Lotus Year 93
The temple built by Selene and her disciples finally completed, and it looked like a dome made of stones held together with magic and roots. The jet-black stones were cut into bricks then stacked and fitted together with magic and the help of my roots. The temple has several incomplete door and window frames and in the middle of the main entrance hall is a large circle of stones surrounding a hole that gives direct access to the lake below.
In the center of the stone ring sat the restored statue of the lady of the fountain with its iconic jar, clear water smoothly flowing onto the water mirror below. Throughout the entire room, small statues and fountains consistently streamed water through rivulets in the floor and walls.
Entering deeper into the temple, one could see 3 rooms outside the entrance hall: A large room with stone benches lined up and pointed towards a pedestal in an elevated position at the front of the room, a room with several stone pillars and a large magic circle carved into the floor for some type of ritual, and the last room served as a small communal room for the templars with some chests, shelves, and jars.
The first congregation was recently held at the temple, just a small ritual carried out by Selene in the presence of those who wanted to show up. She prayed, thanked people, and gave out pleasantries.
The superior blessing given to Selene helped her spread her influence. Her disciples became even more fanatical, as there was now concrete proof that Selene's preachings were true, while the nobles became tense upon seeing Selene's increased power.
Selene's appearance also changed a lot since receiving a greater blessing. Her silver hair gained spots of blue like the ocean. Her eyes turned a blue so dark that it bordered on black, with pure white pupils in the shape of four-pointed stars. Selene’s formerly gray skin turned to shades of teal while her horns and nails became pitch black. Her forehead bore the 5-petal lotus flower surrounded by an intricate tattoo of roots and smaller flowers.
She also became much more fanatical, bordering on madness. Since I gave her the prophecy, she has been proclaiming she "received a vision from the lady at the fountain", but as no one had ever witnessed anything similar, many people harbored doubts.
Some nobles tried to use Selene fainting half-naked at the lakeside as a warning, claiming Selene was becoming senile and her words were unreliable. They have been dedicated to advancing their political position, finding ways to influence perception of events to their favor, and if someone does not align with them, they ridicule and depose them. Selene isn’t interested in this, nor am I since, after all, it doesn’t matter who sits atop the pile of trash, I hold the real power. Unfortunately for the nobles and their plans, Selene could back up her statements through hers and Kiiro’s superior blessings, as well as the testimony of the templars who also witnessed my appearance in the middle of the night.
Selene also seems to really like the gift I gave her, carrying it in a necklace all the time. Apparently, there are no limits to how many amulets someone can carry, as long as you can pay the price to wear them. Amulets must be both charged and activated with mana, a process which can be expensive to maintain. People who don't have access to lots of mana often choose to only carry 1 amulet they can perfect their use of, rather than several which they might not be able to activate.
The [Scrap Heirloom] amulet that I gave to Selene has already been fully charged by me, so she doesn't need to supply energy to it, unlike her strange bracelet which needs to be activated by her whenever she wants to use it.
Selene made good use of the skills offered by the amulet; most of them are weak, but some are very interesting. For instance, a skill called [Water Bullet] creates a small drop of water that could be fired at high speed, the skill [New Drop] creates a drop of water with healing capabilities and - most interesting to me - [Water Ring] creates versatile water rings, which can be used to immobilize someone or spun rapidly to cause cutting damage.
The best part is I can easily reproduce the skills [Water Bullet] and [Water Ring] with my abilities and make them even stronger than the original, making a rain of water bullets, or several cutting streams of water to trap and cut enemies. That said, I can't imitate something like [New Drop] because I don't have healing capabilities.
This left me pondering the blurry line between skills, spells, and abilities. Skills seem powerful and very useful since they operate autonomously and easily, but some of them - especially at lower levels - look more like pre-made spells, or cheap tricks someone can easily train to imitate mundanely. They seem primarily to be a matter of luck, affinity, and situation. People can have the same skill but use them in vastly different ways. A farmer with a skill to make a ditch in the ground can use it to help them in their day-to-day life planting crops, but a soldier with the same skill can use it to make their enemy stumble, opening them up to attack.
On the other hand, spells are more clear in their form and function: They are phenomena created by a caster powering a magic circle with mana. I don't know their exact limitations, nor their full potential, but I know that spells don't seem as malleable as someone's natural abilities. Spellcasting magic is like a math formula that anyone can learn and perform in a standard way. Affinity does not seem to limit what spells are possible cast since I can cast earth, water, fire, energy, and wind spells without issue. Of course, my water-based spells are better in practically every way - more stable, easier, cheaper, and faster.
Magical abilities, in contrast, are totally situational and strictly personal; they come from the way an individual sees and manipulates the world around them. I was able to observe this first hand during the growth of the new generation of Tieflings. Two individuals with the same affinities, the same resources, and the same difficulties would still develop two different styles of fighting, manufacturing or caring in different ways because of their personal approach.
A hunter with an earth affinity who preferred to hunt stealthily would use his abilities to make their presence disappear, or to blend into the environment around him. While a hunter with an affinity for the earth who preferred to hunt their prey quickly and cleanly would develop their abilities to locate their prey through vibrations in ground, or to create holes underneath their prey to rapidly trap it.
With my abilities to control water, dirt, plants and mana, I can create basically anything by molding my abilities to my will. That's how I created my water mannequin, the carpet of roots in the city, the underground caves in the lake, and so much more.
This power seems less limited than spells and less specific than skills, but why? Skills give me access to power that would normally be beyond my reach, while spells are a rudimentary way of manipulating and shaping the energy of the world to generate a specific pre-written magical phenomenon. But magical abilities seem to be more personal, more complex. They don't depend solely on luck, or studiousness and complex work, instead they depend on how an individual uses and manipulates the world around them - Their choices, desires and worldview - all directly linked to the level system.
If I had chosen another path back when first choosing my specialization, I might have been able to use healing skills and imitate skills like [New Drop] or Kiiro's [Naiad's Embrace]. Or if I had chosen another path, I could have delved even deeper into the art of invocation, calling more spirits, beasts and elementals to fight for me. Instead I chose [Water Temple], and thus I am limited only to powers related to water. I’m not really complaining because, without the ability to manipulate and purify water, I would have died way back at the beginning of the plague.
Sure, I can also shape things like earth and plants, but it's nothing compared to what I can do with water. I can manipulate mud or make some plants grow quickly - Circus tricks compared to the infinite number of things I can do with water. In a way, I believe I have a similar fundamental nature to water. We are malleable, adapting to whatever environment we encounter, and we are beneficial to the world and people around us, characteristics that mask our barely visible lethality.
I don't know which came first, my mindset or my affinity with water, but perhaps that is just an excuse for my current mental state. Selene also has the same affinity as me, but underneath all that poison she has in her, there is still a fragile person with "humanity" - Something I clearly don't have. I can't lie to myself and say I truly care about those people, that I couldn't live knowing that I did something "morally horrible" to them, or that I wouldn't abandon them to “flee” alone at the first sign of real danger. Even so, I don't think my way of thinking is wrong. My instincts tell me I'm right to think selfishly like this, but when I consider my human memories my thoughts and actions seem petty and indulgent.
Deceive, lie, and manipulate. Things humans clearly say are bad, but sound as natural and clear as water to me. I believe the reason for this is simply my species. Being a sentient plant, I find that my feelings for other life forms are numbed. I feel nothing towards them, hate, disdain, love, pity - I feel nothing. That still doesn't stop me from sometimes empathizing with them.
I was happy when Selene built the temple, because it was in accordance with my wishes and would help me in realizing my future plans.
I feel angry when these annoying people come to my lake, day after day, asking for my blessing when I'm clearly not going to give them anything.
I feel... sorry? when I see someone in a miserable situation? I don't know exactly why, but looking at them with their weak bodies, bruises, and illnesses, and eyes devoid of any will or desire... It makes my roots shiver and I feel a kind of nausea - even without a stomach - which makes me feel sick and very uncomfortable.
I think it has something to do with my past life, but I can't remember, no, I don't want to remember. There's no reason to remember something already lost. It's like looking at pieces of a broken mirror on the floor. Each fragment shows me something, some clearer than others, but they need to be put together like a puzzle, and I don’t think I want to touch them.
This broken mirror should stay broken, because I will only hurt myself trying to fix it.
----------------------------------------
People gathered around an open grave, some are crying, hugging each other, and lamenting, while others whisper amongst themselves. Around this grave are several others, with tombstones made of unremarkable stone with names and dates written on its surface. The place is well cared for, despite not being very large or often visited.
It is the cemetery, a little far from the village, but still close enough for my roots to grow throughout it. The cemetery was built outside the village walls and because of this it is not considered a safe place. For that reason, the few people who were here needed to finish what they were doing quickly and return to safety.
I noticed a few of Selene's templars carrying a stretcher holding a cloth-wrapped body towards the open grave. An elderly woman with tanned skin falls to tears on the ground when she sees the body, but the templars can't stop. Not today, not for this.
The body reached the grave and Selene's templars placed it respectfully inside. They then slowly moved away, giving space to the elderly woman, a younger woman carrying a small child, and a man wearing a look of such deep sorrow that all who saw him felt intense sympathy.
Inside the pit was an old man. They can't see his face now, as he has been completely wrapped in cloth, but I know he was basically an ordinary guy. An ordinary Tiefling, living with his wife, son and daughter-in-law in a small house he used as a workshop for treating animal hides. He was not important, his life was long but devoid of notable successes.
He left behind a family now deep in trouble. His work had given them enough to support themselves - they weren't rich, but they wouldn't starve. The man's son will have to take responsibility now, but I don't think he can do that - he's just not good enough. Maybe his family will starve for his failing, maybe he will need to beg for help on the city streets, or maybe he'll find something he's good at which can support them.
Today, however, his family mourns for both the present loss and the uncertain future awaiting them.
As the elderly woman grieved, Selene's templars came close to the open grave while touching the woman’s shoulders. She didn't want to go, but time waits for no one. Soon, the templars began to cover the pit, using magic to make the walls of the grave collapse until it was covered completely. The woman sobbed once more as the last of the body was hidden from sight. When the templars pointed up to the red sky, the man took the queue and soothed his mother and they all began filing their way back to the village, leaving me alone with my next meal.
This cemetery has been a great addition for me. They used to burn the sick and dead, but now, after some mourning and rituals, I get a valuable source of nutrients and ingredients. Since my roots are all over the place, it is easy to enter the graves which are, after all, nothing more than holes in the ground. I can tear the fabric wrapping the bodies with ease and gain access to a feast that can easily feed me for months. All I need to do is wrap my roots around the body and consume it slowly, keeping insects and other predators away. When a skeleton becomes "clean" I can use their bones, horns, and teeth as ingredients in amulets or just as decoration for my cave.
Remorse? Pity? Why would I feel this? They are dead, they don't care what will happen to their bodies. Whether they are eaten, turned into ashes, or turned into amulets, they don’t have an opinion, so why should I leave all the precious resources behind? To "respect" their sacrifice or the grief of their kin? What's the utility of protecting the feelings of others? And really, the bodies buried here are technically my property. They were buried under my roots, after living under my protection, so it's only fair that I get something in return when they die.
After wrapping my roots around the new body, I redirected my attention to the inside of my cave. I focused on a very special place, devoid of earth and moss, full of stone tablets with magical inscriptions and stone altars I built over years. This was my ritual chamber where I performed magic I copied from Selene. I created an altar made of several stone blocks carved directly from the ground in a cylindrical shape. At the base of the altar were several runes and inscriptions as well as some roots serving as energy suppliers. Around the altar are some small pillars used to add items to the ritual. The floor is covered with magical circles that need to be redone and repaired each session. Looking up it is possible to see some constructions with roots similar to magical chandeliers.
Outside the ritual circle was a pedestal with a book made of stone and piles of different materials - bones, teeth, Tiefling horns, rusty metals, precious stones, wood, fabric, and even some complete skeletons which originated from the zombies outside. I used my roots to pick up a few items, gently placing each one on the pedestals before placing a Tiefling’s skull on the altar’s center.
The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
When I finished placing the ingredients, I closed the last line in the magic circle, causing the floor to start emitting blue light. Soon, I could feel a gentle tug on my energy reserves, and in response I began pumping energy into the altar. Energy began flowing through my roots into the altar, causing blue cracks to appear throughout the stone pillars and making my roots coil even tighter; as it did, the items atop the pedestals rose into the air and began to vibrate with infused energy.
Without delay, I forced energy into the formation which pulsed a wave of that energy back outward. In response my mannequin emerged from a puddle of water on the floor and in its hands a large book of stone plaques appeared. Several assorted magical circles filled with strange symbols began to orbit the items placed on the pedestals. The glyphs began to rotate increasingly quickly before abruptly stopping and shattering into several “letters” which flew across the room.
My water mannequin floated the large stone book in the air with a thin layer of water, and with its arms it began to guide the magic letters back as if it were a conductor guiding their musicians. With each gesture and whisper, more letters dissolved and entered the items on the altar, until the mannequin was satisfied and made one more gesture, causing the entire ritual to enter the final phase. Bones, metals, precious stones, and wood spiraled inwards towards the skull, moving faster and faster until each item lost internal cohesion and flowed into the skull
The form of a skull with an embedded bright blue jewel on the forehead supported by bones and metal emerged for the shifting mass. Roots and small stones adorned the sides of the macabre amulet while a blue flame ignited in the skull’s orbital holes. Then the broken horns of the skull reformed with melted metal and wood, its teeth became plated with gold, silver and brass of various metals, while the jewel on its forehead shined blindingly bright.
I felt the energy limit I chose for the spell approach, so I cut the mana supply causing the final actions to rapidly accelerate and the ritual to end.
Notice Congratulations! User created the {Lesser} Artifact: Skull of Eternal Sorrow
Artifact
-=[Skull of Eternal Sorrow]=-
Created using remnants of those who are gone, the Skull of Eternal Sorrow carries the suffering and guilt of those it was made from. Upon activating this artifact, all living beings within their reach are inflicted with the [Tired] effect.
* Affects only targets with 1/3 or less, of the bearer level
* The holder of this item receives a smaller affinity with [Water] and [Darkness]
'Damn it! Where did it go wrong?'
The item was kind of a "success", in the end i really managed to create an artifact -Even if I don't know exactly what a artifact is - But the final result was underwhelming.
'This whole ‘Carries the suffering and guilt of its member' thing… does this have something to do with me using the remains of Tieflings body's? Oh come on! They are already dead! Who cares what I do with their bodies? Why does using a bunch of old bones interfered in the final result of my ritual?'
The item isn’t bad totally bad, it’s just that the effect seems to be too vague or weak to be useful. Also its appearance and lore don’t give me any good vibes, but im still surprise how it ended up giving [darkness] affinity, maybe anything to do with bad karma?
'I don't really want to mess around with the darkness element, even though a fish is better in the bucket than loose in the lake, so perhaps it would be better to understand all the elements and grab all its possibilities'
Studying the strange item created by me, I decide it's not worth the risk at all. Shadows, darkeness and death, aren't exactly my area of interest, and [Darkness] seems associated with necromancy or the dead it self, which is currently one of my biggest issues in the form of the zombie plague. After sighing in disappointment, i start to pack up the macabre item in my roots, so I took it to my trash dump in one of the cave room's, and then tossed it with the remains, bones, stones, scrap metals and of precious stones.
After the totaly failure that was this ritual, I felt the need to get involved with something simpler - Something that consistently gives pleasant and satisfactory results. So i directed my attention to the temple recentely created by Selene, and started to grew a small lotus blossom inside a small ring of stones on the temple floor.
As the flower opened out of sight of passers-by, I saw people walking through the place as they hung tapestries on the walls, placed carved stone plates, sculpted statues, and more. In the background, I spotted the duo of Selene and Kiro in an open place that gave a direct view of the lake. Fish swam close to the surface among the lily pads and the two were close enough to the lake to touch one of the lake's flowers.
The two were very different from the rest of the crowd, with hair dyed with shades of blue, root tattoos on their bodies, and an air of superiority clear as day. Nothing like the "simpletons" walking around carrying jars, parchment, and pieces of wood. Selene had wrapped a string around her medallion which she attached to her strangely shaped wooden staff and wore her brass bracelet which had accompanied her for several years. Kiiro followed behind, devoid of any magical item or staff, with only his iconic blindfold around his eyes.
They seem to get along well. Selene is strict, bossy, and harsh with Kiiro, but it doesn't reach the level of mistreatment; there is no physical, mental or verbal aggression, just an angry lady trying to pass on her knowledge to a clumsy and slightly distracted boy.
"To cast a spell accurately, you must first channel your inner mana and then guide it to your hands, use [Manipulate Energy] to shape a spell, then... HEY!? Are you even paying attention boy?" Scolded Selene as she tugged Kiiro's ear after he got distracted by the fish eating in the lake.
"Ouch! Yes ma'am! I'm paying attention!" Kiiro blatantly lied.
Selene just looked at him irritably. The boy sat seiza-style in front of Selene, dressed in new and beautiful clothes which were decorated with flowers, roots and colored with rare dyes extracted from animals and flowers found in the village. Selene seemed irritated by the boy's slovenly attitude, but not to the point of seriously fighting with him.
"Boy! I already told you this is no joke! As one of the lady's chosen, you must behave and act in a manner consistent with the privileges granted to you!" Selene chastised.
"I understand the magic part, it's really cool to learn that! But why do I have to learn nonsense about etiquette and manners? I thought the lady chose me because she liked me? So why do I need to try so hard!" Kiiro said with a big smile.
"Brat, listen here! You were blessed by the lady for 2 reasons: Your raw talent and your unlimited potential, but if you continue with this rude attitude do you think you will get anywhere? Your lack of respect and dedication is hurting you, can't you see that? You didn't get an amulet from the lady like I did, nor did you receive a prophetic dream. Don't be arrogant just because you got a greater blessing!" Selene said, nearly shouting.
In response Kiiro just pouted, looking away from her stern gaze as if he could have actually made eye contact.
"At least the lady talks to me sometimes and comes when I call. Does she do that for you?" Kiiro questioned mockingly.
"This brat! Don't you understand? This is a golden chance you are throwing out the window! Do you have any idea how many people in this village would beg to speak to the lady once? And you waste this opportunity with...with jokes!" Selene said, irritated.
Kiiro didn't seem hurt or intimidated, as he just toyed around with his hair. Upon seeing this, Selene huffed in frustration before clapping her hands to get his attention again.
"Let's get back to it. Since you were paying attention, Kiiro, tell me, what is the correct way to cast a spell?" Selene said with her arms crossed.
"Um, if I'm not mistaken... you need to pull energy from within you, use [Manipulate Energy] to write a spell, and then cast it?" Kiiro said slowly.
Selene facepalmed and shot Kiiro a disappointed look.
"Very basically, that's it. But you forgot important steps and variants. To cast a spell correctly, the caster must know how to build and move a magic circle quickly and stably, use part of their personal mana to shape a basic magical formula, and then use specific runes to add purpose to the desired spell. A talisman, grimoire, or magic staff can be used to assist in the spell construction process." Selene said concisely.
Kiiro paused for a moment with a neutral expression as he processed the information.
"So that's what staves are for? To help with casting spells?" Kiiro said, turning towards Selene.
"Kid! Did you hear a word I said?! Ugh... But to answer your question, yes. Staffs, grimoires, scrolls, or artifacts are "assistants" in casting spells. Some are for more specific uses, such as staves which are solely used to facilitate the casting of spells, while others, such as grimoires or talismans can be used as a pre-written spell caster, a anchor to summon beasts or as containers of spirits." Selene answered.
"Wow! But why?" Kiiro asked innocently.
"But why what?" Retorted Selene.
"Why do staves, grimoires, scrolls or artifacts help cast spells? Can they talk to magic and tell it to do what they want?" asked Kiiro with a lively voice.
"Don't be silly boy, these items are auxiliaries, tools used to increase our control over the world's natural energy and our own mana reserves." Selene said.
"I don’t get it at all ma'am..." Kiiro replied.
"Hmpf. Think of your natural mana... like this lake." Selene said, looking through the doorway directly at the lake.
"Why the lake?" Kiiro asked.
"Just listen, brat. Think of this lake as your natural mana reserve, now lets say that you want to cast a spell. Now, the power of the spell will depend on how much mana you can extract from your 'lake'. How much do you think you can catch with... Your bare hands?" Said Selene as she created a small ball of water in the palm of her hand.
"With my hands?" Kirro asked as he 'stared' at his hands. "I can’t hold a bunch water with them, so it would just be a little bit, I think..." Kiiro replied.
"Exactly. Now, imagine the aids are like buckets. With one of them, you can extract much more 'water' from this 'lake', right?" Selene said, making the water bubble on her hand grow and shine a sparkling blue.
"But, it's still nothing compared to the entire lake? Isn't it?" Kiiro replied.
Selene seemed surprised by the boy's response as she placed a hand over her mouth before starting to laugh loudly.
"HAHAHA! Boy, you are truly priceless. Of course it's nothing compared to the whole lake, but don't you know that those who mess with fire too much end up getting burned, and those who mess with water too much end up drowning? Trying to catch more than you can carry is a mistake. You should not do that under any circumstances since overloading your body with a large output of mana is a quick and easy way to cripple you for the rest of your life. Assistants are just that: Assistants. They're not the perfect solution, but they still make it a breeze compared to casting spells with just your hands." Selene said between laughs.
"Oh! I see. I asked because the lady doesn't seem to need any assistants.... She keeps doing a lot of things at the same time and playing with magic as if it were a toy, so I thought..."
"Brat, don't compare yourself to the lady, you'll end up disappointed. The lady is a nature spirit, a type of entity that can control the world around her easily and quickly. We are nothing compared to her!" Selene cut him off as he came close to what she considers heresy.
As Selene continued her adoration, Kiiro turned abruptly away. Focusing there, I saw it was Suzuki on her way to the temple to pick up her son.
"Lady Selene, my mother is coming. I think I'll wait for her in front of the temple if that’s ok?" Kiiro asked.
"Oh? It’s that late already? Very well. I need to say my prayers too, so we will continue our class tomorrow. You better take it more seriously then, boy!" said Selene as she stood up.
Kiiro threw himself on his back on the ground, then rolled to the side, and quickly got up running to the front of the temple, leaving behind a very irritated Selene grumbling about his lack of decorum.
Directing my vision to Suzuki, I saw she is much better than before. She exuded a more noble air than in the past, and seemed to have more purpose in her life. Things between her and her husband remained rocky with many verbal conflicts, but Suzuki seems determined to continue her plan. In recent years, Suzuki basically created his own faction, distinct from the nobles who supported Hiraki but with exactly the same purpose: to make someone the king.
She managed to attract some nobles to her side, and her popularity with the public helped her gain fame and credibility. Hiraki's party was ahead in terms of raw power but failed in terms of influence and credibility, while Selene party lacks strong, imposing people and credibility on their cause, but has several socially influential people - exemplary artisans, experienced farmers, lesser nobles, and most importantly, Selene herself.
The two remain connected through Kiiro. Suzuki is his mother and, unbeknownst to him, traded her soul to me for protection. Selene dedicates much of her time and resources to him, so much so that the village rumor mill suspects he will be the next leader of the templars. I don't like to admit it, but that woman is good with her words. She can guide the public opinion of this village like I can manipulate the water in the lake, and if she manages to reach the top, no one will be able to topple her.
Seeing the "real" golden Princess made me unexpectedly angry. The irritating feeling I had been deceived by her into making me sign a disadvantageous contract began to grow more and more. Suzuki already got what she wanted, while I need to sit and wait patiently for a payment I don't even know will be advantageous for me.
But seriously, a soul? No matter how I look at it, a soul must be valuable - After all, souls seem to be the "glue" that holds everything together in our bodies. But what if a soul is nothing more than a blob of energy and memories? After all, my soul gave me access to some memories that helped me get through bad times, so perhaps if I had possession of Suzuki's soul I would have access to all of her memories. Or would it just be an 'object' I can eat?
I admit I was a little anxious back then. I think I should have known better before making this contract, but the payment seemed satisfactory and the price insignificant, so I ran without thinking it through and now I'm stuck between treacherous thorns.
Eternal protection. What does this mean exactly? I need to protect Kiiro from all harm, or just try to "protect" him. If so, doesn't my greatest blessing count as a form of "eternal protection"? After all, he's forever marked by me, so he's under my "Eternal protection" in a way or another. But eternal protection doens't mean I have to keep him alive forever, right? Just that I must make an real effort to try to keep him alive.
If the clause in the contract was "keep him alive forever" or "keep him out of harm's way indefinitely", that would be more problematic, but I don't know if I can blindly trust the wording precisely. The contract clearly stated "In exchange for Suzuki's soul" but for some reason I didn't receive my payment instantly. Instead I needed to wait until Suzuki's death, something not listed in the contract at all. So either the contract had dishonest hidden clauses, or there are "common senses" in this world contract's system of which I am unaware.
This left me thinking about one possibility: Could Suzuki really deliberately omit parts of the contract?
I don't think it should be possible, but if she really managed to, I was deceived in broad daylight. I don't have much I can do about it; I can kill Suzuki and take my payment by force, but it wouldn't change my end of the bargain. The best option seems to be to redo or break the current agreement. After all, I don't want to have to find out what "Divine Punishment" is for breaking the agreement.
'Can I try to fight fire with fire? If she offered me a pot of honey to trick me, can I try to offer her something she thinks is useful in exchange for updating the contract? Would something like Hiraki's head, or treasures from the lake be enough? Or perhaps a more direct approach? If I kidnap Suzuki's husband and use him to blackmail her, wouldn't I get what I want easily?'
Choices, choices and more choices. Paths that diverge and change, like rivers in the flow of time. I have no way of knowing the safest and most secure path to follow. Lying or using threats can be efficient, but I have a nascent religion going on here; if the people under my control start viewing me in a negative light, things could get complicated for me.
'I think I underestimated Suzuki a little too much. Unfortunately for me, she's not a lost and miserable lamb, she's a hungry and greedy wolf.'
I will find a loophole in this contract, and when I do it, I will ensure I will never be fooled again.