for a more secluded location.
...
Nils woke up to the sight of Konrad half-kneeling by her side. His face stood dangerously close, and his lips almost brushed hers.
"What are you doing?"
She yelped and tried to step away but realized she was far too weak to make a move.
"Relax, I'm just admiring beauty."
His serious tone and lack of apparent ulterior motive caused Nils to blink for a few seconds.
"You're admiring a man's beauty? I didn't think you'd swing that way."
Konrad lightly chuckled and shook his head from left to right.
"Shouldn't you first thank me for saving your life?"
"Humph! If it wasn't for those despicable worms using my fight with a Monstrous Beast to sneak-attack me, I could have butchered them in less than ten moves!"
Nils snorted, but seeing the skepticism within Konrad's eyes, she was outraged.
"What? You don't believe me? Let's fight! Today I must show you my might!"
She tried to stand up, only to fall back on her butt due to her wounds and current weakness.
"Ouch! Why didn't you stop me? When the ill try to stand, shouldn't you as the caretaker coax and keep them down? Useless…"
She complained while rubbing her sore butt.
Konrad was speechless.
"Hum, hum. In any case, I must thank you for saving me. Your merits are not small, you just saved the Holy Flame Empire's number one treasure. Don't worry, when we return to the outside, I will ask my father to properly reward you!"
"Brat-Prince."
Konrad didn't know what to say and thus, spoke the first few words that crossed his mind. It had been a long time since he came across someone who thought so highly of themselves!
Wasn't this the perfect example of a spoiled brat?
"What did you say? By the way, aren't you the one that knocked me out? Also, what did you do with the bastard serpent?"
Konrad ignored the questions and turned his attention to the severely wounded left thigh.
Without warning, he tore off the fabric around the wounded part and lifted Nils' leg.
"What are you doing?"
Confusion flashed within her eyes as she saw his face approach increasingly closer to her wounded thigh.
"Healing you. Don't worry, it's not going to hurt."
Without another word, Konrad planted a kiss on the wounded part of Nils' thigh.
"What the hell? Damn sexual deviant let go of…"
But before Nils could finish her complaint, pink mist spread from Konrad's lips and dived into her wound. A gentle, soothing force spread through her body and warmed her from the inside.
"Ahh…that feels good…really good. Don't stop…"
The Flesh Healing Kiss was one of the rewards Konrad obtained from the system and allowed him to heal external wounds with a kiss.
The kiss carried on for a minute before the wound fully healed, and Konrad retracted his lips.
"Wait…why did you stop?"
"You're healed."
"Are you sure about that? I can swear I still feel sore. You should double check."
Nils waved her leg at Konrad's face with doe eyes, causing his lips to curl into a mischievous smile.
"Don't worry. We still have your chest wound to deal with. Let's focus on that first."
Instantaneously, Nils snapped out of her little delusions. And wrapped her arms around her chest in a defensive stance.
"No need. It can't be that serious. I'm sure I will recover with some rest…yes."
Her silver doe eyes seemed terrified at the notion of him seeing her chest.
"How could that be? You've been seriously wounded and might die from blood loss if left untreated. Who knows, maybe there is even poison in the wound. We need to make sure all eventualities are checked.
In any case, we're both men. What are you afraid of?"
However, the wicked smile plastered on his face made his words sound untrustworthy and filled her doe eyes with fright.
"It's exactly because we're both men. You seem to have…unique tendencies…"
"Don't worry, my intentions are pure."
"Why can't I believe you?
With one hand, Konrad grabbed Nils two wrists and forced them against the tree at her back, then grabbed her collar with his free hand.
"The situation is urgent, sorry but I must offend you."
"Anselm Kracht, don't you dare!"
She struggled but to no avails. With his one free hand, Konrad pulled her robe all the way down to her waist, revealing her wounded, bandaged chest that hid two small mounds.
"No wonder you're so shy. The goods really do need some buffing. But don't worry, I've never determined a woman's value based on her chest."
Nils tightly clenched her teeth and exploded in an outburst of rage.
"Son of a bitch! You are small! Your ancestors are small! All the men in your family are small! How dare you make fun of me?!"
Right now, she no longer cared about her identity being exposed and instead focused on fighting for her dignity!
Alas, Konrad's next words rendered her speechless.
"Why are you so sure? Wanna check?"
Deep-seated confidence shone within his eyes as he stared into hers.
"You…said what?"
She trembled, flustered and unsure of having heard him right.
"I can let you check the size if you want. Don't worry, my intentions are pure. It's just to make sure you get your facts right and to make us even."