Undead Beast Master: Living Solely for My Desires-Chapter 297: A Slave’s Bond

"A slave contract?" Zaroth raised an eyebrow.

Sensing that the woman should explain, she let out a sigh.

"Yes. This is what separates a fake slave from a true one."Seeing this was going to be a long conversation, she returned to her sofa. As she sat down, the slaves at her side resumed blowing cool air with their fangs.

"A fake slave is what most people have. You've likely owned one before. Some obey better than others, but many resist. Those with stronger wills might refuse commands outright—and some would even risk everything to kill their master. Death, to them, can seem like the better option."

The woman took a slow puff from her pipe and then continued speaking ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

"A true slave, however, is bound by a contract—one that ties their very soul to the owner. Not merely bound… but completely surrendered. Every command the owner gives, the slave must obey—without hesitation, without exception. The bond between them becomes unbreakable; not even death or the gods can break it."

Zaroth had to admit—it sounded like a terrible fate. To lose the ability to refuse even the simplest command would be a nightmare.

"And if the owner dies?" he asked. "Does the slave go free?"

At his question, the two men blowing air toward the woman let out a pained laugh. That was all the answer Zaroth needed.

"No," she replied. "If the owner dies, the slaves whose souls are bound to theirs die as well."

Staring into the distance, Zaroth asked, "So once bound, a slave can never have another master? Then what about the ones you're selling? I assume they're bound to you—can they be transferred?"

A pale smile touched her lips. "Yes, they can. That's why they cost so much. You're not just purchasing a body, you're inheriting a soul. The process is expensive—and dangerous."

"Can anyone become a slave?" Zaroth asked. It was his final question.

"No. Some people simply can't. Their will is too strong. Though… if the owner's will is stronger, there's a chance the contract will hold."

A few ideas came up in Zaroth's mind, but he was going to have to ponder over them at a later date. "I see. Thank you!" he spoke as he went to some more secluded place.

'It is shocking, is it not? How much suffering a humans can inflict on one another,' Luna commented in his mind, 'I imagine if you weren't all that divided, you could have been ruling the whole world by now, but you are stuck fighting against one another.'

Zaroth had to agree with his dragon's statement. 'Well, maybe it is what makes us human in the first place…'

Having his questions answered, he continued to explore the city, but was unable to, as his mind was thinking about the slave contract. While he imagined most men would be thrilled that they could force the beautiful women they have bought to fulfill all of their sexual fantasies, Zaroth saw another opportunity.

Someone who cannot disobey any command… would they not make the perfect soldier?

What if he acquired hundreds of such slaves? In battle, he could order them to charge suicidal lines, to do what no free man would dare. Even if he didn't use them as cannon fodder, their survival would be tied to his. If he fought, they would be forced to protect him, because his death would mean their own.

In a way, his life would be more valuable than theirs.

"The woman didn't say anything about freeing a true slave… I'll take that to mean once you're bound, there's no going back," Zaroth muttered.

He was now seriously considering buying veteran soldiers that have become slaves. Thankfully, they were much cheaper than the stunning women, so he would be able to afford one or maybe even two.

"But first, I need to find that elf. It's the whole reason I came here."

Zaroth figured that if there really was an elf here, it wouldn't be in the market—it would be in the auction houses, where people would be bidding against each other to buy the slaves.

A shiver went down Zaroth's spine as he imagined how much these slaves would cost — they could be in the hundreds of thousands of gold…

"I never expected to be able to afford the elf. I'll just have to steal it... But that contract could be a problem. If the elf is under one of those, things will get complicated."

Deciding to deal with it when the time came, Zaroth entered one of the smaller auction houses — or tried, but sadly he was stopped at the entrance.

Two tall men with black hair and armor stood before him, with some kind of emblem on their left shoulder. Zaroth recognized it — this was the same emblem the bandits he had killed earlier had. He just didn't pay any attention to it at the time as he thought it wasn't that important.

'So they're likely part of the Outlaws bandit group,' he thought.

"Name?" one of the guards asked.

"Hollow," Zaroth replied.

The man looked through their list for a few seconds.

"According to the documents, you have only a low-tier slave. As such, entry is not permitted. If you want to enter, you have to prove that you have the funds to buy a high-tier one."

Zaroth grimaced. It seemed that he was going to have to buy an expensive slave after all.

However, this would have to wait until tomorrow, as it was getting dark. Deciding it was better to rest, he found a nice inn and booked a room and a meal.

The next day he took a quick shower before beginning to explore the city again.

"Well, they did tell me I have to buy a slave, so I have no choice…" he muttered as he entered a particular building.

If he was going to buy a slave, it might as well be a strong one. He wondered where he could see their strength on display, and soon, his gaze landed on an arena.

"If arena isn't the place to find strong slaves, I don't know where it is!"