[V6C14] Form of Pride

The disintegration of Thule’s body temporarily halted once Cyril began infusing mana into his fingertips. However, this was only a temporary measure, nowhere close to a full solution.

“So you say his bodily function for absorbing mana through the skin is damaged? Then he should be able to absorb mana orally,” Cyril summarized.

“Oh, so that’s why he felt a bit better when he ate my carrot,” Raul said while slapping his hands together.

The exposed cross-section of Thule’s fingers was still spilling out particles of light. For the dragon, this was akin to a bleeding wound. Though he had completely lost the ability to absorb mana through the skin, it seems he could just barely absorb mana through this wound.

That said, leaving the wound open so they could infuse mana was as futile as filling a bucket with a hole in it.

“In that case, wouldn’t he make a recovery if we feed him enough mana-infused food?”

Cyril made a reasonable suggestion, but Raul answered with a frown.

“The amount of mana that can be imbued into matter is pretty limited. He’d have to eat a huge pile of food every day.”

Indeed, Raul was correct. Cyril fell silent, so Ashelpikeh muttered a response in his place.

“Rather than bothering to imbue mana mana into food, it’s easier to provide mana directly through mouth-to-mouth.”

“Meaning, Cyril has to kiss him!”

“If that happens, I’m making you do it too.”

After scowling at the carefree Raul, Cyril pondered his options.

While supplying mana orally might offer temporary relief, it wasn’t really a solution.

As Cyril and Raul were lost in thought, Ashelpikeh tilted her head and voiced a doubt, making the same face as a child asking an adult.

“Do humans not provide mana to each other orally? Why not?”

“Well, it’s not impossible, but it can have adverse effects on the human body. Therefore, it is not a recommended method for humans.”

Humans were prone to mana poisoning if they intake a large amount of mana at once. Hence, the mouth-to-mouth provision of mana was generally discouraged.

Of course, the same does not apply to magical creatures such as spirits and dragons. Their innately high magic resistance allows them to absorb vast amounts of mana.

(However, this doesn’t seem like the type of injury that will heal just by absorbing a mass of mana. I assume natural healing will take time on the scale of decades… Some method of continuous mana supply is needed in the meanwhile.)

In summary, the dragon failed to absorb mana even in this mana-rich mountain, as well as when provided mana mouth-to-mouth by a spirit. Perhaps a human supply would work, but it would only be a temporary solution.

In order to provide a continuous supply of mana over a long period of time… the next logical step would be trying a magical tool.

“What if we had a magical tool for absorbing mana from the outside and infusing it into the body…?”

Cyril muttered a possible solution, but Raul shook his head.

“Not possible. Unlike the artifacts from ancient times, modern magical tools aren’t designed for use by magical creatures. Put one on a greater dragon for a long time, and I guarantee it will malfunction eventually.”

Ancient artifacts from the old era still exist to this day, but only as national treasures. They were not something that could be arranged on short notice.

Mobilizing every last bit of his knowledge, Cyril continued searching for any clue to a solution.

In the first place, there weren’t many books with descriptions of greater dragons. While there were examples of humans and dragons coexisting in the past, greater dragons had all but disappeared in the current era, so their ecology remained shrouded in mystery.

(No, wait. Of course! In the legends of the old era, there were descriptions of mages contracting with dragons…)

There were some humans who worshiped dragons as gods, as well as mages who coexisted with dragons as partners… though this was only a legend.

The Bondweavers. Their way of life had already been lost to history, but…

“Could we do something similar to a human-spirit contract, instead forming a contract where a human supplies mana to a dragon?”

Raul widened his eyes upon hearing Cyril’s proposal.

Greater dragons were extremely rare. The idea of forming a contract with such a legendary creature had likely never crossed his mind.

Cyril’s mana hyperabsorption meant he always had surplus mana. If Cyril transferred this mana to Thule, he could avoid mana poisoning, and Thule would receive periodic mana supplies.

Raul crossed his arms and furrowed his brow as he explained.

“Well, theoretically… it might be possible? But you’d need a contract stone, more specifically, a gem of such high quality that it could be used as a material for a first-class magical tool.”

“Um…”

A faint voice came from Monica, who was still leaning against Melissa.

Monica used her uninjured left hand to take something out of her pocket.

Resting on her small hand was a brooch with a large sapphire embedded in goldwork——the gift Cyril had received from Marquis Highown.

Apparently, Monica had picked it up.

“If we overwrite the magical formula on this… I think it can be done.”

Having said that, Monica lowered her eyebrows in a troubled manner. As if regretting opening her mouth, she continued in a more hesitant tone.

“But, this is… Cyril-sama’s precious…”

Monica knew that Cyril cherished this brooch. That’s why she hesitated to make this proposal.

Cyril knelt in front of Monica, gently enveloping her small hand holding the brooch.

“It’s okay.”

Cyril had contracted mana hyperabsorption due to the consequences of his excessive training, and received this brooch from Marquis Highown.

Magical tools were highly valuable items. This one, in particular, likely cost as much as a house built in the royal capital.

Cyril didn’t want to accept such a valuable item. He insisted he wasn’t worthy of receiving it. Yet the Marquis calmly convinced him: “Your efforts should be rewarded. Consider this as proof of that.”

Therefore, for Cyril, this brooch was a source of pride. A treasure.

(But still, I know what Father would say… “tools are meant to be used”…)

This brooch was not a medal for decorating Cyril’s pride.

Cyril looked straight into Monica’s eyes and declared his resolve.

“I want to rewrite the magical formula engraved on this brooch to be used for a contract between me and the dragon. Can you lend me your strength?”

In response to Cyril’s statement of determination, Monica tightly pressed her lips together and gave a firm nod.

＊　＊　＊

Monica was more than a little hesitant to bring up the matter of Cyril’s brooch.

Perhaps the brooch could be used to establish a contract between Cyril and the white dragon. That said, it would undoubtedly be a burdensome contract for Cyril.

Even contracts with greater spirits imposed a considerable burden on the contractor. But a contract with a dragon? Monica had never even heard of such a thing.

Monica could have remained silent until the white dragon disappeared on his own. That was always an option.

However, that would be… very disloyal to Cyril.

(I must do my best to meet Cyril-sama’s expectations.)

Monica clenched the brooch and readied herself.

She would utilize all the knowledge she possessed to make this contract a success.

To do so, she would have to rewrite the magical formula engraved on the brooch. She immediately set to work, concentrating herself on the task at hand, but…

“Monica-chan…? Did you forget your promise with me?”

A voice, sweet yet strangely low and sultry, echoed in Monica’s ear. It came from Melissa, whose hand firmly held Monica’s shivering shoulder.

“I believe I told you not to use magic, right…? I’m leaving you behind if you faint again.”

Melissa’s eyes were dead serious.

As Monica fell silent, Melissa sighed as if to say, “Oh well,” and took the brooch from Monica’s hand.

“So we use the contract formula for a greater spirit as the base, then modify it into a dragon contract. What’s the mana arrangement on the white dragon’s side?”

“I-I checked it after getting swallowed… I-I think we should be fine.”

“Very well. Explain the necessary formulas verbally. I’ll memorize them, then handle the creation of the spell.”

After assigning Monica her job, Melissa called out to Raul while confirming the brooch’s formula.

“Raul, since you’re overflowing with more mana than you can use, serve as the intermediary for the spell. If you shoulder the required mana for the contract formula, it will reduce the burden on Cyril-sama and me.”

“So I just handle up to the sixth section on the intermediary formula?”

“Up to the thirteenth section, and do it thoroughly.”

“Ugh, that sounds tough… But, well, I’ll do it if it’s for a friend!”

Raul nodded along, starting to calculate the necessary formulas.

Watching this scene playing out with her violet eyes, Ashelpikeh muttered in a quiet voice.

“…So you will save Thule?”

To the anxious Ashelpikeh, Melissa glared back with her green eyes.

“Yeah, we’ll save him. But under one condition.”

“…Condition?”

“We’ll be including master-servant terms into the contract formula. The white dragon will serve Cyril-sama.”

Hearing this, Ashelpikeh’s expression tensed slightly. However, the dragon in question, Thule, simply wore an absentminded smile.

After glancing at the reactions of the ice spirit and the white dragon, Melissa scoffed.

“You magical creatures cause a lot of unintentional mischief, so this measure is non-negotiable. If you can’t accept this condition, we won’t proceed with the contract ritual.”

Indeed, Melissa’s words were accurate.

The common sense of humans did not apply to magical creatures. For example, consider how Ashelpikeh abducted Cyril, forced a contract on him, and even attempted to sacrifice him to the white dragon.

There was no guarantee that Thule wouldn’t do something similar. It was necessary to place some restrictions on him.

Although Ashelpikeh fell silent with a frown, Thule nodded lightly in agreement.

“It’s okay, that’s fine.”

“But Thule…”

Ashelpikeh persisted, and Thule smiled gently in return.

It wasn’t the fleeting smile of someone facing death, but the smile of someone looking toward the future.

“I can be with you, Pikeh. That makes me happy.”

Those words were the decisive factor.

Ashelpikeh nodded, saying, “Got it,” before stepping back to observe Monica and the others.

Meanwhile, Monica had finished calculating the contract formula for the human and the white dragon, conveying it verbally. Melissa memorized all of it and began weaving the formula together.

Raul touched the formula woven by Melissa, thus sharing the burden of maintenance with her.

A string of magical symbols appeared before them, swirling through the air like a glowing sash.

The snowlights were drawn to their magic, filling the surroundings with a dazzling brilliance.

Melissa glanced at Ashelpikeh and grinned confidently.

“You spirits think of humans as weaklings who can’t handle magic without using formulas, right?”

Indeed, humans would always lag far behind spirits in both mana capacity and control over magic.

Which was precisely why humans developed techniques to weave formulas with minimal mana, and acquired the skills to manipulate them.

Melissa lifted the corner of her lips and proudly declared…

“By weaving formulas, we can create new possibilities. This is human magecraft. Remember that.”

She followed this up with a graceful curtsy toward Cyril.

“Cyril Ashley-sama, please leave the rest to us. After all, here we have three of the Seven Sages, the greatest mages in the country!”

“Uh, Sis, but you’re a former Sage.”

Melissa maintained her gleaming smile and, from an angle invisible to Cyril, smacked Raul with a backfist.

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