Entry #9

It has been 10 days since I started this project. I have been very busy as I have limited time in this world and I'm honestly overwhelmed ever since the mansion became a bit crowded lately.

Experiment #0 has been progressing very well. They have adapted to their new surroundings very well and while their mental state was still in progress, they do show any signs of creativity and signs of [Talents] materializing within them.

About 3 days ago, they have no control over their mana due to their fluctuating mental state. It's only the combined efforts of my dear old friend and Experiment #1 controlling their excess Mana that allowed them to progress as I expected.

I felt like there was still missing until I named them the heir of my mansion. But I feel I might find it before I could reach my limit.

Until then, I should observe Experiment #0 in the meantime and see if they are ready to proceed to the next stage of their growth.

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So I learned a few things about myself and this lesson.

Number one. Exhausting my mana leaves me tired, which I'm not surprised about.

Number two. Firing many spells without rest exhausts them.

And number three. I think I used too much mana without any thinking.

So right now, I'm lying down on the ground, gasping in exhaustion after an hour of firing lessons because of my shitty accuracy. Thankfully, Casia wasn't much of a strict teacher as he called it off by dragging me out with his claw. He was sitting next to me as he stared at me while pushing a bottle right next to me.

"What's this? My lessons on how to identify poison?" I asked sarcastically.

It's a [Mana Potion], Mr. Sunshine. You should drink it right now if you want to get up. You can try to continue, but I'm not going to force you.

Huh, what a considerate guy for being a dragon. Still, I'm not the type to turn down a necessity. He was already trustworthy in my eyes and there was no room for me to suspect him right now. I slowly got up, picked up a potion as I pulled the cork open, and drank the blue contents inside it. The potion tasted like a mix of blueberry and orange and a few gulps were enough for me to recover most of my strength in my legs enough for me to stand up.

"Thanks, Casia," I sighed once I finished most of the potion. "Where did you get it anyway? From a nearby demon kingdom?"

To my surprise, Casia chuckled and said, I wish. Demons there are wary of us Drago Nox and it's not easy to find these since we mostly consume large portions of mana to survive. The one you drank was made by the owner themselves.

My eyes widened when I heard this. At least I managed to empty the bottle or I would have wasted the potion over a spit take. "Wait, the homeowner made it?"

Yes. They don't look like it, but they are surprisingly skilled with [Alchemy]. In fact, some of the items installed in their house were made by them by hand. I did some heavy work, of course.

So the shower, toilet, faucet, and LED-like stone lamps were of their making? I didn't know, but I had some theories about the owner's identity. "Does that mean they were an Otherworlder, too? That stuff you mentioned exists in my world first."

Unfortunately, I doubt it. Just like the former owner, they were born in this world. Or rather, they were created.

Created?! Wait, were they...

And before you ask, no, he didn't clone an Otherworlder or used any mad Alchemy that would go against the very laws the gods created to create the owner. It's just...I'm not allowed to divulge the methods out of respect for both former and current owners' sake. I-It's...too much if you try to pry into their private lives.

I wish I could go against it since I still have questions and he might be dodging the question, but Casia might be right. I still don't know who the owner was and I still don't trust them, but I could lose my only shelter in the Demon Territory if I get too hasty. If I have the right time, I might be able to expose them.

For now, I should follow Casia's warning and avoid prying my nose into their private matters too much. "I understand. For now, I rather focus on my magic than the owner. I still need to work on my aim, but at least I know the basics of it already."

Good idea, Casia said as he stood up with his long neck straightened a bit. I think we should move on to another topic. Though this time, I will let you choose one of your desires. What do you want to ask now, Fledgling?

Right, I think I should bring it up right now before I forget. "I want to know about incantations. Can you cast magic without an incantation as I did during my practice?"

Ah, so you have noticed, huh?

I narrowed my eyes and frowned. "You read my mind again, did you?"

Of course not, he responded with a chuckle as usual. If I do it all of the time, it will be no fun at all. But you did bring up a valid question that has been asked many times before, so it's no surprise to me.

"Before"? Why do I have a feeling this wasn't the only time Casia taught someone magic? Either way, I didn't say anymore as I start listening to his lesson.

As you might have guessed already, casting a spell requires two parts. [Conceptualization] and [Formation]. Conceptualization requires a bit of imagination and creativity on the magician's end. They must create an image of a spell they want to cast first. If they can't, then the whole spell will fail. Formation is what it says. Gather the mana within you and use that image to form your spell. Once that is done, the spell is complete.

I see. It makes sense. If you want to cast a [Fire Ball] spell, just imagine the said image, create it from your Mana, and just shoot it away. It sounded easy, but I still have some doubts.

However, that's where outsiders began to expand the concept of magic. To them, image isn't enough and most of the species have a limited amount of Mana within them. They needed more power and a way to get through the limits of magic itself. You see, magic is more than tools to some species while Elves and Demons treat it as extensions of ourselves. And in the case of tools, they also act as weapons for self-defense. So a theory was made by a few religious magicians: "What if we pray to the gods to enhance our magic?"

Prayer... I think I had an idea of what he meant. "Those "prayers" became incantations, right?"

That is correct. At first, many genuinely prayed to the gods as they cast spells through the same requirements. However, it evolved into a third part of a spell: [Vocalization]. By chanting a special incantation based on the spell you're trying to cast, you can increase the power before releasing it. What you did before is the initial power of the [Fire Ball] and [Dark Blast] when the first magicians created them. If you tried to chant an incantation of [Fire Ball], it would be stronger and we might have a fire problem at our hands and claws.

So if I did...

Crap, thank goodness I didn't know that spell's incantation. If this was still my world, I would be charged with arson or worse, lose the shelter I’m staying in right now. I rather save the [Fire Ball] spell for something else.

"Okay. Is incantation-less casting uncommon around here? Not just in the Demon Territory, of course," I asked.

Yes. It's very uncommon here. But as I said, chantless magic is far weaker than with chants. Most of them are self-taught magicians.

"But what about you? I mean, other than your fire breaths, you can cast some magic spells, too, right? How come you can still cast stronger magic despite using chantless ones?"

Fufufu... Unlike those religious freaks, we are more intuned with the Goddess of Darkness herself.

"Goddess...of Darkness?"

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Our grace, our lady [Umbaria]. She is responsible for the creation of monsters and by extension, demons. She is responsible for bringing darkness so the light the God of Light brought to this world cannot blind the beings from the harsh truths of themselves.

"Harsh truths..." I hummed in thought at what he described that God. "So is she not evil? I mean, she created those monsters in the first place, too."

She only created the monsters as a way to drive humanity into a path where they can be independent and rely mostly on the gifts they have from them to move them forward. Thus, civilizations were created and the current world as you saw exists. Of course, that's all in her authority that she could do. Humanity can still succumb to greed, jealousy, and power with or without her influence. And once she created them all, Umbaria chose to observe than influence us to create a religion like all of the species who prayed for their patron gods. Interfering too much will caused her to lose her position as our patron deity and godhood itself. That and her pride and reputation. You did say we tend to be associated with evil when we first met, correct?

Ah...

Yeah, I had no excuses for that. Just thinking about it made me realize I might have relied too much on light novels for knowledge of how to survive in this situation. Not to mention my black-and-white view might have impaired my first impressions of him.

"I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, Casia."

I did have a fun fight back there, so all is forgiven, Fledgling. I smiled. For a scary black dragon, he was surprisingly understanding and kind. And who are you calling "scary"?!

I flinched, realizing he could still read my mind. "U-Um... Can we please continue?"

Right, right. As I was saying, we are intuned with our grace. As long we give her our blessings, our chantless magic is much stronger than any other ones we faced, especially with our [Darkness] spells. There are other benefits to her grace, but let's just leave it there.

The more I listened, the more I start to understand the difference between the Demon Territory and the world outside it. This place was chaotic, yet it was mostly from their demonic instincts alone. Outside has rules and religion, but so far, I witnessed greed and lust play right in front of me when I first got into this world. There was also the fact that the so-called god seemingly dumped me here because I had no blessings from them. If that was the God of Light, then they did a shitty job of being one.

So if that god dropped me here without a care, then maybe...

"Hey, Casia," I said. "Is it possible...for someone like me to have the Goddess of Darkness as my patron deity?"

Hmmm... Casia hummed while scratching his chin with his claw. It is possible. Though there are a few caveats if you want to gain Umbaria's blessings. Are you still willing to accept them despite the risks? Including losing your way home?

Risks... Am I willing to take them for those blessings? That's a good question.

"I wasn't well-liked in my family. I was a runt of the litter while my so-called siblings got spoiled rotten by them. I endured everything from bullying to finding somewhere to stay when I got kicked out at the start of high school to get by and went to college. And even when I graduated, I still got the short end of the stick with a black company. A job with shitty colleagues and a shittier boss. If you think dealing with those soldiers in this world was bad enough, try dealing with those bullies and my tormentors at work in a world where wars virtually don't exist and we have better technology to aid our everyday lives. If anyone offers me to go back home, I rather die than to accept it."

O-Oh...

Huh. Was that even enough to make a large dragon speechless? It wasn't much of a difference between here and my world. Those soldiers treated us like trash, abuse us, ordered us around like slaves, and almost turned us into meat shields if it wasn't for that demon ambush. I wonder if the soldiers in those kingdoms were the same as those jerks. Either way, I'm not regretting my decision now even if I'm trapped in here forever.

I'm sorry for that. I didn't know you suffered so much before and after you arrived here.

I sighed. "It's all in the past. I don't care if that shitty boss demands me to go back or if my family keeps asking me for more money. I just want to leave. No ifs and buts. Even if I die here, then it's fine."

I can see where all of your cynicism comes from. Casia started to hum as I looked at him suspiciously. Very well. Let's see if we can make your wish come true.

"Of me dying in the Demon Territory?" I didn't know why, but something about his grin made me feel uneasy.

No. We're going to pray for the Goddess herself.

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This was all too sudden. One minute, I vented out my sob story. Now I'm standing in front of a statue of a woman in a black hooded robe behind the house who had her arms stretched out wide, revealing her crescent moon pendant around her neck. I'm not sure about this, but from Casia's look on his face, he might be determined to get me what I want from his patron god.

My grace, hear my prayers! Please hear this Fledgling's plea for you. He wished to have you as his patron goddess and grant him the same blessings as us demons. Give us your permission for him to speak.

I stared at the statue in worry. I don't know if it capture her likeness since I didn't know what she looked like, but she looked...sad when she stared at the purple sky above us. Something about it seemed... melancholic for some reason. Before I started to wonder, the necklace flashed a purple light in the gem.

It looks like you are permitted to speak. I saw Casia turn his head to me. Make sure to choose your words carefully. She isn't swayed by words filled with greed and lust. Be true to yourself and try to reach her heart as best as you can.

Be true...with myself... I'm not confident this would work, but I could at least try. I clasped my hands together and closed my eyes.

"Goddess of Darkness, Umbaria. Hear my prayers. I wish to have your blessings as my patron god. I will accept any terms to obtain it. But if I have a reason, then it's this. I don't want to go back to my world. I don't want to see the people who introduced me to the world of suffering and pain again and again. If I want to sacrifice anything to have your blessings, I would give up my previous back from my old world for this one."

I took a deep breath after I said my piece (or prayer in this case). I don't know if this was enough. I don't know if I have the right to accept this blessing. If this goddess could only respond in silence, then I'm not surprised. I guess I should deal with this world without any magic or any cheat ability anyway...

Oh? Who says you need a broken power to survive at all?

Huh? That wasn't Casia's voice in my head. Rather, it sounded like a woman. Could it be...

As soon as I blinked, I wasn't in the garden or in front of the goddess statue anymore. Rather, I was in a black room where there was nothing but a black and purple sofa chair that I was sitting on right now. The room was lit by a few crystals hanging on the wall and right in front of me, a strange humanoid figure was standing a few feet farther from me. I couldn't tell their appearance due to it being similar to a shadow covered in a dark mist, but it seemed like they had a feminine body and long hair over their faceless head. I wanted to question to them why was I there. But when I opened my mouth, my voice couldn't come out of my throat and my limbs couldn't move out from the sofa. It seemed like I wasn't bound to it, yet I still couldn't move from it. Just what the hell am I here? Did the so-called "Goddess of Darkness" drag me here?

Well, it seems like this is our first meeting, yes?

That voice... That was the very same one I heard after my prayer. So was it her then? I wish I knew more, but the figure started approaching me slowly.

I'm surprised that even in your current state, you managed to call for me. I guess that his confidence wasn't misplaced after all.

I wanted to say something to her. Ask her what she said just now. But something in her voice made me feel...entranced by her. It made me want to stop talking. Stop thinking about all of the unnecessary thoughts in my mind. Stop worrying about everything around me. I looked up as the woman touched under my chin and push it in the direction of her faceless head. I couldn't avert my eyes from it. I couldn't think for myself. Who was she?

However, it seems it's too soon for you to learn. You still don't know everything yet. But you have made the right decision to pray for me first. I will give you my blessings. You did deserve them for following the traditions set in my territory. But at this point, you must confront the truths in front of you. There is no turning back once you discover who you are in this world.

Who am I...in this world?

What you are about to receive isn't on par with the Heroes' levels along with the blessed ones he granted. This requires your identity to be sacrificed to obtain it. You cannot bring back your memories, your personality, and everything that defines your humanity and as a person. Yet what you have in return is a second chance in life. A chance that I trust you will use well as long as you embrace the changes around you.

My...identity? She was talking nonsense, but it's none of my concern now. I didn't know everything yet, but it's not like I would right now.

But I trust your ingenuity and knowledge to bypass the arrogance and pride of this world. You are chosen not to save the world. Rather, you are free to change it as you please. Whether trample the old nobility or the corruption of the monarchy, you have the power to destroy the world without violence and destruction. Use them correctly and you may able to bend the world to your knees.

Before I know it, the figure leaned onto my face as I await some kind of an unexpected move on me...

And before I knew it, she kissed me on the lips. She didn't have a mouth, yet I could feel some sort of lips below her faceless head. I couldn't struggle out of it. I couldn't fight the urge. All I could do was let the sting of lavender overwhelm me and the taste of strawberries deprived all of my senses as I slowly closed my eyes. Seriously, who was she? I couldn't fight the urges from her. Did she brainwash me? Drugged me?

Like I even matter now. I couldn't fight this strange feeling within me. She sounded gentle and kind. A big contrast to the people that seemed too blurry for me to recall.

I will be awaiting your awakening, Seeker. Good luck.

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> [You have gained the blessings of the Goddess, [Umbaria].]

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> [You have gained a [Talent], [Physical Enhancement].]

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> [You have gained a skill, [Chantless Knowledge].]

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> [You have gained a [Talent], [Magic Knowledge].]

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> [You have gained a [Talent], [Senses].]

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> [You have gained the title, [The Man Who Was Charmed by the Goddess of Darkness].]

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> [I will be watching you.]

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