Chapter 32: I will make a Proposal
RilozBA nameless rural village.n33tMy
ihdNodfInside a luxurious mansion that contrasted with its surroundings, a man smiled in satisfaction.9Aa
ncS“At this point, the Extermination Squad should have already arrived.”EhckV
YeaEM0lHelus was in a good mood.kPIq
5n2CLHmHe knew well what kind of people that squad was.VaLq
68JBastards with whom it was better to pay a little and get rid of them than to try to face them.72fjvpr
pmaWHaving connections with that kind of people was a blessing.7tnPr
L7lQUk“If I recover that girl, it will be better to side with the Empire.”CsAc
KcGGIHe had maintained neutrality only because of the risk of his identity being discovered.HIGFVC8
tCYFTIf that girl were kidnapped again, it would be a disaster.FYOH8KY
B4hx‘By the way, will that Perda Valdrova know what that girl is?’PxHqxYT
6vZN0There was no way to discover the girl’s identity.IPZ
yGdUwFor her, the rules were absolute.gK0ej
3K1gwsShe only obeyed the words of Helus Povidas, so she was nothing more than an idiot incapable of understanding anything.WjU3MFY
ks4CFmIf they returned her without problems, it meant they did not know what she was for.oYZTqMI
Na4‘Huff… everything will go well.’NOol
GvwqUcLHe opened a bottle of whisky and poured it into a crystal glass.XY0S69
rc4eAt that moment, a carriage stopped.V0m
XJSHe slightly lifted the curtain and looked outside.YOX
SKW2Oa1It was someone very welcome.Tgs
wOayH‘Sir Karl!’fRm
JAZWChSHelus ran out barefoot to receive him.FgF
Bd5euG4“Welcome! Sir Karl!”lGs03QC
7v8IM“……”aRyhI6S
TJTUB“Haha, I didn’t expect you to come so late. How did the mission go?”6cG
0KrBV“……”N0NJ
ooAry“Why aren’t you saying anything? Since you’re here, let’s have a drink. And the girl?”uKB8c
T3hZ“Get in.”GFHECD
VEjzkT“Get in? Ah… yes, of course.”uzp65
NJ2waHelus got into the carriage.451
OjCInside, the luxurious cabin was completely empty.KmP1MXr
EoeZ1MKarl got in as well and closed the door.WmJkEz
ue8GTq“……Move.”Y5f5
l4B4The carriage began to move.PJzI
0poaBefHelus opened his eyes in surprise.hup5pc
ziQvpg“Sir Karl, where are we going?”7x8sW
aMqQ2“……”Wnor
kzoP“Answer me! Are you kidnapping me?”rwzFnB
buDHelus shouted angrily.5aYl9
iQN1aHgBut Karl remained silent.KTJAH8z
97a7HV“So it’s going to be like this? Do whatever you want! Know that I will never return to the Empire!”ICN1a5
dXIzDEU“……Ha.”GCQ
Tt4Karl, who had been sitting silently, let out a sigh.qAT
SoAN0He raised his head and also his hand.h4Er8xt
Cci1NSmack!XVsvfUB
TYLmWRvHis hand, thick like a club, struck hard.vyMGZ
BjJL“Ah!”Ymr
dQMQcfq“Shut up, you filthy pig.”04c1ZH
Xs7s4“W-what does this mean, Sir Karl?”4vP1Mle
i2XK6“What does it mean?”esIo
nkSPOGSmack!3cG
rR9zR“Don’t you understand the situation? All of this is because of that girl you told me to bring!”2Zse
fwNxt“The girl? You said you would use her as a pretext—”oYR
xRFO1p“And what do I care!”63b4Ry
pJdSmack!E7fy
4Q9b“I!”USlw00V
9T9VDYSmack!rCuPw
kSjsBb1“Am here because of that shit, damn it!”ojV8zG
7N8W5It was just violence to vent, but it was enough to silence Helus.bjfhmHJ
EgBYHis mouth was wrecked and blood ran from his nose.fpV
k1RF“Anyway, thanks to the portrait of that girl, you can’t back out now, so behave and come.”o5K
Jp4Karl sighed while looking at the sky.tbwddx
pFZAFDamn it, why am I doing this?UA3
eZQHe slumped against the backrest.e1M
CcbTZkWHelus, completely docile, was dragged along without resistance.g5XdG
Zg9DODoubts piled up in his mind, but he decided to ignore them.jXABwCD
u3faCisHe had no way to escape this situation.GTqE
TPIlVBecause he was not a sage.wLuew
DQn66lJAfter moving aimlessly, the carriage stopped.LDQe1n
PAEpHis body was lifted like a sack and taken somewhere.HhZ9h
Fa0eItThe destination was the audience hall of an old castle.UdyYVk2
AkY9Z1YA red carpet ran across the floor and on the walls hung banners with the emblem of a red dragon.CVGoQxP
Kw0tBeneath them, a young man with an still youthful face stood.IRrw3m
rKyuci“Do you know who I am?”lm2meuo
ZzeDKkHelus was seeing him for the first time.5Oe6RL
btJxCBut the situation and the aura he emitted made his lips move on their own.8J2PkP
g5TJxq“P-Perda Valdrova…”A03mhpn
VnYVk“That was informal.”STiSf2p
vAcj3“T-the regent Valdrova… it is an honor.”f7XGt
dR66DDidn’t they say he was an 18-year-old regent?TyPE
9BfQzXbBut he had nothing to do with what he had heard.iXE
kTK0In front of him, it felt as if he were facing a giant.xNp44u
rbUXAbbAlthough he had challenged Karl, with Perda he did not even dare.WnXA
tOS3vkAt his side was a girl he had seen before.242gQ
QxjUHis young servant.VJic3
ou1phThe source of knowledge he had sought so much.oL9BNyN
qo9c‘Was she this beautiful?’WmKuRp
fC5XWhen she was unkempt, he had not noticed.tcMJIu4
fi2SG4zBut now, well dressed, she looked like a noble.oO6vptg
iGeJGt“Are you the sage of water?”1zAgJP
VKM8“Sage of water? No… I am nothing more than an old man locked in his room, a simple Magic Walker.”f46D
sje6O0“You are not as stupid as I thought. You are more intelligent than I believed.”owfVgJ
Bmp9Perda spoke with genuine admiration.xs5ey
Vd9“Did your servant die?”oiyP
NG7“…Yes.”Q9iePm
zMH“Of course. No one can forgive having something valuable taken from them. Not even I am easy to forgive, right?”5wlur
PCvweLM“There is nothing to forgive. The sin is of this fool.”r55OrK
uhM“What sin?”PY5Wv
r3vS“……”8vS2SO
HuG“You say you sinned, but you do not know which. I do not like lies.”bt30
xyOCHelus forced himself to say what he did not want to.bOrKH
KMNr28O“I used that girl to pretend that I was a sage. That is my sin.”kUE
szvHelus lowered his head.6CKmT
1oGz“Please… spare my life.”qAYJd
1N1jc1He surrendered with total respect.mg0S6
SMiECmhBut in Perda’s eyes there was no interest at all.5J7m
DYwqKAIt was as if he did not care whether he lived or died.wmnFf5j
oBm“You have lived pretending to be a sage, but you are intelligent. So you surely understand this.”vNlOi
FA0Perda whispered near his ear.hoAPCw
VLmJqJJ“Do you think you can leave here alive?”anddT
ybScTb“……”Xbfjx
6P8W“Those who taste power cannot forget it. That is why power struggles are the dirtiest. How much power have you tasted?”km0oQyZ
dZAI5“……”DFmd
4UxXj“You are respected in your village, even the Empire desires you. Will you be able to leave that behind?”l766Fo
XCb5m“N-no, I can’t—”JhJW0
5sec“No. If I let you go, you will seek power again. Not because you are stupid, but because you are human.”IlByX
VPTHis entire body trembled.0MJM
RdftSweat fell like rain.ylBwB
wYX4TMSAh I am going to die here.l7BU
J84“That is why I will make you a proposal that you cannot refuse.”1LByK
L8p3All the fear disappeared.82HWN
l4WdN8fA light appeared.Snps
c8VhmTHelus raised his head.YU4aiN
WjN“Don’t you want to live as a sage?”wQKHV
Zjme1T“What… do you mean?”NiF
Ah6SJPerda took out an object and placed it on the ground.YiLjrJZ
OjzKqJIt was a crystal sphere.7Gu2jf
QuO6“It is a communication sphere. It contains the essence of the eternal ice of the northern mountains. It is superior to those of the Empire. No one will be able to intercept it or track it.”JG07aV3
ywUWolHe tapped the sphere lightly.tDKQ
Wkxbz0“What is connected here is Morida’s mind.”RfFuNS
9U2D8I“Morida…?”7nzjaQw
L0inSQ“That is this girl’s name.”tGGaE6Z
x1h24Perda gently touched the girl’s shoulder.qRXiyPO
D2j4She reacted.OYi4h
30Tfm4RThat name now belonged to her.CQHhZ
dbav23“You desire her knowledge, don’t you? Then live as a sage. You can enjoy yourself at night and give false teachings during the day.”HOgjEk
s7mVHe was offering him the same life he had always desired.qaO5
pEQkFABut he could not accept it so easily.qk0K
EPnKdSweet rewards always have a deadly price.fGgjW9p
L6mdQ“What must I give in return?”C8NSS
1nro“Your soul.”Avu
g2EEverything.gHUtnu6
yb3ya“Become my dog.”zwyGo8
HxQ91uBHelus hated dealing with people.4rkejn1
xLr7C43Because sooner or later they would discover his lie.uRte
jMbSBut there was something he hated even more.u36uSQr
k8Rrl1Losing his money.qiVIU
82WzoXLosing his reputation.bWU
YK9All of that was sustained by power.ryQ
ZeGTo lose power was to lose everything.cqIZxsp
zHLZ3Perda was right.w5JlBD
Ic95HSSHe already longed for the power he had tasted.hSZ
vlcD7OzHe was already a dog of power.DH2kXYK
rCK3And he would do anything for it.M9LA3bX
xISpbEven make a pact with a demon.XNk
uMNThat is why Helus bowed his head again.ga8
mGWZ“I will become your loyal dog.”36aKU
PGJfiX3***Dvnz
2Ka1APerda went down to the basement of the castle.R5vSPh
BgliiEchidna’s laboratory was in the deepest part.fej
uMMgzUpon opening the door, an unsettling atmosphere typical of a witch came out like a dark mist.fKq7sYx
ajHfVEThe difference was that there was no smell of herbs or boiling cauldrons, only the smell of ink and stone dust.E98
f7CBk“Welcome, regent!”c6OZL1W
7FA5XYEchidna greeted him with a silly smile, running toward him like a big dog greeting its owner.qdfD
gBoThe difference was that even Perda shuddered at the dark aura emanating from her.ZKTkHol
fNDxY9q“How did the contract turn out?”O7Iyg
cbjd2EU“Ah, of course it turned out well! I perfectly put on the dog collar you told me! Ehehe, at first when you said a big dog with silver armor I didn’t understand, but I never thought it would be a knight!”T4d
nR2JYEchidna laughed like a fool.iXeI
66bg7lBIn fact, when he asked her for a collar to tie up a dog with armor, she brought an actual dog collar.UKSne
suKDSince then, Perda stopped using metaphors when speaking to her.nNv9Sd
ec5t“Where is the contract?”2mWKj
dTSLcfC“H-here it is!”vvdL
UPtsEchidna took out the stored document and showed it to him.U6CgDJQ
Wtu6XEPerda looked it over briefly and asked.9ind3
9XwhwBG“Do you understand what this says?”aPeQ5H3
6Gmyd“Hehe… there’s a lot written, but I don’t understand any of it at all.”LiSGIO0
Pq0Echidna scratched her head in embarrassment.hd8mA
pA00KWhen it came to contract magic, the best were demons and witches.mgg
HJEhuBut there were always exceptions.UMwVaC
xB5From the beginning, Echidna had not been able to get a boyfriend because she did not know how to draft complex clauses or inescapable procedures.8MZsgo
N2RGQ‘Since that was difficult, she created an unprecedented learning golem…’9EqOPg
lf7RwShe chose a more difficult path because the simple one was complicated for her, but that path ended up being the right one.YAttP
Q6NQEven now, it was absurd to think about.OQdgEMX
cbgAlthough Echidna executed the contract, the one who drafted its contents was Mori.cmTwZ
k557WJInside his mind was the universal library.HjU8
nPcmGq0There were also copies of contracts written by demons there.49N
wLnPerda ordered him to base it on that, and Mori managed to draft it in three hours.lLvR
5kNsnmh‘The real dog collar is complete.’y3FL
noxThus he obtained two dogs.pXJck
ii0ND2One infiltrated in the Empire and another surprisingly intelligent and stupid at the same time.WXpc
cVDBeKCPerda, satisfied, placed the contract on Echidna’s desk.S9AKs2H
n6x“How is the golem manufacturing going?”9lYFl
5o2b“Well… there’s still quite a bit left…”Y9N
eR0QeThe golem assisting her could barely react when seeing Echidna’s face.G6g0K1
sFmIf there was any visible progress, it was that its face had gone from being a crude drawing to something more defined.dc6WBpW
bFdDEbIt was still unclear, but it was definitely starting to resemble Zed Swallow.VCOC
4eW2Perda observed it in silence and askedljxH9
S2N“You’re not getting distracted just sculpting the face, are you?”06CF
dya“N-no! Of course not! I only touch the appearance when I can’t think of anything else!”IwI
uaMXAAHer nervousness made her suspicious, but Perda did not press her.sjAG
1Mkgz‘Compressing formulas into runes is a difficult process, and she is capable of doing it.’UvXI8s
o9pmNIt was not something that yielded immediate results, so he did not criticize her.idF05yB
8aSp3n“Keep up the good work.”loA
RXVL“Yes, understood. But, regent…”2pCQq
WCZ9zAs he was about to leave, she stopped him.RNfgK0Y
cJDYzoJ“What is it?”3wwL
lcF“You… have already reached the third circle, right? Your aura is stronger than before.”7azcIZD
Jyry“That’s right.”jdo
Evywr“Then… don’t you want to try to find your affinity?”NV2vC5
l6SQGIEchidna took a crystal stone from the desk and showed it to him.UKk
7j82Finding affinity.xxo
7i8He had not heard that in a long time.wBowVx
0NT5“You mean discovering my attributes?”FW3sxSu
QOqjgoB“Now that you are third circle, you should also define your magical path. All mages do it.”vlxFo
wWcP3Third circle, Magic Walker.ZrL
1f7OFrom that point on, magic becomes real, allowing control and transformation of elements.bbjxtIK
XG1IAt that point, one begins to search for affinity.c5FBjf0
A0ORPerda had already done it before.fVswy
t99urwNormally, it was something trivial.ujsc
mW5CD9WFor those who had the Blue Circle, it only indicated a slight inclination.BbRKif6
RvxZBut for those with the Red Circle, it was different.vzmj6
lqjP4Their mana, based on emotions, was everything.cI39
qBOR“Let’s try.”8gBebHE
DuD“Then I’ll prepare it!”1HZ
0UPEchidna moved her fingers in the air and recited a spell.H9hk
fws5fMana flowed, forming a magic circle that was then compressed and took shape.BgsbBm
vP8ktvxA rune was created.dz5gRA
gX1pTSomething that would normally take a month, she did it instantly.c1c
DxqLShe truly was a rune creator.nG1gYHZ
o5gtShe inserted the rune into the stone.f40z
KD70SeH“Here you go.”22Ayyp8
5XBeep“Thank you.”Af87Fb
wnLV9yPerda took the stone.pVM0xX1
7AktWxHe knew how to use it.Ypm
7PMkMnzIf his mana reacted, a color and shape would appear inside the crystal.RcoQL
2kd‘Before, it was darkness and electricity…’uvYxBwi
WOHibfTwo attributes born from hatred.K5qn
TErk65Darkness had great destructive power.QkzX
1a7Q8Electricity, speed and penetration.XERKiuh
a45aCHThe combination of both made his magic unstoppable.Hqj7
RaH‘Now it will be different.’UwZFVl
Ph5vDHis mentality had changed.myZL
gm41As proof, his power could now restrain Valdrova.aq4W
VaZn01TSurely his attributes would have changed as well.eykD7
Dn6XhPerda observed as his mana reacted.L9tjZ
BiaAInside the crystal, a reaction occurred.RnwSaC
FdXShUFire would show flames.gqcx9
OPxWater, blue droplets.TieGiP
RjABut what appeared was not that.AtVuu
GwpW4tlThe crystal turned completely black.Tx8x
TWmv65A black that seemed to devour everything.F31
j9dpjxFor Perda, it was something familiar.Z5nA8E
YtEODpp‘Darkness…’HooOE
9l1LAnd within it, small blue sparks.mAOJm
tPWcBv“Wow, you also have electricity.”I7n0w
B9c2HIt had not changed.B19gzhl
wiU7B24Or rather.jtjx8fm
8As‘Was it this dark…?’pNgy
TWTWkThe inside of the crystal was even darker than before.vm1
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Haimiya_cutie.
Body IntegrationBut why it’s so dark.