"I will hold him off."
"You must not hesitate at all, immediately..."
The girl was about to continue giving instructions, but then noticed that her voice, even her body, was no longer under her control. She couldn't move.
'What's going on?!'
'Can't move…'
Shizue's pupils shrank. She had never encountered something like this before.
More than panic, what she wanted now was to tell Elyun and the others to abandon her and flee immediately.
"Your vigilance is good."
"But, actually, it's unnecessary."
If Rin wanted to kill them, a single thought could reduce all four of them to dust.
No Ultimate Skill needed. The sheer gap in magicules alone was a gulf beyond imagination.
"You three, go back to the Sorcerous Dynasty, go back to the Adventurers Guild, go wherever you like."
"As for you..."
Rin flickered and appeared directly beside Shizue. He leaned in and whispered into the girl's ear, "If you want to live, come with me."
"!!!"
A threat. That was absolutely a threat.
He was using Elyun and the others' lives to threaten her into obedience.
"Okay."
But Shizue had no other choice.
She couldn't just watch Elyun and the other two die at Rin's hands.
"Please, spare them..."
But she had misunderstood Rin's intent.
What Rin meant by "if you want to live" wasn't referring to the trio, but to her.
Shizue's body was already on the verge of collapse.
If nothing was done, she would die within a month due to magicules rampaging inside her, just like in the original work.
Back when he watched the anime, Rin had felt some regret about the character Shizue.
Now that he'd run into her, he didn't mind lending a hand.
And in return, the girl would have to serve under Rin and become his monster. That wasn't too much to ask, right?
"Well, you can think of it that way too."
Rin had no intention of explaining. He just waved his hand and teleported the trio out of the Great Jura Forest.
"This is?!"
"Relax. I've already sent them out of the forest."
"Huh?!"
Shizue's eyes beneath the mask were full of disbelief. "Sent... sent out? How did you send them out?"
"Spatial magic, long-distance pinpoint teleportation."
"It's nothing special."
After saying that, Rin continued walking toward the Sealed Cave. "Follow me. I'll deal with your issue shortly."
???
Shizue showed a startled expression again. "What, what did you say?"
Then she caught on.
What Rin had said earlier about "wanting to live" wasn't about Elyun and the others, but herself.
"But how could such a thing be possible?"
Seeing Rin walk away, Shizue quickly followed. "Can you really solve the problem with me?"
Shizue was someone from another world, once summoned to the Cardinal World by Demon Lord Leon.
However, her summoning had been incomplete—an imperfect summoning.
An imperfect summoning meant that the summoned target was too young, and couldn't properly control the magicules fused into the soul during the summoning process.
This would lead to the soul and body being eroded by magicules, severely limiting their strength and even shortening their lifespan.
However, Shizue had a Fire Spirit inside her.
This allowed her to temporarily stabilize her body, maintaining a certain balance between soul and magicules.
But this balance wasn't complete.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone on a rampage in the original work due to a damaged life force, losing control of the Fire Demon's power.
"Your life force can probably hold back the Fire Spirit's magicules for about twenty-something more days."
"After that, the Fire Spirit will break free from your body."
Rin's words made Shizue feel as if she had fallen into an icy pit.
Her deepest secret had been seen through, and most of her suspicions about Rin instantly dissolved.
"Please tell me!"
"I beg you!"
"No matter the price, please tell me how to resolve an imperfect summoning!"
She bowed deeply to Rin as she finished.
Her desperation wasn't because Rin could save her, but because Rin knew how to resolve this type of situation.
Shizue had been searching for Leon to learn how to maintain balance.
She had a few students, all of them under ten years old.
Just like her, they were all imperfect summoners.
But they didn't have her luck. Their lives had been extended by Demon Lord Leon through an unknown method.
"You want to save those children, right?"
"This..."
Shizue was completely stunned. She realized that ever since she met Rin, nothing she thought could be hidden from him.
Rin seemed to see right through her, understanding every thought clearly.
"Yes."
Shizue didn't have the luxury to think about it anymore. "I want to save those children."
"So please, tell me. What price must I pay for your help?"
The character Shizue Izawa was a beloved archetype in the original novel.
Everyone who came into contact with her, aside from Demon Lord Leon, liked her.
She was gentle, kind, strong, and an excellent teacher.
"The price is simple."
"Follow me. Become my subordinate, and never betray me."
Rin walked ahead, stating his terms without turning around.
"Huh?"
Shizue was stunned. "Just that?"
"This is no small matter, Miss Shizue."
After speaking, Rin handed Shizue a subordinate contract formed from condensed magicules.
She took it, and the magicules immediately seeped into her palm.
The next moment, a flood of information rushed into her mind, explaining what the subordinate contract was and what would be required after signing.
"Become a subordinate, and follow you from now on?"
Shizue didn't know who Rin was, but if that was all, she didn't see it as unreasonable.
To save those children, serving Rin in exchange didn't seem like a bad deal.
He wasn't just going to help her for free, right?
"If that's all, I accept."
With Shizue's confirmation, a special connection was established between the two.
The next moment, the Fire Spirit within her was forcefully removed by Rin.
He didn't kill it, but instead tossed it in front of the Snow Empress, to be disciplined by the newly crowned Spirit Empress.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)