The Benefits of a Familiar - Witch Oath - I

Sigurd's new body no longer needed hours of sleep. Instead, after two hours, his body and mind were completely refreshed and ready to go. 

However, it seemed Eva needed much more sleep than he did as she tossed and turned in his arms, leaving him inconvenient.

'The soft feeling of her buttocks is so firm and warm... no, I should focus on my magic.'

The dark sphere inside his stomach that absorbed and formed the green flames seemed to have grown slightly since he formed the oath with Eva. It wasn't some amazing change, but maybe a slight increase from a small to a large copper coin.

Sigurd wanted to touch the monolith again because he felt his magic might have increased; it was a hunch for now, as he didn't know the feeling perfectly yet.

'Yes, practise makes perfect...' 

So, he performed two actions for the next six hours. It reminded him of being a rookie knight when they forced each person to repeat their prayers from the church during battle without error. He tried to split his mind at first clumsily, but there was moderate progress after two hours.

'To think... that stupid punishment would help me now.'

Sigurd wanted to use his sonar spell, but somehow, he dreamt of keeping it active all day and night, even when resting.

His clue came from his magic following the same movements he adjusted before sleeping. Even after waking up, it didn't change shape or form.

So he thought, 'Isn't magic just the form our mana moves in a certain pattern? Can I create that pattern inside me? If so, what might happen?'

At first, he failed. On the first attempt, he created the spell movements and sigil in his stomach. However, this only caused his stomach to ache while feeling the presence and movements of the wolves.

'Then how about my ears?..' 

A rush of magical energy gushed from his stomach, through his veins and muscles, up through his neck, before flowing around the flesh filled with the tiny bones of the ear circling and twisting in the sigil of sonar.

"Mmm..." Eva rolled into his arms.

It seemed after four hours, Eva became more active as her legs wrapped around his, now pressing her warm forest land against his towering world tree. 

No matter how he tried to focus, the warm and sticky feeling caused his spell to become incomplete.

A painful howling screech filled his ears with each movement or breath. The wolves made his ears vibrate violently as blood poured from the canals, seeping down his cheeks.

"Ugh... it hurts..." 

Sigurd's lips whispered the pain causing his skull to rattle while the blood and crippling pain continued several minutes after he broke the sigil leaving his body in a state of shock; the pain came so suddenly he felt a sense of fear towards messing with magic...

The fear and self-loathing for his failure lasted a few moments before his eyes shone black as if all colour faded from them, his mind entering a strange berserk trance as he thought of dozens of ideas in a moment.

'No... ears hearing them is a little too intense, seeing? Or the feeling? Fingers... No, maybe my skin!?'

Blood oozed from his nose the more he remained in this state as his entire body trembled, and he suffered the symptoms of pneumonia while turning pale. 

It seemed sleeping naked with Eva saved him, at least regarding body heat, as the remaining magic inside his body flowed through his organs, permeating his muscles before reaching his flesh.

'A pattern... sigil... customised, the spell no longer sonar... Detect the Enemy? Detection?'

Sigurd could feel something different as black ink dyed his skin, painting a sigil, which Medea mentioned, a feat he shouldn't know about until he reached at least ten rings.

Once again, his devil bloodline guides Sigurd in the direction he desires at the cost of his physical well-being.

A tribal black heart with broken lines and sharp edges with black wings on either side formed on the back of his left hand while the emerald magic inside Eva began to transform and change in the same style.

Unlike Sigurd, she only formed the heart shape with broken lines and Sigurd's name just above her warm Elfen forest. She burned the thin bushes into a cute path that led to the heart, which had a pink hue.

"Nnnnm..."

A slight pricking pain assaulted Eva, but because of her years of body tempering, it didn't wake her. Eva instead clutched Sigurd's body tighter.

'The mark of Avarice...'

Sigurd's last thoughts faded as he felt a sense of tingling from his entire body before the magic inside his abdomen finally seemed finished surging through his flesh.

His unconscious body then entered a state of recovery from the severe blood loss.

***

⁜ Eva POV

Three hours later, the sun peeked from the distance, its light rising above the forest horizon.

A sizzling sound filled the small camp while the scent of fried bacon and eggs flowed through the air.

"Wake up, Master! You've slept too long. Come on, I even cooked bacon just for you!" Eva's charming and sensual voice sounded as she peeked into the tent. She seemed to think Sigurd had slept the entire night, unaware of the close encounter with death he had survived.

'What a lazy pig... He seemed to be active last night, but now he sleeps till so late, even having a nosebleed because of my body!'

Her body wore a light padded shirt and a pair of undergarments with a front lace to fasten them. With her stockings pulled to her thighs, she seemed half-prepared for battle and breakfast.

"Tsk... how could he mark me with such a strange emblem and in such a lewd place?"

Eva complained while fastening the lace and wearing her leather armour with a bitter look on her face. 

She knew that making an oath would mark the witch and her partner, but she never imagined it would be like this, which made her feel a little embarrassed.

"No... Eva, you gained another four mana points... don't be mad!" 

'But he looks pretty when he sleeps... His father is human, so his mother must be one beautiful elf.' 

"I'll let him off for now..." Eva thought as she stepped outside in her battle gear, plating up their breakfast while keeping her eyes out for any enemies.