Debt Man's Harem Revolution ~Absolutely Obedient to the Sadistic Grimoire~
In the garbage dump of the royal capital Mistoria, debt-ridden poor adventurer Leon picks up an old grimoire. The moment he opens it, Lilia, the spirit of the legendary Seven Great Grimoires 'Black Apocalypse', appears. But despite her cute, small appearance, she's an ultra-sadist!
'Since we've made a contract, you're my slave now. Your only replies are "Yes" or "I'll kill you"!'
Bound by a contract of absolute obedience, Leon endures her unreasonable training every day. But thanks to that, he
Debt Man's Harem Revolution ~Absolutely Obedient to the Sadistic Grimoire~ - Spartan Hell and a Childhood Friend's Love
The morning sun streaming through the inn window burned into Leon's still half-asleep eyelids.
His entire body ached like crazy from last night's boar-wolf hunt.
"Ugh... just five more minutes..."
Wrapped in his blanket, Leon squirmed and rolled over.
That was the moment.
"Wake up, trash."
Ice-cold fingers latched onto the nape of his neck.
"Whoa—!?"
Leon was hoisted into the air like a kitten.
Before him floated a girl with long, jet-black hair—Lilia, her crimson eyes glittering.
"W-What the hell are you doing?! It's still morning!"
"It's morning, so we train."
Lilia flicked her hand.
Leon's body moved on its own, donning his leather armor and strapping his trusty shortsword to his waist.
He was like a puppet controlled by someone else.
"Hey, wait! What about breakfast?! I haven't eaten yet!"
"You emptied your mana yesterday, didn't you?"
"Huh? Well, yeah, but..."
"Mana recovers even on an empty stomach. But if your mana capacity remains below garbage-tier, you'll stay a small fry for life."
Lilia grabbed Leon by the collar and dragged him straight out from the inn's second floor.
"Gyaaaaah! The stairs! At least let me walk down the stairs myself!"
In the tavern on the ground floor, the innkeeper Razel wiped the counter with a wry smile.
"Haha... full of energy this morning, Leon. The spirit-sama's a harsh one, huh."
"This isn't funny, old man Razel! Help me out!"
"Nah, can't go against a spirit-sama."
Razel waved his hand lightly.
Leon was dragged right out of the inn and tossed onto the misty morning cobblestones.
"Ow..."
"Stand up and walk. We're going."
Lilia began gliding through the air.
Leon scrambled to his feet and chased after her.
(Why do I have to go through this...)
But the black crest on the back of his hand flickered with light.
The proof of their contract.
He couldn't defy her.
The two headed to the banks of the Rune River, which flowed through the outer district of the royal capital, Mistoria.
There stood a stone ruin—what had once been a watermill—quiet and forgotten.
The walls were covered in ivy, and half the roof had collapsed.
The floor was cracked, with puddles scattered everywhere.
Lilia stood in the center of the ruin.
The morning sun streamed in thin beams through the broken ceiling, glittering in the dusty air.
"Here. Starting today, you'll reforge your mana in this place."
"Hah... fine."
Leon drew the sword at his hip.
The sensation of defeating the boar-wolf still lingered in his hand.
"So, what do I do? Practice swings? Or sprints?"
"No. Magic."
Lilia extended her right hand.
From her palm, something like black mist overflowed, shaping itself into a spear.
"Dark magic, 'Shadow Spear.' You used it yesterday too. Keep firing it until your mana is completely drained."
"Wha—!? Wait a second, if I fire magic repeatedly, my mana will—"
"You're draining it. Drain it, collapse, then get back up. That increases your total mana by just a tiny amount."
"I-I've never heard of that! I mean, if your mana runs out, you lose consciousness—"
"You won't die."
Lilia twisted the corner of her mouth.
"Well, if you're unlucky, your body might stop moving."
"If I'm unlucky...?!"
"Just fire. We're wasting time."
Lilia snapped her fingers, and the crest on Leon's right hand flared brightly.
There it was again.
His body moved on its own.
Leon's right hand thrust forward.
"Guh—!"
Black light burst from his palm.
THUD!!
The shadow spear pierced the ruin's wall, sending stone fragments raining down.
"Whoa... isn't that stronger than yesterday?"
"Of course. You slept overnight, your mana recovered, and your body's gotten just a little more accustomed to magic. However—"
Lilia spoke with a bored expression.
"Even so, by my estimate, fifty shots is your limit."
"F-Fifty shots?! You're joking, right?!"
"Continue."
Leon's right hand moved on its own again.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Shadow spears pierced the wall one after another.
The first ten shots had force behind them.
But after passing fifteen, the black light gathering in his palm began to thin.
The twentieth shot.
His legs wobbled.
"Hah... hah..."
The twenty-fifth shot.
His vision blurred.
A sensation like something inside him was steadily draining away.
(So this is what it means for mana to run dry...)
The fuel for using magic—mana.
He'd heard that when it depletes, your body becomes heavy as lead.
Right now, that was exactly the case.
The thirtieth shot.
His knees trembled violently.
"I-I can't anymore..."
"You rest after you're dead."
Lilia declared coldly.
"After I'm dead—that's not a rest at all—"
The moment he fired the thirty-fifth shot, Leon lost his balance and collapsed to the ground.
Mud splattered across his face.
"Gwah..."
His body was so heavy he couldn't move a single finger.
"...Already done? That's all you amount to, I see."
Lilia looked down at Leon.
Her crimson eyes were as cold as ever.
But deep within her voice—there was something else, just the faintest trace.
"You still don't know what you want to become. That's why you're weak."
"S-Shut up..."
"Shut up? How amusing. Right now, you're an existence below garbage. And yet your mouth is quite skilled."
Leon gritted his teeth.
(It's frustrating... but I can't argue back...)
"Stand. You still have mana left."
"I-It's impossible..."
"I said stand."
The crest on the back of his hand glowed again.
His body was forcibly raised.
On trembling legs, he stood.
"Th-This is too cruel...!"
"I'm not the cruel one. The world is cruel."
Lilia's voice softened, just for an instant.
"If you stay weak, someday you won't be able to protect what matters. I'm simply making you understand that."
Leon caught his breath.
Lilia immediately returned to her cold expression.
"Now then, fifteen shots left. Fire."
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Leon screamed, thrusting his right hand forward.
---
Around the same time.
A short distance from the ruin.
From the shade of a large willow tree growing along the riverbank, a shadow secretly peered out.
Fluffy flaxen hair in a bob cut.
Large green eyes.
Charming freckles.
It was the guild receptionist, Misha.
"Leon... even though he's so battered..."
She clutched the lunch package in her hands tightly.
She had actually planned to use her guild break time to bring Leon a snack.
But when she arrived at the training grounds, the scene before her was so brutal that she couldn't call out to him.
Lilia's harsh commands.
Leon's agonized screams.
His figure, collapsing in the mud, yet still forced to stand again.
A sharp pain twisted deep in Misha's chest.
(Why is that girl so strict...?)
But—
Leon stood up.
With a face on the verge of tears, he still thrust his right hand forward.
That figure awakened a memory from the distant past.
The backyard of the "Hidamari House" orphanage.
Herself, surrounded by bigger boys, crying.
Back then, Leon—just as small as she was—had jumped in.
'What are you guys doing to Misha?!'
In the end, Leon got beaten to a pulp, his face covered in bruises.
Even so, he stood in front of Misha and said:
'I decided I'd protect you.'
(He hasn't changed at all since then...)
Misha gently placed a hand on her chest.
Her heart pounded noisily, almost annoyingly.
(I... about Leon...)
Her face flushed bright red.
(It's not just worry, or because we're childhood friends...)
"Like."
The moment that word surfaced in her mind, Misha shook her head furiously.
"N-No! No, no, no! I don't—it's not like—about that guy—!"
But the strength in her hands, gripping the package, grew tighter.
(...I guess I have to admit it now.)
Misha hung her head, her face bright red.
(I... like Leon.)
She gazed at Leon in the distance one more time.
Leon fired the forty-fifth shadow spear, then collapsed to the ground again.
"Th-That idiot... he's pushing himself way too hard..."
Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, Misha left the area.
---
Three days passed after that.
Leon's hellish training continued daily, but his body was gradually getting used to magic.
He could now fire fifty shots and still remain standing.
(Well, even so, Lilia says that's only thirty percent of a passing grade...)
That morning, Leon was talking with Misha in front of the guild "Brave Hall."
For some reason, over these past three days, Misha wouldn't meet his eyes.
Every time they saw each other, she'd turn away with a huff or get angry for no reason.
(W-Why is she mad? Did I do something?)
As Leon tilted his head in confusion, a senior receptionist woman burst out of the guild in a panic.
"Misha-chan! This is bad! The escort request from this morning—the rank was wrong!"
"Huh?"
"Look, this morning, the new girl Lina took that escort request to the 'Wailing Graveyard'! That's actually a danger-designated dungeon for C-rank adventurers! But Lina mistook it for a D-rank request and assigned Misha-chan to—"
"Wait a minute! Where is Misha right now?!"
Leon turned pale.
"She already departed first thing this morning... with the client merchant and just one D-rank adventurer... I tried to stop her, but they said canceling the request would be a credibility issue..."
"Why didn't you stop her?! It's a danger-designated dungeon, right?!"
"But Misha-chan said, 'Even I can do it'...!"
Leon clutched his head.
(That idiot...!)
"Lilia!"
"You called?"
The silver-haired spirit immediately materialized in the air.
"Misha went alone to a dangerous place! I'm going to save her!"
"The Wailing Graveyard, is it. That place is a den of skeleton warriors—so-called undead types. A D-rank receptionist and a D-rank adventurer will certainly die."
Lilia analyzed the situation calmly.
"That's why I'm going to save her!"
"Please, Lilia! I'll follow any order, anything! So—"
"Orders are for me to give."
Lilia raised the corner of her mouth.
"Go. But if you die, I won't forgive you. My toy being so pathetic would tarnish a spirit's reputation."
"Stop calling me a toy!"
Leon shouted as he broke into a full sprint.
---
The "Wailing Graveyard" was on a desolate hill, a short distance northeast of Mistoria's outer district.
It had once been a noble cemetery, but now no one tended to it.
Shattered gravestones lay scattered, and blackened dead trees swayed in the wind.
When Leon arrived, out of breath, the battle had already begun.
"Kyaaaaaah!"
Misha desperately fought back, a dagger at the ready.
But the enemy was far too large.
"OOOOHHH..."
A gigantic skeletal warrior, easily three meters tall.
It wore armor made of bone and held a rusted greatsword in its hand.
"So this is... a skeleton warrior...!"
The D-rank adventurer who was supposed to be accompanying Misha was already collapsed on the ground.
Unconscious, but still breathing.
The skeleton warrior raised its greatsword.
Its target—Misha.
"S-Stop...!"
"Like hell I'll let you!!"
Leon thrust his right hand forward.
"Shadow Spear!!"
THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!!
Four black spears fired simultaneously, piercing the skeleton warrior's back.
"GUOOOOH!?"
The skeleton warrior's attention turned to Leon.
"Leon?! Why are you here—"
"I'll explain later! Just get back for now!"
Leon shouted, but his heart was pounding furiously.
(This is bad... that last attack barely did anything!)
The skeleton warrior slowly turned to face Leon.
A pale blue light peered from its hollow eye sockets.
"GUOOOOOH!!"
The greatsword swung down.
"Whoa!"
He dodged by a hair's breadth, but the greatsword stabbed into the ground, shattering the stone pavement.
(Damn, it's fast! And way too tough! Normal magic won't—)
"Trash."
Lilia's voice sounded right by his ear.
She wasn't materialized.
She was speaking directly into his mind through the contract crest.
"Until now, you've only practiced offensive magic. But the essence of the 'Black Apocalypse' is different."
"Wh-What are you—"
"Distort space."
"Huh?!"
"Feel it. The flow of the surrounding air. The distortion of light. Then, with your mana, 'distort' that space itself."
Leon instinct
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