The Mana Contract
The sight of her was striking: slender limbs and a narrow waist paired with breasts far too large for her frame, beautiful violet eyes with elegantly upturned corners, and soft, wavy purple bobbed hair crowned by a military cap. She wore her uniform draped loosely over her shoulders. Despite her delicate-looking body, her face and attire radiated a contradictory beauty—both fragile and commanding at once. Though her gaze seemed sharp and imposing, she greeted Hwa-ryun in a gentle, melodic voice.
“It’s nice to meet you. Hehe. You look quite surprised, Lieutenant Hwa-ryun.”
“...Yes. I am quite surprised. Your… Majesty… the… Empress.”
“For now, I am the Legion Commander. My Lord has told me about you. That you are an outstanding talent, and about what happened between you and him last night.”
“...Understood, Legion Commander.”
Hwa-ryun struggled for a moment with how she should address the former Empress—now Ariel, the Legion Commander—but her confusion was quickly resolved.
“This is the nature of our relationship first and foremost. Do you understand now?”
The sight of Arpa’s massive hand kneading Ariel’s voluptuous breasts left Hwa-ryun staring in stunned silence. For once, she let her honest emotions show on her face.
“...Vice-Commander…”
“Call me Arpa from now on. I didn’t scout you through ordinary means. You should already know that from what happened yesterday.”
“.....I…”
“If you need time to think it over, I’ll give it to you. But let me be clear. If you accept my offer, you will receive my full and unwavering support.”
“...I have conditions.”
“Name them.”
“Three in total. First…”
Hwa-ryun attached several conditions to Arpa’s proposal. To summarize them simply:
1. She would be allowed to leave whenever she wished.
2. He would provide her with the location and information regarding a man named Yoo Kang-hyun.
3. He would not use her body for sexual relations without her explicit permission.
Arpa accepted every single condition without hesitation.
“I accept them all. However, you must swear to keep everything confidential. I’ll explain the method shortly.”
Having heard the conditions, Arpa agreed without a moment’s thought. Hwa-ryun, who had been mentally preparing for intense negotiation, felt strangely empty at how easily everything had been accepted. Still, there was no downside, so she quietly concluded the negotiation and asked the question that had been burning in her mind.
“How did you… come to have that kind of relationship with the Legion Commander?”
“It’s simple. I swore absolute loyalty to my Lord. The Emperor is my husband in name only… but my true master is Lord Arpa.”
“You weren’t in this kind of relationship with him from the beginning?”
“That’s correct. When I was slowly losing my value as a woman on the empress’s throne, it was Lord Arpa who restored both my worth as a woman and my self-respect.”
“...By ‘Lord,’ you mean…?”
“Exactly as it sounds. I am both this man’s possession… and his loyal subject♥”
The expression on Ariel’s flushed face as she confessed her true feelings toward Arpa was the complete opposite of the dignified, imposing demeanor Hwa-ryun had witnessed back at the imperial palace. More than anything, Hwa-ryun understood perfectly. Ariel was a woman who had found her happiness through love and complete submission to a man. Because Hwa-ryun herself was the same, she recognized it instantly.
Though flustered, Hwa-ryun now had a crystal-clear understanding of the relationship between the two.
“Lord Arpa… what is your goal?”
“I cannot tell you that just yet. Once you complete the confidentiality oath, I will answer that question. For now, let us proceed with the ritual.”
“...Understood. How is this ritual performed?”
“Wait here a moment.”
Arpa placed his hand and eye against a door tucked away in the corner of the Legion Commander’s office. A mechanical tone sounded in recognition, and a thick steel door slid open, revealing a vast space beyond. He beckoned for Hwa-ryun and Ariel to follow. What greeted them was a vault-like armory filled with weapons and various supplies neatly displayed on shelves.
From among them, Arpa retrieved a glowing scroll from a relatively small safe and began his explanation.
“This scroll is a special contract created exclusively on the Federation’s Marbas Planet. It is also known as a Mana Contract.”
“...Mana?”
“Correct. Marbas Planet is a world where magic and magitech have reached an extreme level of development. Although our Empire and the Federation are hostile toward one another, the war has reached a stalemate outside of the border regions. Moreover, goods from the Federation occasionally find their way into the Empire, and vice versa.”
“Is it permissible for the Empire to use items from the Federation?”
“Their performance is simply too reliable to ignore. Besides, people live here. If we scrutinized every single thing like that, daily life itself would become impossible, wouldn’t it?”
“That makes sense. Then what must I do?”
“We will use this contract to formalize the confidentiality oath you mentioned earlier, along with the conditions you proposed. A Mana Contract exerts absolute binding power when used for agreements between individuals.”
“What happens… if the contract is broken?”
“It depends on the terms. The penalties for violation are decided by the contracting parties themselves. In most cases, however, death is chosen. That way there are no loose ends.”
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
After listening to Arpa, Hwa-ryun checked the item’s information. A semi-transparent window appeared before her eyes, displaying details about the Mana Contract.
A contract created by the mages of Marbas Planet. It uses the life force and vitality of living beings as collateral to enforce the agreement. Violators receive penalties according to the predetermined conditions. A permanently bound item that cannot be dissolved until both contracting parties agree to cancel it.
“...It is indeed an incredibly effective contract. When you said it is used for personal transactions… does that mean it cannot be used for transactions between organizations or nations?”
“Correct. For example… even if the Federation Chairman and the Emperor were to sign a treaty using this Mana Contract, it would only bind the two of them personally. It cannot prevent others not included in the contract from going to war. After all, only two parties are bound by it.”
“Understood. Then…”
When the Mana Contract was activated, a semi-transparent window appeared. As Hwa-ryun and Arpa recited the previously discussed conditions and the confidentiality oath, the terms were inscribed onto the scroll in glowing letters. The contract was completed. At the same time, a system message appeared before Hwa-ryun.
> Mana Contract has been successfully established.
> Violation of the contract will result in character deletion.
> Please proceed with caution in all future actions.
> Contract Partner: Arpa von Valentine
“Good. It is done. Now I will answer the questions I couldn’t address earlier. As you’ve likely already guessed… I am aiming for the position of ruler of the Empire.”
“...”
Just as I expected.
Arpa was every bit the ambitious man Hwa-ryun had anticipated. Yet his ambitions extended far beyond the Empire itself.
Jung Hwa-ryun, you too are part of my ambitions… but there is no need to say that out loud just yet.
Arpa kept his burning desire hidden deep within and smiled with satisfaction at how smoothly his plan was progressing.
“Now that our immediate business is finished, take this spear.”
Having completed the Mana Contract with Hwa-ryun, Arpa retrieved a spear from the weapon display and handed it to her. Hwa-ryun appraised the item, and her eyes widened.
“...I saw information about this in the device database. Nibelda is a neutral nation renowned throughout the galaxy for its weapon manufacturing. Something this valuable… are you truly giving it to me?”
“Didn’t I already say so? I promised to support you. Do I look like the kind of man who fails to keep his word?”
“...No, sir.”
“As I said, I have decided to support you, Lieutenant Jung Hwa-ryun. You are a beautiful woman, but you are also a highly capable one. If you thought I scouted you based solely on your appearance, you are gravely mistaken.”
Arpa spoke honestly about his desire to claim the talented individual known as Jung Hwa-ryun completely for himself. Paradoxically, his frankness made Hwa-ryun trust him more. His bold actions and honest lust for women reminded her somewhat of Kang-hyun, which made his words easier to believe. Most importantly, the Mana Contract allowed her to leave him at any time if she wished. For those reasons, Hwa-ryun decided to accept Arpa’s proposal without strong resistance. While she could never trust unconditional goodwill, she could certainly trust support that came with a clear price.
“And this is a personal gift. It seems it hasn’t arrived yet…”
“Is there something else?”
“My Lord, I just received word that it has arrived on my device.”
“Ah, perfect timing. Then let us leave the vault.”
“...?”
Feeling puzzled, Hwa-ryun followed them out of the Legion Commander’s office. This time they moved to the Vice-Commander’s quarters, which belonged to Arpa. What awaited Hwa-ryun there was…
“.....This is…!”
“...Grrrr~”
A small tiger cub.
“It is a personal gift. It is one of the Empire’s renowned cavalry breeds. A cavalry lifeform born from the Empire’s biotechnology. It is a ‘Reinforce Beast’ created using Earth’s tigers as a base. We call them Girtia Tigers.”
“...”
Although Arpa kindly explained from the side, none of his words reached Hwa-ryun’s ears. The Girtia Tiger was rubbing its head against her leg and acting cute. Hwa-ryun’s eyes and mind had been completely stolen by its behavior.
“...Lieutenant Hwa-ryun?”
“...It’s so cute… so cute… so cute…♥”
“Lieutenant Jung Hwa-ryun?”
“...Ah, p-pardon me.”
When Ariel tapped her shoulder and called her name, Hwa-ryun finally snapped back to her senses. She hurriedly composed her expression, but both Ariel and Arpa were already watching her with knowing, mischievous smiles. Hwa-ryun’s face flushed bright red with embarrassment. Even so, she did not pull the Girtia Tiger away from her leg.
“It seems you like it.”
“...Yes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Lord Arpa.”
“Lieutenant Hwa-ryun. From now on, please address him as ‘My Lord.’ At least while you remain in the Empire, you are Lord Arpa’s confidant. The contract we just formed also confirms this.”
“Understood, Legion Commander. From this moment on… I will pledge my loyalty to My Lord.”
“...I should have given it to you sooner. Well then, first give the child a name. It will be your partner from now on.”
“Nabi.”
“.....?”
“Its name is Nabi.”
“...Um, Lieutenant Hwa-ryun… wouldn’t another name be better?”
“It is Nabi.”
“...You are its owner, so I won’t argue too much, but perhaps a different name would be more suitable…?”
“It is Nabi.”
“No, that’s a bit…”
“It is Nabi.”
““....””
Faced with Hwa-ryun’s utterly serious and unyielding expression, Ariel and Arpa fell into silence at her surprisingly questionable naming sense. Yet seeing the resolute look on her face that said she would never compromise, the two could only sigh and accept it. After all, the owner of the Girtia Tiger—now known as Nabi—was Jung Hwa-ryun.
“Grrrr~!”
Nabi seemed to like the name as well. It wagged its tail and rubbed itself affectionately against Hwa-ryun’s chest. Hwa-ryun, who no longer seemed to notice Arpa or Ariel at all, simply held the cub gently and stroked its fur.
After finally regaining her composure, Hwa-ryun was assigned her quarters. She spent the entire day with Nabi, a bright smile on her face that she rarely ever showed.