I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 433 433: Tell Me or Iʼll Make You

Jack examined the skill information with a mixture of satisfaction and profound unease.

The system had recognized and codified his experimental technique. The damage formula was exciting.

It scaled with both his magical prowess and physical combat ability, making it a true fusion of his different strengths.

But the name...

ʼAstrapeʼs Shadow.ʼ

That name carried weight.

ʼYou have got to be shitting me. Astrape... isnʼt that one of the spirits who sealed Ren? Why the fuck is my skill named after her?ʼ

Jackʼs mind raced through what little he knew about Astrape.

Ren had mentioned her on floor twenty-five. The lightning spirit, who apparently held something precious that belonged to him, something he wanted back desperately enough to make it a condition of cooperation.

A traitor. Someone Ren wanted dead.

And now Jackʼs independently created skill bore her name.

”Master?” Kaedorʼs voice interrupted his contemplation. ”What just happened? Your expression has changed. Something significant occurred, but you seem... troubled?”

Jack forced his expression to neutral. ” Donʼt worry about it.”

He couldnʼt tell them about the specific name or explain that the system had attributed his independent creation to one of the spirits whoʼd betrayed the Sovereign-class hero he was planning to eventually bind.

The system was his secret, and revealing its specific messages would raise questions he couldnʼt answer.

But he could ask about the spirits in general.

”Tell me about the spirits who sealed Ren,” Jack said, his tone carefully casual despite the intensity behind the question. ”General information. What kind of entities were they? How powerful?”

The moment the question left his lips, both Kaedor and Loryn shifted slightly. Not quite discomfort, but definitely heightened attention.

Kaedorʼs rings clicked in a thoughtful pattern. ”Master, the spirits who participated in Renʼs sealing were among the most powerful elemental entities in existence. Ancient, dangerous, and operating on contracts arranged by Prosperity Kingdomʼs leadership.”

”Why would they betray their own kingdomʼs hero?” Jack asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.

”Politics,” Kaedor said bitterly, his rings resuming their clicking in an agitated pattern. ”Ren was too powerful, too popular, too dangerous to the existing power structure. The nobles feared he would overthrow them, establish himself as king, and remake the kingdom in his image. So they hired spirits to eliminate the problem before it could threaten their positions.”

”And the spirits agreed,” Jack said flatly.

”Spirits donʼt have morality the way mortals do,” Loryn explained carefully, his purple eyes gleaming in the dim swamp light. ”They operate on contracts, agreements, and their own inscrutable agendas. If the price was right and the terms were acceptable, they would betray anyone. Even a hero whoʼd saved the kingdom.”

Jackʼs jaw tightened behind his visor. ”How many spirits were involved?”

”Seven,” Loryn replied. ”Each representing a different element, working together to create the sealing formation. No single spirit could have accomplished it alone. Ren was too powerful. But seven working in perfect coordination? That was enough.”

”Do you know their names?” Jack asked.

Both demons exchanged glances, and Kaedorʼs rings stopped clicking entirely. That was worse than him moving frantically. It was never a good sign.

”Master, thatʼs... dangerous knowledge,” Kaedor said carefully. ”Those spirits are ancient, and some of them still exist in the world. Their names carry weight, and speaking them can draw attention from entities youʼd prefer remained ignorant of your existence.”

”Iʼm not asking to draw attention,” Jack replied, his red eyes fixing on the merchant demon. ”Iʼm asking because I need to understand what Iʼm dealing with. Ren will want revenge eventually. I need to know who his targets are.”

Lorynʼs expression grew thoughtful. ”A fair point, young master. But we donʼt have specific names. Demonʼs knowledge of the sealing comes primarily from rumors and historical fragments. The spirits themselves kept their identities somewhat obscured, operating through intermediaries and contracted agents. We know seven were involved, we know they represented different elements, but the specific identities...”

He trailed off, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness.

But he knew someone who might.

Slyph. The wind spirit on floor three, the one whoʼd been terrified when Ren appeared. Sheʼd been involved in the sealing.

Ren had made that clear through his reaction to her presence.

She would know all of the names.

ʼBut I canʼt just ask her directly,ʼ Jack thought.

Jack closed his eyes, focusing on the Soul Link that connected him to all his bound creatures. The fifteen panthers were easy to sense. They were close, still scouting the jungle for remaining threats.

But Pho was distant, far above in the tower, his presence like a cold point of absolute zero in Jackʼs mental awareness.

ʼPho,ʼ Jack projected through the Soul Link. ʼI need information.ʼ

Phoʼs consciousness gently brushed against his own, carrying with it that familiar dark amusement.

ʼHey, Brat. What do you require?ʼ

ʼI need you to question Slyph. Find out the names of all seven spirits who participated in Renʼs sealing. She was one of them. Sheʼll know who the others were.ʼ

There was a pause, and Jack felt Phoʼs curiosity through the link.

ʼMay I ask why you need this information?ʼ

ʼBecause something came up that connects to one of them. I need to understand the full picture.ʼ

ʼI will extract the information.ʼ

The Soul Link remained active, but shifted. Jack could feel Phoʼs attention turning away from him and toward something else in the physical space of Floor Three.

[Floor 3 - Phoʼs Perspective]

Pho opened his blank white eyes, his massive form shifting slightly where he sat on one of the frozen pillars heʼd created earlier.

The Deathfrost Demonʼs gaze fixed on the small wind spirit hovering near Rhys.

Slyph had been quiet since Renʼs appearance, her tiny form still trembling occasionally. Sheʼd positioned herself close to Rhys, maintaining her role as his contracted protector even while terrified herself.

Rhys himself was practicing some meditation technique that the skill book had taught him, his winter-ice eyes closed and his breathing steady.

The boy had recovered somewhat from his terrifying flight across the floor, though Pho suspected the trauma would linger for quite some time.

Trauma built character.

Or broke weak minds.

Either outcome was interesting.

”Spirit,” Pho said, his raspy voice cutting through the quiet.

Slyph jumped, her tiny form spinning in the air to face him. Her black-and-green eyes were wide with wariness.

”Y-yes?” she stammered.

”Master requires information,” Pho stated flatly. ”You will provide it.”

Slyphʼs trembling intensified. ”What kind of information?”

”The names of the seven spirits who participated in sealing Ren Ryzard.” Phoʼs blank white eyes remained fixed on her with absolute focus. ”All seven names. No omissions.”

The color drained from Slyphʼs already pale form. She looked like she might dissolve into pure wind and flee, her survival instincts clearly screaming at her to escape.

”I... I canʼt...” she whispered.

Pho leaned forward slightly, his massive frame casting a shadow over the tiny spirit.

”You can, and you will. Masterʼs commands are absolute. The information will be provided voluntarily, or I will extract it through less pleasant means.”

It wasnʼt an empty threat. Pho had methods for extracting information from unwilling subjects.

Techniques refined over centuries of existence, some of which involved freezing specific parts of consciousness while leaving others aware enough to experience the process.