You Didn't Tell Me the Start of My Transmigration Was a Gate

Chapter 18 Part 1: Red-Beaked Crow

「 Dark Mages」 are basically a group of people who made pacts with demons, in order to draw on their power. They can be considered as traitors of some sorts, that were attached to the demons.

Traitors to humanity. I’m sure that’s what I heard when I was hunting them…

“Ah.”

“What’s going on, did the boss monster contact you or something?”

As I let out a small sigh into the air, Jeon Chung-Woon pounced on me like a dog, asking if I had heard from the boss monster. I shook my head and dismissed it as nothing. Then he sat down, looking very disappointed. Was it my imagination, or did I see through his true emotions even though he had a stoic expression?

I put on my best nonchalant expression, and went back to contemplating. A very ingenious idea suddenly popped into my head.

❖

When a Dark Mage make their first pact with a demon, they must be inside the gate. This is because the inside the gate is where the boundaries are the faintest. If a demon could be summoned from outside the gate, it would be a real nightmare.

Needless to say, summoning demons comes with its own set of strict rules.

Each demon has a different contract conditions, and a slightly different summoning method. Higher demons, in particular, have extremely limited information, making it virtually impossible to summon them arbitrarily.

However.

Familiars are a different story.

I checked on the little hunter outside my tent for a moment, and then went inside. It’s not hard to contract a familiar to send a small note. As long as you have enough blood to feed him.

Although using black magic is a taboo.

During the days before my regression, I often contracted familiars without regard to taboos. They were useful for communicating important information within the gates, and they couldn’t be eavesdropped on.

“Sigh.”

I sliced my forearm with the Karambit. The flesh splintered silently, thanks to my proper maintenance. I put the blood in a cup so it doesn’t spill on the floor, the amount is not small. It’s hard to draw with my fingers, but… I removed the duvet, pulled out the bed sheet, and turned it all over.

I spread it out on the floor, and using my blood as paint and my fingers as brush, I began to draw a pattern.

It was a complex interweaving of geometric patterns. I don’t quite understand them, but they’re supposed to be from an ancient demonic language. It’s not from this world, so the people who summoned the demons probably weren’t people from earth either.

I chanted a certain tone over the finished pattern, then poured the blood into the designated spots. To my amazement, the blood that seemed to be dripping from the cloth disappeared as if it’s being sucked away by something. This phenomenon of blood being taken away is said to be a sign of good connection with the demonic world.

“■■■. In my name,”

I opened a new wound with the Karambit, and offered my fresh blood.

“On my flesh,”

I tapped my forehead with a final flick of my fingers.

“I give you my soul.”

Boom!

A vision shines over the pattern. Flames leap up, threatening to engulf me at any moment. It is an image of burning hot flame, but it’s not real. It’s just an image. Even if I’m connected to the Demon Realm, it’s impossible to recreate a part of it.

– Boom!

A black crow emerged from the flames.

Even before I regressed, I had a contract with this Hell-dwelling crow, it was an unranked, 「Red-Beaked Crow」. These guys are smart and can cover their masters. That’s why they were quite popular on any field.

After circling me once, it cawed at me in a small voice, as if to annoy me. I gestured for it to be quiet, lest I get discovered. Then, after seeing the blood that was left behind after I had drawn the summoning pattern, it went crazy, pecked its head, and began to gulp it down.

The beak of the red-beaked crow is actually white, not reddish-silver. It only looks red because it’s stained with blood most of the time, which is their staple food. These creatures are easy to summon and contract. Of course, there is a limit to how much blood a human can drain at once, so contracts are limited to a maximum of two.

The crow ate its fill, and looked satisfied. I tied the note I’ve prepared carefully on his leg, I then ran my hand through its feathers, and told it where to go, and who to go to.

I don’t know where Beelzebub is, but this child, who is a member of the same clan, does. Red Dark Clan. It deserves its name.

“Please.”

-Caw!

The crow replied lightly, then scurried away through the contract.

How long would it take for it to deliver the letter?Three days? A week? I had to get everything ready by that time.