I remember that I only went down the stairs to the basement once, when I came for an inspection. Now, I was heading towards the hidden Basement Level Two of this mansion, specifically to Fiona’s Witch Workshop.
What stood in my way was a slightly rusted iron door. Of course, it was locked. If it were just an ordinary iron door, I could potentially break in with brute force, but Fiona had already set up multiple layers of enhancements on the door. For a witch, a workshop is a laboratory for mastering magic, a factory for creating various potions and magical tools, and a storage space for the magic she has crafted and the numerous precious materials gathered. It’s only natural that she would reinforce it heavily to protect her magical secrets and wealth.
Knowing Fiona, it wouldn’t be surprising if a bomb-level explosion trap was activated for anyone trying to forcefully break through the door.
Furthermore, I didn’t possess the skills to disable the complex traps that a genius witch like Fiona had likely set up. It would require the combined knowledge and skills of a thief who is well-versed in traps and a mage who understands magic.
I did not intend to invade her private life, so it was not a problem if I could not open the door, but this time, I needed to use this place.
“Um, how to disable it—”
And just as if Fiona knew I had business in her workshop, she was teaching Vivian how to open the door.
The method was simple. Just place a hand on the door and chant the keyword.
“Fiona, I love you.”
With a cl clack, the heavy metal creaked, and the lock opened. At the same time, even though I hadn’t pushed, the door opened on its own, revealing a dark basement that let in no light, illuminated only by a faint red flame in a lamp.
Incredible, both the door and the lighting are fully automated.
Impressed that Fiona’s magic had caught up with modern scientific technology, I stepped into the witch’s workshop.
“The inside is quite normal.”
The room was neatly organized, as if there was nothing shameful about it. On the large shelves lined up, materials, tools, and grimoires were all neatly categorized. In one corner of the room, there was a planter that held various colorful small flowers and cactus-like plants. A birdcage hung from the ceiling, likely used to capture Vivian.
And the most witch-like equipment was probably the enormous cauldron set up in the back of the room. It didn’t take much imagination to know what would happen if such a large cauldron were to be heated in a closed space and that Fiona must have planned properly with magic to account for that.
It was easy to infer that this was a well-completed workshop, yet I didn’t feel any particular malice or ominous presence. There was no special bloodiness to it either.
When I came for the inspection, I had sealed away the voices of resentment due to my blackening, but it was originally a cursed mansion, and the basement was filled with the thickest swirling malice. Even common people would feel a chill in such an atmosphere.
But right now, I felt absolutely nothing. It was quiet, and I felt no sense of foreboding from curses at all. That in itself was rather eerie. It was as if even the resentment of the curse was afraid of the room’s master, killing its presence. At the very least, Fiona was probably not just blackening me, but had further tailored this workshop into a most suitable environment for herself.
“Alright, it seems this place will be fine.”
The training I was about to undergo involved communicating with cursed weapons.
This realization came after I was able to converse with Miria, who resided in the Tyrant’s Armor, and I discovered the possibility of directly communicating with curses by utilizing the Fourth Blessing, the Demon King of Love. The deeper I understood the essence of curses, the more power I would be able to draw out.
However, it goes without saying that this was a dangerous endeavor. Just touching a curse can drive a person mad. I’ve seen people who have succumbed to curses. No matter how high my resistance and suitable physique are, there are limits.
Trying this out on a whim was far too risky. It could be said that I was lucky when it came to the Tyrant’s Armor. Miria accepted me precisely because she sought a wielder.
There are various types of curses. Some might not even realize that they have gone mad enough to become a curse themselves, while others resent and curse everything. If the curse is one that longs for a wielder, like Hitsugi or Miria, then there might be room for conversation, but if it is one driven by a destructive will, resentful of everything and wanting nothing more than to obliterate it, it would only reject me and gnaw at my psyche. In such a case, I would wonder just how much I could defend against it with the Demon King of Love. Even without descending into madness, considering the risk of lasting psychological effects, directly talking with a curse was far too dangerous.
Yet now, even with the risks, I needed power.
The opponent was Lily. Moreover, she possessed abilities that far exceeded those I knew. The current Lily was likely comparable to an Apostle.
I had to capture her alive, not kill her. With my current strength, such an attempt was far too reckless.
“Shall we begin?”
I aimed to obtain both Lily and Fiona. Half-hearted efforts and resolve would not do. Thus, this was also a trial I had imposed upon myself. If I couldn’t overcome this, I would not deserve to love them.
“Come, Grudge Demon Blade ‘Neck Sever.'”
From the shadow illuminated by the lamp, a massive cleaver appeared silently. The pitch-black blade had crimson lines running through it like veins, a truly ominous cursed blade. The name was Grudge Demon Blade “Neck Sever.” She was the first cursed weapon I had ever wielded, my longest and most reliable companion.
Now, what should I begin with?
As I thought about it again, I pondered how to start.
“Huh, it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing I need to hide from you—Demon King of Love.”
Thus, I gripped the hilt as I usually did, intending to touch her heart.
The sensation was more like it was bonding with my arm rather than just sticking to my hand. It was light. It felt as if my nerves connected all the way to the tip of the blade.
It was an ideal feeling for a sword, yet it still felt insufficient. It was not enough to compare to Lily.
I wanted power. I wanted more of your power.
“How can you become stronger?”
Teach me.
That feeling should be conveyed through the hilt I grasped.
Whether “Neck Sever” would respond to my call was up to her—but a chill ran down my spine suddenly, and my arm shook.
“Whoa!?”
With the tremor came the rush of cursed will. Kill, death, slash—mixed together were intense malice and hostility, a chaotic yet pure madness. It was the same thought I felt when I first held the cleaver.
Normally, I suppress this kind of consciousness with my blackening. For an ordinary person, merely sensing this will could drive them insane. Particularly, the malice of “Neck Sever,” after undergoing two evolutions, had grown denser than it was when it first manifested as “Random Slaying.” Even I would go mad if I had to listen to the voice of the curse all day.
That is exactly why I suppress it with blackening. Basically, the way cursed weapons are wielded is just a matter of how much they can endure the encroachment of curses. My blackening is simply excellent at enduring.
But that is not enough. If I just suppress and dominate, swinging it around blindly, I would not be able to draw out its true power.
Unless I reach out beyond this cursed madness, I cannot touch the true intent of Grudge Demon Blade “Neck Sever.”
“—Hmm, finally calmed down.”
The tremors stopped. The mental shock must have been more than I expected. I noticed that I was drenched in sweat, feeling considerable fatigue.
However, this was not the end. This is where the real challenge began.
I felt it. I was now trying to touch the will of “Neck Sever.”
The cleaver I gripped became suddenly heavier. It felt as if it was an enormous chunk of steel, far beyond its appearance, with an astounding weight.
The black blade with red light—though its outward appearance had not changed, I could tell. The blackening I had piled on since I first grasped it was now undone.
“Now, respond to me.”
How can I become stronger? How can I master you?
“…Ch.”
I heard a small girl’s voice.
“Do not let me go,” the same voice I had heard when I went to fetch her in the Stratos Blacksmith Shop.
Was she the village girl who had gone mad in love for her original wielder, or a newly born cursed child like Hitsugi?
It didn’t matter. No matter who you were or how wicked you might be, you remained my companion.
“Give me your blood… Give me your blood…”
The voice ringing in my head was a classically cursed line. It implored me to sacrifice my blood.
“What? Is that all you want?”
What an oddly cute request. Asking for blood instead of life.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve sucked the blood of monsters, crusader soldiers, and even Fiona, but I haven’t done so with my own.”
Maybe I should have been the first to offer my blood to her, being her rightful owner.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. If you want my blood, I’ll give it to you. Drink as much as you like.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, I placed the cleaver’s blade on my left wrist and drew it across.
Fresh blood gushed out—at least that’s what should have happened, but the cleaver’s blade, tightly sealed against my wrist, absorbed without a single drop spilling. I see, indeed, it was being drawn in, as I felt the blade directly absorbing the blood from my severed wrist.
Thump, thump, as my pulse quickened, the blade lapped up my fresh blood.
“…Ugh.”
Suddenly, I came to. I found myself collapsed on the cold floor.
What the…? It seemed I had fainted without even realizing it.
“My head is spinning… Seems like I’ve been considerably drained.”
I must have lost enough blood that an ordinary person would have shriveled up. That I was only feeling dizzy was due to my body compensating for what I lost.
With my healing magic, Physical Compensation, I could simply seal wounds by sticking a jelly-like magical substance close to the body, but now that I had attained the sixth blessing, I could make this “Physical Compensation” much closer to an actual physical state. This was more about utilizing a pseudo-water attribute than being the ability of the Demon King of the Sea.
With further skill, it seemed I could even regenerate physical bodies, but… right now, I’m struggling just to create blood.
However, the ability to recover my “blood,” which could not be replenished except through transfusion, with magic carries great significance. As long as I had magical power, even with minor injuries, there was no concern about blood loss, thus giving me an advantage in long battles where resupply would not be possible.
At least from the fact that I emerged unscathed, I could prove that the blood I created with magic was not merely a substitute like saline solution but properly replicated blood components, including red blood cells. It turned out to be a bit of a life-threatening demonstration.
In any case, I will name this healing magic that creates blood simply as “Blood Creation.”
It had allowed me to generously let “Neck Sever” drink my blood.
“So, how do you feel, my lady?”
Slowly,
As I stood up, I looked at the “Grudge Demon Blade ‘Neck Sever'” hovering over my shadow.
No answer came back. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t gripping the handle. No, it seemed that she was naturally silent, so even if I were holding it, she probably wouldn’t have answered.
“I’m glad. For now, are you satisfied?”
When I stood up and gripped the handle again, it had returned to its usual lightness.
There was no blackening applied. Still, feeling this lightness means that my blood has assimilated with it.
Until now, it had felt like an extension of my hand, but that was only considering the blackening. If the “Grudge Demon Blade ‘Neck Sever'” has accepted me, then blackening is no longer necessary. Rather than being wrapped up in the quantity of black magic power, by giving it my own blood, it should integrate and resonate with my body at a higher level in a true sense.
Well, I can’t test how effective that is right now…
“Shall I test it against the ghost knight of Avalon?”
One more thing to look forward to. Well, considering that she’s an undead without fresh blood, she probably won’t be very satisfied.
“So then, next… should I go with ‘Devourer’ or ‘Haunted Grave’?”
While submerging the satisfied “Grudge Demon Blade ‘Neck Sever'” back into the shadows, I ponder which one to choose next.
I have no idea how long I was unconscious. However, since Simon hasn’t come to call me yet, it isn’t already five days.
I knew it, but if this continues, it’s going to be tough. Both “Devourer” and “Haunted Grave” probably won’t be straightforward either. I would have to repeatedly engage in a dangerous act that cuts into my heart, body, and life.
“Ugh, if I’m going to worry, I might as well just go in order.”
The second cursed weapon I obtained would technically be “Basilisk’s Bone Needle,” but I lost this when I fought Sariel at Daedalus Castle. So now, if I were to refer to my number two…
“What’s wrong? Come out, Hitsugi.”
When I called, the tip of a black-gloved finger peeked out from the shadows, looking somewhat shy.
Usually, it would come flying over in a delighted response, but given this reaction… it seems she’s actually concerned.
“I’m sorry, Hitsugi. I made you worry too.”
I knelt down and reached into the shadows to grasp the glove that was hiding.
It squirmed in my hand like a fish, resisting, but it wasn’t refusing seriously. If she got serious, she’d be rampaging with “Magical Hand.”
“Even as a shell of a being, you still took care of me. Thank you.”
I won’t show that kind of pathetic side again. I will work hard to become a master you can be proud of.
And so, I put Hitsugi on, donning “Black Chain Curse ‘Iron Cage'” with both hands.
“Uh… Master, are you not angry anymore?”
As I wore it, Hitsugi’s voice came through.
“I’m not angry. I was in the wrong.”
I was forcibly sent back by Spada. If Hitsugi had just followed my whims and chased after Fiona… I wouldn’t have been able to do anything even if I caught up halfway with half-hearted feelings. No, I wouldn’t even have been able to catch up in the first place. I just collapsed idiotic on the roads of Avalon without any purpose or achievement.
“So, can Hitsugi take care of you again?”
After returning to the mansion, she had been helping alongside Simon, but Hitsugi had clearly been distancing herself from me. She only got close when carrying me. The rest of the time, she worked unseen.
Thinking about her feelings in choosing to do so, it felt as if my chest was being tightened.
“Ah, I need you. Will you lend me your strength from now on?”
“Y-yes, Master!!”
With a loud wail, suddenly, long black tentacles shot out from the glove.
“Whoa!?”
I was a bit startled by the force and amount. For a moment, I braced myself, thinking I would be entangled, but the vast quantity of tentacles undulated and coiled into a large mass before my eyes.
It became a gigantic cocoon woven from black hair.
Just as I was at a loss for a reaction, the jet-black cocoon cracked open, as if a butterfly were hatching.
“Wow, Master!”
With a high-pitched scream that echoed in my ears, a small figure flew out from within the cocoon.
Indeed, it was unmistakably in human form.
An infant girl’s naked body with dazzling white skin. Her black eyes radiated a pure glow typical of childhood, and her most striking feature was her finely detailed, lustrous, super long black hair.
This girl called me Master and embraced me tightly.
“Hitsugi will always be by Master’s side from now on!”
“Wha!? Hitsugi, what is this? Why are you in human form…?”
The child clinging desperately to my waist and weeping looked just like Hitsugi, no matter how you looked at it. I had seen her face in the Last Rose’s dream, and recently she had been unnecessarily showcasing her face up close using the head display function of the “Tyrant’s Armor,” so I was already familiar with it.
It was undeniably the Hitsugi I knew in human form, but… it was the first time she had appeared as a real living body in front of me.
“What!? Th-this is… Hitsugi has become her true form without me realizing it!?”
“No, your true form is the glove.”
It seemed that Hitsugi herself hadn’t realized that she had become a living body. She subconsciously transformed into this form.
From Hitsugi’s body that hugged me tightly, I felt warmth and softness that hinted at blood flowing through it. When I gently touched her delicate shoulders with both hands, I could only feel a sensation like that of a human body.
“Ah, the feelings Hitsugi has for her Master have brought about a miracle!”
“…I see, she’s creating her body following the same principle as a slime’s clone.”
Beside Hitsugi, who was joyfully shouting like a dreamy maiden, I calmly realized her true nature.
The Pride Gem had released a clone mimicking a human form, and with the Chaosgrim, it had created an intricately crafted clone that replicated the exact appearance. Because I had obtained the sixth blessing, I had gained the ability to handle pseudo-water attributes, allowing me to manipulate liquid magical substances like a slime freely.
If I can create slimes, then certainly, I can also replicate that camouflage ability.
The crucial aspect of the sixth blessing is healing ability, so I hadn’t tested such abilities at all up till now… but the fact that Hitsugi formed this shape through her will was completely unexpected.
“Awesome, awesome, Master! With this body, Hitsugi can serve you even more, hehehe!”
“Whoa, stop it Hitsugi, that’s seriously bad!”
As Hitsugi moved sensuously against me, I genuinely started to panic. Hitsugi’s appearance was that of a beautiful girl with black hair, and she looked a little younger than Ursula, but it was still overwhelming to be embraced while she was naked and rubbing against me. I’m not a lolicon, but I probably wouldn’t be able to remain calm enough to handle something like this.
“Hitsugi, finally, true maid service is now unsealed!”
“Wait, stop with that, I’m not asking for it, seriously back off—ugh, don’t entangle me with your hair!”
I desperately tried to peel Hitsugi, who was clinging onto me with both arms and legs, and entangled her long black hair around me. Damn it, Hitsugi was quickly mastering her human body.
“Um, Master, you’re being cold.”
Who would be attracted to something like that? It’s too dangerous in so many ways.
However, upon taking a closer look… Hitsugi’s body was crafted to look precisely like that of a real human girl. Just because her insides were made of slime-like magical substance doesn’t mean her body looked transparent or vaguely human-shaped. It had smooth, flawless white skin, and her nails, navel, collarbone line—all perfectly replicated human anatomy. Even her mouth, which usually only said odd things, had neatly aligned white teeth and a tiny tongue peeking out. Just how thoroughly had her body been replicated?
So many things piqued my curiosity, but this wasn’t the time to dwell on them. Besides, it might not be good for me to scrutinize Hitsugi’s nakedness so closely.
“For now, can you revert back to normal?”
“No!”
I was instantly rejected by the maid.
Well, it seemed like Hitsugi was really happy to have acquired this body, so she probably didn’t want to give it up easily.
Given the magical presence, it’s clear that creating and retracting it easily isn’t a task with low density. I finally realized that my body’s magic power had diminished quite a bit.
A considerable amount of magic power was consumed to construct Hitsugi’s body. Even if I were to dismantle her and revert to normal, all the magic I poured into her wouldn’t simply be returned. It felt wasteful to erase her right after she had emerged.
“Alright, then first put on some clothes. Or couldn’t you make any clothes?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. Ah, but if I use my hair…”
Wriggling her black hair, Hitsugi wrapped the ends around her limbs. Soon, the fine strands of hair wove together to become gloves to cover her arms and socks for her legs.
“How about that!”
Striking a pose as if to show off, she stood tall.
Why did she make gloves and socks first? There’s definitely parts she should cover first as a girl.
“Alright, that’s enough.”
As I subtly averted my gaze from her childhood figure being exposed, I took off the robe I was wearing and draped it over Hitsugi.
“Whoah!”
“For now, go upstairs and find some clothes that fit appropriately. They might be a little big, but Sarah’s clothes should be able to fit.”
“Mmm, as the head maid, it feels wrong to just borrow Sarah-chan’s clothes…”
Despite being cursed, she still cares about the details. Even though it’s a mimicry, the fact that she has obtained a human body certainly makes her feel more human.
“I’ll buy Hitsugi’s maid outfit later, and I’ll make up for Sarah’s as well, so don’t worry about that and hurry to put something on.”
“Okay!”
Perhaps satisfied for the time being, Hitsugi flipped her long black hair and my oversized robe, scampering out of the basement.
“Sigh… I feel all drained.”
I felt like I had been swept away by totally unexpected events.
Well, Hitsugi was overjoyed, and for me, unexpectedly, a new possibility for magic had opened up, so in the end, I suppose it was all good…
“…I hope the others won’t materialize too.”
I’ll have to be careful next time.
With this firmly in mind, I called forth my next cursed weapon.