A sacrifice was required to form a contract with a demon.
No, more precisely, a sacrifice was required to summon a demon.
In the case of a high-ranking demon such as a Demon, an ordinary human soul was not enough. Additional souls possessing great talent or a high spiritual standing were also required.
‘So that soul is supposed to be mine, and all the other sacrifices have already been prepared.’
GRIND.
I clenched my teeth without realizing it.
I already knew how to form contracts with every kind of demon, but that did not mean I wanted to contract with every demon I came across.
In my previous life, Selveus had treated me worse than a dog before I died.
If I were to toy with other human souls after suffering through that myself, I would become no different from Selveus.
But Prochi intended to offer humans as sacrifices.
‘He’s the same kind of person as Selveus.’
That thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.
However....
“This could become an opportunity.”
It was the worst possible situation.
And yet, for me, it was also an opportunity too good to pass up.
A dry chuckle escaped me.
-What is Black Magic?
If someone asked that question, most people would answer that it was power obtained through contracts with demons.
But if there were no price to pay, everyone and their dog would form contracts with demons.
The true meaning of Black Magic was only one thing.
‘Magic fueled by burning sin.’
That was Black Magic.
To draw power from a demon, one of three things was required.
Corruption, despair, or illicit pleasure.
Ordinary Black Mages committed evil deeds to obtain them.
To create corruption, they incited others and stained them with evil.
To create despair, they robbed people of what they held most precious.
And for illicit pleasure, they killed people purely for amusement.
That was how Black Mages obtained power from demons.
Through those acts, humans accumulated Karma, the source of a demon’s power.
And that Karma was precisely why demons lent their strength to humans.
‘Well, that applies to Demons and Devils, of course.’
Evils were somewhat different.
An Evil could be commanded without paying any such price.
As long as someone was capable of opening the gates of Hell, an Evil would lend them its power.
It sounded remarkably attractive when put that way.
And that was exactly why people fell into Black Magic so easily.
Anyone who had experienced the power gained by contracting with an Evil even once would inevitably begin thinking about contracting with a Demon.
To those who craved strength, it was no different from a drug.
That was the extent of Black Magic as most people understood it.
But....
‘There’s something even Black Mages don’t know.’
According to the magic recorded in Maurva’s Library, every Evil possessed its own True Name.
By invoking that True Name, an Evil could, for a brief period, wield power comparable to that of a Devil.
Modern Black Mages did not know that.
I had investigated it myself and even asked Roat, yet I had never encountered anyone who knew about the True Names of Evils.
But I knew every Evil’s True Name.
“…….”
Clouds covered the moon.
The darkness lurking inside the room swelled.
Standing in the middle of the room, I extended my hand with my index finger pointing forward.
FWOOSH.
A small violet flame ignited at the tip of my finger.
I slowly moved my hand.
The violet flame traced a faint trail of light through the air, pushing back a small portion of the darkness.
“Lerajio. I reveal your True Name.”
I inscribed Lerajio’s True Name in the air.
“Kamias. By our contract, lend me your strength.”
SPLASH.
At some point, a shallow pool of water had spread beneath my feet.
The sound of something stepping into that water echoed through the room, and an alien presence radiated from behind me.
Then came a sharp SNAP as a membrane stretched taut.
I took a small dagger from inside my clothes.
It was the copper dagger I had used when summoning Lerajio.
Without hesitation, I pricked the tip of my index finger with the blade.
A sharp pain flashed through me.
A dark drop of blood welled at my fingertip.
I slowly turned around.
Standing there was not Lerajio’s usual bat-like form, but the shape he had taken when I first summoned him....
No.
Kamias stood there, breathing slowly with his bat-like wings spread wide.
Thud.
The black leather mask that had concealed his face dropped limply to the floor.
When he slowly raised his head, the face beneath the discarded mask came into view.
It was a revolting face that seemed to embody every horror in the world.
Suppressing the urge to vomit, I drew my bloody index finger across his chest.
Then I began inscribing a Black Magic circle.
An enormous amount of Demonic Energy surged from his body.
Ignoring it, I continued drawing the magic circle across his chest.
Before long, the first magic circle was complete.
“Ugh....”
At the same moment, Kamias’s Demonic Energy traveled up my arm and branded itself into my body.
The energy wrapped around me, and a splitting headache struck my skull.
I ignored it and began inscribing another spell.
Soon, a second spell was carved into his body.
Another burst of excruciating pain hammered through my head.
The moment the second magic circle was completed, Demonic Energy once again traveled along my arm and left a sinister mark upon my body.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four....
Every time I inscribed another spell onto Kamias’s chest, Demonic Energy far stronger than anything Lerajio normally possessed poured into my body.
When I finally completed the tenth spell, I slowly lowered my right hand.
“Haah....”
A hot breath escaped my mouth.
My vision swayed.
My entire body was drenched in sweat.
My legs staggered, and I barely managed to keep myself upright.
‘If I inscribe any more magic circles, I’ll be risking my life.’
I had already cast several forms of high-level Black Magic that were far beyond what my current Circles and a child’s body should have been capable of handling.
If I had been borrowing Lerajio’s ordinary Demonic Energy rather than Kamias’s, I would never even have dared attempt it.
I looked at Kamias.
Layers of blood covered his chest until the original patterns were no longer distinguishable.
The sinister Demonic Energy that had been pouring from his body gradually weakened.
“Lerajio, return to your station.”
As I recited the incantation, Kamias slowly picked up the leather mask from the floor and placed it over his face again.
His thick membranous wings folded with a heavy flutter.
The folded wings slowly shrank until they disappeared completely.
In his place stood the familiar Lerajio.
‘With this much Black Magic prepared, even a 5th Circle mage won’t be able to harm me.’
I had used quite a lot of Demonic Energy to accomplish it, though....
I glanced toward Lerajio standing in one corner of the room.
SSSSSS—
The Demonic Energy flowing from his body felt noticeably weaker than before as he stared at me.
‘Well, it isn’t my Demonic Energy.’
For some reason, he seemed to be glaring at me.
I quietly looked away.
Then I turned toward the mirror.
A thick vine-shaped stream of violet energy was crawling upward beneath my clothes, passing along my neck and reaching my left cheek.
After a short while, the violet energy gradually faded.
Soon, only pale white skin remained reflected in the mirror, as though nothing had ever been there.
“This should be enough.”
My preparations to face Prochi were complete.
All that remained was to see what he intended to do.
“Are you sure you’ll be all right?”
Roat looked at me with concern in his eyes.
“Yes! I’ll be fine.”
I gave him a bright smile.
“It isn’t very far away. The Blue Mage Tower is nearby too.”
I had told Roat a different destination from the one Prochi had given me.
If I said I was going somewhere distant or deserted, Roat might insist on accompanying me.
‘The place written on the paper is behind the commercial district, so it isn’t particularly dangerous either, but....’
I had to eliminate even the slightest possibility.
“All right.... Be careful.”
Roat gently stroked my head.
“Yes. I’ll be back soon.”
As I set out, I waved at Roat, who remained standing there watching me leave.
He waved back.
“Whew....”
Only after I saw Roat go back inside did I let out a quiet sigh.
‘Getting away from him was harder than I expected....’
I immediately headed toward the commercial district.
After crossing the main road, I entered the district.
Prochi’s laboratory was still some distance away.
As I walked, I frowned slightly.
I had tried to be careful all this time, but I had still been exposed.
‘I need to be more cautious.’
The Crystal Orb that identified a person’s aptitude.
I could not be certain, but if Prochi had discovered my true identity, that was the only likely cause.
It had happened because I knew too little about Artifacts.
‘I told myself I needed to be more thorough.’
Apparently, I still had a long way to go.
From now on, I needed to study even more books, magical theory, and Artifacts.
Otherwise, something like this would happen again.
And I had no intention of allowing that.
Not even the smallest variable could be permitted to interfere with my plan.
‘Not until I tear Selveus’s head from his shoulders.’
While lost in thought, I eventually arrived outside Prochi’s laboratory.
It was an old red-brick house behind the commercial district, bordering a low hill.
The building appeared to have stood there for many years, with signs of age visible everywhere.
A small black spider scurried along the gaps between the bricks, its dark legs moving nimbly.
‘He’s watching to see whether I came with anyone.’
A trace of Mana Residue so faint that it would have been difficult to detect without getting close surrounded the tiny spider.
Knock. Knock.
Pretending not to notice, I knocked on the peeling wooden door.
At the same time, I fed Demonic Energy into the Black Magic I had inscribed on my body beforehand.
CREEEAK.
The hinges gave a shrill metallic groan as the door slowly opened.
Beyond it was a seemingly endless flight of stone stairs.
Dense darkness concealed the bottom.
FWOOSH.
The candles fixed along the walls all ignited at once.
The stone staircase descending underground was revealed in full.
Come inside.
Prochi’s voice echoed directly through my mind.
“You even use magic for things like this?”
I spoke like an ordinary child would and slowly stepped forward.
“Hmm?”
After entering the building, I deliberately paused for a moment before pretending not to notice anything and continuing onward.
‘This place is saturated with Mana Residue.’
I could not tell whether it came from Prochi’s own power or an Artifact, but magical energy permeated the entire building.
He had clearly prepared some kind of measure in advance.
“Your laboratory is rather gloomy.”
I offered the brief comment as I descended the stone stairs.
The sound of my footsteps echoed loudly through the narrow passage.
Step.
At last, the final footstep filled the corridor.
I stopped before the door at the bottom of the stairs.
A rusted iron door stood firmly shut, as though it had been there for ages.
RUMBLE—
A tremendous sound shook the entire passage, sending dust rising into the air.
The iron door slowly lifted upward.
All right, then.
Let’s see what you really want.
THUD!
The door finished opening.
The dust gradually settled, and the space beyond came into view.
It was so vast that it was difficult to believe it was underground.
And in the center of that enormous chamber stood Prochi.
Behind him was a massive Summoning Circle, surrounded by countless Holy Relics.
“…….”
I stared at Prochi.
He looked back at me before slowly opening his mouth.
“Welcome, sacrifice to the Evil God.”
His flat, emotionless voice echoed through the chamber.
The thick stench of blood lingering around me made it impossible to even guess how many humans had died there.
Without realizing it, I clenched my fists.
Selveus.
One of that bastard’s kind was standing right in front of me.