CHAPTER 283: BOUND BY VOWS, FREED BY TRUTH ( 283 )

Hazuki tilted his head slightly.

"So... what if the husband dies?"

Ridan hovered near, voice lowering just a bit as the wagon continued rattling over the dirt path.

"Then the wife enters what they call a ’waiting period’."

"Waiting period?"

"One year, minimum. She can’t remarry during that time. It’s a period of mourning, reflection—and also, to ensure no foul play."

He looked out toward the forest edge in the distance.

"That’s also one reason they use magic appraisal for remarriage. To confirm she’s not rushing, hiding anything, or under magical manipulation."

Hazuki nodded slowly, digesting it.

"...And the husband’s wealth?"

"Shared." Ridan answered plainly.

"Depends on what he left behind. If he was rich—land, homes, assets—most of it, nearly all, goes to his wife and children. What your old world would call a ’will’ isn’t needed here if he declared it publicly or had it registered with the guild. The rest, maybe ten to twenty percent, gets passed to the family of his bloodline—if he has one."

Hazuki leaned forward.

"And if he wasn’t rich?"

Ridan shrugged.

"Then everything goes to the wife and any child left behind. Even if all he had was a small home and one sword. That’s hers."

"...So no greedy family members fighting over inheritance?"

"Not unless they want to get cursed by every church, guild, and legal tribunal in the region. This world doesn’t play games with the dead’s will."

Ridan smirked.

"You die, your last vow and legacy stay behind. No sneaky loopholes."

Hazuki scratched his cheek, a little overwhelmed.

"Damn. That’s... kinda respectable."

Ridan floated higher, crossing his misty arms.

"And heavy. This isn’t a world of casual love or pretend romance. If you vow, you live it. And if you break it..."

He traced a circle in the air.

"That left pinky’s gone."

Hazuki looked down at his own left hand.

Then at his pinky.

He suddenly felt a chill.

"You saw that dwarf, right?" Ridan said, floating beside Hazuki’s shoulder as the wagon rolled on.

Hazuki blinked.

"Which one?"

"The one with two wives dragging him back home together. Both laughing. Both happy."

"Ah... yeah." Hazuki recalled the scene. It had been oddly wholesome—two dwarf women arguing about who would cook dinner while their husband, too drunk to walk, smiled like a fool between them.

Ridan’s voice lowered, a bit more serious now.

"See how they share? Not out of shame, but out of choice. Trust. Respect. That’s what makes this world different."

Hazuki didn’t say anything.

Ridan looked up at the sky, arms behind his back.

"Your old world? Women say they don’t like sharing. But behind closed doors? Behind their man’s back?"

He shook his head slowly.

"Sleeping around. Living in sin. No vow. No consequence. No honor. What a joke."

Hazuki frowned a little but didn’t argue.

He knew what Ridan meant. He’d seen it, heard it—people playing at love without meaning a word of it.

"Here," Ridan continued, "even if a man marries more than one, he asks first. He explains. He brings the new wife forward, face-to-face. And if the first wife doesn’t agree—that’s it. No harem. No backdoor tricks. No lies."

"Yeah..." Hazuki muttered, watching the trees slowly thin as the wagon left the edge of the hills.

"You want more wives here? Fine. But lie to your first? Cheat behind her back? Try to be ’modern’?"

Ridan looked down.

"You lose everything. Wife. Wealth. Status. And that finger."

Hazuki glanced at his left hand again.

"...You really like mentioning that pinky finger."

"Because it’s real, Hazuki." Ridan said, his tone final.

"In this world, words mean something."

Hazuki furrowed his brow.

"You say all that about loyalty, vows, and trust... but what about brothels then?"

Ridan floated a little higher, arms crossed, expression calm.

"Hah? Brothel here is different than the whorehouses from your old world."

"Different how?"

"There," Ridan pointed with a puff of his misty hand, "a lot of them are controlled. Forced. Managed by scumbags, traffickers. Girls taken in, used up, thrown away. You know that."

Hazuki’s expression darkened. He couldn’t deny that.

"But here?" Ridan continued. "They choose it. No chains. No collars. Some of them just... have overwhelming desires. Real ones. And they choose sin, fully aware of what it means."

He floated higher, arms crossed behind his head.

"The brothel houses here don’t own people. They just rent the rooms, the materials, provide security, and keep things clean. And in return? The courtesans get protection, fair pay, and stability."

Hazuki blinked.

"That’s... actually pretty civilized."

Ridan nodded.

"Exactly. And once a girl works with a house, she can’t jump around and work for others. It’s a contracted agreement. Keeps things from becoming chaotic."

Hazuki tilted his head.

"But... no street girls?"

Ridan smirked.

"Nope. None of that wandering garbage. If a woman here chooses that path, she trains. Learns etiquette, speech, pleasure magic, body care. She becomes a courtesan. High-level. Some even have noble clients."

Hazuki looked stunned.

"So it’s a profession? With rules?"

"Yup. Even has ranks. Some are basically treated like artists. You don’t throw coin at them—you make an appointment. Pay advance. Sign paperwork. Sometimes even background checks."

Hazuki whistled.

"That’s... seriously different."

Ridan grinned.

"Told you. This world ain’t your old dumpster. People here may sin—but they own it. And they don’t play pretend."

Ridan floated silently for a while, then muttered.

"At least they choose—and get something in return."

His voice carried a bitter edge.

"Unlike some people in your old world... marry, then sleep around like it’s their ’freedom’."

Hazuki stayed quiet, listening.

"And when they get knocked up?" Ridan’s tone grew colder.

"They turn to their husband with a straight face and say, ’This is your son.’ Live the rest of their life in a lie—while the man slaves away thinking it’s his own blood."

He crossed his arms.

"Years pass. They grow old. Only to find out..."

A pause.

"The child wasn’t even his. Never was."

Hazuki looked down at the road, then up at the sky.

"...What a sad story."

Ridan nodded.

"Yeah... That’s the world you came from. Not all bad, but damn—full of masks."

Hazuki exhaled slowly.

"That’s true."

"Here, they might sin—but they’re honest about it."

Ridan’s voice softened.

"That’s the difference. Lies rot people more than sin ever will."

"Wanna go see the brothel?" Ridan floated beside him with a mischievous grin.

"See how civilized it really is?"

Hazuki shot him a look, then smirked.

"And get struck by lightning again? No thanks."

Ridan laughed.

"Aw~ come on! Just walk in, pay a silver coin to check the place out, enjoy the view, then walk out like a gentleman."

"Yeah, and the moment I walk out—BOOM—sky lightning. Just like last time when I accidentally looked at a human girl’s cleavage."

Ridan chuckled darkly.

"You weren’t just looking. You were staring. Drooling, even."

"Oi! I was admiring. There’s a difference."

"Uh-huh. Then the heavens ’admired’ you with a bolt to the ass."

Hazuki groaned and rubbed the back of his head.

"Damn divine punishment system... like I’m tagged by fate itself."

"Nope. Just pinky promise consequences. Welcome to holy protection, dumbzuki."

( End Of Chapter )