'They look cute…' Azel thought while looking at them.

For a short moment, he forgot all the hatred he had for these damn little creatures…

Their tiny round heads with soft little arms, and the way they waddled about… it reminded him of Isolde when she was trying to pinch his head.

The resemblance was uncanny, at least that was what he thought.

But the moment of cuteness didn't last.

One of the creatures suddenly stepped forward, puffing its little chest like a brave soldier and opened its mouth.

"DAR!"

A wave of magic burst forth from its body, washing over him like a sharp gust of wind.

His vision blurred and his eyelids grew heavy.

[You have been hit by sleeping magic]

His sight cleared instantly.

[Kyone's Blessing has removed the effects of this magic]

Azel blinked, then sighed, looking down at them flatly. 'Damn… they actually tried it.'

The Dars were now huddled together with their eyes blinking rapidly as if wondering why their magic didn't work.

'Were they planning to tie me to a pole too?' Azel thought with a dry look. 'Strip me of my dignity and parade me around like an offering? Not happening.'

A bone sword appeared in his hand, glowing with pale light.

He slashed it once cleanly at the wooden pole holding Vargan.

The entire pole that was used to hold Vargan was completely split in half, and the large werewolf dropped to the dirt with a thud.

The Dars froze on the spot, their tiny black bodies trembling as their glowing white eyes darted between Azel and Vargan.

Vargan groaned, rubbing his head.

"M-my lord…" He blinked around in confusion. "What happened?"

Azel folded his arms. "You tell me."

The werewolf squinted at the trembling little black creatures around them.

His expression twisted into something between anger and disbelief. "Right… these little bastards knocked me out."

Azel looked at him blankly. "You should be ashamed of yourself for being knocked out by these… things."

He gestured at the Dars, completely unimpressed by the guard. "They're not even tall enough to be considered monsters in my book."

Vargan's ear twitched, and he muttered something under his breath about them cheating, but Azel ignored it… There was nothing like cheating in war.

"Selene," Azel said suddenly. "Did you get the other one?"

"Yes, my lord," came her cheerful voice from behind.

Azel turned, and there she was, holding one of the Dars upside down by its stubby leg.

It wiggled helplessly, making strange squeaking noises. Selene grinned mischievously and tossed it toward the others like a toy.

The twelve little Dars immediately grouped together, their stubby arms flailing as they scrambled to their feet.

Then, all at once, they dropped to their knees and began bowing repeatedly.

"Dar! Dar! Dar!" they chanted, trembling in unison.

Azel blinked. "What do I even do with you monsters…"

[Ding!]

A translucent screen appeared before Azel, making him raise an eyebrow.

[You have been offered a Master-Slave Contract]

'Huh?' Azel frowned and looked back at the Dars.

One of them… the one standing in front was radiating a white aura and a new screen replaced the one in his eyes.

[While we don't have much to offer, if you agree to this contract, we promise to serve you faithfully and behave ourselves… as long as you feed us.]

'Feed you?' Azel thought. 'Haven't seen this before.'

He tapped the screen curiously and another description unfolded beneath it.

[Would you like to sign your First Master-Slave Contract?]

[This contract will allow you to use the Dars however you please, in exchange for providing them with dreams to feed on.]

[Y / N]

Azel stroked his chin. "I like the terms of this…"

It didn't give them much choice.

He looked down at the leader Dar again.

It stood up and bowed low, holding its tiny hands together like it was begging for mercy. Despite its eerie glow, it looked… sincere.

'There's no loss on my end,' he thought. He could always use new subordinates.

Having monsters that could manipulate dreams might even come in handy later.

"My lord…" Selene's voice was unsure. "What are we going to do with them?"

Azel smirked slightly. "I'll be forming a contract with them."

That made both Selene and Vargan snap their heads toward him in disbelief. The Dars were visibly calmed, it seemed like they understood English.

"What?!" Vargan blurted out. "My lord, you can't be serious!"

Selene frowned deeply, gripping her fan. "My lord… aren't you supposed to form contracts with… stronger creatures?"

The Dars all glared at her for that.

Azel just shrugged. "I don't feel like it."

He tapped the glowing Y without hesitation.

The moment he did, light burst from the leader Dar's body, swirling upward in a bright white stream that poured directly into Azel's chest.

He inhaled sharply as the energy coursed through him, then exhaled calmly.

The Dars looked up at him with awe, their small bodies trembling.

[You have successfully formed a Master-Slave Contract with the Dar Tribe]

[They will obey your orders absolutely as long as they are fed dreams.]

Azel rubbed his neck. "There. Done."

Selene sighed, she didn't take him as the kind of person who would spare monsters if they were cute…

He crouched down and poked the leader Dar lightly on the forehead. "You're their leader?"

"Dar!" the creature squeaked proudly.

"Right." Azel sighed. "From now on, you're responsible for keeping your people in check. If I hear any more nonsense about ropes or kidnapping my hunters again, I'll feed you to the wolves. Understood?"

"Dar!!" The little creature saluted instantly, its round face firm with determination.

Azel stood back up, satisfied. "Good. Then we have an understanding."

He turned to Vargan. "No need to worry about their food anymore. I'll be the one handling it, they eat dreams so it won't be that hard to find something."

Vargan blinked. "They… eat dreams, my lord?"

"Yeah. It's fine."

Azel then looked at her and smiled. "Please take them with you. They'll be living in the mansion from now on."

Selene hesitated, looking from him to the twelve little black blobs bouncing in excitement. "All twelve?"

"Yes."

She sighed, defeated. "Yes, my lord."

The Dars immediately cheered, jumping around Selene's legs and chanting,

"Dar! Dar!" over and over. One even tried climbing her boot.

She flinched, glaring at it, and it froze instantly.

Meanwhile, Azel turned to Vargan. "Wake up the hunters. Kill every monster left here, then bring their corpses into town for Marty to handle. Understood?"

Vargan stood upright and saluted with his clawed hand. "Yes, my lord."

"Good."

Azel cracked his shoulder, glancing toward the deeper parts of the forest. "I'll go hunt something big for them to feed on."

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