Badge in Azure

Eleanor was stunned. What Saleen required was an entirely different contract instead of a branch of the follower’s contract.

“My liege, do you…not trust me?” Eleanor’s expression did not look good. Furthermore, it was a request that was specifically for her.

“Eleanor, what I’m about to teach you is something that not even my student has learned. It is the only skill unique to the Myers Mainland plane—lightning rules. What I would be teaching is more than just magic patterns or chants. It is the root mechanism behind the magic. I would be teaching you everything I know. It is not that I do not trust you, but you have to realize what it means for me to teach you all of it.”

Eleanor’s relationship with Saleen grew even closer, making her equal to Truman. While Truman was hardly around Saleen, he would one day become a very important person to him.

“You’re going to teach me your lightning skills?” Eleanor asked in disbelief, so much so that she simply asked the question without bothering with formality.

“Indeed. As such, I need to set up a reasonable contract. You will still be my follower, but you shall swear fealty to the bloodline of the Metatrin family. After I die, you shall be an elder of a different surname to my family.”

“Why me?”

“You’re a royal elf and live a very long life. Regardless of how powerful I become, if there are contracts that I’m unable to fulfill, I’ll quickly end up dead.”

“Saleen, the Tribunal isn’t that terrifying…”

“Eleanor, will you do it?”

Eleanor looked at her liege, a mage who was less than one-tenth of her age. The expression of Saleen’s face did not change.

After he died, Eleanor’s bonds would not be as severe as they used to be. While she had to look after his children per the contract, Eleanor would become an elder to the Metatrin family and wield considerable power.

From then on out, her interests would be intertwined with the Metatrin family for as long as she lived.

“Saleen, there are few elves who are pure mages like me, but I…I’m unable to resist the temptation of the lightning rules.” Eleanor smiled. “From here on out, I shall be named Eleanor Metatrin. I shall relinquish my elvish surname and all power and interests of my original family.”

“Let’s sign the contract.” Saleen took out the contract that he had prepared. The contract was drafted with the best starline cloth that Gaine had presented to Saleen, which could be used to craft figures of the highest grade.

Eleanor read the contract seriously. It was written in magic script and was very specific. There were no loopholes to be exploited, which meant that it was devoid of traps.

Eleanor left a soul brand on the contract, and Saleen did the same.

The contract was reduced to ashes in a flurry of starlight. A clear brand was left deep on both their souls. Even if their souls were purified or evolved, there was no way they would be able to be stripped of it.

At least until one of the two entered a higher crystal wall system.

Saleen attempted to share senses with Eleanor. Saleen used to keep sharing as short as possible with Eleanor and his other followers, as it placed a great toll on mental powers on both parties.

If he was unable to maintain it and the sharing was prolonged, the one he shared senses with would be exhausted of their mental powers.

Saleen did not cut the sharing so easily this time. The new contract allowed their souls to communicate more easily. While the connection paled in comparison to Nailisi and the Winged Skull, it would be able to easily last a short battle.

“My liege, as I’ve become a member of the Metatrin family, please allow me to show you my original appearance. Eleanor unbuttoned her shirt, and an elf wearing a green robe walked out of her robe.

Saleen gasped. Saleen had trouble digesting Eleanor’s appearance for a moment. What he found even more surprising was that the human body remained right behind her true form!

Eleanor smiled and returned to her human body. The elf that he saw was just an illusion.

“My liege, I possess two bodies with one souls.”

“How did you manage to do that?” Saleen found his voice was hoarse. While the elf might not have been perfect, in the perspective of a mage, every single detail of Eleanor had achieved balance.

“Royal elves are able to suppress ghosts because of such an ability. I was unable to tell you before because I intended to return to the elf plane, my liege. The human body got in the way of me advancing further. But as you already know, I would be unable to go far on human plane without this body.”

Eleanor was right. Saleen still felt rather dazed. It was not that he had never seen beautiful girls. Every single person around him, including the imp that took a human form, were the best-looking on the plane.

The elf’s appearance seemed to be a skill, capable of mesmerizing people and causing them to like the caster.

“What is the level of your elf form?”

“Level eight as well. I need to keep balance, my liege,” Eleanor said exasperatedly. It would be easy for her to advance to level nine if she cast the human body aside.

But if others learned that Saleen had a royal elf by his side, there would be a good number of them that wanted to take her away for research. Not even level ten professionals would pass up on such a temptation.

Saleen knew that Eleanor was unable to take her original form without ample precautions. She would mesmerize a good number of people within his nation alone. It might even cause a riot in his country.

“No worries, Eleanor, you um…have it your way.” Saleen took out the demon magic book and handed it to Eleanor. “The magic book records everything I know about lightning rules, and there are 3600 lightning runes to it. The magic book also stores six spells of any level and system.”

Saleen had planned to give the book to Eleanor later, but seeing how he and Eleanor were alone, he felt rather antsy.

Eleanor smiled. Saleen was doing a good job restraining himself. Her original form was considered perfect even back on elf plane. She would not have come running all the way to Myers Mainland otherwise.

“Your highness, may I come in?”

Eleanor put the magic book aside after hearing Don’s voice and stood behind Saleen.

“Come in.”

Don pushed the door open and entered Saleen’s house. He carried the God-hunting Spear on his back and held nothing in his hand. He and Saleen were the furthest apart in terms of relations, and he did not want to alert anyone else.

“What is it, Don?” Water Flame hovered before him. It was used to craft equipment, and he was still rather wary of Don. With the Water Flame standing between them, it would at least guarantee that Don had no way of assaulting him.

However, that possibility was extremely small. If Don attacked Saleen, he would suffer the consequences per the contract and would die. But according to what Saleen knew about Don, he gave little thought to his well being.

Don did not find it strange that Saleen was crafting equipment, since Saleen had been doing it for days. Other than flying and observing if there was anyone getting near them, Saleen spent his time exclusively in that room.

The temperature of the Water Flame caused the outside of the room to be full of ice and difficult to approach. Saleen no longer cared to maintain the Water Flame’s temperature in hopes of speeding up the crafting process. Don felt as if his blood was freezing standing right before the Water Flame.

“I require equipment, Your Highness,” Don said straightforwardly.

“Oh? What do you need?” Saleen had time to spare. He did not want Sul and Jola’s injuries to leave any unwanted side effects and would rather stay recuperating for a few more days. Their speed going against the current in the river was not slow.

“Armor…the demons that Nailisi gave you are all dead. Why do you need armor for?” Saleen’s words were pointed, as Don had not been working with the others during the previous battle. He had simply waited somewhere else for a chance to strike.

“I need 100 sets. I need the armor to be for elites this time, because I don’t want to give them up so easily.”

“Oh?” Saleen was surprised. Nailisi was very stingy and if Don had been able to get 100 demons from her, that would mean that Don had bribed her.

Nailisi took Isabella’s hand inside the purgatory of the devils and asked, “You willing to leave now?”

Isabella remained hiding inside. While she was being put under the immense pressure of the purgatory of the devils, she was unwilling to leave. She was even unwilling to go to the purgatory of the fallen, which would be better on her than where she was now.

“Nailisi, thank you, but if I went out now, I wouldn’t be able to be of much use to him, and I would probably get in his way.”

“Well, you have a point, but are you at level eight now? If you kept staying in this purgatory, you’ll suffer serious damage. I’ve vented your frustration for you, not that it could compare to what you’ve been through, but…”

Isabella interrupted her. “Nailisi, I’ll go out. I understand…”

“You still feel vexed?” Nailisi asked seriously.

“I think I get what Don is thinking. He has no intentions of continue living and it would be stupid if I kept feeling sad over it.”

Nailisi took Isabella out of the purgatory of the devils in high spirits. Sacrificing some of her demons was no problem as she had been able to solve a problem for Saleen.

Inside Saleen’s stone house, Don said to Saleen, “Nailisi allowed me to choose any demon I fancy inside the purgatory of the devils. Isabella was there. I pick a demon and she gets to slap me hard. No resistance and healing allowed.

Saleen noticed that Don’s face looked rather swollen and there were gashes as well. In order to pick his demons, he had been slapped 100 times by Isabella.

While she was still incapable of using skills, she had powers comparable to black metal grand swordmasters. Her strength was formidable even when she was not using sword aura. Don’s face was not capable of self-healing either.

Saleen had not expected that to be the price that Nailisi had Don pay. “Do you feel vexed when Nailisi did that?”