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A strange way of speaking heard through the morning sunlight.
At first, he thought he was dreaming in a daze. But upon realizing that the lizard was speaking, he was so shocked he nearly fainted.
"What the—!"
[Listennn. To have encounteredrr this bodyyy... as a glooorry... kueing.]
Of course, if the axolotl had immediately boasted in front of Rahan that it was a Leviathan from the Underworld and a great demon, Rahan would have undoubtedly burned it to ashes.
However, the lizard stopped mid-sentence with a kueing and flopped over on its side. It had run out of energy after just a few words.
Stunned by such patheticness, Rahan examined it again.
Did it speak? Did this lizard just speak?
But the fainted lizard showed no sign of waking up.
In the end, Rahan's choice was to put the lizard back into the helmet along with some bread scraps.
What Rahan learned afterward was that the lizard was an axolotl. And that this ridiculous creature had been driven to the surface because of a rebellion in the Underworld.
[Pleeease... make a contract with this bodyyy...]
If a priest of the Church of Eridrahan had discovered the axolotl, it would not have survived.
But Rahan was merely a sixteen-year-old boy, and in his eyes, the pink lizard was far too insignificant.
Furthermore, the boy had no one to properly talk to.
Until this point, Riet and Harris were clumsy subordinates who didn't know how to treat such a young commander, and thus kept their distance.
So, it was perhaps only natural that the boy took the lizard—which was wheezing and begging for a contract—into his care as a way to kill time.
"Why should I?"
The boy chuckled. The axolotl replied with a weak cough.
[For an Underworld Creature... to come to the surface without a contracted mageee... is a veeeery dangerous thinggg...]
The Underworld Creature, driven out by the rebellion, had nowhere to go and ascended to the land. In human terms, it was practically naked.
The wounded creature had wandered, panting, searching for a place to recover. The place it stumbled upon was the expedition force. A place where fighting and commotion, contempt and jealousy, weakness and laziness bloomed without cease.
It wasn't strange that a demon would like such a place. But why, of all people, did it seek out Rahan?
When Rahan asked, the axolotl requested a drop of his blood. It felt a bit unsettling, but once he let a couple of drops fall from his fingertip, the axolotl immediately regained its vigor.
[That is because youuu are the child of a demonnn.]
"...Should I burn you?"
[Noooo! Listen to meee!]
Occasionally, creatures are born into the world with Red Eyes. Generally, they cannot coexist with others.
They pollute the forests, harm people, and rot the land. Thus, they were called magical beasts.
Humans were no exception.
[Children born from demons seducing humans mostly have red eyes. Those who succumb to a demon's temptation also have red eyes.]
"...I have nothing to do with demons..."
[Your mother probably did.]
"...."
[Or your ancestor. By the way, your blood is truly delicious. Could you give me one more drop?]
"Get lost."
Regardless, the people who had called him the child of a demon weren't entirely wrong.
Suddenly feeling disgusted, Rahan kicked the axolotl and went to sleep.
* * *
Even after that, Rahan didn't particularly throw the axolotl away.
The pink axolotl whined occasionally about making a contract, but it didn't cause any major trouble.
The axolotl also refused to leave Rahan's side.
[If I stick close to youuu, won't a war break out on its ownnn? Blood! Terror! Slaughter! The things this body loves mosttt!]
It would have been fine if it had ended there.
One day, a great fight broke out. The Lord of Arca declared his return, stating he "could no longer endure this."
To cross the Liligius Strait, the twenty thousand men needed about 400 ships.
Since the Lord of Arca owned 50 ships, it was obvious that his departure would cause a massive setback to the expedition.
'The third spring is coming. I don't even have enough time to tend to my fief, I have no time to waste here!'
'We cannot allow this!'
The fight was so fierce that swords were drawn between the Lord of Arca and the knights sent by Archbishop Victor.
However, the one who actually got hurt was Rahan, who had been trying to stop the fight. The right side of Rahan's mouth became drenched in blood from the Lord of Arca's sword, which had slipped.
The Lord of Arca was flustered upon seeing his torn face and apologized with a dark expression.
'I am sorry, Sir Norwich. But my mind remains unchanged.'
A priest of the Church of Eridrahan reluctantly treated the wound on his mouth. However, they said the wound was so deep that it would not heal perfectly.
It was then, as an exhausted Rahan trudged back to his tent.
[Shall I help youuuu?]
It was a sound he heard all the time. So, he just had to ignore it as he always did.
But why? For some reason, on that day, Rahan could not resist the axolotl's temptation.
"How can you help?"
The axolotl grinned, opening its mouth wide.
[You say the ships are the problemmm. Then I can just let you cross the seaaa?]
"...Are you saying you'll bring ships?"
[Wellll. This body's solution is not that simple.]
"Don't joke around. Speak properly."
[Why should this body tell such a thing to someone who isn't even a contractorrr?]
Rahan frowned.
He did know that this axolotl possessed mysterious powers.
For instance, if he fed it drops of blood, it would suddenly vomit sugar. The axolotl yawned widely.
[Well, since it's winterrr. This body is a demonnn. I am accustomed to using waterrr?]
To repeat, Rahan was only sixteen at the time and was not skilled at complex contemplation.
He asked the axolotl back.
"Are you saying you'll freeze the sea?"
[Aham.]
But the axolotl only yawned again without answering. Rahan frowned.
"...Will drops of blood suffice?"
[You are nothing but a highway robberrr. To think there is a fellow more vicious than a demonnn.]
"No contracts. I cannot stain the Grand Duke's name."
Rahan still had a shred of reason left. The axolotl smacked its lips and made another proposal.
[Then let's do thisss. Though this is a bit of a loopholeoo.]
"Speak."
[Once you cross that sea, you will fight a massive war, won't youuu? How about making every life that dies by your blade belong to this bodyyy?]
"What...?"
[Only within Til Nebe Cedric, you shall become this body's Servant.]
A demon's Servant.
The souls of every life that died by Rahan's blade would become food for Leviathan.
[Do not worryyy. Your status as this body's Servant is only valid in the land across the sea. Moreover, you are not offering your own soulll.]
The demon's tongue was cunning. The Underworld Creature knew exactly what words would sway the boy.
[Do not even simple merchants offer bribes to their partners before a tradeee? This is merely a type of proposal procedure to show how far this body can gooo. For example, this body is flattering youuu.]
Told that it was completely different from being a direct contractor, the boy pondered, but eventually gave in.
He reasoned naively that since he would have to fight a war upon reaching Til Nebe Cedric anyway, it was better to use the lives this way rather than just taking them.
But the boy did not know. That becoming a demon's Servant, even for a moment, meant the demon left a footprint on his soul.
A demon can find a soul marked by its footprint anywhere.
Even if one tries to shake it off, it cannot be done. Countless fates and coincidences inevitably link the demon to its Servant.
Just as Riet had carried the lizard left behind in the Grand Duchy all the way to Arnsberg.
The moment he was swayed by those words, the boy had stamped Leviathan's footprint upon his soul.
And thus.
[Every life that dies by the iron in your hand is mine. You have consentedtt. Ke-ke-ke-ke...]
Leviathan gained power.
That dawn, a tsunami struck part of the expedition's tents. Some of the opposition, including the Lord of Arca, lost their lives to the waves that swept over them while they slept.
Strangely, the place where the tsunami had passed smelled of sulfur, and about a hundred people died in the sudden flood. Thirty percent of them were never found.
The priests acting on behalf of Archbishop Victor shouted, 'Eridrahan has worked His will to punish those who dared defy the divine will!'
As a result, the expedition succeeded.
Terrified, the lords competed to provide ships. The Lord of Arca's ships, now ownerless, were mobilized as if nothing had happened.
The soldiers of Foldenbach, landing on the continent of the unbelievers, slaughtered those who did not believe in God and hanged their sages. And at night, they slept peacefully with their legs stretched out.
However, among them, one boy alone could not sleep.
Until the expedition ended.
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