Chapter 60: Preparations for the Summit (1)
After that, I went through the formal process of establishing a master–servant contract.
“Urgh….”
The mont the pass connected, Clina’s body turned into dust and vanished.
As proof that the contract had been successfully concluded, the Ouroboros mark appeared as a bonus.
I looked down at the mark engraved on my chest and let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew….”
There was no other way, so I had to push through with this thod—but whether it was truly the right thing to do was another matter.
When Rubia silently tried to help up, I gestured that I was fine and sank into thought.
“Stay back for a mont. I need to check sothing.”
I made Rubia step back at least ten ters, and then I fell deep into contemplation.
The servitude of an evil spirit is achieved through a dium—a part of the contractor’s body.
If the spirit deems its master unfit, it can use that dium as leverage to threaten them at any ti.
It’s called a “dium,” but in truth, it’s no different from collateral.
Well… conversely, since I could threaten her by controlling the flow of mana, it ant we both held each other’s weaknesses.
For a bound evil spirit, the greatest honor was to have the heart as its dium.
Nothing could serve as a more solid guarantee than offering the very source of mana as a vessel.
Anyway.
‘…With this, the minimum preparations are complete.’
At the very least, I wouldn’t have to suffer an embarrassing failure.
The Imperial Summit, after all, was nothing more than a gathering of those in power.
Most of the attendees were just self-important opportunists.
It couldn’t be helped—true powerhouses never flaunted their strength.
At least, not at this point in ti.
‘For now, that’s the wiser course of action.’
When the beasts began rampaging across the continent, humanity extended handshakes instead of blades.
They declared the beasts a common enemy and vowed to unite until every last one was exterminated.
Yet, far from complete extermination, the situation had dragged into a stagnant standoff.
As the deadlock continued, the high-ranking representatives of humanity turned their attention solely toward their own safety.
Beasts were dangerous, yes—but not enough to annihilate humanity. That was the current stance.
In the end, what the current leaders truly feared was not so SS-rank beast.
It was the irregulars—those who possessed power capable of shaking the foundation of the existing system.
Those were the ones the ruling class feared most.
‘Which ans, I’ll have to keep my head down for now.’
I was no exception.
For the mont, I was out of the public eye, hidden behind the infamous titles of the shortest-lived dropout and drug addict.
But after the incident at the summit, every faction would be keeping their eyes on .
No matter how strong I beca, there were limits to what one person could do alone.
If I were to oppose powerful factions, I’d need to build one of my own.
So for now….
― Ohhh, this place is quite spacious! Not bad at all!
Before I could even sort through my next plans, a young girl’s voice rang out, echoing sharply in my head.
When I closed my eyes and turned my consciousness inward, I saw Clina White settled inside my mana heart.
Her long black hair and dark eyes contrasted with an ornate dress so dazzling it almost made the rest fade from sight.
Her outward appearance resembled that of a heroine from a gothic novel, but the aura she exuded was sothing else entirely.
If I had to compare it… yeah.
It was like watching that one younger cousin who always tried to claim the sofa at the family gatherings.
‘She’ll need so ti to get used to things.’
I still had a mountain of things to deal with, and I wasn’t sure if I could handle it all.
I clicked my tongue inwardly, but a thought ca to mind, and I asked her,
‘Clina, I know it hasn’t been long since we made the contract, but I need your help with sothing….’
― You’re referring to the Incurable Curse, aren’t you?
‘…Yeah.’
Before I could even say it, she had already read my thoughts.
― Though I was once among the leaders of the evil spirits—the very source of curses themselves—I unfortunately lack the ans to remove that particular one.
‘…Well, I figured as much.’
― Still, I can guess what it is you’re hoping for.
Clina, who had been reclining midair with her legs crossed, straightened up as she said that.
― For instance… sothing like this?
With a mischievous smile, she snapped her fingers lightly.
Snap!
As if a fuse had been blown—
In that very instant—
“Gah?!”
A searing wave of pain radiated from my heart and spread throughout my entire body.
The once-gentle trickle of mana within surged into a violent torrent.
The sudden explosion of mana made every muscle and nerve in my body tense to the extre.
‘No joke…!’
Focusing all my mind on suppressing it was all I could do.
“Sir Eugene!”
This ti, I had no choice but to accept Rubia’s support.
The pain wracking my body was so intense I could barely remain standing, yet I forced myself to maintain a poker face to the end.
“Huff… huff….”
Only after the vast amount of mana had fully circulated to the outermost reaches of my limbs did I finally manage to regain control of my body.
I gave Rubia a faint glance and, inwardly, asked Clina,
‘…How long has it been?’
― Two minutes.
‘…….’
It felt like more than twenty.
I continued asking,
‘What’s the maximum duration?’
― Hmm… I’d say around fifteen minutes at most.
‘I see.’
Longer than I expected.
But honestly, the duration wasn’t what mattered.
The re fact that I could temporarily regain the condition I had in my pri was enough to exhilarate .
― As you surely know, this isn’t a fundantal solution. It’s a kind of shortcut—redirecting the mana that would otherwise flow into the Incurable Curse outward, for a brief ti.
Clina rolled her shoulders and rubbed her neck, looking sowhat weary.
― And you’re also aware, I assu, that once the limiter is released like this, your available mana for the rest of the day will drastically decrease.
‘…Yeah.’
That much was obvious.
Turning the faucet harder doesn’t make the tank any larger.
― So, use this thod only when it’s truly necessary. I may only suffer for a brief mont, but your frail human body will never withstand the accumulated strain.
‘…I’ll keep that in mind.’
I let out a small sigh and turned my gaze away.
With that, I had finished every preparation that needed to be done in Mallet.
Rubia had regained her consciousness, I had confird that she could use holy magic again, I had secured cooperation from the Magic Tower, and I had significantly enhanced my own physical stats.
I had even preemptively prevented a possible secondary ambush—this was about as much as could be accomplished in such a short ti.
‘That’s true, but….’
It would be a waste to just leave things as they were.
There was still quite a bit of ti left before the summit.
Which also ant—there was plenty of ti for the enemy to make their move.
‘No reason to give them any leeway.’
Above all, this was the cooperative relationship with Mallet that I had regained after twelve years.
Whether through coercion or negotiation, since I had secured their cooperation, I ought to make full use of it.
I gently took hold of Rubia’s arms, which had still been supporting , and gave a small nod.
She looked up at with a complicated expression.
“…It’s fine.”
Her face looked as if she had sothing to say, but instead of speaking, she simply lowered her gaze.
“……”
I could more or less guess what it was she wanted to say.
And I could also guess why she chose not to voice it aloud.
Rubia’s feelings toward Eugene Carter, up until now, had been closer to admiration.
If she was content to leave it at that, then I could continue existing as her ideal, her goal.
But if those feelings were to evolve into affection—
Then my range of choices would narrow dramatically.
To stand on everyone’s side—that was what it ant.
So I said nothing. I rely looked at her and nodded.
How she chose to interpret that was up to her.
After exchanging that silent conversation with Rubia,
I called over Gustav and riel, who had been watching us from a distance.
“What is it?”
As riel approached alone, I gave her a pleasant smile.
“I’d like to ask a few more favors.”
riel’s face showed utter exhaustion.
“…Not like I have the right to refuse anyway, but fine, I’ll ask. What is it this ti?”
“First of all….”
I went straight to the point.
“Let’s get so Artifact support.”
I gestured with my hand as if to say, bring out everything you’ve got.
At the sa ti, in Chloe Bernhardt’s mansion.
Crash!
Clang!
The sound of objects shattering and breaking echoed even outside the building.
The servants covered their mouths and hurriedly moved away from the area, careful not to make a single sound with their footsteps.
The middle-aged butler, the longest-serving mber of the household, quietly warned his fellow staff.
“Be especially cautious with every move you make for the ti being. One wrong step and you could lose your head right there.”
As he carefully polished the dishes displayed in the banquet hall, he fell into brief thought.
‘…Not since Lady Michel left for Karbenna has she ever been this enraged.’
Even from this distance, he could clearly hear the sharp yelling coming from within.
Inside the private room—
Chloe Bernhardt was unleashing a torrent of curses at Abattoir Schroeder.
“You worthless, pathetic worm! You can’t even handle one simple task properly?!”
She had initially maintained her composure, but after staring too long at the expressionless, pitch-black mask that revealed nothing, her anger could no longer be contained.
Schroeder, who had left one of his doppelgängers behind and co in person, continued his report unfazed even as objects were hurled toward him.
“There will be no trace of connection to the Bernhardt Family, so rest assured. My subordinate sacrificed himself for that very reason….”
Boom!
“What good is that if the circumstantial evidence still remains?! Even without proof, the suspicion is right there!”
“You know as well as I do that suspicion alone can’t be used to pressure Bernhardt.”
“…Ha, unbelievable.”
If she had known he was such a fool, she would’ve cut ties with him long ago.
Tapping her fingers on the desk, Chloe shot back sharply.
“Do you think I’m doing this because I’m afraid of that washed-up bastard, Eugene Carter? Do you even realize who’s backing him?”
“…You have connections of your own, don’t you? What could one man, even with the title of war hero, possibly do?”
“This isn’t just about Carter anymore! If that bastard feels threatened and starts uniting the forces behind him, things will get a hell of a lot more complicated!”
“Even so, they still can’t compare to the power of the Bernhardt Family. Once you inherit Karbenna, that man’s fate will be sealed, won’t it?”
“…If you’re trying to make excuses for your failure, I’d stop right there, Schroeder. Before I tear you apart.”
“I’m rely saying you should be more level-headed. The Bernhardts aren’t a fragile organization that would waver over such a minor incident.”
“……”
Enough.
There was no point in talking to an idiot like this.
Having reached her conclusion, Chloe waved her hand dismissively and crossed one leg over the other.
“Fine. That’s it. As of today, Abattoir is excommunicated from the Bernhardt Family.”
“…Is that so.”
“If you understand, then get out.”
Schroeder bowed his head slightly, then stood.
“As you wish. A failure is still a failure, so I’ll return the advance paynt by tomorrow.”
He turned to leave, but just before stepping out, he exuded a fierce, killing aura and spoke with cold finality.
“Still, you needn’t worry too much.”
Because the vengeance I’m about to enact—will be entirely personal.
“…What?”
That was the last thing Schroeder said.
After blinking a few tis, Chloe realized—the masked man had already vanished without a trace.
User Comments
0 comments from readers