The Secret of the Bloodline

Becoming an official black mage was no small feat for someone who had started as an ordinary one. To prove genuine repentance, you had to rack up achievements on par with major contributions in the black mage world. You also had to pay proper restitution for every sin you'd committed. Even if you'd settled those debts, human experimentation or live sacrifices meant an express ticket to the guillotine. On top of that, there were countless other verification procedures required, but...

"Thanks to the black mage Neon, the Holy Kingdom was able to cut out its rotten sections. Therefore, I hereby recognize you as an official black mage."

"I am grateful for Your Holiness's mercy!"

Most of the hurdles had been cleared quickly thanks to the high-grade intelligence Neon had delivered. The moment the baby-faced Pope gave his approval, Neon bowed deeply, his face shining with emotion. Now that he'd finally become the official black mage he'd always dreamed of being, the fear of being dragged into the church basement in the middle of the night was gone.

He must have been more nervous than he let on, I thought. Neon let out a long sigh of relief and sneaked a glance up at the Pope. No matter how many times I looked at the boy, he seemed far too delicate to shoulder the burdens of state. I couldn't help wondering what the cardinals who had chosen him as Pope had been thinking.

Well, those guys are already nailed to crosses and dead, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Just to be safe, I'd quietly passed Torso some information about the fallen cardinals. The inquisitor had launched a brutal purge the moment he finished dealing with the wicked black mages. In a way, Neon had been the one to kick off the Holy Kingdom's restoration, so he allowed himself a small swell of pride. He'd become a black mage in a fit of jealousy, but his heart had never truly fallen. After witnessing the true faces of his kind, he'd been quietly regretting it. Now that everything had turned out well, he felt satisfied.

"Then I shall take my leave."

"Mm. Continue striving for the future of the continent."

As Neon carefully withdrew from the papal chamber, Torso—the man who had overseen him during his time in the North—approached.

"That concludes the formal procedures."

"Next comes the deal with the demon."

"Don't worry. Four inquisitors are already waiting on your behalf."

"Ha, haha. That's... very reassuring."

Being recognized as an official black mage didn't mean the process was over. A black mage's power came from a demon, and there was no telling what schemes that demon might attempt. Therefore, once recognized, the mage had to summon their contracted demon under the Holy Kingdom's supervision and revise the terms of their contract.

Of course, no demon willingly released prey it had already caught. Normally, paladins and priests would glare daggers at the creature and pressure it into accepting the changes by force. Neon, however, was confident.

I know Big Sister's personality well. If something looks interesting, she'll tolerate a little rudeness.

Besides, with this much firepower on hand, failing to revise the contract would be pathetic. Exaggerating only slightly, they probably had enough strength to threaten even a greater demon and shake it down. So Neon descended to the underground levels of the substitute temple with a majestic stride.

Deep beneath the substitute temple, in a secret location known to only a handful of people, a group had gathered. Twenty heresy inquisitors, four inquisitor-judges, and eight high priests watched Neon at the center of the demon summoning circle with solemn expressions.

Watching the scene from a distance, I studied the summoning circle with open curiosity.

"I never imagined the Holy Kingdom would have a demon summoning circle beneath its own cathedral."

"To defeat your enemy, you must understand them better than anyone else."

"The Church possesses many such circles besides this one."

The Church wasn't entirely inflexible. There were plenty of flexible factions, and depending on the god they served, some didn't treat demons as enemies unless provoked first. Since most demons committed atrocities against humanity, such rules were largely meaningless, but still.

"There are a few in the Northern Church as well."

"When demons grew too bold, we would summon them periodically and give them a good beating. Brings back memories."

"From the demons' perspective, they never knew who was calling them, so they'd get summoned completely unaware and get pummeled before they could even react. Good times~"

So that's a thing. I was genuinely impressed by the concept of pinpoint-summoning specific demons and beating them senseless on home ground. It seemed this particular circle could also serve as a guillotine that dragged demons in by the collar depending on how it was used. No wonder the nearby inquisitors and high priests wore such vicious expressions. They were clearly prepared to torment any demon that stepped out of line. Once I understood that, everything made sense.

Having finished his preparations, Neon shouted.

His powerful voice filled the summoning chamber. The inquisitors' hands twitched. They clearly didn't appreciate hearing blasphemous words spoken in the heart of the Holy Kingdom's capital. Some looked like they wanted to rip Neon's heart out on the spot, but they held back with superhuman restraint. The noble inquisitor-judges who led the tribunal remained still. They were the absolute military might of the tribunal and the strongest blades the Church possessed. As long as they stood by with arms crossed, even the regular inquisitors didn't dare run wild.

Under the strict watch of the Holy Kingdom's representatives, the demon's true name was finally spoken.

"Appear before us on this land! Krisnain!"

Whoosh!

The moment Neon called his contracted demon's true name, an enormous surge of mana erupted from the summoning circle. The mana whipped around like a storm before forming a passage connected to Hell itself. From beyond that passage, a single figure stepped forward.

Deep silver hair. Pure white skin. White eyebrows and pure white eyes. A woman composed entirely of the color white regarded the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠prostrated Neon while wearing a dress that seemed to flow like liquid.

"Hmm. So it's you, Neon? The black mage who recently formed a contract with me."

"That's right, Big Sister! Your loyal little brother Neon stands before you!"

"Ahaha! You're still as entertaining as ever."

The demon's appearance thickened the air with tension. While the Holy Kingdom's people raised their holy power and prepared for possible combat, Krisnain simply looked around with relaxed composure.

"This situation feels familiar. Don't tell me you've decided to become an official black mage?"

"Correct, Big Sister! I've decided to turn over a new leaf!"

"Hehe. How bold, saying that so confidently in front of a demon. Are you truly fearless?"

"Please just this once! In exchange, I'll make sure to involve myself in all the interesting incidents you love!"

"Hmm. What should I do~?"

The summoning chant had been full of praise, yet the actual meeting revealed a black mage shamelessly flattering his demon. The demon in question seemed to find Neon's attitude amusing and chose not to punish him.

I watched Krisnain with great interest.

"So that's a demon."

"Argo. First time I've seen one."

"Same here. Demons are pretty rare in the North."

The North was packed with monsters that foamed at the mouth and charged at the slightest trace of black magic power. After several demons had targeted the North hundreds of years ago only to have portions of their essence ripped away and devoured, no idiot dared touch the region again.

While I was busy observing my first demon, my eyes met Krisnain's.

"Oh my?"

The demon who spotted me approached as if she'd found something fascinating. She moved so quickly that even the fully prepared inquisitors lost track of her for a moment.

"That's far enough."

"Take one more step and you die."

"A demon of your caliber should understand the situation, yes?"

"Tsk. Back off, you demonic bitch."

The inquisitor-judges leveled their various weapons at Krisnain's vital points. She tapped the blade pointed at her throat with a fingertip and laughed.

"Hehe. Do you honestly think something like this can restrain me? This body is just an avatar anyway. It doesn't matter if it dies."

The demon that emerged from the circle was merely a fragment. It would cost her some power, but for a demon of her rank, losing an avatar was hardly an issue. Perhaps because she was well-known in Hell, Krisnain's expression remained full of confidence and leisure.

Clank.

"Huh?"

But the moment she noticed the purple chains drifting around her, her smile vanished.

"Ugh, that awful mystery still exists?"

"It seems you recognize my mystery. That should make conversation easier."

"Of course I know it. You chose an owner whose appearance perfectly matches his insidious personality."

She stepped back as if she'd seen something dangerous she shouldn't touch, then looked at me with eyes full of obvious regret. Naturally, both Ikelos and the Rune Golem stood guard around me. When even Adela bared her teeth in warning, Krisnain raised both hands to show she meant no harm.

"What's your name? I'm Krisnain."

"Argo."

"What a wonderful name. Any interest in forming a contract with me?"

"Why are you suddenly talking about contracts?"

"If my memory serves, you have the potential to become more interesting than anyone else."

"I have no intention of contracting with you, so just revise the contract with Neon."

What was with this strange demon? Summoned right into the middle of enemy territory, yet she casually brought up making a contract. I felt genuinely dumbfounded. The priests must have felt the same, because they activated the holy relics placed throughout the room. As the divine power pouring from them suppressed her, Krisnain frowned and returned to her original position.

"Tsk. You summon me without permission and then won't even let me chat freely."

"Stop wasting time and revise the contract."

"Fine, fine. It's obvious you called me because of this official black mage business. I'll modify it however you want."

After the brief commotion, everything proceeded smoothly. Just as Torso had said, Krisnain seemed familiar with the concept of official black mages. She obediently revised the contract according to the conditions we'd prepared. As expected of an experienced demon, she'd quickly realized the current situation was disadvantageous to her.

In exchange, the black magic power Neon possessed would weaken, but he'd been an outstanding mage to begin with. With a bit of luck, he could still achieve greatness through pure magic. Therefore, the reduction in his black magic wasn't much of a loss.

Thanks to that, the contract revision was completed in under ten minutes. Having safely finished the final step to becoming an official black mage, Neon smiled brightly and prepared to stamp his mana seal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠onto the document.

"Thank you, Big Sister! From now on, your little brother Neon will work diligently for your sake!"

"Wait."

Just before the seal could be placed, Krisnain raised her hand to stop him.

"There's one condition."

"Yes? What condition?"

"From now on, travel together with Argo. And tell me everything that happens."

"...You mean Argo?"

At her demand, everyone's eyes turned toward me. First she'd offered me a contract the moment she saw me, and now she was telling her contracted black mage to stay by my side. It really felt like there was something hidden about me.

Owen asked with a puzzled look.

"Mr. Argo? Is there perhaps a demon or black mage among your ancestors?"

"No. I'm a pure-blooded Northerner through and through."

If there had been, I wouldn't have been so helplessly beaten by my siblings as a child. I'd been thrashed so thoroughly I could barely breathe. If I'd possessed some hidden ability, it should have awakened long ago. I was certain there was nothing special about my bloodline or abilities.

"You are indeed a Northerner. But among Northerners, you carry ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a rather unusual bloodline."

"What?"

So the demon knew something I didn't? My eyes widened at this secret of my birth that even I had never known. How could she know about something I myself was unaware of?

I hadn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠expected to learn any secrets here, so I stared at Krisnain with a racing heart. Even the inquisitors and high priests watched her with open interest. But she simply enjoyed the attention, flashing a mischievous smile like a naughty child.

"However, I have no intention of telling you. That would be far more entertaining."

"...I wasn't expecting you to anyway."

If she gave out information so easily, she wouldn't be a demon. Krisnain, who had been floating lazily in the air, gave me a languid smile.

"Still, I'll give you one hint... Think about your talent."

"Talent?"

"Yes. Your talent. The unique talent that no one else possesses."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I don't know the details myself. I only heard rumors from other demons."

Having said her piece, Krisnain returned to Hell without hesitation once the contract revision was complete.

"It was getting boring, but that was quite an entertaining show. Call me again if you get the chance?"

"If you want your neck severed, we'll be happy to oblige anytime."

"Those inquisitors are always so rigid. Can't we resolve things through conversation like civilized beings?"

She disappeared after giving the inquisitors one last verbal jab. Torso stared at the spot where she'd been with open contempt, then sighed and gestured. The power of the holy relics that had filled the room faded, returning the space to an ordinary chamber. With another gesture, the demon summoning circle vanished instantly.

"Now that the official black mage procedures are complete, let us head back up."

At Torso's words, we exchanged glances before following him to the surface. The ending felt a little unsatisfying, but Neon had successfully become an official black mage. The work below was finished; the rest could be handled above.