Blood Contract

"Hela?"

<Kukuku, I have been using the death element for hundreds of years, but this is the first time I have seen this element used to craft a weapon. And, you did it just a few days after obtaining it. Quite fascinating.>

"Hehe, thank you for the praise."

<It will be very interesting to see what you will do with this ability next.>

"..."

After that, Cien no longer heard Hela's voice.

He was puzzled by Hela's behavior in the past few days. For the last ten years, he had never heard a voice from the terrifying dragon.

However, in the past few days or months, Cien almost always received responses from Hela. Despite knowing Hela's past story, Cien still shivered every time he heard the dragon's voice.

There was always an uncomfortable feeling about Hela, as if he couldn't know what the dragon was thinking at the moment.

Cien shook his head, pushing thoughts of Hela to the back of his mind.

He then looked at Moonice in his hand again.

The result could be considered perfect for Cien. He wanted a powerful weapon that could also protect his daughter from danger.

The various skills that could heal wounds and safeguard Kirana from death brought immense relief to Cien.

Now it's time to give it to Kirana.

With light steps, Cien walked to Fenrir's dwelling, where Kirana and Legia were currently training.

Reiss and Terrion wanted to join the training as well, but unfortunately, they didn't possess any magic, so Fenrir wasn't interested in training them. Both of them had been feeling down in the past few days.

Cien climbed the stairs and arrived at the plateau.

He saw a new sight in Fenrir's territory. The house that the villagers had built for the Proxy of the Moon Goddess stood tall, but it was still halfway done.

Some parts like the roof, doors, windows, and others were still incomplete.

Cien let out a soft sigh, amazed by the villagers' enthusiasm in building a house for the terrifying monster from the fairy tales they had heard all this time.

Cien greeted some workers there and then walked to where Kirana was.

He saw Fenrir lying comfortably under a tree, observing the two women still struggling with his water dragons.

"How's their training going?" Cien asked as he stopped next to Fenrir.

<Both of them are progressing quite fast. The level of manipulation they have to perform now is three times more difficult than before. I think this time, even you won't be able to stop that water dragon.>

"Oh, is that so?"

Cien smiled. Unlike magic, which couldn't be improved throughout his life, water manipulation was something he had been training for a long time. So, he was very confident in his ability to control the element.

Cien walked closer to the battle zone, and when the water dragon approached, he shattered it with a single punch. He grinned at Fenrir.

"Heh, can't do it, huh?"

<Tsk! You really are an anomaly!>

"Hahaha, if just like this already made me an anomaly, then my Teacher is an enigma."

< … >

Cien chuckled and then approached his daughter, who was catching her breath.

"Father..."

"Here, catch this!" Cien tossed Moonice to his daughter.

Kirana easily caught the sword and looked at the rapier her father had made with admiration. Just by holding it, she could feel an extraordinary power emanating from the weapon.

"Father, is this...?"

"Yes, it's your weapon, Moonice."

"Moonice..."

Kirana murmured as she drew the rapier from its sheath.

Whoosh!

As soon as she unsheathed it, a cold aura burst out, freezing the area around Kirana. Legia and Cien, who were nearby, shivered.

"Can you control its power a little?"

Cien asked, noticing the cold breath coming from his mouth. He didn't expect that when held by Kirana, the effects would be slightly different from when he held it.

"Ah, I'm sorry."

Kirana said while holding back from swinging her new weapon. She really wants to try it, but she's not familiar with this magic weapon, and doesn't want to trouble her surroundings. She's afraid to accidentally injure her Father or Legia.

Cien, noticing her hesitation, immediately explained all the abilities of Moonice, including the Moon Rabbit soul residing within it.

"Soul?"

Both Kirana and Legia seemed confused by the concept of a weapon with a soul residing in it.

So, Cien had to first explain the fundamental concept of souls and the forgotten death element in Kastia.

"So, there's a monster's soul in Moonice, and I can communicate with it. Can I try?" Kirana asked.

"Ah, before you try, we need to establish a blood contract first."

"A blood contract?"

"A contract that makes the weapon your personal weapon for as long as you live. This contract prevents others from using your weapon, so its power won't fall into the hands of evil people. This can be done because there's a soul inside. The contract also allows the user to use the soul's skills."

"Whoa... that's cool," Legia exclaimed in amazement.

Kirana simply smiled, as the weapon would truly become her own, a weapon crafted by her own father.

"How do we make this blood contract?"

"I will guide you both," Cien replied, and then they all heard a voice.

""Both?""

Kirana and Legia felt strange, as it should have been only Kirana who made the contract. Then, what does his mean by 'you both'? Is Cien talking to Kirana and Moon Rabbit soul?

"No. But you too, Legia. I'm sorry, I forgot about this. In Crimsonagin, there is a dragon soul that is still dormant. Because it always sleeps, I overlooked it. Hahaha..."

"!"

Legia was stunned by the statement. There's a dragon soul in her weapon? What the heck?!

Legia asked Cien to explain more about the dragon soul he mentioned.

With a slight chuckle, Cien said that the dragon soul in Crimsonagin is still young and asleep. It's a different situation from the Moon Rabbit in Moonice.

Cien also said that he himself doesn't know how to awaken it. Legia has to find a way on her own. As for Cien, he suggested that Legia absorb dragon blood with Crimsonagin.

The dragon residing in the spear is still a low-level dragon. Its blood can be upgraded by absorbing more blood from other dragons, especially if the purity is higher.

Finally, Cien warned about the side effects of the dragon soul.

"Bloodthirsty?"

"Yes, if you manage to awaken that soul later on. Take care and teach it well. Otherwise, you might be devoured by its bloodthirsty nature, turning you into a bloodthirsty killer. Be careful. Well, if you succeed, the power you'll gain won't be small. Good luck..."

"...why has this weapon become so frightening?"

Legia felt an additional pressure as the owner of Crimsonagin.

After a moment of reflection, she suddenly realized that the power of Crimsonagin could be even greater than before, meaning the price she paid yesterday was insufficient.

Legia immediately discussed this with Cien, as the Shop Owner had said that it was not a problem. Cien had already received payment and wouldn't ask for more.

Although Legia felt uneasy, Cien didn't care. Currently, he was better off preparing the blood contract by drawing a magic circle on the ground.

Cien drew it with his mana and some powdered chalk.

Kirana and Legia could only watch from the side. Fenrir, curious, approached to see the magic circle that Cien was creating.

<! This... a blood contract!>

"Ooh, you know about blood contracts, Fenrir?"

<Of course, but the language you used... Ancient Kastian Language. How do you know about this long-extinct language?>

Cien fell silent for a moment. He didn't expect Fenrir to know about the obscure language he had been using.

"Ancient Kastian, huh... well, let's just say I learned a lot while being trapped in Death Valley."

<I'm not sure you could learn this just from being trapped in Death Valley.>

Cien chuckled, reluctant to explain his smartphone's capabilities.

He was certain that it would lead to numerous questions, and for Cien, that was too bothersome.

It didn't take long for Cien to complete the magic circle.

He then explained to the two women the procedure for performing the blood contract and made them memorize the incantation they needed to recite later—a chant in an ancient and unfamiliar language.

"What does this incantation mean, Father?"

Cien thought for a moment before replying, "Don't overthink it. It's not important, just remember and say it."

In his heart, Cien was screaming that he didn't actually know!

He wanted to be honest with them but feared that it would make the two women doubt him and undermine his credibility as someone who studied ancient languages.

So, Cien could only evade the question and boast instead.

It took about a dozen minutes for Kirana and Legia to memorize the incantation in the ancient language given by Cien.

Once they were ready, Cien invited either Kirana or Legia to step into the prepared magic circle.

Kirana stepped forward first. She stood in the center of the circle and began reciting the incantation.

The circle instantly glowed brightly, enveloping Kirana in a dome of ancient script.

Kirana was momentarily stunned before she shifted her attention to Moonice, where an aura seemed to seep out from within the sword's sheath.

A translucent Moon Rabbit suddenly appeared, floating in front of Kirana. The rabbit was cute, floating around Kirana with curious eyes.

The rabbit tilted its head, making Kirana chuckle softly.

"Hey, little rabbit. Would you like to play with me to kill many enemies later?"

The rabbit hopped joyfully in response to Kirana's words.

<Kyuu~!>

"..."

Is that how people invite others to play now? Terrifying! Cien thought, taken aback after hearing Kirana's invitation from inside the dome.

Having received confirmation from the rabbit, Kirana then bit her index finger and let a drop of her blood fall onto the forehead of the rabbit before her.

After the drop of blood fell, it ignited and was absorbed by the spirit of the Moon Rabbit.

Feeling delighted, the rabbit happily circled around Kirana and rubbed its face against her cheek before returning into the sword's sheath.

Seeing that, Kirana closed the blood contract with the recitation of the next incantation.

The magical dome that surrounded her shrank and merged into Kirana's heart.

Done.

<Never did I imagine that I could witness a blood contract using ancient language in this era. Moreover, this contract is peculiar... How did you manage to insert the soul of the little rabbit into the weapon?>

"It's complicated. Well, just consider it as a secret."

<Oh, really? I dont think it's that complicated though. I guess the death element has a significant role in this.>

"..."

Cien looked away, not wanting to respond to Fenrir's accurate speculation.

<Heh.>

"Tsk."

Cien then saw Kirana starting to walk out of the magic circle. He glanced at Legia, who looked nervous, and then patted her on the back.

"Your turn," Cien said, giving Legia a thumbs-up.

Legia herself became anxious. Not because she doubted her ability to recite the incantation, but because after witnessing Kirana's process, Legia knew that the soul would emerge and reveal itself.

Kirana's Moon Rabbit was adorable and cute. Well, hers... is a dragon...

'That's scary!'