The Curse Demands an Eternal Vow
The curse yearned for an eternal covenant. Special-grade spirit, Neros. Commonly known as "Nightmare." Her form was grotesquely fitting for a spirit born of curses—a lower body stretched out like a serpent's, reminiscent of a lamia, and an upper body with unnaturally long arms and massive red eyes that defied any notion of humanity.
[Do you love me?]
And in that monstrous guise, she craved love.
"...A remnant of the curse, huh."
Neros, slain by Skaya, had long vanished from this world as a curse. Yet summons as a familiar, or temporary manifestations and possessions in places haunted by lingering regrets and curses, were still possible.
[Love me??]
That was exactly her state now. She couldn't even properly wield one of Nightmare's core abilities, the all-powerful "Word Spirit," and her size was far from its original scale. Skaya had described a colossal beast that could chew up a minotaur whole, but this version was only slightly larger than Lian himself.
[Or... do you not love me?]
"Night... no, Neros."
[Hm?]
"What do you want me to do?"
Neros paused at his words, then burst into mad laughter before spitting out her demand.
[Love me! More than anyone else... abandon all others, and look only at me!!]
The root of her transformation into a curse was the agony of realizing even her beloved tormented her, compounded by the affection-starved isolation she endured even at the academy.
[Don't torment me!]
In the academy—a microcosm of society—the weak were simply culled.
[Cherish me!!]
Neros had been weak, and thus discarded.
[Love me!!!!!!]
But... not anymore, perhaps?
She was strong. Though her true body had perished upon becoming a special-grade spirit, rendering the epithet "omnipotent" moot, her power was far from feeble.
"...Neros."
[Yeah!!!]
"Then... will you make a contract with me?"
[Con... tract?]
"Yeah. Then I'll... cherish you."
He wanted to give her affection, if possible. Just binding her with a master-servant contract and exploiting her—that life held no difference from what they had done to him in the past.
[Then... you'll love me?]
"Even if it's impossible now, we can take it slow and get to know each other."
Neros let out a groan, as if pondering his words.
"If you don't want to, that's fine too."
[Huh?]
She tilted her head in confusion at his response.
[You... don't want me?]
"No, I do. But you might not want it."
For ordinary monsters or spirits, one might force a contract and implant commands or bindings beyond a standard master-servant pact to curb rebellion. But for Neros, that would be nothing but shackles. With affection as her driving force, such measures would not only slash her combat prowess but reduce her to a mere oversized lump of curse.
[You think... I'd hate it?]
"Yeah. So, what do you think of me?"
[I...]
With those words, Neros's face drew right up to his.
[Love you♥]
Leaving only that declaration, Neros melted back into the darkness. Even to the last, professing her love...
"...Scary."
The curse lingering in her ring had noticeably diminished from that manifestation. As a special-grade spirit, much of it had persisted long after death—ordinary spirits would leave no curse fragments behind, even in their lifetime possessions.
"This should suffice as a catalyst..."
The diamond ring Neros had prepared to wear alongside her beloved... It looked utterly ordinary from afar, but to the wearer, it brimmed with curse. Not enough for a full manifestation of her true body, but enough to drive an average person mad.
"Handy in times like this."
You are a single ray of light shining amid the darkness that would devour humanity.
• Perfect immunity to curses (limited to one instance).
• Can absorb demonic energy and convert it to mana.
• Qualified to wield holy swords.
This ability, limited to one curse instance, treated contact with Neros—herself a mass of curse—as an "exposure," allowing him to perceive the curse's emanation without discomfort or other sensations.
Stroking the ring as he reached the first floor, he found Rain and Minel already there, conversing.
"Young master, apologies, but I couldn't find any books mentioning Neros."
"Same here. Not even similar names."
No luck on their end... Well, from the academy's perspective, her existence was a history they'd rather erase. If records were purged, there was nothing to be done. But since he'd found her, it should be fine.
"Let's begin the contracts."
Three days after encountering Neros in the library... the day had finally arrived.
"As you know, this is a master-servant contract. A cheat-level spell that forcibly turns even untamable monsters into familiars—but you only get one shot."
"Yes!"
The other students fiddled with their catalysts. With only S- and A-grades present, most had brought theirs—save two or three.
"Then, starting with the top student."
"Understood."
Following the familiar procedure, he stood in the magic circle, dripped blood from a dagger onto it, and substituted the "curse" in the ring for mana.
"Come forth... Neros."
He whispered her name, inaudible to others.
[...Ah....]
And she answered.
A curse erupted from the magic circle, dwarfing the ring's—professors sensing the ominous aura rushed to intervene, only to freeze at a familiar woman's voice.
"Wait."
"Principal Skaya!?"
Skaya wasn't fool enough to forget the curse of the spirit she'd slain. And knowing no normal person could halt such a summon, Lian manipulated the ring's curse like mana to urge her forth.
[This... world...]
The presence was on another level. He'd seen many summons—spirit kings, ancient golems, wyverns, even ancient artificial dragons—but their initial awe paled in comparison. It was an insult to even compare.
"Urgh..."
Thanks to his perfect immunity from prior exposure, he endured, but her raw presence—not mere curse—rivaled a Demon King executive's. Incredible. That was all his meager vocabulary could muster.
[Love... you...]
"Yes, Neros."
She materialized. Unlike before, a pristine white body and blue eyes emerged, prompting screams from the watching students.
"Kyaaah!!!"
"What the hell!?"
Their minds harbored only minotaurs or Demon King rabble as "strong monsters." But Neros outstripped executives in curse volume and matched them in intimidation. Taming her hinged entirely on him, yet this spirit's growth potential marked her as the strongest in history.
[Hey.]
With her tail tip fully summoned, Neros addressed him—not in the library's staccato speech, but a proper woman's voice.
[What's your name?]
"Lian Primal."
She smiled. Her massive maw split wide, baring razor fangs, as she softly repeated it.
[Lian...]
"Yes, Neros."
Her single blue eye fixed on him, brimming with goodwill and affection.
[Will you love me?]
"If you love me."
In voices too soft for others but Skaya to hear, they conversed, then completed the summoning spell's finale.
[I, "Nightmare" Neros, form an eternal covenant with "Lian Primal."]
"I, "Lian Primal," form an eternal covenant with the "Omnipotent Nightmare" Neros."
Unlike standard contracts mediated by mana or demonic energy, this curse-bound vow was no mere master-servant pact. It was like a marriage vow, affirming mutual love.
Her covenant's terms had entered his mind the moment she agreed: one sole condition.
[Never betray me, and promise eternal love.]
In exchange, she offered everything—curse, soul, even her name.
And he accepted... staking his all in kind. Mana, soul, and not "Primal," but "Lian."
"Hey, Lian."
Post-covenant, she spoke fluidly, as always.
"I love you."
He replied softly to her words.
"Me too."
Love confirmed for entity [Nightmare, Neros]!
[Pure Love], [Eternity After Death]. [Soul Companion] route confirmed!
[Neros]'s settings have been updated!
...Update complete!
!!!
Conditions for new harem route unlocked: (2/3) fulfilled.