Summoned a God by Mistake, Now He Won’t Go Back - Chapter 14

Tap, tap. Fay was rubbing her sore shoulders and waist with her fists when Alnazir spoke up.

“We need to make the contract. Officially.”

Fay stretched her arms above her head, wincing as an ache slipped into her voice.

“Right… but actually, before we do, there’s something I have to check.”

She cleared her throat, trying to sound serious. Even though it was hard to set the right mood with drunken singing echoing from the distance. But this was important.

“Are you really going to make a contract with me?”

“Yes.”

“Wouldn’t you like to think it over a little more? A contract is a sacred thing, and if you break it… you might never be able to return to where you came from, Alnazir. Are you sure? Maybe you should take a bit more time.”

Fay asked again, sounding like she was almost hoping he’d say no.

“I understand.”

Alnazir replied, unwavering as ever.

But did he really? Fay couldn’t help doubting him, especially with his unreadable expression. She kept imagining him suddenly changing his mind and threatening her with those tentacles of his.

She needed to be sure she’d be safe.

“I—I’ll just warn you now: once we make the contract, there’ll be a lot of restrictions on your behavior.”

“Like what?”

“…You won’t be able to attack me.”

“I never intended to.”

“Sure. So I guess you’ve just conveniently forgotten about killing me and reviving me, huh? Must be nice to be a person with such a selective memory…”

Did she really just call him a ‘person’? On the outside he looked human, but inside he was still a dangerous octopus.

Fay shut her mouth shut and glared at him.

“It was a mistake. I think I told you already.”

She wished he would at least look a little sorry. Still glaring, she shrugged her shoulders.

“You have to help me. You have to help me achieve what I want. Can you promise that?”

“That depends. What do you want?”

“…You’re more cautious than I expected. I don’t mean that as an insult—just surprised, that’s all.”

Fay explained her situation: that the Emperor wanted the witch dead, that his massive golden army might invade any day now.

“I need power to defeat his army. With what I have now, it’s just not possible.”

She watched Alnazir anxiously, unable to predict what he’d say.

He folded his arms and tilted his head thoughtfully. Fay kept her eyes on the sky behind his head, careful not to glance between his legs.

“That’s a rather small wish. Almost laughably so.”

“It might sound small to you, but it’s my whole survival on the line!”

Fay shot back.

“Survival?”

Alnazir chuckled, as if the idea was ridiculous. His mouth never actually smiled, making the laughter feel oddly out of place.

“A ‘ruler’ worried about survival… Are you even really a ruler?”

He kept using that word—ruler. Did he mean the master of the contract?

Fay tilted her head, confused.

“Are you having second thoughts because I’m too weak? If you want to back out… now’s your chance.”

No, wait—don’t back out! She needed any invoked she can get, even if he was arrogant and a little scary!

Fay tried to look strong and kept her nerves hidden.

“If you need the power to destroy your enemies, I’ll help you.”

“Yes!! Ah—um, sorry. I got excited.”

Flustered, Fay covered her nose in embarrassment.

“We’ll need paper and a few other things for the contract, but there’s nothing here. Let’s move somewhere else first.”

“We have paper right here.”

Alnazir said, reaching for the book he’d brought up from the underground.

Fay snatched the book from his hands, startled.

“What are you doing?! That’s the book with all the summoning names in it—it’s important!”

“There are other names in here? Like me?”

“Yes! So you can’t damage it. If you erase a name, you can never summon that invoked again.”

“So you bring me here and then plan to summon someone else…?”

Alnazir flicked his finger upward.

Suddenly, the book Fay was holding shuddered, slipped from her grip, and floated up into the air. Its pages flipped rapidly, and black ink began to drip out, staining the ground.

No way. Fay quickly checked the book. Every page with an invoked’s name on it was now blank.

“Wh-what did you do?!”

Alnazir’s golden eyes curved in a gentle arc, like the moon above.

“You don’t need anyone’s help but mine.”