This Is Unexpected (3)
The holy spirit, whose head was being bitten, thrashed wildly like it had gone insane.
You crazy little bastard!
Lilai and the elders could only stare in horror.
Well, of course they would—Isaac already had a record, didn't he?
A record of eating foreign objects. (Like the Skeleton King's bones!)
Honestly, it wouldn't even be strange if he swallowed a real holy spirit this time. It was terrifying.
No wonder the adults looked desperate.
This was a full-on emergency.
"Isaac! That's not food! No, really, this time you cannot eat that!"
"That kid won't be satisfied with just bones now!"
"If he eats that thing, who knows what could happen! A holy spirit might not even be digestible!"
You insane bastards, is *that* really the problem right now?! Huh?!
Lilai hurried to grab Isaac too.
The legs of the holy spirit wriggling out of Isaac's mouth looked just like a frog's.
"Be good, okay?! Uncle will catch you an even better frog later! So let's let this one go, huh?!"
Goddamn it, now they're treating me like a frog!
The adults tried to pry him off in a panic, but strangely, the head of the house stopped them.
"Let it be. It'll go back on its own."
"But Father!"
Lilai was flustered.
Of course the holy spirit wouldn't want to get eaten, so it would try to return to its own realm.
But this was a king-grade holy spirit—how often did one of those show up? Letting it go just like that felt like such a waste.
If they let it go now, the chance to contract with a king-grade spirit would vanish forever…
What the hell! Why isn't teleportation working!
"!"
The holy spirit flailed as if realizing its teleport wasn't working.
What's going on? Why can't I move?!
Of course it wouldn't work.
Isaac looked at the spirit, grinning.
He was infusing the Skeleton King's mana into the body of the spirit clenched between his teeth.
And the demon king's mana clung to the holy spirit's body, sticky and tar-like.
It was interference—blocking its holy power and binding it tight so it couldn't escape.
Only then did the holy spirit seem to realize something was seriously wrong.
You maniac! I *thought* I felt some weird dark energy—why the hell do you have demon king mana?!
But Isaac's grin only grew wider, mouth curled at the edges.
Of course it did.
"Turns out this body's actually useful, huh?"
What was the first thing Isaac had plotted after entering this body?
"Break through the defenses of the Holy Faction and assassinate!"
"Slip into the Divine Realm without bloodshed and spread poison!"
In other words, he theorized that in a saint's body, he could infiltrate the Holy Faction and assassinate without setting off alarms.
Like bypassing an immune system.
A checkpoint scan by another holy person? No way they'd suspect him.
And mana—demonic mana—was the deadliest poison to them.
Though to be honest, he'd been unsure whether he could really inject mana this way.
"But it just went right through, didn't it?"
A king-grade holy spirit wasn't stupid. Naturally, it was cloaked in protective holy arts.
But maybe because Isaac's saintly body had strong holy power too?
It broke through.
The protective barrier.
He'd only lightly matched the spirit's energy and nudged it, yet the defense cracked that easily!
"Or maybe it recognizes this body as blessed, so it lets its guard down?"
Of course, this thing was a holy spirit; it might not work on actual gods. But this one was a king-grade spirit.
If it works on lower-tier divine beings, it should work on most of the Holy Faction.
Yeah. The demonic mana assassination plan—it's got legs.
Well, right now he was only at 2nd-circle magic, so actual assassination was out of reach; at best, he could induce temporary paralysis.
But for now, that was more than enough.
Why?
Damn it! The mana's making my body…! Hives… grrrgh!
Holy spirits are the purest, most virtuous beings out there, after all.
Isaac smirked as the holy spirit writhed in agony.
"This is it."
Being pure meant, in other words, they were easy to corrupt!
Exactly. Holy spirits were weak to demonic mana!
They were amazing at purifying others with their purity, but ironically, it was like poison to themselves.
It seemed even being too clean came with its own problems.
"No wonder none of them would come within hundreds of kilometers of the Skeleton King."
That was probably just because of your face, though.
Would you shut up? What's wrong with my face?
Anyway, corrupting a holy spirit with the Skeleton King's mana was child's play.
This one didn't seem interested in making a contract, but who cared?
"Once I get a hold of its power, I'll force it whether it likes it or not."
The invisible glint in Isaac's eyes made the holy spirit shiver.
E-Eli! What the hell are you doing?! He's pouring mana into me!
But the head of the house played dumb.
"It's fine. He's like that because he ate the Skeleton King's flesh."
Oh,that's—what?Heate∗what∗?!Oh, that's—what? He ate *what*?!
"The Skeleton King's flesh."
What the hell! How did he even—wait, no, that's not the point.
Hey! That's the *first* thing you should've told me! You know how bad demonic mana is for holy spirits!
"Ah, sorry. Slipped my mind."
The holy spirit swallowed a curse.
You! You're keeping quiet on purpose because taming a king-grade spirit benefits your family, aren't you?!
"No way. I'm upset things turned out like this too."
Isaac let out a hollow laugh as he picked his nose.
Liar, old man.
He doesn't look the slightest bit sorry.
[Anyway! First, cut me loose! You can do it with your Anti-Magic Technique, right?!]
At that, the clan head quickly stepped back.
"Sorry. The Skull King's aura is too strong. We can't get close."
The spirit was about to lose its mind.
What do you mean you can't get close? That's like a fisherman being afraid of fish!
[You're the family that's supposed to exorcise the Skull King! What's the point if you can't even get near?!]
"Apologies. I'm the weakest clan head we've ever had."
What the hell are you talking about?!
[You're the so-called genius of all the clan heads, and you're spouting this crap—ugh, whatever! Just kill me! Just kill this brat already!]
"Making a priest commit murder… how tragic."
[Shut up! You're great at killing! You gut demons without a second thought! And if it's anything connected to the Skull King, you grind them into paste!]
"That's demons. Killing my grandson… just hearing that is so mentally traumatic, I should probably sue for damages."
The spirit clutched the back of its neck.
Is this guy a priest or a damn thug?
By now, the elders couldn't help but feel a twinge of surprise.
Of course, they too hoped someone from Eshua's bloodline would contract with a king-level spirit.
But they'd never imagined the clan head would act like this.
"Normally, wouldn't he have just sent them away?"
"He's someone who hates jokes like that."
He was the kind of man who would turn his back on his own sons if anything deviated from principle.
The elders glanced nervously at Goel, who was visibly shaken.
Goel's expression had fallen apart the moment the king-level spirit appeared.
Clearly, he'd realized it.
That the clan head was bound to change his heart toward Isaac now.
The elders exchanged wary looks.
And with good reason—Eshua was in the midst of a succession battle between the Pope's bloodline and the Saintess's bloodline.
The fight over the clan head's seat isn't just a family matter.
The Five Great Faiths had influence across almost the entire continent.
Which meant any succession issue in one of the Five Great Houses was a matter of political and military interest continent-wide.
The problem was, there were already rumors that Eshua had lost divine favor because the Saintess had failed to defeat the Skull King.
—Those silver-haired ones are hopeless.
—I heard even the Saintess's descendants this generation are cursed by God?
—Still, with the Pope's bloodline mixed in this time, it should be a bit better, right?
—Does that mean the Pope's faction might start interfering with Eshua?
—Nah, Eshua's too principled for that. But the Pope's side will definitely gain an advantage.
—The clan head must be under a lot of pressure. But what can you do when your own kids are so weak and keep dying off?
Everyone had believed the Pope's blessed bloodline was destined to be Eshua's savior.
But of all people, who would've thought Isaac, a Saintess descendant, would start to shine?
Was that why the clan head couldn't help but favor him?
The elders stole glances at Isaac.
Maybe it was time to rethink who they should be supporting.
"At this rate, isn't the clan head planning to acknowledge Isaac as his heir?"
Lilai wiped sweat from her brow as she watched her father, who seemed oddly cheerful.
"Or… maybe he just thinks he's hit the jackpot."
The Faith of Cheong.
A belief in defiance that bows to nothing.
And as a clan head who perfectly embodied that faith, he probably intended to exploit whatever he could.
Even his own bloodline, if it came to that.
Sure enough, his eyes gleamed as he watched the spirit thrashing like a frog.
"Well, maybe it was God's will that you got eaten."
[What did you just say, you bastard?!]
"Stay inside my grandson's body. Once you've purified all the Skull King's magic, I'll let you go home."
[You psycho Eshua freak! You're really trying to use me for free labor?!]
"Then just stay possessed like that."
[Say what now?!]
"..."
Maybe he was just in a good mood because he'd scored some top-tier labor, and for free at that.
Lilai gave her father a look of pure exasperation.
The spirit seemed to be thinking the exact same thing.
[You psychos! This is why I hate you people! If your damn clan wasn't the one hunting down the Skull King, I'd have cut ties a long time ago! What part of this faith is supposed to be for the weak?!]
"You're not exactly weak, are you?"
[Say what now?!]
The holy spirit loathed the Skull King's magic.
[Dammit! If it's come to this, I'll have to use this brat to take down that damn Skull King… ugh!]
Isaac chomped on the spirit with his toothless gums.
That damn Skull King? That's me, you fool.
The head of the household's eyes gleamed strangely.
"How long will the purification take? I assume… a hundred years, right?"
[Quit wishful thinking, will you? You planning to enslave me in Eshua until this brat dies?]
The spirit let out a snort, as if mocking him for underestimating a king-class being.
[Four days. Seal the kid and me up.]
"!"
[I'm going back home after two weeks at most. Purification? It's not even the Skull King's full power—just a finger bone. Four days is more than enough!]
Isaac's eyes curled into a grin at that.
'Four days?'
This purifier's performance is better than I thought.
Would be a waste to let it go after just four days of work.
The head of the household clicked his tongue.
"I see."
Regretful, but he had no choice but to accept it.
In truth, even having the spirit remain in the mortal world for four days was a big deal for humans.
If Isaac could absorb anything during that short time, it would be a win.
Even if only a sliver of Isaac's holy power was purified, that alone would be worthwhile.
'They say holy and magical powers reach the realm of transcendence the purer they are.'
Even the Pope had reportedly trained in asceticism since the age of ten for that very reason.
Of course, that's a state only gods can truly achieve—just a pipe dream for humans.
Still, even the devout who obsessively pursued "purity" would consider this a jackpot.
The head of the household's eyes glinted subtly as he looked at the spirit.
"You've been summoned to the Papal household before, haven't you?"
[Well, they dragged me over while they were researching purity, but don't worry. They pissed me off, so I cut ties. I won't sell your information to them or anything.]
That… wasn't exactly the concern here.
This thing was so powerful that any faith would've coveted it.
Having made up his mind, the head of the household gave an order.
"Open the gates of the East Castle. Evacuate everyone inside, and don't let a soul enter until the purification is complete."
Goel and the elder flinched in shock.
"Father! The East Castle is…!"
"Lord!"
As they panicked for some reason, the head of the household coldly cut them off.
"No objections will be heard."
"…!"
Isaac's eyes curved like a crescent moon at the declaration.
'Honestly, I was a bit wary that the old man might recognize my true identity.'
But maybe devouring the Skull King's body really had helped.
[That's surprising. I thought for sure he'd kill you because of that. Turns out he's a soft-hearted fool?]
Isaac chuckled low.
Nope. Not even close.
From what I can tell, he's ruthless enough to use even a demon lord.
Anyway, that's not the point right now.
The East Castle?
'Isn't that the one right next to the annex with the magic core?'
[Yes! Practically within arm's reach!]
Perfect.
If I play this right, I can suck up that entire magic core without anyone noticing.
I've been itching to get into that annex, too.
[Exactly! You could boost your magic rank in one shot!]
'And if I can purify the impurities from that magic…'
Isaac looked at the spirit with a sly grin for some reason.
"Rilai. This might take longer than expected. Stay here and keep a close watch over them."
At that, the spirit burst out laughing.
[Oh please, like that's gonna work! You think a king-class being can't escape from some brat? In four days, I'm out of here and never seeing you psycho sociopaths again!]
But four days later—
The spirit couldn't leave Eshua.
In fact, it couldn't even get out of Isaac's mouth.
Even ten years later.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]