The setting sun dyed the sky a deep crimson as dusk approached.
The heavens seemed engulfed in flames, shining more brilliantly than ever, as if it were facing its eternal end.
“If only it were a sunrise instead of a sunset, it would have been more fitting.”
Anak spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
At last, what he had to do here was nearly over.
The time for his rightful reward was drawing just as near.
-It wasn’t my intention for things to be delayed.
The egg of Granviphra was emitting a faint light.
At last, the time for its hatching was close.
“Well, I suppose it has its own atmosphere like this.”
After Duru Satal had been trapped within Kadulukude’s domain, there had been no further resistance.
Just in case, Eril or the wolves had patrolled the surroundings every hour, but aside from wild monsters, nothing appeared to be acting under anyone’s command or control.
The light flowing from the egg grew steadily stronger.
And while the sky still blazed red, the shell of the egg melted away like ice before a fire.
As the shell vanished and divine power spread through the surroundings, Anak felt as though he could hardly breathe.
It was nothing like the faint Divine Power he had sensed from Morotai, who, though only a lesser soldier, was still a servant of the gods.
It was just like what he had felt when Lauti cast Sacred Magic at the withered wooden fortress.
Anak saw the soul of Granviphra.
Not just with the eyes of flesh, but with every sense he possessed as a summoner, he perceived and felt that existence.
The ancient soul he had faintly sensed through their mental conversations now stood right before him.
He saw Granviphra’s body, pulsing with the sound of life within the warm light.
He saw the body and soul uniting as one.
And in that sight, Anak realized that, contrary to Granviphra’s words about being commanded by the gods to guard, it was closer to what Ropena had said: he was being punished, cast down from the heavens.
He saw that divine light, belonging to the heavens, being sealed within an imperfect body.
It was exile and bondage decreed by the gods.
And the moment the execution ended, the Divine Power that had filled the area had dropped to less than half.
The soul and body had fully merged, and now, before Anak’s eyes, a giant serpent large enough to swallow a child with ease lifted its head.
The scales covering its body shimmered with different colors depending on the angle, as if they were made of sparkling jewels.
But what truly captured Anak’s gaze were its eyes.
As the true master of the forest, those eyes held not only determination and nobility but also wisdom and sagacity.
Yet, at the same time, like those of an ancient elder, they held deep resignation, long-standing regret, and a blind conviction desperately clung to, as if to conceal those feelings.
-Great Synchronizer Anak. I thank you for your protection. And Eril, Ruler of the Lokshan Mountains. I sincerely thank you for bearing a duty that was not yours.
Eril lightly spread her wings in response, and Anak also bowed with proper respect.
Any worry that Granviphra might change his mind had vanished completely in the presence of that overwhelming Divine Power from moments ago.
“I am glad to have been of help as well.”
-The promise I made to you will soon be kept. Not only Duru Satal, but also Hirde and Tokwas will serve you until the moment you return to the Circle of Reincarnation.
That voice, tinged with ancient anger, sounded as if it could chase the administrators away at any moment.
“I believe that as well, but for now, I think I’ll have to be satisfied with just one.”
Yet, Anak had no intention of starting that endless pursuit or joining it right now.
Though the unexpected events had delayed him a bit, he still had matters to resolve with Baglos.
“I have something I must do first.”
He dismissed the summoned Puppet Crows and wolves, then mounted Eril’s back.
“Do you know where Duru Satal’s main body is?”
-Of course.
Granviphra signaled to Eril, then coiled around one of her ankles.
With a single, light beat of her wings, she soared into the sky.
Except for the area below, where the trees had burned to ash, the ancient forest looked the same everywhere under the setting sun.
Dense trees blackened the earth, and everywhere the eye could reach, even from the sky, belonged to the forest.
-This way.
But such things seemed not to matter to Granviphra.
He led Eril and Anak unerringly, and as they drew closer, Anak too could sense the growing presence of Kadulukude, and knew the location of Duru Satal’s main body.
Eril landed among the trees, and Granviphra slid from her leg, glaring coldly at the ground at the center of the surrounding woods.
When Granviphra’s eyes shone blue, the earth scattered like wind-blown sand or rolling waves, and in less than a few minutes, the main body of Duru Satal, a ‘brain’ made of tangled tree roots, was revealed from deep underground.
A faint light flowed from the roots forming the brain.
Weakened from the torment suffered within Kadulukude’s domain, its power was much diminished compared to before, but Anak was nonetheless intrigued by its unique form and aura.
“This isn’t ordinary mana. But it doesn’t seem like the trees themselves are special, either. Do you know how something like this is possible?”
Trees that move of their own will are rare, but not unheard of.
However, the trees here were just ordinary, and even if the roots were tangled, to have gained such intelligence and power was unthinkable.
Granviphra gave a mysterious smile and replied to Anak’s question.
-Something is indeed buried beneath this place. It may have been influenced by it.
Anak considered asking what it was, but decided not to press further.
If Granviphra had wanted to reveal it, he would have from the start.
There are always reasons for secrets, and nothing good comes from digging them up.
Anak had always thought so, reflecting on himself.
At Anak’s call, Kadulukude poked its head out from within Duru Satal’s brain.
Even for Anak, who had summoned it, its appearance was startling for a moment.
Kadulukude seemed to be enjoying itself greatly after so long.
Its eyes gleamed, and its chilling laughter would not stop.
“…Return.”
Anak cut off the supply of mana, and Kadulukude’s form faded, vanishing into thin air.
With Kadulukude gone, the faint presence of Duru Satal slowly began to recover.
But after being tortured for so long in Kadulukude’s domain, even Duru Satal could not regain full consciousness right away.
-You… you wretch…!!
Only after a long time did Duru Satal realize that his main body was exposed before Granviphra and Anak.
He instinctively tried to extend his mental network, but the powerful aura radiating from Granviphra completely erased any such attempt.
-Don’t try anything foolish. Even if I haven’t fully regained my form, I have no intention of watching your petty tricks any longer.
At Granviphra’s warning, Duru Satal froze.
He had never forgotten his fear of Granviphra, but feeling that power directly made it impossible to even think of defying him, let alone actually resist.
-Then let us begin the ritual. Do you have everything prepared?
“Please wait a moment.”
At Granviphra’s words, Anak took out a crystal from his robe.
“Did the hatching go well?”
Ropena’s expression didn’t look particularly different as she asked, but for some reason her voice sounded slightly heavy.
Wondering if it was because he hadn’t visited her yesterday, Anak glanced at her face again, but she only looked puzzled by his gaze and said nothing special.
“Yes. Now it’s time for me to receive my reward.”
It felt strange, but Anak chalked it up to his imagination and walked further inside.
In practice, the most important things in forming a master-servant contract are the notary and a medium symbolizing the contract.
Even if the contract is successfully formed, if either is damaged later, the contract will dissolve as well.
Of course, since Granviphra is the notary—
—there’s no need, but the medium is different.
The stronger the spell, the greater the burden on the recipient, and a master-servant contract is an extremely powerful spell.
If you tried to use an ordinary spell scroll or a common item as the medium, it would be torn apart instantly without a trace.
Moreover, the one being bound by this contract was a powerful being who had once held a third of the ancient forest.
The contract would be even stronger than usual, so a special item was needed.
I headed to the side of the study where magical items were kept.
Though not as powerful as the ones I was currently wearing, each was a named magical artifact, but not all could serve as a medium.
If an item already contained a powerful spell, layering another on top was too risky.
That’s why I wouldn’t use the Clothes of Dawn or the items I was wearing as mediums.
If something went wrong, not only could the contract fail, but the item itself might be destroyed, or the spells could clash and cause unpredictable results.
“Here it is.”
I picked up a fist-sized crystal orb, carved in the shape of an eye, that was among the items.
The reason I had even decided to make a master-servant contract in the first place was because of this.
Satal’s Eye.
This item, which Denatel himself had crafted to serve as the medium for a master-servant contract, actually contained all the contracts he had made with the members of [Faceless Memory], his personal guard and experimental unit.
Of course, his trusted aide who had served as the notary was killed by Orcan and Baglos, invalidating the contracts, and in the end, Denatel had to personally dispose of the Faceless Memory members who turned against him.
“I’ll be off, then.”
“…”
I hadn’t really expected an answer or any other words, but in that unfamiliar silence, I found it hard to move my feet.
“…Is something troubling you?”
Since the day I learned she was trapped in this dimension, I had always tried not to ask this question.
It’s only natural.
She was a prisoner here.
What worries could she possibly not have?
And even if she did tell me, could I really solve them?
It was obvious that only refusals and apologies would follow such a question, so how could I claim that asking it wasn’t just a meaningless gesture for my own peace of mind?
That’s why I’d tried so hard not to ask this pointless, foolish question, but at this moment, it was the only thing I could say to her.
“No, I’m fine.”
She looked at my face for a moment, then smiled as if nothing was wrong.
Of course, I wasn’t naïve or foolish enough to believe her words at face value.
She knew it, too.
That’s why she kept silent.
“Then, I’ll see you in a little while.”
But even so, I didn’t have the courage to ask her anything more.
“Yeah. See you soon.”
Ignoring the momentary regret that gripped my ankle as I turned away from her greeting, I left Denatel’s study.
-Is that the medium?
Granviphra examined the Satal’s Eye I held.
He might not have known exactly what it was, but he seemed to consider it sufficient as a medium and turned his gaze away, shifting his body to one side.
As the energy around him rippled, two gigantic serpents, each even larger than Eril, appeared on either side of him.
There weren’t many fire spirits summoned, so I couldn’t see their entire bodies, but that only made them more imposing.
Their massive forms flickered in the firelight, and their eyes shone from the shadows, giving off the aura of apex predators.
Though they had less mana or Divine Power than the main body, they exuded a primal fear that went beyond such things.
Though silent, the appearance of the clones seemed to make Duru Satal’s brain nervous, its lights flashing.
-Just in case, I will have my clones guard the area.
At his command, the clones vanished into the darkness, and only then did Duru Satal’s brain seem to calm, the intensity of its lights dimming.
I also asked Eril to guard the surroundings, then placed Satal’s Eye in the designated spot.
Then, let’s begin the contract ritual.
The ritual proceeded fairly quickly.
One by one, phrases representing the gods and the contract filled the air in order, and each phrase was soon sealed within Satal’s Eye.
Then, Granviphra recited a long, ancient text—likely the original version of the ritual formula used today, but in a language I couldn’t understand.
Nowadays, the ritual formula is often shortened or omitted, sometimes recited in whatever language is convenient, and it’s considered fine.
But the weight of the ancient text was entirely different.
As the recitation went on, I could feel the binding power of the spell growing stronger, even physically.
-…Begin.
Finally, the recitation ended, and Duru Satal, who had been silent until now, reluctantly chanted the oath.
-I, here in this place, dwelling on one side of the great cycle, in the presence of the many great gods and the true and noble notary, swear loyalty to my master. This oath shall take precedence over all my will and life until my soul returns to the great cycle or until this contract is broken for any other reason.
“I, here in this place, dwelling on one side of the great cycle, in the presence of the many great gods and the true and noble notary, accept this oath. Until my soul returns to the great cycle, or until this contract is broken for any other reason, I shall be your master.”
For a moment, my words almost stumbled, but I managed to complete the reply without issue.
-I, here in this place, dwelling on one side of the great cycle, in the presence of the many great gods, bear witness to this contract. I shall be the notary and guardian of this contract.
I bowed and picked up the Satal’s Eye that I had placed in front.
With this, the contract ritual would be complete.
“I will take this as the symbol and proof of the contract. To protect it is the duty of the master, and my duty as well.”
With those words, I felt all the energy that had filled the surroundings being absorbed into Satal’s Eye.
At the same time, I felt something being engraved deep within my soul.
This was my first time forming a master-servant contract, but I could tell for certain that it had succeeded.
-…Are you satisfied, my master?
Duru Satal’s displeasure was obvious, but that was all.
The contract was already complete, and there was no way for him to break it himself.
Bound by the contract, he was not even permitted to take his own life; on the contrary, if I ordered it, he would have to choose death at any time.
“Well, I suppose that’s good enough.”
Strictly speaking, I couldn’t summon him as a familiar while he was bound to this place, but his ability to command large armies of monsters without any contract would surely come in handy someday.
-Then tell me. Where are Tokwas and Hirde, the other two?
-I don’t know.
Granviphra looked my way.
He wanted me, as the master of the contract, to ask again.
“Is that really true?”
-If I knew their whereabouts, I’d want to know even more than you.
Bound by the contract, he couldn’t lie.
Of course, even without the contract, the anger and resentment in his voice made it clear he wasn’t lying.
“Then find them. And if you find even the slightest trace, report it to Granviphra.”
-…Understood.
I took out the crystal again.
After staying up all night, summoning Limbo and Kadulukude, and performing the contract ritual, I was exhausted.
And I couldn’t stop thinking about her, whom I’d just left behind.
“Then, I’ll see you tomorrow morning. I’m a bit tired.”
-Rest well.
“Eril, see you tomorrow.”
Truly, I was at a loss for what to say to her.