Heart-Binding Oath

"Ah! Don't touch there anymore!" Laurent exclaimed. "It's so painful! I can't understand why you like such thing!"

Laurent was lying on his chest on the bed because his buttocks hurt. Huvel stroked his back leisurely, and he could not help but occasionally touched the bruises on Laurent's reddened bums.

"Laurent, do you want to earn a lot of money?" He asked out of context.

"Are you hiring me again? Thanks, but no thanks!" Laurent replied immediately.

"No, it's not that. I have something to sell. If you sell them for me, you can get some profit for yourself. Only that it might become dangerous later."

"Is this the benefit you talked about before? Illegal drugs? No, I don't want to sell such things."

"No illegal things."

Huvel brought out a potion tube from the pile of clothes on the floor. He gently applied the potion on Laurent's buttocks.

"You poor butts had suffered this time. I'll heal you guys now." He said gleefully.

"Cold! What's that?" Laurent turned his head to look at his bottom.

"Healing potion." Huvel replied offhandedly.

"HEALING POTION?!! That expensive thing?! You are joking me, right?"

"Nope. Didn't I say I need some help from you? Now, I can test the effect of this potion on you. Do you still feel painful?"

"Hmm… Huh? It is not painful anymore!"

Laurent could not believe and turned his head to see his own buttocks. Huvel laughed lightly at that sight and slapped the bums.

"Stop looking! They are fine now. No more bruises on them."

Laurent touched his own buttocks before he dared to sit up.

"They are really healed! Is that really a healing potion? Why did you use such an expensive thing like this?"

"This is an experiment to see the potency of this low-tier healing potion. Thank you for helping me with the experiment!"

"Am I a test subject?!"

"Don't sweat over small things. Say Laurent, do you want to sell those potions to your noble acquaintances?"

"Oh, you have more potions? Where did you get them from? There is a lack of potions in the whole realm because of the war."

Huvel moved closer to Laurent; his eyes looking directly to Laurent.

"I made those potions myself. But it may become dangerous for me if people know these things come from me. So, if you want to sell them, you have to swear under a spell!"

"A... A SPELL!! Are you a magician... Sir... Huvel?!"

"Yes, I'm a magician. But it'd be better if you don't ask more. I can't guarantee your life if you know too much."

Laurent gulped. He dared not asked more and went silent for a while. He did not expect Huvel to have awakened prowess. He was surprised with the fact that he had never heard of any news of his awakening or becoming a potion maker. But he did not think about it too much because he was more concerned about the profit he could make by selling potions.

There was a high demand of healing potions in the duchy since the arrival of injured nobles from the frontline. Even a small tube of low-tier healing potion could be sold at 40 or more silver coins.

"At least, tell me how much can I get from this transaction?" He asked directly.

"About 5 gold coins if you are a good businessman." Huvel replied.

"I will swear as you wish!" Laurent said immediately.

"Do you like money that much?" Huvel said as he shook his head.

Huvel bit Laurent on his chest, above where his heart was. He then casted a spell using light magic. It was a copy of 3rd tier dark magic spell, [Heart-Binding Oath]. He did not know if using light magic for a dark magic formula would work but he had to try.

He did not want people to know, even if there was only a slim chance, that there was someone who awakened Dark Prowess in the kingdom. Since dark magicians were despised by magicians of other elements, he would have a hard time if some wizards came to hunt him.

"Laurent, a binding spell will be put on your heart after you swear the oath. If you go back on your oath, your heart will be devoured by this binding and you will die. This spell will expire after one year. If you agree to these terms, swear that you will not reveal to anyone who provided you the healing potions and who casted this spell on you." Huvel put his right palm on Laurent's chest and said in a serious manner Laurent had never seen before.

"I, Laurent Armon, swear that I will not reveal who provided me the healing potions and who casted this spell on me to anyone!" His voice was a bit weak because of the heaviness of the oath.

A four-pointed star in a circle appeared on his chest after his oath. Huvel was delighted to see his spell worked.

"Although the potions are low-tier, they are a half time more potent than the normal low-tier potions. You can sell them at a high price if you can talk well. I'll give you 40 tubes of potion now. I'll send about 60 tubes later. You only need to return me 50 silver coins for each tube. You can keep all the other profits you make."

"I can make at least 5 gold coins from selling a hundred tubes! Isn't this too much for a commission?"

"You don't like it?"

"It is not that I don't like it. But it sounded to be too generous that I feel uncomfortable."

"Hmm. You are not wrong. There might be people who will try to harm or kidnap you to investigate the source of the potions in the future."

"What?! Is it that dangerous?!"

"My dear Laurent, you had already sworn an oath. You can't back off even if it's dangerous!"

"You… you… Why didn't you tell this me before making me swear?!"

Huvel lowered his eyes. He put his hands on Laurent's shoulders and said earnestly, "Laurent, I know that I did not treat you well when you stayed with me. But I've never harmed you badly. This time too, although I don't want you to be in danger, I have to count on you. But don't worry. As long as you don't break the oath, I will save you, even if you are kidnapped by nobles. I promise you that!"

Laurent's eyes widened. He was touched. He had never imagined that Huvel would have a caring side. He did not want to look weak in the eyes of this boy who was much younger than him.

"Sir Huvel, now that you had done it a few times to me, do you think I'm a lady that needs your protection? It is not guaranteed that I'll be kidnapped, right? There are still many guards in the city. Even the greediest men will not be that daring enough to act under the guards' watchful eyes. So don't make such face. It doesn't suit you."

"Haha. Is that so?" Huvel replied with his usual playful tone and rested his head on Laurent's thigh.

"You can't trust the city guards if something really happens." That was what Huvel wanted to say but could not.