Altering
“Can we make a contract?” An unexpected visitor had made an unexpected demand.
“What… happened?” Adam stopped drinking his tea.
He had decided to wait here for a night to see if there was any other interference from outside before leaving. But, Maia’s visit wasn’t something he saw coming, she stood in front of him and took a deep breath.
“I asked Miss Celestine about it, and she told me about the contract.” That explained half of the things, the main point remained a mystery though.
“Kaguya, can you give us some space?” Adam turned to the silent beauty standing beside him this whole time.
“As you wish My God.” She walked out under Maia’s grateful gaze and closed the door behind her.
With her gone, Maia felt like she could say it now. If she had said it in front of Kaguya she would’ve objected for sure. However, Maia was at the end of her wits here.
“I want to… forget about the future you showed me through the dream.” Maia said.
“Is that all?” Adam placed the teacup on the table.
“My memories about Vult, and everything related to him… I want to erase it all.” Maia told the truth.
After learning of his future actions, filled with rage Maia spent every second working towards the goal of making him pay. This was the reason she decided to see that nasty nightmare in the first place. With Vult’s end today, she had achieved her goal. However, she didn’t feel a lick of happiness.
“I can’t keep it out of my head even now. What he did, the words he said, the things he allowed, the lies he told. I cannot go on living like it never happened…… This just means that I am that weak-willed. That’s why… please help me. I’ll do anything…” Maia hadn’t felt this weak in her entire life.
Although as Adam claimed, what happened in the dream shouldn’t have affected her. But, her history with Vult and the feeling of affection she had for such a vile man for so long, this all bundled up inside her with the visions. At the end, her thoughts started to affect her mind and body creating a sense of rejection with herself.
“Since you know about the contract and what it entails, I won’t waste time on that. So, tell me to what extent do you want to erase that man from your life?” Adam asked.
“From everything. I don’t want to meet him or share any moments with him, or the people he was with. I want you to alter my past, but please let me end up joining the Princess Knights again.” Maia laid her thoughts straight. With what he did already, this shouldn’t be that complicated. In truth, it wasn’t.
‘To change one person’s life is much easier than doing it for the whole world. But, I need to make sure that the dots still connect.’ Adam wrote up the contract, he had a plan on how to deal with this.
He expected the instance that Maia might ask for him to erase her memories. She had unstable thoughts from the time she agreed to it. However, with the extra things she asked for, he’d have to use a contract.
‘I am sure she knows of it too. But, these are the times when you gotta respect someone’s wish.’
“I agree to this.” Maia signed the contract with resolute eyes and watched it enter her body. With this, they established the contract.
“Then I’ll handle the task right away.” Adam used his magic, an instant spell that sent him to the past.
He floated over the green grasslands and found the younger version of Maia, she rested on the ground after a battle with a monster pack. Her eyes focused on the flyer in her hand, someone handed it to her at the entrance of the guild.
[Black Dog Mercenaries are Recruiting!!]
[It doesn’t matter if you are a man, a woman, a kid, or an old coot! As long as you have skills you can join in!!]
She had seen the leader of this group before, and the fact that they didn’t discriminate against female mercenaries made the offer much more lucrative with the offered loot percentage. It was the first time Maia had heard of such a group, and the thought of seeing him flashed through her mind.
“You will continue to be a solo Mercenary and join the Princess Knights later on.” However, Adam extinguished that thought and planted another one in her head.
“Yes, I will.” Dazed Maia stood up and continued towards the town.
Adam had changed the course of her life in a way one chooses options in a game. However, with him, the destination she’d arrive at wouldn’t change. Just that she’d take a different route.
“That’s a success.” Checking her future Adam saw her developing her skills while working as a mercenary till Celestine invited her to join the Knights.
The only difference came from the fact that she didn’t join Black Dog Mercenaries. The rest had stayed similar, Maia received her future as a dream still, this time out of duty to protect Celestine and the rest. That led to them capturing Vult and going along with Olga’s plan, after which she arrived in his room.
“Thanks for your help, I am sorry that someone of your station has to deal with my fickle mind.” Maia bowed her head in apology and spoke respectfully when he returned. Right now, it appeared to her that she made the contract to forget the future because the nightmares disturbed her.
Adam went a little beyond by not letting her know that she had made the contract to alter her life. If she knew about it, that would defeat the purpose of the whole situation. Such information could bloom curiosity, which would lead her down to a questioning that would bring her face to face with the erased past.
“Well, you don’t have to worry. It isn’t like I am doing this for free.” Adam tried to steer the conversation away while checking for any abnormalities. He made sure to check that no problems had occurred because of his interference in the past, and after reading the memories of the world he could rest easy.
‘Yes… I have to do that…’ In front of him, Maia turned red. Celestine had already told her of the price and she prepared herself for it too.
With a swift movement, she slipped out of her orange shirt, and by the time Adam noticed she had unbuckled her pants. With his gaze on her body, Maia’s embarrassment increased.
“W-We have to… do it don’t we?” She said trying to sound confident.
‘Like right now?’ Adam didn’t expect that, he thought he could leave it for another time because he could only stay for one night here at max, ‘If I stop her now, wouldn’t she be totally embarrassed?’
He could already see her shaking a little cause of the awkward silence. So, he had to bite the bullet with this one.
“That is correct.” Taking off his shirt, he walked closer to her, his hand snaked around her waist, and pulled her close, “Let me take over for now.”
Watching his face from close Maia’s heart skipped a beat, he was too close to her. She would’ve liked to prepare herself a little more, but with his eyes locked with hers, she gulped.
“Y-Yes,” With a meek nod she agreed to let him dictate the pace.