His movements were stiff like a puppet on strings as he staggered to his feet. No matter how hard he resisted, it was useless.

That voice held invisible magic, yanking him upright against his will.

“This…” Sky Qi froze. “You forced a contract on me?”

Each Infernal Dragon had one chance to forcibly bind a slave—but it cost a tenth of their power and ended their ability to enslave others forever. The effect was supposedly weak.

*Weak my ass,* Sky Qi thought bitterly. *Everything in those damn books is bullshit. This effect is painfully obvious!*

“So what if I did?” Jaina smiled faintly. “Kneel.”

A crushing weight slammed onto Sky Qi’s shoulders the moment she spoke. His knees trembled violently under the pressure.

Gritting his teeth, Sky Qi summoned a gale beneath his feet, fighting the downward force. His body contorted—a half-crouch, legs shaking, straining against an invisible vice.

Just holding this imperfect stance took all his focus. His earlier insults died unspoken in his throat.

*Damn it!* Sky Qi pushed harder. The weight didn’t lessen, but slowly, agonizingly, he straightened. He knew the pressure wouldn’t lift until he knelt.

Jaina’s golden eyes widened slightly. “Humans,” she murmured, a flicker of respect in her gaze. “Always fighting a lost cause.”

“Slave,” she commanded, her voice sharp but lacking dragon’s roar. “Kneel!”

The force doubled instantly. Sky Qi’s resistance shattered. He crashed to his knees with a thud.

The pressure eased just enough to keep him from collapsing face-first. He braced himself on trembling arms, trapped in a humiliating ‘orz’ position.

Jaina tilted his chin up, her golden eyes locking onto his. “When you touched my horn… did you imagine this outcome?”

“You’re just taking advantage, Infernal Dragon,” Sky Qi spat back, glaring despite the chill her gaze sent down his spine.

In those molten-gold pupils, he saw his own trembling reflection.

“Your defiance is meaningless now. I’ve bound you with a tenth of my power.”

A trace of sweat beaded on Sky Qi’s forehead. *So that golden glow on my Sea of Magic was her power.*

Dragons rarely used this method—it crippled them to cripple others. For Jaina to sacrifice a millennium of cultivation for him…

Sky Qi sighed wearily. “Should’ve ripped off your horn and sold your meat for coin when I had the chance.”

His words were bravado. Beneath the surface, he gathered every ounce of strength, ready to bolt—even if escape was near impossible.

“How should I trample the pride of a human like you?” Jaina mused aloud, as if pondering. “Let’s start with… licking my feet.”

*Lick—what?* Sky Qi’s jaw worked soundlessly. His mind went blank.

Jaina slipped off her shoe. A delicate foot hovered before his face. “Lick until I’m satisfied.”

Golden light surged from his Sea of Magic. A command flooded his nerves, forcing his tongue toward her skin.

*Never!* Sky Qi clenched his teeth, fighting the compulsion. He glared daggers at Jaina. *I’d rather die than do this!*

“Manual labor, then?” Jaina sighed in disappointment. Her fingers pinched his cheek, prying his mouth open.

His tongue lolled out, pressing against her calf.

No sweat—only a maiden’s unique fragrance filled his senses. Sky Qi’s eyes glazed over. He couldn’t pull away.

*No!* With a desperate surge, he slapped his own face—hard.

The impact sent him sprawling sideways. Clarity crashed back.

His cheek throbbed; the Unicorn Mage Mask had swollen where he struck it. Infused with magic, it clung to his skin like flesh. The pain seared.

Jaina’s eyes flickered. *He broke my command… by hitting himself?*

“Merciless even to yourself,” she observed, amused. She crouched before the half-kneeling Sky Qi. “But did you think it was over?”

“Kneel!”

*Fuck—again?!* Panic seized Sky Qi. He braced his Sea of Magic—

Nothing happened. Not even a tremor.

He straightened, bewildered, then grinned. “Hah! Your contract’s useless! Your commands don’t work anymore!”

“Oh, they work,” Jaina said softly, her gaze unreadable. “But forced contracts only grant me three commands per day.”

Sky Qi’s grin died. His face paled. “Per… per day? Three?”

“I’m done playing.” Jaina spread her wings. “Survive as you can.”

She soared upward, her silhouette merging with the sun until she vanished from Sky Qi’s sight.

Only then did he collapse onto the bed, utterly drained. Now he understood Adolf’s haunted expression from yesterday.