Chapter 36

【Jae POV】

I had Reon show me where the tools for the magic contract were, and after we arrived there, I spoke.

"So then, how are we supposed to do this?"

"...You've never performed a contract?"

"No. Why, is there a problem?"

"......Haaah..."

Reon sighed exasperatedly at my answer.

What?

Is it that strange?

Well, it doesn't really matter anyway.

"I knew you were a monster, but really...?"

"Hey, now."

Without another word, Reon took out a parchment with a magic circle drawn on it, a pot of dark purple ink, a quill, and a mana crystal, all from a desk drawer.

Placing the parchment, crystals, and inkpot on the desk, Reon dabbed the quill in the ink and wrote something on one side of the parchment's magic circle, before turning it around and handing the quill to me.

"Ugh. Write your name on this opposite end."

I listened to him and wrote my name, Jae Kang, on the opposite side of the parchment.

I then put the quill in the inkpot.

Next, Reon took the mana crystal―which seems to have been manually cut into the shape of a long, hexagonal prism―and snapped it in half.

He handed one half to me and spoke.

"Charge it with mana."

I did as he said, sending some mana into the crystal until it was full capacity.

Seeing it in person, they work like rechargeable batteries, huh...

It's interesting that it even works while snapped into two.

Anyway, once done, Reon took out two knives from his waist, gave one to me, and told me to let a drop of blood on the crystal.

So, I pricked my finger, and the glowing, bright blue mana crystal absorbed my blood, turning purple.

He did the same, and when I was done I returned the knife.

As we did this, it reminded me of when my old classmates were being told their ranks.

Boy, that's nostalgic.

"Now put it on the magic circle."

We put the two halves of the mana crystal on the centre of the magic circle so that the snapped ends were facing each other.

"Finally, touch your name, inject some mana, and call it out loud at the same time as I do."

I nodded, and as the two of us touched the names that we wrote on the parchment and sent some mana into them, we called our names out simultaneously.

"―Jae Kang."

"―Reon Midas."

The magic circle shone brightly, and alongside it, did the two halves of the mana crystal, which seemed to have fused back together during the process.

After a few moments, the magic circle stopped glowing, and once it finished, something happened to the crystal.

It began to disintegrate.

The mana crystal slowly turned to dust and disappeared.

It was quite a beautiful sight overall, actually.

Fitting for such an intricate process.

Then, I saw a notification.

You have been offered an「Equality Pact」with individual [Reon Midas] Pact Conditions: [No Deceit], [Life Grasp], [Equal Conditions], [No Harm], [Close-Range Mental Link]

Hm~m...

I never expected such a thing.

Haha, it's good.

Since it says「Equality Pact」, I assume there are other types of pacts as well?

I wonder what effects those might have.

I assume these conditions are, 'no lying to each other', 'knowledge of whether the other person is still alive or not', 'the conditions apply to both parties', 'no friendly fire', and, 'pact-mate telepathy while in a near vicinity', in that order?

Could I possibly replicate these kinds of things with magic?

Well, it'd take a hell of a lot of work if so.

Maybe, let's just not bother.

I don't know what will occur if one of us happens to break the pact's set conditions, but I have no particular problem with these.

Though, I'm unsure as to how the second one will work, since I'm technically an undead.

So of course,

""I accept.""

―We spoke at the same time.

You have formed an「Equality Pact」with individual [Reon Midas]

There we go...

Once that was done, I noticed a new feeling sprout within my mind.

An ingrained feeling of, 'Reon Midas is alive'.

Ahh, so that's how it works, huh.

I turn to Reon, "Any problems?"

He glances at me and lightly shakes his head, "None."

...Right then.

So the fact that I'm an Undead doesn't matter; I guess because I'm still alive.

Hah, the way the system works is weird.

Well, okay.

Now that that's all done...

"So, what are you going to do first of all?", I ask.

"..."

He's silent for a moment.

"...I'll get what I'm promised."

Ah, right.

So he'll go and get his family and bring them to me for protection, which was probably the main incentive for working with me...

Speaking of, I need to go and get Rena.

.......Shit, wait, I wasted so much time here!

Damn, I'll finish this up quickly and be on my way.

"What a coincidence. I need to get my... a relative."

Reon raised an eyebrow at me.

"A monster like you? Family. Really, now. You'll kill me with such blatant jokes."

These 'monster' jokes again...

I know I'm technically Undead, but I'm really not a monster.

The system is idiotic.

I complain, hoping for a reason behind his offensive thoughts.

I cannot even lie to this man anymore after the contract was successfully completed.

The best thing for me to do right now would probably be to get as much information from this guy as possible, but...

...I'm just too anxious about Rena right now to care about that.

......Something inside me... has a bad feeling.

Well, let's finish things up here first.

"Man, I'm not even that much of a monster compared to you, am I?"

Without a word, he looked me dead in the eyes.

"........."

That unmoving, straight face...

"..."

O-oi...

No, come on now, this isn't fair.

Why do you think that?

...But I know he won't tell me.

As I was about to change the topic, Reon suddenly spoke.

"Sorry, it wasn't letting me lie to you because of the conditions. I was trying to say that it was just a joke, you see."

...Ahh.

Whatever.

"Anyway, I do need to take her home, so what're you doing after you collect yours? Wait, before that, what are we doing about the leftover soldiers?"

"...I'll take care of it."

I see.

Knowing this guy, 'taking care of it' is just going to be killing them all.

Well, I don't care what he does with them as long as it doesn't affect me.

"After... I'll bring them to your place."

......Huh?

I doubted my ears, but Reon just shrugged to my confusion.

"The den of a strong monster is the best place to hide from other monsters."

I smacked my lips after a moment.

"......Right."

But, will that be fine?

I don't think it's such a good idea.

Since where I'm taking Rena....

"The Demon King's Castle; it's my destination. Somehow, I don't think that's the type of place you want to take people who are meant to be protected, or am I wrong?"

"You're bringing someone there yourself, and even called it 'home'. I don't think this requires further discussion?"

...This guy.

He knows I'm not lying because of the contract.

Is he really even trying to protect someone?

He just can't be arsed to find a place himself, can he?

And he still thinks of me as the strongest person, so wherever I am is safest, is that it?

Well.

I suppose that our plans are sorted.

After that, we talked a bit about various minor details, things that aren't too important.

Of course, there are many things I wish to ask this man, but time isn't really on my side right now, so it'll have to wait.

Finally, we promised to meet back up at the Demon King's Castle―Rena and Jiyeru's home―in roughly a few months' time.

And so, I set off southwards.

After getting a reasonable distance away from the outpost, I summoned a small shelter with Earth Magic and killed myself.

Having revived sometime later, safe, I felt refreshed as I created a sizeable stone table within the shelter, from the ground.

After the earlier fight with Reon, my previous top-quality clothes were reduced to... basically just scraps, so I took from my Inventory the pelts and hides of some Hellfiend Goliath Bears I had previously killed in the Cursed Zone.

Using those materials, I spent a little bit of time crafting myself some new clothes.

Since the mats were lower in quality than what I was normally used to, I only made some basic things like a shirt, jacket, trousers, underwear, shoes, and a simple cloak.

The outfit was dull, plain-looking, and black; all due to the nature of the monster it originated from.

It was only a temporary make, as I was planning to collect some higher-tier mats soon enough from the Demon King's Castle.

After changing into the new clothes and re-equipping my great-sword, I threw the destroyed garments into the Inventory and erased the shelter, briefly examining the surroundings.

"Fhoo..." I exhaled lightly, thinking about some things.

...Well.

Let's not waste any more time.

Finally, let's revisit Bahgwud.

I was bored out of my mind.

Having already travelled for a few days (even with ample usage of Sloth), with nothing interesting happening, I really was beginning to become fed-up with how mind-numbingly vast―and at the same time, how plain―this forest was.

I never truly realised until now, just how expansive it is.

I have no idea how big something like the Amazon Rainforest was on Earth, but I'm sure this forest doesn't fall short of even that place in its prime at all.

In any case, I was so tired of this (no thanks to Sloth), and I just wanted to get to the village as soon as possible.

The ever-rising anxiousness made me feel sick, and I felt like throwing up especially so, since my bad feeling grew by the second.

Eventually, however, I came across something odd.

―A pack of wolves.

Now, that by itself was by no means an abnormal event, of course.

However.

Those are ...Hellfiend Wolves...?

―I was greatly taken aback by the appearance of these wolves―monsters that should've only appeared within the Cursed Zone.

Thinking carefully about what could've happened, I examined the pack of monsters and noticed.

A small cub at the rear was being protected, and the leader of the pack was gravely injured.

These usually vicious monsters weren't attacking me at first sight, so I assumed they had only recently been infected.

Whatever the case, there was nothing I could do for them and I didn't really want to needlessly kill them either, so I just walked away.

I didn't know if it was a trait of the Hellfiend creatures, or if I was just unlucky, but not once have I acquired a skill by eating one of the bastards.

Anyway...

That pack leader; it was attacked by a predator?'

This was a point of concern.

The infected monsters were only recently afflicted, so their stats weren't [Boosted] to the point where they'd dominate everything in the area, but they should still be considered strong, especially taking into account the fact that they had numbers on their side.

So, something that would attack those guys...

Is it one of those?

I envisioned the silhouette of a large, evil bear, in my mind.

And, I soon realised that I was spot-on.

Soul State - Hellfiend Goliath Bear

Hm...

This thing doesn't belong here...

What happened, for it to end up all the way out here? It's way too far from the barrier.

'Is it recently infected like the wolves?', I thought, but since there was no way for me to fully confirm it, I just executed the thing.

Taking a bite into the bear's head, I frowned and clicked my tongue, as no skill was gained.

Gluttony said something meaningless about eating, so I told him to shut up.

Sloth also seems to have just woken up and asked for a break, but I ignored him with an inward sigh.

At least the atmosphere here is a lot lighter ever since I've come past the barrier.

Thinking about how there shouldn't be much distance left until the village, I grinned and blinked again with Sloth.

...

.....

About half a day more had passed.

I noticed a single column of smoke had risen high into the air, a fair distance away.

...Am I finally there?

My heart-rate quickened, and I hurriedly used mana detection to see if there were people there.

And there was.

In fact, of the two children I detected, they both had familiar mana signatures, and one even had a much larger capacity than the average for that age.

Blinking over, my gaze landed on the two kids.

One of them was severely wounded and injured in various ways, and the other was yelling something in anger.

--......

It felt like my heart froze in a chilling ice, but it instantly thawed out as I asked myself a question.

―Wait, what....?

My eyes trembled as I processed the situation.

Just what the fuck happened here...?

I walked over to the two―one was Rena, and the other was a kid called Bailey.

I remembered him as my friend's, Gadeun's adopted son, but that didn't stop my fury from pouring out.

As soon as I fully realised the fact that 'someone was harming Rena', it felt like a switch flipped inside of me.

And, I say "harming", as one of the biggest understatement of the century.

What was akin to a tsunami of rage, flooded my brain.

Skill「Wrath」has activated

That shitty little bastard...

Instantly, I blinked over to him and seized the boy by the face.

―He screamed.

“Who the fuck are yo―mmph!?”

My entire body felt cold as ice.

I looked at Bailey like one would look at an insect as I slowly opened my mouth.

".....Oi."

“HHMGHH!?!? MMHMMMPPHHH...!!!”

“You....”

“MMMPH...!!”

He was freaking out within my grasp as if his life depended on it, but I didn't care.

I was going to continue my question, before I realised that he wouldn't even be able to answer anyway, so I haphazardly dropped him onto the floor.

As he hastily backed away from me, staring at me with a clearly terrified look, I muttered to myself in exasperation.

"...How has this managed to happen two times......"

I was referring to the situation of saving Rena.

Last time, it was kidnappers, and this time it was a small kid.

Collecting myself, I tried to reign in my anger, and forcefully stopped「Wrath」.

I spoke.

"Bailey."

“W-W-Who are you!? H-How do you know my name!”

I ignored his frantic questions and continued.

“This girl―”

I looked and gestured towards Rena.

"What happened to her?"

For some reason, Bailey seemed relieved as the words left my mouth, but then he frowned, before slowly speaking.

“......What’s it to you, creepy bastard--”

Cocky brat.

I summoned a multitude of small flames to float around in the air to intimidate him.

“--Answer.”

Both Rena and Bailey seemed stunned at my use of magic, but it was to be expected.

After a few moments, Bailey replied in a cautious, but shaky voice.

"....I punished her for her wrongdoings, and for everyone in the village.”

'...'

I was shocked at the brat's reply, and couldn't say anything as Bailey elaborated.

"I only did what was right, of course. A criminal should be punished rightly, after all."

"..."

This fucking...

I couldn't take him seriously.

What the fuck did he mean, "I punished her for her wrongdoings"!?

I was thoroughly enraged, to the point where「Wrath」activated once more.

Bailey went on to tell the story of how he, and a couple of his friends, secretly abused Rena behind Gadeun's back, and my mood only worsened as time passed.

It was sad that Bailey was surprisingly well-educated for his age and his status as a commoner, as he continued to confess the unspeakable things he did to the poor girl beside us.

The injuries included...

...It...

It ranged from things like shallowly slicing her skin, bruises gone blue and purple from blunt force, blisters, and scars from 2nd and 3rd degree burns―the list sickeningly goes on.

They had even gone so far as to break off one of Rena's horns, which were at this point so coated with dust and grime that their previous, beautiful black lustre could no longer be seen.

There was no doubt in my mind that she had sustained shocking mental trauma from this, and even just glancing at the girl who was covered in nothing but tattered rags and a white blanket caused my heart to shatter like glass.

I can't even imagine how harrowing it must've been...

From Bailey's story, I figured out that about ten months had passed since I left Rena in the village.

All of this happened in a mere ten months...

It made my blood boil beyond anything else, and eventually...

".......How vile. I've had enough of this."

―I spoke.

"Ah? Oh...! Yes, exactly, mister! It is extremely unforgivable how--"

He spoke to me enthusiastically, as if trying to garner attention, or possibly even my favour.

This shit...

"I'm talking about you."

"....Excuse me?"

He tried to shout something, but I couldn't bare to sit still any longer.

I warned him to shut up, and, raising him up off the ground by the face, asked him.

"All those damages on this girl.... You're saying you produced them? You?"

I knew the answer already, but I had to confirm it.

This fucking discriminatory little bastard shithead...

Even if it wasn't my "daughter", doing this to any innocent person is a fucking atrocity beyond anything else!

It's a five or six-year-old girl, for fuck's sake!!

I wanted to rip the kid's very throat out right this second, but I kept my cool as much as humanly possible.

Once again, he yelled at me, but it was interrupted by screams of agony and terror as I tightened my grip in anger.

"―GaAaAAaaAAAaaAAAAAAAHHHH!!?!?!!"

I was gradually feeling a sense of relief as my grip on the boy's head tightened ever-so-slowly.

At this rate, the boy's head would implode.

Before it did, Envy spoke to me.

[You know, the girl might become afraid if you continue acting like a monster.]

.......Right.

I was a bit upset by that truth, but he had a point.

I let go of Bailey's head, causing him to collapse pitifully onto the ground.

However, I still wasn't satisfied, so I used「Intimidate」, and Air Magic to push him deep into the earth.

Since I don't know Gravity Magic, this was the best replication of it that I could do.

Anyway, he quickly lost consciousness.

I stared at him for a moment before turning my gaze to Rena, who seems to have fallen asleep.

"....."

As I took a healing potion out of my Inventory, Pride spoke.

[What do you think you are you doing? Healing such an inferior thing... Do you not know the definition of 'Pride'?]

"Shut it."

The others each gave their own opinion of the situation.

[What a spoiled brat huh. Has way too much for what he deserves. Hmph, yes, if I had what he had when I was young, then everything would be much better. Indeed, it is so.]

[What a little shit! The fucker, you should just bloody kill him already!!! What are you doing, wasting time like this!?]

[Mmmmm, rather... isn't going so far as to heal it a bit.... isn't simply 'resting' enough of a reward...??]

[.....Have you seen their skills? Maybe eating them would--]

They know our relationship and still have the fucking balls to say such things.

Fucking lunatics.

And, I refuse to eat humans.

I feel like I really will lose my humanity if I do that.

It is something inherently wrong, unless there is absolutely no alternative.

“You lot really speak what’s on your fucking mind don’t you. Just shut the hell up and let me do what I want.”

I was already pissed off, and these guys certainly aren't helping.

Bringing the health potion to Rena's mouth, my body froze.

I couldn't move, as if paralyse.

Skill「Pride」has activated

...What?

"......What the fuck do you think you're doing?", I asked, irritated.

Pride began a speech.

[Using such a tone with this me... I am the one to ask questions and to obtain answers.]

[Why do you go to such lengths to heal a practically dead child? She has done absolutely nothing of worth in this life and is inferior to even that shitty brat over there in terms of physical status.]

[Even if her magical ability is exceptional, it is a racial trait. There is nothing special about this child that requires you to go out of your way and act as if you're inferior.]

[You have completely no reason to do this. Nay, you have more reason to not do it. Healing such a pitiful creature is lowering yourself to below them. That is not what Pride means. To be the most prideful means to be the most powerful.]

[Moreover, this would be the second time, I hear. Last time was already a bit much, but it was forgiven because of that situation's conditions and because I wasn't there at the time.]

[Now, one more time.... Do you have a real reason to heal this worthless Demon child?]

....This son of a bitch.

He doesn't even know the relationship between me and Rena, and is spewing shit like this...

I'll fucking gut you if I see you in person.

Just because you're Pride, you think you can get in my way and order me around, huh?

Stupid fucking bastard.

None of your points make any damn sense anyway.

Idiotic shithead.

"You want a reason?

Then is 'information' enough? I need someone to answer my questions since I’ve been in that shitty forest for a while, right? And...”

[Hmm....]

“...Isn’t acting in benevolence also a show of how great I am? It isn’t lowering myself in the slightest.”

[Hahh?...... I suppose... that could be correct.... Indeed, I never considered that 'healing' could be a prideful act, since I never even considered doing it myself.... Hm, yes, due to showing the recipient the supreme power of an extraordinary healing ability, I suppose it would.... Hm. Fine, then. I cease the interference. Though, you must only use your own powers of restoration. Using something like a potion gives off a worse impression.]

“....Hah.”

Fucking incompetent idiot.

Really.

There is an infinite number of reasonable points I could make to convince him, but that seemed like the only way to make this braindead shitter listen.

Looking at Rena's injuries again, her insides weren't too badly damaged.

Even without healing, she'd be able to live the rest of her life without too much issue, but of course I couldn't just stand by and watch that happen.

Is it because she's a Demon?

Her natural restoration abilities are quite high.

The blanket probably helped as well, but even so...

Looking at her made my heart ache to no end, and I couldn't forgive myself.

The guilt and remorse that flowed through me like a river......or, more accurately, poured like a waterfall.

I crouched down, and gently stroked the sleeping Rena's head.

"Don't worry. You have done well."

Her soft hair made me nostalgic of the time I first saved her; when she woke up and began to excitedly tell me about her home.

A bitter smile appeared on my face as I recalled the joyful expression she wore―now replaced by a look of anguish.

"You have endured a lot."

Gradually, it seemed as if her anguish was beginning to alleviate at my words, which only caused my heart more pain.

"You can really be proud of yourself for that."

"But you don't have to go through such a painful thing anymore."

"And..... I'm truly sorry about what I've caused to happen to you."

"I'll make sure you don't have to live with such awful scars."

"I won't allow such a thing to happen again."

"It's fine if you don't forgive me."

"Even if you hate and despise me, I will not complain or deny."

"Since this was all my fault."

"But still."

"I'm sorry."

Finally, I invoked the greatest Healing Magic I could, and as a tremendous light dissipated, I confirmed that all the injuries had been cured.

Well, everything except one injury.

The Demon race exclusive―Rena's horn was still broken.

"Why....?"

I thought that something must have gone wrong somehow, but before I could even do anything, my question was answered by Envy.

[It's a racial trait of Demons. Once one of their horns is broken, even if it's only a slight chip, it will never heal back. Because their horns are anti-magic. Supposedly, it's to help the growing Demons control their large magic capacity easier, and, unfortunately, is one of the reasons why they're hunted so greedily by humans.]

"......"

I didn't know what to think, but I knew one thing.

Humans...

What a disgusting race.

It was indescribably sad.

She would have to live her entire life with that half-broken horn.

Because of something that wasn't her fault at all.

It was mine.

A scar that would never fade, and she would forever have to live, being always reminded of what happened...

...All because of me, and my stupid fucking mistake...

No, well...

Calling it a mistake...

.......I'm a fucking idiot...

But, demon horns are anti-magic, huh...

Then, Reon's sword―It was black, just like a demon's horn.

And, when it was inside me, I felt my mana go out of wack, and it disturbed my use of magic...

Was it a sword crafted from the horns of demons then...?

Well, it's fine.

It's not like I know any Demons other than Rena's family anyway.

What happens to their race, and what happens to the human race―neither of those matter to me.

Picking up Rena who now slept peacefully, I thought she was quite light.

Has she not been able to eat properly?

...Well, it's obvious.

I should feed her something truly delicious when she wakes up.

Although I have no ingredients on me currently...

I'll figure something out.

I laid her down next to the campfire, and her blanket acted like a sleeping bag.

I cleaned up the shoddy campsite to make it better; doing things like adding wood to the fire, stabilising the fire, and getting rid of any rocks around the area.

I also created some benches out of Earth Magic, and took out a pillow from the Inventory that I normally used to sleep more comfortably.

You see, because of Sloth, I actually sleep a lot.

Glancing over to where Bailey laid, I decided to deal with him later.

Then, I sat down on one of the benches I made, looked up towards the sky, and sighed deeply.

"Haaah...."

As I looked at the sky, that was beginning to turn dark, it reminded me a bit of when I was first in this forest.

"...Whatever. Those days have long since passed. How long ago would it've been now? I don't even know. It wasn't even good. The only good thing that has come out of anything in this world is her...."

This was a lie.

Of course I remembered how long ago it was.

But, thinking about Aphy caused me to sulk.

"Actually, thinking about it now, she was definitely my biggest saviour, huh."

We had such a good relationship, and yet...

"...And yet, she never even said a word before I was forced out....”

The others spoke while reminiscing, too.

[Ah... Her..... I never had someone like that for me... It makes me recall my days of solitude... They were good days, indeed...]

What?

What's this guy talking about?

Perhaps, his backstory?

Hidden lore...!?

[Oh, Her, hahaha!! That was great fun!! Go back, do it again! Or at least, to those other places She mentioned! Aren't they good for fighting?! GO THERE!! Hurry! I want to fight more!!]

Battle maniac...

Wait.

Am I like that?

...Hm...

By the way, 'those places' probably means...

Well, it's either the other Sin Dungeons, or the different zones within the Pride dungeon that I never visited.

[Ahh, those days... The meat really was delectable, huh... I never tasted anything so could in my life. Your cooking's certainly made a great leap, huh? I wouldn't mind going back... Yes, the meals were so very delicious. Ahhh~, just thinking about it makes me salivate....]

You... are just a glutton.

Pig.

Well, you're not wrong about the taste though.

Dragon meat is good.

...Well, as long as you are immune to toxins, poison and disease.

[What are you lot going on about? Who's this female you're talking about? And why are you talking as if she is greater than this me? Is it someone related to me, perhaps? If they are great, then of course it's related to me, right? Since I'm the greatest, after all. Well, no matter. They can't possibly be greater than me.]

...Ah.

Hm.

Yes.

It'd probably be for the best to not tell him that she's the current Ruler of Pride...

But, could they really be related in some way?

Sloth was a mimic, and Aphy's a dragon, so did Pride also used to be a dragon?

I wonder...

Anyway.

[.....A......H-......H-Her, huh.... It was, so difficult, to cope, with no sleep, for so long..... Don't go back..... please. Haa--yaaaaaaahh~.....]

Ahaha, right.

That's when Sloth first joined us.

It's rather unfortunate, really, that you were tortured like that, isn't it?

Well, it's kinda deserved though, because of your attitude.

But, Aphy really was great, wasn't she?

She did so much for me, but I never had the chance to repay her...

If I ever have the opportunity, I'll try and find an entrance to the Pride Dungeon.

...Wait, that reminds me.

How long was it since I last checked?

Those two Hobgoblins from way back, right...?

".....Hahahh..."

I chuckled dryly.

My Status Window―I made a promise to Aphy to not open it, and I hadn't opened it for so long I almost forgot its existence, but......

It has been a long time since then, so surely it's okay now, right?

After all, the whole point of the promise was to not acquire「Pride」, but that already happened anyway...

I could hear my heart thumping loudly within my chest, as I convinced myself that it was okay.

As I was so full of anticipation, it felt just like the first time I opened it.

And so...

――I summoned the Status Window for the first time in roughly six years.