I put a leash on Catastrophe

‘Ah…’

When Zhi-wu opened his eyes again, he saw a luxurious ceiling. In the center of the ceiling, adorned with bright paintings resembling religious art, hung a sparkling chandelier with pendants of crystal-like gems.

Feeling the softness of the bedding on his back, Zhi-wu absently looked up with blinking eyes, but suddenly jumped up as if propelled by a spring.

“Ugh!”

Zhi-wu winced, feeling pain he hadn’t noticed while lying down, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Gasping from the pain, he remembered what had happened before he lost consciousness. The last thing he remembered were the pharaoh’s incomprehensible words.

‘Why am I alive?’

It was surprising that he survived despite even spitting at and insulting the pharaoh. He thought he would die without even feeling pain…

‘And where am I anyway?’

When he got used to the pain, he had a chance to look around. This place with a general atmosphere of antiquity clearly resembled a hotel.

And not just a business-class one, but clearly a five-star luxury hotel.

“Hmm…”

Zhi-wu, who had never been to such places in either his past or present life, smirked when he saw the view from the panoramic window occupying one of the walls.

The view from the window of bright night lights between the forest of skyscrapers seemed unreal.

“What happened anyway?”

A dream? When Zhi-wu, with a confused face, not taking his eyes off the window, squeezed the sheet, the door made a click.

As soon as the sound was heard, Zhi-wu sharply turned his head and tensely looked at the opening door, and his face showed bewilderment again.

The visitor was a stranger. It was a sturdy European man with blue eyes and black hair. He was no more than twenty-something years old.

He entered the room, and seeing that Zhi-wu had woken up, approached closer. When Zhi-wu warily looked at him, not knowing who this was, the man put the tray he had brought on the bedside table, dropped to one knee beside him, and bowed.

“You’ve woken up. Would you like to drink or eat something?”

Asking this, the man took a cup from the tray on the table and offered it. Zhi-wu reflexively took it and felt coldness on his palm, as if it had just been filled.

He didn’t know how long he had slept, but as the man said, he felt thirsty, so after hesitating, he brought the cup to his lips. Although it was suspicious, he decided that if they wanted to harm him, they would have done so before he woke up.

Apparently, his body was severely dehydrated, because as soon as the water went down his throat, he felt a surge of strength. Perhaps this woke up his stomach, because a loud sound came from his belly, and Zhi-wu blushed slightly.

“Here, eat this.”

This time the man offered the soup left on the tray. The milky-white soup without a single piece looked as if it could be drunk straight from the cup.

Zhi-wu was momentarily distracted by the appetizing smell tickling his nose, but quickly came to his senses and finally asked the man:

“Excuse me, who are you? Where am I?”

And when he asked why he was here, the man thought for a moment and replied:

“My name is Martin. I’m from Eastveign and was a knight of the glorious Teyten III.”

Hearing the man’s, Martin’s, answer, Zhi-wu became even more puzzled. Where is Eastveign, and of which country was Teyten III the king?

Moreover, the last word was especially meaningful.

‘…Was?’

Because the sentence ended in the past tense. Does this mean he’s not a knight now?

…Could it be. When Zhi-wu thought about the word “knight,” something came to his mind.

“So you’re not a knight now?”

“What?”

Zhi-wu regretted his words immediately after saying them. He himself thought it was a stupid question.

Hearing the question, Martin blinked, and then smiled broadly. He didn’t seem to be mocking Zhi-wu.

“No, I’m still a knight. Just now I’ve become my lord’s knight.”

‘So he just changed allegiance. But who is this lord?’

Maybe it’s the one who rented this hotel room and brought him here? In any case, it seemed that only by meeting him could Zhi-wu understand why he was here, so he wanted to meet him.

“Um… Where is your lord?”

“He’s right before my eyes.”

“What?”

Pondering Martin’s words, Zhi-wu finally understood that by “lord” he meant Zhi-wu himself. When he slowly raised his hand, pointing at himself, Martin nodded in confirmation, and Zhi-wu was shocked.

“What? Me? Why?”

“What do you mean…”

“No, why am I your lord? We just met?”

Maybe Teyten III ordered him to follow me? When Zhi-wu in confusion showed a rejecting attitude, Martin, who was kneeling, also seemed confused, but soon his shoulders drooped.

He looked greatly distressed by Zhi-wu’s rejection. His lowered eyebrows resembled a disappointed big dog.

Zhi-wu momentarily felt like he had done something very wrong, and when he was awkwardly trying to find an answer, Martin said:

“Because my lord awakened me.”

“…What?”

This was something completely new. He himself had just woken up, who awakened whom… Zhi-wu couldn’t follow the conversation that seemed to go in circles.

Seeing Zhi-wu’s face, which showed wariness due to the incomprehensible situation, Martin seemed to be having difficulty, searched for words for a while, and then spoke:

“My lord awakened me, who was sleeping, with his blood.”

Martin’s hand lightly touched the area of his heart.

“And took possession of my soul.”

His words didn’t end there.

“Moreover, I’m not the only one whose soul was sealed by my lord.”

Soul? Sealed? And not just Martin? Zhi-wu was about to deny this because, no matter how he thought about it, he didn’t have such abilities, but suddenly something occurred to him.

‘Then. Besides me and this person…’

If we assume that he really has such an ability, then since all the intruders were dead, besides Martin there was only one person whom Zhi-wu could have sealed.

His heart anxiously started beating faster. At the moment when he thought “no, it can’t be,” the door through which Martin had entered opened, and a familiar face appeared.

“Awake.”

A handsome man, whose area of exposed skin was larger than his clothing itself.

With tanned skin and long sand-colored hair, it was none other than the Pharaoh.

* * *

Let’s go back a few hours, to the museum.

Although Zhi-wu had lost consciousness and fallen, the pharaoh was still standing, holding him by the collar.

The only difference from the previous moment was that his face, previously full of calmness and boredom, was now colored with bewilderment and anger.

“How dare you…”

He tried to use his power against Zhi-wu again, but it didn’t react at all, and then the enraged pharaoh, gritting his teeth tightly, swung, but the released energy passed by Zhi-wu.

Boom!

In the place where the force was directed was Martin, the black knight in armor. He crossed his arms and blocked the pharaoh’s attack directed at him.

Smoke was slightly rising from his hands, but the very fact that he was able to defend himself irritated the pharaoh.

‘Both this one and that one.’

It seemed to him that both Zhi-wu and Martin were looking down on him. When he wanted to destroy something, everything shattered to pieces, when he wanted to kill someone, their life faded. Except for these two.

Obviously, this worthless person he was holding by the collar was incomparably weaker than Martin standing there, but the pharaoh was furious that he couldn’t even move a finger.

‘And not only that.’

Not only him, but this fool was in a similar state.

He clearly saw some invisible force connecting this knight’s chest with the chest of the boy he was holding in his hand, and then with his own chest.

“What has this worm done to me?”

The thin neck before him would easily break in his hands, even without using abilities. Although he could so easily kill him, for some reason he didn’t want to do it, although his mind said to kill him, somehow his body wouldn’t move.

This caused him a feeling of humiliation, and he gritted his teeth when suddenly Martin appeared next to him.

He looked at him with a malicious gaze, asking what happened, but Martin didn’t seem afraid of his gaze and reached out both hands to him.

“What?”

“Please give me my lord.”

Fire flashed in the pharaoh’s eyes. He didn’t like that this piece of iron, which wasn’t even worthy of touching his feet, was telling him what to do.

When he bared his teeth and was about to say something to Martin, Martin spoke even faster.

“If left in this state, my lord might die.”

He pointed to Zhi-wu’s hand. Blood was still oozing from the wound that had reopened due to the pharaoh’s strong grip.

Humans are fragile and died easily. One of the ways is losing a large amount of blood.

‘Maybe just leave him?’

He couldn’t personally break and kill Zhi-wu with his own hands, but there seemed to be no restrictions on just leaving him like this. What was clear – the person in front of him would clearly interfere with his grand plans.

If not breaking him here, it would surely be so, but as soon as he thought about it, his chest strangely pounded.

When he hesitated, feeling anxiety as if violating some taboo, a commotion was heard from outside. It seemed people were gathering because of all the uproar that had happened here.

Usually, he would ignore people gathering around, and when they showed him their teeth, he would make them know their place, like those guys he had just disposed of, but…

“…Damn.”

Looking at Zhi-wu in his hand, he felt reluctance. Although he didn’t like this feeling of manipulation, in the end he clicked his tongue and summoned his power.

Since he wasn’t trying to harm Zhi-wu, unlike the previous time, his ability was used as easily as breathing.

Before people could enter, the pharaoh disappeared into his shadow as if sinking into a swamp, and appeared together with Zhi-wu in an alley about a kilometer away from the museum.