"Huh?" Swift Death's eyebrows jumped in surprise when she heard his words and realized he wasn't interested in her.
She was indeed beautiful enough to arouse the lust of men, and Roy indeed wasn't immune to her charms, but he was a man from the modern world and had higher morals than the barbarians of the Far West, so of course, he wasn't going to force himself on another, even if that person was a beauty as enchanting as a full moon.
Roy scoffed at her, "'Huh' what?"
"You're bluffing... Right?"
The expression she saw on his face, however, said he wasn't thinking about pushing her down and seriously complementing taking her in as his maid.
"I'm serious about it," Roy replied.
Roy was no longer planning to kill her. Yes, he wanted to behead her before, but after realizing she wasn't innately evil like some psychopathic villains of this world, he changed his mind.
Keeping her alive would be beneficial.
There was a major villain who played a key part in causing the downfall of the empire during the invasion of chaos.
This villain had assassinated the Great Sun!
His assassination succeeded due to using the soul shard of Teleportation.
But this Soul Shard was currently in Swift Death's possession.
Once a person dies, the soul shard they had merged with doesn't disappear. It randomly spawns somewhere in the world.
Roy deducted that as long as this lass doesn't die at her intended time, the main villain, Teleporter, would never come into being!!!!
Thus, he settled on binding this girl to her side in order to create a future where Teleporter didn't exist.
His plan wasn't without flaws, but it was better than killing the assassin.
"You must be crazy to think of keeping me, who tried to assassinate you, by your side. Are you not afraid that I will reap your life at night when you're sound asleep?" Swift Death said to Roy sarcastically.
"Of course, I am."
While saying this, Roy took out a rune stone the size of a goose egg.
Its shine forced her to close her eyes.
Then, she heard terrifying words coming out of Roy's mouth.
"I don't trust you in the slightest. That's why we will use this to establish an honest master and servant relationship."
Swift Dead felt bewildered by his words.
She opened her eyes to look at the thing in his hand with fear and asked, "What is this?"
"A rune stone with multiple effects. Taming humans and beasts are one of them. But I can't do it without your consent. So we're back to square one. You have two choices. A) I kill you right here and now. B) You agree to become my maid and hidden sword. Choosing the second option is more beneficial as you will get to the "Family* and you'll never be touched without your permission. The final choice is yours. Decide."
After saying that, Roy extended his hand toward her.
A magical brand appeared on his hand, and the rune stone that was the size of a goose egg decreased to the size of a chicken egg.
"I… accept!"
It was only after a while of thoughtful thinking that Swift Death grabbed his hand hesitantly.
She didn't want to trust him, but what choice did she have?
A symbol similar to the one on Roy's hand appeared on the side of her neck.
It was shaped like a lightning bolt.
『Ding! Congratulation. You've entered into a master-knight contract with Swift Death. You may now create boundaries she absolutely can't cross with her consent.』
"How about setting me free? It's embarrassing to be trapped in this position." Swift Death said in a flustered tone.
Roy declined her request.
"Not so fast."
'What is this pervert with a maid fetish planning to do by keeping me in this position?' Swift Death cursed Roy in her mind while feeling gloomy.
She was desperate for survival and thus sold herself to a noble!
Now… she was regretting it.
Roy looked at her with a stubborn gaze and said, "You may not point your daggers at anyone without my permission. You may not try to harm your master and his people. You may relay all hot news spreading in the underworld to your world. You may heed the call of your master at any time of the day. Don't worry; I won't abuse you. Do you accept?"
If she didn't accept, he wouldn't free her.
That's what she discerned from his stubborn look.
"What choice do I have? Yes… I do!" Swift Death resigned to her fate with an aggrieved look.
Thus, on top of having a cute maid with the potential of a mage, Roy also gained a deadly maid!
…
It was time to leave.
But they couldn't find it.
"Where's the exit out of this place?" Swift Death asked. Roy found her feeling frustrated.
Roy said, "That… I would also like to know?"
Swift Death looked at him with eyes wide open. She was trying to be scary, but it just made her look cute. Her red eyes were really pretty. "You don't know?!"
Roy really didn't.
Unlike a dungeon where an exit would open after the boss monster was killed and the dungeon core destroyed, one had to find or create an exit in a testing ground like this one.
"Uh… well, maybe there's a portal here, too, like the one I found and activated after destroying the flower field? Let's search for it? What do you think?" Roy replied while looking around. There were no magic symbols on the ground. He sighed, raising his head with a defeated look. Immediately, his expression changed.
Swift Death, on the other hand, nodded and said, "This place is too big. We are better off searching individually. I will be investigating the corridors. You can try your luck here."
She was about to head out when Roy stopped her and spoke.
"No need. I found it."
"Wha-? Where?"
"Up there."
Roy pointed at the ceiling.
Swift Death looked up.
Intricate designs were drawn on the ceiling.
Only after inspecting it did Roy find out that it was a magic symbol and their tickets out of this place.
When both of their gazes landed on it, it lit up in bright gold light.
Following that sight were words sounding in the boss room.
[It's detected that you've fulfilled the conditions, "Slay 50 Troglodytes in the Grassland" and "Fish in troubled waters" before coming here.]
"Huh?" Swift Death's eyes brightened in expectation.
It looks like she has experienced a similar situation.
"What is that voice?" Roy asked her.
"We're going to get some kind of reward!" She exclaimed contently.
