Collector’s Cage - Chapter 8

The thought of being sold to a collector and raised sent shivers down her spine. This method was indeed far too dangerous. Hermie slapped her own cheeks firmly.

“No, this won’t do. Take me back to my guild.”

“If you really don’t trust me, we can just write a contract.”

Hermie, plunged into deep thought, groaned in frustration, tugging at her hair. Even if she went back to the guild, there was no solution. He said he was developing a potion that didn’t exist in the world, so there wouldn’t be an antidote either.

The guild was also a problem. The Pumpkin Flower Guild was the cherished workplace she had run away to at 15 and dedicated ten years of her life.

‘Ten years and I never took a proper vacation!’

The thought that she might get fired made her vision go dark. Considering the affection built up over the years, she probably wouldn’t be fired immediately, but given the guild’s circumstances, she wouldn’t hear any kind words.

But what could she do? Even if she returned to the guild in this state, she wouldn’t be able to work properly. Returning blindly wasn’t a good option either.

It was this mage’s fault she was in this state, but he was also the only one who could solve the problem. It was a miserable situation.

“…We need to include penalty clauses for breach of contract. And we must get it notarized by the Mage Tower!”

“Yes, yes. Let’s do that. I’ll go back and add the Tower’s notarization later.”

Hermie and the mage wrote a contract on the spot. Hermie struggled to cram the contract terms onto a small, crinkled piece of paper.

“We have to set an expiration date for the contract!”

“We wrote, ‘I will come to rescue Hermie within one week of the research’s success,’ didn’t we?”

“But there’s no specific date for when the research will succeed. That’s missing.”

“How would I know that? If I knew, would I just be a mage-in-training?”

“Sigh…”

Hermie collapsed limply, like a withered flower. Her chest already felt tight with anxiety.
As Hermie rustled and rolled around in the cage, the mage wrote the names of the contracting parties at the end of the paper.

[Party B hereby swears upon the honor of the Mage Tower to faithfully fulfill the terms of the contract above.] [Party A : Hermie (Signature)] [Party B : Dormi Zhentra (Signature)]

After Dormi signed, he shoved the contract towards Hermie.

“Sign here. Shall I give you a pen?”

The pen was as long as Hermie’s body. Do I look like I can hold that? Hermie made a resigned face and stuck her tiny hand out through the bars of the cage.

“I’ll do it with my palm.”

“Alright, then.”

“What about ink?”

“It’s fine.”

When Hermie’s palm touched the paper, a bright light rose, and the signature was automatically formed. It was a magical power.

Next to Hermie’s name, a handprint the size of a hamster’s paw was stamped, looking rather dainty.

“This is Ms. Hermie’s copy, this is mine.”

They had prepared two copies of the contract to share. They signed twice as well.

The problem was that Hermie was too small to carry her copy of the contract.

“…I think I’ll have to hold onto this for you?”

How can I trust you? Hermie’s eyes widened sharply.

“Then, could you entrust my copy to Mr. Dawson? And please ask Mr. Dawson to pass a message to my guild members.”

She hadn’t told the Pumpkin Flower Guild members about today’s plans. Everyone was in the dark about Hermie’s whereabouts.

Dawson, who knew Hermie had come to find this mad mage Dormi, would at least understand the situation quickly. And someone inside the same Mage Tower needed to know the contract’s contents so that this crazy mage would be kept in check.

If the mage succeeded in his research but didn’t come to rescue her, she hoped Dawson would report it to the guild members.

“Dawson?”

“Yes, a chef working in the Mage Tower’s dining hall. You should be able to find him in the dining hall.”

“Hmm. Alright.”