Pacifying the Three Feudatories (Part 1)

"Um?"

The aching in his neck caused the Prime Minister to let out a soft groan of discomfort. He instinctively tried to raise his hand to rub his neck, only to find that his hands were bound and he couldn't move them at all. As he twisted his body, a lingering ache and numbness surged through his entire body, pulling him out of his not-so-sweet slumber.

Opening his eyes and gazing at the pitch-black surroundings, the Prime Minister was certain he was not in his own home. (Of course, you're tied up, how could you possibly stay at home?)

Then, a wave of dizziness hit his brain, making him sway as if he were on a small, turbulent boat. However, this dizziness brought more than just discomfort; it also brought back his memories of the time before he lost consciousness.

"It seems I've been kidnapped, but who could have done it? Hmm... since they were able to sneak into my house so quietly, their identity must be extraordinary. And the fact that they only captured me and didn't kill me means I still have some use to them. This means they're either a political figure from another country or a high-ranking noble in this country."

"A high-ranking nobleman of our country... Hiss! Could it be that one?"

Just as the Prime Minister finished his mental deductions and analysis, a familiar voice rang in his ears, confirming his guess.

"Prime Minister, it's been a long time. How are you?"

Although the surrounding lights were dim and the person's appearance was not clearly visible, the prime minister was able to identify the person simply by their voice and tone of voice.

"General Oddek, you've tied me up like this, how can I possibly recover?"

"Hehe! Your Excellency Prime Minister, if I didn't do this, would you obediently come here with me for a heart-to-heart talk?"

"How could Red not come when General Oddek made the appointment?"

"That's true! When the time comes, the Prime Minister will lead the kingdom's army here to arrest me."

"General Oddek, you are the general of Cuiyi'aorshu and Miss Diphiya's brother. Why would I lead troops to arrest you?"

"Of course the Prime Minister won't arrest General Oddek, but he will arrest Prince Sordil of Fostadu!"

"General Oddek, what do you mean by this?"

"Hehe! Your Excellency, why use coded language in front of an open person?"

"Well... alright! Since Prince Sordil is willing to have an open and frank talk, then Red will not hold back either. May I ask what brings you here today?"

"I wouldn't call it instruction; I simply wish to borrow something from the Prime Minister!"

"Your Highness the Prince wants to borrow, could it be Red's head?"

"Haha! Your Excellency, you are overthinking it. I just wanted to ask you for some supporting evidence."

"Corroborating evidence? What corroborating evidence?"

"Of course, it's evidence of the true purpose of the delegation's visit to the front lines!"

"This... the delegation went to the front lines to comfort the soldiers. Your Highness the Prince, if you need proof, you should go to the front lines and ask the soldiers there!"

"Haha! Your Excellency, I'll say it again: let's not mince words in front of an open person!"

"Your Highness the Prince, now that you know everything, do you think I would dare to leave any evidence? Besides, if I had left any evidence, would His Majesty the King have allowed me to live this long?"

After the Prime Minister finished speaking, there was complete silence; you could hear a pin drop. About fifteen minutes later, Sordil's voice rang out again.

"So, Your Excellency doesn't have what I need?"

Sensing the sharp drop in Sordil's tone, the Prime Minister's heart skipped a beat. He felt as if a Cold Light steel blade was hanging behind his head, ready to strike at any moment and decapitate him. Just as the Prime Minister was debating whether to hand over the things he had secretly hidden, Sordil had already sentenced him to annihilation.

"Since the Prime Minister cannot meet my demands, he has lost his value and is no longer of any use!"

"Buzz"

The surrounding air whistled, and gusts of cold wind, like blades, sliced across the Prime Minister's exposed skin, causing him excruciating pain. Realizing what Sordil was about to do, the Prime Minister hurriedly shouted, "Prince Sordil, I have evidence! I have proof of the true purpose of the delegation!"

"Bang!"

Almost at the same moment the Prime Minister spoke, a bluish-white wind blade grazed his neck and struck the opposite wall with a muffled thud.

"Gulp"

Looking at the few strands of hair that had fallen to the ground, the Prime Minister felt a chill creeping up his neck. If it weren't for the fact that the saliva he had just swallowed had slid smoothly into his stomach, he would have thought that he had been too slow and had his throat slit!

"Your Excellency, do you have any corroborating evidence now?"

Although the voice was exactly the same as before, the Prime Minister could sense a newfound impatience and coldness in the other person's tone. Having navigated the officialdom for many years, the Prime Minister knew what this meant, so he dared not conceal anything any longer and immediately threw out his trump card for survival.

"Your Highness the Prince, the evidence is in my study. I will take you there to retrieve it immediately!"

"Hehe! No rush! There are some other things to take care of before we go to collect the evidence."

The Prime Minister had assumed that Sordil, upon hearing that he was to hand over the evidence, would immediately lead him away to the Prime Minister's residence. However, to his surprise, Sodir didn't do so, instead choosing to stay and handle other matters. This surprised and disappointed the Prime Minister, as it meant he had lost a chance to escape.

Just as the prime minister was lamenting his missed opportunity, a parchment scroll flew in front of him. Sordil then explained the origin and purpose of the scroll to him.

"Prime Minister, what is placed before you is a magical artifact called Pact Scroll. Its uses are both wide-ranging and specific: to create a contract to ensure the maintenance of a relationship between two people. There are many types of these contracts, which can be roughly divided into several major categories such as Master-Servant Contract, equal contracts, and life-and-death contracts."

"I won't go into the other types of Pact Scroll. I'll mainly talk to you about the Master-Servant Contract, because the one in front of you, the one you'll be signing later, is the Master-Servant Contract."

Upon hearing the words "Master-Servant Contract," the Prime Minister's composure crumbled, for he already knew what fate awaited him. Though he wanted to resist, circumstances were beyond his control; at this moment, he could only hope that the contract contained no particularly excessive clauses.

"The so-called Master-Servant Contract means that the two people who sign the contract are one master and one servant. The master has absolute sovereignty over the servant, and even if the master orders the servant to die, the servant cannot disobey the order. Otherwise, the contract will be activated, and the servant will suffer a punishment more terrible than death. In addition, the Master-Servant Contract has a unique feature that other contracts do not have: once the master dies, the servant will also die. However, if the servant dies, the master will not be affected."

"Of course, this Master-Servant Contract is still relatively simple right now, with only these functions. But don't worry, I will definitely continue to research and improve it, striving to create a perfect Master-Servant Contract that can monitor the servant's thoughts. When that happens, I will definitely make you the first user!"

Hearing Sordil's 'care' for him, the prime minister felt that his future life would be no better than hell! At this moment, he regretted that he had not been killed but had lived on without any backbone.

"Alright, I've finished explaining the basic functions of the Master-Servant Contract to you. Now, sign your name on it! Oh, right, sign your real name, and use magic to sign it."

"Call out"

As soon as Sordil finished speaking, a wind blade flew past, freeing the Prime Minister's bound right hand. At the same time, the Master-Servant Contract floated down from the sky in front of him. After glancing around to make sure there were no onlookers, the Prime Minister twisted his only free right hand and humiliatingly signed his name on the Master-Servant Contract.