CHAPTER 33: SIGNING THE CONTRACT

Lucius and Vanessa sat across from each other in her office on the top floor of the mansion.

The room was not at all what he had imagined from the guild master of Grimmaw.

Since it wasn’t shown in the novel or Manhwa, it was his first time seeing it.

It wasn’t the cold, marble-polished chamber he expected, nor the sleek, intimidating space one would see in a corporate drama.

Instead, Vanessa’s office looked lived in.

Books were stacked in little uneven towers against the wall.

A pile of mission reports leaned dangerously on the corner of her desk, as if daring gravity to claim them.

Half-opened envelopes and contracts lay scattered across her table in a pattern that wasn’t quite chaos but wasn’t order either.

She sat stiffly in her chair, brushing a loose strand of crimson hair behind her ear, her cheeks faintly pink.

Normally, contracts like this were signed inside the guild’s official headquarters, with witnesses and record-keepers present.

But her subordinates had urged her to take a break, to stop overworking herself into collapse.

That was how Lucius ended up here — in her home, in her personal office, across from her at a desk that smelled faintly of vanilla and ink.

And he didn’t seem to mind at all.

His purple eyes were lowered, skimming over the contract line by line, lingering on certain clauses.

To Vanessa, the way he read made something flutter uneasily in her stomach.

"I added the new clauses we talked about last night," she said, her voice softer than usual, almost shy. "That girl, Elara, the one who came with you... I’ll register her under the guild once we test her affinity. And Luna..."

She folded her hands together, glancing down before continuing. "She’ll be under my direct protection."

Lucius nodded absentmindedly, his gaze not leaving the paper.

"And you’ll also stay here for the time being," Vanessa went on, her tone strengthening now that she had momentum. "Despite awakening a Divine Rank talent, you’re still currently an E-rank Awakener. We’ll need to pace things properly. You and I can spar sometimes, and I’ll allow you to take guild missions directly. Raids, however..." She paused, watching him carefully. "It’ll take some time before you’re ready to be brought along. I hope you understand."

Her words were practiced, she had rehearsed it all night after all.

But she knew what she was doing.

She was trying to dress the contract in prettier clothes, sweetening the deal in ways that didn’t need sweetening, Grimmaw after all didn’t have much to offer.

Lucius knew that and he understood why.

He finally lifted his gaze, eyes sharp but not kind. "I understand. And I have to say, it’s well done."

Relief washed over her features as he reached for the pen and, without further fuss, signed his name across the page in a bold stroke.

Vanessa’s lips trembled before she spoke again.

"...I apologize for not being able to give you a higher position."

Lucius leaned back in his chair, twirling the pen once before setting it down. "That’s fine. You’ve made me special. That’s enough."

His smirk softened, genuine for once. "And thank you for protecting those girls. We’re like one big family."

’If the family was full of yanderes,’ he added inwardly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the thought.

He slid the contract back across the desk toward her, then casually pulled out his phone.

With a quick click, he snapped a picture of the signed page.

The fans would eat this up later when he had time to compose the speech with it, Grimmaw needed to get more traction too.

"Now," Lucius said, leaning forward slightly, his grin returning. "When we first talked, you said something about showing me around, right?"

"Yes," Vanessa replied quickly.

Her back straightened as she took hold of the document, as if anchoring herself.

He was officially part of Grimmaw now. No one could take that away from her.

"We can go out after you settle down. I have... a lot of sights to show you."

Lucius flashed her a smile that was half-playful, half-serious. "It’s a date."

He stood, tucking his phone into his pocket, and turned to leave.

He didn’t notice the way her cheeks flushed with color, or how her fingers lingered on the contract as if afraid it might vanish into smoke.

The moment the door closed, Vanessa exhaled sharply and pulled the document into her drawer, sliding it shut with a decisive click.

"I can’t believe it..." she whispered, staring up at the ceiling for a moment as if seeking approval from someone unseen.

Maybe her older brother who had always believed Grimmaw would be at the top could be proud of her now from where he watched.

Even if no other high-profile recruit joined them, just having Lucius was enough.

More than enough.

Grimmaw now had exclusive access to space-based talents, the rarest of them all.

That was what made the world chase after him in the first place.

A true space mage, given mastery, could create items once thought impossible.

Storage rings, portals, teleportation gates — technologies that could alter the balance of power among guilds.

With Lucius on her side, Grimmaw had a chance to claw its way back into relevance.

Her pulse quickened, joy bubbling inside her chest until she couldn’t contain it.

She picked up her phone and dialed quickly.

"Rita," she said, unable to stop the excitement in her voice. "Get down here. I just signed him!"

...

Lucius inhaled deeply as he stepped into the hall.

The air outside the office was lighter and he rolled his shoulders as if shedding some invisible weight.

The first step was finished.

Now, there was the other part — spending time with Vanessa.

Alone.

’It’ll be great to spend some time with her and talk more,’ he thought, imagining what kind of "sights" she had in mind.

If nothing else, the woman had a way of surprising him.

His thoughts screeched to a halt when he spotted Emilia waiting by the staircase.

She approached hesitantly, eyes darting everywhere except at him.

’Shoo, shoo, main heroine!’ Lucius screamed internally, wishing he could wave her away like a background NPC.

He had just set up a potential route with Vanessa, and now this kid was blocking the cutscene.

Emilia finally lifted her gaze.

Her eyes met his for half a second before she quickly looked away again, cheeks reddening.

’They’re like polished crystals,’ she thought, his eyes could draw her in if she focused too much.

"I..." She swallowed nervously. "I’m sorry for doubting your words. Please don’t cancel me."

Lucius blinked. "...Cancel?"

"Yeah!" She wrung her hands together, her voice rising with urgency. "You have a huge fanbase. You could ruin my whole social life if you wanted to. A lot of famous people don’t take something like that sitting down."

Lucius massaged the bridge of his nose, sighing inwardly. ’Kids these days...’

"There’s no need," he said at last, his tone calm, almost fatherly. "In fact, I found what you did brave."

Her eyes widened, caught off guard.

"You’re overprotective of your sister," he continued, walking past her with unhurried steps. "You don’t want her wasting her time. You don’t need to apologize for that."

He didn’t stop, didn’t wait for her reply.

His figure moved down the hallway, steps measured, hands tucked casually into his pockets.

Emilia stood frozen, heart hammering, his words echoing in her head.

"O... ok..." she whispered at last, left standing alone in the silence of the hall.