Demon Summoning.
The second main episode of this game.
And Elisa was to be the victim of that episode.
My mission was to save her and become friendly with her.
I don’t know what the intention of the mission window was, but perhaps it was for this very moment.
“Uh, what’s that sword?”
“I need your blood.”
“B-blood? Is that what you meant…?”
Upon hearing my answer, disappointment was vividly shown on Elisa’s face. What was she expecting? I tilted my head and took out a small glass bottle.
A knife is… well, not exactly a shovel…
“Renny, do you have a dagger?”
“Nope.”
“Hm.”
Then I have to make one.
I pulled out a piece of mithril I had stashed in my pouch. The beautiful metal scattered a blue light and sparkled enchantingly.
“Crafting.”
Having roughly shaped a cutter knife, I carefully held onto Elisa’s wrist.
Maybe I held on too tightly, as her hand was turning red.
No, her face is red too.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah, no, it’s fine. I—I can handle it, even if you hold on…”
“Got it.”
I gently brought the blade to Elisa’s pinky finger. I felt her body tremble as the knife touched her finger. Is she scared? I made the cut before she could withdraw her hand in fear.
Bright red blood dripped down. I filled the precious blood of Elisa into the vial. After filling the small vial, I extended Elisa’s hand over to Karina, who was waiting by my side. Karina understood my intentions and immediately placed her hand over Elisa’s wound.
“Ah…”
A pure white light lingered on Elisa’s finger, and the cut disappeared as if it had never been there. After all, Saint’s healing magic is the best!
“It’s done. Johann, what do you plan to do with Elisa’s blood?”
Not just Karina, but everyone was probably wondering. I couldn’t say it was because I needed a ‘witch’s blood,’ so I mumbled something vague.
“I need the blood of a talented mage.”
In reality, drawing Elisa’s blood was almost a wild guess. I knew she would become a vessel for a demon, but how she turned into a demon was beyond my knowledge.
In the original story, the first encounter with Elisa happened after she became a demon.
That much, Elisa was simply an extra. It seems at least in the true ending, she escaped being an extra… but how much of the story has changed for that true ending?
Starting on a deserted island aside, Elisa’s dead, I saved Elisa, the original protagonist is already dating his childhood friend, Karina is cursed…
Honestly, it’s gotten so tangled that I’m starting to doubt whether I can trust the original story’s information.
At least I’m lucky to have something that can gather that meager information somehow.
“I-I just want to clarify… you’re not going to use it for something bad, right, Johann-nim…?”
“I’ll use it for a good cause, so don’t worry.”
[Contractor, sounds like a scammer~]
What are you saying? I lightly flicked Rue’s forehead.
“Looks like it’s time to go.”
That’s it for my business. Now, I just need to gather the necessary items from the workshop and join Headmaster Merlin to promptly raid the Ryan family.
I want to burst into the royal palace and demand they hand over their money, but it could get tricky, so I’ll hold off for now. If it goes awry, the one who deals with the aftermath will likely be Karina, so I must restrain myself.
Still, I have a decent excuse coming up next year, so I’ll exert some force then.
At least the main plot seems to be following roughly in the same direction, so next year’s main story should progress. I surveyed the girls looking at me and organized my plans in my head.
“Are you leaving right away?”
Disappointment glinted in their eyes as they directed their gazes at me.
I guess I haven’t lived in vain.
“Yeah. There’s still work to be done.”
I’d love to spend some leisurely time, but unfortunately, I don’t have that luxury.
I’ll just grab the books from the room and go join them.
Time is of the essence.
“Uncle, let’s go together. I need to fetch some medicine too—”
“I’ll go see you off as well!”
“Me too.”
“… How about we all just go together?”
With Renny’s suggestion, I nodded. Well, if it’s just seeing off.
I felt my heart swell as I opened the library door.
—————
“…Wow, you sure are popular.”
A middle-aged man who seemed to have aged quite a bit had a sour expression.
I ignored the piercing gaze of the formidable Headmaster Merlin, who probably never held a woman’s hand in his life, and looked back at my companions following me.
They all had expressions filled with concern. I gently patted Millia’s head, who was clinging to my hand.
“I’ll be back.”
“Take care on your journey.”
“G-go safely…”
“Uncle, don’t get hurt, okay?”
“… Do I need to hurry back?”
“Hm-hm.”
Could you stop giving me those hints?
I shot a sideways glance at Headmaster Merlin before letting go of Millia. Realizing it was time to part ways, she obediently released her grip.
“Let’s get going. The road ahead is long.”
“Understood.”
I waved at the children staring at me like meerkats before following Headmaster Merlin into the sparsely populated garden.
I was worried about the potential of someone else getting caught up in magic.
“I doubt the Ryan Duke family will willingly hand over their wealth.”
“By now, Kalintz probably issued a strict order, so they’ll be more likely to comply.”
Do you really think so?
With that question in mind, I teleported with Headmaster Merlin to the front of the Ryan Duke’s residence.
After nearly a month, returning to the Ryan Duke’s residence felt chaotic enough that you could sense it even from outside the huge door. It seems Kalintz’s strict order was effective.
The guards standing on either side of the door were startled by our sudden appearance, drawing their spears and shouting,
“Who goes there!… Headmaster Merlin?!”
“I have business here, so please open the door.”
“The mansion’s in chaos right now; perhaps you should come back another time?”
“That’s precisely why I’m here, so just open the door.”
What’s with the hesitation? I took out the token Kalintz gave me and showed it to the guards.
The guards, who had hesitated like clumsy recruits, quickly cleared up and opened the door with brisk movements.
“W-welcome to the Ryan Duke family!”
Took you long enough to get there.
We stepped straight into the Ryan Duke family. As the guards had mentioned, the servants were rushing around in a mad flurry, moving things about.
“Ah, Headmaster, what brings you here? Weren’t you supposed to be with Kalintz…?”
“I just had a bit of work, came to see if Ryan is inside.”
“Yes, he is. Allow me to guide you.”
A middle-aged butler with a mustache that looked like something out of a comic strip led us towards the Duke’s office. Man, they’re really busy around here.
I observed the bustling servants and asked the butler,
“Preparing to deploy?”
“Indeed. Our Lion Knight Brigade is getting ready to head west as the advance party.”
Oh, I see. Of course, the Duke’s family would have a knight brigade.
But how did the Duke react to Kalintz’s fury? If the Ryan Duke is anything like I know…
“Duke Ryan, we have guests.”
“Tell them to come back later.”
“It is Headmaster Merlin.”
“Headmaster Merlin, you say? Come in!”
As soon as permission was granted, the butler opened the door. Creeeak— with a squeak of the hinges, a suitably sized office came into view. The shelves on either side were packed with books.
Are they for decoration, or does the Duke really read them? Unlike that old Kalintz, Duke Ryan was a scholar, so they’re probably real reads.
“Long time no see, Headmaster.”
“Duke Ryan, it’s been a while.”
“Feel free to call me William.”
“It’s been ten years since you took over the title; how can I call you that?”
[Wow… are you sure you’re alive? Not a zombie?]
He looks significantly weaker here than in the game.
He seems like he’d collapse with a mere tap and never get up again.
Of course, it’s not like it’s that severe, but if just based on looks, he appeared to be the type who could die at any moment.
“Haha… has it really been that long?”
Duke Ryan, rubbing his heavily clouded eyes, yawned.
Noticing his bloodshot eyes, it seemed he hadn’t been sleeping well for a while.
“You don’t look too well.”
“Just overwhelmed with work. Between the family matters and the Emperor falling ill, the imperial palace is noisy with the power struggle, plus traces of the Agares cult have appeared in the capital, and I haven’t been able to sleep properly tracking them down…”
“Please keep the last one to yourself. It’s confidential.”
“I see… you’ve had quite a rough time.”
“Did my father send you, then?”
“That’s right.”
“He’s prepared everything well; you can pick it up right away… Thank him for me, and please let him know I couldn’t come personally due to business. But… who’s that young man behind you?”
“I am Johann Quartz.”
“Ah, Sir Quartz. You’re that ‘Piper Knight.’ I’ve heard of your notable reputation. The story of how you inspired an assassin from the Halphas Cult with your beautiful music is truly moving. They say the assassins danced forward and confessed?”
… So distorted.
“I’m grateful for your high regard, Duke Ryan.”
I managed to reply courteously while suppressing my twisted expression.
“Enough of the pleasantries. It seems your father lent you the family token. I take it he approves?”
“It just happened that way.”
“No need for modesty. Your father has a sharp eye for people, so he must have recognized your talents.”
“Such a promising young man! If it weren’t for his duty as a knight to the saint, I would have liked to keep him close and nurture him.”
“I didn’t expect you would say that, Headmaster. He must be very talented indeed.”
Why’s he hesitating with ‘young man?’ Is he saying I look old?
“Cough, cough. If you had responded quickly, things would have been resolved more easily.”
“Not at all. Ideally, as the country’s inspector, I should have been overseeing the western matters, but it was unfortunate to only send supplies.”
Is he being sincere or just putting on a front?
Recognizing the real face behind the mask of high nobles can be quite challenging.
“While you’re here, why not stay the night and rest?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I have work to do.”
That’s true. There’s no way I’d be comfortable dining at a place like this while the soldiers in the west are likely suffering.
And dining in such a place really isn’t convenient. Dining with nobles usually runs parallel to the idea of not eating comfortably.
“Well, we should take our leave then. Thank you for your efforts.”
“Please tell my father that Amy misses him.”
“I’ll be sure to pass that on.”
“You can follow me.”
We followed the butler to where the military funds were stored.
“This is the place.”
“Quite hefty.”
“I thought it might be too heavy to carry, so I replaced it with jewels worth 30,000 gold coins.”
This is seriously heavy. As expected of a Duke’s family, they’re generous.
I tucked the bag of jewels, filled to the brim, into my backpack and secured the entrance tightly.
No jewel should drop from this, or I’ll be really sad.
“I’ll guide you outside.”
We moved out of the Duke’s residence behind the butler.
“Now we just need to buy the materials necessary for constructing the long-distance portal.”
“Before that, let’s stop by the Mage Guild. We need their permission to install the long-distance portal device.”
With that, we headed toward our next destination, the Mage Guild.
Thus commenced the actual plan for installing the portal.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.