As Naxys read the so-called contract, Andreas diverted his gaze from Kihoko's bright golden eyes, made even more pronounced by the contrast with her long black hair.
He bit the inside of his lip and turned his gaze to the dark brick road beneath his feet.
What should I do? Is what I'm seeing some kind of metaphor…? No. I can't think of any metaphors for this kind of situation. Should everything feel hostile, some kind of fear response, or delusions hiding cops?
As an unbelievable thought came to him.
Andreas smiled and quickly covered it with his hand.
Oh! an isekai or transmigration? If Ki… Rummana no, Kihoko mistook me for this Aldric guy… and who knows, he might be that miniature me I saw in my dream? A dream, huh. Could I still be dreaming? Why was I thinking I was crazy when there are so many possible explanations for this situation? Maybe that's why I couldn't make sense of it, either I'm coping, or I'm ignoring something important. Yes… and my dream might explain some things. Yes, that Yourway guy or god he hit me with some Armageddon-level apocalypse, and I got transferred back home with this strange sense that nobody existed…
"Andreas?" Kihoko asked, looking at him with her draconic eyes. He thought they looked cute.
"Yes?" Andreas replied, his voice cracking.
"Penny for your thoughts?" she said cheekily.
"…"
After a short pause, Andreas finally answered. "No…"
As Kihoko tilted her head, Naxys read the highlighted word God, referring to Andreas, not Aldric. She realized that the Aldric she had heard of was known as a madman exposed to an unknown god.
Would this mean Andreas is the name of this god? Is he a minor god, a major god, or perhaps an avatar of an abstract god…?
Overwhelmed by her own questions, Naxys concluded that Andreas could not be any type of god she knew. If he were an abstract god, the world would have been destroyed hundreds of times before she could even form a thought.
Naxys sighed and handed the paper to Kihoko. Andreas took it and asked, "Can I read this… um, yeah! since it seems to be about me."
Kihoko thought to herself that his blunt rejection of sharing his thoughts and his awkward speech pattern made him look hilarious especially since he looked like someone who had fathered several children. She chuckled and said cheekily while handing him a gold pen, "Yes, you may, as long as you sign it."
"…"
Andreas took the pen and began to read under the watchful eyes of Naxys and Kihoko.
The paper consisted of two paragraphs, Andreas and Rummana respectively, and four conditions.
[ANDREAS]
In the great and infinite expanse of reality exist many beings of minor and great delusions. Some are gods, and some are insignificant. But one believed himself a god, and also believed himself insignificant. As other gods strike him down, he arrives unharmed as Aldric.
[RUMMANA]
Born a harpy into human nobility. I held great spiritual aptitude, to the point that I bore the heart of a beast and the divine eyes that can form contracts.
1.Rummana must be beneficial to Andreas in any possible way.
2.Rummana will gain partial control of surrounding spiritual energies.
3.All actions made possible by this contract, including metaphysical magic, must be done with the consent of Andreas.
Andreas squinted and thought.
Is this some kind of contract? And who wrote these descriptions of us? Do organs have special powers…? Well, she did make this paper appear like magic. And what's with my description? The ending sort of aligns with my last dream and this situation I'm in, but could this really be real? Was I really hit by a god? And Yourway… is that a misspelled name of the Christian God? Oh God! does that mean I'm an enemy of many gods and too delusional to wait, no. I wouldn't be thinking like this if I were somehow delusional. Okay… I can kind of go along with this. It sounds epic and it definitely beats being a depressed loner who can't commit to ending it
.
Andreas chuckled lightly and asked Kihoko, "If I sign this, do I get anything else in return?"
Naxys spoke just as Kihoko was about to answer. "Before you sign it, include me in that contract."
With a reluctant expression, Kihoko dismissively agreed. "Okay. And as for Andreas, if you sign this, you'll have me as your supporter. If you need ingredients, artifacts, or money, I'll provide what I can, to the best of my ability."
Andreas smiled genuinely. "Okay. I'd like that."
"Great. Since we've made this alliance, how about we take care of the issues plaguing this city?" Kihoko said.
"What issues?" Andreas asked.
"Oh right! you must be dealing with amnesia, right? Aldric." Kihoko winked, making Andreas blush.
"I see! Yes, it's such a sad outcome for such a man. We must do all we can to re-educate and support him so that he can assimilate back into society," Naxys said with a wry smile.
"Yes, yes! right, Al…dric?" Kihoko asked, laughing.
"Oh! Sure! Yeah, I would appreciate the help."
"Okay. Since we're in this city, it would be best to teach you about spirituality," Naxys stated.
"Spirituality?" Andreas asked.
"Well, yes, but it wouldn't be good for me to teach him, since I'm not the fighting type. And don't you follow the Doctrine of the Flame Within?" Kihoko asked, falling into deep thought.
"Okay, I've got it. Andreas what do you think spirituality is?"
"Um… it's some type of energy that can help you do magic, I think," Andreas answered, lacking confidence.
"That's a good interpretation. So try to use it any way you can think of is fine."
Naxys leaned against a wall stained with dried blood and turned to look at a distant green light.
Andreas thought for a few moments. Then he lifted his hand, clenched it into a fist, released it, and imagined energy gathering in his palm…