Chapter 129
Chapter 129
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 129
Chapter Title: A Curious Contract
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Lisse's expression hardened, and I, for one, was just as bewildered.
‘What in the world is happening?’
For some reason, it seemed like a lot of people were trying to teach me in this life.
But Lisse's offer was far more out of the blue than Kaljak's or Junian's.
It was because she was a mage.
A master in a field with which I had little connection.
“It seems you do not realize what a great stroke of luck this is.”
Lisse said, her expression recomposed.
“I, Lisseradigos, have never taken a single disciple. This means you have the chance to learn knowledge beyond your wildest imagination. If you follow my teachings faithfully, yes. You could even take the position of Family Head without much difficulty.”
“I see.”
“Indeed.”
“No, thank you.”
“...”
At that, for the first time, Lisse's expression matched her youthful appearance.
The kind of disgruntled face one makes when they can't get what they want.
“What is your problem?”
“I don't have much interest in magic.”
“I know you aim to walk the path of a martial artist. But martial artists and mages have one thing in common: they both must handle mana. The advice I can give would not be entirely worthless.”
“Still, no thank you.”
“...”
After the third refusal, Lisse fell silent.
And sitting atop the mountain of books, she irritably kicked her feet.
*Splash, splash...* Watching the water spray, I suddenly grew curious and asked.
“Why do you suddenly want to take me as your disciple?”
“Simple curiosity.”
“It doesn't seem like that's the whole story.”
“Hmph. If I were to speak honestly, would you accept my offer?”
“I can't give you a definite answer, but I would think about it more.”
*Though I'd still refuse.*
After a moment of thought, Lisse said.
“...I had originally planned to take one of the Bednicker bloodline as a disciple. But in all the long years that have passed, not one has caught my eye. Not a single one.”
“Really? My siblings are hardly lacking in talent.”
“Talent... In my eyes, they still fall short, but even setting that aside, I don't like them. This is a matter of compatibility.”
“Compatibility?”
“That's right. Compatibility isn't just important when you're dating someone or making friends. It exists between a master and a disciple as well.”
“...”
I had never been anyone's master, but...
...in that moment, I somehow understood what Lisse was saying.
I respected Baek Rogwang, but I never thought he would be a good master for just anyone.
“And among Delac's other children, you are peculiar in many ways.”
“In what way?”
“The most noticeable thing, I suppose, is that you don't blindly worship that man.”
“...”
We had never spoken about the Iron-Blooded Duke, but Lisse had seen right through to that fact.
“Also, the fact that you solved all ten problems in the grotto means our areas of interest overlap perfectly. I was the one who arbitrarily picked and created those problems, after all.”
“Hmm...”
“On top of that, the technique you explained, Qimen Dunjia, is interesting, and I also value the guts you have not to be intimidated in my presence. You don't seem slow-witted, either, so I thought you would follow my teachings well.”
“...”
Lisse's words were extremely rational, but I had a feeling that wasn't the whole story.
The reason for my suspicion lay in Lisse's attitude.
She wasn't looking at me, her gaze distant, and she was kicking her legs for no reason, splashing in the water.
This was different from when she had ignored me to read her book.
Back then, Lisse hadn't felt much interest in me, but now, her curiosity had blossomed to the point of wanting me as a disciple...
And yet, if she was deliberately avoiding my gaze and feigning indifference, it was right to assume she was hiding something.
‘Is she not skilled in psychological warfare?’
Lisse was a dark elf who had lived for at least several hundred years, yet her inner thoughts seemed so transparent.
In a case like this, it was one of two things...
Either she was so good at acting that I couldn't even sense it was a trap.
Or she had had almost no interaction with people during those long years.
Since she seemed to have been sealed here for a long time, the latter was more likely.
“...The original reason a master seeks a disciple is to prepare for the transmission of their accumulated knowledge...”
“Is that so?”
“From the way you speak, it seems that's not the case.”
I cautiously proposed something else.
“So, instead of a disciple, how about an assistant?”
“An assistant?”
“As an assistant, I can support you, Lady Lisse, with all my heart. I can share knowledge about the Qimen Dunjia you mentioned, discuss overlapping areas of interest, and even run miscellaneous errands. Though I won't be able to visit often.”
This was the most I could concede.
If she refused even after I'd gone this far, there was nothing I could do.
Though I would regret losing access to the knowledge of the underground library, I would have no choice but to give up.
“Hmm... Well, that's not bad.”
Fortunately, Lisse seemed to like my compromise. She nodded and waved her finger.
In that instant, something shiny flew from somewhere in the library and stopped in front of me.
It was a crude-looking key.
“It's the key to the underground library. No matter what door you stick this in, it will connect to the library.”
*It seems to be a magical tool. How fascinating.*
“What about doors without keyholes?”
“The key is sturdy.”
“...?”
“It means you should shove it in by force.”
“Ah.”
In other words, a spatial magic was inscribed on this small key. I glanced at the ring on my finger and muttered.
“It seems similar to this.”
“Is that... the ring you received from Asad? Ha!”
To be precise, I got it from the Iron-Blooded Duke.
It was a single-use item, so it no longer had any value as a magical tool, but for some reason, I kept wearing it.
“You have terrible taste. A ring I make is a hundred times superior to a disposable piece of junk like that.”
“It seems you're superior to Lord Asad when it comes to crafting magical tools, then.”
“Of course, I am.”
I just threw that out there, but her reaction was surprisingly positive.
I looked at Lisse's smug face and thought.
*Separate from her dislike of Asad, it seems she has a certain sense of rivalry with him.*
“By the way... the fact that you received that ring.”
“Yes.”
“Don't tell me you also received a disciple offer from that man? Is that why you refused mine?”
“Of course not. It's just that magic is not my path.”
“...”
Despite my excuse, Lisse didn't completely shake off her suspicious gaze.
Lisse chewed her lip and then said.
“I have a proposal.”
“What is it?”
“Never, ever become that man Asad's disciple. If you do that, I will form a divine beast contract with you under very favorable conditions.”
“Hmm...”
Of course, I had no intention of becoming Asad's disciple. In the first place, I doubted he would even take me.
But I deliberately pretended to think it over.
It seemed that whenever the topic of Asad came up, Lisse easily lost her composure.
As expected, Lisse said irritably.
“Then how about this! I will allow you to reach the stage of Power Borrowing immediately upon forming the contract...!”
“What is ‘Power Borrowing’?”
At that, Lisse seemed even more flustered and said.
“You... You came to form a divine beast contract, yet you don't even know the stages of the contract?”
I scratched my cheek.
“I've never had much of a connection with Blessings, so I wasn't very interested.”
“Is that so? How many Blessings do you possess?”
“One.”
“Hoh...”
Lisse said with a strange smile.
“That's good.”
“...?”
*Good?*
This was the first time I'd ever received such a reaction.
Most people, especially those from the Great Families, would mock and ridicule someone who hadn't received a Blessing, or had received only one.
Since I had the Bednicker label attached to me, the ridicule was even more intense.
But Lisse didn't seem to be sneering at all. Her words felt sincere.
As I was wondering whether to ask about it, Lisse's voice continued.
“Adaptation, Power Borrowing, Ascension, and Unification. These are the stages of a contract with a divine beast. Normally, one must spend years in the Adaptation stage before they can directly borrow its power.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Of course, even if you reach the Power Borrowing stage, you won't be able to use my power right away, but it will significantly shorten the time required.”
“Alright.”
As I quickly nodded, Lisse let out a sigh of relief.
She must have really hated the idea of me going under Asad.
“Good... Then come closer.”
I approached until I was right in front of Lisse.
Seen up close, Lisse was much smaller than I had thought. It seemed her long hair and the fact that she was sitting on a pile of books had made it less obvious.
“How do we form the contract?”
“Hold out your hand.”
*Don't tell me she's going to cut it?*
The moment I had that useless thought, Lisse snapped her fingers, and a snake crawled out from her long, flowing hair.
Unlike the ones I had seen before, this was a separate snake, its tail not connected to her hair. It was small, too.
“Stay still.”
The small snake flicked its tongue at me, then pushed its head against my outstretched palm.
A startling sight occurred the next moment.
“...!”
The snake vanished into my palm as if it were being absorbed.
Immediately after, a snake pattern appeared on the back of my hand.
The snake pattern even moved, slowly slithering up my arm as if it were alive.
“Ugh...”
“I told you to stay still.”
*How am I supposed to do that in this situation?*
I felt so uncomfortable that I wanted to stand up right away, but I forced myself to remain calm.
The slowly ascending snake pattern then stopped around the nape of my neck.
*Vmmm—.*
Just as I felt a cool sensation, Lisse spoke.
“The contract is complete.”
“...Is that it?”
“Yes. It will take a few weeks for the snake pattern to settle, so don't overexert yourself during that period. You'll gradually get a feel for how to draw on the divine beast's power.”
I touched the area around my nape and said.
“...Don't tell me a snake tattoo has been etched onto my body, right?”
“It won't be visible normally, so don't worry.”
*Dammit, so it is etched on me.*
*A snake tattoo around my nape... If anyone finds out, I'll just bite my tongue and die.*
“Anyway... is everything finished now?”
“Yes.”
“Then I'll be leaving for today. I'll come again.”
“...”
At that, Lisse just stared at me blankly without a word.
“Is there something else you wanted to say?”
“...No. You may go now.”
“Yes.”
At Lisse's dismissal, I nodded and left the underground library.
***
I went back the way I came.
I don't know what kind of magic she used, but the return trip was incredibly short.
Still, I must have spent a fair amount of time in the library, because when I climbed out of the well, it was pitch black outside.
I organized my thoughts as I walked back to the Socheol Hall.
The harvest was greater than I expected.
I secured specific information about my Eldest Martial Brother and also formed a contract with a divine beast.
There were still things I needed to figure out, like how to handle that power and what these stages of Adaptation and Power Borrowing were, but it wasn't urgent.
Which meant it was time to think about my next destination.
“The academy...”
In fact, I had already received an admission letter to the Imperial Academy earlier this year... no. It was early last year now.
Back when I hadn't received a Blessing and was in the middle of my delinquent phase.
That's because it's customary to enter the academy at the age of fifteen.
My mother had hoped I would at least enroll in the academy, but I was out of my mind at the time and just tore up the admission letter and holed up in my room.
Anyway, because of that, I know a little about the Cartel Academy.
It is, in name and reality, the largest academy on the continent, and it's basically a three-year program. This means it's customary to enter at fifteen and graduate at eighteen.
The total student body is about 1,000.
There are several dozen departments.
The location is the imperial capital.
“And... I can take up to two servants with me, was it?”
One, of course, will be our all-purpose Collector, Keian.
So, who should the other one be?
Kaljak came to mind for a moment, but taking a big shot like a Grand Master Teacher was a bit much.
‘It's not that I think Kaljak would refuse, but he'd stand out too much.’
Then who are the other candidates?
Should I take one of the Iron-Blooded Knights, or maybe ask if I can borrow another Collector?
That guy named Jane, whom I'd met a few times—he was surprisingly competent for someone with such an unmotivated face.
As I returned to Socheol Hall with these thoughts, the servants greeted me with slight surprise.
“You're late. Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“We'll prepare it right away. In the meantime, would you like to wash up first?”
“Sure.”
My body was a bit grimy from wandering around the grotto.
I nodded and went to the bathroom to wash up. When I came out, fresh and clean in a change of clothes, I saw Keian.
“You've returned.”
“Yeah. Anything happen?”
I asked perfunctorily, but Keian gave a slightly mysterious smile.
“A welcome face is waiting for you.”
*A welcome face?*