Alphonse finished reading his latest book and slapped it closed with a bit of satisfaction. If the information had pertained to politics on Earth, he might've found the material tiresome and borderline painful to read.
But he was on Hovestile, and the book that Rinka suggested focused on the growth of a developing eastern kingdom of demihumans that formed after a terrible war some fifteen years earlier. The text supported some of his own assumptions concerning the interactions he experienced between the different races of Hovestile.
Alphonse set the book aside and clasped his hands. 'I've been here about three weeks,' he thought. 'It's probably close to that time.'
The white floor of the Submerged Oasis shifted hue as light from the partially obscured sun began to wane. The refracted, faded yellow rippled along the floor and seemed to pour into the small ponds, displaying an illusion as if sides of the pathway had liquefied. There wasn't a speck of blood that remained from a few days before following the battle against the Migunne.
He was so entranced by the display that he failed to hear the soft padding of feet nearby.
"Care for a drink?"
Alphonse looked up and saw Rinka appear from around the dais with a wooden cup in each hand. She wore her typical silk dress of sky blue with the transparent fabric that revealed up to her ankles. Her emerald hair was tied in a ponytail that hung in front of one shoulder.
The eloquent display of the oasis didn't seem quite as captivating to Alphonse anymore.
"Ah, thank you." Alphonse mentally applauded himself for not fumbling his words.
He accepted the drink and took a careful sip. The hot tea soothed his throat and invigorated him. It reminded him just how much he was going to miss the catgirl mother's company.
Rinka's presence had been intimidating during his first few days at the oasis, and the way she carried herself in speech and appearance would dominate any gathering. The respect Kirie and Asa held for her was infectious. Admiration wasn't a strong enough word for Alphonse to describe his feelings towards her. What she sacrificed for her daughters, and the time spent to prepare them for the outside world made him view her with reverence and adoration. She wasn't just the angel he viewed her as when he first set foot in the oasis. She was a goddess.
Alphonse set his tea aside and recited the words to conjure his Construct Contract. He figured it was about time for another one of Rinka's lessons. Time wasn't only spent with Kirie and Asa out in the field hunting monsters. Rinka contributed her knowledge during times of reprieve, and Alphonse found all of her teachings to be invaluable, extending far off into his future plans.
He'd jotted down notes in his Construct Contract that would be useful for quick access and to form a sort of compendium. He copied regional maps for important locations in Hovestile, alchemy ingredients, monster weaknesses and so forth. The latter was certainly a distinct focus after the mixed success with the battle against the Migunne.
During her lessons, Rinka also informed Alphonse about some small uses of the contract that she'd tested. Most of her attempts had yielded little to no results, but even failure provided some insight. Alphonse wrote these rules on the last pages of the contract and left some space for any possible breakthroughs on his part. He reread and absorbed the sparse information to a point where he was positively nonplussed by the contract's strange consistency (and inconsistencies). It was as if the contract was actually a sentient being itself. He knew that spending a few weeks, even months, at the oasis would never be enough time to get even a remote grasp of it.
Rinka had understated just how little the contract cared for material things. It was as if it didn't want for anything physical in the least: gold, basic materials, food, water -- the list was extensive. The catgirl mother had even tried deals of almost no significance with physical attributes that belonged to her person such as strands of her beautiful hair. Ownership was a steadfast rule for the contract, and anything outside her body's natural functions didn't seem qualified for a deal.
In the end, the Construct Contract's dealings seemed solely focused on the individual. But if that was the case, then Alphonse had to wonder why it allowed him to transfer his stats to Kirie and Asa. Perhaps it had something to do with the bond transferred to him from Rinka. The contract did mention something about "amendments" before the transfer and that it also confirmed that the System still remained equivalent.
'Does this mean that we are really bound to the System that governs this world?' Alphonse thought. 'Which means the contract is too.'
A part of him was frustrated with the contract, but the other was relieved that so many rules were in place to isolate the deals among individuals. If the deal of equivalence didn't exist, then the contract could essentially bring someone close to something resembling godhood. He felt a mixture of terror and gratification with this conclusion, knowing that this possibility might stay his hand if he ever felt the need to use the contract in a desperate situation.
He spared a glance at Rinka as she took a sip from her tea. She claimed to be a top-tier spellcaster, a scholar by trade, during her time on the surface. Alphonse suspected there was more to her than such simple details, and he had ventured to ask more about her past, but his attempts were mostly diverted. Her words held no enmity as she maneuvered around the subject, and Alphonse quickly caught on and respectfully kept personal questions to himself.
She'd confided in him during a desperate time of need to free her daughters, but he hoped to gain her full confidence when they returned one day. She knew that the limited deals of equivalence with the contract kept him in check. Yes, he was sure that there would come a time when he visited the oasis again. Nothing barred their way.
Alphonse half-focused on a random page in his book as Rinka cradled the cup of tea in her hand. She swirled it with the slight motion of her wrist as she fell deep in thought.
"My daughters have been trapped here too long," Rinka said after a brief silence. "Fifteen long years. They have an understanding of the outside world, but have yet to truly experience it. I'm sorry if it causes difficulties for you."
Alphonse blanched at the number. "Fifteen years?"
The catgirls were definitely somewhere around his age, perhaps their early twenties. If Rinka's time was accurate, then they'd been trapped since they were children. He'd suspected as much, but to be so young...
Alphonse folded his arms and straightened. "Well, if it's anything like these past three weeks, I'm sure we'll be fine." He then added jokingly, "I also plan to establish a guild. That way, I'll be able to officially make them my subordinates."
Rinka chuckled at the idea. "I see. A sensible idea, but you know that Kirie can be quite the handful."
Alphonse raised an eyebrow at this. "A 'handful?'"
She turned away from him and feigned a cough. "I know, understatement of the century."
Alphonse let out a wholehearted laugh as she placed her hands together in an apologetic gesture.
"Well, I do need some sort of information network, and we'll need to take on jobs for money. A guild is the best way to do that," Alphonse said. "I don't know much about the politics in this world, but I did notice that the relationships between the different races are pretty strained." He noticed Rinka glance at the text resting next to him. "How would people take it if I had demihumans in my guild?"
Rinka rested her arms on the stairs as the tone of conversation shifted and leaned back to stare at the rippling ceiling. "I'd say you would draw some unwanted attention -- enough to make people curious. I'm not entirely sure about now, but 'strained' would be our second understatement. You already read about some of the hostility that led to the birth of a new country. I only hope that some of it has deescalated over the years." She paused as she considered the last bit. "I've experienced it firsthand. Our village was threatened by humans. A greedy lord was searching for someone and attacked when we refused to cooperate. It was the start of what brought us here."
Alphonse averted his gaze. "I'm sorry."
Rinka waved him off. "Don't be. I'm not telling you this because I want sympathy. My daughters were young back then, but they were far from ignorant."
She gave him an intense stare that demanded his full attention. Alphonse found himself leaning closer with bated breath. He'd never seen such a hard expression from her, not even during the times when her daughters spoke out of turn.
"It's only fair that you should know," Rinka whispered. "My daughters haven't forgotten who committed that atrocity. They harbor plenty of hatred. One day, something might trigger it, and they will desire revenge."
Alphonse clasped his hands and tried to consider any complications. It didn't take long for him to realize that none of them mattered when he recalled his own anger after being betrayed. He didn't know how he would react if he found the damned archer or anyone else from his old party. What would he do if he saw them amidst a crowd in a city? What if he stumbled upon them in the middle of a quest? If he didn't fully understand himself, then there was no concrete solution he could confidently impart on others.
"I'm not sure I can promise anything," he said. "I might not be able to stop them forever, but I could probably convince them to hold off until they are ready for it."
Rinka let out a relieved sigh. "That is fair. Just remember, everywhere is fraught with danger. You haven't been in this world long, but you may know that better than any other outworlder. I only ask that you try to choose your battles carefully."
Alphonse nodded. "I can do that." He bit his lip as he considered a question that nagged at him the past few weeks. "What about you?"
Rinka didn't take her eyes away from him as she answered, "I must remain here, of course."
Something in her sad eyes told him not to pry any further. Alphonse stared at his contract and tightened his grip on the binding after he closed it. He had expected as much.
Another question nagged at the back of his mind that he'd hoped to suppress until he understood the catgirls more on a personal level, but he knew it was something he could no longer put off. Kirie and Asa were a different story, but Rinka remained mostly a mystery to him. Rinka had broached the subject concerning goals and morals upon his arrival at the oasis, but he'd noticed one inconsistency.
"I wouldn't say it's been bothering me," Alphonse said. "But if you've been trapped down here for fifteen years, then how do you know about us? Outworlders had only been here around two months."
Rinka's hand stopped as she raised her tea to her lips. She seemed to deliberately avoid eye contact with him as she stared in the cup for a short while. She nodded slowly and, after some internal debate, decided to set the tea down.
A broad smile formed on her face as she observed him with a sideways glance. "You are very perceptive."
Alphonse didn't know how to respond to the statement. He stared at her and waited for an explanation. He was relieved when she decided to be straightforward with him, rather than dance around the subject like in past conversations.
She held her hands out, palms facing up. "I invoke the Construct Contract."