"I want my items to be plac-"
"Deal!"
"...."
"That was too damn easy, I should have asked for more than that," Alex muttered under his breath in disbelief when he saw that Maya didn't even hesitate and simply acquiesced to his demand.
'Well, it's better than being too greedy,' Alex shrugged. In the first place, the reason they came here was to rescue Anita; rescuing Maya and securing a deal with her was just a bonus.
Taking a soul contract out of his space ring, Alex began inscribing his demands on it.
'It's my last one; I hope the girls found others inside the treasury,' he thought just as he finished writing the last line.
Utilizing his smoke, Alex sent the contract hovering above Maya, ensuring that even in her bound state, she could easily read it.
"A contract?"
"Yes, I'm sure you wouldn't mind me covering my back, right?" Alex spoke in a light tone.
Maya shook her head, only to regret it instantly as she felt the steel cable holding her head graze her neck.
"I was sure you would understand. Go on, read the contract and let me know if you want to sign," Alex gestured to the contract.
"U-Um, I w-would gladly do so, but, how to say, umm, I can't see," Maya stammered.
"You are blind ?" Alex wondered, not expecting something like that.
"N-No, it's just that I'm blind as a bat without my glasses," she confessed.
"Oh, I see," Alex nodded, then realized that his choice of words wasn't optimal in this context. "No pun intended," he quickly added to clear up any potential misunderstanding.
"Where are your glasses then?" Alex inquired after a moment.
"I don't know, I had them on before losing consciousness, so I guess my uncle took them off."
Nodding, Alex stood from his chair and walked over to the lifeless corpse of Stanis. After searching the guy's body, he found two space rings which he took with him.
Walking back to Maya, he placed the two space rings in the palm of her gentle hand, "Try to find which one is yours, and don't try anything funny," Alex warned her.
Alex knew that the instant her space ring was in her hand, Maya could take out anything that was inside. That's why he warned her, so that she wouldn't take out something that could harm him.
"I-I never had the intention to do so!" Maya stated and concentrated on the two rings in her palm.
Soon, a finely crafted pair of orange-framed glasses manifested in Maya's palm.
Taking both the pair of glasses and the rings from her palm, Alex delicately placed the glasses on Maya's face and pocketed the rings.
"T-Thanks," Maya stuttered, a hint of blush appearing on her face.
'What's got her blushing?' Alex tilted his head, perplexed. 'Although, gotta say, she's looking mighty adorable, and those glasses? They give her this whole sexy librarian vibe,' Alex thought.
Meanwhile, Maya began reading the terms of the contract.
'I didn't expect that, this contract is strangely...friendly,' Maya thought, her eyebrows raised in surprise after she had read the whole contract.
In summary, the contract simply transcribed everything they had discussed, specifically Maya's promise to place the items of an organization named 'Arcane' on the list of items that will be auctioned at their annual auction, after she was rescued that is.
What surprised Maya was actually the penalty of the contract in case she couldn't hold her end of the bargain. In such a case, she had to give Arcane something as valuable as one of the items auctioned at their annual auction.
This penalty may seem quite severe as the items that were put on auction by their family were all things incredibly valuable, but as the heiress of a family accustomed to handling everything with contracts, she knew that the penalty most people impose in such case is death. In comparison, Arcane's penalty was quite light, and this made Maya feel a little bit more trusting towards Alex.
"I agree to your terms, but I can't really sign in this condition," Maya said, pointing out the fact that she couldn't move.
"Oh, that's not going to be a problem," Alex chuckled and ripped with his bare hand the steel cables holding one of her arms, freeing that arm.
"Now you can sign."
"I already said that I accepted your terms. I wouldn't try to escape even if you completely freed me," Maya sighed.
She was absolutely sincere as she spoke those words. After all, the contract clearly stated that if she agreed to sign, Arcane would provide personal escort and protection until she safely reunited with her family. With such an arrangement in place, why would she even consider the thought of escape?
"I'm sure you're smart enough not to try anything. It's just a precautionary measure," Alex said as he retrieved the second ring, which undoubtedly belonged to Stanis, from his space ring.
With the still cables' sharp remains, Maya nicked her finger and dabbed her blood onto the contract.
Soon after, she completed the signing process.
"Can you untie me now? It's getting uncomfortable," she said, gesturing to the cables still keeping her tethered to the table.
Alex was about to reply when he sensed the girls returning from the treasury.
"Hold on a second, I won't be long," Alex stated, then took off towards the girls.
"So, did you tidy up the treasury? Or is it still a chaotic disaster?" he asked with a cheeky grin beneath his mask, appearing before the three women.
"Hehe, yeah, we've totally tidied it up," Amelia chuckled, passing Alex a total of twelve rings.
Alex sent his mind inside the twelve rings and noted that they were all filled to the brim. 'Twelve, plus the two I already have, brings us to a total of fourteen space rings full of treasures,' a wide grin appeared on Alex's face. 'With that, I'm surely the richest baron in this fucking entire empire!' Alex exclaimed mentally, his excitement causing his body to tremble.
'Why's he shaking like that?' Anita wondered.
Meanwhile, Anna and Amelia exchanged glances before bursting into giggles.
'What's got those two giggling? What's the joke? I want in on it!' Anita grumbled internally.
"Nice work, girls," Alex praised as he planted a kiss on the forehead of each of them, even giving Anita one too!
Alex's two wives smiled in satisfaction, while Anita seemed to zone out, remaining completely still.
"We've achieved everything we came here for and then some. It's time to leave," Alex announced as his smoke surrounded the three women. Moments later, they were all dressed in elegant attire, with their hair transformed into a dazzling array of multicolored strands.
"It's unfortunate to cover up your lovely faces, but it's necessary," Alex sighed as he placed masks over the women's faces to conceal their identities.
With precise control over the smoke cloud carrying Cedrix and Lilia, Alex ushered them into the corridor, before turning to the trio and saying, "You go ahead, I'll catch up."
Amelia and Anna nodded, pulling Anita along, who remained frozen in place like a statue.
As the women turned and walked away, Alex lingered, enjoying the enticing sway of their curves with each step.
Knowing he was watching, Amelia boldly grabbed her ass cheek and gave it a playful squeeze.
'What a tease,' Alex smirked, 'but soon, very soon, sis, I'll be nailing that ass.'
"U-Um, I'm still tied up, just pointing that out," Maya remarked.
Letting out a sigh, Alex pivoted and strode towards the table where the young heiress was bound.
With a single powerful motion, he ripped apart all the steel cables holding Maya's body, freeing her completely this time.
"Ahh, finally!" Maya exclaimed with relief as she rubbed her wrists, which were swollen and red. Her pale, soft skin subtly contrasting against the inflamed areas.
'Nice rack,' Alex praised internally as his gaze wandered over the young woman's chest, admiring it.
Feeling eyes on her, Maya lifted her head and met Alex's gaze, finding him staring at her chest.
Letting out a startled yelp, Maya quickly covered her breasts with her arms. "D-Don't stare at my b..."
"At your?" Alex tilted his head as if puzzled, but behind his mask, he was grinning mischievously.
"A-At my..." Maya started to speak but suddenly froze as she spotted her uncle's lifeless body.
Forgetting about Alex's leering, Maya climbed down from the table, approached her uncle's corpse, and knelt before it, clasping her hands in silent prayer.
'Praying for the one who kidnapped her?' Alex shook his head, amused by Maya's innocence.
'Well, can't judge. I don't know their previous relationship. Maybe they were close before,' Alex sighed and waited for Maya to finish her prayers.
Minutes later...
"We can go," Maya spoke as she stood up.
Witnessing the tears forming at the corner of her eyes, Alex shook his head once again.
"Here, it will heal your wounds," Alex tossed Maya a bottle of healing smoke.
While catching the smoke bottle, Maya tripped and fell on her face!
"...."
"P-Please, don't throw things at me," Maya quipped with a trail of blood coming out of her nose.
She glanced down at the bottle in her hands, feeling a bit cautious, but ultimately opened it and brought it to her nose. The contract stipulated that Alex had to ensure her safety anyway, so he wouldn't intentionally harm her.
"Hm?" Her eyes widened in disbelief as the moment she inhaled the smoke, her wounds healed instantly.
"W-What is this?" She inquired, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"That's the item I'm planning to auction," Alex answered as he walked to the corridor.
"Oh, wait!" Maya swiftly stood up and dashed after Alex.
"You know, with something like that, you actually don't need that contract," the young heiress spoke once she caught up to Alex, her voice filled with awe. 'With healing powers so potent, it's actually mother who will be chasing after you,' she added mentally with a wry smile.
"Good to know, " Alex nodded his head contentedly.
With Maya's incessant questions about the healing potion and Alex doing his best to answer them, the duo swiftly traversed the corridor and arrived at the entrance of the corridor, which the three women before them had left open.
The instant the both of them stepped out of the door, they stiffened.
"What the hell is going on?"