#247
Chain of Pact (1)
While chaos unfolded on Earth and was being resolved, time continued to flow in Auterica.
Even after the Undead King withdrew from the south, the airstrikes persistently continued at a steady pace, and Heinrich was still busy flaunting his reputation across the continent.
After the events in the Republic reached their conclusion, the political climate flowed smoothly without any major incidents.
This was also a time for the avatars, which had lagged behind somewhat, to grow.
‘Right now, I can count five avatars that can be considered immediate powers.’
No need to say more about the traditional strongest, Undead King Hans.
Recently rising rapidly, the new star, Vampire King Heinz II.
The Knight of Light, the pride of humans, Saint Heinrich.
A creature that’s merely human in appearance, the Barbaric King Harley.
And a High Elf, Harris, who skyrocketed to fame with the support of the World Tree.
If others knew that the standard of their powers was transcendent, they would surely be astonished, but for him, who had already raised his expectations to a high level, it was merely a matter of course.
‘In fact, it isn’t easy to stand on par with those five through normal means.’
Those avatars had rapidly grown due to a complex web of circumstances and a bit of luck.
In all likelihood, even if a considerable amount of time was invested by ordinary methods, it wouldn’t be easy to be on equal footing with them.
‘Still, the Elixir of Growth is far more effective than I thought, so it’s not entirely impossible.’
The Elixir of Growth purchased through the Karma shop boasted a murderous price of 200,000 points for just seven days, but experiencing its effects firsthand confirmed it was indeed worth that price.
After using it once and feeling the effects, he found himself addicted to repurchasing it, even while cursing the price.
Thus, except for Hubert and Hugo, who were responsible for various tasks across the worlds, the three avatars ramped up their training with the buff from the doping potion.
Uuuuung—
“Oh no! Another failure!”
And among them was Hesperon, who, after tasting the bitter cup of failure yet again, roughly ruffled his hair.
Light flickered in the summoning circle set up for his consciousness, and then the vibrations gradually subsided.
Simultaneously, the rare materials used as offerings turned to ashes before he had any chance to do anything.
‘…Haa, such a waste. I’ve been failing so much that I’m starting to feel guilty.’
He was just an exceedingly average human compared to the naturally gifted dwarf Howard, who honed only his skills based on his innate racial traits, and the drake hatchling Horus, who was practically a walking cheat.
Thus, he had no choice but to choose the path of summoning a powerful servant separate from his true self…
‘Who would’ve thought this penalty would trip me up so much?’
With a deep sigh, his eyes turned towards his right arm.
Wrapped in bandages inscribed with runes, it had a visual akin to that of a sealed black flame dragon, but in reality, it was merely a concentrated mass of the curse that was eagerly trying to devour his body.
‘For now, there’s no way to handle it.’
Even from Hans’s perspective as a master of black magic and a specialist in curses, the curse dwelling in that right arm was a very rare case.
The suppression from the Saint’s holy power, the peculiarities of being an awakened one in another world, the potential held by the avatar, and the measures taken by the world’s best medical institution, the Imperial Hospital.
Normally, he should have been dead long ago, having received a curse that far exceeded the lethal dose, but thanks to those various methods, he had merely merged with his right arm’s vitality to this extent.
‘It seems I’ve gained a bit of spirituality from absorbing the essence during that process.’
Hesperon gazed intently at the curse wriggling inside the sealed orb around his arm.
Having used a bit more mana for the summoning ritual, it was acting up, as if on display.
‘The mental corruption that occurs every time it writhes is quite considerable too. It would be nothing for me, though.’
Due to its many peculiar aspects, even Hans couldn’t make a clear diagnosis just by observing it indirectly like this.
Unless he could perform dissections and studies himself, which was not an option right now.
“Haa—.”
Letting out a light sigh, he soon tidied up his space.
Exiting the magic practice room prepared solely for him, he strolled down the corridor of the Imperial Palace’s Magic Tower, sinking into his thoughts.
‘Every time I match summoning beasts, they all refuse the contract due to the curse. I guess I’ll have to lower the tier a bit.’
While summoning beasts is a broad term, there were far greater varieties within.
Monsters that were hardly different from those spread across the world, spirits that were closer to mental entities, and beings residing in other dimensions, among others.
And the top-tier creatures were those represented by mythical beings such as unicorns, pegasi, and wyverns.
Naturally, Hesperon focused on forming contracts with the great ones… but the results were as already known—continuous failures.
Even with the help of the Imperial summoner.
‘It seems a pity to give up like this. Maybe I should look for another way a bit more.’
As he walked down the corridor, he soon entered the archive of the Imperial Palace’s Magic Tower.
His status as a guest and the privileges it allowed him were all thanks to Princess Riley.
Though he couldn’t access the highly-secured areas, that didn’t matter for now.
‘Oh, speaking of which, isn’t there a health checkup coming up soon?’
While browsing through the bookshelves, he recalled a previous memory.
The Elixir of Growth had far more diverse effects than he anticipated.
It didn’t merely assist in acquiring knowledge and honing skills; it encompassed a broader meaning of “growth.”
And this was clearly reflected in the periodic exams he underwent after being discharged.
“Impressive. Your previously unstable body is stabilizing at an abnormal rate. It seems your diminished physical capabilities are mostly restored as well. Even halted growth is resuming…”
Even the usually calm hospital director lost his composure while examining his body.
To put it more accurately… it was a look worthy of a scientist who wanted to dissect him immediately.
As expected, one in such a high position was anything but ordinary.
[The Beings Living in the Fantasy World Volume 1]
[I Met My Lifelong Companion Like This! ~ A Heartwarming True Story by Summoner Master Laralupi]
[How to Encounter Desired Summoned Beasts ~ Advanced Summoning Circle Manipulation]
Hesperon wandered through the archive for a long time, examining this book and that.
The commonality among them was that they were all magic books related to contracts and summoning.
In fact, his obsession with summoning beasts had a rational reason.
‘Since I now have Horus, the dragon, there’s really no merit in exploring traditional magic.’
Instead, it was far better to focus on strengths that only he could possess.
Especially the potential of the ability he had, which took one eye as the price for the “Chain of Pact,” was proving to be more useful than expected.
Not only did it enhance the summoning target based on the bond, but it also allowed synchronization with inanimate objects, enabling him to handle them as if they were his own body.
Not leveraging such an ability would undoubtedly be a waste.
‘Undead or demons might actually prefer it… No, let’s not go there. I would be treated as a dark magician for no good reason.’
As a close aide to Riley, receiving overwhelming support within the palace, it would also be troublesome to engage in such acts.
It was clear he would only become a lesser version of Hans.
As he grappled with these thoughts in the Magic Tower’s archive—
-Heron! Do you have a moment? I have something to share!
The lively voice of Riley came through the connection of the “Chain of Pact.”
Though the initiative of the connection belonged to Hesperon, who was the subject of the ability, communication could always be initiated first by her.
Initially awkward, Riley now frequently contacted him unannounced.
Knowing she was under considerable stress from her dealings with the static Duke Hermanheart, he was willingly responding to her.
For people, simply having someone to listen to their grievances can reignite their spirit.
‘I’ve heard rumors, and it seems like she’s doing well.’
Traversing the Imperial Palace, he finally entered the princess’s quarters.
Since she had probably informed the guards inside, they stepped aside to let him pass, ensuring the discussion wouldn’t be interrupted.
Having occurred quite often, this time they seemed to accept it naturally.
“Oh, Heron! You’ve come!”
As he entered the room where Riley waited, she joyfully greeted him with a smile, akin to a puppy.
“Hehehe, take a look at this! It’s a new sealing orb directly blessed by the Saint!”
With those words, Riley proudly presented him with her gift.
It was a bundle of bandages inscribed with verses from the scriptures.
“Getting the main material, the Holy Fabric, was difficult, and it took some time to make it with care. However, thanks to Seia’s sister, it turned out to be easier than I expected. After all, connections are the best, right?”
He was already well aware of how it was made.
He had watched as Seia, a member of the Hero party, pleaded to Saint Liesta, her companion, while feeling a bit inadequate.
Unlike Saint Heinrich, whose abilities were primarily focused on combat, the saint shone in aspects beyond fighting.
Given that she had invested a considerable amount of time and effort, this sealing orb was akin to a treasured item that could hardly be obtained otherwise.
“Thank you for going to such lengths.”
“It’s nothing. This is nothing compared to what you have done for me, Heron.”
With a blissful expression, she handed over the gift, then cautiously checked his expression and opened her mouth.
“By the way, were you successful this time?”
“No, it’s the same as usual. It feels like I need to change direction a bit.”
“…Don’t worry! You will definitely succeed soon! I’ll prepare all the necessary materials, so don’t stress about that!”
Knowing she was already pushing herself hard, he felt a bit guilty.
Materials such as unicorn horns and wyvern hearts were burdensome items to continually support, even for her.
In the Karma shop, they were certainly items worth at least 200,000.
Indeed, a plan was necessary at this point.
“Ahem, how about trying that first? Perhaps doing that will lighten your mind and lead to better ideas?”
With a light cough and hopeful eyes glancing at him, Riley suggested.
Hesperon couldn’t help but smile lightly at her reaction, nodding in acknowledgment, and gently took the gift she had laboriously acquired, closing his eyes.
The activation of the “Chain of Pact” began, and a strange sensation spread from the holy power-laden sealing orb as the bonding process initiated.
Having used it several times before, it seemed the quality of the item demanded more focus than before.
After a brief moment, the edge of the sealing orb began to twitch slowly.
Upon opening his eyes, he reached out his right hand slowly.
Sahrurk—
Without even touching it, the bandages that had been wrapped around it unraveled chaotically.
And underneath,
A mark that seemed to have been left by a snake slithered across his forearm.
Wriggle—
As the seal was released, the curse that had been lying dormant began to slowly rise; however, before anything significant could commence, a new sealing orb smoothly replaced the old one, quickly wrapping around his arm.
He merely reached out, and the replacement of the sealing orb was completed in an instant.
‘Indeed, this is better than before. With this, I should be able to withstand considerable mana usage.’
Hesperon repeatedly clenched and unclenched his firmly secured right hand while nodding slowly.
The more mana he used, the greater the chance of the curse running rampant, but with this, it seemed there wouldn’t be any major issues unless he pushed himself.
The sealing orb, whose excellent performance had been additionally strengthened by the effects of the “Chain of Pact,” was now at a level where it would not be unusual to call it a holy relic.
‘It’s unbelievable that such an item cannot completely suppress it. Just how vicious is this curse?’
As he gazed at his right arm, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
Not only enhancing items but also summoning and being able to control them as per his will, synchronization.
This was an incredibly useful ability, as he had just recently employed.
From there, his thoughts began to branch out.
‘Items, summoning, enhancement…’
In that case, was there really any need to obsess over living mythical creatures?
Though it was merely an idea at this point and not fully formed, he pondered…
‘Perhaps I’ve been trapped in a fixed mindset.’
Then the thread of thought advanced one step further from there.
The limits of this evolved skill were yet poorly defined.
The “Chain of Pact” was an ability that established bonds through communion, not just with living beings but also with items.
So where exactly are those limits?
Maybe there’s no need for a firmly fixed form?
If that were the case…
His gaze turned to his right hand.
What if he could directly manipulate the curse lurking within this hand?
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.