Before Kano arrived at the laboratory—
“At last, I’ll get to see it.”
Standing alone in the vast laboratory, Prochi peered into an experimental cylinder.
Inside the long glass tube, a viscous liquid glowed violet.
When Prochi shook the cylinder, bubbles burst through the liquid as though it were boiling.
KIEEEEEK!
It hurts! Save me!
Screams filled with agony rang out each time the bubbles burst.
Holding the cylinder, Prochi walked toward the Summoning Circle.
The enormous Summoning Circle glowed red like blood.
“With this, all one hundred souls have been gathered.”
When Prochi poured the liquid onto the Summoning Circle, the entire formation began glowing violet.
* KIEEEEEK!!!
Whenever the Summoning Circle flashed, foam burst from it with wet, bubbling sounds.
At first glance, it looked like ordinary bubbles.
But within every bubble was the face of a person screaming in pain.
“Noisy.”
Prochi spoke flatly as he crushed one of the faces emerging from the floor beneath his foot.
The contract was finally within reach.
Prochi repeatedly clenched and relaxed his fists.
Having mastered the 5th Circle, he now stood just before the 6th Circle.
But that was where his progress had stopped.
No matter how much mana he accumulated or how many magic books he studied, he could not break through the wall of the 6th Circle.
Even someone like him, whose talent had been called heaven-sent, could not cross it.
The 6th Circle, the realm of those called Magi, seemed to be a domain that only the truly chosen could enter.
That was why Prochi had reached a conclusion.
He would gain no further enlightenment through Elemental Magic.
Only magic outside the realm of Elemental Magic could lead him to the 6th Circle.
But that was easier said than done.
Excluding basic magic and Elemental Magic, there were three major branches of magic.
White Magic.
Spirit Studies.
And Black Magic.
White Magic borrowed the power of a god and was granted only to those who devoted themselves to religion and followed their deity.
Spirit Studies was available only to those born with Spirit Affinity.
Prochi possessed no Spirit Affinity, nor did he believe in any god.
And even if he converted to a religion, there was no guarantee a god would grant him power.
That was why he had turned his attention to Black Magic.
Black Magic lent him power in exchange for giving it what it wanted.
He liked that straightforward exchange of interests.
That was why he had decided to learn it.
If it could grant him even the slightest enlightenment, Prochi was confident he would gladly prostrate himself before a demon or a god and lick its feet.
Under the pretext of searching for a disciple, he had traveled throughout the kingdom.
All the while, he secretly searched for Black Magic without arousing suspicion.
Years passed that way.
With the help of an organization of Black Mages, Prochi eventually learned Black Magic and even obtained a clue that would allow him to contract with a Demon.
Samigina.
The Demon who governed the dead.
As befitted a high-ranking demon, summoning him required no fewer than one hundred sacrifices and Holy Relics.
One of those sacrifices, in particular, needed to possess an exceptionally valuable soul.
It was an extraordinarily complicated summoning ritual.
But if he succeeded, Prochi could reach the 6th Circle in a single leap.
‘All that remains is for that child to arrive.’
The final ingredient needed to summon Samigina.
Someone possessing talent great enough to tempt a demon.
Kano was perfectly suited to serve as that final ingredient.
“It seems he’s finally here.”
Prochi murmured quietly.
The Detection Magic placed throughout the laboratory had picked up Kano’s presence.
He slowly turned his head toward the tightly shut iron door.
CREEEAK.
The iron door slowly opened.
Kano stood beyond it.
“Welcome, sacrifice to the Evil God.”
Prochi’s dry voice echoed through the chamber.
There was no longer any need to hide his true nature.
My body seemed to melt like liquid before being sucked somewhere far away.
Then, amid a brilliant light, I slowly opened my eyes.
My consciousness felt submerged beneath water, like I had just awakened from an impossibly long sleep.
‘Damn. This feels disgusting.’
Soul Separation.
One of the forms of Black Magic I had inscribed upon my body.
The instant it activated, my consciousness separated from my physical body.
It was the perfect spell for deceiving Prochi.
‘More importantly....’
Floating in the air above the vast chamber, I looked down.
A massive magic formation had been drawn across the floor in something red.
‘That is....’
I knew exactly what the formation was.
The Summoning Circle of the high-ranking Demon Samigina.
‘Samigina requires a huge number of human sacrifices.’
Samigina specialized in Necromancy.
Those who formed a contract with him received the tremendous authority to command the dead.
That was precisely why a contract with him demanded an enormous number of human souls.
‘The problem is that he’s just as difficult to handle.’
Since this was a contract with a Demon, borrowing Samigina’s power naturally required offering him souls of corresponding value.
That much was obvious.
Demons were not beings who lent their power for free.
It seemed Prochi had truly committed himself to this.
‘For now, I need to see what’s happening outside.’
I was currently somewhere between the other world and the material world.
I focused my vision and connected it to my physical body.
Before long, Prochi’s laboratory appeared before me.
“……!”
The instant I saw what was happening outside, I ground my teeth.
The souls sacrificed for the contract.
Countless faces repeatedly emerged from the foam before being swallowed back into it.
It looked like people drowning in the ocean, desperately struggling to stay above the surface.
Then my unconscious body floated into the air and moved toward the exact center of the Summoning Circle.
“Samigina. Answer my summons.”
Prochi’s voice reverberated through the chamber.
The Summoning Circle immediately erupted with brilliant light.
KIEEEEEK!
Death screams filled with agony rang out in every direction.
At the same time, an overwhelming torrent of Demonic Energy exploded from within the Summoning Circle.
FLAP!
The storm of Demonic Energy sent Prochi’s gray robe whipping violently through the air.
Violet energy flooded the entire laboratory.
Prochi’s eyes widened far beyond anything I had seen before.
He bared all his teeth in a grin.
“O Great Evil God...! Samigina!”
Prochi murmured in a hoarse voice, carelessly tossing his staff aside.
Then he dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the floor.
“Grant me enlightenment!”
CLOP.
At that exact moment, the sound of hooves echoed from behind me.
Who are you?
I slowly turned around.
There was a donkey behind me.
Its entire body was covered in pitch-black fur, while the mane running from its head to its tail glowed a faint violet.
The donkey’s lips trembled as it snorted.
Seated upon its back was a skeleton whose eyes burned with violet light.
Samigina.
The Demon Prochi intended to contract with.
‘Everything has gone according to plan so far.’
“Can’t you tell? I’m the sacrifice.”
A sacrifice? How amusing. There are no fewer than ten forms of Black Magic branded into your body. Some of them are spells we have never bestowed upon the children of man.
Samigina slowly circled around me.
There was only one human who possessed Black Magic that had never been granted to humanity.
Samigina approached me.
The violet flames burning within his hollow eye sockets suddenly turned scarlet, as though shedding an outer layer.
‘Never bestowed?’
I carefully considered his words.
I had learned about every form of Black Magic within Maurva’s Library.
Because of that, I knew almost nothing about Black Mages themselves.
All I had known was that Black Magic defied the gods and derived its power through contracts with demons.
Judging from Samigina’s words, it seemed not every form of Black Magic had been passed down to humans.
Tell me immediately what connection you have to that accursed Maurva!
FWOOSH!
Violet flames erupted from Samigina’s body.
‘Maurva...?’
Why was that name coming up now?
Then a sudden thought flashed through my mind.
‘Wait. Now that I think about it, why was Black Magic that can only be obtained through contracts with demons recorded in Maurva’s Library?’
Maurva’s Library was a repository of records containing every form of magic known to the Great Sage Maurva.
That was why I had simply assumed it was natural for all the world’s Black Magic to be recorded there as well.
But now that I thought about it, something did not add up.
‘Why did the Great Sage Maurva collect Black Magic in the first place? You’d think he would want to destroy every trace of it.’
I did not know the details, but something about this smelled suspicious.
I smiled inwardly.
An idea had occurred to me.
Keeping a perfectly straight face, I stared directly at Samigina.
“Is that your question?”
* What...?
The flames burning inside his empty eye sockets flickered.
A question.
There was no demon that failed to understand the significance of that word.
Demons manifested before humans in order to answer their questions.
And in return, they took a price.
The form of that payment was unrestricted.
There was no way to know what a demon would choose to take.
All a human could do was pray that it would not be something precious.
That had been the relationship between demons and humans before magic came to dominate this world.
And now, I had just proposed a contract to a demon.
I would give you what you want.
So accept a contract with me.
I lightly stamped one foot against the ground.
A large circle appeared around Samigina’s donkey and me.
A Contract Circle.
Black Magic that enforced a contract without allowing even the slightest lie.
“I’ll ask you again. Do you want to know my relationship with Maurva?”
The moment I finished speaking, a smaller circle filled with intricate formulas appeared within the larger one.
* You insolent bastard!! You dare speak of a contract with me, Samigina?!
FWOOSH!
Flames even more intense than before engulfed Samigina’s body.
But that was nowhere near enough to frighten me.
“If you don’t want a contract, that’s fine. I’ll simply go back.”
I pointed my thumb toward my chest.
* …….
“You know better than anyone that I can’t become your sacrifice. Make your choice now. I’m not particularly patient.”
Snort.
The donkey beneath Samigina expelled a breath through its nostrils.
The flames that had seemed ready to consume his entire body gradually died down.
* Kha.
Kha?
* Khahahahaha!
Samigina threw his jaw wide open and burst into hearty laughter.
* That detestable attitude of yours resembles Maurva.
“Think whatever you want.”
Samigina’s empty eye sockets stared silently at me.
* I dislike that attitude, but you... possess an excellent soul. It doesn’t suit your age. Your soul is heavy.
The flames in Samigina’s eyes burned deeper.
‘Just as I thought.’
It was something I had wondered about ever since being reborn.
Whose soul did I possess?
The soul of Kano Seikri?
The soul of the criminal Diark?
Or some ambiguous existence somewhere between the two?
Because I had been reborn through some unknown power, the question had always lingered in my mind.
But judging from what Samigina said, my soul seemed to be the same one I had possessed in my previous life.
* I find it curious how someone your age could possess a soul of such weight, but I will not ask. Your very existence is already a mystery to me.
I chuckled.
He would not ask?
Demons were creatures who regarded humans as less than insects.
“Is a demon actually showing consideration?”
I tossed the words out mockingly.
* …….
Samigina listened silently.
Then his jaw parted slightly.
Violet smoke slowly seeped from inside his mouth.
* Yes. Calling it consideration would not be inaccurate. Consideration from none other than Samigina. However, nothing in this world is given freely.
Samigina extended his right hand toward me.
Every time the joints moved, a cold CRACK echoed through the air.
* I would like payment for my consideration.
What an arrogant bastard.
He offered consideration I had never asked for, then demanded compensation for it.
Apparently, my opinion was irrelevant.
Samigina rattled his jaw and continued.
* Very well, human who is both young and not young. Form a contract with me.
The light within Samigina’s eyes changed.
They now burned with a brilliant crimson glow stained by unmistakable greed.