#248
Chain of Covenant (2)
Immortal King Hans could not immediately suggest a way to solve Hesperon's problem, but he had a thorough enough understanding of the theoretical part.
'In the first place, a curse is not a type of power that can be judged rationally.'
A curse is an act of wishing for misfortune to happen to someone and the negative force itself that is manifested in that way.
It was also a sect often used in black magic, but strictly speaking, it could be said to be closer to witchcraft than magic.
'That's why unexpected things like this often happen.'
The curse currently resting on Hesperon's right hand was a type of mutation.
After a variety of reasons, the 'something' completely fused with the right arm and settled down, taking birth and absorbing the spirit in the process, and finally taking on spirituality.
In the end, it had surpassed the limits of existence and acquired its own status, and was now no different from a semi-spiritual life form.
That's why it was difficult to properly seal it.
The problem was not simply the size of the force, but the difficulty that arose when the trapped party actively tried to use the host to get out.
'It's been a while since it was born, so it doesn't even have a proper identity, so it's still not enough to be called a spirit.'
But for that reason, now could be said to be the best opportunity.
You can put a leash around the neck of this obnoxious neighbor who has taken over someone else's body without permission.
Hesperon immediately began preparations to implement his idea.
"Well, I think this is enough here. "Is there anything else you need, Heron?"
"ah! "This is okay, Master."
"If you need anything, please let me know anytime. "I can listen to almost anything."
And in the process, I was able to receive help from Ise-ah, who happened to stop by the imperial palace for a while.
She is, in name and reality, one of the first great wizards in the empire.
His expertise may be a little lacking compared to the imperial wizard who only sold summoning and contract magic, but the ritual he was preparing now was not that difficult, so her help was enough.
Above all, there was no one I could trust more than her, my teacher.
'This can also be said to be a secret weapon. It's better to protect security if you can.'
Even so, he has recently been attracting public attention due to his close relationship with Princess Riley.
Perhaps if he did something, it would quickly spread as a rumor.
I didn't really want that kind of unnecessary attention when I was just getting started.
'Then shall we begin?'
After completing all the preparations.
Finally, the ceremony began.
The center of a magic circle that fills a large space.
Hesperon, standing alone in the center, slowly stretched out his right hand forward—.
Paralarak—
The bandages that had been tied tightly were torn loose, exposing his bare skin.
Along with the energy of the curse that had been suppressed for so long.
Fuhuaak—!
When the seal was released, a strong black fog rose up.
The reaction was sharper than usual, as if expressing dissatisfaction with what had been frustratingly confined.
"I will activate a magic circle."
And at the same time, Ise-ah, who was observing from the outskirts, activated the barrier surrounding the four sides.
Because it was quite large, it was a task that required a lot of energy, but it was not a big deal for her, who had almost infinite magical power.
Ugh—!
Light and vibration flowing from the magic circle surrounding the surroundings.
At the same time, the energy constantly heading towards the center suppressed the black fog that was swelling its size and prevented it from expanding.
The curse turned into black flames to protest against it, but it could not escape the influence of the carefully prepared barrier.
'So far as I thought.'
His skill level with the "Covenant Chain" was still insufficient to communicate with something invisible, so it was necessary to make it tangible.
In addition, unlike the first time I woke up with a lot of energy, the fact that my energy was completely diminished was also a significant gain.
'Are you nice? 'Can we have a conversation?'
Hesperon immediately used the "Chain of Covenant" to focus on the black flame that started from his right hand.
As it became fully connected to his will, which can be said to be the host, the curse also began to wriggle violently as if responding to it.
'Okay, everything is going smoothly…?'
It was immediately after that that an unexpected reaction appeared.
He flinched involuntarily and opened his mouth.
"Ah…"
"Huh?"
At the same time, Ise-ah's exclamation was heard from behind, but he had no time to pay attention to it.
Originally, curses did not have a specific form.
In fact, it was just energy, so it was natural.
So, the curse that first rose from Hesperon was nothing more than black fog and flames…
The moment it came into contact with the materialized conglomerate of curses to communicate, it began to change its appearance according to the host's imagination.
"……."
It was… unavoidable force majeure.
A curse residing on one arm that is normally bandaged and sealed.
Isn't it such an obvious and cliché element that it's almost like a symbol of a specific subculture?
'…Well, honestly, at this level, I can't help but think that someone was deliberately targeting it…'
Yes, no matter how much I thought about it, it was something that could not be helped.
That's why it looked like that.
Hesperon, with an awkward expression on his face, tried to rationalize himself as he looked at the image floating in front of him.
Grumble—!
A black flame blazed.
A long flowing beard, a burning mane, and a pair of sharp horns.
And with its sharp eyes and sharp teeth, its long body like a snake writhing in the air…
there was a great black dragon there.
"Uh… khuh hmmm…."
Ise-ah's subtle coughing sound was heard from behind.
The back of my head stings.
A strange gaze, which I felt for some reason, flew towards me and stuck me.
'…It's just because of stereotypes. 'This is absolutely not my fault.'
He sighed briefly and then proudly raised his head.
In fact, objectively speaking, it had a very cool appearance, and people here would have thought it was just some kind of strange-looking phantom species.
In other words, the reason why the Black Flame Dragon became a symbol of the middle school class is simply a product of unfair prejudice!
'Okay, so what can I do since it's already like this? 'Never mind.'
To be honest, there was no way he wouldn't care, but he consciously ignored it and used the "Chain of Covenant" with all his might.
It only had the shape of a dragon and was not particularly strong in reason.
At most, it could be said that an accident similar to that of a puppy is the limit.
However, as much as it was a headache, it was not that easy.
As the cursed black dragon violently rebelled and twisted its body, black sparks flew out in all directions.
'Come on—calm down, buddy.'
In this situation, what was needed was an agreement for a comfortable communal life.
In fact, it was already clear who had the upper hand now.
Thorough preliminary preparations to prevent the curse from running rampant, the unknown ability of being the owner of the body in which the bastard resides, the power of numerous growth corrections related to the avatar, etc.
Above all, no matter how much he realized spirituality, he was essentially just a parasite on Hesperon's body.
How merciful is this to give them the opportunity to negotiate when they could have gotten rid of him by cutting off his arms?
Ugh—
for such a short period of time, which is not that long in reality.
Through rapport, many opinions were exchanged between us.
What Hesperon wanted was for him to obey his will and provide strength when needed.
What he wanted… was to grow beyond what he is now, build up his status, break away from his current state, and be reborn as a more complete object.
'Like a spirit or a heroic spirit.'
That was enough to help me.
No, on the contrary, it was something that was highly recommended as it would be of greater help to him if his rank was raised that much.
In this way, the negotiations between them were concluded dramatically—.
Grumbling—
The black flame dragon, twisting its body as much as it could, settled into his right arm again.
It was a bonus that the place where there was a black stain that looked like a snake had crawled into it changed into the shape of a dragon, as if it had been there from the beginning.
《The entity gained enlightenment through a contract. Acquire the special skill "Right Arm of Craving."》
《The entity grows by meeting the conditions. The skill "Curse Resistance" evolves into the special skill "Curse Predator."
Thus, Hesperon was finally able to obtain the Black Flame Dragon on his right arm.
In exchange for a little shame.
***
〈Individual Information〉
-Individual name: Hesperon
-Common characteristics: 「Mind Herb」, 「Persona」, 「Super Recovery」, 「Brightness Index」, 「Supernatural Strength」, 「Nervousness」, 「Visual Eyes」, 「Xenogloss」, 「
Individual Characteristics」: 「Chain of Covenant」 「Right Arm of Longing」 「Curse Predator」 「Introduction to Magic」 「Martial Arts」
-Special Note: The right eye was lost. Through the oath, he was able to control the power of the curse residing in his right arm. The potential of the energy bound by the effect of "Chain of Covenant" has further increased. Immune to all curses, and consuming a curse temporarily increases all abilities.
While all the ceremonies were over and we were cleaning up after ourselves.
Although it had just achieved the best results it had initially hoped for, Hesperon had no time to enjoy it and made excuses to Isea again and again.
"…That's what it is. Do you know what it feels like? So, it's just a naturally occurring physiological phenomenon…"
In fact, there was no need to explain since he hadn't done anything wrong, but the strange gaze he felt implicitly made the thief take the initiative to move forward.
She quietly nodded and agreed to that tearful effort.
"Okay, okay. "Be sure to fully understand."
"Whoa, yes… then I'm glad."
"That's not really anything strange. "Actually, I guessed it from the beginning."
"Huh? What?"
The problem is that the direction of that acceptance was twisted in a slightly different direction.
"Well… Hesperon isn't a very common name, is it?"
"…ah?"
"Besides, building it for a new start was a bit… a big mistake. "Tastes must be respected."
"No, Master? "It's a misunderstanding!"
The past crash came back like a boomerang.
If you think about it, the bigger problem was that it wasn't a misunderstanding.
It's true that it looked cool at the time it was built.
Time passes like that…
"Ha."
As the day, which had been noisy in many ways, was coming to an end.
Hesperon flopped down on the bed in the dorm and glanced at his right hand with a light sigh.
His arm was still wrapped in a bandage with the sacred text engraved on it, but the situation was significantly different from before.
The effect of "Chain of Covenant" was not only to form a bond with the target, but also to strengthen the target and control it according to one's will.
'Hmm, it's definitely good.'
What he gained this time was not just the ability to freely manipulate the power of the curse when the seal was released.
Both the curse that had been a problem and the sealing device to prevent it came under his control, and the use of secret and anomalous power became possible through a thin projection of power through fine control.
It can be seen as a joint ability between the "right arm of desire" and the sealing sphere, which can store as much energy as possible and exert physical force on the outside.
'…Yeah, I was planning on wearing a mask when I was active on Earth anyway, so it doesn't matter.'
As long as the performance is good, what does it matter if you are embarrassed or not?
No one would dare laugh in the face of overwhelming power.
'There's more to practice.'
He sank into the bed and lightly waved his right hand to the side.
Then, the light disappeared from the luminous magic tool that was out of reach, and the room was immersed in darkness.
And so, cutting through the darkened space.
A dull, thin thread was sucked into his fingertips.
***
An immortal castle located in the northern mountains of the Aeon Continent.
[Khahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!]
In the deepest part of the world, a roaring roar erupted from the place where the Immortal King had built a secluded place.
Because the space inside was cut off, the laughter did not leak out, but even if it did, the person in charge was in such a good mood that he didn't really care.
[…Finally completed.]
That's right….
[How to go to another world!]
One of the researches that took quite a long time.
Because it was finally finished.