Marvin strode forward with his sword at the ready when a sweet, melodious female voice suddenly rang in his ears.

  "Heh, if this were not truly happening, who would have thought that a Level 2 could be killed by a Level 0?"

  "Not even demigods can escape the fate of mortal flesh," Marvin answered in a deep, steady tone.

  "Indeed," the voice purred in approval. "Master Fontaine, you remain calm in the face of danger and are both bold and meticulous in battle. Compared to that bat, you are far more suited to work with us."

  "Work together? How fortunate. I, too, have an interest in such cooperation," Marvin replied without slowing his pace. "Only, my partner in this venture is not all of you but you."

  "Oh?" The voice lilted upward seductively. "With me?"

  "Yvonne Rohenshire, the youngest daughter of the Fromentia Empire's Rohenshire Household and the Succubus Queen," Marvin said as he halted at the end of a corridor outside a room. "At the age of ten, you ingested your first elixir, Cinderheart I. Before it was fully assimilated, you happened to witness your mother in an affair with three slaves in the palace."

  "That shocking scene drove your mental power into chaos. Though it did not drive you half-mad, it left you with a crippling fear of men. Even though you suppressed it with your psychic ability, any direct physical contact with a man triggers that deep-seated terror, causing your inner flame to spiral out of control and attack indiscriminately."

  "You are not an ordinary noble!" The voice, now stripped of its composure and laced with clear suspicion, demanded, "Who exactly are you? What does the organization behind you intend to do?"

  "For your mother, a succubus who fears men is nothing less than a racial disgrace; for your father, failing to fully assimilate Cinderheart I due to its uncontrolled nature means you will never be able to take Cinderheart II. A daughter who can never reach Level 10 has no value at all," Marvin replied coolly, dismissing her questions. "Sending you to the enemy capital as an intelligence chief is nothing more than a disposable ploy. That is why staying in the Fromentia Empire holds no future for you. Why not join me instead?"

  There was no response from behind the door. The voice seemed to have departed.

  Marvin thought to himself that a demonstration was in order. With one swift kick, he flung the door open.

  Inside, the curtains had long been drawn aside. Seated on a soft cushion was Yvonne, who immediately looked up and activated her psychic ability.

  Damn it!

  When she finally saw Marvin rushing in, her face turned ashen.

  This fellow had his eyes tightly closed!

  Marionette's Kiss I allows one to sense the nearby living mind beyond obstacles and even communicate directly with another's mind using mere thought, while surreptitiously exerting influence. But to directly control the mind of someone with strong will, mutual eye contact is required.

  If your eyes remain closed, you cannot be controlled.

  "Since you do not wish to be controlled, then die!" Yvonne declared. With one fluid move of her hand, she conjured a red fireball from thin air and hurled it toward the seemingly oblivious Marvin.

  In a flash of cold light, Yvonne's eyeballs nearly fell out. Astonishingly, Marvin, despite his eyes being closed, snatched his sword and slashed through the fireball. Not only that, he twisted his body and, letting his longsword follow the fireball's path, swung it sharply in its direction!

  What the hell!

  Yvonne scrambled and rolled desperately, barely managing to avoid the strike. Hand-to-hand combat had never been her forte, let alone against a creature who could cut while his eyes were shut!

  Marvin turned toward the sound and, with another smooth horizontal swing of his longsword, forced Yvonne to duck sharply. Her wine-red hair was caught and a few strands were cut off. Marvin's sword then descended once more, and as the icy gleam of its blade met Yvonne's form, she cried out, "Spare me, please!"

  "Sign the soul contract and I will spare your life," Marvin said as he pressed his sword against her neck with his right hand and produced a scroll from his bag with his left, tossing it before her.

  Cautiously, Yvonne picked up the scroll and unfurled it. To her surprise, its terms were remarkably lenient, a simple labor hire contract without any draconian personal restrictions and with a validity of five years rather than for life. The contract already bore Marvin's signature in the section for Party A.

  That damned scoundrel! Yvonne silently cursed as she drew a pen and pretended to scribble on her sleeve before saying, "It is signed."

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "Please sign on the contract," Marvin instructed with his eyes still closed. "Once you sign the soul contract, our spirits will resonate. You did not know that?"

  How could I have forgotten that! Tears streamed down Yvonne's face as she obediently signed her name in the Party B section of the soul contract. Instantly, it seemed that both their spirits became subtly linked, establishing some mysterious connection.

  Marvin then opened his eyes and regarded this control mage he had designated. Yvonne's features were striking, large, radiant eyes; a well-defined, elegant nose; and full, sensual lips that left one increasingly enchanted with every glance.

  Her hair, a typical trait of the succubus race, was a deep wine-red. The combination of Marionette's Kiss Level I and her racial gifts meant that she exuded a constant, pitiable charm that stirred in nearby men a desire either to protect her or to abuse her.

  Of course, feeling desire is one thing; influencing rationality is quite another. Under the sway of extraordinary power, many a weak-willed man might succumb, but Marvin was certainly not among them.

  It had little to do with his own determination but more with the fact that in later fandom circles, Miss Yvonne had earned an infamous nickname.

  The Ero Queen!

  It was said that at a comic convention in a certain country, H-doujinshi featuring Yvonne had taken seven of the top ten spots in single-volume sales. For an online game NPC to defeat countless anime characters, her popularity was truly unprecedented.

  Seeing that Marvin showed no reaction to her charms, Yvonne was taken aback. With her extraordinary ability and racial gifts, even if one secretly preferred same-sex love, the body never lies. Could it be that my extraordinary power is failing me?

  Still, Yvonne continued to exude her allure. Marvin smiled bitterly inwardly; he certainly could not say, "I have seen you in all poses in all sorts of alluring forms until I was sick of it." Checking the time, he said, "We should leave now."

  "I'm too weak. Lift me up," Yvonne complained pitifully.

  "If I lift you, won't you explode?" Marvin asked in astonishment. "Aren't you supposed to suffer from a fear of men? Direct skin-to-skin contact would trigger your explosive flame ability!"

  Damn, why's this guy so cautious! Yvonne seethed silently. Although the soul contract forbade either party from harming the other, if he were to be overcome by lust and attempt to violate her, causing her uncontrolled flame ability to kill him, that could not be counted as her initiating harm.

  Alas, that fellow was completely oblivious!

  Yvonne, with a burning desire, tried to rush forward and embrace him to crush him with skin contact. But that very thought was immediately extinguished, naturally, by the influence of the soul contract. Mind control? Not allowed either, as the contract prohibited it. How infuriating!

  She ground her teeth in anger and, unwillingly, followed Marvin out of the room. At the stairway, Aurora stood watch as Marvin returned with a stunning red-haired beauty. Her gaze held a trace of puzzlement.

  "This, from now on, will be our team's psychic mage, Miss Yvonne," Marvin introduced them. "And this is our team's agile main attacker, Miss Aurora."

  "Hello, Aurora," Yvonne said with folded arms in a cool, detached tone.

  "Yvonne," Aurora replied coldly, making it clear she had memorized the name.

  The three left the Silver Cicada Tavern and headed toward Marvin's ancestral residence. Arriving at their destination, they gazed at the beautiful three-story building, and Yvonne felt an overwhelming sense of helpless sorrow.

  The location of the Silver Cicada Tavern was so remote that Yvonne had planned to set up an additional outpost in the bustling downtown area for gathering intelligence. Instead, she had been forced to sign a contract selling herself.

  Why on earth did that idiot Molycus choose that household in the first place? She stirred up that monster called Marvin! At that moment, Yvonne wished she could dig up Molycus and whip her corpse a hundred times.

  Entering the ancestral residence, they found that the furnishings had been almost entirely destroyed in the previous conflict. A gilt wardrobe lay toppled, an ornate long table had been shattered, and silver candlesticks and goblets of various sizes were scattered all over the floor, leaving Yvonne with a pang of regret.

  With her courtly upbringing, it was clear that the aesthetic taste of this family was outstanding among nobles, if it were not for those rude, barbaric church knights, this residence would have been a perfect base for her.

  "Clean up anything of value here. I will have someone come to buy it later," Marvin ordered the two before heading back to the study on the third floor.

  Thus, in the dining room on the first floor, only the two remained. Aurora began silently gathering items while Yvonne leaned against a wall, idly supervising and occasionally offering instructions.

  "Those cups are worthless. Anything deformed can be discarded. The candlesticks are the same, only the candles inside are truly valuable. With a bit of rare incense added, a tiny piece can fetch a dozen cups."

  "The oil paintings along the wall, the second, fourth, and fifth from the left are genuine masterpieces. The rest are mere copies by apprentices. Be careful when moving them. The canvas of a genuine piece must never be scratched or soiled by water or grease, though copies can be handled loosely."

  "If you find a box containing jewelry, let me know. I will help you 'appraise' it."

  "Why don't you do the cleaning?" Aurora finally snapped, tossing the belongings to the floor in frustration.

  "I asked you, little girl," Yvonne said with a playful smile as she looked at Aurora, "what is your relationship with him?"

  "And what is your relationship with him?" Aurora retorted bluntly.

  "Roughly that of employer and employee," Yvonne replied nonchalantly, twirling a strand of hair. "Perhaps in time it will develop into something more intimate. Heh. That'd be an interesting event. Maybe. And you?"

  "He teaches me how to harness extraordinary power," Aurora replied in a low voice.

  "That makes you his apprentice," Yvonne said with a soft "oh." "A disciple working for a master is only natural, right? As for me, the employment contract does not require me to sweep the floors."

  Aurora remained silent, lowering her head to continue working.

  Recruiting an apprentice? He is still Level 0, an ordinary person with no extraordinary trait at all, teaching this undeveloped girl how to use extraordinary power? Have I mistaken him? He might not be ordinary after all. But her ability should not lie. I must test him properly later… Yvonne thought inwardly, while keeping a calm facade.

  Just then, someone knocked at the door.

  Two individuals, both ordinary. Using her Marionette's Kiss I ability, Yvonne observed that the spiritual energy of the visitors was exceedingly faint and immediately deduced their levels.

  "Is anyone there?" Along with the knocking, a crisp female voice came through the door, "Is this Mr. Marvin's house?"