Verethragna narrowed his slender eyes and stared straight at Roland.
He had no intention of hiding this matter. After all, it was an important bargaining chip he would use to persuade Roland in the negotiations to come.
But until then, it remained a secret. Even he himself had only discovered the change much later.
Looking at Roland, who faced him with an innocent expression and a smile like the morning glow, Verethragna felt his headache growing worse.
"How did you discover that? This is a secret that even we who became Contract Spirits didn't know ourselves. I'm still in an incomplete, escaped state. Have you already gained eternal control over that key?"
"It's common sense, my friend. What makes purple Contract Spirits special is that they aren't simply lifeless things. Some are fanatics who, lacking a satisfactory disciple, would rather sell themselves and wait for someone who suits them. Others are wretches trapped by their past, waiting for salvation. But not everyone will simply dissipate once they're satisfied. Change is the norm in life."
Roland lowered his eyes slightly and spoke calmly.
In the knowledge the Key of All Spirits had given him, purple ranked second only to red precisely because they possessed life.
Although the power of Contract Spirits at this rank was not necessarily enough to move mountains and overturn seas, they were all special life-forms, like Aestus Estus, like Heretic Gods. As long as they took a liking to someone, the contractor's own circumstances and allegiance were secondary.
Aestus Estus's initial assimilation condition had been someone who would not be consumed by her curse, but after meeting Roland, her assimilation condition had become restricted to Roland himself.
"Rather than saying I noticed something, you made it far too obvious yourself. As a Heretic God who would actively