186. The Stairs (2)
186. The Stairs (2)
- 1 -
The ascension ritual to Elite grade had to be performed before visiting the Demon Realm.
The countless demonic beings of the Demon Realm were more powerful than the continent's monsters, and there, strength was often the means to assert one's will.
Therefore, my heart leaned toward performing the ritual quickly, but... I had to exercise more patience.
The first reason was a matter of form.
"The ascension of a lord is a procedure requiring a perfect ritual and witnesses, Master. Circumstances were unfavorable until now, but when celebration is possible, I think it would be unwise to deliberately omit it."
When I expressed my wish to perform the ritual as quickly as possible, Evangeline opposed it with a gentle yet firm tone.
- If it be possible, it would be good for all to be together.
"She's right, I think..."
The other close aides agreed with her as well.
I could not ignore their loyal counsel.
The second reason was more practical.
'To sort out the legacy of the long-lived venomous spider, preparation is essential.'
It was because more time was needed to refine Areupina's body into a sacrifice, which would serve as the core of the ascension ritual.
Countless traces of magic were imprinted upon Areupina's flesh.
As both a psychologist and a master of the power to plunder others' abilities, the knowledge and strength accumulated within her body were astonishing.
If her spirit trapped within my soul was one part, the abilities remaining in her physical body amounted to a hundred.
One might say it was a body worthy of being called a 'perfect sacrifice'.
"You've done well, Sonia."
To use Areupina's body as a sacrifice, it was necessary to extract all the knowledge that lay dormant within it.
It would be a waste to sacrifice knowledge I wouldn't even use, and even after extracting it all, the abilities remaining in her body were sufficient to become my offering.
"I finished it quickly only because you helped me, Master."
Fatigue and shyness mingled in Sonia's voice.
The way she averted her gaze with a flushed face felt even more endearing.
"This is for me, so none of this is a hardship. I am truly grateful."
"Oh, it was nothing..."
Lately, her bashful reactions had become increasingly charming to me, and I, too, found myself expressing my feelings more often.
That change felt unfamiliar, yet all the more pleasant.
"You truly did very well."
I raised my gaze and looked at the bookshelves of the library.
The knowledge extracted from Areupina's body was so vast it filled two bookshelves.
Not all of it would be useful, but just from the sheer volume, I could guess how many lives she had sacrificed.
'She certainly had the qualifications of a villain.'
Villains are, by nature, diligent. It's just that their goals are not good ones.
Areupina was a fairly good villain in that respect.
She had simply endlessly seized power, only to be swept away by that power, twisting beyond her control.
"Now, get some rest. I'll prepare the rest."
"No. I will help too."
"Aren't you tired?"
When her answer was delayed and I turned around, Sonia was blinking, head bowed. The signs of exhaustion were evident.
I approached her and gently supported her waist.
"Huh...?"
Instinctively, Sonia's fingertips, grasping my arms and shoulders, were trembling slightly.
Before I knew it, her body was naturally leaning against me.
"See. You overdid it."
"Ah... I'm sorry."
"Why apologize? There is probably no one who doesn't know how hard you strive for me."
The moonlight seeped in through the magical window, illuminating her flushed face.
I supported her with my mana and began to walk.
Hwoo-ook—!
Outwardly, it appeared to be a leisurely gait, but as my mana moved and the dungeon naturally responded, it became what was commonly called 'ground-shrinking' back on Earth.
"Master. My room is this way..."
"I know."
I laid her down on the bed in a spacious room not far from my own.
It was a room of the same standard used by my close aides.
"From now on, use this room."
"What? But..."
Ever since her contract with me, she had continued to use the room I first gave her.
Until now, she had refused all my suggestions to change rooms, but this time, I had no intention of tolerating that refusal.
"Please do not refuse. When you keep overworking yourself like this, it worries me. I said a few more days would not matter."
Besides, at least two more days were needed to prepare a ceremony that would satisfy all my close aides.
The impatience Sonia showed by staying up all night for this matter clearly stemmed not from external reasons, but from within her own heart.
As if she knew that as well, she gave a small nod, her face buried in the blanket.
"... I understand."
"Be sure to rest well today. I will prepare a meal so you can eat when you wake. If you come out of your room before then, I shall scold you."
At my words spoken while changing the room lighting from twilight to evening, Sonia answered in a creeping, small voice.
"... I'm sorry."
"Enough. How can leaning on one's teacher be a bad thing?"
I did not leave the spot immediately, but stayed by her side, gently stroking her hair.
It was because, though I felt her breathing gradually steady, a conflict still lingered in her eyes.
"... Master..."
"Mm?"
"Shouldn't you be going?"
"Do you want me to go?"
"No...!"
Sonia quickly shook her head.
When I stopped my touch, she spoke in a small voice, only her eyes visible above the blanket where she had buried her face.
"I'm not sure... if it's okay for me to lean on you, Master."
The hesitation in Sonia's voice went beyond the simple distance between a teacher and a student.
I could see her fingertips, clutching the blanket, trembling faintly.
"The path of a human. The path of a monster. Such things are not important. Only the fact that it is the path you have chosen—that alone is what matters."
I moved the hand that had been stroking her forehead to her cheek.
The face revealed as the blanket slipped down slightly was as red as if she had caught a cold, but I already knew the reason was not simply illness.
"Still... is it truly alright?"
"Of course."
When I nodded with a serious expression, Sonia's eyes began to slowly close as if relieved.
"Master..."
She gently held my hand.
Through her trembling fingertips, her anxiety and anticipation were conveyed at once. I softly wrapped both my hands around hers.
"Are you afraid?"
"No... it's just..."
Her words trailed off.
The moonlight seeping through the window faintly illuminated her flushed face.
"If you do not wish it, just as we are now is enough."
"No...!"
Sonia shook her head. Within her wavering eyes, complex emotions were entangled.
"I... like it here, where you are, Master. Just like this... just a little longer..."
"I, too, am happy that you are by my side."
"Master..."
As she called me in a whisper, her eyes closed, small droplets formed at the corners of her eyes.
With my fingertips, I carefully wiped them away.
"Now... I think I understand. That it is by your side, Master... that is where I..."
At her words, a corner of my heart grew warm.
She who had once been human had now become the one closest to me.
"Now, rest well. I will stay here."
"Yes..."
The warmth I felt in my hand gradually steadied.
It was astonishing that the eyes once filled with hostility and hatred toward me had now become such a peaceful sight.
This held no simple meaning for me.
From human to monster, from enemy to disciple... and now, to my closest person.
I could well imagine the immense inner turmoil and conflict she must have experienced throughout that process.
Seuuuuu...
But at this moment, all her hesitation could not disturb her deep sleep. That probably meant she had fully accepted her own choice.
I smiled as I looked down at her sleeping form.
Therein lay one of the possibilities I desired.
- 2 -
Preparation of the sacrifice. Preparation of the ceremony. Preparation of the people.
It took another four days after I returned to the dungeon for everything to be fully prepared.
Even this was reduced thanks to Eve, who had made preparations sporadically beforehand.
[Please, Master, focus on purifying your body.]
Evangeline's grave voice surfaced in my mind.
With these words, she had excluded me from the full-scale preparations, and as she had instructed, for the past four days, aside from organizing Areupina's knowledge, I had devoted my time solely to refining myself.
This 'purifying' she spoke of did not simply mean washing the body, but rather settling the mind and spirit.
I knew that meaning well.
『Attributes
Stamina 60(◀ 57)
Technique 82(◀ 75)
Durability 62(◀ 57)
Mana 90(◀ 89)
Resistance 78(◀ 75)』
I had only raised my attribute totals to slightly above the standard for Elite grade.
Excess could, in fact, be poisonous.
Even in the game, if you evolved a summoned creature or dungeon lord after raising their attributes as much as you pleased, the result was simply a failure to maintain an appropriate growth trajectory.
Likely due to an inability to properly control the mana dwelling in the body.
『Traits - Necromancy, Nobility, Alpha Tester, Veilkeeper, Special-grade Specialization: Curse, Special-grade Specialization: Soul Magic, ... Requiem for Divinity, Flaw Detection, Mana Overadaptation, Spirit Medium, Lord of the Necropolis』
Among my traits, those whose grade could be raised through deep study were improved through repeated mental and physical training.
Those that could acquire higher abilities through sacrifice strengthening were prepared accordingly.
The results were fairly satisfying.
『Essence of All Things - You have mastered the understanding of all manner of elemental magic.』
After raising Flame and Freezing—the two of the three elemental magics that had not been special-grade—to special-grade, and then learning various other elemental magics, I obtained one trait.
『Mana Control - Mana directly manipulated by you will not go out of control.』
This was a trait that had already shown signs previously, but only now was I able to properly acquire it.
As I developed each trait one by one like that, I gradually felt a hardened emotion filling my heart.
That emotion deepened most on the appointed day—today.
'I'm nervous.'
I had countless experiences in the game with evolving summoned creatures or raising dungeon lords to higher grades.
But now that it was my own affair, I was both fearful and expectant, making all my experience raising Evangeline and other summoned creatures or mercenaries to Elite grade feel meaningless.
Various thoughts emerged and then disappeared: whether I could safely absorb the powerful beings that would become sacrifices, and whether the being created thereby would not greatly change from how I was now.
"Huuuu..."
Gradually, my mind settled.
This time, I received the proper assistance of 「Nobility」 to steady my frame of mind.
'Come to think of it.'
『Nobility - May you always be lofty, and may you always be beautiful. Standing higher than all, you will draw the gaze of everyone.』
Thinking back, I had never thought deeply about this trait.
Looking back, it had always been a trait that aided all my deeds and abilities.
Originally, I was quite an emotional person.
As such, if I had maintained the despair I felt when I first came to this world, I would have been unable to do many things.
If I hadn't accepted the ice-cold composure this trait gives me whenever it was needed...
'Perhaps I would have been seriously hurt, or experienced unintended loss.'
Also, the fact that this trait is at the 'Legendary' grade—the second-highest tier—was significant.
Personality traits such as 「Calmness」 and 「Reckless」 generally rise through a process of growth.
'Could it really be the doing of that being?'
However, even thinking about it once more, the circumstances under which I obtained this trait could only be considered the artifice of whoever brought me into this world.
When thinking about the settings for this body, I had loosely thought 'a noble lady', so one can only assume that it was just slapped onto me accordingly.
"Master, are you alright?"
While I was lost in such thoughts, Sonia, who had been one of the two helping to arrange my hair, asked in a worried voice.
I could manage a simple neat arrangement with just my mana, but changing the style of the hair required the touch of another's hand.
"Of course. Is there a reason I wouldn't be?"
"You'll be fine, because Rita is good at everything."
On the other side, Serica, who was looking at me with sparkling eyes, said with a voice full of conviction.
Her gaze held a deep trust akin to faith itself.
"That is far too undeserved faith."
"You're a demon who managed to subdue me when you were weaker than me. You'll do well by default."
"Looking at it that way, it can't be helped, I suppose."
Faith is the most dangerous emotion when it shatters.
But I decided to let her faith remain as it was.
Because I had the confidence not to break that faith.
"Master."
"Lady."
While I was conversing with the two who had interrupted my ruminations, I saw Eve and my other two close aides, along with another demon realm noble, enter the room.
The door had been left open beforehand.
So that I could head to the event hall as soon as preparations were complete.
"My lord's ceremonial robe has been prepared."
Ran, who had been at the very back of the four, stepped forward holding up a piece of luxurious fabric, and respectfully presented it to me.
Behind her, her three lush tails swayed gently in anticipation.
It was not the fabric itself that mattered; what was more important was the embroidery drawn upon that fabric.
It was a single-use item made to contain mana within the threads and the image, designed to transmit the knowledge contained within that image intact to the mage who touched it.
My clothing was no ordinary thing, so ordinary methods could not be used to change it.
"My thanks for your efforts. I accept them gratefully."
I placed my hand upon it.
Seureureureu...
As knowledge flowed into my mind, my mana slowly enveloped my body.
Now, my preparations were complete.