In the Land of Leadale - Volume 4 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue

Two days after parting from Cohral, Cayna’s group finally returned to the remote village. Lux Contracting, located at the entrance, was now both an engineering firm and a sundries store. Luka and Lytt quickly stepped down from the wagon and went to give Latem his souvenirs. Cayna took this opportunity to greet Sunya, who told her their firm was supplying the fortress at the border with everyday goods, and the villagers could shop here as well.

Cayna thanked the cath palug for all its hard work and dismissed it. It meowed back and sent her a telepathic message—“Lemme know if you ever need help with the kids”—before disappearing. Enbarr nuzzled Cayna’s cheek and neighed before likewise disappearing.

Marelle was happy to see Lytt back home safe. She was even happier when Lytt gave her a souvenir. Cayna apologized for keeping her away from home for so long, but Marelle gave her a hug and a firm pat on the back.

“Don’t you worry about it, Cayna,” she said. “I might even ask you to take her out again if you get the chance.”

When Cayna, Luka, and Roxine arrived at their own home, they found Roxilius prostrated before them at the entrance.

“What the—?!”

Cayna did a double take; he was definitely on his hands and knees. It was some pretty impressive groveling since he didn’t seem to mind getting himself so dirty. Roxine looked repulsed as she contemplated whether to step on his head.

“What are you doing, you useless cat?” Roxine spat. “Did you finally have a mental breakdown?”

Startled, Luka clung to Cayna’s cloak.

“C’mon, Rox, stand up,” said Cayna. “What’s going on?”

No matter how many times she called to him, he remained exactly where he was. He continued a stream of barely audible apologies: “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“No, seriously, what’s going on?” Cayna pressed.

Roxine snapped. She grabbed his collar and lifted him up. “Dammit!! If you’re gonna upset our master, then I’ve got no choice—”

She ended her rant mid-sentence; Roxilius had tears streaming down his cheeks. Even Roxine was dumbfounded.

“U-uhhh… Um…,” she stammered.

“At any rate, let’s head inside,” Cayna suggested. “Cie, let go of Rox.”

“R-right…”

Cayna patted the dirt off Roxilius and rubbed his back until he calmed down. Roxine felt guilty for roughing him up, so she helped Cayna. She must have been genuinely shocked by his behavior, as she didn’t throw a single insult his way. Cayna left Luka in her room for the time being and summoned the cath palug once again. The cat in question sneered as if it knew Cayna would need its help again so soon.

Roxilius sat at the dining table, having finally calmed down, and hung his head. Deeply concerned, Cayna couldn’t help wondering what could have possibly happened to him. Roxine stood meekly nearby with a tray in her hands.

After several minutes of silence, Roxilius finally began to speak.

“Y-you see…”

“Uh-huh.”

“Th-there was a visitor…”

“Okay… And?” Cayna urged.

Roxine’s shoulders slumped as she heaved a sigh and demanded, “C’mon, what the heck did they want?!”

“A-about that… This visitor forced me to make a contract with them, so I can’t say…”

“What?!” Cayna cried, jumping up from her chair. “By ‘contract,’ you mean Contract Magic?!”

Contract Magic was unique to players and could only be used on NPCs. It was meant to keep people to their word, but in the hands of cruel players, it could be used to bind other users’ NPCs (such as Foster Children and guild employees) in a contract.

Also known as Servile Magic, it was among the most detested features in the game. The target remained under the contractor’s control unless the latter either undid the spell or deleted their account. Contract Magic had been temporarily erased from Leadale, but a number of users had managed to hang onto it via illegal programs. Anyone caught using Contract Magic was reported and subsequently banned.

“But you’re still here, and the only thing this person forced you to do was not tell anyone who they were?” Cayna said.

“…Yes. I’m deeply sorry for allowing this to happen while you were away.”

Now at his wits’ end, Roxilius bowed his head despondently. Roxine stormed off, infuriated.

“…So what did the visitor want?” Cayna asked him.

“Ah, right. They left this letter.”

Roxilius handed her a manila envelope. Manila envelopes didn’t exist in this world. Astonished, Cayna opened the envelope and unfolded the piece of paper that was inside.

 To my fiancée.

That was all it said.