"Wait, I'll hold him off."
"Don't hesitate... run immediately..."
Shizue was about to continue her instructions when she realized her voice and body were frozen, as if out of her control.
'What's happening?!'
'I can't move...'
Shizue's pupils contracted. She'd never experienced anything like this.
Amid her panic, her primary urge was to urge Ellen and the others to abandon her and flee.
"Impressive vigilance."
"But it's unnecessary."
If Damien wanted to harm them, a single thought could reduce all four to ashes.
No Ultimate Skills were needed... the sheer gap in magicule strength was an insurmountable chasm.
"You three, go back to the Sorcerous Dynasty of Sarion, the Adventurers' Guild, anywhere you want."
"As for you..."
Damien flickered, appearing beside Shizue Izawa. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, "If you want to live, come with me."
"!!!"
A threat... this was definitely a threat!
He was using Ellen and her team's lives to force her compliance.
"Fine."
But Shizue had no choice.
She couldn't stand by and let Ellen and her team be killed by Damien.
"Please spare them..."
However, Shizue had misunderstood Damien's intent.
When he said 'want to live,' he meant her, not the trio.
Shizue's body was already on the brink of collapse.
If left untreated, as in the original story, she'd die within a month due to magicule overload.
Damien had always felt regret for Shizue's fate when watching the anime.
Now that he'd encountered her, he didn't mind lending a hand.
And in return, it wasn't too much to ask her to join him as a majin, right?
"Well, you can take it that way."
Damien didn't bother explaining. With a wave of his hand, he teleported the trio out of the Jura Forest.
"What?!"
"Don't worry, I've sent them out of the forest."
"Huh?!"
Shizue's eyes, hidden behind her mask, were filled with confusion. "Sent them out? How?"
"Space magic, long-range pinpoint teleportation."
"No big deal."
With that, Damien continued toward the Sealed Cave. "Follow me. I'll fix your problem soon."
"???"
Shizue's expression turned to shock. "You... what did you say?"
She quickly realized.
Damien's earlier comment about 'wanting to live' referred to her, not Ellen's team.
"That's impossible, isn't it?"
Hurrying to catch up as Damien walked away, Shizue asked, "Can you really fix my condition?"
Shizue was an otherworlder, summoned to the cardinal world by Demon Lord Leon.
However, her summoning was incomplete.
An incomplete summoning meant the summoned person was too young to control the magicules fused into their soul during the process.
This led to their soul and body being eroded by magicules, severely limiting their strength and lifespan.
However, Shizue had the Greater Elemental of Flame within her.
This allowed her to partially stabilize her condition, achieving a delicate balance between her soul and magicules.
But this balance was imperfect.
Otherwise, as in the original story, her damaged life force wouldn't have failed to suppress Ifrit's power, leading to her eventual overload.
"Your life force can probably hold back Ifrit's flames for about twenty days."
"Then, Ifrit will break free from your body."
Damien's words sent a chill through Shizue, as if she'd fallen into an icy abyss.
Her greatest secret, laid bare by a stranger, dispelled most of her doubts.
"Please tell me!"
"I beg you!"
"No matter the cost, please tell me how to fix an incomplete summoning!"
Shizue bowed deeply to Damien.
Her agitation wasn't just about saving herself but about learning a method to help others.
Shizue had been searching for Leon to learn how to maintain that balance.
She had several students, children under ten years old.
Like her, they were incomplete summons.
Unlike her, they hadn't been fortunate enough to have their lifespans extended by Leon's unknown methods.
"You want to save those children, don't you?"
"This..."
Shizue was stunned. Since meeting Damien, nothing seemed to escape his notice.
It was as if he could see right through her, understanding her thoughts completely.
"Yes."
At this point, Shizue had no time to overthink. "I want to save those children."
"So, please tell me, what price must I pay for your help?"
In the original novel, Shizue was a universally beloved character.
Aside from Demon Lord Leon, no one who met her disliked her.
Gentle, kind, strong, and an exceptional teacher.
"The price is simple."
"Follow me, become my familiar, and never betray me."
Walking ahead, Damien stated his demand without turning back.
"Huh?"
Shizue blinked. "That's it?"
"This is no small matter, Miss Shizu."
With that, Damien tossed her a familiar contract formed from magicules.
She caught it, and the magicules merged into her palm.
Instantly, a flood of information filled her mind, revealing the contract's essence and what signing it would entail.
"Become your familiar and follow you forever?"
Shizue didn't know who Damien was, but if these were the terms, they didn't seem too steep.
Working for Damien to repay her debt for the children's sake felt reasonable.
He couldn't be expected to help her for free, right?
"If that's all, I agree."
With Shizue's consent, a unique bond formed between them.
The next moment, Damien removed Ifrit from her body.
He didn't destroy Ifrit but sent him to Snow Empress for discipline, under the new Elemental Empress's authority.
Ifrit was a Greater Elemental of Flame.
But above him was the Elemental Lord of Flame.
And above that were Ramiris and Snow Empress.
In other words, Ifrit couldn't muster the courage to resist Snow Empress.
***
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