Harem System In A fantasy World - Chapter 252: Contract

Chapter 252: Contract

“You want to turn me into a slave,” Elion said plainly.

The words caused a ripple of discomfort to pass through the arena, because while Maximus had not explicitly said it, everyone understood what that contract implied.

“A mana contract is not a slave contract,” Maximus replied evenly.

Elion chortled softly as he met Maximus’s gaze without fear.

“If you twist the terms enough… it might as well be.”

His eyes hardened.

“You have already betrayed my trust once,” Elion continued, his gaze unwavering. “Who is to say you won’t do it again?”

Only Maximus knew what Elion was speaking of, but he didn’t let it show in his face. He was old enough and experienced not to be goaded and swayed by mere words.

Elion added with absolute contempt, he added, “You can go fuck yourselves!” he spat onto the ground, his mucus mixed with the blood landing audibly onto the ground in front of him.

The killing intent in his voice was so sharp and concentrated that Professor Halbrecht was forced backward in midair, floating nearly a meter away in shock.

Realizing he had been publicly embarrassed by a youth, Halbrecht’s rage exploded. “You—!” Halbrecht roared, humiliation burning in his eyes.

Before anyone could react, he shot forward with terrifying speed, his blade aimed directly at Elion’s throat, determined to snuff him out instantly.

Maximus could only sigh, not moving to stop Halbrecht. “I tried to give the boy a way out,” he said quietly. “But it seems his pride will be the death of him.”

He trusted that Halbrecht would know not to kill the boy. He intended to knock him out to prevent any futile struggles.

Many spectators turned away, unable to watch what they believed was about to happen. Mira, Aria, and Isolde closed their eyes as tears streamed down their faces. They all felt their hearts drop.

Cain sneered down from above, while the battered William laughed quietly in contempt. “Who are you to provoke my family with no backing?” He spat. “Die!”

“Noooo!!!”

But the sight they were all waiting for never came.

Just as Halbrecht’s broadsword flashed inches from Elion, a brilliant, blinding white light engulfed his body.

Elion smiled calmly at the shocked professor, completely unafraid. “I will be back,” he said simply, and because a pin-drop silence had fallen over the coliseum, every single person heard him loud and clear.

To his women, it was a promise that he would come back to them.

To the likes of Maximus, Cain, and Maximus, however, it was like the decree of the grim reaper himself.

Elion’s body vanished completely, and Halbrecht’s blade cleaved nothing but empty air. Shock seized the arena as people stared in disbelief. A Sage Mage, multiple Grand Mages, dozens of Arch Mages, and he had somehow escaped alive.

There was no doubt that he was alive; if his words hadn’t made it obvious, there was nothing left of him at all. While one might have assumed that Halbrecht had incinerated him to oblivion, he knew how much strength he had used even in his rage.

Even if he had been enraged, he only intended to strike him with enough power to just knock the boy out.

And anyone powerful enough or smart enough could see that as well.

Mira, Isolde, and Aria all breathed out breaths of relief as the tears finally slowed from Isolde and Aria, but that didn’t make them feel any better, because even if he had escaped, it would be a while before they saw him again.

If only they knew that Elion would never keep them waiting that long, they would have been far calmer.

Maximus frowned deeply.

Perhaps, for the first time in centuries, doubt crept into his heart. ’Did I make the wrong choice?’ He wondered.

Inwardly, he was reeling because the core had slipped out of his hands. As powerful as he was, he had been caught completely off guard by someone so weak.

The reason he had been so lax and calm was that the boy was too weak; he didn’t even consider the possibility that he might be able to escape, and yet, that was exactly what had just happened.

’How did he do it?’ It was incomprehensible! He had somehow escaped under everyone’s watchful gaze.

Maximus was the most powerful person here, so maybe everyone would look toward him and question if maybe he had let the boy go on purpose, but only he knew the truth.

He had been just as surprised and shocked as they were.

He sent out his presence to try and see if he had teleported himself somewhere close enough. He blanketed the whole island, only to come up with nothing. It was really shocking!

’Where could he have gone, and how!? Did he have help? Was there some truth to Cain’s words then?’ That was the only somewhat reasonable explanation at this point.

If not, then they had just made an enemy of a person who had the potential to someday dethrone their whole generation.

Should he have put in more effort in protecting Elion?

Truthfully, he had been one of the few who had been able to clearly see Cain Dawncrest move when he attacked Elion. If he had wanted to, he might have been able to stop him if he tried.

His inaction spoke volumes.

Then he shook his head, steadying himself.

’I have lived far too long to fear a boy a fraction of my age,’ he muttered.

’If he grows powerful enough to trample us all, and this comes back to bite me, so be it. But, if he dies before then…’

His eyes hardened.

’Then that only proves that my choice was right.’

…

Elion reappeared in a place shrouded in complete darkness; the air around him felt cold and heavy, though he had no idea where he was or how he had arrived.

He remained conscious for barely two seconds, standing there in silence as his battered body finally reached its limit.

The pain, exhaustion, and accumulated strain from the teleportation and everything he had endured came crashing down at once, and his legs gave out beneath him.

He collapsed onto the cold floor and slipped into unconsciousness, his awareness fading completely. It would be days later before he would finally wake again.

Had Elion been awake, he would have noticed something deeply unsettling about the space he had been brought to.

He was not alone.

Around him, suspended eerily in the air, were other people, their bodies frozen in place as if time itself had stopped around them.

Their eyes were closed, their expressions unmoving, and it was impossible to tell whether they were alive or dead.

They did not breathe, they did not stir, and nothing about them suggested the passage of time. It was as though they were trapped in a limbo between moments, neither advancing nor decaying.

Moments later, Elion’s unconscious body slowly lifted off the floor, drawn upward by an unseen force. His limbs hung loosely as he rose, his body coming to a halt at a precise point in the air.

Whatever power controlled this place positioned him carefully, locking him into the same suspended state as the others. When his body finally stopped moving, it became clear that he was not the first. He was the seventh body to be placed there!

The instant his position stabilized, the darkness receded.

A dull, ancient light spread outward, illuminating the surroundings and revealing the true nature of the space. It was a vast, crumbling chamber that resembled an ancient throne room, its walls cracked and worn by unimaginable time.

At the far end stood a broken throne made entirely of crystal, its surface fractured and dulled, as though it had once been magnificent beyond words. The atmosphere was heavy with age and power, and the silence felt deliberate, almost expectant.

Then, a voice echoed throughout the chamber.

It was female, but not in any normal sense. It sounded as though hundreds of voices were layered together, overlapping and resonating as one, ancient and absolute. “Last participant has been identified,” the voice declared. “Conditions met. Beginning the Primordial Bloodlines Trial.”

In an instant, all seven suspended bodies were engulfed in brilliant green flames. The fire did not burn. Instead, it flowed gently over their forms, mending shattered bones, sealing wounds, restoring torn muscles, and replenishing depleted mana.

Every trace of injury vanished as their bodies were restored to peak condition, as though they had never been harmed at all.

Only then did something truly striking become clear.

Among the seven floating figures was a familiar beautiful beastwoman.

Zenovia.

She had appeared in this same space after vanishing from the forest clearing, her body now suspended just like the others. Yet something was missing. The three assassins who had vanished along with her were nowhere to be seen.

Whether they had been rejected, destroyed, or sent elsewhere was impossible to tell. Their absence remained a mystery.

Before any questions could be answered, the chamber flared with another burst of brilliant white light. One by one, the seven bodies vanished completely, pulled away by forces beyond comprehension.

When the light faded, the throne room was left empty once more, plunged back into silence and darkness.