Giving up with a deep sigh, Elga changed his expression and spoke to Raven.

“Have you thought about my offer? Seems like I’ve given you ample time.”

“Yeah, I’ve decided. I’ll help you guys.”

“A wise choice.”

“But under the condition that you keep your promises. If I see anything suspicious, it’s off.”

“Fine. Let’s make it official with a contract. I hate oral agreements. They end when one changes their mind.”

“A contract…you say?”

“Yes. Wizards have their own contracts. It’s rather interesting.”

The next moment, Elga began to mutter what seemed like an activation phrase, and a circular magic circle appeared in his palm.

Observing the unfamiliar symbols and glyphs on the magic circle as it emitted light, Sione laid her hand on Elga’s shoulder as if to stop her.

“Master, there’s no need for this…”

“Don’t worry, Sione. Have you ever seen me make a contract I can’t keep?”

Elga spoke firmly, and Sione hesitated before stepping back.

Though she seemed to want to say more, even she couldn’t defy her master’s will.

“Now, Raven, touch this magic circle. Then our contract will be sealed.”

“…Nothing strange will happen, right?”

“Quite the opposite. This is more like a promise that if I break our agreement, I will face the corresponding consequences. It’s good for you.”

Though skeptical, Raven judged by Sione’s restless demeanor next to him that Elga was telling the truth.

Feeling like he was making a gamble of a lifetime, Raven placed his hand on the magic circle.

As a tingling sensation covered his palm, all the promises Elga had made quickly flashed across his mind.

And the next moment, the magic circle disappeared as if it had been a lie.

Thus, the contract between him and Elga was formed.
“Now you understand, Raven. You have been cooperative enough with us, and in return, I give you the promised reward. If I break that promise, I will lose half of my magic.”

“…What if I don’t keep my promise?”

“Then you will have earned my disappointment. Other than that, there is no penalty. You would have learned all the details of the contract when you touched the magic circle, right?”

Raven gently touched the hand that had made contact with the magic circle and nodded.

Contracts among magicians were very unique and intriguing.

The moment the contract was completed, he realized that the many promises formed between them would undoubtedly be fulfilled.

And he became certain.

He no longer had to doubt Elga.

“Let’s start discussing our research. We certainly need your help here, kiddo. Desperately so.”

“I’m getting tired of being called that. How long do you plan to call me ‘kiddo’?”

“Until you properly call me Elga.”

It was then that Raven realized he had rarely ever called them by their names.

He had never even properly called Bella’s name.

“Going forward, you’ll have to spend a lot of time in this lab. You, and my apprentice as well.”

“…What exactly is the research about?”

“Extracting something from the Benian tribe that can solve the problem of magical depletion.”

Elga’s explanation went roughly like this:

Not all hybrids of demons and humans become part of the Benian tribe.

It was an extremely unique case; the demon’s lineage had to be closely related to actual existing pure demons—i.e., demons—in the demon realm, and the human part had to be a hybrid with celestial-derived races like dragons or fairies.

Even if a Benian had a child, there was no guarantee that the child would meet these conditions, so their existence was extremely rare.

These Benians all had unique magical powers, but due to a certain restriction they had from birth, they couldn’t fully utilize their capabilities.

Elga, who had been interested in the Benian tribe for a long time, had read numerous ancient texts and found a way to lift these restrictions.

He also believed that their power could cure people like Bella who suffer from congenital magical depletion.

So as soon as he received a message from Sione, Elga located a Benian through a crystal sphere, and found the one with the strongest potential among the few surviving Benians.

“Actually, most of what you have to do is just sit inside the magic circle that Sione and I created. It’ll probably feel very long and boring.”

“Just sitting…?”

“Yes. Magic may look simple but it requires a lot of experimental repetition, so we constantly have to modify the formula. You just have to sit there quietly. If you get bored, you can knit or something.”

Imagining himself sitting quietly in the middle of the magic circle, perhaps knitting like a proper lady, Raven sighed deeply.

After hearing the explanation, it seemed much safer than he thought, but the idea of enduring such tedium felt like its own kind of hardship.

“We’ve talked too long. Let’s get started. Sione, bring out the experimental tools we’ve prepared.”

“Yes, Master.”

“It’s been centuries since the two of us have done joint research. You’re prepared for the hard work, right?”

“…Sort of.”

“Sort of? Living in luxury at the palace has made you completely spoiled.”

Watching Sione and Elga bicker as usual, Raven shook his head.

For adults, they often felt more like children than he did.