Chapter 574: A Loophole in the Contract Grimoire?
“Safe from being kidnapped, huh?” Ryuk asked.
“Actually, yes. I was kidnapped without my permission after all,” she said, and he turned to her, rolling his eyes in exasperation when he saw she wasn’t that serious.
“But honestly, it’s more about being safe from being tricked by both of you. I really want to believe that you finding me and bringing me out was a coincidence and not some already formed plan with Anteris…” she said, but watched as Ryuk helplessly shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s not a formed plan. And Anteris is grateful to you, if anything…” he replied, and she nodded.
“Yes. I heard his words, too.”
“To think I would find one of those barbarians in a world like this, though. That’s the last thing I could expect,” she mused under her breath, and he nodded.
“Situations like that happen a couple of times, too. Things you never expect, suddenly happening…” Ryuk voiced out, his memory drifting back to when he appeared before the Silverunics.
He was only trying to complete a ruin trail, and who would have expected he would arrive in another new world instead?
It was never something he ever thought would happen one day, but it did.
Life just always has a way of pushing you into things you never expected.
“So the good test is still up and running?” Rakshasa asked, taking her seat on the grass as Ryuk smiled casually.
“Is someone planning on running off?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“Not run off. I just like to go see around the world, you know…”
“Or more of, cause a little chaos in the world…” he responded as she furrowed her eyebrows at him.
“I thought you, of all people, should be beyond that,” she said, and Ryuk turned to her, asking,
“Beyond what?”
“Beyond thinking I’m evil?” she asked, as Ryuk’s gaze narrowed briefly before he responded.
“I never thought you were ever beyond evil, Rakshasa.”
“You must have done some really evil things in the past…” he added, and Rakshasa’s eyebrows arched.
“And how did you know that? Because I kept those skulls as a collection?” she asked, as Ryuk softly shook his head.
“It’s not about that. It’s that if the idea of keeping people’s skulls is something natural to you… Then that must mean you must have done some really awful things in the past.”
“A person who has never seen someone injured before won’t put a blade to another’s neck and end it.”
“If you keep skulls as a collection, it can’t be your first time, or… You must have seen that being done. So you’re not particularly innocent or anything,” he said, as Rakshasa’s eyes shimmered with disbelief.
But when she saw Ryuk’s unapologetic gaze, the disbelief faded away, replaced by a wicked grin.
“For a second, I thought you had fallen for my charms—that it was the reason you treat me so well. But now, I can see you still have your brains in your skull…” Rakshasa said, and Ryuk smiled.
“You underestimate how hard it is for someone to gain my trust. And so, therefore, the good test is still on.”
“You have done some evil things in the past. Sure, fine. But from now on, you’ll behave. And if you behave well enough, then I can release the bind on the Contract.”
“Without that proof that you can behave while being on your own, then you won’t have my permission to leave this island,” he said, but Rakshasa only giggled darkly.
“If I wish to leave, you can’t stop me…” she said matter-of-factly, but Ryuk smiled unbothered.
“You may be right, actually. After all, I’ve never really seen how fast you run. And by the way you can easily slip into the void to hide yourself, you must be pretty good with Void control too.”
“But you can’t hurt or touch anyone anyway. And you still need my permission for any major action you must take. In the end, you’ll get frustrated and come running back soon enough.”
“But then… I’m starting to doubt that will be the case for you…” Ryuk said, drawing Rakshasa’s smirk.
“Why?”
“Because even after the terms of the Contract that you can’t do anything major without my permission… and I think you laying a finger on me or attacking me counts as a major decision… but you were able to do it the instant you got out of your chains.”
“Makes me doubt just how hard the Contract really binds you to your word…” Ryuk said with slightly creased brows.
According to the terms of the Contract Grimoire, Rakshasa shouldn’t have ever been able to do anything major, such as touch people without his permission.
But once she got free of her chains, she sent Ryuk flying into the wall immediately. That made him doubt just how much the Contract truly restricts her.
Perhaps it was because of their strength disparity, but he felt there must be another factor at play.
“Contract Grimoires aren’t absolute. Far from it.”
“If the strength gap is wide enough, it will be less effective, and to a point, basically ineffective.”
“This is the only way most people know… but there’s another way.” She said, as Ryuk’s attention piqued, and he asked.
“What’s that?”
“Those who have been placed under a Contract Grimoire before—once they are under a new Contract Grimoire—it will work less on them,” she replied with an evil smirk as Ryuk’s expression faintly wavered.
“So yeah, the more Contract Grimoires you’re placed under, the less the next one will be effective on you, and the one after that, and the one after that… until eventually, a point is reached when you sign a Contract Grimoire and it doesn’t work at all.”
“It’s like a drug. Once you get used to it, the body adapts, and it no longer works over even though it’s still the same drug, nothing wrong with it.”
“Endurance changes…” she explained, as Ryuk hummed silently under his breath.
“And I can guess you’ve been under a lot of Contract Grimoires. Must have been the reason why you never felt that restriction.”
“I felt the restriction though. To move towards you—to slash you—it was like having chains wrapped around me and pulling me back.”
“But… my endurance has grown. A lot.”