This is Ridiculous (2)

For now, the situation was more or less under control. I had subdued the rampaging Shady and treated Elisha’s injuries before it was too late. The academy would soon sense the disturbance and dispatch people. An explosion of that much mana couldn’t have gone unnoticed. All the shadows in the area had been withdrawn as well. It would take roughly ten minutes for personnel to arrive. That was simply how these games worked—help always showed up after the incident was over. There was nothing I could do about it. Still, I was relieved that everything had wrapped up well somehow.

Yet an uneasy feeling lingered. No matter how cleanly my attacks had landed, Shady wasn’t someone who should have gone down this easily. The only explanation I could come up with was that I’d gotten lucky. My strike had only connected because luck had been on my side. After all, summoning magic straight from the Inventory was an act that defied common sense. On top of that, she had terrible compatibility with my Blue Flame.

I’d felt it while we fought, but just as she’d said, there was something off about my flames. They carried an alien quality that normal fire simply didn’t possess. I had no clear way of understanding it yet, but I decided it might be worth investigating later. That could wait, though. Right now I had to deal with the girl in front of me.

Shady lay defenseless on the ground. She had ruby-red eyes and a pair of rather striking horns—one of them broken. Up close, she still looked threatening, if not quite as imposing as before. She was the first boss I’d ever faced, after all; she needed to carry that kind of presence. Her design was clearly meant to be a sharp, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chic woman. But looking down at her now, that impression didn’t quite fit.

The girl before me looked far too fragile to be the boss of the first chapter. Well, she’s probably around the same age as the protagonist. I let my gaze drift over her body. The shadows she wore resembled a full-body suit, but the clothes beneath had burned away, leaving patches of bare skin exposed. At least she doesn’t have any burns.

As I let out a long sigh, Shady’s ragged breathing reached my ears.

She must have used nearly all her mana. Her pool had never been that large to begin with. On top of that, the pain in her crushed shoulder made her body twitch and writhe. Was this really the dignity of the boss who used to mow down newbies?

“This really isn’t easy,” I muttered.

She didn’t seem to remember her rampage, and now she was talking like a captured knight from a storybook. I couldn’t help sighing. When I’d first encountered her in the game, she’d possessed absurd strength. She was the first insurmountable wall new players faced. Her patterns weren’t especially complicated, but for an underdeveloped character she was nothing short of a disaster. The off-beat timing of her clones and that ridiculous health pool… Still, once you learned the patterns through repeated attempts, she wasn’t impossible. Her wide swings and the recovery windows after attacks gave you plenty of openings to deal damage. Even the second phase had been designed so that persistent players could eventually break through.

Anyway, my first impression of her had been that of a newbie reaper. She was the first truly powerful human enemy a player met, far stronger than any dungeon monster. And now that same woman was lying at my feet. The thought made my head spin.

I decided to start with interrogation.

“Answer me while I’m still asking nicely.” I pressed down harder on her shoulder and summoned Blue Flame at my fingertips.

Her memories seemed to be returning little by little.

That was a relief. It seemed she hadn’t done anything worse to the people whose shadows she’d taken.

“Second question.”

“Shut up.” If I wanted to ask more, I would. She was the one who should be grateful I hadn’t beaten the answers out of her. Information came first.

I lifted my foot from her shoulder, knelt down, and reached toward her.

With her mana completely drained, she was helpless. She kept letting out strange noises, frightened by my touch. Ignoring her, I grabbed her chin.

Though it was probably less loyalty and more a desperate struggle not to be discarded. To Shady, Requiem was the last lifeline that could help her achieve revenge. She herself wasn’t particularly evil. She had simply been twisted by the pain of her childhood. The developers had said that if she hadn’t lost her family in the war, she would have lived happily with them. In truth, all she had needed was somewhere to run. War was a place where everyone killed and was killed. The demon race had massacred countless humans, and humans had massacred countless demons. There were only losers in that conflict. She had lost her family to a human knight. From the day they all died, she had been as good as dead herself. Desperate to escape that cruel reality, she had created the sole refuge of revenge. For someone living only for vengeance, hatred and retribution had become natural. Without them, she wouldn’t have been able to endure. That was why she would eventually leave Requiem—because it had taken away her only reason to keep living.

Of course, that didn’t justify her actions. She had already committed many sins, not least what she had done to Elisha. She might already be beyond forgiveness. But people make mistakes while living, and they grow from those mistakes. Still, that wasn’t my problem. She could repent later. Right now, I needed answers.

I released her chin and pulled something from my Inventory.

“That’s right. Since you use black magic, you should know exactly what this is.” I began writing on the parchment I had taken out.

“Too bad.” If she wouldn’t answer willingly, I would force her to. I pricked the tip of my finger with a knife, drawing blood. Then I did the same to her finger. Ignoring her resistance, I pressed our hands together and formed the same seal as before. It was the gesture children used when making promises—the same one I had once done with Celia. Our blood overlapped, and the seal was completed.

“I do. This oath is extremely dangerous, but also extremely powerful. That’s exactly why I need ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it.” I stamped the signature line on the parchment. Then I forcibly pressed Shady’s slender finger against it. All that remained was to burn the blood-written oath. I set the parchment ablaze and completed the ritual. Having done it once before, I finished quickly this time. The burned oath turned to ash and sank into my right wrist just like last time. It was absorbed into Shady’s body as well. Her full-body shadow suit made it hard to see, but another mark had appeared on my right wrist. It wasn’t large enough to be noticeable, but if I kept doing this, it might become a problem.

Anyway, the soul-binding contract was complete. I had written the terms to be as advantageous to me as possible, so Shady now had no choice but to obey my ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠every word. She could neither attack me nor exercise her right to remain silent. In return, I could not threaten her life. Every merit required a demerit. That was what made the contract effective. The one I’d made with Celia had fewer conditions, which was why it had been possible. Celia had also written it generously. In any case, Shady could no longer avoid answering.

Oh, it worked perfectly. So that’s why soul oaths were forbidden. This was incredibly dangerous. If abused, it could completely ruin a person’s life in every way. I’d have to be careful with it after this incident was over.

Hmm. So the remnants’ meeting place hadn’t changed. That tavern had always been one of the most dangerous spots in the underground city.

“Haa… ha… ngh…” Shady groaned, suffering from the oath’s compulsion. This was enough. Elisha needed proper rest now.