45. Discipline (2)
45. Discipline (2)
- 1 -
"I am curious as to what your choice will be."
[A peerless 'blessing' has flowed to one unworthy of it.]
Sonia remembered the first thing Libertas had said after learning of her constitution.
A blessing.
For her, who had thought of this constitution as nothing but a curse all her life, those words had presented a new perspective.
[If you had cultivated your strength with an awareness of this ability, you would be the most skilled mage among your peers by now. But you missed that chance.]
Sonia could not shake the memory of that touch, a small hand reaching out to stroke her head as she knelt.
That touch, which carried a strange sense of 'interest'.
[... However, that is not your fault. Sonia. An unprepared child. And a pitifully wretched environment. How could all of that be your responsibility?]
Libertas had remained composed and noble as she spoke, but looking at her, Sonia could sense a heart steeped in bitterness.
This conversation strengthened Sonia's judgment of her.
Her judgment that Libertas was 'humane,' and what kind of event must occur for a Dungeon Lord to become humane.
And her judgment on what she herself had to do.
To put that into practice...
"I... want to keep this power as it is. Master."
"A fine choice."
Upon hearing the answer, Libertas smiled a rare smile.
As if that was the right answer.
Like an older sister or a mother caring for a child.
- 2 -
A contract with the demon realm.
More precisely, the terms and price of the contract.
This was how I would extract the trait from Sonia.
A Dungeon Lord who mediates contracts between humans and the demon realm could receive a set price from the human contractor. To put it simply, you could call it a 'fee.'
One might question what kind of fee it was, considering it involved forcing a human into a contract with the demon realm and even owning them...
'That's not my concern.'
That's just the system.
And in this world, weren't there those who might voluntarily contract for power and authority?
No, there probably were. Like that Alexis.
"But... you haven't used this method until now, have you? On Senior Leonis or Mr. Daniel..."
"Is there any need to take away the power optimized for them? When I intend to use them carefully."
"But..."
"Even if they find a way to annul the contract and point their blades at me, I will merely trample those blades thoroughly underfoot."
I did not hide the smile that naturally came to my lips.
It was because Sonia's choice was so satisfactory. Whatever she wanted to do, I liked that she at least wasn't just waiting to sink.
『Attributes - Stamina 2 Technique 6 Durability 4 Magic Power 32 Resistance 8』
『Attributes - Stamina 7 Technique 11 Durability 16 Magic Power 34 Resistance 27』
Before entering the formal contract, I reconfirmed Sonia's status.
The first thing noticeable was her 'Durability' and 'Resistance,' which had grown by leaps and bounds in just two months. This wasn't solely due to the natural recovery her body had regained.
It was achievable because the Sacrifice Strengthening applied to the humans contracted to me as well.
Humans who contracted with the demon realm had their original growth potential inhibited, but in return, their bodies became capable of accepting the mana of the demon realm, making such growth possible.
'About thirty, was it? She's consumed quite a lot.'
To build up her baseline resistance to mana, a total of about thirty Orcs had been sacrificed. The efficiency of Sacrifice Strengthening was lower when applied to humans, though.
The residual mana left in the corpses was all used for the dungeon, so it wasn't entirely unprofitable—but it was still an investment, since using that mana purely for the dungeon would have yielded greater growth.
And now it was time to see the fruits of that investment.
"「Soul Contract, Imprint」."
Sonia's personal details and the pattern of her soul manifested brilliantly above the contract.
If Maria's had been like a quietly boiling flame, and Daniel's or Leonis's had been of a cold disposition, then Sonia's was a pattern of blue hues reminiscent of spring colors.
The contract stated: the contractor would belong to the demon realm, the Demon King would guarantee it, and the contract's termination was only upon finding another contractor and renewing it, or upon meeting death.
And below that contract, a special clause that had not existed in other contracts was added in the language of the demon realm.
『...The contractor Sonia pays the trait 「Mana Overadaptation」 to the contract presider Libertas. A portion while alive, and the entirety upon the contractor's death. And...』
『...This contract is guaranteed by the 'Demon King.'』
"From now on, you shall be a servant of the Demon King, not a creation of the Goddess. Are you prepared?"
"... Yes."
Sonia nodded at the final question.
Her expression still had an ephemeral air about it, but her eyes held the determined will of one who had found a purpose.
Whether she would hone that will into a blade to stab me, or raise it high like a flag to achieve something, I did not know.
Even if she explained it to me, believing her was another matter entirely.
'It's a world where even the closest family harm and abandon each other.'
Building trust with her would take a very long time.
The trust I was leaning on now was merely a seed or a sprout at best. I could only do my best, hoping it would bear good fruit.
Though my best would differ from that of a human.
"Then, prepare to show your respect."
"To whom...?"
"The Demon King."
If his true form appeared, it was certain Sonia would not only faint but also suffer wounds to her soul. But there was no need to worry that far; the same event that occurred when I first executed a contract was an extremely rare occurrence.
Nevertheless, I could not let my guard down.
The Demon King was the Absolute One. Wherever his avatars existed and his power extended, it was only proper to assume that all of it lay within his sight—he simply wasn't focusing on it.
"「Contract Established」."
Kwang!!
As I rose slowly from my seat, and before the bewildered Sonia could grasp the situation, the Demon King's hand burst through a crack in the ground and seized the soul floating above the contract.
- Grrrr......
Unlike before, its form was clearly translucent, and the presence flowing from it was very faint.
Both indicated that the owner of this arm was not present in this place.
"Huk...!"
Yet even that alone was pressure too great for the current Sonia to withstand. She struggled not to kneel or even bow at the waist, and as a result, she nearly fell backward.
When I first contracted, my 'Durability' and 'Resistance' stats should have been much lower than hers are now, so perhaps the difference stemmed from some other reason.
Maybe because I'm a Dungeon Lord, or maybe because of a more fundamental reason than that.
Anyway.
Sarak...!
"Th, thank you..."
"It's alright. Just bow your waist."
Just before she fell backward, I wrapped an arm around her waist, infused her with power, and spread it throughout her body. Sonia's mind, on the verge of fainting, cleared, and she barely managed to pay her respects.
In 'Milden 1', an event was implemented where stacks would accumulate here, and if the count of 'not paying respects' piled up, a debuff would stack on the dungeon.
Not knowing what would happen if that became reality, it was best to pay respects for every contract, unless the situation was too urgent.
- The contract is complete. From now on, you, the human child Sonia, have become a servant of the great demon. I shall look forward to the next rite.
"A rite, you say?"
Who knows.
I'd heard it often, but what it meant had not been revealed since long ago. Still, roughly estimating its meaning...
"To put it simply, it probably means they wish to see how many people you can kill."
"That... is..."
"It is merely a ceremonial remark, so there is no need to concern yourself."
I'd actually tested this by stashing contracted humans in a corner and not using them for a long time, and since nothing happened afterward, it was fine.
More importantly, the trait.
『Traits - ... Magic: Absorbing Plant, Mana Overadaptation』
『Traits - Necromancy, ... Specialization: Flame Magic, Advanced Specialization: Curse, Mana Overadaptation』
Mana Overadaptation, Sonia's hero-grade trait, had split into two branches. The high-grade remained with her, and the rare-grade entered me.
When I turned my gaze from the floating trait information, Sonia was touching her stomach, looking bewildered.
Even at a glance, her expression was far more comfortable than moments before.
"How do you feel?"
"... It always felt bloated and like my insides were boiling, but that's gone. My mana... follows my commands much better too. Truly..."
At high-grade, this trait supplied 2 Magic Power a year, and at rare-grade, it supplied 5. Though significantly less than the 12 of hero-grade, it was still an overwhelmingly good trait in its own right.
She had said that when she was younger, the amount of her automatically growing magic power was much less than now, so it was a trait to look forward to in the future.
"It hasn't been erased. That blessing still remains within you. You will still be able to grow as a more powerful mage than your peers in the future."
"In my entire life, you are the one and only person, Master, who has spoken of it in such a positive light. And... it seems you have actually turned it into a true blessing like this."
"If you have come to see it that way, then that is a truly gladdening thing to hear."
Sonia's eyes, looking up at me, were still swirling with various emotions, complex beyond measure.
What I felt was the same hatred as before. And...
Resentment, coming from I knew not where.
Being bound by a Soul Contract did not mean I could flip her heart over and rummage through it at will. I could glimpse fragments of it when she felt intense emotions like now, but that was all.
Sonia had even quickly suppressed that, so it was impossible to fully discern the source of those emotions.
'I'm curious about what she's thinking, but...'
I pulled my attention away from those drifting thoughts and conveyed what I needed to tell Sonia.
"From today, you may enter the 'Library.'"
"The library...?"
The newly created 'Library' was where I had crammed all the books purchased from humans and the Mammon Trading Company.
Most of them were, naturally, related to the various magic and sorcery of this world.
Since I had just shoved everything in haphazardly, it wouldn't be systematic, but I thought the amount of knowledge was not insignificant.
"However, it would be best not to think of learning anything in there carelessly."
"Learning?"
"Of course you must learn. But when I am not here, merely look for things that might be helpful. When I can personally supervise you, like today, I will help you learn them."
"No way... you mean magic?"
As if she had finally understood the situation, Sonia looked up at me with slightly timid eyes.
At that unspoken question, as if asking whether she'd grasped it correctly, I nodded.
"Of course. What did you think it was?"
"When I was at the guild, magic was always divided into grades and disclosed. To think I could see everything like this..."
"I see. Here, you may see whatever you wish to see. And find out whatever you wish to know. I will tell you if that will be helpful to you now."
It was a title I'd half-obtained by force, but for now, I was her 'Master'. I had been continuously preparing to play a role befitting that title—steadily building up real competence and knowledge.
"Then let's go. I'll show you where the library is."
"Ah... yes!"
"The entrance on the outer passage side will be convenient, won't it? Let's go that way."
Thus, as I walked with Sonia.
Tak!
- ...There.
I turned my gaze toward the presence I'd already known was there.
Far away, at the end of the corridor, a glimpse of reddish-brown hair appeared and then vanished.
That familiar color definitely belonged to Maria.