The Darkness Beneath the Surface

"So renting a place won't be a problem now, right?"

"Not at all. There's even... enough to buy a place." Petty ran a hand through her hair. She had never seen so much money in her life. An ordinary family in this world spent only five to twenty silver coins a month under normal circumstances.

Without Zheng Yichen's "support," everything she owned barely amounted to a little over one gold coin. That was essentially her spending money for the entire semester. Plenty of things at the academy cost money, so a little over one gold coin was not much at all.

"Then buy one," he said at once. "If you need more money, I'll go get some."

The treasure he had stolen during that period had not quite piled up into a mountain. But later on, once word spread that he did not hurt people, the ones who came were no longer just paupers with nothing worth taking. There were plenty of wealthy thrill-seekers mixed in, too. They might not have been cut out for real adventures, but they still craved excitement.

In fact, he had amassed the most wealth toward the end of his bandit days, before the hunt for him began.

"You're so different from the Dragon Race described in books," Petty said in amazement. "This is already enough, with quite a bit left over. It'll take some time to sort everything out, though."

"They're them, and I'm me. No point comparing us. I can wait." Zheng Yichen did not mind the delay. After settling in the Illusion Demon Forest, he had become completely free. He still trained every day, but without Lolise teaching him directly, he had far more spare time.

It was like going from full-time work to half-days. He had trouble adjusting, and a strange laziness crept in despite himself... As for Lolise, after taking the Magic Weapon he had made on a burst of inspiration, she had shut herself in her room and had not come out for a full day.

He had no idea what was so fascinating about something he had seemingly made on a whim. Wait... perhaps there really was something special about it? Judging by Petty's reaction, the threads of magical power he had produced were already astonishing.

That Magic Weapon Creation spell...

"Petty, can a Magic Weapon made through Magic Weapon Creation last indefinitely?" The book had only said they were temporary. It had not specified how long they lasted.

"Magic Weapons... Generally, they can't last more than a day," Petty replied after thinking it over. "And that's only if you keep supplying magical power. Even then, after enough time, the magical structure forming the Magic Weapon gradually breaks down and returns to raw magical power."

"Hm. I see." Zheng Yichen scratched his cheek. It seemed he had made something else that broke the rules. Since he had crafted the Magic Weapon with his own hands, his mental energy had become woven into the spell's array. He could still sense it even after letting it go.

The Magic Weapon he had made earlier was still perfectly intact! Its magical structure showed no sign of collapsing from being maintained too long. "I suddenly have a wild idea..."

"Hm? What did you say, Connor?" Petty did not have Zheng Yichen's hearing and had not caught his words.

"I have a new idea. I'll try it out when I get the chance." Zheng Yichen made no attempt to hide it. At first, he had thought that while Lolise was a little unusual, she could not be all that... sinister.

After all, when she was with him, she had seemed normal enough, if rather quiet. But that contract made the corners of Zheng Yichen's mouth twitch. Its written terms were exactly what the teacher leading the group had seen, with nothing extra added... Yet an additional condition had been there all along.

He had no idea how she had managed to slip it in. Beyond the contract's visible terms, the hidden condition gave her the right to revise its contents once afterward.

Of course, she could not change just anything. Any revision had to serve the purpose of keeping information about Zheng Yichen secret. He had nothing to say about that. If he did, Lolise would probably brush him off with a simple "It's for your own good."

Lolise had not left that right unused. As soon as those people returned, she exercised it. Under the revised contract, they had to keep secret not only what had happened in the Illusion Demon Forest but also anything they learned about him afterward. Matters that were no longer secret, or that Zheng Yichen disclosed himself, were another story.

By the time Zheng Yichen learned of it, Lolise had already changed everything. She had used an Evil Contract, the kind that was exceedingly hard to break once signed. And she certainly would not pay a steep price to undo it for people who did not matter to her.

Zheng Yichen even had a faint feeling that she had meant to trap the whole group from the start.

Honestly, his seemingly silent, pseudo-loli teacher was secretly pitch-black inside. Come to think of it, that was kind of thrilling...

He shook his head, flinging the sudden thought away. "Petty, make sure you never tell anyone anything about me on your own initiative."

Petty stared at Zheng Yichen in surprise, then seemed to realize something and nodded gently. She was no fool. For him to stress this again out of the blue, there had to be a particular reason, and it was probably closely tied to that contract.

"I understand."

"Ah, you don't need to worry too much. After the Illusion Demon Forest, I'll hardly have anything to do with anyone but you again. As long as they completely 'forget' I exist, it won't matter whether the contract's there or not." Zheng Yichen waved a claw.

He did not like keeping certain things hidden. Secrets always had a way of coming out unless the thing in question had never happened. Better to make things clear now than let them cause trouble later.

As for the notion that the strong did not deign to explain themselves, Zheng Yichen did not feel that way. He was not truly strong to begin with. His power came from this body; his soul was still that of someone who had crossed over from Earth.

"It's all right." Petty let out a soft breath and smiled at Zheng Yichen. "The fact that you told me is enough. Before I met you, Connor, I was just an ordinary student at Olin Academy."

Seeing her sincere smile, Zheng Yichen was the one taken aback. Perhaps he had overthought it. This world was not as "peaceful" as Earth, nor did it place nearly as much importance on individual rights.

Ordinary people received some protection here, but not much. If a noble accidentally killed a commoner with no background or standing, the matter would end with a little compensation. If the killer was someone powerful, there would be no consequences at all.

Take what Lolise had done in the little town below the Tot Mountains... The people who had hunted him had vanished without a trace. They certainly had not received the same treatment as the townsfolk. Most likely, they were all gone. Whether the townsfolk lived had depended on a single decision from her.

He touched the tip of his nose. It seemed he still had not fully adapted to this world's rules... Well, never mind. Whether he adapted was up to him. As long as he became powerful enough, whatever the rules of this world were, he could speak for a set of rules himself.

Nor did Zheng Yichen want to change the way he thought. His soul had crossed over from Earth, and the knowledge and values he had formed there were the only links he had left to his old life. As a fine young man of the modern age, he could readily accept new things while still feeling nostalgic for old ones.

It was like his taste in music before he crossed over: he had always preferred older songs to newer ones. The bedtime stories Lolise had seen in his dreams... those, too, were full of memories for him.

My family... He sighed.

"I'll take you back." Once Petty had packed away the valuables, Zheng Yichen landed on her shoulder again. In truth, he wanted to shrink even further in his usual state. Being able to become as tiny as a mosquito would be even better!

Unfortunately, his current size was the limit. If he shrank any more, this summoned projection would fall apart even if Petty maintained the summon. Apparently, his strength would be reduced too much.

"Mm." Petty nodded lightly. Now that maintaining him no longer required a supply of magical power, Zheng Yichen could remain as long as she did not end the summon. The magical power consumed in his current state was negligible.

All he had to do was devote some of his attention to this side. Zheng Yichen could not truly do two things at once; while his attention was here, his real body remained fast asleep. He kept only a faint awareness there, enough to react if someone hit him.

What else could happen? He was in Lolise's castle! So Zheng Yichen's real body slept soundly.

Lolise did not return directly to the academy. Instead, she went somewhere else. Judging by the smell and what could be seen, the place was probably a rabbit burrow...