The Submission Oath Mystery
“Huh? What exactly is a Submission Oath?”
It began softly, like the gentlest of touches. A feather-light caress that stirred something deep inside me, setting my whole body alight. The way her hand brushed the front of my pants was more than just a caress—it was an unspoken pressure, a silent demand. This pattern had repeated over and over again, the same damn thing every time I got caught. I was starting to feel tired of it. One or two times might still be fun. But the second it happened, it turned into a grindfest: grabbing my balls, and suddenly there was nothing left to enjoy.
Truth be told, I just wanted to say it straight and move on fast. “Y-yeah, there’s this lich named Pluto I told you about… Ouch!”
“Pluto? The king of evil? If you spill another lie like that, your balls won’t just get crushed—they’ll fly right off. So open your mouth and tell me everything.”
The mood Yoo Dahui was giving off was terrifying. This wasn’t some interrogation about the mask girl. It was a full-on Submission Oath hearing. Hadn’t I been the one feeling guilty? Then why the hell did she bring booze? Was she trying to get me drunk and make me slip up? That thought made perfect sense. I actually felt like clapping for the way she’d ambushed me so perfectly.
“Th-there’s this black magic user named Pluto,” I started. “He’s not a demon king, just a black magic user. I… I received something from him.”
“Pluto’s not the demon king? He’s just a black magic user?”
“Yeah, just a black magic user.”
She’d never heard of the term before. Yoo Dahui didn’t know I’d learned black magic. Even though we’d been running around the 0th floor together, there was no way we could know every little detail about each other’s moves.
“Kim Jinwoo, you’re lying again?”
“Aaaah! No, no!”
Yoo Dahui’s grip on my dick tightened painfully. I’d promised myself I’d say it quick, no time to drag it out. ‘Shit…’ Why did men always go soft the moment someone grabs their balls? Even though it wasn’t a dildo shoved up my ass. I clung to her like a lost puppy. A sweet, intoxicating scent filled the air from her neck. Finally she let go.
“So why is a black magic user involved?”
“Pluto… he’s a black magic user who originally cast Submission Oaths on some people in my original dimension. It’s still active inside the Tower of Struggle…”
“Pluto cast a Submission Oath, and now it’s affecting me? What does that have to do with you?”
I didn’t know either. He just gave it to me. Pluto wanted to spread his name through the Tower of Struggle, so he dumped his black magic on me. It was the same with Elena’s oath—it only worked because of the magic he’d passed on.
“Since I received black magic from Pluto, I can influence the oath he cast…”
“Aaaah… I see.”
Some of the pressure left Yoo Dahui’s hand. The conversation was flowing. That meant the hearing was still ongoing. She looked at my answer like it didn’t add up and pressed further.
“So what exactly does a Submission Oath do?”
“Uh… well…”
It was hard to explain. It was just a slave contract. What the hell was I supposed to say?
“Is it literally just that? A Submission Oath… total submission?”
I kept my mouth shut. Yoo Dahui already looked completely certain.
“Now that I think about it, it does seem kind of weird. A guild quest suddenly appearing out of nowhere? If it was because of a Submission Oath you forced on Elena, that actually explains everything.”
Yoo Dahui’s hand finally let go of my dick. She sounded like she was guessing at this point. The very name “Submission Oath” screamed what it meant, so how had she not known?
“So Elena has been helping us because of that oath?”
“No, not at all. Elysha and I have known each other since our original dimension. I’m helping Elysha so she doesn’t die. We almost got into serious trouble on the 0th floor.”
“Aah.”
Elysha dying in that state would be insane. She walked around half-naked, and somehow she hadn’t been touched. Especially not elven girls—they looked completely human, so humans usually went for them. The fact that we’ve searched every inch of the Tower of Struggle and the only elf left is Elena proves it.
Yoo Dahui glanced at me, then started picking up the bottles. She’d achieved her goal and didn’t even care anymore. Still, she muttered to herself, sounding a little sorry.
“...Fine. Then go rest.”
“Hey. Where are you going?”
“What? I’ve said everything I needed to say. Now I’m resting.”
I felt the control shifting back to her side. Even though the oath was vague, she clearly didn’t doubt how lewdly absolute command could be used. Why? It was impossible to understand.
“We’ll figure that out later.”
Right now I needed a pussy to calm down the raging erection. I’d already come twice just from thinking about Elena, and it was still dying to drink her juices. Hold on. If I pulled my underwear down right now, wouldn’t the scent of my own cum be strong enough to smell? I could probably catch that it wasn’t Elena’s, but still… I let go of Yoo Dahui’s hand. Sex here was a bad idea.
Once my hand left her grip, she stared at me blankly.
“Alright, go rest.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah. You need to rest well for tomorrow’s hunt.”
“...I really am going to rest. Once I rest, there’s no next time?”
Yoo Dahui’s tone was playful, like she was daring me to try. I had zero intention of letting her grab me again. ‘If I get caught, I’m done.’ The mask girl thing could be excused somehow. Yoo Dahui didn’t know how I’d explained it, but I’d weighed my feelings and decided to keep going. But touching Elena was a completely different story. Even the legendary Yoo Dahui could have her affection crack if I kept sleeping with someone else.
“...You little shit.”
Yoo Dahui muttered that under her breath and slumped into the corner, curling up to sleep since she couldn’t spar with Horin.
***
As soon as the next round started, Yoo Dahui bolted. She spent two full hours in the mountains, sorting her thoughts, then headed straight for the First City.
“Nothing’s going to change if I stay here and whine.”
I had to face it. No matter when, I’d have to stand in front of Kim Jinwoo and suffer the shame of a huge public embarrassment. It was inevitable. Since I’d get hit anyway, better get it over with early.
Everything I’d planned to say was said. ‘I also want to ask Elena about the oath.’ There were too many questions. The word itself had a creepy vibe, so the second I heard it, I knew I needed to know. A Submission Oath between a man and a woman? Of course that made me think of something dirty.
Yoo Dahui’s eyes landed on the First City. Right in front of it, Kim Jinwoo and Elena were throwing punches. She watched quietly, hands in her lap. Kim Jinwoo rolled around on the dirt, crawling toward Elena. His skill was still lacking, so he just kept tumbling, but he never stopped swinging. After a while he took her final strike and passed out.
Elena slung the limp Kim Jinwoo over her shoulder and looked straight at Yoo Dahui.
“Hehe…”
“Dahui!”
Elysha shot up from her spot and ran over to her. She sounded happier than I’d ever heard.
“Where did you go?”
“I needed some time to think…”
“I was worried sick because you just screamed and ran off like that!”
“Sorry.”
Yoo Dahui had nothing to say. She couldn’t admit she’d run because the previous round had been too embarrassing.
“Elena, why is Jinwoo like this?”
“It’s because of mana control training. I checked his mana use and knocked him out.”
I wanted to ask why she’d knocked him out, but I kept my mouth shut. The fact that she’d knocked him out so I could question her was all the thanks I needed.
“Elena, I have a question. Can you spare some time?”
“Of course. Take all the time you need.”
“First, lay Jinwoo down, then we’ll talk alone.”
Elena looked at Yoo Dahui with a strange expression, like she sensed something familiar. The conversation was ordinary, but there was an unusually sharp undercurrent.
Yoo Dahui’s group walked into the First City. Kim Jinwoo, still slung over Elena’s shoulder, was tossed into one of the pathetic mud huts. No mercy from Elena’s hands. She dumped him face-first onto the dirt floor.
Yoo Dahui stared at him for a long moment, then stepped outside. Elena brushed her hands together and waited.
“Miss Dahui? You wanted to ask me something?”
“Yes. Anything you answer is fine.”
Yoo Dahui’s mind was spinning. In the short time I’d been gone, the way Elena had acted was nothing like what a Submission Oath should look like.
“...What exactly is a Submission Oath?”
The sudden question made Elena’s thoughts whirl. She’d never told anyone else. How did Yoo Dahui know? After I’d just met her, and Elysha, Eloin, and Elbaren had never had a chance to speak. ‘Jinwoo?’ There was no one else Yoo Dahui could have asked. ‘Then…’
It wasn’t necessary to hide anything. Elena knew full well that Jinwoo and Yoo Dahui had that kind of relationship.
“The poor Dahui…”
Even if a hero had multiple wives, Jinwoo wasn’t a hero. He was more like a color-magic user. A woman who stayed by his side after all this time. In just a week, Elena felt closer to Yoo Dahui than she should. That made it hurt even more.
“A Submission Oath is a contract engraved by the black magic user Pluto. In my original dimension I accepted his oath to protect my hometown.”
“Aah…”
“Even though the village burned to the ground, the people were saved. After that I haven’t heard any news, but…”
Pluto. I knew that name. ‘He’s not the demon king?’
Yoo Dahui fought to keep her boiling anger in check. The thought that Jinwoo had lied again made the upcoming embarrassment feel lighter.
“Can you explain exactly what a Submission Oath is?”
“For example…?”
“The restrictions it places on Elena, what abilities it grants, that sort of thing…”
Elena assumed Yoo Dahui only knew about the existence of the oath, nothing more.
“...Why do I have to hide?”
Elena told her everything except anything sexual. The parts that might bring up sex had been restricted by Jinwoo, so she couldn’t mention them.
“...She wasn’t harmed in a bad way, was she?”
“That kind of thing isn’t covered by the oath. Pluto is a lich with no sexual desires, so there was no need to add any restrictions there.”
Elena’s lie came out naturally. She was protecting Jinwoo, and for that she was deceiving Yoo Dahui—the oath was working.
“Mmm… I see… If Jinwoo had touched Elena, she would have killed him long ago, right?”
Elena didn’t deny it, even though she clearly didn’t understand the words. ‘He likes me so much he’d rape me. So he’d have to like another woman more?’
Yoo Dahui’s mind had taken a strange turn. Her self-justification for the mask girl had warped into something dangerous. Certainty. The belief that Jinwoo wouldn’t play with anyone else.
“Thank you. Now all my questions are answered.”
“I’m glad it helped.”
Yoo Dahui bowed deeply.
Elena walked away and approached Elysha. While she was gone, Yoo Dahui stood there quietly, sorting her feelings.
“...She’s still been quietly helping him without anyone noticing.”
Once the sex-related doubts were cleared, it made sense. Jinwoo had been helping me through Elena. Clearing the Park Chul-eon gang, finishing the academy early—all thanks to her. And it was all because of Jinwoo.
“Haa…”
Yoo Dahui’s head was completely screwed. She hadn’t been thinking straight about Jinwoo at all. She should just go get the booze. I’d do the embarrassment first, then use the oath as an excuse.
“...Just act a little pitiful.”
Being embarrassed and ashamed was worse than slapping a faceplate on and being brazen. And there was a weird contract like this to use. Yoo Dahui decided to make the most of it.
“Ah. Jinwoo. You’re awake?”
She walked into the hut with a face full of embarrassment.