"Do you recognize me?" Eleanor asked again.
"Dammit, I recognize you, old bat!"
Oz flinched the moment the words left his mouth. He slowly raised his head and immediately noticed the cold gaze Eleanor was giving him. His entire body stiffened.
"S-Stop glaring at me!" Oz shouted while trying to sound tough. "You can’t hurt me in this form! Remember, I’ve been summoned by the Ancient Spirit Contract Scroll! I’m not afraid of you!"
His words sounded logical even to himself, but Oz still could not stop his body from trembling.
The sight of that bat was simply too terrifying.
In the past, Oz and the other disciples had tried countless times to destroy, throw away, or sell that bat. Most of the times, they were caught midway and beaten black and blue on the spot. Other times, they actually succeeded in getting rid of it.
But no matter what they did, that demonic bat would always appear beside their Master the very next day as if it had never left.
That was not even the worst part.
Oz and the other disciples had also tried many times to defeat Eleanor herself. They used curses, poison, sneak attacks, traps, and ambushes. Once, they even attacked while she was asleep. They did everything possible to put an end to her terrifying training.
Every single attempt failed.
Not only did they fail, but they were beaten black and blue afterward.
Oz still remembered the one time all of the disciples had gathered together to fight her. At that time, every disciple under Eleanor was already a terrifying powerhouse. Oz himself, the Dragon King, was only considered among the upper category in terms of strength among the disciples. There were some who were stronger than him.
And yet, even with all of them attacking together, they still lost.
Not only did they lose, they were humiliated by that cursed, demonic weapon afterward.
By all logic, it should never have happened.
But logic had never worked properly around Eleanor.
So now, even if logic told him Eleanor could not attack him in this form, Oz’s body still trembled the moment he saw her holding that bat.
"Oz," Eleanor called out.
"W-what?" Oz replied instinctively.
Right now, he was no longer the Dragon King Oz. He was the young boy who had once come to Eleanor asking to be trained and then spent years regretting that decision.
Oz had been born as the son of a concubine. His mother had been assassinated during palace politics, and afterward he was forced to live a humiliating life. Nobles mocked him, servants looked down on him, and even members of the royal family treated him like dirt beneath their feet.
That was why he had searched for the Sword Maiden.
Back then, stories about Eleanor spread throughout the continent. People said that if she was willing to train someone, then even a pig could reach the heavens.
Oz wanted strength.
He wanted revenge for his mother.
Unlike many other disciples, Oz had never tried to run away from Eleanor’s training. His determination had always been genuine. Even so, that did not mean he was not afraid of her.
Especially that bat.
"Aren’t you going to greet me? Or do you need to be taught about it again?" Eleanor asked calmly.
"G-Greetings to Mas— Fuck, I’m not going to greet you," Oz retorted while barely controlling his tongue in time. "What are you going to do?"
He had almost greeted her automatically on instinct after seeing that bat move slightly.
Nearby, Averon watched the entire exchange with a deeply confused expression. Nothing about this situation made sense to him. The summon standing before them possessed terrifying mana that made him feel pressure on the same level of Water Elemental Spirit, yet this same being was acting like a frightened child in front of Eleanor.
On the other hand, Alice stared at Oz with complete understanding and sympathy.
She understood that fear very well.
Eleanor snorted softly after seeing Oz’s exaggerated reaction. Among all of her disciples, he had always been the most cowardly when it came to punishment.
She then turned toward Emily.
"Leave me alone with him for some time. I need to talk to him about the contract," Eleanor said.
Emily instinctively wanted to refuse. Since Oz was technically her summon, she felt she should the one to win him over.
But the moment she met Eleanor’s gaze, she stopped herself.
There was something hidden beneath Eleanor’s calm expression.
Alice noticed that hidden expression.
’She wants to talk about something other than the spirit contract,’ Alice realized.
Alice held Emily’s hand and pulled her away.
After a brief moment, Emily gave a nod and stepped away with everyone else. Since the group was already resting and recovering mana inside the Second Area, nobody objected to giving them some space.
After everyone left, Oz immediately widened the distance between himself and Eleanor.
A very large distance.
Only after making sure she could not suddenly swing the bat at him did he finally speak again.
"What do you want to say?"
Eleanor did not answer immediately.
For several moments, silence filled the area. Oz frowned slightly because it was rare to see Eleanor hesitate like this.
"If this is about the contract, then I’m going to refuse," Oz said carefully.
He gritted his teeth before continuing.
"Even if you are my Master, I am still the King of the East Sea. I cannot serve a little girl who hasn’t even reached Overlord rank yet. It would insult all the people who served me and called me their king."
"I know," Eleanor replied with a small nod.
Oz blinked in surprise.
He genuinely thought she would force him into accepting the contract.
Although Oz could leave at any moment if he wanted, he still remained here because Eleanor was his master. Everything he had achieved today existed because of her training. That debt was something he could never truly repay.
That was why he wanted to explain himself properly instead of simply disappearing.
"Master, I’m sorry, but—"
"Gael reincarnated."
Oz stopped speaking immediately.
Gael.
Among all the disciples, Gael had been one of the youngest. Most of the older disciples treated him like a younger brother, or their child. Even Oz used to dote on him often.
Reincarnation itself was not impossible for beings at their level, so Oz was not truly shocked after already seeing Eleanor’s own reincarnation.
Still, hearing about Gael caught him off guard.
"You know how reincarnation works. At birth, everyone should carry zero Fate. But reincarnates possess memories and experience that give them an unfair advantage, bringing along extra Fate. The world sees that imbalance," Eleanor said slowly.
Oz nodded quietly.
This was common knowledge among higher existences.
Memories from a past life were essentially cheating. Because of that, the natural order of the world forcefully tilted Fate into the negatives in order to restore balance.
That meant reincarnators were often born into terrible circumstances and forced to live difficult lives.
Some were born crippled. Some lost their families. Others lived entire lives drowning in bad luck despite possessing incredible talent.
This was one of the reasons many powerful beings did not wish to reincarnate. Like Oz, many preferred to live and die with dignity rather than gamble everything on another life.
Of course, reincarnation itself was extremely difficult to achieve. Even wanting reincarnation did not mean one could attain it. Luck played an enormous role in the process, and unless someone possessed great blessings or special methods, they would never even meet the requirements.
Which also explained Eleanor’s current situation.
Oz already understood that her low-ranked bloodline was likely the result of Fate balancing out the advantages she carried from her previous life.
"How is all of this related to Gael?" Oz finally asked.
"Gael knows that I’ve reincarnated, yet he has never come to meet me. He rules a massive kingdom now. It doesn’t make sense that he hasn’t even tried to contact me. I even attempted to establish contact from my side, but I was ignored," Eleanor said.
"You think he’s in trouble?" Oz asked.
"Yes," Eleanor replied with a nod.
Oz fell silent while thinking about her words.
Gael, just like the other disciples, had always been incredibly loyal to Eleanor. Of course, loyalty did not stop them from rebelling against her training whenever they had the chance, but beneath all of that fear and frustration, they still respected and cared about her deeply.
That was why the current situation made no sense.
If Gael truly knew Eleanor had reincarnated, then he should have rushed to meet her long ago. Even if he had become a ruler, even if he was buried under responsibilities, he would never completely ignore her.
Unless something was wrong.
"So you want me to help you solve the problem with Gael," Oz finally realized.
He suddenly found himself in an awkward position.
Oz knew Eleanor better than almost anyone else. She was an incredibly prideful person. Even back then, when an entire nation tried to hunt her down, she had never once asked for help from others.
The fact that she was now standing here and asking him meant she had truly been pushed into a corner. More importantly, it meant she genuinely believed Gael was in danger.
Still, Oz could not accept the contract so easily.
No matter how much he cared about Gael, there were lines he could not cross.
"...Tell me one thing," Oz suddenly said. "Are there any Sea Dragons of the East Sea Kingdom alive in this era?"
Eleanor stayed quiet for a moment before answering.
"...No."
She closed her eyes briefly before continuing.
"The kingdom fell alongside you. They fought bravely until the very end."
Oz gave a quiet laugh, but there was no amusement in it.
His lips twisted into a self-deprecating smile.
The empire that had stood proudly for thousands of years had disappeared with him. The people who trusted him, followed him, and called him their king were all gone.
He had failed them.
The thought still felt bitter even after death.
Now, if he accepted a Spirit Contract and served beneath someone weaker than him, then what would happen to the pride of the East Sea Kingdom? The only thing left behind by his people was their dignity and legacy.
Could he really throw even that away?
Oz slowly looked toward Eleanor.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
’If I feel like this after losing my kingdom... then what did she feel after losing almost all of her disciples?’
Oz knew his Master cared deeply about her disciples despite the brutal training she forced upon them.
He was one of the first disciples to die.
Still, he knew most of her disciples had likely died during the Apocalypse. They were people burdened with responsibility and power. They would have stood at the frontlines until the very end.
How many people had Eleanor watched die?
How many times had she failed to save them?
Perhaps that was why she was swallowing her pride right now and asking for help.
Not for herself.
For one of her disciples.
"...I have two conditions," Oz finally said.
Eleanor looked at him with visible surprise. She had already prepared herself for rejection.
Oz raised one finger.
"First, the Spirit Tamer will not give me orders. I will help you deal with the problem involving Gael, but I won’t become someone waiting around at the beck and call of a little girl."
His expression became serious.
"I know how Spirit Contracts work. Once I form the contract, I’ll be forced to obey commands. That’s why I want your word that this condition will be upheld."
Oz then raised a second finger.
"Second, you will help me search for surviving Sea Dragons. There has to be someone left alive somewhere. If even a few survived, then I want to build a new home for them."
Eleanor quietly thought about the conditions.
Then she nodded.
"I would have completed the second condition even if you had not asked. As for the first condition, we’ll need to ask my Lady. If she does not agree to such terms, then there is nothing I can do," she replied.
"Okay," Oz replied with a nod.
He understood what Eleanor meant. Although he was confused about why someone like Eleanor was referring to another person as "My Lady," there were more important matters right now.
He exhaled slowly before speaking again.
"So, what is Gael called in this life, and which kingdom does he rule? With the help of the System, he must have become ridiculously strong by now," Oz said.
"He rules the Florathi Kingdom, and in this life, he is known as the Emperor."