Chapter 42

"Then, I will immediately impart the secrets of earth magic to you!"

Agreas declared this in a loud voice.

He seemed quite enthusiastic.

"Before that, there's something I need to explain to Mr. Agreas..."

So, I explained about my constitution.

How I tend to be disliked by spirits, making it impossible for me to use general nature magic.

And how I had become able to handle magic by summoning a part of a demon through spirit invocation.

"I see, then summon me immediately!"

Since Agreas had given his permission, I immediately began the invocation.

For some reason, it seemed to be going smoothly this time.

"--- I, under the name of Norman, command you solemnly. You shall quickly take residence in my body. Satisfy me with your knowledge and power. Fulfill all my wishes within the limits of your authority. Come forth--- 2nd Rank, Agreas!"

I consciously summoned only one percent of Agreas' spirit.

I didn't want to make the same mistake as with Crossel.

Controlling the foreign entity entering my body went smoothly, as I had become accustomed to it.

Looking at my right palm, a new sigil was engraved on the back of Crossel's sigil.

"How do you feel? Master."

Fokalor asked.

"Nothing special. It seems to be going well."

So, I immediately tried using earth magic.

"--- Rise, earth!"

As a magic circle appeared from my hand, sand trickled down.

It was a success.

"Excellent, Master."

Fokalor praised me.

"Thank you, Fokalor. Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Agreas."

I bowed to Mr. Agreas.

I thought this time it had gone smoothly without any issues.

This was thanks to Mr. Agreas' cooperation.

"Not yet!"

Agreas shouted loudly, breaking the finished atmosphere.

"You haven't learned my secret techniques yet!"

"Um, but I can use earth magic now..."

"Lord Norman, I said I would teach you all of earth magic."

Indeed, he had said something like that.

"Haahh!!"

Agreas shouted and placed both hands on the ground.

At the same time, a magic circle appeared on the ground.

The ground shook like an earthquake.

Looking at it, a crack had formed in front of Agreas.

From the crack, a protrusion rose from the ground with great force.

Upon closer inspection, the protrusion was shaped like a giant's fist.

"From now on, I will make you able to do this, Lord Norman!"

"Isn't that a bit too much..."

Agreas, being a demon, could do it easily, but it was clear just by looking that it was a complex magic.

"Who said it was impossible! You have a part of me inside you, so it should be perfectly natural for you to be able to do the same!"

Is that so? If Mr. Agreas says so, it might be true.

"Um, then, Mr. Agreas, please teach me."

Well, it's a blessing that he's willing to teach me.

"Call me Master!"

"Y-Yes, Master!"

"First, do earth magic 100 times in a row!"

"Yes!"

"No, say 'ossu' instead of 'yes'."

"O-Ossu! Master."

Then, a Spartan-like training session began.

I was made to cast earth magic repeatedly without a break.

"Um... I've reached my limit..."

"Push through with determination!!"

"Even if you say that, I don't have any magic power left..."

Of course, you can't cast magic when your magic power is depleted.

"Don't complain! You should be able to do it with determination!"

"..."

Mr. Agreas, I initially thought you were just a good demon, but you're becoming quite troublesome.

"Master, if you give the order, I'm ready to dispel Agreas."

Fokalor whispered in my ear.

"No, that's not necessary."

Mr. Agreas doesn't seem to be a bad demon, and dispelling him would be going too far.

"Lord Norman, are you done yet! Hurry up and resume your earth magic training!"

"Ossu, Master..."

I answered and tried to squeeze out the remaining magic power to cast magic.

◆

"Really, I've reached my limit..."

A few hours later, I was lying on the ground, saying this.

I had already reached my physical limit, even before my magic power was depleted. It was difficult to even move my body.

"Agreas, if you push Master any further, I will take over."

Fokalor said this, glaring at him.

"Hmm, then I will give you a one-minute break."

Just one minute! It's so short!

But I was so exhausted that even a one-minute break was a relief.

And then, one minute later.

"Lord Norman, the break is over!"

"Ossu, Master..."

I used the slightly recovered magic power to cast magic again.

I continued the earth magic training all day until I passed out.

In the end, I couldn't master the target magic in just one day, so Agreas declared he would stay and continue the training the next day.

Thus, the training with Agreas continued for several days.

And one week later.

"--- Earth Giant's Fist!"

I chanted and placed both hands on the ground.

A magic circle appeared, and then a crack formed.

From the crack, a giant's fist made of earth emerged.

How is it? I don't think it's bad.

"No good. It's not big enough!"

Agreas said.

"Damn it."

I was frustrated but quickly switched gears and cast the magic again.

Agreas was strict, pointing out any issues with speed or shape.

After doing it countless times, finally...

"You pass."

I received these words from Agreas.

"Yay..."

I was really happy, but due to exhaustion, I could only mutter it.

"Congratulations, Master."

Fokalor said this.

He had been watching over me during the training.

"Thank you, Fokalor. Thank you, Master."

"Hmm, Lord Norman, you have potential."

I was praised.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I've overstayed my welcome in this world. I will return."

"Are you leaving already?"

After all the training, he was going to leave so easily, so I couldn't help but ask.

"I have things to do in the demon world."

"Is that so?"

Indeed, I was summoning demons one-sidedly, but demons should have their lives in the demon world.

Of course, there are demons like Crossel and Fokalor who prefer the human world.

"Sorry for keeping you so long."

"Hahaha, it's fine. I also wanted to talk to the new owner of the grimoire 'Gehenna.'"

"The new owner of the grimoire 'Gehenna'...?"

I was caught by those words.

"Was there a previous owner?"

Come to think of it, I don't know much about the grimoire 'Gehenna.'

"Yes, the grimoire has been passed down through generations. You were chosen as the new owner of 'Gehenna.'"

Chosen.

The way he said it made it seem like 'Gehenna' itself had a will.

Well, I wouldn't be surprised if 'Gehenna' really did have a will.

"However, Lord Norman, you are a rare type among the previous owners."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, you are greedy."

"Am I?"

I don't really think of myself as greedy.

"Usually, people don't try to summon demons one after another even after obtaining 'Gehenna.'"

"Surprising. I want to be friends with many demons."

"Hahaha, interesting. Normally, people don't want to be friends with demons."

"Is that so? I think all the demons are good people, so I don't find it strange."

"You might be lucky, or it could be due to your popularity. By the way, there's something I want to ask you."

I listened, wondering what he wanted to ask.

"You said you want to be friends with many demons. Why is that?"

"Well, all the demons are interesting people, so I thought it would be fun to be friends with them."

I said this, recalling my experiences.

Thanks to the demons, my daily life had become much more colorful.

"Lord Norman, you're a bad liar. I want to hear your true thoughts."

Agreas said this.

Ah, it seems I was seen through by Agreas.

Then, I should tell the truth.

"I intend to master magic. For that, I need the power of demons. So, I plan to continue summoning demons."

That's right, my primary desire has always been to master magic.

I lied because I was afraid of being misunderstood as thinking of demons as mere tools.

"Hahaha, interesting. Then, I will recommend a demon to you. 70th Rank, Seere. Her magic is unique and interesting."

"Is that so?"

70th Rank, Seere.

I'll consider her as a candidate for my next summoning.

"By the way, I haven't seen Ourobus for a while. Has he come here?"

"Um, he's missing..."

I'm looking for him, but I can't find him easily.

"I see. Then, I have a message for Ourobus."

"What is it?"

"Your superior is angry. You should consider coming back soon."

"I understand. I'll pass the message on."

Ourobus must be going through a lot, I thought.

After that, Agreas left.

Anyway, I finally learned the four elemental magics: fire, water, wind, and earth.

It's said that a magician can only stand at the starting line once they can use these four magics.

I finally reached that starting line.