KFBRV Ch 41

The Imprint.

It was the sacred oath of the Fenrir clan, a vow to serve and protect a partner as one's eternal companion. Rooted in the nature of the wolf tribe, who loved only one person for their entire lives, the tradition symbolized a loyalty that transcended time.

Once the vow of the Imprint was made, the one who gave the oath could no longer use physical force against their partner. Conversely, they could exert ten times their normal physical strength against anyone who dared to attack their partner.

Furthermore, the bond was so absolute that if the recipient of the Imprint died, the Fenrir who made the vow would perish along with them.

While there were rare cases of an Imprint being used to swear eternal loyalty to a master, it was traditionally reserved for a spouse. It was a gesture made only when one wished to ensure they posed not even a shadow of a threat to their beloved, even if it meant their own destruction.

Originally, Odette had not intended to demand such a thing. She was in a position where she needed to win his favor, and her initial plan was to simply provide for him like a generous benefactor. She had even planned to earn the remaining five points of favorability through small, kind gestures—like the scene in the game where the protagonist tenderly applied ointment to his wounds.

However, she thought with simmering rage that the wretched man had dared to wrap his hand around her throat. She realized then that Karl would kill her at any moment if he deemed her even the slightest threat to the Fenrir.

She knew she could not live in the same mansion as a male lead who might lose his temper and murder her at any second.

The solution she found was the Imprint. She needed to neutralize his physical power in her presence to actually make him a slave. Besides, in the world of The Only Savior, obtaining his Imprint by any means would grant her five points of favorability.

[Karl] "Do you even understand what an Imprint means to a Fenrir, to speak of it so lightly?"

[Odette] "I am asking for it because I understand."

She countered him calmly.

A slave who failed to recognize their master was no slave at all. No matter how precious a tool for revenge he was, she could not allow him to look down on her. Certainly not after he had laid hands on her neck.

[Karl] "It seems you are eager to become a slave's wife."

It was a side of him she had never seen in the game. He spoke with a sneer, his voice dripping with visible insult.

[Loathing has increased. (+20)]

The blood-red status window pointed to a terrifyingly high number.

[Odette] "An Imprint isn't strictly for a spouse, is it? It can also be a vow of eternal submission. Since I am to be your master forever anyway."

She wondered why he had provoked her when she had been willing to play the fool and provide a proper funeral.

If she could not leash the beast, she would abandon him here. She had no intention of dragging a predator along as a pawn in her revenge if he might bare his fangs at any moment. She had already prepared herself to discard him earlier.

[Odette] "Refuse if you wish. But if you do not agree to the Imprint, there will be no recovery of the bodies."

[Karl] "How do I know you won't just flip your word like a coin?"

[Odette] "I promise you. It will be a more perfect funeral than you can imagine. I will recover the bodies in the most honorable way, following the traditions of the Fenrir Clan."

Karl did not know that he would soon awaken as an S-rank Transcendent. This meant he could not imagine a future where he could fulfill his wish without her power.

It was then that a sudden, heavy cracking sound echoed from the ancient tree standing beside her.

[Odette] "What?"

The massive tree began to collapse toward her as if in slow motion. As she wondered if she was about to be crushed, a powerful force tackled her to the ground.

[Odette] "...!"

She squeezed her eyes shut in terror, but the pain never came. When she opened them, she found herself trapped between his arms. He had pushed her down to protect her and was now supporting the weight of the tree with his back. Blood trickled from his head where the wood had struck him.

This is a hopeful sign.

A smile touched her lips. The fact that he had saved her was as good as proof that he would choose the wish she offered.

Trapped beneath his arms, she looked up at him.

[Odette] "Choose. The Imprint, or giving up on the funeral."

[Karl] "Is this really the time for such idle talk? You nearly died just now."

[Loathing has increased. (+10)]

A drop of his blood fell onto her face. However, she had no intention of speaking until he gave her the answer she wanted.

Sensing her stubbornness, he spoke without expression.

[Karl] "You are a more dreadful human being than I imagined."

[Odette] "..."

[Karl] "Fine. Have it your way, my damned master."

[Loathing has increased. (+10)]

The status window spoke for his heart, filling in what his face did not show. Though she had accumulated quite a bit of loathing, she wasn't particularly bothered. The Imprint was valuable enough to justify the cost.

Moreover, his use of "my damned master" was significant—it meant he had finally acknowledged her as his owner.

[Odette] "Don't ever lay a hand on my neck again. I will not forgive you twice."

She snapped at him coldly.

Only the one who received the oath could break an Imprint. This meant that while he could never sever the bond, she could.

From now on, Karl will have no choice but to protect me.

If she died, he died too. Her plan and her pawn were both still useful.

He reached behind him, gripped the tree trunk with monstrous strength, and hurled it aside.

[Odette] "Help me up, will you? I’d like you to imprint on me right now without wasting any more time."

After pulling her up, he looked at her with a momentary expression of disbelief.

[Karl] "Dreadful. Absolutely dreadful."

He muttered the words to himself, unlike his usual self. But in the end, he dropped to one knee on the grass.

She removed an earring. She pricked the tip of her thumb with the sharp post, and a small, round bead of blood welled up.

The procedure for the Imprint was primal and simple. She only had to rub her blood onto his lips, and he had to swallow it.

[Odette] "Once this is over, I will be your master, Karl. Love, affection, or admiration—no matter who owns your heart, your loyalty must belong only to me."

[Karl] "..."

[Odette] "I am the place you will return to. No matter where you wander, I am your new home and your roots."

As she spoke, she rubbed her thumb across his lips, staining them with her blood. It looked as though he were wearing smeared lipstick.

Karl stared into her eyes as he slowly licked his lips.

Slowly, the color of his red eyes began to glow and transform. The bright, ruby-like red shifted into a dark crimson, matching the exact shade of the blood she had placed on his lips.

Simultaneously, she felt a strange ripple in her own blood as it flowed through her veins. She felt instinctively that her blood had become a chain shackling him.

The Imprint was complete.

At that moment, Karl reached out and pulled the ribbon from her hair. Her hair fell loose, fluttering brilliantly in the breeze.

[Odette] "What are you—"

He wrapped the ribbon around his own neck and tied it into a bow. Because her name was embroidered on the ribbon, it looked like a choker worn by a slave.

He then took the hand that had rubbed his lips and kissed the back of it.

This man...

She supposed a Fenrir fanatic like him would never disregard etiquette. Since it was for a vanished kingdom and forced upon him, he could have performed a simplified version, yet he seemed intent on following the full procedure.

It was the ancient etiquette of wearing the hair ribbon of one's bride-to-be around the neck.

It’s the same way he did it for Charlotte in the game.

She hadn't expected to receive the same display of reverence he had shown Charlotte. She assumed an Imprint born from a sincere desire for a spouse would be vastly different from one extorted through force.

I thought the version he gave me would be much more basic.

Ridiculously enough, she found a brief sense of comfort in that fact.

[Karl] "The Imprint is finished. My one and only master."

She felt a sense of relief knowing that even one of the male leads treated her and Charlotte in the same manner.

Even if this bastard did choke me.

Still, compared to her previous life—where her head was severed before any Imprint could even be discussed—this was much better. She felt a surge of confidence that her actions were actually changing things.

[Odette] "Very well, Karl."

She didn't care if his loathing had increased. No matter how much he hated her, he could no longer kill her.

Furthermore, since no warning window had appeared, she knew she still had room before reaching one hundred. Her mind was finally at peace.

[Odette] "If you have a wish in the future, tell me anything. I will fulfill it as long as it is within my power."

[Karl] "..."

[Odette] "I am your only master now, after all."

And you will become my greatest card.

A genuine, soft laugh escaped her.

[Karl] "..."

When he remained silent, she looked down at him.

His face, illuminated by the moonlight, showed the greatest emotional shift she had seen in the game or in all her memories.

His brow, which had remained expressionless even when he wept tears of blood, was now twisted into a mess of a frown.

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