Toya stared at the contract, his mind racing. He looked at Rutherford's massive, golden form and realized there was no room for negotiation. He wanted this power—he needed it—but the conditions were a double-edged sword.
"Wait a second," Toya muttered to himself, rubbing his temples. "If I sign this, am I really the master, or am I just a battery for this guy? He says he'll only help in 'life and death' situations... but that's just a loophole! Since we're bound by contract, if I die, he dies too. He's not protecting me out of loyalty; he's just saving his own skin!"
He looked over at Haruto, who was currently being treated like a climbing frame by Aeterna.
"I'm already at Level 60 because of Haruto's help,"
Toya thought, his eyes narrowing.
"But how do I go further? If I link with this Monarch, he's going to make my life a living hell. And just like Aeterna, he's going to stay summoned all the time. I've seen what Haruto is going through—he didn't just get a spirit; he got a permanent daughter who calls him 'Papa' and demands his soul every five minutes. Is an SSS+ rank really worth losing my peace of mind?"
Toya's eyes sharpened as the realization finally clicked. He stopped looking at the contract as a burden and started seeing it as a Trial.
"Wait... I get it now," Toya whispered, a slow grin spreading across his face.
"He's not just mocking me for being a jerk. He's telling me that my current self isn't enough. If he stays summoned, if he keeps bothering me and calling me weak, I'll never have a chance to get lazy. Every time he opens his mouth, it'll be a reminder that I need to level up."
He looked at Rutherford, no longer feeling intimidated by the giant's massive shadow.
"This isn't an insult... it's a Motivation Engine. If I want him to shut up and call me 'Master,' I have to become a monster. And that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Toya stepped right up to the giant Monarch, looking him straight in his glowing golden eyes. There was no more shaking in his legs.
"I see what you're doing, Big Guy," Toya said, his voice loud and clear.
"I accept your terms. Mock me, ignore my orders, and stay by my side 24/7. Use your arrogance to fuel my fire. I accept the contract!"
Rutherford's massive chest rumbled with a deep, approving laugh. The golden chains on his arms flared with a blinding light as the magical link between their souls solidified.
The atmosphere in the room, which was just electric with the heat of the contract, suddenly turned ice-cold. The three scrolls dissolved into golden dust and vanished—the SSS+ Rank contract was officially sealed.
Rutherford stood tall, his massive arms crossed over his chest, the gold chains clinking with a rhythmic authority.
"The bond is complete, human. Now, enough with the talk of motivation. Show me the vessel of my power. Summon your weapon—it better be something legendary, something that matches my prestige."
Toya stood there, frozen. His hands stayed open, grasping at nothing.
"Weapon?" Toya whispered, his voice cracking. "Weapon... uh..."
The Great Realization
The entire room went into a sudden pause.
Ivory slapped her hand to her forehead. She realized that Toya, being a normal student until recently, only possessed a standard-issue, ordinary school training sword. There was no way an SSS+ Monarch could inhabit a piece of mass-produced junk without it shattering instantly.
Haruto stopped mid-breath. He looked at Toya's empty hands, realizing he had helped his friend get the Spirit but they completely forgot the Weapon.
Asobi, Lustra, and Bellona, who were finally getting invested in the drama, stared at Toya in disbelief. A weapon spirit needs a physical anchor to manifest its true power in the real world.
"Weapon... well, the thing is..." Toya looked around sheepishly, "I haven't actually thought about that part yet."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Aeterna's jaw dropped so low it looked like it might hit the floor.
But the most terrifying reaction came from Rutherford. The golden glow in his eyes slowly turned into a burning, blood-red hue. His massive muscles twitched, and the air around him began to vibrate with a low, dangerous hum.
"You..." Rutherford's voice was a low, guttural growl that shook the mansion's foundation.
"You summoned a Monarch of the Abyss... you signed a soul-binding contract... and you don't even have a physical tool for me to inhabit?"
Rutherford stepped closer, his shadow looming over Toya like a mountain of gold and rage.
"Are you telling me my new 'Home' is currently non-existent? Is this your first joke, Human? Because I am not laughing."
Toya backed away, sweating bullets.
"Wait! Wait! We can fix this! Haruto! Ivory! Help me out here! Do we have anything lying around that can hold a giant gold guy?!"
The atmosphere in the room shattered into shards of pure dread. Haruto turned his eyes toward Aeterna, his expression pleading for her to step in or "produce" something to save the situation. But for the first time, Aeterna didn't offer a playful smile or a quick fix. Her face was set in a mask of cold, administrative logic.
"I can't help you with this, Papa," Aeterna said, her voice echoing with a chilling finality.
"Summoning a weapon spirit without a physical weapon to house them is the ultimate disrespect. If you didn't have your Void Reaper when I arrived, I would have taken it as a breach of contract and been just as furious. This is an official right of all spirits."
She looked at the trembling Toya with eyes that showed no mercy.
"I asked for papa's weapon before we even started the contract process because that is the proper way. Rutherford made a grave mistake. He signed a soul-binding contract for a house that hasn't been built. Now, the contract is stuck in a 'Glitch' state. There is only one way for a spirit to break a contract that can't be fulfilled: The spirit must eliminate the contractor."
Rutherford didn't need to be told twice. He stepped forward, his massive frame blotting out the light from the training hall windows. He began to pop his knuckles, each crack sounding like a gunshot in the silent room.
"The Queen is right," Rutherford growled, his golden eyes burning with a deep, insulted red.
"I am a Monarch, not a ghost to be left wandering in the air. You trapped me in a bond with no vessel, Human. You've wasted my time and insulted my rank."
Toya backed up until his heels hit the edge of the training ring, his face pale as a sheet.
"Wait... Haruto! Ivory! She's joking, right? He's not actually allowed to kill me for a mistake?!"
Ivory bit her lip, her hand tightening on her staff, but she didn't move to intervene. "In the laws of the Spirit World... he is within his rights, Toya. A contract without a vessel is considered a trap."
Haruto breaks the silence just as Rutherford's massive hand reaches for Toya's throat. "Stop!" Haruto shouts, turning toward Asobi.
"Asobi, you mentioned there's a workshop in this mansion, right?"
Asobi snaps out of her shock and nods quickly, confirming that the facility can forge weapons automatically if provided with a model and materials.
Haruto looks at the Goddess of Reality. "Ivory, use your reality magic to summon the highest grade materials. We'll take Rutherford to the workshop and craft a weapon worthy of an SSS+ Rank right now."
Rutherford, however, doesn't lower his fist. "No," he rumbles, his eyes still glowing red. "I don't have time for this, and I am no low-level spirit who waits for a blacksmith. This is a fundamental disrespect to my existence."
Haruto turns to Aeterna, hoping his daughter will intervene. "Even if your Queen commands it?"
Rutherford glances at Aeterna but remains firm.
"The Queen loves justice. She will not strip a spirit of its basic rights. The Law is clear: if the contract is sealed but the vessel is missing, the only path to freedom is the death of the owner."
Aeterna looks at Haruto, her expression unyielding.
"Papa, your plan is a kind gesture, but Rutherford is right. Why would I stop him from exercising his rights?"
Haruto stands tall, his mind racing as he realizes Aeterna's administrative logic is currently blocking her empathy. He knows he has to find a way to convince her, but for now, the Origin Queen is siding with the Law over his friendship.
Haruto stands still, his gaze fixed on Aeterna as the room's tension reaches a fever pitch. He realizes that a logical argument won't work on the Origin Queen, so he offers the only thing he has left that she truly desires.
"Aeterna, if you tell Rutherford to stop,"
Haruto says, his voice calm and steady,
"I will officially accept you as my daughter. No more pretending, no more just playing along. I will act as your father for the rest of my life."
Aeterna's eyes instantly ignite with a brilliant, hopeful light. The idea of receiving the genuine love and protection of a parent—not just as an administrative role, but as a real family bond—hits her deeper than any law or spirit right.
Haruto continues, making sure everyone hears the weight of his words.
"I will love you and care for you exactly like a real daughter."
The Goddesses and Toya stand in stunned silence. They all knew Haruto had been acting the part of a father out of necessity and survival up until now, but they can see in his eyes that he is finally serious. He is ready to commit his entire life to this bond to save his friend.
Aeterna thinks for only a split second before a wide, joyful smile breaks across her face. The offer is too perfect to refuse.
She turns toward the massive giant, her aura shifting from neutral administrator back to the dominant Queen. "Sorry, Rutherford," she says with a casual wave of her hand,
"but the deal is just too good. You're going to have to wait for that weapon. The execution is canceled."