Ch.8080. Settlement (2)

Exactly three days after realizing that Robo had awakened a new power.

Finally, the lengthy political discussions, debates, and negotiations had concluded. In other words, all matters related to this request were now finished.

Though I had to attend city council meetings several times over these past few days, give testimonies, engage in discussions, and raise my blood pressure, perhaps it’s true that hard work pays off in the end.

“…Oh!”

“It’s sparkling…!!”

After everything was over, the compensation given to Sophia and me according to the negotiation terms was sufficient reward for enduring and persevering despite being caught up in political affairs.

Not only were there piles of gold and silver coins enough to make both of us smile despite our distance from material desires, but also the additional amount secured at the end of negotiations. To be precise, if we added up all the promissory notes… it would be enough money to live comfortably for about 10 years.

Although promissory notes are difficult to cash out, and in the worst case, their value might fluctuate…

Since they were issued directly by Rothschild, there shouldn’t be any issues regarding creditworthiness.

And the rewards we obtained weren’t limited to money.

There was an identity certificate issued by the city council of Lien, an imperial free city, and administrative assistance to easily handle the normally time-consuming process of registering tamed magical beasts.

In addition to these rewards, we finally received something that couldn’t be easily obtained with money. That is… three rare items that had been stored in the free city of Lien.

A rare space expansion pouch enchanted to prevent the deterioration of materials stored inside.

Sea Serpent leather boots blessed with the “Lake Fairy’s” protection, allowing one to walk on water. And… a “Unicorn Horn.”

The space expansion pouch naturally became mine, while the Sea Serpent leather boots went to Sophia. As for the “Unicorn Horn,” we’re still contemplating its use.

This unicorn horn, about 30cm long, has an elongated conical shape and is made of a material similar to ivory with a clean, milky white color.

The unicorn horn, born with the mysteries of cleanliness, purity, and innocence—also called Alicorn in alchemical terms—possesses the mystical property of “purity.”

Even in its unprocessed form, the horn has the power to neutralize toxins and purify, making its applications truly endless.

The most common use is to fashion it into spoons or goblets for the powerful, utilizing the alicorn’s purification abilities, and it can also be used in various ways in alchemical medicine production.

But more than these uses, the effects that appear when it’s processed into equipment are truly the essence.

Equipment made from Alicorn, the unicorn’s horn, grants resistance to most poisons just by possessing it.

Since poison is one of the most common special abilities of magical beasts, having equipment that provides poison resistance is never a disadvantage.

In other words, it was a reasonably satisfying compensation for nearly dying.

※ ※ ※

Having received all our rewards, Sophia and I now departed for the Imperial Pasture, the reason for our visit to the Empire.

Once we were sufficiently far from the free city of Lien, we mounted Tarasque, whom I hadn’t summoned in a while, and set off.

And on the back of Tarasque as we began to move…

“Now, let’s begin our power assessment meeting!”

[[“Yaaaaaay!”]]

*Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap clap!*

After gathering together in the upper “Nature’s Hut,”

We decided to take time to share the powers or growth we had gained from this battle and its aftermath.

[I can control ice! I can freeze things!]

“[[[…??]]]”

“…So what Robo means is that he gained the power to control cold. Right?”

[Yes!]

First, regarding Robo. According to him, Robo gained the ability to control cold while trying to recreate the sensation of emitting electricity when I bestowed the mystery of lightning upon him.

…If I were to cautiously guess, perhaps an ability dormant in his bloodline awakened, triggered by the bestowal of the lightning mystery?

Of course, regardless of the awakening trigger, Robo’s “ability to control cold” is somewhat subtle when considered on its own.

It lacks the firepower and mana consumption efficiency to blast high-powered elemental attacks like Corin.

The range within which he can control cold is limited to about 10 meters from his body, and even then, control and power decrease the further it gets from his body.

However, that doesn’t mean Robo’s ability is completely useless.

The essence of the cold-controlling ability is that its efficiency is maximized when used based on Robo’s physical body. In other words, this ability is closer to the purpose of supporting Robo’s specialty: close combat.

By imbuing his aura or mana with cold, his close-range attacks are infused with cold, and when in contact with an opponent, the cold seeps in, making their movements sluggish.

Additionally, he can momentarily expel cold like a jet engine to move at high speeds.

Furthermore, if his ability grows, the mystery residing in his body could also evolve from “cold” to an even more powerful stage.

“The Prophet’s ability has also improved. Now, I can foresee a crisis coming on the morning of that day.”

Meanwhile, Sophia’s precognition ability has also grown to a new stage after going through a chrysalis phase.

Her “precognition ability” resource has increased by about 1.5 times compared to before, and using this gained resource and the “law of equivalent exchange,” she created a new ability.

Since her existing precognition was unstable, she aimed to improve its stability by being able to judge the approximate intensity of a crisis that would occur that day when waking up.

“…Will there be no more troublesome incidents from now on?”

“The Prophet thinks so.”

Perhaps, unlike until now, we can have a slightly more comfortable journey?

And the last topic to bring up is the core reason for holding this power assessment meeting.

“Then this time… it’s about my fusion ability.”

The new power that was the main contributor to defeating the demon contractor. For now, I’m calling it the fusion ability—the power to combine my strength with that of my animal friends.

“The principle seems to be… using the contract connection as a pathway to make souls resonate, and transforming the body through magic similar to animal transformation.”

“I can’t believe such a thing is possible…”

“R-really?”

“Yes, absolutely. Is it even possible for different souls to resonate with each other in the first place?”

“…Huh?”

I simply did it with the vague thought that it might be possible, but to an outsider like Sophia, it seems like an absurd act.

“Not only are you not of the same bloodline, but you cross species boundaries, classified as human and magical beast. Even with souls of the same being, if they’re not completely identical, making them resonate should be impossible.”

“…That serious?”

“Yes. That serious.”

According to Sophia’s explanation, soul resonance is something that can’t be achieved even between two souls of the same person if they’ve had different experiences.

To understand it easily, soul resonance is as dangerous and impossible as brain transplantation.

No, it’s not even like transplanting someone else’s brain.

To compare the act of making souls of different species resonate, it’s like nailing a severed bird’s head onto a normal person’s head.

And for me to use Sophia’s ability is like having both heads function normally and then suddenly having bird wings sprout from the person’s back—that level of abnormal phenomenon…

Well, what can I do? Given the situation, it’s more constructive to think about how to utilize this fusion ability.

Anyway, the condition for this “fusion” ability is… bond.

In other words, if intimacy exceeds a certain threshold, souls can resonate with each other, which means this fusion ability isn’t limited to just Corin.

Currently, I have two animal friends with high enough intimacy for soul resonance: Corin and Astra, who have been with me for several years.

When becoming one through fusion magic, the most powerful benefit is probably inheriting the special abilities and physical characteristics of the fusion partner.

Taking Corin, with whom I have the only fusion experience, as an example:

I gained Corin’s speed and wings that grant magical flight ability, allowing me to glide freely through the sky.

But… the core of fusion is indeed the inheritance of special abilities. The “electrification of the body” obtained by fusing with Corin was helpful in many ways.

Just by expelling an appropriate amount of mana from my hands and converting it to electricity, I could produce firepower comparable to decent magic.

The electrified body allows reactions and movements to occur almost simultaneously.

Ah, of course, this fusion ability isn’t omnipotent.

For fusion magic, I need to withdraw one perfectly good combat unit, and the mana consumed for fusion is considerable.

The backlash that comes when the fusion ends, rendering me powerless, must also be taken into account.

Additionally, even with fusion, the maximum mana capacity doesn’t change, and depending on the situation, it doesn’t always work in my favor.

“In the end, it’s all about how you use it.”

“Indeed.”

Despite the grand explanation, it’s essentially just an additional “trump card” to be used appropriately when needed.