In the castle's main study, before Bastion could dwell too much on his dire situation, he kept searching the study until he came across an old letter tucked inside the desk drawer. Inside were the details of the debt.
It explained that the debt dated back to the first duke, who had pledged his title in exchange for rapidly building up the dukedom's infrastructure, everything from roads and fortifications to a few personal technologies. This deal had allowed the dukedom to enter an immediate period of prosperity, enabling the level of productivity it still enjoyed today.
The original sum was 50,000 magic crystals. Over nearly five thousand years, the amount had been gradually reduced to 10,000. However, this also meant that for all that time, any surplus income had gone straight to the empire that held the debt, leaving successive dukes to scrape together their own earnings with little to spare.
The reasoning behind this decision was simple. The services offered by the empires and guilds held little value for a kingdom restricted to Rank 2. Since they would gain no real benefit from them, he exchanged those services for a wealthy, well-developed territory. The king and the other dukes accepted the same arrangement, and ever since, their descendants had lived in comfort, provided they had enough heirs to inherit the debt rather than letting it roll up to the previous generation.
"Not as bad as I thought, but it isn't good either. I had plans for the income the dukedom made, but it looks like it won't have anything to do with me. I'll have to personally make my own fortune."
"It makes sense why Father was so secretive. Debt is a heavy burden that even my brother wanted nothing to do with. Being the knight commander gave him a salary, plenty of enemies to gain levels, and the freedom to leave whenever he pleased, without having to play the loyal child lottery."
Having understood the full circumstances of the dukedom, Bastion continued reading more books in the study and found one that interested him. It was an offer from the goddess to invade planets in the universe for the sake of resources and, for the goddess specifically, worshipers.
"This is why Father wanted to enlist with the goddess. Why be the ruler of a Rank 2 kingdom when you can make bank as the ruler of an entire world? He's only Rank 2, though, so he'll likely spend some time just serving as part of the army."
This gave Bastion a clear understanding of the gods and the wider world. Since this was their home planet, they would never bring their wars here. Instead, their battles were fought against beings from other worlds to secure resources.
Suddenly, a knock came from the door.
"Enter," Bastion said.
"Master, I've finished sorting out the castle," Elyra reported.
"Good. Also, from now on, you don't need to ask for permission to enter the study."
"Understood, Master," she replied, then lingered awkwardly in place.
"What is it?"
"I'm ready for my rank up."
"Oh? Go ahead, and when you're done, tell me how it went."
"I need your help for the class I want."
"Anything for you, Eli. What do you need me to do?"
Elyra stepped forward and placed a magic contract on the table.
Bastion didn't need to read it to understand that it was a slavery contract.
"What is this?" he asked, choosing patience over his budding rage.
"The class I want is a Rank 2 class called Shadow Guardian. It will allow me to designate your shadow as my home and establish a permanent connection between us that enables telepathy. It ensures we can never be separated unless you lose your shadow, which the class would guard against. It's the class Sibelle recommended, and she's helped me procure the necessary contract."
Bastion took the contract and read it over. It was a standard slavery contract granting him the right to kill her at any time, but in exchange, she would gain rights to his shadow. The arrangement oddly resembled a tenant contract built on mutual consent. He wouldn't have the authority to command her actions, yet he could end her life at the slightest intent.
"I don't need the right to kill you on command," Bastion argued.
"The more power you have over me, the stronger the connection. There was a stronger version in which your every word would force me—"
"This is fine," Bastion said, before asking one last time, "Are you—"
"Yes. For you Master, yes," Elyra said with conviction and a loving smile.
"Fine," Bastion said, affixing his blood to the section of the contract designated for the owner.
Elyra followed suit, placing her blood on the section reserved for the slave's acknowledgement.
Magic flowed between them for a brief moment before Elyra immediately activated her rank up.
Seconds later, Bastion's shadow stretched outward and swallowed her whole.
Several minutes passed in silence before Elyra emerged from his shadow, appearing just behind him. Dark mana clung to her form, and her hair floated for a moment before settling back into its usual state.
"It is done, Master," Elyra said with satisfaction. "Please, have a look. Status."
[Name]: Elyra
[Age]: 30
[Class]: Shadow Guardian (Rank 2), Maid Assassin (Rank 1)
[Ability]: Shadow Home, Inconspicuous Presence
[Rank]: Rank 1
[Level]: 100
[Health]: 85/85
[Mana]: 70/70
[Strength]: 11
[Dexterity]: 11
[Vitality]: 8.5
[Intelligence]: 7
[Wisdom]: 6
[Charm]: 6
[Status Points]: 0
[Arts]: Dark Magic 4, Sword 4, Dagger 4, Unarmed 4, Light Armor 4, Stealth 4, Cooking 4, Cleaning 4, Traps 3
[Skills:]: Dodge 4, Dash 4, Jump 4, Clean 4, Cook 4, Slash 3, Stab 3, Throw 3, Parry 3, Conceal 3, Reinforce 3, Backstab 3, Garrote 3, Shadow Recall 1, Shadow Rampart 1, Shadow Mark 1, Shadow Strike 1, Shadow Bind 1
[Skill Points]: 50
"I'm jealous of your build, Eli. You already have so many skills at level 4 despite just recently reaching Rank 1. At this rate, it won't be long before you hit Rank 2."
"All I can do is cook, clean, and fight, Master. I'm not as flexible as I might seem."
[Shadow Home]: Forms a permanent telepathic and sensory link through the target's shadow, enabling shared perception, emotional resonance, and manipulation of the master's shadow as an extension of the bond. Guards the master's shadow from being altered, stolen, or manipulated by outside forces. Shares experience between master and bonded shadow, ensuring they always remain at equal levels. Cannot be severed unless the shadow is destroyed.
"You're basically my familiar now?"
"Yes, Master," Elyra said brightly.
Through the new bond, Bastion could tell she was truly happy. He gave up any further complaints before continuing to read through her new skills.
[Shadow Mark]: Imprints a magical seal within a target's shadow, allowing the caster to track, scry, or target them remotely. Marked targets are more vulnerable to shadow-based attacks. The number of marks is limited by Intelligence.
[Shadow Recall]: Instantly returns the caster to any shadow they control or have marked, regardless of distance, barriers, or restrictions.
[Shadow Strike]: Emerge from any shadow the caster controls or has marked to deliver a swift, high-impact melee attack. Deals bonus damage when used from concealment and may cause momentary disorientation.
[Shadow Rampart]: Solidifies a shadow the caster controls or has marked into a defensive wall or dome capable of absorbing physical and magical attacks. Duration and strength scale with the user's dark mana.
[Shadow Bind]: Animates a target's shadow to immobilize them, restricting movement and slowing actions. Effectiveness reduced in low-light or disrupted shadow conditions.
This made Elyra the ideal bodyguard and assassin. Once she marked a target's shadow, she could operate without restraint. Of course, she still needed to be strong enough to confront her target in close combat, which posed no issue for Elyra.
Paired with her Inconspicuous Presence ability, she could stealthily observe anyone and eliminate them when necessary.
Her greatest weaknesses were places with no light, where shadows don't exist, and places with extreme brightness that prevent shadows from forming without mana. Luckily, both could be overcome with light or dark magic.
"Congratulations, Eli," Bastion said once he finished his analysis. "I'll make sure never to do anything that would make you regret your decision."
"There is nothing you could do to make me regret my decision, Master."
They smiled and shared a moment before Elyra, without prompt, retreated into the shadows and appeared under the table where she proceeded to unbuckle Bastion's pants.
'This telepathic connection could be a problem,' Bastion thought as Elyra proceeded to pleasure him. 'How am I supposed to get any work done?'
Elyra took his shaft into her mouth and swirled it around with her tongue. Her lips kept a tight grip as she bobbed her head up and down.
'You may continue reading at your leisure, Master,' Elyra replied through their telepathic link.
"I suppose so," Bastion said as he leaned back instead and simply enjoyed her warmth and effort.
She tenderly cupped him with one hand while her other hand moved along his length, softly tracing the tip of his shaft with her tongue. She made sure to give her best effort for her Master's sake.
A few minutes later, Bastion reached his limit, a wave of pleasure washing over him as he sighed in contentment. No words were needed, their mental bond spoke volumes as he sent Elrya a flood of gratitude.
Elrya swallowed softly, maintaining gentle pressure to hold every last drop, savoring the flavor as she carefully tended to him.
Once she was finished, she buckled him and cast Clean, then melted into the shadows to take her place behind him, licking her lips in satisfaction.
Through their bond, Bastion could tell Elyra was even more of a pervert than he was. Her mind brimmed with thoughts of intimacy, especially the thrill of being dominated and claimed, desires he had rarely entertained.
"This new class of yours isn't bad at all, Eli. Not bad at all."
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