Chapter 86: Chapter 85 - Declare War (2)

There were several reasons why Yong-Ho pushed Ophelia's registration back, but the main reason was simple.

Yong-Ho didn't have any reserved power.

Registered spirits were very special beings.

Ordinary spirits worked through contracts. Based on the type of spirit, the magical binding power may be different, but other than that, it wasn't any different from the contracts that humans used in the human world.

Registered spirits had a relationship with the user. Since the soul of both sides were being connected, they were closer than those that were related by blood.

When the owner became stronger, the spirit became stronger and vice versa.

That meant that the owner could become stronger just by increasing the number of registered spirits.

However, there was a limit to the number of registered spirits that an owner could have. It wasn't because there was a limit to the expected growth rate of the owner as the number of spirits increased.

It was because there was a limit to how many spirits the owner was able to control.

The total amount of mana, control and the size of the spirit were all important factors.

There were a lot of factors, but in the end, it was more about the owner's reserved power.

The stronger the owner's mana and spirit was, the more spirits they were able to register.

The reason why ordinary owners limited the number of spirits to three, sometimes up to five, was because they had no choice.

It was as if Yong-Ho's reserved power was divided into 10 boxes.

Among them, Eligor took two and Catalina and Skull took three. He had already used up eight boxes because of those three spirits.

He had two boxes left, but Ophelia demanded four, so to Yong-Ho she was a spirit that demanded a lot more than he was able to offer.

The same reason applied to Aamon.

Even though Aamon suppressed most of his powers for Yong-Ho, he was a supreme being. Even if Yong-Ho gave up Eligor, Catalina and Skull's registration, he still wouldn't have enough to register Aamon as a spirit.

Mammon, the King of Greed, was an extremely strong being, because he was able to register 12 spirits and those spirits were on the same level as Aamon.

Yong-Ho had continuously grown stronger ever since he had become the owner. And thanks to Yong-Ho, Catalina and the other spirits were able to grow just as much.

Thanks to the four horns that he had obtained, his total amount of mana had increased a lot, but his ability to control hadn't grow as much as his mana. Yong-Ho still needed time to train so that he could have complete control over his mana.

For a few days,Yong-Ho continuously competed in the Arena and just like the time he had consumed the distortion, his maximum mana amount increased. He now had enough reserved power.

"This isn't the official registration. You'll have to visit the dungeon soon and register with Lucia."

Registered spirits belonged to the owner as well as the dungeon. It seemed like she already knew that information because she continued to urge Yong-Ho with her eyes.

Ophelia wanted to get stronger.

It wasn't because she grew up watching her father long for power.

While working as the pub owner, Ophelia had seen many spirits.

The law of the jungle was the governing principle of the demon world.

The strength of one's mana even decided their lifespan and age in this world.

Everyone desired growth.

Everyone desired greater and stronger mana.

But there were limitations.

There were those that overcame those limits through constant training, but it was rare. The process was long and tough. There were a lot more that gave up because they weren't able to overcome their limitations despite working really hard.

Ophelia was the same. Even though she was carrying out her father's teachings and improving her skills, her mana level had remained the same for a while.

That was why she was so desperate.

Ophelia suppressed her anxiety and closed her eyes. She kneeled in front of Yong-Ho.

Yong-Ho did the same and placed his hands on Ophelia's shoulders. He leaned in slowly and placed his forehead on her's. The mark of the spirit, that was already engraved on her forehead, started to shine.

"It's done."

Yong-Ho finally spoke after placing his forehead against Ophelia's for a couple of minutes.

Yong-Ho released a deep sigh and stood up. Ophelia had a blank expression and just blinked.

That's it?

Was that really it?

Her expression displayed her true feelings and Yong-Ho displayed a slightly embarrassed smile. He did as Lucia instructed him, but did it fail?

However they were both being too hasty. Both Yong-Ho and Ophelia's spirit felt a shock. Catalina and Skull, who were watching, however didn't really feel anything.

Yong-Ho roared. All four of his horns were completely exposed and the mana that was hidden was suddenly released.

Ophelia trembled and she let out a cry that sounded like a scream. Her small horns were exposed as well. In between the two horns that were on her forehead, a third horn came out.

Ophelia originally had three horns. But there was a stronger power that prevented her horn from growing out. Now that she was Yong-Ho's spirit, she felt pleasure in her growth. It was a feeling that she had forgotten and had been desperately wanting to experience again for a long time.

Now that Ophelia was his, Yong-Ho became stronger and both Catalina and Skull were affected by it too. It wasn't as much as Yong-Ho and Ophelia, but they both felt a growth within themselves.

A strong mana shook the bar. The mana belonged to the owner and his spirits and even though the colors and the elements were different, the mana looked beautiful.

Yong-Ho looked down at Ophelia as he breathed heavily. Ophelia, who was also crying out, while having her arms wrapped around herself, looked up at Yong-Ho.

They felt a bond that was different from before. Just like how Yong-Ho was able to communicate with Catalina with just his eyes, Yong-Ho and Ophelia were able to feel each other's thoughts and feelings.

'This place is soundproof, right?'

Ophelia smiled brightly despite being exhausted. Yong-Ho extended his hand towards her. They communicated using their voices.

"Congratulations on being the House of Mammon's spirit. You're under a slave contract now and won't be able to get out of it. Make sure you're prepared for it."

"Will it be any different from before?"

Ophelia replied as she grabbed Yong-Ho's hand, with both the owner and spirit exchanging satisfied smiles.

***

Half a day had passed since Yong-Ho arrived and night had now fallen.

The three rulers were gathered in a secret room that was located under the central plaza. Just like their ordinary meetings, they sat around the round table with no one behind them. The rule of this meeting was that only the rulers could stay in the room.

"So, did it have any effect?"

Dargon's question sounded urgent, but Ophelia just shrugged her shoulders.

"It had no effect. He must have banquets every day. I even called in a few girls, but he didn't budge. You saw the guard that follows him around, right? I haven't checked all of them, but I'm sure his registered spirits are all beautiful women."

The smile she displayed after finishing her sentence was odd, but they didn't notice.

Oros mumbled to himself.

"Is he a lady-killer?"

It wasn't bad. Right now, the Free City's rulers needed a warrior to fight along with them, not a master they were going to start serving.

Being a lady-killer was just a personality trait, not a flaw.

Even if he was used to women like Ophelia had mentioned, it meant that he liked women and they would be able to use that to their advantage.

"The most important thing is how powerful the owner of the House of Mammon is. If he's the same as Foras, then things will become complicated for us."

When Oros spoke, Dargon nodded his head. Ophelia placed her right hand on her chin and replied.

"But the House of Mammon was the only one that answered to our call, right? Having another ally means a lot for us, don't you think? Even if we exclude the House of Mammon's spirits."

"Our enemy is Agares. It won't be easy. All three of us will have to fight. We'll have to use all of our powers. Since we're going to fight against a strong opponent, it's important for us to know how powerful the House of Mammon's owner is."

Oros made a reasonable argument. Before Ophelia could reply, Dargon spoke.

"Should I try fighting him?"

It sounded like he didn't want to figure things out. Oros frowned.

"And if you lose?"

"Huh?"

"If it ends in a draw or you lose...fighting against Agares is a different issue, so the real issue is when you lose to the owner of the House of Mammon. Are you going to give up your power after the fight?"

The reason why these three became the leaders of the Free City was simple.

It was because they were the most powerful figures within their groups.

A ruler couldn't act on their own. If they were to lose to the House of Mammon's owner in front of everyone, the consequences would be severe. And Dargon was known to have the best military force.

The days of washing blood away with blood was gone. The three rulers had balanced their power and through that, they were able to maintain peace for about 10 years, so now, they had an odd brotherly love for each other.

Dargon was able to figure out fighting strategies and since Oros had a good relationship with him, it wouldn't do him any good if Dargon was overthrown.

"Hm...should I send my right-hand man, Jacoby? Or ask to spar in secret."

"If he was an idiot, I'm sure he'll agree without any hesitation."

Oros let out a sigh because Dargon was being pathetic and then he looked over at Ophelia.

Ophelia waved her hands.

"I've met him several times and even drank with him, so I can tell you that he's not an idiot. If you want to test out his power...then I'm sure he'll ask the same thing from us. Let's not be hasty."

The House of Mammon's owner may lose as well.

On top of that, he came to the Free City to help. It was best to avoid unnecessary conflict.

"But, there is a need to test him though. I agree with Dargon on that."

Oros spoke again and Dargon nodded his head.

Ophelia shrugged her shoulders again.

"Well, we still have time. Let's think carefully."

The official meeting was tomorrow and they didn't have anything else to talk about. Like always, Ophelia was the first one to leave even though they hadn't officially ended the meeting.

Ophelia lightly waved her hand and Dargon asked a question while looking at her back.

"Ophelia."

"What?"

When she answered without looking back, Dargon didn't say anything. He spoke as if he was suspicious of her.

"Something has changed. Is it your aura?"

Dargon easily controlled the outlaws that were in the Free City. Even though he was simple-minded, he wasn't dumb. When it came to his fighting senses, he was a lot stronger than Oros.

Ophelia calmly replied.

"Oh, it's that day."

Dargon closed his mouth and Oros frowned. Ophelia calmed her surprised heart and continued walking. She exited while swinging her tail.

***

The official meeting took place during lunch time.

Yong-Ho arrived at the secret room with Catalina and Skull and saw Dargon, who was prepared to fight him.

The round table was located behind Dargon and both Oros and Ophelia were sitting in front of it.

Oros had a frown on his face and Ophelia looked at Yong-Ho indicating that she didn't have a choice.

The meeting room was made out of stone and since the building was also used as an arena, it was quite big.

Dargon spoke while holding up his mace.

"I'm pretty simple-minded. It can't be helped because I'm curious about your skills. Let's spar."

Dargon wasn't dumb. He wasn't going to put his life on the line. That's why he even displayed a friendly smile.

Skull glared at Dargon and tightened his grip on his hammer and Catalina released her black mana. They both glared angrily at Ophelia and Oros.

Only

Yong-Ho sighed. Based on the conversation he had with Ophelia, he expected this to happen, but he didn't think it would happen like this.

'Anyways.'

One of their assumptions was correct. Instead of being surprised, Yong-Ho spoke to both Dargon and Oros.

"I'll start."

There was really no reason to fight.

Yong-Ho took a step forward. The mana that he had hidden while within the Free City was released.

It showed how strong he really was.