79. Untying the Knot (7)
79. Untying the Knot (7)
- 1 -
"Is it... is it really true?"
When I met Eleanor again three days later, her appearance was even more ruined.
Her throat was hoarse, and her wrists were covered with marks from being chafed by the shackles.
The time spent in solitary confinement must have been that agonizing.
"Yes. You will contract with me and work as Sonia's escort. Though rather than an escort, it will be closer to an odd-job role, following her around and handling whatever she does."
"Thank you! Thank you! Please order me to do anything! I'll do anything! Heup..."
Though darkness and solitude are said to be the swiftest and easiest ways to break a person, her mental fortitude seemed quite weak to begin with—at odds with her fierce familial devotion and the abilities she possessed.
She had probably sustained herself on thoughts of revenge against her family, and with that resolve broken, she could no longer hold herself together.
"And at the same time as the contract, a portion of your abilities will be collected."
"...Huh?"
She looked up at me with a puzzled expression, but from my standpoint, this was only natural.
Because the only reason she was alive was thanks to Sonia giving up on revenge.
And I had not given up.
To Sonia, she was simply the enemy of a close friend, but to me, she was a 'foe' who had caused me to lose a cherished subordinate and part of my dungeon's military strength.
"Do you understand?"
"Ah, w-well, yes..."
Eleanor nodded, though her expression showed she didn't understand my words at all.
I added one more sentence to make it easier for her to comprehend.
"I could have forced you to part from your family forever. In any number of ways."
"Thank you!!"
"Feel free to thank me as much as you like."
The contract was made later, after Sonia finished the task I had given her today.
"Oh, you've come!!"
"Ah, yes..."
"Mm..."
When I saw Eleanor again in the evening, her expression brightened greatly upon seeing us.
That face, so bright it flustered both Sonia and Maria, was likely because she expected to finally leave solitary confinement and confirm her family's safety.
"Let us write up the contract."
Since there was already a provisional contract in place to serve as a basis, there was no problem recording her personal details and her soulprint.
Eleanor's soulprint was fiercely blazing like a flame, yet the lines composing it were very thin.
As if revealing her mental focus and temperament precisely as they were.
"Master? I, this part..."
"Is there a problem?"
I wrote the special clauses below, and when I had Sonia confirm them, she looked bewildered.
What Sonia was pointing at was the very last of those special clauses.
『'C' agrees that, should 'B' suffer fatal damage that is not caused by 'A', 'C' shall pay with 'C's' life in proxy and save 'B'.』
Here, 'C' was Eleanor, and 'B' was Sonia.
In other words, through this contract, I intended to erect a barrier that would protect Sonia's life with Eleanor's life against attacks from anyone except myself or my forces.
"Her life is now yours. Since you said you would take responsibility for her, naturally, she should die in your place when danger strikes."
"But in this manner... This wasn't what I wanted."
"It was what I wanted, and she agreed to it as well."
"Is that true?"
"...Yes. It's true. I agreed to it too."
Receiving Sonia's gaze, Eleanor nodded. Very vigorously. As if it were something she herself desired.
That was the exact behavior I had ordered, and Sonia probably noticed it as well, but... it didn't matter.
Because I still had something left to say.
"Can you not accept it, no matter what?"
"Master, but this is..."
With one hand resting on her head, I matched eyes with Sonia.
It was something the usual Sonia would not accept.
But if my prediction was correct, she wouldn't be able to refuse what I was saying now.
"I thought a safety measure of this level was necessary. If that person were still alive, and you ended up dead or gravely injured, then I... I think I would feel very lonesome. So I would like you to accept it if possible..."
"...I understand. I'll accept it. Master."
After meeting my eyes for a long while, she eventually nodded.
It was just as I expected.
She likely thought I was deeply dwelling on the loss of Leonis, which I had just experienced, and simultaneously worrying about losing someone close to me.
"That's a good decision. Thank you."
That thought was not wrong.
Even the single statement I just made was not a lie.
I truly valued Leonis, and I did regret his loss.
To a degree comparable to the loss of the Skeleton raised by Evangeline.
And on top of that, worrying about the loss of Sonia was also true, so there was not a single falsehood.
Sincerely.
...Because that's what it means for affection to grow.
"No. I'm also grateful... though it's not a pleasant feeling."
When Sonia answered my smile, her expression was regretful.
The more I looked, the more certain I became.
That this child thought of me as someone to be protected.
'It should be common sense in this world that Dungeon Lords are monsters.'
Frankly speaking, it was a little dumbfounding, and I didn't know the cause of her developing such emotions either.
But if she could replace her hatred with that, it was not a bad thing for me.
Hatred is an emotion that eats away at both the target and oneself, after all.
Kurrreung...!!
And so, a brief moment later.
Immediately after the contract ended and the Demon Lord's hand vanished, I checked Eleanor's status.
『Attributes - Physical Strength 39(◀ 58) Technique 18(◀ 38) Endurance 33(◀ 47) Magic Power 36(◀ 53) Resistance 25(◀ 42)』
『Traits (Grade Downgraded) - Frenzy, Special-grade Specialization: Greatsword, Enchant Body』
『Traits (Lost) - Advanced Specialization: Two-Handed Sword, Mana Overload』
"My body... feels heavy. It was really possible after all..."
Her abilities, which had been at the entry level of Elite, had plummeted to around mid-Advanced.
In terms of stages, it was barely 1 stage, but the degree she would actually feel would be quite high.
More than a third of her physical and magical abilities, enhanced by the magic power displayed as 'Attributes,' had been cleanly stripped away.
"Hoo..."
I could see Maria looking at her with eyes full of sympathy, as if feeling a sense of kinship.
I did plan to return her strength soon, but since she had no way of knowing that, and even afterwards, those emotions would probably not have changed.
So, as for where the power I had thus taken from Eleanor went.
『Name - Lin Xue』
I granted it to Xue, who possessed the power of a berserker similar to her.
Of course, it was done without bringing them face to face, and Xue was currently in the prison right next door.
If not, Eleanor, having lost her own strength, might needlessly wallow in negative emotions toward Xue.
『Stolen Attribute Amount - Physical Strength 19 Technique 20 Endurance 14 Magic Power 19 Resistance 17』
『Attributes - Physical Strength 53(◀ 44) Technique 27(◀ 19) Endurance 39(◀ 34) Magic Power 39(◀ 33) Resistance 42(◀ 36)』
『Traits - Frenzy : Blood, ... 'Mana Overload' ...』
『A human berserker possessing relatively good abilities for her grade. Her body is finest quality, her soul medium quality.』
Since I had been keeping a close eye on my subordinates' growth recently, I felt satisfied.
Power that could not be obtained through ordinary sacrifice strengthening or growth had been granted in one burst.
Though there were quite large losses, likely due to directly infusing a demon race with power confiscated from a human.
'She's exactly met the standard for Elite grade.'
Unlike reaching Advanced, promoting to Elite grade required a distinctive ritual and sacrifice, so I couldn't say her grade had immediately risen.
But in any case, a person I cherished had gained that level of strength, so I felt deeply satisfied, as if my stomach were full.
All the more because it was power sucked from a being I didn't care if it died, one I wouldn't deliberately push to death.
"If it's possible to take strength, then naturally granting it is also possible. I hope you will show loyalty equivalent to that dedication, Eleanor."
"I will... work hard."
She was deep in despair and lacked her earlier motivation, but simply being able to answer was enough.
A sudden loss of power carries almost the same meaning as a fall in self-esteem or pride for those who possess strength.
It meant that the depth of her despair was profound, and just not crumbling from it was an achievement.
"And Eleanor. You are not a servant, but a slave. Make sure to properly realize your position."
"...Understood. Master."
"I shall take my leave now. I'm sure Seth has things to say to you as well."
"Yes, Master."
If I were to see Eleanor ignoring Sonia from now on, I would use that as a pretext to make her one of Sonia's 'Life Slots'.
There would be no compromise on that, and I planned not to care even if someone objected.
Simply keeping her alive was already quite a generous concession on my part.
As long as I kept her alive, I would try to make use of her.
"Then, while you're going, show her that her family is safe as well. However, I will not yet permit opening their cells."
"Yes. I understand."
The reason for not immediately freeing the nobles was obvious: I had not yet contracted with them.
'I'll have to check them one by one and distribute.'
The contracts for the nobles would differ by individual, but one condition that would be fundamentally included was the collection and redistribution of attributes and traits through the contract.
Nobles were normally prone to neglecting their training, but the innate abilities they possessed were decent.
It must have been because of the nature of their downfall that they had sharpened their strength for revenge.
What more needed to be said when even Eleanor's younger brother, who seemed to have some intellectual difficulties, was a warrior at the beginning of Advanced?
That required no small amount of effort.
'There were no 'high-quality' humans like Eleanor, who could transfer as much of the original's power...'
But even so, if I could transfer even a very small part of the abilities they held, they would become good nourishment for my current subordinates.
I was already looking forward to it.
Thinking about how much those kids would like it.
- 2 -
'What should I do.'
Sonia was at a loss.
Because she couldn't readily figure out how to treat Eleanor.
Of course, she had occasionally seen others treating servants or slaves, but those examples offered no guidance at all.
[Did you seriously buy this saying it was nail polish? Hasn't it been a week since you've been with me? You still haven't figured out my tastes?]
[Slave brat doesn't know his place!]
...Because she had no wish to use the violence or abusive language others inflicted on a daily basis as a reference.
In truth, if she had looked carefully, she might have been able to find masters who treated their servants or slaves well, but such people tended not to stand out.
There was no way a servant or slave enjoying a normal life through a master's kindness could be distinguished from a commoner.
It was not unreasonable that Sonia didn't know of such cases.
'I was this lacking.'
Thus, she quickly realized that although she had said she wanted to give her a chance, it was nothing more than hypocrisy, harboring a quiet cowardice within.
'From some point, I had been leaning on Master this much.'
She had inwardly hoped, and also believed, that Libertas would also manage the matter of Eleanor.
But Libertas had entrusted Eleanor to her, and the best Sonia herself could do was not to rebel against that.
There was no way she could have known that for a person who had held vain expectations, being able to do even that much was remarkable.
Nor could she know that Libertas was awarding her additional points for that very thing.