After the Lamia had finished what she needed to tell Vicente, he made her do what she had promised.
Under Vicente's close observation, the Lamia let her soul leave her body after giving him the crystal where she could live as long as she didn't have a body to call her own.
Her special powers were very dependent on a physical body, so even though her cultivation and essence wouldn't change in this special form, she wouldn't be able to use almost any of her powers.
In a way, she would be harmless to Vicente or even weaker people, and at most, she could cause trouble with her knowledge and expertise.
Vicente didn't intend to leave her alone with anyone but him, so the chance that she would manipulate anyone, even in such a situation, would be very small.
Onyx and Joshua just watched the whole process while Torne was ready to act and help his master if the Lamia tried anything funny.
Fortunately, she didn't try anything, and soon, her body lay on the ground while her soul was inside the crystal in one of Vicente's hands.
Vicente looked at the crystal and then moved against the neck of the High-level Mage Lamia still there.
By killing the Lamia with a single blow, he ended this affair with the monsters near Oakenfort.
"Cesar Mazzanti's promise to you has been fulfilled, Joshua. Now it's time for you to make sure the information about his vital status never gets out." Vicente looked at Joshua as the soldier observed all the bodies around him.
He would need those bodies and the resources they would provide more than ever!
'I need to get as strong as I can in the next four years.' He thought to himself, feeling that he had to use this chance to become a Sovereign before disaster struck the continent.
He nodded to Vicente and then signed the Magic Agreement that Vicente had made earlier.
"What is your name?" He asked Vicente. "You're Cesar, right? I think your pentagrams must have evolved. The first two are of natural origin."
"Yes, that's me. You can still call me Cesar." Vicente smiled, not bothering to say it now as he had completed his mission, and Joshua had promised never to say anything that might compromise him.
The name on their contract didn't matter. What mattered in a contract like this was the mana you put into it that bound both parties. Joshua's promise wasn't for Cesar or Vicente. It was for the person with Cesar and Vicente's unique magical fluctuation.
As much as the name on the contract was Cesar's, the terms of the contract would prevent Joshua from talking about anything that could affect Vicente.
"I assumed..." Joshua sighed, remembering that about three years ago, he was stronger than Vicente, but now everything had changed, and this black-haired young man was a powerful Earth Sovereign.
This soldier didn't mind being outdone, so he said. "I'm sorry for what happened back then. It wasn't personal. I was just doing what I could.
In any case, I wish you luck, Cesar. Considering your current powers, I feel you'll be a great name to protect the kingdom when the time comes.
Please do your best for the kingdom. I certainly will, and I'll be at your disposal in the army."
Vicente nodded to this man before watching him collect all the bodies, saying goodbye, and heading back to Oakenfort.
Left alone with his group, Vicente looked at the crystal in one of his hands and asked.
"How shall I transport you, Lamia? By the way, do you have a name?"
"Prisiche." She answered the question about her name. "As much as this crystal can be stored in a spatial ring, it would kill my soul bit by bit. If you intend to keep me alive, it would be ideal to wear it on a necklace. Don't worry about attracting attention. My aura is completely contained within this crystal. Even if I wanted to show myself, I wouldn't be able to do so without risking my spirit body outside the crystal."
'That is true, master.' Torne commented after looking at the crystal long enough to come to that conclusion.
"So, Prisiche, there are a few things you need to know before we begin this journey side by side," Vicente said as he mounted Onyx and quickly made a necklace for the crystal.
"The place we're going is not for you to have strange thoughts or show off. Unless I'm alone next to one of my mounts, you must never show yourself or let your voice be heard."
"All right. I have no interest in leaving where I am until I have a chance to get a new body." She said. "When will that happen, by the way?"
"After I add my fourth pentagram to my magical form. Until then, you must wait. I don't intend to help you until then." Vicente was direct, making it clear how things would be between them. "But you must prepare yourself to serve me, Prisiche. From now on, you will advise me concerning monsters and The Purification."
"Very well. I'll wait for it." She said, already imagining that this would be the case. "The next Lamia you get, don't destroy her body. I can only fully recover if I possess the body of a Lamia."
"I'll keep that in mind," Vicente replied as Onyx left the area, and they made their way to Saltstar City.
They were still a few weeks away from that city, but with no more stops until they reached their final destination, the group would travel there quickly.
Nothing would stand in the way of Vicente's return. As he had already accomplished all of his goals on this journey, it was time for him to return home to take care of his family and prepare for the arrival of the vampire.
...
In the blink of an eye, more than 20 days had passed since Vicente's passage through Oakenfort. At this moment, he was finally arriving at his city, where he could see the beautiful coastline of Saltstar City.
"Home at last." He muttered as he looked out over the city, which seemed rather quiet from where he stood. 'I wonder what happened while I was away,' he thought, but he didn't think about it for long.
Soon, he was walking down the hill near Saltstar City, towards the entrance of this city he hadn't seen for months.
