Abel, Abel...
Arthur repeated the name in his mind.
Not one of the books on the mystical side he had read had ever mentioned that name.
But Arthur was not disappointed.
On the contrary, he was delighted.
Because-
It meant he was about to encounter more unknown history and rumors.
And knowledge.
Extremely precious knowledge, at that.
With the book collections from Ymir Manor and the ruins beneath the Beach that belonged to the mad Grand Alchemist Geppetto, Arthur's understanding of mystical-side history and rumors already far surpassed that of ordinary people on the mystical side. Anything even he had never heard of had to be an exceptionally well-kept secret.
And on the mystical side, secrecy often meant value!
With that thought, Arthur used the power of the contracts to call to the incomplete Vampire Ancestor Insect-
Abel, tell me your origins.
Abel: ...
Bewilderment came back to Arthur.
Sensing that bewilderment, Arthur's lips curled upward.
With eighteen contracts underpinning their relationship, that bewilderment was naturally genuine, not a disguise or an attempt to deceive him. But while contracts could not be defied, they could have loopholes.
For example, when Arthur and Abel signed their contracts, Abel could have sealed its memories just before signing, then bided its time and staged a comeback.
Or...
Before signing those contracts, it could have used another contract as insurance.
For example: once its strength reached entry rank or ascension rank, its sealed memories would automatically return, with the loss of corresponding items or abilities offsetting the contractual backlash.
It could even have expanded on that example, drawing up further contracts to counteract the ones it signed with Arthur.
Arthur had no fear of that.
Nor would he be wary of it.
After all, he still had the eighteenth contract as a supplement.
That