The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter
chapter-266

“Where is this tea from?”

“I-It is from Mt. Sigur…”

“Mt. Sigur? I like the fragrance. Thank you for telling me.”

“Could you please stop? Y-you are making me uncomfortable…”

“Shouldn’t Lady Keridna stop talking to me formally first?”

“But…”

“Speak informally.”

“Apologies… I mean, sorry! Please, speak informally to me!”

“You should have done that from the start.”

The matter was resolved. I sipped my tea with satisfaction.

On the other hand, Keridna let out a deep sigh, looking like someone who had aged ten years.

“So… why are you looking for my sister?

“I have some business with her.”

Aichel Whiteclark.

I remembered her as a relentless person who would use any means to achieve her goals.

But she wasn’t an evil person.

She was a pacifist, right?

Aichel loved peace.

There was no need for unnecessary discussion about her concept of peace. She simply prioritized human peace above all else.

With a creak, the reception room door opened. Both Keridna and I turned our heads towards it.

A mature woman with neat pink hair entered the reception room with a couple of attendants and bowed to me.

She was a kind beauty as if she embodied the very concept of purity.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ice Sovereign. I am Aichel Whiteclark.”

“Nice to meet you too. I am Isaac.”

I stood up and greeted her politely.

Keridna looked between me and Aichel, unsure of what to do.

“You go by Isaac?”

Aichel and I looked at each other. She had a meaningful smile on her face.

Aichel guided me to her office.

“Please, come in.”

The antique office had the Whiteclark family emblem, a large white dragon mark, on the wall. Only Aichel and I entered the room.

Aichel surrounded the office with a soundproof barrier.

An awkward silence filled the room. There was considerable awkwardness as we stared at each other.

I decided to break the ice and create a conversational atmosphere.

I looked out the window.

“It’s always snowing here, right? It snowed a lot in Düpfendorf too…”

“Huhu, is that so?”

Suddenly, Aichel quickly approached me, knelt on one knee, and bowed her head.

What’s with this person?

“I have been waiting for you, Ice Sovereign.”

“...Aren’t you supposed to serve Emperor Carlos? Please, lift your head.”

“I only pledge my loyalty to peace.”

Is she a person of peace or a god of peace?

In any case, it was a dangerous statement. It meant she wasn’t on the Emperor’s side or mine.

“Ice Sovereign, you have used your great strength to protect people and prevent immense threats. No amount of gratitude can suffice. Please allow me to repay you for the number of humans you have protected.”

“I’m not sure about that, but please stand up first…”

This made me uncomfortable.

Aichel gave me a serene smile. It was beyond pure, it was benevolent.

“So, is this where the Elemental Kings gather? I can’t imagine it.”

The Lightning Sovereign informed me that the Council of Kings would be held at the Whiteclark mansion.

If all the Elemental Kings gathered in such a place, it would surely attract attention, causing global commotion.

“Don’t worry. You’ll see how it’s done. I’ve summoned the Elemental Kings. It’s not an official meeting, but everyone has been eager to meet you, so they should be here soon.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

It seemed there was a way for the Elemental Kings to gather without drawing attention.

“Ah, please excuse me for a moment.”

Aichel walked over to the window and drew the curtains.

“This is the meeting place chosen by the Elemental Kings. Whatever situation arises, thorough countermeasures are in place. Oh, and don’t worry, we have a perfectly prepared explanation for you arriving on a white dragon.”

“Are you confident?”

“Yes. In my position, if I couldn’t hide things well or lie convincingly, I could lose my head at any moment.”

Aichel laughed heartily.

That doesn’t seem like something to laugh about…

“Well then.”

Aichel clapped her hands to get my attention.

“There’s something we need to do before I take you to the meeting room. It’s very important.”

Suddenly, Aichel began unbuttoning her blouse.

“What are you doing?”

“By coming here, you’ve indicated your intention to attend the Council of Kings, correct?”

“For now, yes.”

When I nodded, Aichel slid her blouse down slightly, revealing her delicate shoulder.

A magic circle gradually appeared on her shoulder, glowing faintly.

“Then we need to form a covenant.”

“A covenant?”

It wasn’t something to overthink.

Aichel was a key figure in the Council of Kings. It made sense to have insurance among the Elemental Kings, including me.

“The Council of Kings is a crucial event that must never be revealed to the public. A covenant is essential.”

A covenant was a magic contract with specific terms agreed upon by both parties.

It required genuine mutual consent and imposed pre-agreed penalties if the obligations were violated.

In short, it was a magically notarized contract.

The mark is etched pretty deeply.

The process of engraving the mark of the covenant involved pain.

The stronger the covenant, the more intense the pain.

Given that this covenant was related to the Council of Kings, the magic circle on Aichel’s shoulder was very distinct. It must have been quite painful.

“...Understood.”

“Thank you for understanding, Ice Sovereign. Here is the contract.”

Letters appeared in the air, glowing with a blue light. They were quite legible.

It included vows to participate in the meeting, to maintain confidentiality, and to not misuse what was heard during the meeting. The terms were reasonable.

The penalty was…

Loss of one of the five senses.

A serious penalty. Engraving this mark must have been very painful…

“The covenant is still magic. It might have a minimal effect on an Elemental King, but it’s better than nothing.”

In my usual state, I was far below the level of an Elemental King. The penalty would definitely affect me.

“Do you agree to the terms?”

“Yes, of course.”

Everything was easy to abide by.

“The mark of this covenant will be added to the mark of the Council of Kings. Please inscribe the mark on my body.”

I approached Aichel and placed my index and middle fingers on the magic circle engraved on her shoulder.

“This will be very painful, Lady Aichel.”

“The pain doesn’t matter. To have you, the pain of the covenant is nothing.”

“...Isaac, do you agree to the covenant?”

“I agree with the covenant, Aichel Whiteclark.”

Blue magic flowed from my fingers and colored the magic circle engraved on Aichel’s shoulder.

Aichel winced and tightly shut her eyes.

“If it’s too painful, let me know. I’ll go slowly.”

“Thank you, Ice Sovereign… ugh…!”

***What’s going on?

Why did Isaac seek out Aichel, and why did Aichel bring Isaac to her office?

It was only Aichel and Isaac in the office right now, with a soundproof barrier meticulously placed.

Keridna cast [Sight Synchronization] on a white raven trained by her family and peered out the window at the office.

Aichel had noticed and drawn the curtains, blocking the view.

So Keridna went directly to the door of the office.

I can’t go in.

Keridna wanted to know why Isaac and Aichel were meeting.

If they were discussing something official and important, she definitely shouldn’t interrupt.

She quietly tried turning the doorknob. It stopped at a certain point, confirming it was locked.

I knew it, the door is locked.

Keridna pressed her ear against the door and used her mana to make a small hole in the soundproof barrier.

Soundproof barrier wasn’t a particularly difficult spell. Due to this this, a skilled wizard like Keridna could easily pierce the barrier once she recognized its presence.

Inside the office, Aichel was gritting her teeth in pain as the mark of the covenant was being engraved.

“Kugh…?”

Aichel realized that the soundproof barrier had been breached. She could tell because she also set up a double detection magic.

It’s Keridna.

Aichel recognized that this was Keridna’s doing.

Although she had anticipated this and had ways to handle it, the pain of the engraving made it hard to move.

She had a plan for such situations.

Aichel decided to mislead Keridna with suggestive sounds.

“Uhh…”

It was a suggestive moan.

The difference between a moan of pain and a suggestive moan was subtle.

When a specific situation was implied, people tended to interpret it in line with their own thoughts. They didn’t even bother to question it. The more provocative the implication, the more effective it was.

Outside the door, Keridna listened intently to the faint sounds.

– Ah, it hurts… uhh…!

What is this sound…?

– Haa…! D-do it slower…!

“…!!!”

Keridna recoiled from the door in shock.

“S-sister…?”

Her face flushed with heat, and her heartbeat quickened.

Did I hear that wrong…?

Keridna pondered for a moment.

Yeah, I must have heard wrong.

Aichel was pure and beautiful, like someone descended from the heavens, with a sophisticated image.

Could her dignified sister really engage in such shameless acts with Isaac right after meeting him?

That’s impossible. It would be like a poorly written novel with no plausibility.

That must be it. Keridna collected herself and pressed her ear to the door again.

– I’ll go slowly if it hurts.

– Thank… uhh…! Sorry…

– But, the sounds from earlier…

– Can’t be helped, u-ugh…

Sister Aichel…!!

Keridna wiped her face and internally screamed.

There was no room for doubt.

W-why is she doing such imprudent things with Isaac…! I mean, why…?

Keridna was in a state of confusion.