Chapter 109

Ten minutes into the negotiations...

"Five drops," Caron said.

"Two drops," the regent countered.

"Five drops," Caron insisted.

"...Two drops," the regent said.

Caron and the regent faced off like two immovable mountains, neither willing to give an inch.

"I can already sense Mother's power flowing through you," the regent pointed out. "It seems you've already consumed the Dew of the World Tree once. As you know, the effects diminish greatly after the first dose."

"Oh, that's fine," Caron replied nonchalantly. "I plan to share it with my companions."

"In that case, let's settle on three drops," the regent suggested.

"Yes, five drops," Caron said, not giving in. His negotiation style was utterly defiant, as if daring her to escalate.

For the first time in years, the regent felt her temper rise. She protested, "Since Mother lost her vitality, even producing any Dew has become a rarity. Five drops would be a tremendous—"

"Think of it as an investment," Caron interrupted smoothly. "A generous investment now will guarantee that I complete this mission successfully. Besides, you don't really have another choice— Ahem, anyway, trust me on this."

The human standing before the regent was the very subject of Mother's prophecy. She recalled the words Mother had once shared.

"When deep darkness shrouds the forest, one born of my vitality will save me and free the people of the forest."

It was undeniable. Caron Leston was the one foretold in the prophecy. Her awakened Spirit Eyes, a gift bestowed upon her as the regent, confirmed it without question.

With great effort, she composed herself, forcing a faint smile as she responded, "Then, how does this proposal sound?"

"I'm listening," Caron said.

"Three drops of the Dew of the World Tree, and... I will teach you Spirit Magic," the regent offered.

"Spirit Magic?" Caron repeated.

For the first time in the negotiation, the regent had piqued Caron's interest. His steely gaze sparkled with curiosity. But the moment was fleeting. With a shrug, he dismissed the offer.

"I'm not really talented in anything besides swordsmanship," he said bluntly.

Since his reincarnation, Caron had tried branching out from swordsmanship. Once, he had even asked Fayle and hired a personal mage as a tutor. However, that lasted less than a week before he gave up entirely.

A waste of time,

Caron thought.

There were indeed Sword-Mages in this world, people who wielded both magic and swordsmanship. However, rumors about magic swordsmen tended to fade away quickly.

That was because...

They all die,

Caron thought.

Many Sword-Mages, emboldened by their fame, ended up perishing early. The idea of wielding both swordsmanship and magic sounded impressive in theory. However, in reality, it was far from practical.

The fundamental issue lay in the way mana was used. Swordsmanship, for instance, focused on condensing mana efficiently, while magic emphasized maximizing the effect. The two approaches ran counter to each other.

Thus, reconciling those two opposing principles required an almost impossible level of mastery. Additionally, using condensed mana for magic required the invention of entirely new magic formulas. It was a daunting task for even the most talented practitioners.

I don't have the talent for that, nor do I feel the need to try,

Caron thought.

Unless he were a dragon, it would be an impossible feat with his natural abilities. Investing his time in refining his swordsmanship would yield far better results.

"It doesn't matter if you lack a talent for magic," the regent said, her tone noticeably brighter. "Spirit Magic and traditional magic share the same root in mana, but they're entirely different forces."

She continued, "The core principle of Spirit Magic is equivalent exchange. If you offer mana to a spirit, the spirit will lend you power of equal value. There's no need for the complex formulas that magic requires."

Caron raised an eyebrow and said, "Even among humans, Spirit Summoners are incredibly rare. And I've never heard of a knight practicing Spirit Magic. Isn't that... unprecedented?"

"That's exactly why you would become exceptional if you mastered it," the regent said with conviction.

The offer was compelling. So the next question Caron had in mind was whether it was valuable enough to let go of two drops of the Dew of the World Tree.

Of course,

Caron thought.

During the last battle against the slaughtering fiends, he had witnessed firsthand how useful Spirits could be. Wind Spirits enhanced mobility and enabled aerial combat. Water Spirits provided healing. The other elemental Spirits each had their strengths.

If he could utilize those strengths at will, he could approach battles with far more versatility. It would create more variables to exploit, giving him a significant strategic advantage.

"You've already consumed the Dew of the World Tree, which greatly enhanced your affinity with Spirits," the regent said, gazing intently into his eyes. "Not everyone who takes the Dew becomes a Spirit Summoner, but I see immense potential in you."

Her words seemed to strike a chord.

Got him,

the regent thought.

Interest was written all over Caron's face. Initially, she had planned to teach him without any strings attached. But given his reaction, it was only fair to make it a condition of their negotiation.

"Then, is it possible to contract with multiple spirits?" Caron asked, showing interest.

The regent shook her head regretfully and replied, "Unfortunately, that's beyond your aptitude. With your affinity, you'll likely only be able to contract with one elemental type. I'd recommend water—"

Whoosh.

The low hum of Guillotine suddenly filled the air.

"Excuse me for a moment," Caron said. Carefully, he placed a finger on the pommel of his cursed sword, addressing it internally.

What is it?

The voice of Guillotine echoed in his mind.

"Thinking of making a contract with a Spirit, huh, Owner?"

Well, they're offering,

Caron answered.

"Why bother with the four elemental types? Just pick that dark one already."

Caron glanced down at the small, purring figure rubbing against his leg. It was the Spirit of Darkness Guillotine was referring to—the one he knew nothing about. It was cute, but its abilities remained a mystery.

So Caron turned to the regent and asked, "What is the strength of a Spirit of Darkness?"

The regent hesitated, her expression turning awkward before she replied, "As I mentioned earlier, Spirits of Darkness are a type of primal spirit. Currently, neither their abilities nor the methods to contract with them are fully understood—"

But before she could finish, Guillotine interrupted.

"Forget methods. I can just devour it."

Whoosh!

Suddenly, Guillotine's mana surged outward, swallowing the Dark Spirit whole.

"You reckless bastard!" Caron yelled as he gripped Guillotine tightly, trying to wrest control of its power. But it was too late. The mana dissipated, leaving nothing of the Spirit.

"...Guillotine, the Execution Sword," the regent murmured, her tone heavy with disapproval. "It's just as ferocious as Mother described."

Caron was momentarily flustered by the sudden unexpected situation, and said, "This demonic sword's true nature has finally come to light. Regent, please bear with me while I—"

But before he could finish, a soft cry rang out.

Meowww!

In mere seconds, the Spirit of Darkness reappeared, emerging from Guillotine's mana. Its once pitch-black fur now shimmered with a deep, bluish hue, reminiscent of Guillotine's blade.

At that moment, Caron clutched his chest due to a sharp pain coursing through him. It felt as though his mana core was being ripped apart.

"Contract complete. How was that? Pretty good, right?"

Guillotine asked.

"You'd better prepare for the furnace," Caron growled through gritted teeth.

"No, wait! Listen, Owner! You're saying that because you don't understand this Spirit's true nature—"

"Shut it," Caron said firmly as he shot Guillotine a glare.

Then the regent, momentarily dazed, said, "Congratulations... Caron Leston. You are now a Spirit Summoner—"

But her words were cut short as darkness spilled from Caron, spreading rapidly to engulf the surroundings.

***

"This is..." the regent let out a quiet exclamation as she glanced around.

What had been a sunlit area was now shrouded in an unexpected night. Pitch-black darkness surrounded them, making it impossible to discern anything beyond arm's reach. And yet, rather than feeling fear of the unknown, she was struck by an inexplicable sense of calm.

"Oh," she murmured, quickly realizing the source of the darkness.

Fwoosh!

A flame flickered to life at her fingertips, casting a warm light into the oppressive gloom. Soon, she saw Caron standing there bewildered.

Meeting her gaze, he gave a sheepish smile and said, "This wasn't intentional, Regent. It's this one's doing..."

Meow.

Perched on Caron's shoulder was the Spirit of Darkness, still in its feline form. The sheer absurdity of its power was undeniable. While the phenomenon was likely confined to the immediate area, it was enough to illustrate just how formidable this spirit was.

For a moment, the regent simply observed the creature in silence. Then, in a soft voice, she said, "Pluto. That is the true name of your Spirit."

Among the extensive knowledge she had received from the World Tree, this spirit's true name had been included.

"Pluto..." Caron repeated, his expression tinged with surprise. "A regal name for sure. I suppose it suits this one."

Caron slightly furrowed his brows and let out a faint laugh.

Completely engulfing the area in darkness wasn't some special technique. As if putting on a demonstration, the spirit had merely spread its aura outward, plunging everything within a certain radius into complete darkness.

This is unreal,

Caron thought.

The real issue, however, lay in the fact that all this power stemmed directly from Caron's mana core. Nearly half of his mana had been drained in an instant, leaving him lightheaded and barely able to stay upright. It was grossly inefficient.

That wasn't it. The worst part was...

"I can't control it," Caron said.

Meow!

Pluto's overwhelming power remained entirely beyond his grasp.

The regent, however, didn't seem surprised. Nodding knowingly, she said, "This is a common thing for those forming their first spirit contract. When the spirit's soul binds with the summoner's for the first time, it creates what we call resonance overload."

She glanced around the darkened surroundings once more before adding, "In fact, we often use this resonance overload to assess the capacity of a summoner."

"What's your assessment of my capacity, Regent?" Caron asked bluntly.

The regent chuckled softly, though her smile carried a hint of disbelief. She then said, "It's absurdly vast."

"Thank you for the compliment," Caron replied.

Just then, familiar voices called out from the distance.

"Regent!"

"Caron!"

The voices of Caron's group and Orion rang out, urgent and frantic.

Caron turned toward the edge of the darkness, where the voices seemed to be coming from. He could see his comrades wandering in confusion, their expressions tight with worry. They no doubt thought that it was an attack.

"I'm fine!" Caron called out loudly, but it seemed his voice couldn't reach them.

But his comrades continued shouting, frantically searching through the darkness. Even though they were standing close to one another, they behaved as if they were entirely alone.

"Where is everyone? Leo! Utula!" Leon called out.

"Damn it! Is this dark magic? What if there was a traitor in the city...? Leon! Caron!" Leo shouted.

As Caron observed the situation, he was able to figure out one of the abilities this darkness had.

It blocks their senses,

he realized.

Even Leon, a 6-Star knight, appeared disoriented by the darkness. While the effect required the enemy to step into Pluto's domain, this was merely the Spirit's baseline ability. And if this skill was just the tip of the iceberg...

"This is... mind-blowing," Caron muttered under his breath, a mixture of amazement and disbelief in his voice.

The sheer potential of Pluto's power was staggering.

"So, this is what reincarnation feels like," he said with a smirk, watching his comrades stumble around in confusion.

It seemed the misfortunes of his previous life were finally being repaid.