"Unless it's a dire situation where your intervention is strictly necessary, you should think more carefully about what changes your actions will bring. After all, you're no longer the freshman who just stepped onto campus a year ago."
Leaning back in his chair, Professor Borao gazed up at the statue of the God of Metal and Machinery carved into the workshop's ceiling as he spoke to Lanqi.
"Professor Borao, aren't you overestimating me a bit too much?" Lanqi murmured in bewilderment.
To him, Professor Borao—sitting there and saying such things—looked far more like an observer.
"Either way, no matter what you do, Loren is the one who bears ultimate responsibility."
Taking a sip of tea, Professor Borao smiled nonchalantly.
He had said all he needed to say.
All that was left was to respect Loren's fate.
After going over a few brief precautions with Lanqi, Professor Borao began assigning the tasks Lanqi and Talia would be handling in the laboratory over the next few days.
Lanqi's duties remained largely the same as usual, except Professor Borao had reduced his workload, seemingly wanting him to clock out early.
Tata, on the other hand, enjoyed even more freedom; she only needed to cooperate with Lanqi to complete their joint assignments.
"Well, Tata, do you mind studying in this laboratory for a few days?" Professor Borao asked as he resumed his work.
"I'm fine with it. Lanfu's craft is practically etched into my mind like a memory. Whatever she knows, I probably know too," Talia murmured.
"Splendid. It's not even ten o'clock yet. Work hard this morning, and you two can leave by three or four in the afternoon," Professor Borao said, glancing at his watch.
"..."
Neither of them said a word.
The way Professor Borao rushed them out felt suspiciously like urging them to hurry off on an after-school date.
In reality, going on any kind of date in Ikerite was out of the question for them right now. If an acquaintance ran into them, it would be extraordinarily awkward.
"Then we'll get to work."
Both stood up from their chairs in front of the desk and spoke to Professor Borao.
"Wait a moment. There's one more document I'd like you two to look over."
Professor Borao opened a mechanically sealed document box on his desk and pulled out a translucent dossier with a silver cover.
"What is this?"
Lanqi took the folder and flipped through it. Beside him, Talia leaned in close to look as well.
"A royal commission from the Kingdom of Posen. The contents are confidential. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't allow anyone to see them. But since you two are my students and will be heading to the Kingdom of Posen soon, I felt it necessary to bring you up to speed," Professor Borao explained as he put on his spectacles and turned his attention to his work.
Lanqi and Talia nodded hesitantly.
Professor Borao's underlying message was clear: they should keep this in mind for their own safety, but they were strictly forbidden from broadcasting the information to outsiders.
The dossier was filled with data regarding a book enveloped in thick black mist.
It was difficult to say whether it could even be called a book. Beneath the churning dark fog, there appeared to be fangs and eyes; only its general silhouette resembled a heavy grimoire.
"A century ago, when the Kingdom of Posen actively promoted contracts and accepted the demon race, tensions and turmoil reached an all-time high. There were frequent incidents involving humans or demons who refused to abide by the rules, leading to several irreversible tragedies. In that era, an archmage named Palroni emerged, consumed by an extreme hatred for demons. Exhausting all his lifelong talent, wrath, and monstrous malice, he is said to have crafted a forbidden magic apparatus engineered specifically to counter demons."
"Later, that apparatus and the spellcraft principles tied to it brought about an even greater disaster. Archmage Palroni was captured, tried, and executed. Because Posen needed to quell demon outrage and earn their trust back then, the historical records surrounding Palroni's case were left ambiguous, and many details were deliberately destroyed. Judging by how humans and demons have coexisted and developed in Posen over the past century, this magic apparatus was presumed to be a sensational fabrication. Even if it truly existed, it must have been destroyed long ago."
As the two examined the documents, Professor Borao provided an ongoing explanation.
"Thus, it became an ancient legend in the Kingdom of Posen: a Book of the Dominator that could enslave demons by rewriting their contracts, causing friendly demons to instantly lose their sanity, undergo a frenzied aberration, and slaughter friend and foe alike. Recently, however, successive incidents of demons losing control in the Kingdom of Posen have led the press to suspect that this forbidden book has resurfaced."
What Professor Borao was currently studying were texts and relic replicas concerning Archmage Palroni sent over by the Posen royal family, who hoped he could assist in determining whether the legend was true or false.
Over the past few months, the incidents of berserk demons had been suppressed by the media. Neither the Posen royal family nor the demon representatives had reached any conclusive findings; all that was certain was that tensions between both sides were intensifying.
A significant portion of that nation's military defenses relied on the demon race. If a rift opened between humans and demons, the damage to the kingdom's national strength would be immeasurable. Naturally, in the spirit of allied friendship, Professor Borao felt bound to offer his assistance.
"For a magic apparatus to be this powerful, could it be Tier 8 Epic rank?"
Lanqi and Talia exchanged a subconscious glance.
The soul contract between them ought to count as a contract too.
"If it truly is a spite-fueled artifact forged from Archmage Palroni's legendary, lifelong craft... it's hard to say," Professor Borao explained, delving into the mechanics of magic apparatuses. "However, spells and magic engineering creations that enforce coercive contracts inevitably come with corresponding restrictions. The higher the rank of the demon, the harder it is to rewrite their contract, and the conditions required become exponentially more intricate."
The greater the power, the steeper the price and tighter the restrictions. That was an ironclad rule. The only alternative would be a single-use item that shattered upon activation.
If this Book of the Dominator truly existed and could be used repeatedly, it would undoubtedly carry immense costs and severe limitations.
"Then what if it were a contract with a Demon King?" Talia asked, suppressing the unease in her heart.
She was terrified that if such a magic apparatus truly existed in the Kingdom of Posen, it might cause her to lose control. She did not want to hurt Lanqi.
"To begin with, Tier 7 and Tier 8 demons would hardly fall prey to it, let alone a great demon. And if it were a Demon King? Even if you handed the contract right to them to rewrite, they probably wouldn't be able to budge it in the slightest," Professor Borao said, shaking his head and explaining patiently.
"Besides, in all the history books I've read to this day, I have never seen a Demon King enter into a contract with a human. Anyone capable of becoming a Demon King wouldn't be so utterly disgraceful."
He added with a quiet snort of laughter.
"Pfft..."
Lanqi pressed his lips tightly together, his molars practically chattering as he struggled desperately not to burst out laughing.
"...!!"
Concealed behind her back, Talia's hand ruthlessly pinched him on the waist.
She felt that there was no need for that Book of the Dominator at all—she was already ready to go berserk and slaughter Lanqi on the spot!
Chapter 652