The Golem Mage

740: The Contract.

740: The Contract.

“Father, I don’t think the Gordons clan has any intention of working with us in the upcoming war.

Garrick Gordons completely shut me down, giving me the ridiculous excuse that if I wanted to ally with their clan, I’d have to seek permission from that brat of theirs!

What blatant disrespect,” the Lanzt patriarch exclaimed as he stormed into his father’s yard, where Bailey Lanzt was teaching Bryan and Sheila.

“Calm yourself down and explain exactly what happened at the Gordons,” Bailey said, his tone steady, but before the patriarch could respond, Bryan interjected, curiosity lighting up his face.

“Wait, by ‘brat,’ do you mean Alec Gordons?” Bryan asked, his expression betraying both surprise and intrigue.

“Yes, that’s who I mean.

Why?

Is there a problem?” his father replied, raising a brow at Bryan’s reaction.

“No problem,” Bryan said quickly, his tone shifting to something more calculating.

“In fact, we could turn this into an opportunity, by killing two birds with one stone.

So, how are the arrangements—”

“Enough!” the patriarch snapped, cutting Bryan off mid-sentence, his irritation was evident as he glared at his son.

“Can you not hear that I was humiliated by the Gordons Grand Elder?

We will not ally with them, nor will we agree to the city lord’s terms to fight this month, the battlefield is way too dangerous by the way, and everyone knows it too, many lives were lost in the last war.

We cannot afford such losses, we’re a smaller family,” he said firmly.

“And that, is precisely why we’ve always allied ourselves with stronger, more reliable clans, and the Gordons have been our most dependable allies by far.” Bailey interrupted, his voice rising slightly,

“But I cannot go back there now,” the Lanzt patriarch said, exasperated.

“I told the Grand Elder to his face that I wouldn’t discuss such matters with the younger generation!”

Bailey sighed heavily, his patience waning, and muttered a curse under his breath at his son’s prideful obstinacy.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Bailey said sharply, his tone laced with disappointment.

“That might have been a test to see where we stand among those claiming the Gordons’ strength has diminished, instead, you just pushed us from being a close ally to a neutral party, you idiot, but, as your son said, we can still turn this into an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.”

“How?” The Lanzt patriarch asked, confusion written all over his face.

“Simple.

We’ll participate in the next blood moon war, but we’ll strategically position ourselves either behind the Gordons clan or alongside them.

Personally, I’d prefer behind them, so they can take the brunt of the initial damage, however, in the chaos of war, circumstances can shift, that’s why the second option is to stay tightly by their side, either on the right or the left,” Bailey explained, his voice steady and calculated.

“Even if they don’t officially ally with us, they’ll be forced to protect our mages simply because of proximity.

As no one wants the group beside or behind them to fall apart when facing hordes of zombies together,” Bailey added.

His logic was sound, and both the patriarch and Bryan nodded in agreement.

“With that decided, which Tier of mages should we send into battle?” the Lanzt patriarch asked, as it was critical to choose the right group to match the Gordons’ strongest Tier group in order to ensure their success.

“If we’re sending only one Tier as usual, I suggest we deploy the Tier 4 mages,” Bryan said confidently.

His suggestion caught the attention of both older men, who turned to him expectantly for further explanation.

“It’s simple, really.

If what the Grand Elder said about Alec is true, then he’ll be leading the Tier 4 mages.

I’m not sure how much stronger he has become compared to me, but one thing is certain, he hasn’t reached the Tier 5 Mage Realm yet.

Alongside him will be his usual companions, which makes me believe the Tier 4 group is their trump card,” Bryan explained.

His reasoning was compelling, and it was clear he had given the matter considerable thought.

“It’s settled then,” Bailey said firmly.

“The Tier 4 mages will represent the Lanzt clan, and as a gesture of goodwill in response to the city lord’s request, I will personally lead our forces on that day.” His declaration caught the patriarch off guard, leaving him momentarily stunned by his father’s decision.

However, given the city’s dire circumstances, he quickly understood the rationale behind his father’s move.

—

Nightfall descended swiftly over the Gordons clan, and in one particular house, Alec’s, a significant event was about to unfold.

Alec had recently used part of his accumulated experience points to purchase an item called all purpose contract from the system store, a mystical tool he could use to bind individuals under his command.

He opted for a three-clause contract, which was more affordable than the five- or ten-clause variants.

The advantage of this choice was its flexibility; Alec could upgrade the contract manually with system points if the need arose in future.

Given his trust in Endrick and Sophia, Alec felt that the three-clause contract would suffice, as he didn’t require extensive binding measures with them.

Seated in a circle around Alec were Brandon, Arthur, Agnes, Knight, Kelvin, Aiden, Emma, Ethan, Sophia, and Endrick.

Alec pushed two ancient-looking contract scrolls toward Sophia and Endrick, his tone calm but serious.

“Before I can share what I need to with you both, I’ll require you to sign this contract.

If you choose not to, I’ll respect your decision, and I’ll still help you as I have promised, however, I won’t be able to entrust you with my secret,” Alec explained.

Seeing the apprehension in their expressions, Alec continued,

“I know this might seem suspicious, but I assure you, this contract isn’t about controlling you or causing harm.

I simply need a measure of trust to proceed.”

Endrick and Sophia exchanged a glance, searching each other’s eyes for hesitation.

Finding none, they both nodded silently, without further delay, they bit their right thumbs until blood welled up, pressing the drops onto the signing boxes of the scrolls as instructed by Alec.

The moment their blood touched the contracts, the ancient papers began to glow, levitating into the air.

Each scroll split into two equal parts, one piece flying to Alec, and the other to the respective signatory, as the binding was complete.

At that moment, both Endrick and Sophia became acutely aware of a strange sensation.

In the recesses of their minds, they could summon the details of the contract, however, when they inspected it, they were surprised to find it blank, its three lines of clauses yet to be filled.

“I hereby command, as the contractor,” Alec began, his tone calm yet firm,

“that any powers or abilities I reveal to you today must remain a secret among the group gathered here today, this is a secret that must never be spoken of.

Should any of you ever harbour the intent to expose my secrets, your life force will be drained, and you shall die.”

The room fell into an icy silence, as an oppressive chill settling over everyone present.

Endrick and Sophia exchanged uneasy glances, their hearts pounding as they began to wonder what they had truly signed up for.

Almost instinctively, they revisited the blank contract within their minds, only to see it change before their eyes.