596 -589- Let's cause a ruckus

Onmyou Agency, Underground.

Here lies the deepest part of the Onmyou Agency, located on the fourth underground level. The existence of this secret prison, specialized for imprisoning infamous jujutsu criminals, remains unknown to the public.

Only a few high-ranking members are aware of its existence; even veteran onmyouji working within the Onmyou Agency for years may not know of this place—a true testament to its secrecy.

The security here is top-notch, featuring numerous layers of tight-knit seals and barriers. The types of barriers are meticulously designed to target the specific types of criminals held within. While it's arguable for intruders from the outside, breaking through these barriers from the inside is near impossible.

Currently, in one of the deepest cells, Rozen sits.

"I'm sorry. Take your time to reconsider here. If you come to a decision, feel free to join us," Miyachi Iwao said, leaving with those words.

Once Miyachi Iwao left, Rozen sat as if nothing had happened, ignoring the cries coming from the remaining prisoners in their respective cells. He calmly closed his eyes.

(I'll be counting on you, Hokuto.)

After silently making this remark in his mind, Rozen sought the blurred contract due to his spiritual power being sealed. He sensed Hokuto's presence and signaled to him.

He could feel that, after this, Hokuto's spiritual power began to gradually flow into Rozen's body through the fuzzy spiritual connection. It infused into Rozen's magic circuits.

This was the advantage of forming a contract with a powerful shikigami—not only could they share senses, but also share spiritual power. That's why Miyachi Iwao took all of Rozen's shikigami away.

Even though Rozen's spiritual power had been sealed, theoretically severing the connection between shikigami and master, if the shikigami got too close to their master, perhaps a way to establish a connection could still be found. This method was certainly more appropriate.

However, even Miyachi Iwao did not anticipate that Rozen's contract was specifically tailored for his exclusive use. Even the highest-grade curse tools could only make it hazy, unable to completely isolate it.

Moreover, Rozen's shikigami were not limited to just Natsume and Suzuka. There was also Hokuto, a tremendously potent true dragon. Even if the connection on Natsume and Suzuka's end became extremely faint, making the exchange of spiritual power nearly impossible, drawing power from Hokuto, especially in recent times, remained viable.

On the other hand, with Kinu and Gyokuto, the contract formed was not a Shikigami contract but an Absolute Contract. All expenditures would be borne by Rozen alone, and he couldn't draw power from them.

(Unless I cancel their summoning and revert them to magical energy for recovery. That's a viable option.)

This was one of the drawbacks of an Absolute Contract.

However, contracts inherently involved equal exchange.

The Absolute Contract ensured Rozen's familiars would never die or betray him. Even the familiars themselves would be turned into pure records etched into his soul. The summoned beings were just a collection of magical energy formed based on those records. Hence, it was reasonable for all expenditures to fall solely on Rozen.

(If it weren't for the Absolute Contract, I wonder if these two godlike beings would obey my commands.)

In contrast, in a Shikigami contract, while they could share spiritual energy and not burden the practitioner with all the costs, once a shikigami died, they were truly gone. There was also a possibility of betrayal or being stolen. The choice between the two depended on personal values.

As a summoner, Rozen highly valued contracts, leading him to make a careful decision.

After all,

(Hokuto was capable of forming an Absolute Contract with me, but I chose not to.)

To form an Absolute Contract with Rozen and become a pure record etched into his soul, a familiar, summoned through the "Summoning Art," had to hold an unwavering loyalty to Rozen.

Although Hokuto was carefree and innocent by nature, having spent nearly a decade with Rozen, Hokuto had already fulfilled this condition.

In other words, if Rozen wanted to form an Absolute Contract with Hokuto, it could be done at any moment.

However, after careful consideration, Rozen ultimately decided not to form an Absolute Contract with Hokuto. The reason being, in situations like this, having access to Hokuto's power could be crucial in case Rozen's own strength was insufficient.

Thus, with the support of Hokuto's spiritual energy, Rozen's magical power was recovering at the fastest pace.

To avoid burdening Hokuto and ensure he maintained a certain level of spiritual energy, Rozen maintained a relatively moderate pace in drawing power from Hokuto.

Eventually,

"Alright."

After a few hours, Rozen opened his eyes.

All of his magical energy had completely recovered within his body, flowing calmly in his magic circuits.

"Clang."

At the same time, the light of the healing talisman attached to Rozen dimmed.

It wasn't that the runes had failed; it was because Rozen's lost blood had been replenished.

In other words,

"I'm back to my optimal condition now."

Saying this, Rozen glanced at the back of his right hand.

There, the three-stroke command seals were still blurred and hadn't fully recovered.

"If at least one stroke of the command seal could recover, I'd have even more confidence."

Unfortunately, the command seal could only recover one stroke per day. A day hadn't passed yet. Even with the "Miracle" connecting to Chaldea's summoning system, the command seals hadn't been replenished.

"Speaking of which, although Chaldea and the flow of time in other worlds differ, in any world, once a day passes, a large amount of magical power flows in through the circuit connected by the 'Miracle,' restoring the command seal. This is still a mystery."

This also proved that the "Miracle" had many uses that Rozen hadn't yet explored.

"I'll have to spend more time researching the 'Miracle' in the future."

Saying this, Rozen stood up.

"Although it's best to wait a few days for the command seals to fully recover before taking action, I don't want to stay in this eerie place any longer."

Muttering to himself, Rozen applied a sudden force.

"Bang!"

The handcuffs on his hand shattered and fell to the ground.

Upon closer inspection, there was a crack in the inscription on the handcuffs.

"Even though it's impossible once you're shackled, if you tamper with it before being cuffed, this kind of curse tool will gradually malfunction, becoming so fragile that even I can easily break free."

Rozen looked at the fragments on the ground and smirked.

Earlier, when Rozen saw the curse tool that the mystical investigation officials brought out, he had a sudden realization. He converted the tiny bit of remaining magical energy into telekinesis and discreetly carved a mark on the inscription of the handcuffs.

In doing so, after a period of time, the handcuffs would become increasingly fragile, eventually allowing him to break free effortlessly.

In other words, Rozen reversed the effect of the curse tool's inscription, causing the tool to gradually self-destruct through its own power.

"Now."

Rozen rubbed his wrist and a slightly cold smile curved on his lips.

"Let's cause a ruckus!"