"Takeru! Everyone! Are you all alright?" Emilia and the others, who had been distractedly processing documents, completely relaxed upon seeing Takeru and gathered around.
"Rest assured. Did I not say Clayman is merely the weakest of Demon Lords?" Seeing their nervous expressions, Takeru smiled and reassured them.
After calming everyone, Takeru introduced Mjurran and Nine to Emilia, Karin, and the others. Then, he began to inventory their gains.
Slaying a Demon Lord yielded substantial rewards. First, subordinates: a skeletal swordsman with commendable swordsmanship and strength, the Undead Dragon and Nine, both possessing considerable power and potential, and Mjurran, an exceptionally capable support-type Majin.
Beyond talented individuals, there were treasures: Yamza's weapon and magic artifact, requisitioned by Esdeath, and numerous other valuables recovered from the castle.
Then, Takeru's personal gains. Devouring Adalmann and Clayman's souls had comprehensively enhanced his attributes. Most significantly, his mana capacity had increased to 526,000.
Having briefly organized everything, everyone handed over valuable items to Takeru. It remained uncertain how much equipment and items could be manifested upon departure, so only the most valuable could be prioritized.
With this settled, Takeru assigned Mjurran a new task: instructing Esdeath and the others in magic. After all, Mjurran possessed extensive magical experience.
"Is this acceptable?!" Hearing Takeru's assignment, Mjurran asked nervously.
"Yes. Instruct them well. Do not disappoint me." Hearing her words, Takeru nodded seriously.
"Yes!" Hearing this, Mjurran nodded respectfully.
...
In the blink of an eye, another six days passed.
During this time, Takeru communicated with the awakened Nine.
Whether due to Takeru's special aura, gratitude for saving its life, or its days of interaction with everyone, Nine chose to enter a contract with Takeru.
[Ding! Notification: The Cryptid, Nine wishes to enter a master-servant contract with you (You as Master). Do you accept?]
[Notification: Contracting the Cryptid, Nine requires 1 B-Rank evaluation and 5000 points. Upon contract, the host may freely summon Nine in the main world, or summon it in mission worlds. (Note: Summoning in mission worlds requires additional points.)]
'This is possible? Contract.' Considering this, Takeru directly accepted. After all, Nine's potential was considerable.
[Ding! 1 B-Rank evaluation and 5000 points deducted. Contract in progress. Remaining: S-Rank evaluations x2! A-Rank evaluations x2! D-Rank evaluations x2! 270,000 points.]
With the points deducted, Takeru perceived a special connection with Nine. Additionally, a portion of his mana flowed into it, significantly enhancing its strength. Its tail increased from three to seven.
"Owooo~!" Sensing its enhanced power, Nine was ecstatic and howled involuntarily. Then, its tail began to transform, manifesting a rabbit, monkey, sheep, flame-enshrouded bird monster, black rat, and winged snake.
"Oh! It can manifest this many monsters from its tail?!" Seeing Nine's transformation, Milim remarked curiously.
Everyone else was equally intrigued. Takeru perceived these manifested animals were not merely ornamental… each appeared to possess special abilities.
"Nine, have them use their abilities on me." Thinking this, Takeru deployed a barrier and commanded Nine to direct its tail-manifested monsters.
"Yes, Master!" Hearing Takeru's words, Nine emitted a youthful feminine voice.
With Nine's command, the five manifested monsters each unleashed their unique abilities upon Takeru.
The rat's abilities were plague and virus. The rabbit, besides launching mana spheres, could manipulate gravity. The monkey's magic was peculiar, more akin to sorcery, yet considerably powerful. The snake excelled in flight and high-speed close combat.
The flame-enshrouded bird monster wielded fire, its power likewise impressive. The sheep's abilities were mental attacks, capable of influencing one's mind.
"How intriguing. It seems they, too, can be named." Having experienced their attacks, Takeru regarded these monsters with interest.
Subsequently, he bestowed names upon each: Black Rat, Moon Rabbit, Winged Snake, White Ape, Flame Bird, Sleep Sheep.
With Takeru's naming concluded, he sensed several tens of thousands of mana dissipate from him. The named monsters received immense enhancement: their forms enlarged, their base attributes and mana significantly increased.
"Speaking of which, I should be able to rename you as well." Looking at Nine, Takeru hesitated.
"Master will rename me too?!" Hearing Takeru's words, Nine was clearly delighted.
"Then, I bestow upon you the name, Kumara." Sensing Nine's enthusiasm for being named, Takeru considered briefly and bestowed a new name.
With Takeru's naming, he sensed over twenty thousand mana flow from him into Nine. Nine's form once more grew. Its tail further extended. Then, to everyone's astonishment, Nine's body dramatically transformed.
From large, it began to shrink, ultimately becoming a little loli with fox ears.
"This?!" Witnessing this transformation, even Emilia and the others, let alone Takeru, were bewildered. Yet Takeru reacted swiftly, manifesting a cloak to envelop the bare little loli.
Unlike ordinary monsters, upon reaching a certain power threshold, Kumara could transform like a Daemon.
"Master!" As Takeru lifted Kumara, she opened her eyes and called out joyfully.
"Yes. Do you feel any discomfort?" Hearing her call, Takeru directly inquired.
"No!" Hearing Takeru's words, she tilted her head, pondered briefly, then smiled.
"Is that so? Good. Can you still transform into your monster form?" Takeru then asked curiously.
"Yes, Master!" Hearing this, Kumara rapidly transformed, reverting to her giant fox form.
This transformation differed from before. Her tail had fully become nine, and she had gained two additional manifestable monsters: a tiger monster and a dog monster. After testing their abilities, Takeru named them Thunder Tiger and Mirror Hound.
Thunder Tiger, as its name suggested, could unleash powerful lightning. Mirror Hound's ability was intriguing: it could reflect the 'true visage (heart)' of all things through its power.
Though Mirror Hound's combat capability was ordinary, deception was utterly ineffective before it. Moreover, it could peer into one's heart… a formidable ability.
Having understood these new monsters' abilities, Kumara recalled them and reverted to her little loli form. She seemed to prefer this human shape over her monster form.
Seeing Kumara's fondness for her human form, Takeru naturally would not force her transformation. He carefully crafted her attire, had her adjust how she addressed him, then entrusted Felt and the others to entertain her.
Having taken human form, certain knowledge required acquisition.
Kumara's transformation was unexpected, yet everyone adored her new appearance. Beatrice and others felt they had gained a little sister; Tsumugi was equally delighted.
Beyond Kumara, Takeru bestowed names upon the Undead Dragon and skeletal swordsman.
The Undead Dragon was named Wendy, while the skeletal swordsman, Ryoma. With Takeru's naming, their strength received immense amplification.
Notably, Takeru sensed Wendy undergoing a transformation, seemingly capable of assuming human form like Kumara. Yet it appeared slightly insufficient. However, it could now alter its size and possessed a youthful feminine voice.
Ryoma evolved a special skeletal armor. Though somewhat eerie, it concealed his skeletal frame. Aside from slightly hollow eye sockets, upon casual inspection, he appeared little different from an ordinary human.