Bounty Mercenary Group
Chapter 35 - 35 35 Black Magic

35: Chapter 35: Black Magic 35: Chapter 35: Black Magic Villes stared at the bronze badge, his mouth agape.

The words he wanted to say welled up in his throat, but he felt unable to force them out.

How could this be possible?

This couldn’t be true.

Yet the item held in Violet’s hand could not lie.

Under the sun, the bronze badge shined with a faint glow, its swaying gleam reminiscent of gold coins.

With a smug grin, Violet thought, he would finally understand now what kind of person she truly was.

She was the one the Glorious Noble was looking for, the leader of the Bronze Shield Mercenary Corps Group.

However, her choice to reveal her identity was not to brag, but driven by her own curiosity.

Could it be that the Glorious Noble really didn’t mind?

Even though the task was passed to another, though the results didn’t surpass their expectations, the situation and personnel had changed.

Whether it was rewards or resource allocation, conflicts were inevitable.

Did they genuinely not care?

As for Villes, Violet’s doubts weren’t much of a concern.

Numerous empires have risen and fallen in thousands of years, yet no matter how many Emperors have passed, some things never change.

And Villes was a man who honored these unwavering traditions.

In his eyes, it didn’t matter who the real leader of the Bronze Shield Mercenary Corps was.

He held no interest in worldly disputes, only the power and glory of his family were sacred and inviolable.

“Well, I didn’t expect my luck to be this good,” he remarked with a sigh.

“So, what is it that you want from me?” Violet stuffed the bronze badge into her clothing, seeing no need to show it off.

“As I have mentioned before.” Villes shrugged, opening his hands.

Stumbling upon the target of their mission midway through their journey was already beyond what could be described as good fortune.

Villes took out a folded parchment from his bosom and handed it to Violet.

Despite looking unpleased, she suppressed her discomfort and took the ancient document.

The moment she touched the parchment, she could strongly sense the scent of black magic emanating from it.

The parchment had undergone certain enchantments and contained tremendous magical power.

As soon as she signed her name on it, the magic would enact the power of the covenant.

“This is…

the aura of black magic.” Violet raised an eyebrow, unabashedly declaring her discovery.

Black magic has always been regarded as a heretical practice by the orthodox magic council and was explicitly banned.

No member of the council was allowed to study this forbidden magic.

Black magic’s power and uncontrollability deemed it unfit for the current magical system.

Yet it hasn’t disappeared, instead, due to its formidable and unpredictable nature, it remained sought after.

The curse written on the parchment would come into effect as soon as she signed her name.

In a way, signing a black magic-infused parchment contract with a demon could lead to exceedingly tragic outcomes.

One might even end up selling their soul to the demon.

Thus, Violet voiced her thoughts outright, and she dared to do so because she had a way to deal with such curses.

“Indeed, this is black magic, but the stipulations in the contract are perfectly fair.” Villes spread his hands.

“The demons say the same thing when they trick people into signing contracts, but in the end, their souls are all reaped.”

Concealing her lips, Violet softly retorted.

All because of those damned demons!

Villes inwardly cursed.

He had good reason to loathe these distant relatives.

The Blood Clan and demons, both indigenous creatures of this world, were two different branches.

Compared to humans, demons were more cunning and dangerous.

But the Blood Clan was relatively moderate.

Natural inhabitants who were once enemies of humans, black magic was born during their skirmishes.

It was an ingenious method created by demons for harnessing magical power.

Unable to use magic meant defeat against wizards who could.

Demons never simply waited for death.

Using the power of magic, demons easily dominated with their honeyed words and deceived humans, for they discovered that human souls were nourishing sustenance that grew rapidly.

Whether it was due to instincts or other reasons, a war broke out.

It was a war against humans by demons, etching the memory of these evil and terrifying beings deep in every human.

As a creator of the gods, Violet partook in this decisive battle between the races.

She had the responsibility to protect everything created by the Supreme God.

On the battlefield of flames and blood, she had faced demonic black magic at its pinnacle.

Hence, she was well aware of its terrifying, awe-inspiring power.

However, that wasn’t enough to reverse their defeat.

In this aspect, the Blood Clan was entirely different from their distant relatives.

Demons randomly killed humans and harvested their souls, an act of slaughter that humans couldn’t accept, leading to a prolonged war.

The Blood Clan, however, only consumed human flesh and blood.

That is to say, if farmed to a certain degree, they were not as brutal.

Utilizing the black magic created by their distant relatives, the Blood Clan quickly learned an important means in human civilization – trade!

For their own safety, even the powerful Blood Clan did not dare to easily become enemies with humans.

The last demon who did so nearly faced complete destruction, with the remaining few retreating into the abyss, skulking and living a life void of sunlight.

Villes knew that black magic was not easily accepted by humans, but so what?

This was beyond his control.

In the face of such a contract, Violet had no right to refuse either.

Now all he hoped for was that she could understand this and trust him enough.