Although the Wonderous Forest Dwelling did not possess a single piece of furniture within it, spending the night within an actual house was life-changing after several months of sleeping outside, often beside an open campfire. Wilheim was even able to transform some of the floorboards into a soft, luxurious carpet from his memories, grinning as he rolled across it, revelling in the comforting sensation that brushed up against him.

Shamael and Avahni joined in moments later, crawling around the enormous sitting room, grinning and laughing at the magnificent abilities of the Fragment Of Manor.

Sariel appeared hesitant to join them in the beginning but was swiftly brought into the fold after Avahni and Aerilayna pulled her into the room, pushing her down onto the soft, plush carpet.

The sounds of laughter and giggling echoed throughout Harcourt as Jon evaluated the structural integrity of the Fragment Of Manor, Mael at his side. Standing atop the battlement connected to the Wonderous Forest Dwelling, Jon could not help but nod his head, watching as Mael slashed at the building using both his Fragment Of Sword and Fragment Of Severance.

A slight activation of his Minerva-Sagacity Eyes revealing the name and details of his manifested weapon.

[Fragment Of Sword] [Behold Thy Sanctified Sword, Clad In White Brilliance] (Light, Sword, Summoning, Ability, Weapon, Buff, Debuff)

Solais; Sword Of Vanishing Light slashed out, manifesting a crescent-shaped wave of sword natured spiritual energy. The white-silver wave slashed through the air before crashing into the stone-wood battlement that Harcourt had been constructed from. Both Jon and Mael raising an eyebrow, seeing that there was nothing more than an inch-deep scar across the surface of the dwelling.

Straightening his back, Mael could not help but show an impressed expression, seeing how little damage his two abilities inflicted.

"That took ten percent of my sword natured spiritual energy to activate. Even if I used all of the mana within my Sword Mana Core, I would not be able to destroy Harcourt, no matter how hard I could try," Mael admitted, glancing towards Jon at the top of the rampart.

He did not give the blonde-haired man a proper response, merely nodding knowing that he was hiding several his other abilities. Aerilayna had been forced to tell him all the abilities. of all the individuals she knew within Springtown, Mael being at the top of the list.

He was the strongest lutin within Springtown and was considered by many as their de-facto leader. Although the politics within Springtown were quite complex given how many different Races called it home, the undisputed leaders were Delila, Maliq and Amadeus, given how strong each of them were.

Delila was a human and despite her fairness and promises of equality, was seen as the "leader" of the humans within the Safe Zone.

Maliq was appaloscian and, from what Jon had been told was someone who considered "appaloscians" as first-class citizens. Humans and vermitons as second-class citizens. And drus, lutins and floresiensis' as third-class citizens.

Amadeus was a vermiton who prided himself on his martial strength and physical prowess. He respected Maliq and Delila because the two were also strong and did not treat those without a sufficient level of strength as "equal" in a sense.

He was, amongst the three of them, the one who best adapted to the rules of the System Introduction.

The difference in strength was due to their summoned companions who possessed Memento Source Fragments. The knowledge that Nestor, Celadonis and Vritrium gifted their summoners put them head and shoulders above the "average" Mortal, not to mention information relating to fragment pathways, spiritual item creation and combat techniques.

Leaning against the top of the battlement, Jon looked down at the walls of Harcourt, noticing that spiritual energy had started to repair some of the damage Mael inflicted upon it. Wisps of castle natured mana manifesting more stone-wood, filling in the wound that Mael carved into its surface.

"Damn… I kind of want my own summoned building construct now too," Jon muttered to himself, watching as Mael overloaded his Fragment Of Acceleration, scaling the fifteen-metre-tall battlement in a handful of seconds. The Sixth Initiated Mortal leaking a type of spiritual energy that he had never encountered before.

"Colour natured spiritual energy…" The voice of a certain epoch dragon whispering in the back of his mind.

The corners of Jon's mouth curving upwards, turning his head towards Mael.

"Colour Mana Core?" He could not help but ask.

Mael paused, halting the flow of colour spiritual energy into his Fragment Of Acceleration, before nodding in response to the question.

"Yeah, it was the Mana Core I chose within the Pure Room." He responded, scratching the back of his head. There was something about his voice that seemed unstable, emotions seeping out from his Fragment Of Mind, saturating his words and thoughts.

Jon was staring at the Vanishing Palace Bridge several hundred metres away in the centre of Springtown, before Mael interrupted his quiet contemplation.

"Aerilayna… Aerilayna told me you have a Wood Mana Core and Ice Mana Core." His words caused Jon to blink, half-turning his head to the side before replying with a single nod of his head.

"I do." Jon said.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

He could see Mael clench his fist, letting out a loud and obvious sigh of frustration. His pointed-ears had turned red, and the blonde-haired man glared at Jon and his distinct lack of proper response.

Taking a single deep breath, Mael allowed the tension within his shoulders to lessen before shaking his head, taking a step back. His posture mimicking Jon's as he gazed out towards the distant sight of Takamagahara. The Nara-kyo Springs partially from their location.

"She… said that you're also a Knight… and that Delila and Nestor would confirm it?" Mael said, still staring at the rest of the Safe Zone. Looking down at his hands, he could see an incredible number of callouses forming in his palm, brushing his thumbs against them and remembering all the effort he had put into training and fighting.

His eyes flickering towards the young-looking human beside him, taking note of his facial features, alongside his unblemished hands.

"I am." Jon said.

Standing up straight, Jon took a deep breath, placing both his hands behind his back. His expression shifting into one somewhere between sincere and serious.

"I'm not going to apologise for what I did. You and your companions had no intentions of leaving me alive that night. If it was not for the fact that I had just fought another Knight moments before, I would have killed each and every one of you for trying to attack me."

Jon took a single step forward, closing half the distance between himself and Mael.

"If Avahni had died that night. Or if Eis had to sacrifice herself in order for me to escape, I assure you, we would be having a very different conversation." Jon narrowed his eyes, watching as Mael's gaze faltered in the face of his quiet anger.

The Spiritus Ensis Sanctus nodding his head in understanding.

"I… I apologize for my actions." Mael said, lowering his head before Jon.

"I did not think. There is no excuse and there is no amount of words that I can say to apologize for the things that I tried to do. You did not harm Aerilayna and instead brought her back to Springtown without even so much as a scratch on her and yet-."

Mael scrunched up his face in discomfort, before lowering himself even further, kneeling before Jon. His neck exposed in such a way that it allowed Jon an almost effortless wave of his hand in order to kill him.

"I admit… if it was to keep Aerilayna safe, I would do it again," Mael honestly replied, "She is the woman I love and there is not a single thing in this world that I would not do in order to keep her safe."

"Even if it means the murder of an innocent."

Jon furrowed his brows, while Song, Eis and Rana perked up at his words. The Fragment Of Dragon, Summon and Tree communicating with one another, before Schwarz Eis recommended a potential course of action.

Golden-green eyes staring down at Mael before reaching into his Red Archives and manifesting a Fragment Of Permanence. Jon did not hesitate for a single moment before integrating it into his Fragment Of Contract.

[Fragment Of Contract] [Thy Name Shalt Be Written In Blood And War] (War, Contract, Spell, Ability, Binding, Buff, Debuff) (Permanence)

Effect (Knight): Transforms the [Crimson War Contract] into a [Tyrannical War Contract]. The [Tyrannical War Contract] becomes more resistant to metaphysical attacks, preventing the severance of karmic bonds and conceptual ties. The [Tyrannical War Contract] is now capable of lasting even after the death of the creator.

Those that break the [Tyrannical War Contract] become inflicted with instances of [Oathbreaker] and [Tyrannical Permanence].

[Oathbreaker]: Marks the mind, body and spirit with an immutable branding. This effect cannot be resisted. This effect cannot be cleansed. This effect cannot be refined. This effect cannot be transferred.

[Tyrannical Permanence]: Reduces mana regeneration. This effect cannot be resisted. This effect cannot be cleansed. This effect cannot be refined. This effect cannot be transferred.

Nodding at the Knight Ranked effect of [Thy Name Shalt Be Written In Blood And War], Jon took a deep breath before manifesting a [Tyrannical War Contract] in his hands. The surge of war natured spiritual energy half-prompting Mael to lift his head, seeing an aged-scroll manifest itself in Jon's hands.

"Do you know what this is?" Jon asked.

Mael paled but nodded his head.

"Fragment Of Contract…" he muttered.

"Good. If you accept this [Tyrannical War Contract] then I will forget about our little nighttime encounter. The two of us will be able to walk the streets of Springtown, pretending as though the whole thing never happened."

"And if I don't?" Mael could not help but ask.

Jon just smiled, extending the [Tyrannical War Contract] towards him.

"Then I will take your face… if you know what I mean," Jon whispered, smiling as Mael paled, biting his lower lip as he reached towards the Fragment Of Contract extended towards him. The moment his fingers came into contact with the [Tyrannical War Contract], his eyes widened, seeing the details of the metaphysical contract.

"Wait! This doesn't mention anything about serving-."

Jon narrowed his eyes at Mael, gesturing for him to shut his mouth.

"I do not require eternal servitude from someone who I might never meet again after the conclusion of the System Introduction. If you accept these terms, then I promise I will not take revenge on you through Aerilayna. Other than your life, it is perhaps the most valuable thing I can offer you."

"Do you accept, Mael Phaeron; Spiritus Ensis Sanctus!?" Jon titled his head back, allowing spiritual energy to flow into his voice announcing the Title that Mael had crafted with his own two hands.

The blonde-haired lutin felt his eyes widen as Jon released the spiritual energies produced from his Knight Ranked Mana Cores. His hair fluttering back as if a gust of wind brushed against his face, whipping against his cheeks. Jon's spiritual energy washing over him as if a surging torrent of water.

Mael had fought Knight Ranked Dungeon Guardians within the Vine-Ocean Jungle, Sinful-Rain Palace and the Forest Of Purple-Reeds but all lacked the presence and demeanour of a sapient lifeform.

None of them knew anger or wrath the same way a human, lutin or vermiton did.

Their emotions were constructed from a Dungeon Fragment. Nothing more than six Mana Core enveloped within a prison of flesh, muscle and spiritual energy. A puppet dancing on the strings of something their creationists were still incapable of understanding.

But the emotions he could feel roiling off Jon… was something that he was all too familiar with.

'I… think I understand what type of person Jon is…' Mael thought to himself, accepting the Fragment Of Contract with a single nod of his head.

Biting onto the tip of his thumb, Mael signed the [Tyrannical War Contract], imbuing a fraction of his mind, body and soul into the Fragment Of Contract. Jon had long since done the same, allowing the established agreement between himself and Mael to take physical form, before swiftly being placed within his [Red Archives Of Mars Quirinus].

The process was almost instantaneous, although the effects were near-permanent.

Both Jon and Mael stared at each other for a few seconds, before the former shrugged his shoulders, smiling before patting the latter on the back.

"So… does she know how you feel yet?"

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