Chapter 43

As I opened the book, it contained records of humans giving jewels to dragons and what they received in return.

Weapons, armor, and most notably, magic!

This was historical evidence that humans learned magic from dragons.

Unfortunately, my translation magic did not translate the units of weight or quantity used at that time.

From rough estimates, I suspect that the person who wrote this was either extraordinarily wealthy or a figure responsible for a nation’s treasury.

The items next to weapons and armor were simply illustrated, but the magic section contained very complex drawings.

I thought that magic must have been much more expensive than weapons.

As I flipped through the list, I noticed entries like someone’s daughter or son listed as trade items.

I wondered if they had sacrificed people, but the word “marriage” was visible next to it.

If dragons and humans were to marry, where would their descendants be?

I learned new facts, but there was no information about why they were annihilated.

Then my eyes caught the last item written on the final page of the book.

There were records of human magicians, human warriors, and magic races being purchased.

When I explained this to the Demon King, he quickly provided an answer.

“Isn’t this about mercenaries?”

“Ah, that makes sense. But why did the dragons hire mercenaries?”

“I don’t know either.”

Maybe it was around this time that dragons fought against someone named Olog.

If so, it also fits with the reason for hiring human mercenaries.

I then searched for any books written around the same period as this one.

Fortunately, the year this was written was noted at the back of the book.

Back then, the method of counting years was faster than it is now, recorded as 3,000-something years.

Among the old books, only two others were found that were written around the same time as the trading records.

When I opened the two books, one contained a story about a person who married a dragon.

The other was related to stories about mercenaries who went to war.

While there wasn’t anything particularly special in them, I discovered one fact.

When Olog awakens, small disasters continue to occur on the continent.

“So, how do you find the investigation results?”

“A bit satisfactory.”

I looked around and realized that only the Demon King and I were on this floor.

Lowering my voice, I slowly explained to the Demon King what I experienced in the Headmaster’s room.

After hearing my story, the Demon King folded his arms and fell into thought for a moment.

“Well, it was a bit strange that your consciousness disappeared for a brief moment back then.”

“A brief moment?”

“Yes, just for a moment. And then you came back quickly.”

The time I felt was about ten minutes.

“Was there any mention of when that thing would awaken?”

“No, there wasn’t. It seems there’s still quite a bit of time left.”

The white dragon hadn’t hurried me to gain power, saying that time was running out.

From that, it appeared that there was still plenty of time.

As I descended to the first floor of the library, Jema, who had already finished her business, was waiting for me.

“Did you solve your curiosity?”

“A bit. Did you discover any good magic?”

“Yes, this is really amazing!”

Jema explained the magic she had discovered in her book.

“There was summoning magic?”

“Yes.”

“What does it summon?”

“They say it summons a sword made from dragon bones.”

Countless dragons must have died, leaving their bones after decomposition.

It seems human blacksmiths discovered them and used them as materials for swords.

“But why is that summoning magic?”

“Well, I felt it was dangerous, so I haven’t tried it.”

The Demon King grabbed Jema’s hand and pulled her closer as he spoke.

“Good job. Be sure to call me when you use that magic.”

“Yes, I will.”

After exiting the library, we stopped by a nearby restaurant to have a meal.

“Want to try that summoning magic in the park nearby?”

“So soon?”

“I might be busy later.”

“Busy?”

Imagining the Demon King’s daily life, I thought of someone who sleeps in late, plays all day, and then falls asleep.

“I’m busy too. I have to clean, prepare meals, and clean, and clean?”

“Are you only cleaning?”

“The castle is vast, and there’s a lot to clean.”

“You can use magic, can’t you?”

The Headmaster of the Academy also served us tea with magic.

It was a relatively complicated spell, but I saw that experienced people used it comfortably.

Even ordinary magic races used that level of magic in their daily lives.

“You should clean by hand.”

“You’re really diligent.”

“And sometimes I have to patrol the town.”

There is no nearby village around the Demon King’s castle, only a single city.

I wasn’t sure if there was much purpose in patrolling the city.

In a secluded corner of the park, Jema pulled out a piece of paper from her arms.

“You wrote it down.”

“Well, I can’t memorize it on the spot, can I?”

Jema made a circle on the ground using stones and twigs.

Looking at the paper, she began to read the incantation.

“O claw of the nameless ancient, having taken a new form, if you wish to cut down my enemies, come!”

Mana erupted violently within the circle, and the handle of the sword began to rise slowly.

The sword, housed in a large sheath, was wrapped tightly with leather straps.

“Who awakens me?”

“It’s me!”

“Fool… what do you consider me to be?”

“A sword, aren’t I?”

“Indeed. Are you a holy sword or a magic sword?”

“A dragon?”

Once the sword distinctly took shape, it plunged into the ground along with its sheath.

“My name is Duke. I have no relation to the legendary sword you speak of.”

“Isn’t it a summoning magic that you’ve never been summoned before?”

“Those who summoned me were all magicians, and they had little interest in swords. Therefore, I did not form a contract.”

The sword began to briefly recount its history.

“I remember the moment I was made. Beings that were neither human nor magic created me. God? It could be appropriate to say so.”

“Then you’re an incredibly good sword!”

“No, I said I was a test piece. The swords made after me became known as the world’s renowned swords.”

I became curious about who recorded the summoning magic of this sword in a book, raising my hand to ask.

“My summoning magic is quite well-known. It’s called the legendary sword summoning magic.”

Everyone might have expected it to be the legendary sword summoning, but the result turned out to be a test piece.

“Of course, I know I’m not that exceptional. However, the ability to reattach when broken is a capability not found in any renowned sword.”

“Really? Can I try to break it?”

At that remark, the Demon King beside me looked at the sword with curious eyes.

“A mere child can’t break me.”

“Is it okay to try?”

“Feel free.”

The two of us went into the bushes for a moment before returning.

“I thought you were a child, but you’re not a kid after all.”

“Shh! If you say any more, I’ll break you.”

“Ah, I understand. Anyway, will you form a contract with me?”

Jema grabbed the sword and mumbled something, and the sword transformed.

“A bow?”

“I am a weapon. I can take the necessary form if the user wishes.”

A weapon far superior to any renowned sword in the world!

“Alright. Let’s make a contract.”

“Wait! You can’t just contract with something strange.”

The Demon King stopped Jema, who was about to form a contract.

“What is your cost for using?”

“Cost?”

As the sword returned from its bow form to a sword, the blade’s mana glimmered faintly, making its body semi-transparent.

“As you can see, without the user’s mana, I cannot maintain my form.”

“Hmm~ Is that so? For now, the contract is on hold.”

“I’m neither a holy sword nor a magic sword. I have no conditions that harm the user.”

“Not yet. Even if we form a contract, I don’t think it’s good for someone still growing.”

At the Demon King’s words, the sword repeated similar statements multiple times, trying to persuade us.

But each time, the Demon King cut off the contract decisively.

“I beg you. I have very little mana left and am on the verge of disappearing even in the summoning realm. Please help me.”

“Is only mana enough?”

“Yes?”

The Demon King shoved a mass of mana as large as his body into the sword.

“Oh! This tremendous mana!”

The sword glowed brightly, transforming more distinctly, and was pulled from the sheath.

“It’s been a while since I felt freedom! I couldn’t come out of my sheath because of a lack of mana.”

“It seems you weren’t lying.”

The sword danced joyfully, and a tree was toppled in the process.

“I’m glad, but don’t jump too much.”

“Understood. So am I your contractor now?”

“You’ve given me the mana, so we have time, let’s make a contract later.”

“Thank you very much. With this, I can last about ten years.”

The sword said that and returned to the circle, disappearing from view.

The Demon King crushed the circle with his foot, erasing any trace.

“Let’s make a contract later.”

“Yes. But please explain the reason.”

“There are two types of summoning magic: contracting and binding. Contracting is done based on mutual agreement. If the other party refuses, they may not come out at all. But binding is different; they must come out whenever summoned. Let’s bind that sword.”

The Demon King was thinking of binding the sword instead of contracting it.

Once a contract is made, the ability to bind would no longer exist.

I became curious about how to bind the sword and asked the Demon King.

“You just have to make them want to follow you.”

“Is that possible?”

“Since it can reattach even when broken.”

It didn’t seem like a good method to me, but given that we were at the park, I decided to receive a brief lecture from the Demon King there.

“Ririan, you need to learn swordsmanship first.”

“What should I learn? Before that, I mainly use daggers.”

“There’s something called dagger technique. I’ll teach you a few things.”

Facing the Demon King, I held both hands and performed several simple movements.

“Try it alone.”

As I moved my hands, recalling the movements I had learned, eventually my hands touched the Demon King’s chest.

“That’s how you aim for a threatening spot in one move. It’s a one-hit kill.”

A technique to cut the enemy’s breath in one strike.

“Isn’t there a way to defend?”

“There is. You can kill the opponent.”

For the Demon King, defense equated to offense.

“What’s the mercy towards an enemy charging with intent to kill? If you don’t kill them, you’ll die.”

It was true. Especially on a battlefield where lives are at stake, mercy shown to the enemy often returns as my death.

“Who did Jema learn that swordsmanship from?”

“When I was in Torlis, I learned from someone called Solche. Before that, I had been independently learning Latnia swordsmanship. Ririan can do up to Chapter 3.”

The Demon King looked at me with a somewhat surprised expression.

I replied with a slightly embarrassed look.

“I can only slash, stab, and swing.”