Tenebrous Wolf

The Master and Servant Soul Contract immediately activated its curse when the Servant betrayed the Master.

Klaus had learned this truth from Briar, along with the vast knowledge residing comfortably in his mind. Though he had no idea what the book was or where it came from, he did know that it held the power to summon Briar, a succubus, into this world. More importantly, it contained an incalculable amount of information— far more than he could fully access at the moment.

He didn't understand how it worked, but that was simply the reality of the situation. Since he couldn't refer to the book as just a book, he decided to name it the [Book of Wisdom].

At first, he had considered calling it the Book of Omniscience, but omniscience was too far-fetched. So, he settled for something more reasonable.

There was no need to dwell on his terrible naming sense.

—Regardless, the succubus had been summoned and bound to him, and now the two of them had to deal with it.

After listening to Briar's explanations and analyzing the information from the Book of Wisdom, Klaus had reached a solid understanding of the contract mysticism.

First, the servant was not bound to absolute obedience. They could refuse unreasonable orders. This restriction existed to ensure the contract remained a mutual agreement rather than a one-sided arrangement.

In turn, the master was expected to treat their servant with the appropriate authority and respect. It was an exchange similar to the "Reward & Service" relationship between a Shogun and their Samurai. This system originated during the Kamakura period, a historical era nearly forgotten in the wake of humanity's technological advancements.

Even so, culture was not something easily discarded. In fact, the Sanctuary had originally been part of Japan before it became an independent existence in 2073, following the Great Fracture.

That said, even if the Master issued an unreasonable order, the curse would not activate against them due to their superior standing in the contract.

—Then what exactly determined a betrayal from the Servant, triggering the curse?

It was complicated. The condition for the curse's activation was "a mental betrayal."

That said, the Servant wasn't forced into absolute submission. Briar, as the Servant, had the right to oppose an unreasonable order.

Additionally, actions that resembled "rebellion' or "betrayal", but were intended to correct a mistake or benefit the Master, were apparently forgiven.

However, if the Servant disobeyed a legitimate order or acted with unjustified defiance, the curse activated without mercy.

When the curse was triggered, a mark resembling a collar appeared on Briar's neck as proof.

Thus, as long as she remained reasonable and displayed no genuine intent of betrayal, the curse would not activate. So far, half a month had passed, and the curse had yet to manifest.

This was definitely great news for both of them.

More importantly, it was undeniable proof that their relationship had improved!

† †

In the midst of the bustling streets of District 14, a young man moved through the crowd.

Standing at six feet tall, his figure was concealed beneath a black hoodie. His messy black hair rested neatly under a cap beneath the hood, and his skin retained a natural tan rather than one from the blazing sun above. His eyes— hollow as twin voids— darted vigilantly, as if he were a stranger in an unfamiliar land.

That, however, was odd, considering he had spent most of his life in the Sanctuary. Despite his apparent unease, his confident stride and straight posture masked any sign of anxiety.

This individual was none other than Klaus Schwarz.

Klaus despised crowds and loathed walking through the streets during the busiest hours of the day. Though he had no difficulty conversing with others, he found it exhausting, as if every interaction drained what little energy he had. But today, he had no choice but to endure it.

And the reason for that was the person walking beside him.

A young woman, standing at 165 centimeters, likely around his age, or perhaps even older.

Her deep purple hair cascaded past her shoulders, though it stopped just short of reaching her hips. Beneath the blazing sun, her amber eyes gleamed with a golden hue, and her fair skin carried a smooth, porcelain-like quality. She wore a long-sleeve off-white top, both fitted and loose in a way that accentuated her figure without being restrictive.

For her lower body, she wore a simple black skirt that would have ordinarily suited someone with her pear-shaped build. However, her hips and backside were simply too wide, causing the fabric to ride up higher than intended. As a result, the skirt appeared shorter than it should, drawing the attention of passersby, especially men.

To make matters worse, she wore black thigh-high stockings that not only complemented the overall ensemble but also highlighted the natural shape of her thighs and broad, shapely hips. More importantly, they accentuated the flow of her curves, particularly the rhythmic sway of her full, generous backside.

With each step she took, those plush globes bounced and jiggled in a manner that seemed almost hypnotic.

The effect was immediate. Heads turned. Eyes widened. And whispers soon emerged.

Men, both young and old, found themselves momentarily entranced, slipping into a trance-like state as if an invisible spell had been cast upon them. Some snapped out of it quickly, shaking their heads in disbelief, while others remained ensnared, unable to look away.

"Damn... look at her."

"Is she even real? Those hips..."

A group of teenage boys standing near a street vendor exchanged glances before bursting into hushed laughter.

"That skirt is holding on for dear life."

"Man, if she bends even a little, it's over."

One of them gulped, suddenly aware of how dry his throat had become.

Nearby, an older gentleman, probably in his forties, let out a nostalgic sigh.

"Young men these days don't know how to appreciate real beauty properly... Back in my day—"

Before he could finish, his wife shot him a sharp glare, causing him to clear his throat and avert his gaze.

A woman standing with her friend scoffed, arms crossed.

"Seriously? Are men that easy? It's just a skirt and stockings."

"Yeah, but look at how tight it is on her... It's like she was sculpted."

She rolled her eyes, but even she couldn't deny the woman's presence was overpowering.

One particularly bold man took a step forward, adjusting his jacket as he muttered under his breath.

"I gotta try my luck..."

But just as he was about to call out to her, Klaus, without even looking, exuded a cold aura that sent a silent warning through the air. The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, and an invisible pressure clamped down on the surroundings.

The man instantly froze. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as his instincts screamed at him to stop.

He took a step back.

"N-Never mind..."

The whispers continued, but no one dared to approach.

Klaus sighed and rubbed his throbbing temple. He was definitely have a massive headache.

This had been happening nonstop since the moment they left his apartment complex!

"Shit. How many has it been now? Do you actually enjoy this kind of attention, or are you just trying to piss me off?"

The woman beside him merely smiled like an innocent saint, unfazed by his irritation, as if she hadn't just turned half the street into drooling fools.

"Geez, you're so unnecessarily harsh. How is any of this my fault?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe... try wearing something that doesn't turn the entire district into hypnotized idiots?!"

"And whose fault is that? Because if I recall, you were the one who bought these clothes."

"Yeah, and you still expect me to believe they all just happened to be the wrong size?"

She shrugged. "Of course they were. You didn't even check. You just grabbed whatever looked 'safe' and hoped for the best. Isn't that what we call wishful thinking?"

Klaus ran a hand down his face, clearly exhausted. "My bad, then. Guess I should just blame it on your absurd physiology or, hell, maybe even a gravitational field at this point." He gestured vaguely at her. "If you can change your damn appearance, then why not just reduce your hips and ass a little, huh?"

The white woman's smile finally faltered, causing her amber eyes to narrow slightly at him.

"Your words are seriously rude! How many times must I explain the same thing?" She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping low enough that only Klaus could hear. "I can conceal my real image, but I can't actually change my appearance. It's like making a pen look like a sword, it doesn't mean the pen is a sword. I'm simply layering a false image over my real one, creating a realistic illusion."

She exhaled as she continued her graceful strode, "This is the most basic triat of a succubus."

Klaus didn't respond immediately.

Because, of course, this woman wasn't human at all.

She was Briar, the succubus disguised in human form.

For the past few days, she had been pestering him about seeing the outside world, which he had repeatedly shut down. It wasn't that he didn't understand her frustration at being confined to a single place for so long, but there was no way he could let her roam the Sanctuary in her true form.

Besides, the supercomputer [Omega] was always watching. If she so much as stepped outside his apartment, they would be discovered instantly.

That problem was seemingly solved when Briar revealed one of her succubus traits: [Veil]. This ability allowed her to weave a flawless illusion over herself, masking her demonic features and making her appear completely human. It wasn't a true transformation, her real form remained unchanged beneath the illusion, but to the naked eye, it was indistinguishable. Even advanced scanning technology would struggle to detect the discrepancy unless equipped with highly specialized countermeasures.

Of course, Klaus was too afraid to test this theory. Even if Briar was right, Omega recorded the data of every resident in the Sanctuary. If the supercomputer detected an identity that wasn't in its database, it would immediately alert the authorities, and erase her at once.

That was the Sanctuary's ultimate defense mechanism against illegal and unauthorized immigrants.

But Omega wasn't the only problem.

The Sanctuary was home to countless Awakened. It didn't matter whether someone was a Fighter-Class, Sorcerer-Class, Psychic-Class, or Support-Class, once an Ascendant reached a certain point in the progression sequence, they would be on equal footing in terms of proficiency. At that level, all of them could see through the changes caused by one's mysticism, making any form of deception nearly impossible.

Considering Briar's nature as a succubus, she likely fell into the Sorcerer or Psychic category. That meant she would be vulnerable against Ascendants of the same classification who were even slightly stronger than her, let alone those vastly superior.

In other words, if they accidentally ran into an Ascendant even one or two levels above them— say, a Heightened Awakened or, worse, an Inquisitor— they'd be completely screwed.

Klaus had only awakened as an Apprentice half a month ago, while Briar's current level as a Fiend-Shadow Creature wasn't much better in comparison.

The gap between their levels was not something to be underestimated!

Klaus, as an Apprentice, would be utterly powerless against a Heightened Awakened. He might as well present his ass on a silver platter!

That was the reality of their situation. The difference wasn't just a gap, It was an unbridgeable abyss.

No wonder Klaus was anxious walking around with this cheeky succubus!

Well, I shouldn't have to worry too much since it's rare for an Heightened or an Inquisitor just casually roam about in the open.

Also, Briar also seems confident in her abilities, but that is the full extent of the story. Perhaps she has some kind of artifact that will guarantee her safety. Yeah, that's probably it.

Klaus glanced at the succubus walking beside him. She was taking in her surroundings with wide, sparkling eyes, like a child seeing a new world for the first time.

—Well, technically, she was in a foreign land.

It made sense that Briar would be curious, especially about human advancements. She seemed both fascinated and surprised by the level of technology around her.

Whatever the case, it was clear that she was thoroughly enjoying herself.