Well, That's an Unexpected Twist (3)
The Holy Spirit, its head in Isaac's mouth, thrashed about as if driven mad.
[You insane little brat!]
Rillai and the elders couldn't help but recoil in horror.
And no wonder — Isaac had a track record already, didn't he?
A track record of eating foreign objects (the Skeleton Demon King's bone)!
It wouldn't be strange at all for him to swallow a real Holy Spirit, and honestly, that was terrifying.
It was exactly the kind of situation that would make the adults' faces go desperate.
This was an emergency.
"Isaac! That is not food! No, this time you really, truly cannot eat it!"
"That child wasn't satisfied with bones, so now he's moving up!"
"If he swallows that too, who knows what will happen! He might not even be able to digest a Holy Spirit!"
[Are you all insane?! Is THAT the problem here?! Huh?!]
Rillai hurriedly grabbed hold of Isaac as well.
The Holy Spirit's leg, dangling from Isaac's mouth as it flailed, looked remarkably like a frog.
"Good boy, huh?! Uncle will catch you an even better frog than that one later! So spit it out!"
[Now they're treating me like a frog?!]
The adults rushed to pry them apart, but for some reason, the Head of the House stopped them.
"Leave them be. Let it go back on its own."
"But Father!"
Rillai was bewildered.
Of course, the Holy Spirit didn't want to be eaten either, so it would try to return to the Spirit Realm.
But this was a King-rank spirit that had come all this way. Wasn't it a waste to simply let it slip away?
If this continued, the opportunity to contract with a King-rank spirit itself would vanish forever...
[What the hell! Why won't this spatial teleport work?!]
"!"
The Holy Spirit flailed harder, as if realizing it couldn't teleport.
[What is this? Why can't I move?]
Of course you can't.
Isaac looked at the Holy Spirit with a grin.
He was pumping the Skeleton Demon King's mana into the spirit's body, clamped in his mouth.
And the Demon King's mana clung to every part of the spirit's body, sticky as tar.
It interfered with the use of holy power — in other words, he had bound the spirit tight in mana so it couldn't escape.
Only then did the Holy Spirit seem to sense that something was deeply wrong.
[What the—! So that's why I've been sensing demonic energy this whole time. You little punk, why do you have the Demon King's mana?!]
But the corner of Isaac's mouth, holding the creature captive, curled up in a smirk.
He couldn't help it.
This body actually turned out to be useful?
What was the first scheme Isaac had hatched upon entering this body?
《Breach the divine faction's defenses and assassinate them!》
《Infiltrate the God Realm without bloodshed and poison them all!》
In short, the theory was that with a Saint's body, he could slip past the divine faction's security and carry out assassinations.
It worked like an immune system.
A body check on a fellow cell — a Saint?
Not a chance in hell.
And mana was the divine faction's ultimate poison!
Though he'd only been half-convinced he could actually shove mana into anything.
Wait — it just... goes right through?
The King-rank spirit was no fool; it had basic protective holy arts draped around itself, naturally.
But perhaps because Isaac himself possessed strong holy power...
It pierced through!
The protective holy arts!
He'd only had to attune his hand slightly to the creature's vibrations — and yet the barrier gave way this easily!
Or is it that this body is recognized as a blessing, so it doesn't even register as a threat?
Of course, this thing was a Holy Spirit, and it might not work on actual gods — but this one was King-rank.
[If it works on beings of lower-god rank, that means it would work on the vast majority of the divine faction.]
Right. Assassination via mana. It'll work.
Well, right now he was only 2nd Tier in magic, so full assassination was a stretch — temporary paralysis was about the best he could manage.
But for now, that was plenty.
Why?
[Damn it! The mana is sapping my strength...! I'm breaking out in hives... ugh!]
Holy Spirits are the most noble, pure, and refined of beings, after all.
Isaac smirked at the spirit's suffering.
That's the one.
Being clean, in other words, meant being easy to defile!
Yes — in a word, Holy Spirits were vulnerable to demonic energy!
Their purity made them spectacular at purifying everyone else, but ironically, it was sheer poison to themselves!
Even being too clean in body apparently had its drawbacks.
No wonder they refused to come within hundreds of kilometers of the Skeleton Demon King.
[I think that was actually just because of your face, Master.]
Oh? Not touching me? What's wrong with my face?
In any case, defiling a Holy Spirit with the Skeleton Demon King's mana was child's play.
Well, this thing didn't seem interested in making a contract, but who cared?
Once I have its power, I'll force one on it whether it likes it or not.
The Holy Spirit seemed to shudder at the look in those unseen eyes.
[I-Ilai! What are you doing?! It's leaking mana!]
But the Head of the House feigned complete innocence.
"It's nothing. The child ate part of the Skeleton Demon King's body, that's all."
[Oh, is that... wait, he ate WHAT?!]
"The Skeleton Demon King's remains."
You absolute lunatics! How does someone even eat tha— no, wait, that's not the point.
[Hey! Then you should have led with that! Do you have any idea how poisonous mana is to a Holy Spirit?!]
"My apologies. It slipped my mind."
The Holy Spirit swallowed a stream of profanity.
[You! You kept quiet on purpose because handling a King-rank spirit benefits your family, didn't you?!]
"Don't be absurd. I'm heartbroken that things turned out this way."
Isaac picked his nose and gave an awkward laugh.
Grandpa, you lying old man.
He didn't look sorry in the least.
[Then first things first! Cut this thing binding me! You could do it with your anti-demon holy arts, couldn't you?!]
At those words, the Head of the House took a hasty step back.
"I'm terribly sorry, but the Skeleton Demon King's aura is far too powerful. We cannot approach it."
The Holy Spirit was going out of its mind.
You can't approach it? What kind of angler is scared of the fish?!
[You people are the family that exorcises the Skeleton Demon King! What good are you if you can't even get close?!]
"My apologies. I'm the least capable Head this family has ever had."
Screw you! What did you just say?!
[The man hailed as the greatest genius of all the Heads in history, calling himself dogshit! Fine! Forget it! Just kill the brat! Kill that little runt right now!]
"Asking a priest to take a life? I cannot help but grieve."
[Shut up! You're damned good at killing, aren't you?! You rip demons apart down to the guts! And anyone connected to the Skeleton Demon King, you just grind them into mincemeat!]
"That's demons. Killing my own grandson — merely hearing it inflicts such mental anguish that I'll have to demand compensation first."
The Holy Spirit clutched the back of its neck.
Is this a priest or a street thug?!
By that point, the elders couldn't help but be inwardly astonished.
To be sure, they too wanted someone of House Eshua to contract with a King-rank spirit.
But never in their wildest dreams had they imagined the Head would come out like that.
"Shouldn't you normally just send the being back?"
"He's not one to appreciate that sort of joke."
He was the kind of man who would turn his back on his own sons if they strayed even slightly from principle, saying it wasn't worth hearing.
The elders stole a glance at Goel, whose teeth were clenched.
Goel had lost all control of his expression the moment the King-rank spirit had appeared.
He must have realized it by now.
That the Head could have no choice but to turn his heart toward Isaac.
The elders, too, found themselves exchanging wary glances.
And with good reason — House Eshua was currently locked in a succession struggle between the Pope's bloodline and the Saintess's bloodline.
The fight for the Head's seat isn't merely a family quarrel.
There was hardly a corner of the continent untouched by the Five Faiths' influence.
The succession of the Five Great Families was, accordingly, a matter the entire continent watched with political and military intensity.
The problem was that rumors were currently spreading that the Saintess had failed to capture the Skeleton Demon King, and House Eshua had fallen out of the gods' favor.
The silver-haired ones are hopeless after all.
Oh dear, they say every Saintess bloodline born this generation is cursed by the gods too?
Still, with the Pope's bloodline mixed in this generation, things should improve, won't they?
Then... don't tell me the Pope's house will be able to interfere with Eshua?
Oh, come on. It's the Blue, of all things. Not to that extent, but there's no helping it if the Papal faction gains ground.
The Head must be torn. But what can he do? When his children are that feeble and dropping dead one after another.
And the Pope's bloodline, beloved of the gods, had been seen as none other than the savior who would lead the Blue.
And yet, of all people, Isaac — the Saintess's bloodline — is the one showing promise.
So was that why the Head had come to favor him?
The elders stole a glance at Isaac.
Perhaps the one they supported needed to change.
"At this point, aren't you ready to name Isaac as the heir?"
Rillai broke into a sweat watching his father, who looked strangely delighted.
"Well... as his father, perhaps I've simply hit the jackpot."
The Blue Faith.
The faith of resistance, defying all that would bend or break it.
And as the Head whose nature best matched that Blue, perhaps he intended to use everything at his disposal.
Even his own bloodline, if he could.
As if to prove the point, the Head simply glistened-eyed at the Holy Spirit, which was still kicking like a frog.
"Well, perhaps your being swallowed was the will of the gods as well."
[What did you say, old man?!]
"Stay inside my grandson's body. Purify every last drop of the Skeleton Demon King's mana, and I'll send you home."
[Screw you, you demented Eshua! You think you're going to use me for free?!]
"Then by all means, keep being eaten like that."
[What the hell is wrong with you?!]
"..."
No, he was probably just in a good mood — superior labor, acquired entirely free of charge.
Rillai glared at his father with utter loathing.
The Holy Spirit, it seemed, had reached a similar conclusion.
[You psychopaths! This is why I hate you people! If you weren't the family hunting that godforsaken Skeleton Demon King, I'd have cut off contact ages ago! Where in any of this do you see a faith for the protection of the weak?!]
"You're not exactly weak, are you?"
[What the hell is wrong with you?!]
The Holy Spirit detested the Skeleton Demon King's mana with a passion.
[Damn it all! Fine — in that case, I'll use this suckling babe to hunt down that wretched Skeleton Demon K— GAH!]
Isaac chomped down on the Holy Spirit with his toothless mouth, chewing away.
That wretched Skeleton Demon King is ME, you bastard.
The Head's eyes glinted oddly.
"How long will the purification take? Let's see — perhaps a hundred years or so?"
[Stop announcing your wishes out loud! You plan to work this child to death in service of Eshua?!]
The Holy Spirit scoffed, as if to say don't underestimate a King-rank.
[Four days. Seal this child and me away together.]
"!"
[I'll stay for half a month — no, I'm going straight home after. Purify mana? Come now. It's not the Skeleton Demon King's full power — a finger bone won't take more than four days!]
At those words, Isaac's eyes gleamed slyly.
Four days?
This filter's performance is better than I thought?
It'd be a waste to let it work only four days and go free, wouldn't it?
The Head clicked his tongue.
"I see."
A pity — but there was no arguing with it.
Truthfully, even four days of dwelling in the human realm was an extraordinary span by human standards.
If Isaac managed to extract something during that brief window, it was pure profit.
Even if Isaac's holy power were purified by the tiniest fraction, that alone was a gain.
They say the purer one's holy power and mana, the closer one comes to the realm of Transcendence.
The Pope, they said, had begun ascetic training for that very purpose at the astonishing age of ten.
Well, it was a state achievable only by gods — among humans, it was nothing short of a dreamscape.
At any rate, one would need to rival the Gold Faith — with its obsessive pursuit of "purity" — just to break even.
The Head's eyes flickered subtly toward the Holy Spirit.
"You. You've been summoned by the Papal house before, haven't you?"
[What, when they were researching purity? They did call on me, but don't worry. They annoyed me, so I severed ties with them. I wouldn't sell your information to them or anything.]
No. That wasn't exactly the concern here.
This spirit was powerful enough that every one of the Five Faiths would have coveted it.
His mind made up, the Head called out.
"Open the gates of the East Castle. Empty the fortress of everyone within, and let no one enter until the purification is complete."
Goel and the elders flinched.
"Father! The East Castle—!"
"Lord Head!"
The moment they cried out in alarm, the Head cut them off coldly.
"I will hear no objections."
"…!"
At the Head's words, Isaac's eyes curved into crescent moons.
Truth be told, I was on guard, wondering if the old man might see through my identity.
But perhaps having eaten the Skeleton Demon King's remains had helped after all.
[How unexpected. I honestly thought that's exactly why he'd kill you, Master. Is he a soft-hearted fool after all?]
Then Isaac snorted a laugh.
No? Not at all.
The way I see it, that man's vicious enough to exploit even demons.
Well, whatever — that wasn't the important thing right now.
The East Castle?
I don't know what that fortress is for, but isn't the East Castle right next to the annex where the Magic Core is?
[Yes, exactly! It's within spitting distance!]
Perfect.
Handled carefully, this meant he might absorb the Magic Core in the annex without anyone noticing, didn't it?
He'd been wanting to move into that annex anyway, come to think of it.
[That's the one! You could raise your magic tier in a single stroke!]
And if I could even purify the impurities in that mana...
For some reason, Isaac flashed a sly grin at the Holy Spirit.
"Rillai. This may take a while, so stay behind and look after him with all your devotion."
At the Head's words, the Holy Spirit let out a great scornful laugh.
[Oh, please! Your schemes to keep me here are useless! You think a King-rank can't escape some snot-nosed brat? Once these four days are over, we never see each other again, you demented sociopaths!]
But four days later.
The Holy Spirit could not leave House Eshua.
No — it couldn't even escape Isaac's mouth.
Not even ten years later.