"Gah... cough... Anyway, these are the contract cards," Camo wheezed. He was still clutching his chest from where I'd nearly squeezed the life out of him, but he managed to hold out two cards—one for me and one for Ayaka.
Ayaka, thanks to a timely application of Negi's healing magic, had successfully returned from the shores of the afterlife and was now standing on her own two feet.
"Two cards?" Asuna asked, peering over Camo's shoulder.
"Yeah," Camo replied, his eyes still flickering toward me with lingering terror. "Ermine fairies have a bit of magic that lets us duplicate a provisional contract card. I figured you'd both want one."
"Alright, let's see," Camo continued, trying to regain his professional air. "A Pactio card reflects the holder's traits, abilities, and even their soul. Let's see what the Class Rep's got... Gack!"
"'Gack'?" I repeated, a bad feeling settling in my gut. I took the card from his trembling paw.
Name: Yukihiro Ayaka
Title: The Sanguine Maiden
Color: Gold
Virtue: Love
Element: Center
Celestial Body: Venus
"...Well then," I muttered.
"Wha—?! Wh-wh-wh-what is the meaning of this?!" Ayaka shrieked, her face turning a shade of red that rivaled the sunset.
"What? What's wrong?" Asuna asked, trying to read the card. However, the text was in Latin. Unlike Negi, the graduated mage, or Ayaka and myself, who were studying the craft, Asuna—the resident "Baka-Ranger"—couldn't make heads or tails of it.
I looked at the illustration on the card. It depicted Ayaka in a sleek, black evening gown, wielding a nine-tailed whip that looked suspiciously like the Adamas Halper in Nine-Tail Mode. Between the dress's low neckline and the wicked-looking whip, she looked less like a magical guardian and more like a high-end dominatrix.
"Sanguine Maiden?!" Ayaka's voice reached a new decibel level. "Why is my title something so... so violent?!"
"A-Actually," Camo stammered, "it's probably Axel's influence."
The room went silent as everyone's eyes locked onto me.
"Axel-kun's?" Ayaka asked, her anger momentarily replaced by confusion.
"Yeah," Camo explained. "A Pactio is a bridge between a Master and a Servant. It's only natural that the traits of both parties bleed into the card. Given the path Axel has walked... well, 'Sanguine' is a pretty fitting descriptor. I guess you're the 'Maiden' part of the equation."
It made a grim sort of sense. My hands were stained with enough blood from several lifetimes; it was inevitable that it would manifest in our bond.
"Anyway!" Camo shouted, desperate to change the subject. "Let's talk features! A Pactio card gives the Servant four main benefits:
Mana Supply from the Master.
Summoning of the Servant to the Master's side.
Telepathy between the pair.
Instant Clothing Swap."
"But the biggest draw," Camo added, his eyes gleaming, "is the Artifact Summoning."
"Artifact Summoning?" Ayaka looked down at her card.
"Right. If the Master has enough mana or ki, the contract produces a unique magic item. Given Axel's off-the-charts power levels, there was no doubt you'd get one. Hold the card and chant: Adeat."
Ayaka took a breath, holding the card aloft with renewed focus. "Adeat!"
A brilliant flash of light filled the classroom. When it faded, Ayaka was holding a heavy, nine-tailed whip. Each strand ended in a small, needle-sharp blade that looked like a kunai. It was a vicious, elegant weapon—an exact replica of the one in the card's artwork.
"Whoa, that's... intense," Asuna remarked. "Matches you perfectly, Class Rep."
"B-Be quiet! This is... it's a weapon granted to me so that I may protect Axel-kun!"
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Camo muttered under his breath before Asuna cut him off.
"Wait, how does that work?" Asuna asked. "The whip, I mean."
"Like I said, the Pactio reflects both of them," Camo said. "The Servant's desires and the Master's nature. This is an artifact I've never seen before. It might even be a completely new discovery. To get rid of it, just say Abeat."
"I see... Abeat," Ayaka commanded. The whip dissolved into motes of light and returned to the card.
"Now!" Camo turned to Negi with a predatory grin. "Your turn, Boss!"
"Eh?! M-Me too?!"
"Of course! You're aiming to be a Magister Magi, right? You need a partner! And lucky for you, I've already scouted out your class. I took a look around the girls' baths earlier—there's some high-quality material in there!"
"Wait—the 'swimsuit' you had earlier... you were spying on us?!" Asuna roared.
"U-U-Um! Forget about that! Look, Asuna-san, what do you say? Want to make a contract?" Camo asked, trying to deflect.
Asuna hesitated, glancing at Ayaka and then back at the blushing ten-year-old teacher. "But... I mean, a Pactio requires a kiss, right? That's a bit much..."
"Oh?" Camo smirked, his voice dripping with mock pity. "Don't tell me the great Asuna-san is a middle-schooler who hasn't even had her first kiss yet?"
"What?!"
Camo was good; he knew exactly how to goad someone as hot-headed as Asuna. He was clearly angling for a contract right then and there. His only mistake was forgetting that I wasn't the only person in the room who found him annoying.
"Adeat."
The nine-tailed whip reappeared in Ayaka's hand with a menacing crack. Camo froze mid-sentence, slowly turning to look at her.
"A-Ayaka-san? What are you doing with that?"
"Oh ho ho. Do I really need to spell it out for you?"
"I... I think I'd like you to, actually," Camo squeaked.
"Very well. I am going to teach a certain vermin the price of trying to bargain with a maiden's lips!"
WHACK!
The whip lashed out, striking the floor right next to Camo with a deafening thud. Ayaka had either missed on purpose or simply hadn't mastered the weapon's weight yet. Either way, the message was clear.
"...Oh my. It's a bit more difficult to handle than it looks," Ayaka noted calmly.
Correction: She definitely hasn't mastered it yet.
Camo didn't wait for a second attempt. He snatched up the stolen "swimsuit" and bolted out the door.
"Wait! Camo-kun!" Negi shouted, chasing after him.
"Hey, Negi! Ugh, seriously!" Asuna growled. She turned back to us. "Look, let's call it a day. We'll deal with Asakura and Eva tomorrow, alright?"
"Fine by me," I replied.
Asuna sprinted out after Negi. I let out a long sigh and turned to Ayaka.
"Well, that was a productive afternoon. Ready to go?"
"Yes," Ayaka said, calling out Abeat to stow her whip. She smiled at me, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Shall we, Axel-kun? Or... should I call you 'My Master'? Or perhaps... 'Milord'?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Just keep it normal."
"As you wish."
We walked out of the school and toward the station. As we rounded the corner, a familiar silhouette came into view. A short distance away, I saw Asuna running off—it looked like she'd already had a run-in with our resident vampire.
"Eva?"
"Hmm? Oh, it's you, Axel," the vampire replied.
"Good afternoon, Axel-san," Chachamaru added with a polite bow.
Evangeline's eyes drifted to the Pactio card in Ayaka's hand. "I see. So that surge of mana earlier was your provisional contract. I'm surprised you knew how to trigger the ceremony."
"Negi's associate—an ermine fairy—is on campus. He's the one who set it up," I explained.
"An ermine fairy?" Eva's eyes narrowed. "I see. So he was the one who tripped the alarm."
"Alarm?"
"I told you before, didn't I? Mahora is protected by a multi-layered barrier."
"You mean the recognition-blurring one?"
"Among others. There is also a tripwire for foreign mana signatures. Something set it off earlier, and I was hunting for the intruder. It seems your 'fairy' was the culprit."
I nodded. "Handy system."
Eva gave me a look of mild amusement. "That same barrier is how I knew the moment you arrived in this city, Axel."
"I see. So you didn't just 'happen' to find me that night. You were tracking a dimensional anomaly."
"Exactly. So... how did the talk with the brat go?"
"I'm officially a 'magic student' now," I said. "You really intended to drag me into this from the start, didn't you?"
Eva let out a sharp, jagged laugh. "It's a festival, Axel! The more participants, the better the show."
"And I'm siding with Negi?"
"I've already spoken with the old man. He's given you permission to help the brat, though I hear he's put quite a few shackles on your power. That's for the best. On a full moon, with my mana restored, it might actually be a fair fight."
She smiled, a expression full of fangs and predatory confidence.
Character Profile: Axel Almar
Level: 38 | PP: 625
Stats: Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272 | Defense: 272 | Evasion: 302 | Accuracy: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consume SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder / Special
Terrain Ratings: Air: S | Land: S | Water: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (SP 4) | Effort (SP 8) | Focus (SP 16) | Direct Hit (SP 30) | Awaken (SP 32) | Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up | SP Boost (SP Up Lv. 9, SP Regen, Concentration) | Telekinesis Lv. 10 | Attacker | Gunfight Lv. 9 | In-fight Lv. 9 | Morale Limit Break | Geass (Gray) | Magic (Fire, Shadow, Summoning) | ??? | ???
Kills: 376
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