Once he was back inside his room, Leo turned to look at Lilith and said with a frown on his face, “Isn’t it about time you tell me about the main reason why the resurrection didn’t work? I feel bad about not being able to resurrect her mother now. I swear, if your information could’ve helped me successfully resurrect her mother, we’ll stop being friends!”
Lilith remained calm and spoke, “Sure, I will tell you.”
“The main reason why she would’ve never resurrected her mother was because… that magic circle she used isn’t a true resurrection magic circle.”
“What?! Then what kind of magic spell did she use?! And why didn’t Miss Camille stop it?!”
“Probably because she doesn’t know it either.” Lilith shrugged.
And she continued, “Leo, you’re underestimating resurrection magic. Do you really think a child like her can somehow find a resurrection magic circle that has the ability to completely resurrect the dead? Not even someone like Miss Camille would be able to get her hands on real resurrection magic.”
“Anyways, the resurrection magic that Nina used today is still considered resurrection magic, but it’ll only turn them into zombies at best, so no matter what you did, her mother would not have been resurrected fully. Do you understand why it would’ve never succeeded in the first place?”
“And even if you somehow did acquire the real resurrection magic, you will not have enough mana for it because that would require millions of mana and many people working together to activate it.”
“Seriously?” Leo sighed, feeling even more dejected than before.
“Don’t feel bad, Leo. Even though you didn’t manage to resurrect her mother, at least you gave Nina some freedom and peace of mind.”
“I guess.”
Leo closed his eyes shortly after and tried to sleep while thinking about his future.
‘What do I want to achieve in this world? What is my goal? For what reason am I even working so hard? Just to get stronger?’ He wondered inwardly.
The following morning, Leo went to the infirmary to meet up with Miss Camille.
“Why are we meeting here?” He asked.
She looked at him and asked with a nonchalant expression, her thoughts unknown.
“Have you gotten any new quests now that you’ve finished helping Nina?” She asked.
“Now that you mention it… Even though I have completed Nina’s quest, I didn’t get any new quests.”
“Since that’s the case, we can only wait until you receive more quests. In the meantime, I want to give you a ‘quest’.”
“Huh? You’re giving me a quest? What kind?” Leo raised an eyebrow.
“I want you to be promoted to a C-Rank Adventurer before the Wilderness Training Course begins in two weeks, and you’re going to do it by yourself. I won’t be helping or guiding you. This also means that you’ll need to enter the Wilderness by yourself.”
Leo’s jaw dropped after hearing her words.
“Isn’t this a little sudden…?”
“Sudden? Leo, you have already been in this world for over a month, and I have been by your side pretty much this entire time. It’s finally about time that you truly explore this world on your own, and I am saying this for your own good.”
“You’re still too naive, and your mindset is still with your old world. Unless you change, you will never truly become strong. Yesterday, you hesitated and failed to destroy the zombie. What point is your strength when you cannot do anything with it? Why are you training to become stronger?”
“Do you remember what you told Nina? That she should snap out of her delusion and open her eyes? Leo, you should listen to your own advice. Open your eyes. This is no longer your world. Your naivety and kindness is only going to get you killed, and I don’t want to see that happen.” Miss Camille spoke with a painful look in her eyes.
‘I have already lost one person that I truly trusted… I don’t want to lose another one…’ she sighed inwardly.
Leo fell silent after hearing her words.
‘She’s right. I cannot rely on her forever. This is also a good chance for me to find my goal— my purpose for struggling in this world.’ Leo thought to himself.
“That’s all I have to say. You can leave now, Leo.” Miss Camille said to him a moment later.
“I understand. Thank you for everything you have done. I will try to not disappoint you.” Leo bowed to her before leaving the infirmary and returning to his own room.
“So what are you going to do now, Leo?” Lilith asked him.
“Isn’t it obvious? I am going to become a C-Rank Adventurer before the Wilderness Training Course, and I won’t come back to the academy until I achieve this goal.”
“What?! What about me? You should at least come back every other day to see me!” Lilith exclaimed, clearly not liking the idea of Leo being away for too long.
“You survived many years without me. You can do it for a few weeks.” He looked at her weirdly.
“That was only because I didn’t have anyone! It’s different now! What if you get hurt— or worse, die outside?! Are you trying to stress me to death?! You’re crueler than you seem…”
“…” He rubbed his eyes and sighed, “Look, Lilith. I would bring you along with me outside, but that is obviously impossible since you cannot leave the academy premises. And it will be a pain in the ass coming back to the academy every two days just to see you. Therefore, there is nothing I can do about it.”
Lilith turned silent after hearing his words, but she also had a contemplating look on her face, almost as though she was thinking of something.
“What… What if I tell you that there is a way for you to bring me with you outside the academy?” She suddenly said.
“What? Are you serious? If you knew something like that, why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He frowned.
“Because you would definitely refuse. I doubt you even trust me enough right now to agree to it.” She sighed.
“Do you remember what you said to me when I hesitated to tell Miss Camille about the Magic System? You won’t know until you try.”
Lilith stared at him with a serious expression on her face.
After a moment of silence, she spoke in a slow but clear voice, “As you know, I require mana to keep my soul in shape. If the mana is not strong enough, I will die. If you form a contract with me and allow me to absorb your mana, I will be able to leave the academy and go wherever you go, even if you go into the Wilderness.”
Leo’s eyes widened with surprise.
“A contract? With you?” He asked for confirmation just in case he heard it wrong.
“Indeed. However, your mana will continuously be drained in order to keep my soul healthy.”
He frowned and said, “Even if I form a contract with you, I don’t think I will have enough mana to keep you outside for long. How much mana will you even absorb?”
“Around 100 mana per second,” she said.
“Yeah, there’s no way I will have enough mana for that— at least not right now.” He shook his head.
“But it’s possible in the future, right?”
“I guess.” He nodded.
If he purchased the next tier of ‘Increase Mana Regeneration’ for 500 Magic Points, there was a good chance that he would have enough mana regeneration to keep Lilith’s soul alive without any issues.
‘At this moment, I have 15 mana regeneration. I was able to acquire 5 mana regeneration for 20 Magic Points, and with the next tier costing 500 Magic Points, I can expect 100 mana regeneration from it… probably… But the real question is… Should I form this contract with Lilith?’ He pondered.
As helpful as Lilith has been to him, even teaching him magic circles, he knew nothing about the contract, and it was not as though he fully trusted her just yet. Furthermore, due to this world’s hatred and fear towards vampires, and with Lilith being a vampire, it wouldn’t be unreasonable for Leo to doubt her even if it was unintentional.
“Can you tell me more about the contract? I will decide once I know everything about it.”
Lilith eagerly nodded her head and spoke, “There’s really nothing complicated about the contract. In fact, it’s not really even a contract. It’s just a magic spell that binds my soul to your body, allowing me to nourish off your mana.”
“You won’t be able to take over my body or something along those lines, right?” He looked at her with a weird face.
“How many times do I have to tell you that I am not a ghost? As a soul, I cannot take over a body that already has a living soul, so it’s literally impossible for me to take over your body. However, if you let me, I can control your mana and move your body that way. Of course, I can only do this if you allow me.”
“Furthermore, the one who invokes this magic spell will become the master, so I am essentially your slave until you free me. This is also a big risk for me, but I trust you, and I am willing to risk my life to explore the outside world with you. After being stuck in this academy for hundreds of years, I am desperate to go out.”
Seeing the serious expression on Lilith’s face, Leo became more willing to form the contract, and he began pondering in silence.
