Slave Merchant: Derick Walker-9

Luna Bluemoon.

In a sense, she was the true heroine of Solari ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠World. Recruiting her was mandatory if you meant to bring down the Moon Demon King. You couldn't even encounter her on a first playthrough; she was a rare prize who only joined the party on a second run, using hints gathered from the first.

The character model the developers had poured their hearts into was overwhelmingly beautiful even next to Solari World's other heroines. Not that the others were unattractive—but Luna's modeling reeked of the production team's favoritism. She had the most official illustrations, too.

Luna was a beauty, period. Her figure and face, neither too prominent nor too slight, seemed to embody the very essence of aesthetic perfection. Even that dry brown hair of hers would surely be gorgeous with proper care. The sweet, carnal scent rising off her skin was intoxicating enough to drown out luxury perfume.

I swallowed my drool as I looked down at Luna bowing her head before me. I still couldn't believe a woman this beautiful was now my slave. Sujin was plenty pretty, of course, but Luna was a perfect Western beauty—comparing the two felt like putting Korean food next to a French course.

"Good. You belong to me completely now. My slave, my servant, my sword. Buhihit!"

That pig-slaughter laugh of mine killed the mood. Damn it. No matter how hard I tried to laugh properly, all that came out was this weird sound thanks to the thick fat on my face. I really needed to get serious about dieting.

"As a sign that you offer me everything you are, I will take a Soul Oath from you. Half-blood or not, you are of the Moon Clan. You can perform a Soul Oath, can't you?"

Luna's body flinched at the words. She'd seemed thoroughly resolved, but that resolve wavered in the face of a Soul Oath.

And no wonder. A Soul Oath was nothing like an ordinary contract. It was one of the Moon Clan's abilities—a genuine binding that yoked the souls of both parties together, unlike human contracts with their paperwork, signatures, and handshakes.

The funny thing about these so-called contracts was that the Moon Clan primarily used them to bind human slaves. Considering that the only agreements ever sealed this way were grossly unfair ones packed with poison clauses, "Soul Dominion" would have been a more accurate name than "Soul Contract." Well—that was exactly how I intended to use it, too.

"A Soul Contract… I know how to perform one."

Luna spoke with as much composure as she could muster, but she couldn't quite keep the tremor from her voice. If she entered this contract, she would be bound to me completely, and she clearly understood that. The weight of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it sat on an entirely different scale from a verbal agreement. The fact that she could maintain even this much calm told me just how rational a person she was.

"Contract to serve as my slave for eternity. In exchange, I will stake the annihilation of the Moon Demon King."

"……Understood."

I'd expected her to agonize over it for a long time, but her answer was crisp and clear. Had she already made up her mind completely?

Then again, she'd joined the protagonist's party in the original with that same resolve, so her reaction wasn't strange. A Soul Contract constrained her soul—but it constrained mine as well. I, too, would of course have to keep the terms. The reason this was called a "contract" even on the surface was that both parties bound each other's souls with their respective conditions.

Of course, this was all a transparent farce. I hadn't said when I would kill the Demon King. Naturally, I wouldn't specify a concrete deadline in the contract terms either. So in practice, the condition I'd staked was as good as nonexistent.

She, on the other hand, had offered to live as my slave for the rest of her life—meaning even her soul would be bound to me. This was how the Moon Clan turned humans into their slaves. Luna's mother had surely been caught in just such a contract by the Moon Demon King.

A smart woman like Luna couldn't possibly be unaware of how unfair this was. And yet she had no choice but to offer me everything. Because, one way or another, it was the Solar Hero who would defeat the Moon Demon King—and right now, Luna believed with absolute certainty that I was that hero.

"I will prepare the contract. I'll need a few items. Could you obtain them for me?"

I nodded. The Solari World setting book had a bit about Soul Contracts, and nothing required was hard to find. Clean water, a reasonably spacious area, and the blood of both contracting parties.

This large inn room was plenty of space, and water could be drawn from the bathroom. The setting was thoroughly medieval, but thanks to the convenience of magic there was at least a modest modern standard of living. The bathrooms in top-tier inns, in particular, were indistinguishable from modern ones. All we'd need was a knife to draw blood.

I went down to the inn's first-floor kitchen and borrowed a kitchen knife. It wasn't ideal for cutting into flesh, but whatever. We'd only be using it briefly.

Luna filled a basin from the bathroom with clean water. Unlike modern tap water, which had fluorine and chlorine added for disinfection, this world's water was purified by magic items, so you could get pure water straight from the tap. It seemed to contain a bit of mineral salt, but that shouldn't matter much.

"Here's the knife."

Luna took it from me. Then she stuck out her forearm. The contract required both my blood and hers. Better to leave the blood-drawing to her than have me—a man with zero experience cutting himself—try it on my own.

Gripping the knife handle with both hands, Luna gazed at the blade's tip with those beautiful eyes. Then she lifted her head and looked me straight in the face.

Seeing those melancholy eyes, I had the sudden urge to throw her down right then and there. Restrain yourself. She was already fruit that had fallen into my hands. I could eat her whenever I wanted. No need to rush.

"Master… are you not concerned?"

Luna said this out of nowhere. I didn't catch her meaning. What was she getting at? Ah—was she asking if I wasn't afraid of having blood drawn for the contract?

"I'm not a child. What's so scary about a little cut? Still, be careful when you slice. If you nick an artery, we'll have a real problem. Buhihit!"

When I laughed like that, Luna suddenly smiled. Her smiling face was like a painting. That expressionless look of hers had its own charm, but a beauty really came alive when she smiled. Seemed my joke had landed.

"Heh… that's not what I meant. What if I were to attack you with this knife? Forgive my impertinence, but you don't appear to possess the physical ability to dodge my strike. I may be a woman, but I carry the blood of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Moon. My physical capabilities exceed those of an ordinary adult man."

Ah. So that's what she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠meant. From her perspective, my behavior must have seemed incomprehensibly bold. She'd sworn her loyalty, sure—but you can plumb ten fathoms of water and still not know one fathom of a human heart.

Thinking about it, I had been a bit too hasty. Here I was, handing her a knife and sticking out my arm like I was saying please, go ahead and kill me. Of course, I knew Luna would never betray me.

"Did the Solar Medal perhaps show you my future? A future in which I do not betray you?"

"Who knows… even if the Solar Medal showed me such a future, that doesn't mean it becomes my future. What the Solar Medal shows is the correct future. But this world doesn't always flow the way it should. I offered you my arm simply because I trust you."

"You… trust me?"

"You've offered me everything you are. It's only natural that I offer you my trust in return."

At my words, Luna stared into my eyes with an intensity that was almost uncomfortable. I'd delivered a pretty cool line there—had it landed? I could practically hear her affection meter ticking up from those sparkling eyes. Nice call. Talk well enough and you can get meat even at a monastery.

"I will live up to your trust, Master. I will prepare the ritual. I'll take a little of your blood with this knife. It will sting just a bit."

Luna cut my arm with practiced skill. The clean, precise motion was nothing like a beginner's. She'd supposedly stolen glances at Moon Clan swordsmanship as a child, peeking over shoulders—and blessed with innate talent, she'd grasped the profound principles contained in her clan's techniques just by watching.

Of course, she hadn't had an environment where she could physically train, so she hadn't completed the swordsmanship. But her mental comprehension was already well beyond a novice's. Train her, and she'd grow by leaps and bounds. The skilled knife-work she'd just displayed was a guarantee of her potential.

Luna cut her own arm as well. Our blood welled from the wounds in droplets. Together, we let it fall into the clean water in the basin.

"Do you know the ritual method?"

"I saw the gist of it through the Solar Medal. But it'd be better if you explained it yourself."

"Understood. First, we place this basin between us and face each other."

Luna and I faced one another. Her solemn expression was incredibly appetizing. The fact that she was completely naked while wearing the look of a new hire about to present in front of executives was the real highlight. And those neat pink nipples and that pussy of hers were so lewdly out of place with the current atmosphere that it was actually better.

Luna stirred the clean water containing our blood with her finger. She traced circles on the surface like a child at play. Then, astonishingly, a faint light began to flow from the water.

As the water in the round basin began to glow with a blue light, it looked just like a full moon hanging in the sky. A visual perfectly suited to the Moon Clan. I could see why this ability was exclusive to them.

"It's ready. Now we state the terms of the contract. My condition is my flesh and my soul. Until the moment my body crumbles and my soul turns to dust, I will devote my loyalty to you, Master."

"My condition is the annihilation of the Moon Demon King. Someday, I will most certainly snuff out that bastard's life."

As we each stated our conditions, the water in the basin erupted with a climax of light. It was blinding—a radiance incomparably brighter than moonlight. I turned my eyes away. Fucking hell, my eyes.

"The contract has been inscribed. To finalize it, place your wounded hand in this water. Then our souls will be bound as one."

I reached out without hesitation. This contract was an unfair deal that only benefited me. If anything, I'd been worried Luna might suddenly change her mind. But as if to make a mockery of that worry, she stretched out her hand and plunged it into the basin. As both our hands entered, the light pouring from the water diminished noticeably. Was that it?

"The contract has been sealed."

As the water lost its light completely, Luna said this with a bright smile. I felt no particular change in my body. The moment I thought that, a new notification window appeared before my eyes.

Oh-ho. Enslavement was supposed to trigger when you gifted your partner a Defeat Orgasm. I hadn't even had sex with her, and yet enslavement was available. Apparently a Defeat Orgasm wasn't the only way to make a slave. Naturally, I added her as mine.

The number-one combat-ranked character in Solari World. Luna Bluemoon was in my hands.