The Ninth Study - Sacred Covenant (3)

Gods are beings born of faith and sustained by prayer. A deity that cannot hear prayers is gradually forgotten, until its very existence perishes.

The Grey Sage had barely finished proposing the familiar’s covenant when the guardian deity of a ruined ancient civilization realized the truth. An opportunity had arrived to escape the crisis of oblivion.

Star-light Aeltanar spoke.

If he agreed to this,

the covenant would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bind them until death.

A covenant woven of pure mana bound two separate beings into one. No additional magic was required for this ritual. The oath of Star-light Aeltanar still carried power akin to divine authority.

“…So this is how mortals think.”

The sacred covenant became a bridge of mutual understanding. Tellorian came to comprehend the lofty, detached perspective of an immortal. Aeltanar, in turn, understood the mortal fear of death.

“You have become my familiar.”

“And you have become my chosen.”

A familiar was a beast tamed by a mage to serve as an assistant. A divine beast was a sacred animal; therefore, since Aeltanar also fell into the category of beast, it was theoretically possible to tame her as a familiar.

However.

No mage had ever succeeded.

Except for the great Arcadian.

According to the fundamentals of arcane studies, a mage and their familiar share a special sense of unity. Their bond is closer than lovers, yet more distant than one’s own self.

‘Now that I’ve actually tamed a familiar, I understand what that means. This isn’t merely a special bond between separate individuals. It’s closer to an expansion of the self.’

In other words,

they were not lovers.

Nor were they siblings.

They were closer to being extensions of one another.

‘Through Aeltanar, I caught a glimpse of what it feels like to live for eternity. A novel experience indeed.’

That did not mean their egos had merged. The familiar and the mage would continue to exist as distinct beings while supporting each other.

He chose Additional Learning. From now on, he would receive half of the experience the familiar gained. Of course, he would not share his own. Only Aeltanar would share hers.

“That is an exceedingly unfair arrangement.”

“I’m the main account. You’re the sub-account.”

“…”

Aeltanar understood the explanation without difficulty. Their emotions were already linked.

“By the way…”

Aeltanar’s condition was worse than it had appeared through his Insight. Waking from hibernation and immediately entering battle seemed to have placed a heavy burden on her body.

“It looks like we won’t be able to move together for now.”

“I have an idea, mortal.”

The silver serpent raised her horn.

And pointed it at Shaman King Belkan.

“It would be best to entrust the protection of my true form to that one.”

“What do you mean?”

“Last time I saw, his proxy easily slaughtered demons. If we seal my true form and have the proxy and the orcs guard it, even the devils will not dare approach.”

A reasonable suggestion. To defeat a fully awakened Belkan and his orc warriors, either a great demon would have to descend personally or at least a high-ranking devil would need to lead an entire legion. Either option required a large-scale summoning ritual, so they could detect the signs in advance and prepare countermeasures.

“Belkan. Would you be willing to take on this task?”

“I shall.”

Though his expression showed reluctance, Shaman King Belkan accepted. Just as Tellorian had risked himself for Belkan and the desert orcs, Belkan was now willing to risk himself in return.

“O Storm! O Earth! O Flame! The proxy of the primordial world requests to borrow your power!”

Belkan concealed Aeltanar’s true body within the sacred mountain where the ancestral gods resided. He also sealed the underground lake where her true form slept using the authority of the elementals.

“May I assist as well?”

“Outsiders are normally strictly forbidden from using supernatural powers within the ancestral sacred mountain…”

The middle-aged orc grinned, revealing his tusks.

“But you are our brother. Do as you wish.”

Thanks to that, Tellorian was able to weave a triple-layered guardian barrier by combining various spells. The first barrier was a repulsion field. Not only did it block passage, but if anyone crossed it, an Alarm spell would immediately alert him.

“Grrrrrr…”

“KyaAAAAA!”

The second barrier was a trap filled with desert monsters. Anyone who broke through the repulsion field would encounter starving manticores and sandworms. And if they somehow defeated every desert monster and reached the dwelling of the ancient god…

“Awaken! O King of Scorpions!”

“We understand! O Great Creator who bestowed intellect upon lowly beasts! The Blue Scorpion Tribe shall obey the mission you have given us! Command us in anything!”

They would face the Scorpion King, whose glossy carapace gleamed, along with hordes of giant scorpions. Even if an intruder defeated the Scorpion King, a serious problem remained. They would then have to solve riddles and puzzles to collect five keys before the door to the silver serpent’s lair would open. Physical destruction of the main gate was impossible. He and Belkan had reinforced it twice over.

‘And if they still manage to break through the gate?’

Then,

they would meet the third barrier.

“Teleport!”

Whoosh!

He would instantly move to the silver serpent’s hibernation chamber.

“The teleportation magic circle is functioning normally.”

The boss monster.

All they had to do was defeat Grey Sage Tellorian.

“Ssssssh!”

Along with the silver serpent who had awakened from hibernation.

“Intruders! Intruders!”

“Uwaaaaaah! Chase them down!”

“Sworn Warriors! Fulfill your duty!”

And if the battle dragged on,

the Orc Sworn Warrior ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Legion would arrive as reinforcements.

“Hmm.”

Together with fully awakened Belkan,

he was currently stronger than Tellorian.

Perhaps the strongest on the continent.

“This should be enough for a rehearsal.”

In actual combat, the orcs’ ancestral gods would likely deal with intruders themselves, but it was impossible to summon such exalted beings during training.

“It still feels a little lacking…”

“This should be sufficient, Tellorian.”

“Belkan is right. Let us depart now, mortal.”

“I still want to make the dungeon even more perfect…”

The silver serpent herself protested that additional measures were excessive, but Tellorian spent both time and resources installing more traps. He found genuine enjoyment in building dungeons.

“Are you trying to turn my sleeping chamber into a monster habitat?!”

“This is the sacred mountain where our ancestors are buried!”

…It was regrettable, but his ambition to design an even more thorough dungeon was thwarted by the opposition of both Belkan and Aeltanar. As he left the sacred mountain with a disappointed expression, Shaman King Belkan asked curiously.

“Why did you make the dungeon so impregnable?”

“Because her true form must be protected at all costs. The Queen of the Abyss covets it.”

Others would not fully understand his concern. But he knew. He knew exactly why the Queen of the Abyss had set her sights on the silver serpent.

‘In the original timeline, the silver serpent captured by the Queen of the Abyss fell and became one of the Beasts of the Apocalypse. Mythical monsters raised by force-feeding them the souls of angels and the essences of demons.’

The Beasts of the Apocalypse grew powerful enough to threaten the chief gods. In particular, the silver serpent tore off the left arm of the Sun God during the War of the End and poisoned his true form. She played the most crucial role among the apocalyptic beasts.

The decisive weapon of the demons,

designed to oppose the Sun God.

‘That is the silver serpent who brings about the end.’

But.

In this timeline, such a future would not come to pass.

“This is farewell.”

“We will meet again soon.”

“I hope so.”

His conversation with Shaman King Belkan had grown even more meaningful. After he tamed the silver serpent, Belkan treated him with even greater respect. To a shaman born and raised in the harsh great desert, a mage who had tamed the ruler of the desert was an object of awe.

“As for the responsibility for the deaths of the envoys…”

Then,

he had to answer.

“I will take full responsibility and resolve it.”

“Then I shall trust you.”

“I will ensure your trust is rewarded.”

“May the protection of the elementals be with you!”

“May truth light your path!”

With this, Belkan’s friendship had solidified into a firm alliance. No matter what happened, he would never oppose Tellorian. Therefore, the conflict between humans and other races would not lead to the world’s destruction. The appearance of the Demon King had been completely blocked.

“Wait… so Belkan was originally supposed to become the Demon King?”

“There were quite a few futures where that occurred.”

“As expected, the future is something no one can truly know…”

The silver serpent, who had descended in an avatar, watched Belkan depart after seeing them off. In the gentle smile he gave his young son and daughter, there was no trace of the future Demon King.

“It was a long journey.”

“You spent far too much time in the desert. You have many tasks awaiting you.”

It was true.

It had taken longer than expected.

Far longer than the promise he had made to Count Iron Mace.

“But it was worth it.”

“What value did you gain?”

“I removed two apocalypse triggers.”

“I see. So that was your intention.”

It was time to return to the kingdom.

He had to prevent the descent of the Three-Headed Dragon.

“Let’s depart, Olgoldugolro.”

“Understood, Father.”

Tellorian and the envoys set out toward the border. They crossed the desert over several days, and eventually the kingdom’s border drew near.

“It’s been a while since I took human form.”

“Are you getting used to it?”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“Yes. There should be no issues with movement.”

At the head of the party,

as they were riding hard,

[Teacher?]

A familiar voice echoed from the empty air.

[Who is that bitch?]

＊＊＊

A floating green eyeball hovered in the air before him. It was Darken’s Eye, a 3rd-circle detection spell belonging to the Roar of Hell school. Using a 3rd-circle spell meant the caster was at least level 10.

“It’s been a while, my disciple.”

Tellorian sensed the mage beyond the green eyeball. In just two months, Belladia had already gained proficiency in hell magic. As expected, she possessed a natural talent for learning techniques that harmed people.

[It has been a while, Teacher.]

The girl’s clear voice carried strong confidence. Considering how cautious she usually was with him, this was unusual.

[So who is that bitch?]

Sharp.

Like a lance.

“That is none of your concern.”

At his curt reply, Belladia fell silent. She was probably suppressing her boiling murderous intent while measuring the gap in power.

“My disciple.”

Thud!

He struck the ground with his staff.

“As your master, I sincerely congratulate you on achieving remarkable progress as a mage in such a short time. Whether you can feel my sincerity or not, I do not know.”

He released a sliver of mana.

Just a little.

“But since you are now a mage yourself, you should be able to see it.”

[…]

“The gap between you and me has not narrowed in the slightest.”

Belladia possessed innate aptitude in every field related to harming people. But he possessed innate aptitude in every kind of magic.

“And that gap will never narrow in the future either.”

[…]

“Therefore, always know your place.”

By now, Belladia would be recalculating. She would be estimating her odds of victory if she fought him with everything she had, or searching for a way to crush him without suffering any loss.

[…I apologize.]

Once her calculations were complete,

she became obedient again.

“Your training in concealing your emotions is still insufficient.”

[I will devote myself to improvement, Teacher.]

“I hope the next time you bare your fangs, you do so more wisely than today. Because it will cause you a great deal of suffering.”

Thinking about it now, Belladia did indeed harbor special goodwill toward him. She felt the same way toward Count Alansung and the knight commander. More precisely, she felt the same goodwill toward every handsome young ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠man and dignified middle-aged man.

‘Which is why she wants to kill them all.’

He did not know why she expressed goodwill as murderous intent. What was clear was that the sixteen-year-old girl wanted to kill every man who could possibly become the object of her romantic feelings. He had come up with several hypotheses, but they remained nothing more than speculation for now.

[Um…]

His disciple spoke carefully.

[May I come see you in person?]

?

Here?

[Actually, I’m nearby right now.]

Hm?

[You were later than the promised time, so I thought something had gone wrong. That’s why I brought my loyal subordinates with me.]

It was a lie.

Still, he would play along.

It was such an adorable lie.

＊＊＊

Belladia, whom he met at the border, looked completely different from before. She was armed from head to toe in black plate armor and carried a long sword at her waist. The pretty boy squire attending her (whose face was covered in scars) trembled as he carried a sharp lance.

A perfect image of a knight.

More than capable of ruling a territory.

“Sniff! Sniff! Sniff!”

“Grrrrrr…”

However.

There was one small problem.

“…A nightmare and a hellhound?”

“I tamed them while learning magic.”

The black warhorse Belladia had tamed was unusually large and ferocious. Red flames flickered from its hooves and mane, and smoke billowed from its nostrils. Its eyes looked more like those of a starving predator than a warhorse.

“If I learned magic, I should use it, right?”

The loyal subordinates Belladia had brought were not soldiers of the Harrington family either. Their eyes were savage and filled with malice. Or perhaps they were half-mad, their minds corrupted by hell mana.

“These are specimens I secured while practicing hell magic. They’re cultists who worship devils or bandits who want the world to burn.”

In other words,

they had nowhere else to go.

“They seem dangerous to use as subordinates.”

“This kind of relationship is much more comfortable for me.”

In a master-servant relationship where betrayal was expected, even if the leader discarded subordinates like consumables, the other followers would not flee. That was what she meant.

“Footstool.”

“Here, my lord.”

“You were slow to answer. Tonight you will be whipped.”

Belladia stepped on the back of the pretty boy squire who had prostrated himself and mounted her horse. Humiliation and a desire for revenge burned in the boy’s eyes, but she already knew that.

If so,

it was not his problem to interfere with.

Everyone had their own way of taming others.

“They might conspire to violate you.”

“I know. They would do it the moment they saw an opening.”

Kukuk.

She laughed with interest.

“But I’ve taken sufficient measures to protect myself. My virginity is far too expensive to hand over to mere bandits, don’t you think?”

Belladia showed him the flood of marriage proposals that had poured in from across the continent and praised her own beauty. She enjoyed the fact that she could manipulate dukes and princes. More than beauty itself, she loved the power that beauty brought.

“At the very least, I’ll only give it up for a duchy.”

“…”

“Actually, there was even a proposal from the crown prince.”

She was probing.

The true intention behind Belladia’s words.

“I have no intention of participating in a marriage competition.”

“Is it because of that woman I saw earlier?”

Belladia infused her longsword with hell mana and sharply observed the envoys. However, the only female among the envoys was the hideous troll chieftain. For a brief moment she suspected the silver anaconda draped over her teacher’s shoulder might be female, but even Belladia, burning with possessiveness, found the idea too ridiculous and discarded the suspicion.

‘Even if it is female?’

It was still a snake.

Therefore, the reasonable conclusion was—

“Teacher, you have taken a familiar as well?”

“Indeed. Just like your nightmare.”

“Nice to meet you. What is your name?”

Hiss!

The silver serpent flicked her tongue, showing interest in Belladia. After all, although she was pure-blooded human, her soul was unmistakably that of a beast.

“Ssssh!”

“Ssssh!”

“Sssssssh!”

They held a deep conversation using the language of snakes. Since their true natures were those of fierce beasts, communication flowed perfectly.

“Take good care of him, silver snake.”

“Ssssssh!”

“And make sure no other women try to steal Teacher.”

“Ssssssssssh!”

“By the way, what brings you all the way here?”

He had given Count Iron Mace information that the orcs would not invade and a plan to seize control of the political situation in exchange for answering the royal summons. So why wasn’t the young count guarding his territory?

“Ah.”

Belladia turned to him.

“Father urgently requires your help right now. That is why I personally led my loyal subordinates to deliver the message.”

Urgent help?

“It is truly an emergency.”

“Explain in detail.”

“Father has become the Lord Protector.”

Lord Protector.

A lord granted every authority necessary for the defense of the kingdom. A subject possessing such immense power posed a threat to royal authority, so the position was usually left vacant.

‘That is why the position of Lord Protector is a temporary office that appears when royal authority is weak. It is a title granted to a senior member of the royal family—such as the queen’s consort or the father-in-law of a minor king—who can act in place of a monarch unfit for military duties.’

The appointment of a Lord Protector.

That much had gone according to the strategy he had provided.

‘The strategy I proposed was to arrange a marriage between Belladia and the boy king, then have Count Iron Mace assume the position of Lord Protector as the boy king’s father-in-law and receive supreme military command.’

His plan had two powerful foundations. First, Count Iron Mace was one of the kingdom’s foremost field commanders. Second, the boy king also held great interest in Belladia.

‘A union between the two sides would create an excellent background.’

The Arsil royal family held immense influence in central politics, while the Harrington family wielded powerful influence on the frontier. If the heirs of both houses married, a colossal force capable of dominating the entire Essil Kingdom would be born.

‘That was Plan A.’

If.

The boy king refused?

‘Then we simply form a marriage alliance with the Narbon ducal house that controls the south of Essil. After that, we rally the opinion of the great nobles, condemn the boy king’s recklessness, and seize real power.’

Whether Plan A or Plan B, the result was the same. Count Iron Mace would form a force capable of controlling the kingdom, resolve the boy king’s mishaps, and rise as the true power behind the new dynasty.

That was the scheme he had proposed.

So what urgent matter had arisen?

“He has made an enemy of the Narbon ducal house.”

“Then has he joined hands with the royal family?”

“He threw that stupid brat into the underground prison.”

?

“Father personally bound him in chains.”

In other words,

he had turned both the royal family and the ducal house into enemies.

Yet he had still succeeded in becoming Lord Protector.

“…Did he stage a coup?”

“Correct. As expected of you, Teacher.”

Belladia gave a deadly smile.

“As soon as Father received the information from you that the orcs would not invade, he immediately incited the barons and low-ranking knights to launch a rebellion. Thanks to that, the boy king was taken prisoner and the capital was seized. However, the kingdom’s nobles and the Sun God Church still refuse to recognize Father’s rule. Civil war is imminent.”

In summary, Count Iron Mace had launched an improvised coup. Even so, the coup itself had succeeded. The king had been captured alive and the capital taken.

“…We must hurry.”

“I shall follow.”

They headed for the royal capital.

They had to sort out the situation.

Before matters grew any worse.

＊＊＊

Two weeks later.

Royal Capital Kailen.

“Welcome, my brother!”

“It has been a while, Lord Protector.”

When the grey-robed mage entered the audience chamber, he saw a white-haired knight seated upon the throne. Rodrick was fully armed even inside the audience hall, gripping the handle of a massive iron mace the size of a battering ram.

“How do you like the throne?”

“It is comfortable. I like it as much as the title of Lord Protector.”

The Swan Throne.

It symbolized the right to rule Essil.

“…”

The Lord Protector.

It symbolized supreme military command over Essil.

“What happened?”

“Hmm.”

At the mage’s cold tone, the Mace Lord Protector scratched his beard. The unkempt facial hair revealed just how urgent the current situation was.

“To put it simply, you were the problem.”

“?”

“I proposed the marriage to the boy king as you suggested. Do you know what that bastard answered?”

?

Surely not…?

“A rag who spreads her legs every day for a suspicious black magician is not qualified to become the queen of Essil. However, in recognition of her beauty, I shall graciously allow her the honor of bearing the king’s bastard.”

The Lord Protector took out a glass case.

“Even so, I showed him mercy.”

Inside was a tongue.

Ripped out crudely.

“Since he is the king, I did not kill him.”

…

“Though he won’t be king for much longer.”

Brother. Praise me.

Your older brother endured a great deal.

“Then let us begin the discussion.”

The method to usurp

the sacred royal authority.