Ch.4141. Contract Complete.

“Yes, Seohyun. Stop making a contract with her and come over here.”

The one who was flustered by my words wasn’t Seohyun, but Ellis.

“S-suddenly stopping the contract? Why…? Didn’t you say you needed to leave quickly…?”

“You, just wipe your neck and wait. I’ll bring the sealing device. Trying to pull a fast one…”

“What? A fast one? I was just preparing in advance because magical girls find it difficult… and, well, I thought it might be hard for you…”

“For now, I’m going to contact the association to have you transported. As a prisoner.”

“N-no! W-wait a moment! What are you…! You can’t suddenly…!”

“You destroyed the trust first, so there’s no helping it. I didn’t particularly want to cause trouble for the school, so I suggested we go peacefully, but you’re the one who kicked that opportunity away.”

“N-no. I, I was just trying to help…”

It seemed Ellis thought until the end that we didn’t know how contracts were formed.

The fact that even after her scheme was exposed, she continued to plead her innocence without changing her expression was… truly impressive.

How could she maintain such a calm face…

Even Vine probably couldn’t pull that off.

No, Vine would already be doing it, but I might just be able to distinguish her subtle facial changes because I’ve seen her so much.

Ah, I don’t have time to waste on this. Really.

Why did she plan such a scheme?

“Did you think we wouldn’t know what you were up to?”

“What? I was genuinely, purely trying to help the magical girls, really…”

“That contract magic, why did you try to make it with Seohyun?”

“T-that… hehe…”

“Feeling guilty about something?”

“N-no! It’s just that, Blanc, you seemed busy… so to do it faster…”

“Did you think we wouldn’t know about the loophole in contract magic?”

“What…? L-loophole…?”

“The contract varies depending on magical power. You must have known that.”

Hmm, it’s certain this child was trying to pull something.

Look at that expression.

How can she act exactly like Vine?

Even the way she tries to bite her nails when she’s at a disadvantage is similar.

When she does this, I can’t be too harsh.

This wicked villain…

“T-that… w-well…”

“Don’t try to deny that you knew.”

“W-well…”

“It would be better to honestly tell us everything. Following us wouldn’t be particularly harmful to you anyway.”

“W-well…”

“You’ll have to explain the details at the association, though you’d probably rather not go back there.”

“F-fine! I’ll tell you everything! Really! You wicked villain! Bullying an innocent girl!”

“The villain here is you, isn’t it?”

“Ahaha… I-is that so…”

“Don’t try to change the subject. What were you planning to do by controlling our Seohyun, Ellis?”

“W-well…”

After a bit of hesitation, Ellis began her confession.

“I-I was going to make one magical girl mine… then go to Marina and secretly without Vine…”

“You had the audacity to plan an invasion of Marina?”

“And while I was at it, the boss too…”

“Your boss was just ‘while you were at it’?”

“Well, it’s not like that person is a good person. It’s natural that they’re lower priority than Vine.”

“Ahem, s-so?”

“I was planning to live with Vine in Eden’s hidden villa forever…”

“I see… Is that all?”

“Yes. Well, if I needed money, there are many ways to get it, and if I’m short, I could just rob a bank…”

“What? A bank?”

“Is robbing a bank wrong?”

I don’t quite understand what she’s saying, but at least she did it to save Vine.

To use a magical girl as her subordinate for such a reason…

Well, we’re not ones to talk.

“Besides that, is there really no other reason?”

“No, there really isn’t any other reason. Um, besides robbing banks when short on money, I could also make the magical girl deposit money…”

“Sigh. Really.”

“It’s all ruined now… I thought I could see Vine…”

“If you come with us, we’ll somehow take care of that situation. Now, open the contract magic again.”

“What? W-wait! T-that contract magic! If I make a contract with Blanc!”

“If you refuse, there’s no answer except locking you up in Marina next to Vine for the rest of your life. Right, Seohyun?”

“Yes, to dare to… the very intention of using a magical girl for personal desires is too disrespectful. We should lock her up in Marina right away.”

“Right? You think so too, Seohyun?”

Having heard our words, Ellis now seemed genuinely terrified.

She didn’t even realize her disguise was fading, her hair turning white and her eyes turning red.

“Ellis, this is my final offer. Make a contract with me and come to the association, and this can be resolved peacefully. Instead of that heavy sealing device. Here, I’ll put this on you.”

With that, I showed Ellis a collar.

It was identical to the one Vine wore, just a different color.

This sealing device, which looked like it was made of red leather, was thin enough that it could be hidden under a scarf.

“Here, wear this and I’ll let you leave quietly. Well, I’ll let you come back here when the job is done. It’s not really a bad offer for you. It’s strange not to grab this lifeline when I’m going out of my way to save a wicked villain who deserves to be locked up in Marina.”

“Y-yes! I-I’ll do it! J-just… ugh…”

Finally, Ellis raised her arms in surrender and took out her magic core again.

A jewel-like magic core glowing with a pink light.

“You’ve made a good decision. I’ll make sure you don’t regret it.”

The contract method Gabriel told me about is simple.

Cast the magic circle for the contract magic, pour in magic to measure the minimum amount of magic needed to operate the circle,

When the scale that appears tilts toward me, I pour in my magic, and when the other person’s blood drops, the contract is formed.

It was fortunate that Seohyun’s contract was removed before the scale appeared, otherwise the aftermath would have been tremendous.

Ah, since this is a magic that can’t be solved with silent casting,

I’m chanting after a very long time.

“Contract: Acht-Petag”

The magic circle began to rotate in a circle, enveloping Ellis’s magic core.

Magic particles gathering into the magic circle, emitting a pure white light, forming that disc.

“Vintz, exponé schwein, mark fünft, vier zent.

Folia schieben, la mark vintz.

magia contractus, de anima.”

After completing the incantation, the key to casting the spell, a golden scale appeared.

The scale, overwhelmingly tilted toward me, indicates the difference in magical power.

“Ugh… no!”

“What are you doing!”

There was a brief commotion due to Ellis’s sudden action.

She threw away a ring she had on her hand.

I checked to see if there was any change in the scale.

There was definitely a change in the scale.

It must have been a ring that concealed magic, as the scale tilted slightly toward Ellis.

But the change was so minimal that Ellis was looking on with eyes of despair.

“Were you trying to reverse it with that?”

“W-well…”

“Well, let’s see after the contract is complete.”

“Hieek?!”

Having lost even her last hope, she continued the contract with a look of despair.

So the scale stabilized, and I poured in my magic.

“What are you doing? You need to add your blood quickly.”

“Doesn’t unnie need to give blood too?”

“The one becoming the master can substitute magic for blood.”

“What? That was… Sigh. Really. After the contract is done, can I use a punching bag at the association?”

“When it’s all over, ask her while she’s lying down.”

“I don’t think she’ll allow it.”

“Then you can’t do it.”

While chatting like that, I urged the still hesitating Ellis.

“Are you not going to do it? We need to hurry up if we want to make it on time. Don’t we need to eat too?”

“Ah, yes…”

“If you’re scared of drawing blood, I can do it for you.”

“N-no! I-I’ll… I’ll do it!”

She pricked her little finger with a needle from the desk, drew blood, and put it into the magic circle that would bind her.

The moment the contract was sealed, the scale shone white and scattered into particles of magic.

The scale, turned to magic dust, surrounded the magic core, creating a thin membrane.

A faintly glowing white membrane.

The contract with Ellis was complete.

“Ah, aah… the contract, it’s done… aah…”

“Now, let’s put this on. Then we can go.”

“Ugh, since the contract is already almost worse than slavery… is there really a need to wear that… Blanc…?”

“Hm? Ah, right. I did say that.”

“Ugh, haha… if I have to wear a sealing device here too… ugh…”

“It doesn’t seem right. But other people won’t know.”

“If I… disguise it, right?”

“Sorry. Come here.”

“Yes…”

I put the collar on Ellis, who was obediently following, perhaps due to the influence of the contract magic.

“Now, let’s go. Seohyun. Can you give me the scarf?”

“Ah, it’s here.”

Seohyun took out a scarf from her bag.

Since the weather has gotten somewhat chilly, wearing a scarf wouldn’t raise suspicion.

Besides, if we say we gave it as a gift, no one would doubt it even more.

But Ellis seemed to think differently about that bag.

“Is, is that where… the sealing device was…?”

Ah, that.

I said it was there to scare her when it wasn’t.

Since the scarf is bulky, she must have been suspicious.

“Yes, I brought the scarf in it. Are we villains? Would we give you meaningless shame?”

“T-then, t-this is… f-fraud…”

“Fraud? You’re the one who suggested making a contract, aren’t you?”

“U-ugh…”

Now I’ve finally obtained it.

The first piece to wake Vine up again…

Ah, Vine. Please…

May you wake up again…