The atmosphere in the living room was heavy and tense.
Genichi raised his hand and cut open his index finger with a blade.
A drop of crimson blood seeped from the wound, glimmering beneath the lights with an eerie sheen.
He reached out and let that drop fall into the wineglass prepared in front of him.
The clear liquor was stained red in an instant. The color churned and spread through the glass, finally turning the entire drink into a deep crimson liquid.
It shone like a ruby, beautiful and brilliant, yet carrying a faintly ominous air.
"Drink it, and you'll obtain the power you want."
Genichi's voice was calm and serious. His eyes stayed fixed on Haruno.
"But I'll remind you one more time. If you ever betray me, I'll take back the power I gave you. And when that happens, once you lose the power I bestowed on you, you'll die."
There was no threat in his tone. No intimidation. He was simply stating a fact.
Haruno looked at the glass of blood wine without the slightest hesitation.
Then she smiled.
Her smile was bright and radiant, as if she were facing some trivial, inconsequential choice.
"Then all I have to do is not betray you, right?"
Her voice was light, with a trace of matter-of-fact certainty.
With that, she picked up the glass, brought it to her lips without hesitation, and drained it in one gulp.
The moment the wine slid down her throat, Haruno felt a strange power pour into her body.
It was warm and gentle, as if something had taken root deep within her soul.
It was the Schrift.
The mark Genichi had bestowed upon her.
From this moment on, her life and death truly rested in Genichi's hands.
Yet strangely, she felt neither fear nor regret.
Instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of security.
Genichi closed his eyes and sensed the connection.
He could clearly feel that an invisible bond had formed between his soul and Haruno's.
Through that bond, he could sense her location, her condition, and even her current emotions—
Excitement, anticipation, and a trace of nervousness she could not quite hide.
"Not bad."
He opened his eyes and looked at Haruno.
"Next, I'll grant you magic."
He raised his hand and grasped at empty air.
The power of the Schrift began to operate. He peeled a spell from his own soul and, through that bond, slowly poured it into the depths of Haruno's soul.
Demon King Valion.
It was Alfia's magic. It consumed little energy and carried tremendous destructive power. For Haruno, it was the most suitable choice.
Haruno's body trembled slightly.
She could feel something taking shape inside her mind.
It was an incantation. A power. A sensation she had never experienced before.
She closed her eyes and felt that power circulate through her body.
Then she opened them.
"Gospel!"
She chanted softly.
Boom—!
An invisible force blasted toward the opposite wall like a cannon shell.
A thunderous crash erupted through the living room, and a huge hole was blown straight through the wall.
Fragments of brick and stone flew in every direction. Dust filled the air. Moonlight poured in through the gaping hole, casting a pillar of pale light across the floor.
The living room fell into a deathly silence.
Mrs. Yukinoshita's eyes widened as she stared at the hole, which was easily a meter across. Her hands clenched into fists.
That was her wall.
That was her carefully decorated living room.
And now it had just been... blown open?
Haruno froze too.
Then an incredibly brilliant smile blossomed across her face.
"It worked!"
She jumped up in excitement and threw her arms around Genichi beside her.
"Genichi! I did it! I really have power now!"
She hugged him and bounced in place, completely lacking her usual elegant composure.
Genichi looked somewhat helpless as she shook him around, but the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.
"All right, calm down."
He said softly, "This magic is powerful, but its consumption isn't low, either. With your current magic power, you'll run dry after using it only a few times."
Only then did Haruno let go of him, though the excitement on her face was still impossible to hide.
"Then what should I do? How do I make it so I can use it more times?"
"Use it more. Naturally, that will improve it."
Genichi explained.
Without a Blessing, she could not rapidly increase her magic power like an adventurer.
That meant she could only rely on the crude method—using magic constantly, exhausting her magic power, then recovering it.
Through that repeated process, she would slowly raise the upper limit of her magic power.
Haruno nodded thoughtfully.
"Then how many times do I have to use it before I become as strong as you?"
Genichi looked at her and could not help laughing.
"As strong as me? That's impossible. Forever. Because the speed at which I grow stronger far exceeds yours."
"However, Demon King Valion isn't limited to long-range attacks."
He continued explaining.
"You can also attach it to your fists or legs for close-quarters combat. As for how you use it, that depends on how you develop it yourself."
Haruno's eyes shone even brighter.
It could be used in close combat?
She could attach it to her fists?
In other words, she could use magic power to enhance her own attacks?
"I understand!"
She nodded excitedly, already beginning to imagine all kinds of combat styles in her mind.
Mrs. Yukinoshita stood nearby, watching her daughter's excitement with complicated emotions rising in her heart.
There was relief, worry, and a trace of indescribable envy.
Relief because her daughter had finally obtained the power she wanted.
Worry because the price of that power was having her life and death controlled by someone else.
And envy because her daughter had stepped into a world she would never be able to reach.
As for Yukino, she stood farther away, watching the scene with a complicated look in her eyes.
Her sister had obtained power.
A power unlike anything she had ever imagined.
And the one who had given her sister that power was the boy she had once mocked.
What was she supposed to say?
Congratulations?
Or should she warn her sister to be careful?
She did not know.
All she could do was stand there and watch in silence, a hard-to-describe sense of loss welling up inside her.
"Oh, right, Genichi."
Haruno suddenly remembered something and looked at him.
"Does this magic have a name?"
"Demon King Valion."
Haruno nodded and murmured the name to herself.
"Demon King Valion... Demon King... Valion..."
She lifted her head, light flickering in her eyes.
Then Haruno suddenly thought of something and looked at the huge hole she had blown through the wall. An embarrassed smile appeared on her face.
"Um... what do we do about the wall?"
Genichi looked at the hole, then at her, and shrugged.
"You figure it out yourself."
Haruno's smile froze.
She had to figure it out herself?
This was her family's wall!
She looked at her mother, silently asking for help.
Mrs. Yukinoshita took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
"It's fine."
She said softly, "I'll have someone repair it tomorrow."
Haruno breathed a sigh of relief.
But Mrs. Yukinoshita's next sentence made her freeze again.
"I'll deduct the cost from your allowance."
Haruno: "..."
Genichi looked at her deflated expression and could not help laughing.
(End of Chapter)
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