"F-Fine! I will sign the contract. Now, can you please get off me? I don't think I can breathe with your weight pressing down on me right now"

Layla hardly weighed anything, but the dwarf was still out of breath. The reason behind his action was different from simply being Layla's weight.

She was using her powers and aura to keep the dwarf suppressed, but the dwarf had no way of knowing it.

To him, it simply felt like Layla was sitting on his back, and she looked mad at him. This made the dwarf hiccup before quickly signing the contract Layla had given him.

"H-Here! I signed the contract. Now, can you get off me?"

The dwarf asked in a heavy voice. He was still afraid that he would be killed off by the young kid who was dominating him.

Layla looked at the contract with a heavy look before she pocketed it.

It was a magical contract, so it wouldn't disappear even if it was burned or something else happened. But keeping it hidden in her system inventory wasn't a bad idea.

[The cursed contract saved]

That name made it seem like this was taboo, but this contract was quite standard…even if it had some additional clauses.

Layla finally stood up, and the dwarf's expression changed instantly.

"You little shit-!"

The dwarf tried to hurt Layla, but it was already too late. The contract prevented the dwarf from being able to hurt Layla physically or emotionally.

That included direct and indirect damage.

"Now that you signed the contract, you should know some rules you must follow. You are free to sell whatever you make, except guns. Those weapons are strictly off-limits if you know what is good for you."

Layla specified what the dwarf was prohibited from selling, and the magic took hold of her.

But she was not done.

Knowing how slippery the dwarf was and how their race was good at finding loopholes in one's logic, Layla decided to cover more ground.

"Moreover, along with guns, anything that resembles it and its principal is not allowed to be sold by you. I would like to ban your sales of weapons outright, but even I realize that it would be too much."

The more conditions Layla put forward, the more Erwin looked devastated. He looked ready to cry at the conditions that Layla had put forward.

"Why are you doing this to me? Just what did I do to you for you to come after me like this? Is this some kind of revenge plan? What for?"

The dwarf asked with a crying face. Anyone would have felt sorry for him and decided to help him, but Layla was different.

She had seen her fair share of people who had broken down after a head deal. Erwin had not even scratched the surface compared to most of those cases.

"There is no need for you to cry. I did not come after you with the intent to harm you. As long as you stay in your lane, you will survive."'

Layla turned her back to the dwarf as she gathered whatever she had scattered in her hurry.

The dwarf felt rage build up inside his chest, and he raised his hand to strike Layla from behind.

But before he could make it, something hit him in the back of his knee, and he went down.

"Oh my! Was that too much for you? I should have been careful with you. But what can I do? From my perspective, it looked like you were going after my young miss! It is not something I can take lightly."

Mary's smiling face came into frame as she walked from behind where she had been hiding.

She looked at the kneeling dwarf with a hard look. It made the dwarf look away with shame, but there was no way he had given up on his revenge plan.

"Young miss, you should be careful with scummy people like Erwin. If you want me to, I can get rid of him for you."

Mary offered with a smile. But the truth behind her smile was a danger that would scare anyone.

The dwarf gulped when he noticed Mary's expression, and his eyes begged Layla to reconsider her choices.

"It's fine, Mary. I knew that Erwin would try to harm me as soon as I turned my back. That's why the contract had a clause about being unable to harm me. Erwin won't be able to do anything to me."

Layla promised, and the dwarf looked half relieved and half devastated as soon as he realized he could not escape this contract.

"Y-You monster-! You demon-! How dare you take my freedom away from me? Do you know how hard I had to try to get this far? You cannot just come in and take it away from me."

The dwarf yelled, letting all his agitation out and finally feeling free. He spoke as much as he wanted, but he quickly got tired.

He took in a deep breath and finally dared to look up.

As soon as he did, the dwarf wished he had not done that.

Mary's blank look stared back at him, and she looked bored after looking at the dwarf.

"Miss, I think I changed my mind. I would like to torture this dwarf first before I kill him. He needs to pay for all the bullshit he is sprouting. Who does he think he is?"

Mary's anger and annoyance were clear. The fact that she was showing her real emotions was even more terrifying than facing her like this.

Erwin realized this as well, and he gulped in shock. He had not realized that he would die so soon and at the hands of one of his clients as well.

The axe, the masterpiece he had been so proud of, was finally out in front of his eyes again. But unfortunately, it was not out for him to admire.