The day slowly ended and with it Adaire's holiday. Her mood changed drastically, she looked more depressed and bored.
"When was the last time you had a holiday?"
Adaire looked at Kalen with drooping eyes and whispered.
"10... No, I think 150 years or so"
Kalen froze at Adaire's answer.
'150 years!?'
Kalen knew that Adaire was not as old as she looked, but 150 was too old. That wasn't even her real age, just the last time she had been on holiday.
So how old was Adaire, and why did she look like a child?
Adaire sighed and looked at the moon reflected in the sea. They were in a restaurant on the beach, still on the island of Holy Paradise.
But midnight was fast approaching and for some reason Adaire could not spend another second at the end of the day.
Kalen sighed and mentally prepared for the journey.
Adaire stood and stretched his arms lazily before grabbing the collar of Kalen's shirt, who was still sitting.
Kalen left a few notes as a tip on the table and suddenly they both disappeared.
That night, several people reported seeing an unidentified object flying through the night sky.
Almost an hour later, Adaire landed in front of a large building and released Kalen, who remained kneeling in front of the entrance.
'Ugh... I want to die'
Kalen covered his mouth and took a deep breath to recover. As he was recovering, the doors of the building suddenly opened, and a woman stepped out with two bodyguards behind her.
The woman invited them in respectfully and they both followed her into Corinna's office.
The building was one of the many headquarters of the Atlas Circle, disguised as a shell company.
A short time later they reached a large wooden double door and seconds later Charline opened it from the other side.
"Welcome, Lady Adaire"
Adaire entered the office, smiling, and Kalen followed.
"I'm back! I must say, your world is quite different from others I've visited before"
Corinna looked at her seriously and then at Kalen.
"I hope you enjoyed our world"
Adaire sat down on the couch in front of Corinna's desk and began to tell her about the things she had liked and disliked. Kalen just stood there in silence, waiting for her to finish.
"The point is that I really liked her world. So, after thinking about it, I agree to protect it"
Corinna's eyes twinkled slightly, but she continued to look at Adaire seriously.
"I really appreciate it, we will do our best to return the favor"
Adaire smiled and nodded.
"You're welcome! All I want is for you to provide me with material for my research and I will defend you against external threats, but I won't interfere in internal discussions between people in your own world if it has nothing to do with me"
Kalen looked at Corinna and Adaire in confusion.
"What's this all about?"
Corinna looked at him, but Adaire stepped forward to answer.
"It's a deal to protect your world as long as you keep supplying me with materials. I, Adaire the witch of disappearance, one of the five Witches of the Abyss, will protect the Earth"
Kalen watched Adaire carefully.
'Witch of the Abyss... that's a very pompous title for someone like her'
Kalen had no idea of the meaning behind the title, but if his mother, and presumably the entire earth, was seeking Adaire's protection, then she had to be someone more powerful than Kalen first thought.
While Kalen was deep in thought, Adaire opened his palm and a worn sheet of paper, and a quill appeared.
Both floated to Corinna's desk and landed in front of her hands.
"It is a life contract, if both parties sign it, they are obliged to abide by what they have signed"
Corinna took the paper and began to read it in detail. Each of the clauses were the ones that had been discussed earlier.
Seeing that everything looked correct, Corinna took the pen Adaire had given her and signed her name. As soon as she had signed, she felt something in her chest, then the pen floated and began to write Adaire's name by itself.
When both parties had signed, the paper began to burn to nothing.
"That's our deal"
Corinna nodded as Kalen continued to watch curiously.
'Such a contract might be too useful'
He had yet to understand the nuances behind the contract, but it was a pretty safe way to secure a deal.
He didn't know what would happen if one of the parties broke the contract, but somehow, he guessed that it would not end well for the person who dared to break his part.
Adaire gave Kalen a sideways glance and then looked back at Corinna.
"Now about Kalen's recruitment"
Corinna looked at Kalen and nodded.
"Fine"
For almost half an hour they talked about what Kalen's duties would be, and with each responsibility he was given, he could only sigh more and more.
'Won't I basically be a secretary?'
When they had finished talking about what he would have to do for Adaire, they went on to discuss his remuneration.
Kalen kept a serious expression on his face, but inside he was looking forward to his payment.
Adaire thought for a few seconds before making a suggestion.
"I don't really have the currency used on Earth... so I could pay in Urasis currency. Oh! I also have some relics that might be of interest"
Kalen bit his nails lightly as he considered the suggestion.
'...It's true that I won't have much use for the currency of the land in Urasis. Besides, I'll be there for a year, so I can buy some interesting things before I leave'
Weighing the pros and cons, Kalen decided to accept.
"Well, I can use the Urasis coin"
Adaire nodded and opened her palm again to reveal another blade, but a much cleaner and almost perfect one.
"This contract is different from the previous one, it is not as extreme, so it is usually used to employ people"
Kalen looked at the paper and couldn't help but worry.
'Does everything in Urasis work with contracts?'
Anyway, Kalen signed the paper after reading it in detail and, like Corinna, felt something in his chest.
The feeling disappeared after a few seconds, but he would definitely look into it later.
The paper burned out again.
When everything was settled, Adaire stood up and looked at the distant sky.
"It's time to go"
Kalen looked at her worriedly.
"Huh? What do you mean, already?"
Suddenly the air in front of him began to distort and a dark blue portal appeared.
The air moved erratically around him, sending gusts of air everywhere and sending light things in the office flying.
"Wait! I need to fix a few things!"
Adaire gave Kalen a gentle nudge, sending him into the doorway and out of sight. Then she looked at Corinna and said goodbye.
"I'll pay you back in a year. Bye!"
Adaire stepped through the portal, and it began to disappear, the air in the office slowly returning to normal.
Corinna sighed as Charline began to pick up the things that had fallen.
"Will he be all right?"
Corinna sat back wearily in her chair and touched her chest.
"Kalen? Yes, I have no doubt. He'll just have to learn to adjust"
Corinna stopped touching her chest and looked up wearily.
"I'm worried about us... although a little less now that we have their protection"
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath while Charline finished cleaning everything.
***
Just like the last two times he had passed through a portal to enter and exit the first test, Kalen felt as if his body was floating in space for a few seconds before it began to fall.
Kalen reacted quickly, breaking his fall with his arms.
He quickly looked around cautiously and realized that he was in a dark and damp place.
'Where?'
Kalen felt a soft warmth behind him and turned to find two rows of teeth about to bite him.
Without a second thought, Kalen stepped backwards, gathering aura in his body in case he had to fight.
The jaw that was about to bite him closed but was stopped by several metal bars.
The beast howled when it realized it could not eat Kalen and began to growl furiously as it stared hungrily at him.
Suddenly, Adaire stepped out of the portal and looked around as it closed behind him.
He looked at Kalen, who had risen to his feet, and then at the ferocious beast.
"Hey! You can't eat him! Bad dog!"
The lights came on automatically and Kalen could see the beast in full view behind black bars.
'Dog?! You call that a dog?!'
The creature was at least eight times the size of a normal dog and had fangs like a saber tooth.
Its fur was a greyish shade with reddish highlights, and its piercing eyes regarded Kalen with hostility.
When he saw Adaire, however, his attitude changed completely. Like a scolded dog, he shrank back and growled softly in apology.
Adaire smiled and nodded.
"You must be hungry... I'm sorry, but I had to go out"
Adaire looked at Kalen and pointed at something behind him.
"Your first task will be to feed Grey"
Kalen fell silent and looked behind him at the carcass of an animal that resembled a cow in his world.
'Huh?'
Kalen looked back at Adaire, who was stroking the animal's large snout, and suddenly remembered the words Adaire had said when they met a few weeks ago.
His last assistant died... and rightly so.