Chapter 1857: Forging An Alliance
Chapter 1857: Forging An Alliance
—–
“A-Assassin?! You used your Legendary Treasure…! But we’ll run out of Magic if you do!”
“I’m sorry.”
The black man smiled warmly at his master, whom he cherished as if she were his own daughter.
“But I cannot let you die, Master.”
“…”
Elayne stood in silence. Her sword slowly burned and crumbled into ashes as she smiled. Her vines struggled to reach him, but his thunderbolt aura incinerated everything in its path.
He had unleashed his true power—his Legendary Treasure.
“Legendary Treasures are the purest and most beautiful expression of a Heroic Spirit’s history and mythology,” she said with a gentle smile. “I see you’ve finally broken out of your shell, Yasuke.”
“I will fight until the bitter end!” Yasuke roared. “But I will NOT let you lay a hand on my master!”
Elayne nodded, her eyes filled with understanding. “You pass.”
“…?”
“Eh?”
Elayne snapped her fingers. Everything reverted to the way the domain had been before. What’s more, Yasuke’s armor reappeared, and all the magic power they had expended was restored.
It was as though time had been rewound.
“W-Wha…?! What happened?” Harumi asked.
“Time… reversed?!” Yasuke was shaken to his core.
They stared at Elayne in disbelief. She regarded them warmly and placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. Elena was still struggling to process what she had just witnessed.
“Hm? Oh no, I didn’t reverse time,” she explained casually. “I simply rearranged the state of magical matter that had been disturbed within my Domain. Nothing quite as powerful as actual time reversal.”
“…!”
“If it were true time reversal, you wouldn’t even remember what happened,” she added in a deeper tone for a moment. “Anyway! It was a valuable experience. I was able to see your true self, Assassin, and the power you conceal beneath that armor. I accept your alliance request. Do you, Master?”
“I guess so, yeah,” Elena replied, still dazed. “I mean… yeah, yeah. Uh, what… what just happened—wait, why did you have to fight?!”
“Oh dear, you’re slow…” her mother sighed, patting her head. “Are you alright?”
“I just didn’t expect everything to go so crazy!” Elena said, flustered.
“I’m sorry,” Elayne apologized. “I was testing him. I didn’t want to ally myself with people who only speak half-heartedly or hide behind a shell. It’s dangerous to rely on such individuals. But now that I’ve witnessed your sincerity, I believe in you—to an extent.”
“Hahah…” Yasuke laughed as he looked at his master. “Master, she speaks the truth. Still, I was surprised. Did you really have to take such drastic measures?”
“I speak from experience,” Elayne said, smiling at her daughter. “One’s true strength awakens only when we defend not our own lives, but the lives of those we love—those we value even more than ourselves. At that moment, a power we never knew we possessed emerges: the strength to sacrifice everything to save another. That kind of power can never be drawn out when fighting solely for oneself.”
“…I see,” Harumi sighed, shaking her head. “Elena, can’t you control your Heroic Spirit? She’s a little crazy!”
“Hahaha! I-I guess so,” Elena chuckled. “I’m sorry, Harumi… she just went and did as she pleased. I can hardly control her, and well… no, it’s wrong to ever think I can.”
“You keep calling her ’mum’ all the time. What’s going on here?” Harumi asked.
“Well… it’s complicated,” Elena sighed.
“Before we continue, let us forge a special contract—a spiritual soul contract sealed with my divinity,” Elayne proposed. “This will allow us to trust one another more fully, prevent secrets from being easily leaked, and guard against betrayal or other issues.”
“Hm, sounds good!” Yasuke nodded. “Master, I think it would be wise to accept.”
“I… suppose so,” Harumi sighed again, shrugging. “I’m like you, Elena. In the end, it’s my Heroic Spirit making all the decisions here!”
“Hahaha, I guess we do have that in common,” Elena laughed.
“Once the contract is forged, we can share more about who we truly are,” Elayne said, extending her hand. “Yasuke, Harumi, Elena—come closer.”
The three nodded and stepped forward. They extended their hands as Elayne’s large wooden palm surged with divine spiritual energy. Three runes appeared on their palms, and another on hers, connected by threads of magic and spiritual power.
The threads solidified and shimmered with golden light. Elayne then manifested a written contract. After all parties reviewed and accepted it without changes, she nodded, and the contract was sealed.
FLASH!
Everyone received a Divine Spirit Rune in their hand. It slowly faded and vanished, carrying with it a profound power and connection to Elayne—to her Spiritual Graph, the “Origin” of a Heroic Spirit.
“Those runes are special,” Elayne explained after a brief pause. “They not only link us, but they should also make you… stronger.”
“It’s almost like receiving a divine blessing from a goddess…” Yasuke said, clearly impressed. “I’ve been wondering for some time now—are you truly a goddess? I thought gods couldn’t be summoned as Heroic Spirits…”
“They can’t,” Ruler interjected. “I am what some would call an ’Amalgamation.’ My Spiritual Graph—the foundation of a Heroic Spirit—is, I believe, forged from several sources. Among them is my identity and past as my daughter’s mother.”
“…?!” Harumi’s eyes widened. “So that’s why you call her ’mum,’ Elena?”
“Hm, yeah. I’m still trying to figure out how it’s possible,” Elena sighed. “Mom had incredible powers that rivaled gods, immense spiritual energy and mana… She was also technically a Hero, sacrificing herself to save us from a great evil…”
“…I see,” Harumi said. “I thought I understood how this world worked, but even people considered ’ordinary’ can be registered as Heroic Spirits…”
“Mom isn’t ordinary,” Elena replied. “But… somehow she was summoned when I went outside carrying her bracelet. Maybe that served as a catalyst. Why she’s… Gaia, for some reason? I don’t know.”
“…” Elayne remained silent for a moment, deep in thought. “Well, I’ve told you more or less about my origins. Satisfied?”
“I’m still very intrigued, but I suppose that will do,” Yasuke nodded. “Though based on your skin color, I thought you might be an African goddess.”
“My skin color? Ah, I think it’s because Gaia had this tone—likely because she was formed from the Earth itself,” Elayne said with a smile. “Who knows.”
“Well, it’s getting late… we should return to class,” Harumi said. “I hope our teacher is understanding…”
“Yeah,” Elena agreed. “Let’s go.”
Having made a new ally, Elena stepped out of the domain alongside Harumi and rejoined the rest of the class. The professor was indeed surprised by their sudden return but didn’t press the issue. He simply told them to sit down and listen. He was an exceptionally relaxed instructor—perhaps the most laid-back in the entire academy.
Elena and Harumi weren’t sure whether to feel fortunate for having such a lenient teacher or concerned that he was so indifferent he hadn’t even noticed his students had been missing for nearly an hour.
—–
Novel Full