Reincarnated as Itsuka Shido: Collecting Spirits as Lovers-Chapter 166: Pledge of Binding Will

While Shido was lost in thought, Clementine was also scheming. Though she had surrendered for now, she had no intention of remaining bound to him forever. Deep down, she was already searching for the right opportunity to escape.

What she didn't realize, however, was that Shido had already anticipated her betrayal. He wasn't the type to trust someone who had so easily abandoned her previous organization. With that in mind, he quietly opened his shop interface and purchased a skill as a countermeasure.

"All right," Shido said, nodding calmly after the transaction was complete. "I agree."

"Really?" Clementine's eyes lit up in surprise at Shido's acceptance. Though she was currently bowing her head in submission, a hidden spark of defiance remained. 'I'll repay this humiliation someday,' she thought to herself.

"However." Shido said, "for assurance, I'll give you something."

"Huh?"

Before she could ask further, Shido lowered himself to one knee and reached toward her chest.

Clementine froze, her eyes widening briefly before a blush crept across her cheeks. 'Is he...?' she wondered. The idea flustered her more than she expected. If he truly intended to do something perverted to her, Clementine could only accept it reluctantly as she didn't currently have the ability to defy him. She simply closed her eyes and waited for her fate.

However, unbeknownst to her, Shido wasn't planning to do perverted things to her. When touched the center of her chest, a heart shape pattern appeared on it.

"Done." Shido said rising to his feet.

"Eh?" Clementine blinked in surprise. She had been bracing for something far more... intimate. Opening her eyes, she glanced down at her chest where Shido had touched her, she saw a heart shape tattoo on it making her puzzled.

Seeing her confusion Shido explained it to her.

"That tattoo is caused by my skill, 'Pledge of Binding Willl'."

Hearing those words, Clementine had a bad feeling about this. And just as she thought, Shido explained to her the effect of this magic and her face couldn't help but get darken.

Shido explained to her that the skill Pledge of Binding Will is a Slave magic. However, it is different from ordinary slave magic since it could give them intense pain when they thought of something malicious to their master. They couldn't take their own life and a brand was placed on them, allowing the Shido to track her even if she was on the other side of the world.

As he finished, a satisfied smile curled on his lips. "Well, that's about it."

Clementine's expression twisted into shock and disbelief. The color drained from her face, then returned in a flush of fury. She clenched her fists, trembling with rage.

He had spend 20,000 SP for the advanced level of this skill. He didn't really mind purchasing this skill since he knew that it would be useful in the future.

"You-!" Clementine was so shock when she heard the effect of this skill and she got furious. She wanted to lash out at Shido but the effect of this skill immediately took effect.

"Arrggghhh!!!"

Clementine screamed in agony, writhing on the ground as the searing pain surged through her. Just a single malicious thought toward Shido had triggered the effect of the binding spell, and now it felt like her whole body were on fire.

Shido look at her and saw that her face had gone pale, her body trembling, and sweat streamed down her skin in beads, soaking her clothes. It showed how much suffering she was experiencing. However, Shido didn't intervene since he wanted a loyal subordinate, not someone who will backstab him at the critical moment. This would be a great time to teach Clementine a lesson so she wouldn't think of betraying him in the future.

"STOP! STOP THIS THING!!!" Clementine screamed, her voice cracking from the pain.

The pain flowing to her body was unbearable that she even thought of committing suicide. However, the other effect prevented her from taking her own life.

"You should stop thinking of something malicious towards me and the effect will stop." Shido sighed seeing her desperate state.

"Damn you!" Clementine spat, cursing him through gritted teeth but Shido only watched her without showing pity.

For the next ten minutes, the graveyard echoed with her screams and desperate shouts. Her body twisted in agony, her voice hoarse from the relentless torment. The moonlight glinted off her sweat-drenched skin as she clawed at the dirt, cursing Shido over and over, until her voice finally fell silent.

She lay sprawled across the cold earth, her chest rising and falling slowly, each breath ragged. Her eyes stared blankly at the sky above, devoid of strength. The pain had drained everything from her, rage, pride, resistance. And finally, at long last, the last shred of her ill intent toward Shido vanished.

Only exhaustion and bitter submission remained.

Clementine had experienced how terrifying that skill was and she couldn't do anything about it. Even when she wanted to die, it prevented her from doing so.

"How you calmed down?" Shido step forward and asked her.

"Y-Yes, master." Although Shido's voice lack any warmth, she could sense a bit of concern on it.

"Good. You should finally realized the consequences of thinking of betraying me right? So you should just be obedient to me in the future and I will treat you fairly, alright?"

"Y-Yes." Clementine nodded, her arrogant behavior were nowhere to be seen.

"Good. Drink this, it would help you recover." Shido tossed her a bottle of potion.

"This is-" Clementine was confused by this potion, she thought that it was a healing potion but the vial and the color of it was different from what she had seen before. The color of the potion was green and the vial looks expensive and crafted with precision.

"That is a healing potion." Shido explained to her.

Seeing it was indeed a healing potion, Clementine no longer hesitated. She uncorked the vial and drank it all in one gulp. Immediately, a soft green glow enveloped her body healing all the injuries that she sustained and erasing the last bit of pain she felt from her body.

Clementine was shocked by this development. She had never seen such a magical potion before as the potion she had bought before didn't heal her fully and the effect was short. Nothing compared to the potion given to her by Shido.

Once Clementine had fully recovered, Shido turned to her and asked about Nfirea's whereabouts. Without hesitation, she revealed where he was being held.

Clementine obediently led Shido to the underground passage beneath the temple. Shido saw Nfirea who had suffered from being used as a catalyst for Khajit's scheme.

Shido remove the crown that was on his head and caught Nfirea since he was falling forward. Looking at his injuries, he knew that he was traumatized. He sighed and thought that Clementine and Khajit was really evil. He turned around and glared at Clementine who turned frightened when seeing that gaze.

Shido let out a cold hmph before focusing his magic to heal Nfirea's injuries, gently erasing the lingering trauma that weighed on him. Once Nfirea was stable, Shido lifted him effortlessly onto his back.

As they stepped out of the eerie cemetery, Shido's senses immediately detected a number of people approaching fast.

"Clementine."

"Y-Yes, Master?" she replied meekly, her voice barely above a whisper, waiting attentively for his command.

Shido spoke quietly to Clementine, outlining his plan. "Hide for now. Stay where no one can find you. Wait until I come for you."

Clementine nodded obediently, without hesitation, and blended into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

Watching her back that was fading away, Shido turned to the direction of the gate where the number of presence were increasing.

He know that the rescue was here. But he had to say, they were quite late.