The elven maiden, Lady Estra, waited patiently for the goblin champion to introduce himself. Master Chaplin had a confused look on his face, the question had never occurred to him before. It was a completely foreign concept for him to have a conversation with a goblin.

This elf really is crazy. Goblin’s don’t have names, haha. What use would they have for one? They don’t even have friends of their own kind. At best, they get called ‘chief’ or something equally creative. But I guess I’ll have to think of something fitting for a goblin off the top of my head...

“This is… Murkuk, Murkuk Bangstick. I am Dink Leathertongue. Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Dink introduced himself and the goblin mage, offering his hand though the cage.

Master Chaplin stared at the hand in horror. Dink felt a tingling sensation on the nape of his neck, causing him to retract his hand with an apologetic smile. The elven maiden stood with arms crossed below her chest, highlighting her attractive cleavage.

“My name is Lady Estra of House Stormborne,” Estra introduced herself.

“House Stormborne! Why do you only have silver earrings? Who are you trying to fool? They’re a fifth-tier golden house on the same footing as the high-elven Royal House!” Dink outburst with shock and disbelief.

Lady Estra appeared taken aback by his intimate knowledge of elven houses. She frowned in thought before answering his questions.

“If you know about House Stormborne. Then you should also know that high nobility in high-elven society requires a kingdom of their own. The Royal House Hydra doesn’t rule above the other golden ranked Houses. They have their own separate kingdom and vassal houses. Their title comes out of respect for their draconic bloodline,” Lady Estra explained.

“Yes, I’m aware of that. But that doesn’t explain why you’re masquerading as a member of House Stormbourne. Unless… That explains the closed piercing holes in your ear,” Dink observed.

“H-How can you see those? House Stormbourne is no longer golden ranked. The expanding wood has almost entirely encroached into our land. We have been forced into taking asylum with the humans, here in the nation of Hatral. Our only other option would be to become a vassal of another golden house,” Lady Estra said with a trembling voice filled with despair.

“So what do you want with my associate and me?” Dink asked.

“I found reference to an ancient ritual that was successful in creating and controlling enchanted forests in the Arcane Academy library. It was from long before the expanding woods came into existence, but it’s the only hope for my House,” Lady Estra said.

“Let me guess, it requires an elven maid of pure virtue to be sacrificed under a full moon?” Dink muttered.

“No, it does require an elven maiden to become the heart of the enchanted forest. But I won’t need to be sacrificed. It requires a different kind of sacrifice from me,” Lady Estra said as she averted her eyes with a blush.

“A virgin,” Dink simply stated.

Lady Estra jolted like she had been hit by lightning after hearing Dink’s observation. She pressed her lips into a tight line while remaining silent.

“Two goblins aren’t going to be very helpful in that regard, I’m afraid. Your scent is intoxicating. Murkuk here isn’t an issue considering his unfortunate circumstances. But I’m likely to be overcome with lust and ravage you inside a calm clearing amid the trees of the expanding woods,” Dink simply stated.

Master Chaplin looked to be in agreement with Dink’s prediction. He wisely remained silent as Lady Estra clarified her intentions. She looked slightly worried about the prospect of the goblin’s words.

“It’s a risk I must take. Only the monster races can safely navigate the expanding woods. If too many people enter, the forest will react violently. That’s the reason my father couldn’t send his army to escort me. I convinced him that this quest is the only hope for our House to recover. Those attuned warriors you killed were bound by an arcane contract, I have it with me. If you both sign it, there will be no need for concern,” Lady Estra said as she walked toward a worn, leather backpack nestled behind the desk

She ruffled through the contents to retrieve a bound scroll. She placed it on the desk and unfurled it while giving it a quick read to confirm the terms. She walked to the transport cart under the stunned gaze of Master Chaplin. He wasn’t shocked by her actions of approaching the cage. Arcane contracts are extremely expensive to the point that they make even mana tattoos look cheap. They’re used only by the most wealthy merchants and nobility.

It seems that her father isn’t taking any chances with his daughter’s safety. An arcane contract is basically a mana slave collar. Except a collared slave can escape the magic control by removing the collar. Those attuned must have been paid handsomely to accept such a binding in the first place.

An arcane contract has one flaw, the contract holder is the person with the greatest mana reserves. That explains why the attuned were so much weaker than I’d expect to serve a golden ranked House that clearly still has its foundation of wealth, even if it lost its kingdom. The attuned needed to be weaker than a journeyman mage.

“What do I get out of this?” Dink suddenly asked. Lady Estra became stunned by the question.

“What do you mean?” Lady Estra replied.

“If I’m going to be a slave. I expect to be compensated for it,” Dink answered.

“B-but aren’t you already a slave? You belong to me,” Lady Estra said with a shaky voice.

“I’m a slave in name only. I still currently have the option of revolt. That will truly make me a slave by binding my will. Fuck it, I feel partly responsible for your House losing their kingdom. Give it to me,” Dink said. Lady Estra looked confused by his words while he used the distraction to snatch the scroll from her grasp.

Master Chaplin was briefly concerned at the mention of revolt despite Dink being inside the cage. He had been looking for the exits. His shoulders sank with relief as he heavily sighed. Lady Estra nervously watched in silent anticipation as Dink bit into the web of his hand. Blood welled out of the wound as he hesitated. He shoved the scroll toward Murkuk.

“You first. Put your blood on the scroll,” Dink commanded.

“Yes, Chieftain,” Murkuk replied as he obediently copied Dink’s earlier action of biting into his palm, placing it on the contract.

Mana shimmered through the scroll as the tingling sensation on the back of Dink’s neck became unbearable. It was the largest amount of mana he had ever felt activated inside an arena complex. Pale light illuminated the transport cart, spreading into Murkuk’s hand and closing the wound. Dink couldn’t resist the itch any longer and began to scratch furiously. A moment later, the binding was complete.

“Ugh, goblin’s emotions are so… repulsive. It’s a mixture of hate, lust, anger, and fear. What does a creature have to go through to feel that?” Lady Estra exclaimed.

“You would feel the same if you were unwillingly mutilated to be able to channel mana. My turn. Give me the scroll,” Dink replied as he snatched the scroll from Murkuk’s hands.

He examined the scroll in his hands, written in the arcane language. He could read it, of course. The arcane language was created by humans to allow them to utilise mana. It was the key to races outside of elves to gain magic. It was considered the greatest achievement of mankind by many. Dink read the contract terms. He already knew what it said, they were always the same. The magic would fail otherwise.

The reason he had Murkuk go first was because of a problem with the first contracts created backfiring. They have improved since then. That was from around the time that Dink was still the Sword Saint, explaining his suspicion. The first contracts were the origin of the beastfolk races. When attempting to bind mundane animals, the magic became chaotic and merged the genetics of the pair. They both would become a mixture of humanoid and beast, creating the beastfolk species as a whole. Some mages who would intentionally form failed contracts to take on an animal’s traits to become beastfolk. It was an act that was considered taboo.

The contract backfiring was an unreasonable fear, but Dink was looking for any excuse not to accept the contract. He let out a deep sigh before placing his bloody palm on the contract.