My hand flared with energy, and in the next instant, the chain wrapped around Caius unraveled into drifting strands of silver light before dispersing completely into the air.

Caius' eyes widened slightly at the sudden release, and a slow breath escaped him soon after, the tension in his shoulders easing for the first time since I had brought them here.

The others reacted similarly.

Some visibly relaxed, while others quietly exhaled as though they had been preparing themselves for the possibility that I had come down here to execute them instead.

Honestly, considering the situation they were in, that assumption wasn't exactly unreasonable.

"Now..." I said, a faint grin pulling at my lips as my gaze swept across them. "Let's swear some oaths, shall we?"

Caius gave a small nod immediately, already understanding where this was going.

"Hands to your chest," I commanded.

Caius complied at once, placing his hand firmly over his chest without hesitation.

"Feet together."

That earned me a look.

Still, after a brief pause, he complied anyway, bringing his feet together while the others awkwardly followed suit behind him.

I let the silence settle for a second before my expression hardened.

"Repeat after me," I said slowly, my voice losing all trace of amusement. "And say the exact words that leave my mouth."

My gaze locked directly onto Caius.

"If you alter even a single word like you did before..." I paused briefly, letting the weight behind the warning settle properly. "I'll blow your head off right there and then. Understood?"

Caius nodded, fully understanding that I meant every word I said.

The atmosphere in the underground chamber grew quieter afterward, the kind of silence that naturally settled when everyone present understood the weight of what was about to happen.

Then I began.

"I swear in the name of Lord Drugar that from this moment onward, I shall never intentionally betray the Emerald Midget Clan, its chief, its members, its territory, its secrets, or its interests through action, deception, concealment, manipulation, or cooperation with enemies."

Caius repeated the oath calmly and without hesitation.

"I swear in the name of Lord Drugar that from this moment onward, I shall never intentionally betray the Emerald Midget Clan, its chief, its members, its territory, its secrets, or its interests through action, deception, concealment, manipulation, or cooperation with enemies."

As the final words left his mouth, I felt a subtle shift in the air.

The oath was beginning to take hold.

Faint traces of energy stirred around Caius' body before sinking beneath his skin, not violently or dramatically, but in a quiet, unnatural way that made it clear something had acknowledged his words.

"I shall never intentionally harm the clan directly or indirectly," I continued, my voice steady and deliberate, "nor aid those who seek to harm it, whether through my own hands, my abilities, my knowledge, or my silence."

Caius repeated every word exactly as instructed, his tone firm and controlled.

Behind him, the others listened carefully now, noticeably more cautious after realizing how precise I intended these oaths to be.

"I shall obey the commands of the chief whenever he invokes them as an order, so long as the command does not directly demand my immediate death."

For the first time since the oath began, Caius' expression shifted slightly.

One brow raised faintly, most likely because he hadn't expected that level of leniency from me.

Still, despite the brief surprise, Caius repeated the line exactly as instructed.

"I shall obey the commands of the chief whenever he invokes them as an order, so long as the command does not directly demand my immediate death."

"I shall not abandon the clan, reveal its secrets, sabotage its growth, or act against its prosperity with hostile intent," I continued without pause.

Again, Caius followed immediately after me.

"I shall not abandon the clan, reveal its secrets, sabotage its growth, or act against its prosperity with hostile intent."

The pressure in the chamber continued to build subtly with every completed line of the oath, the air growing heavier in that strange, unnatural way divine contracts always seemed to affect the surroundings.

"Even if my loyalty wavers, my body, abilities, and actions shall not move against the clan."

A faint shift crossed Caius' expression.

Still, after only a brief pause, he repeated it.

"Even if my loyalty wavers, my body, abilities, and actions shall not move against the clan."

"If I knowingly attempt to twist, evade, exploit, or loophole the meaning of this oath, may the oath judge my intent as betrayal."

Caius' brow twitched slightly at that one.

Most likely because he understood exactly why I added it.

After the little modification he pulled earlier, there was no way I was leaving room for clever interpretations or technical nonsense.

Still, he repeated it without argument.

"If I knowingly attempt to twist, evade, exploit, or loophole the meaning of this oath, may the oath judge my intent as betrayal."

The moment those words left his mouth, the energy surrounding him pulsed noticeably stronger than before.

"And if I take any actions to violate any part of this oath," I finished, my tone firm and serious, "may I suffer a slow, unbearable death."

"And if I take any actions to violate any part of this oath, may I suffer a slow, unbearable death."

The instant the final words left his mouth, the oath sealed.

The pressure in the chamber dipped sharply before stabilizing again, as though something unseen had accepted the contract and anchored it into place permanently. Faint strands of pale light briefly surfaced across Caius' skin like thin cracks before vanishing just as quickly beneath the surface.

Then everything went still.

I felt it immediately.

Relief.

Like a tight pressure that had been sitting at the back of my mind since their arrival had finally loosened slightly.

At the very least, I no longer had to constantly wonder whether Caius would suddenly try to slit my throat the moment my back was turned.

A grin spread across my face as I turned toward the others still standing behind him.

"Alright," I said casually. "Who's next?"

The atmosphere immediately...