章 32: Want to try it?
Lia slowly pulled the robe back around herself, her hands shaking as she tied it closed. Her eyes remained fixed on the floor.
"Look," he said, his voice softer now. "You've been through a lot. I can't even begin to imagine how hard it's been for you, but things are going to be different now. No one is going to hurt you, and no one is going to take advantage of you. Not as long as I'm around."
Lia didn't respond, but her shoulders relaxed slightly, and she nodded, just barely. Ethan took that as a small victory.
"Get some rest," he said again, gesturing to the bed. "The only thing you need to worry about right now is taking care of yourself."
Lia hesitated but eventually sat down on the edge of the bed. She didn't lie down, but she seemed less tense than before. Ethan returned to his chair by the window, keeping a watchful eye on her while giving her the space she seemed to need.
His body was aching and the bed was inviting but it seemed cruel to invade the personal space of someone who already had everything taken from them. Well at this point he did not even care about sleeping on the hard floor. He was too tired.
Ethan stood up, walked over to the middle of the room and then simply got down onto the floor, the wooden planks creaking softly under his weight. The hard surface was far from comfortable, but he did not have the energy to care. He stretched out his legs, closing his eyes for a moment as exhaustion began to wash over him.
The room was quiet except for the occasional rustle of fabric as Lia shifted on the bed. Ethan could feel her hesitant gaze on him, like she was trying to make sense of his actions. He cracked one eye open and glanced her way, offering a faint smile.
"Don't overthink it," he said softly. "The floor's not so bad. I've slept in worse places."
Lia's lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but no words came. Her hands fidgeted in her lap, and she finally lowered her gaze again. Ethan didn't press her further; he knew it would take time for her to trust him, if she ever did.
Letting out a sigh, he was finally about to fall asleep when a new system notification beeped.
[Ding! Transfer of Slave Contract]
[Ding! Lia Moretess Slave Contract has been successfully transfered]
[Ding! Lia Moretess is now your personal slave]
[Ding! Do you wish to contract Lia Moretess as your summon?]
[Ding! Yes/ No]
Ethan's eyes snapped open as he watched the system notifications in alarm. A slave contract? Something that was accepted by the system? It looked like this fucked up practise was really system sanctioned. What the hell was the system even?
It was very unsettling and Ethan did not like it. But more importantly, what did it mean by contracting her as a summon? Was it asking him to outright just kill her?
No… that should not be the case.
Ethan still vividly remembered what had happened when he tried summoning the two human beings.
Instead of brand new bodies stepping out of nothingness, the bleeding skewered corpses on the floor awoke to life like zombies and tried to attack everything in their sight. They became completely rabid, losing all of their senses and in the end they exploded and disappeared.
There was even a system message that said the summoning had failed. Now why would it suggest the same again? Maybe this was something else? Perhaps a different contract as his summon instead of a slave, one he could sign with her still alive?
Ethan did not know what to do. It seemed a little risky but at the same time he had a feeling that this might be different from the summoning attempt he had previously made.
He sat up, running a hand through his hair and stealing a glance at her. Lia was still seated on the bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, oblivious to the system's offer hanging in the air.
If he accepted, what would it mean for her? It's not like she had a choice in the matter. The system had made him the sole arbiter of her fate.
The best thing he could do was probably just ignore it and find a way to dissolve the slave contract to truly let her be free. But then what? Someone else might capture her sooner or later. Was she going to hang around him for the rest of her life?
That seemed a bit too unrealistic. That would tie her to him in the probably the same way a slave contract would. Also, that was not convenient for him.
"So… " Ethan started but then stopped. While he felt sorry for her, he did not feel comfortable revealing all his secrets to a woman he just met, that too someone whose mind was definitely affected. He needed to word everything carefully.
"Listen, if there was a way to gain a class or maybe just level and become stronger, would you want to try it? Even if it is a bit risky and you might end up losing your life?" Ethan did his best to explain but in the end it was what it was.
クリエイターの想い 
Yolohy
Yolohy Guys this week chapters might not be there. We are basically packing up our shit and moving countries. So bear with me. This should definitely be the last break before both stories get regular updates if not more.
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