Chapter 298
Chapter 298
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon Casts Magic (7)
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Debauchery.
Or perhaps it was more fitting to call it avian debauchery.
The two visitors who had arrived early in the morning stared at me with dumbfounded expressions.
[White hairs. Let me pluck them for you.]
[Lucy, don't get so clingy.]
[Even the princess...]
The flock had gained one more bird.
And an extremely obedient one at that.
"My goodness."
"Si-heon... what on earth have you done?"
Even the sage, who had experienced every absurdity life could throw at her, couldn't hide her shock.
[...Pat me. Huh? Hurry up. I'm going crazy here.]
The tree sparrow perched on my shoulder, rubbing her face against me.
She pecked gently at my neck with her beak, careful not to hurt.
She even hugged my neck with her short, soft wings.
[Maaaster~]
"Uh, master?"
Maronie gaped at the tree sparrow's form of address.
It was exceedingly rare to instill a master-servant relationship in a spirit.
Unlike Earth, where humans and wood folk coexisted, the spirits who dominated the hidden world as a single species—mana-based lifeforms—were even more sensitive to mana than World Trees and far more authoritative.
"There's no way a spirit mage could form that kind of bond with a spirit. Unless the spirit was the master, that is. And not even a beginner spirit, but... "
"I didn't plan on going this far either."
The contract itself had been easy.
But the tree sparrow, used to princess treatment, hadn't lost her spoiled, whiny nature.
I'd had no choice but to mix in some taming during the contract.
Lazily, through the dawn.
"Here."
When I extended a finger to my shoulder, the tree sparrow headbutted it affectionately.
A bird's way of showing love.
[Ah......]
The woodpecker's movements stopped as she plucked white hairs from my head.
"You want some too?"
[...Yes, Master.]
The knight. In the spirit world, she protected the tree sparrow.
Her name was Lucy, as far as I knew.
"Jealous of the princess you're supposed to protect?"
[I have no excuse... but it's Master's fault...]
"Here."
[......Haa.]
Likewise, when I reached out, the woodpecker hesitated for a long moment before nestling into my palm.
She liked being gripped just tight enough to feel snug.
"My god."
"That surprising?"
"...Even the most renowned spirit mages couldn't pull this off."
Maronie had moved past shock to denying reality.
"Your spirit affinity isn't supposed to be that great. Sage, if it's not rude... could you explain how this is possible?"
Maronie asked the sage.
The sage pressed a hand to her cheek, deep in thought.
Was this outside her expectations too?
"Even for an advanced spirit from Arcadia... Hmm. With Si-heon's mana quality, it makes sense. Amazing. I've learned something new."
"What are you talking about?"
"Si-heon's mana nature is unique. No, one of a kind?"
Maronie had no clue what she meant.
A conversation just between us.
"...Not just the power, but a body that originally lacked mana, underwent multiple transformations, and even something close to awakening."
The sage extended her hand slightly toward the two spirits.
Naturally, my spirits showed zero interest in the sage's hand.
[What? Get lost!]
"Tree Sparrow."
[Y-yes, Master?]
"Be polite."
[...Got it.]
She drooped her head sullenly.
Listening to the explanation, I roughly understood.
Just as there were people whose wavelengths matched World Trees, the same applied to spirits.
Spirit affinity was a prime example.
The innate sense to perceive and interact with a world others couldn't see.
I might not know, but such people existed, and it was the basic requirement for spirit mages.
Elrata, an S-rank hunter, had befriended hundreds of spirits, after all.
'Spirit affinity plays a similar role to mana.'
As mana lifeforms, they were drawn to mana.
I'd heard it countless times from the tree sparrow and woodpecker.
...Though the moans they made while saying it were oddly erotic to hear.
My mana was that distinctive.
Mana forcibly awakened after being dragged from another world.
Naturally, its nature differed from that of hunters born and raised here.
On top of inheriting the Wood Spirit King's lineage and the Heavenly Demon's techniques.
To spirits, it was mana they'd never taste even after centuries of waiting.
"Well, better results than expected. Smooth sailing, right?"
The sage even threw in some Chinese idioms, speaking to me in Korean.
I was briefly startled by the familiar Korean, but of course she'd know foreign languages.
I nodded once.
"I'll explain it slowly to Maronie."
"Thanks. I can't wrap my head around it."
Of course she'd explain, but with a wink, she signaled she'd hide the sensitive parts.
Play along, and I would.
After spending considerable time with the sage, I'd gotten good at reading her actions and moods.
Quick on the uptake and sharp-minded, naturally.
But she was kinda cute when flustered.
'...If all that behavior toward me was an act, it'd be terrifying.'
Still, thanks to the sage, I'd contracted two spirits.
The magic stones too—I owed her a lot.
'One step closer.'
The Heavenly Demon's magic.
A contradiction in terms, yet my heart raced.
The birth of unprecedented magic was imminent.
-Chirp.
-Tweet~
These two spirits' help was essential in that process.
I stroked the tree sparrow.
I preferred pets over people I couldn't trust not to betray me someday.
Trees were better than people.
Ah.
Except Shiba, of course.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Would you believe a princess and her knight had submitted to a lowly human?
Corrupted by his touch, they'd become prisoners to a man.
[Eeeeek!]
They were just birds to my eyes.
If World Trees could submit to the Wood Spirit King, spirits could be subjugated too.
Eleanor.
The sparrow princess exposing her white belly to me clenched and unclenched her talons.
[...Master... Maaaster....]
"Enough. Did you get that?"
[Loud and clear....]
Setting aside the sticky tone of her response.
These two spirits excelled in power and rank alike.
The spirits handled by novice contractors who first summoned them were at best low-level ones who could barely wield mana.
Word was, they could barely manage a fireball—better to become a regular mage than contract those.
These two, however, possessed their unique magics.
The woodpecker conjured brilliant yellow swords in midair.
The tree sparrow had royal secrets of her own.
Of course, without formal evaluations or public displays, pinning a rank was tricky.
But I knew their prowess from sparring.
"Watch closely."
I spread my fingers, exhaling a trace of demonic qi.
Not mana infused with it—pure demonic qi.
A dangerous power that could explode the entire training hall if I slipped even slightly.
If it rampaged, even I couldn't avoid serious injury.
Demonic qi disrupted the very essence, resisting even healing authorities.
It took prolonged, steady infusion of power to restore normalcy.
Thanks to that, my healing authority had grown tremendously.
'Once Cornus's treatment finishes, I can intentionally wound with demonic qi and heal steadily.'
The healing authority was the driving force letting me hold my own against S-rank hunters.
Anyone else would've flinched at severe wounds and chosen retreat.
Just heal right away.
Without black arts, my output matched or slightly exceeded other S-ranks.
That was why I overwhelmed them.
Untiring, unaffected by condition, able to fight even with a limb torn off.
No ability I possessed paid its dividends more handsomely.
It was worth enduring the pain to cultivate.
Back to the point.
"I plan to mix this demonic qi with mana to cast magic."
I asked the two cute birds on the desk.
"Think you can do it?"
A tiny black dragon crawled atop my finger.
-Chirp.
Soon, the tree sparrow cautiously replied.
[...This. I can't do it alone, Master.]
"Yeah? You, woodpecker."
[Woodpecker.... I'd prefer Lucy.... Ah, no. This 'demonic qi' power? First time seeing it, but it looks tough.]
As expected.
Even spirits, the pinnacle of mana manipulation, were daunted by the difficulty.
It wasn't for nothing I'd struggled and nearly given up.
[But, as the princess says, two spirits together... seems doable.]
"Mixing isn't all. You know that, right?"
You prioritize efficiency. We'll need trial and error. At least two days... Master.]
Her military bearing shone through.
Clear speech, quick judgment.
I liked how she didn't trail off.
"Good. Lucy, you're easy to talk to. I like that."
[......Like me? Preposterous. Hehe.]
The woodpecker raised her wings slightly to cover her beak.
The tree sparrow, who'd been staring daggers, chirped frantically.
[I-I can do it!]
[P-Princess?]
[I'll do it alone. I'm Arcadia's Third Princess. Master needs only me....]
[Princess. This is dangerous work. Absolutely not alone.]
[I hate you, Lucy!]
A princess jealous of her own knight.
For some reason, my two contract spirits were growing less compatible by the day.
To calm them, I infused mana into each bird in turn.
A light smack on the upper butt.
[...Hic.]
[...Haaang!]
They instantly quieted, looking up at me.
"You two need to get along. What if you mess up early and the botched magic hurts me?"
[Sorry....]
The woodpecker, regaining composure, perched cautiously on my arm.
The tree sparrow climbed my arm too, circling up.
[We need contact, Master. We have to interfere mid-cast.... Princess. Let's start light.]
[...Okay.]
Once positioned, the two birds clung to my arm.
I'd even dragged in mistletoe for proper execution.
Infusing mana transformed it swiftly into staff form.
It greatly aided mana concentration and control.
Never tested with demonic qi, but grown from Heavenly Demon's body, it should endure.
The spell: the fireball I'd failed before.
Imbuing mana with properties summoned black mana haze from my hand.
Simultaneously, black mana rose from the two birds on my arm.
A sensation of becoming one body.
'Definitely.'
Lighter than my clumsy attempts.
Less fatigue, like three sharing the load of lifting a heavy desk.
Easier to center, above all lighter.
Demonic qi was tough for even me to handle.
I'd planned to avoid it until I could solo it, but this made it effortless.
-Shhhh.
Mana gathered at the staff's tip.
At its end, black flames devoured all surrounding light.
A sudden thought: exploding this could raze the area.
So I stepped forward.
To the training hall's center, ensuring even if it burst, my desk stayed safe.
Securing a safety margin, I hurled the fireball centerward.
-Rooaaar!
Beginner-level.
But mana volume made it advanced or higher.
Plus demonic qi—destructive power unimaginable.
The flame reached center.
-Chirp.
A bird cried.
-Boom!
Blasted by the storm? Hurled to the edge, I slammed headfirst into the sturdy wall.
[...Ugh!]
[M-Master!]
The two spirits instantly enveloped me in healing magic.
Thanks to them, minor headache vanished without my authority.
Not severe, but without body reinforcement, I got burns on my hand.
Flames negligible to strong beasts or hunters.
'Add more demonic qi... expand to various magics.'
I brushed off my legs and stood.
Charred scorch marks blackened the training hall center.
Seeing it, my lips curved up.
I'd found enormous potential.