I present my “apprentice” with the next vessel.

I hold up the dingy looking scarecrow that I commanded my slave to put together.

“Fwu fu fu…” (Alcazar)
This is perfect… if my “apprentice” succeeds in binding a lesser soul to this thing, his vessel will not only corrode at an even faster rate than before…
But those damnable dark day birds won’t even dare to approach the costly seeds in my garden anymore.

Even I can scarcely bring myself to drink the tea created by the tea kettle that my “apprentice” had successfully imbued with a petty soul the other day.

The closer I bring it to my mouth, the more sick I feel…

(If a petty soul already has such a commanding atmosphere, then a lesser soul will surely…) (Alcazar)

I eventually decided to make my “apprentice” cast a vacating magic spell onto the tea kettle, because it was actually becoming somewhat of an inconvenience.

I would’ve rather moved the soul into another vessel, but the book is quite adamant on this being impossible.

But more importantly…
The soul vacating spell really does a number on the vessel of it’s caster~

“Fwu fu fu…” (Alcazar)

“…” (Kurt)

“This will do sir, thanks…” (Kurt)

Oh- surprisingly my “apprentice” might finally be developing a frugal personality. I feel a bit of pride well up, but I cull the emotion.

“Mmm.” (Alcazar)
I nod and hand over the scarecrow to my “apprentice”.

My “apprentice” unfurls the scroll for summoning souls and begins pouring the fresh blood we drained from my slave this morning onto it.

I feel my eye twitch.
This scroll is the most expensive of all the materials, and just casually pouring blood onto it will never cease to displease me.

I spectate as he begins to mix his mana with the blood.

“…” (Alcazar)
This next part is always such a spectacle to behold however.

*RRRrrrrip*

A rift appears on the scroll.
It looks like a tear through space itself.
Inside the rift it looks like an endless abyss, however, countless white shapes can be seen travelling in every direction at varying speeds.

“Now extract a single soul boy.” (Alcazar)

“Yes sir.” (Kurt)

My “apprentice” sticks out his hand and weaves a visible tread of mana.
He lobs the thread into the abyss.

It really just looks like he's fishing.

(…)

Oooh! He caught one!

He clenches his fist and pulls on the thread!

An ever changing white blob slowly appears at the end of the thread.
As soon as it leaves the rift an overbearing presence, originating from the soul, fills the room.

Oh yes, this is indeed a lesser one. We got a good one this time!

“NOW BOY! Bind it!” (Alcazar)

If he waits too long the soul will disperse and produce a rather large shockwave.
Last time a petty soul nearly managed to destroy my entire tower, even though I’ve magically reinforced it. I shudder to think what kind of damage a lesser soul would do.

My “apprentice” places his hand on the scarecrow’s belly.

Inside the scarecrow, there’s a high quality crystal that I installed a couple of hours ago. It takes a while for the crystal to bind with the object that it’s been placed inside of. But when agitated with mana, the crystal quickly fuses with its surroundings and basically becomes impossible to separate.

*FWOOM*

Whilst I was thinking of something my “apprentice” finished his work.

“Hmmm~” (Alcazar)

The scarecrow begins to emit an eerie atmosphere.

I begin to get excited, because I can tell that my “apprentice” his vessel is a few soul extractions away from breaking.

“Good. It looks like you’ve succeeded. We will continue this tomorrow.” (Alcazar)

“Thank you sir.” (Kurt)

I decide to leave before I show any visible excitement.

I have to keep this stern teacher-like facade going just a little longer…

◇◆◇

It is possible I’ve miscalculated…

I’m currently staring at my slave tending the field whilst I sip my favorite tea.

I’ve had my apprentice attempt several more soul bindings since the last experiment, but all but one of them have failed.

“Is it more difficult to extract souls when the caster has a flimsy vessel?”
I ask myself aloud, as I try to come up with possible theories for this set back whilst I take another sip from my tea.

On an unrelated note, my slave has been behaving strangely ever since we installed the scarecrow imbued with a lesser soul in the garden…

Before she begins gardening, she carefully approaches the scarecrow from behind, picks it up and turns it around to face me.

“…Why?” (Alcazar)

Enslavement magic is some of the most vile forbidden magic in existence.
Even someone obsessed with learning forbidden knowledge like myself steered clear from it.

I picked up some of the basics, but the whole field of study for that branch of magic honestly gives me shivers.
The materials for learning it are three times as expensive as the soul magic I’m currently obsessed with. Three times!!

Typically enslavement magic is something only pursued by the most corrupt nobles with the deepest of pockets.

“Did Kurt put her up to this?”
I take another sip from my tea.

I continue to stare at my slave as she waters the garden.
The scarecrow is somewhat in the way…
I'm starting to regret having this thing installed…

(Mmm~.) (Alcazar)
The first thing I will do when I obtain my “apprentice” his body, is take out my sexual frustrations on that slave.

“Fwahaha!” (Alcazar)

This body has long since become useless in that department, and indulging in the occasional fantasy whilst sitting up here peering out this window always gets me so worked up!! Even though I can’t do anything about it…

It’s an unfortunate side effect of learning my favorite forbidden dark magic.
It makes your sexual organs numb yet retains if not strengthens your urges.

This was another titbit of information I found at the warning section in the back of a forbidden magic book.

I’m beginning to think the people writing these books are all sadists…

At least I checked the warnings for the forbidden soul magic first this time around. I won’t be fooled twice.

“Hmmm?” (Alcazar)
Strange, there’s a potion lying at the feet of the scarecrow.
Has that always been there?

“It looks expensive… (Alcazar)

“BOY! THE SLAVE!” (Alcazar)
I call for my “apprentice” to go check on the slave.

*SLAM*

Oh- he slammed the door of his room shut as he was leaving.
Sounds like he’s still feeling rather upset by all the recent failed soul magic experiments.

Or maybe it’s because my slave forgot to bring carrots when she went shopping in the nearby town yesterday…

On a side note, that boy has begun developing strange behaviour recently.
I’m aware carrots were his favorite food, but now it’s truly turning into some sort of obsession. Is this a side effect I glossed over in the warnings section?

(…) (Alcazar)

“Will I be obsessed with carrots when I take over his body…?” (Alcazar)

Whilst I begin to worry myself with something stupid, I notice the slave run back to the garden and pick up the potion.

(…) (Alcazar)

It’s difficult to see from up here but there’s something about that potion…
I feel itchy, something is telling me I should go check this out myself.

I hurriedly made my way downstairs but before I could make it to the front door of my tower I stumbled over a carrot that was lying on the ground for some reason.

That boy seriously needs to stop leaving these lying all over the place…

Just as I’m grumbling about carrot boy, the front door swung open.

“Sir! Inquisition knights from the Royal Capital are approaching!” (Kurt)

“The notoriously unreasonable ones… that can’t be good…” (Alcazar)

“…” (Kurt)

“Why are you on the ground sir?” (Kurt)

My “apprentice” asks me something unnecessary as I try to get up as fast as possible and begin to gather some scrolls and potions.

As I’m busy, collecting my emergency items, a rude man begins shouting something outside that he’s clearly reading off a scroll.

“Alcazar Prestos! You are hereby suspected of high treason! You will be placed under arrest and brought to the Royal Capital for further investigation!” (???)

I go outside and notice a few familiar faces nearby the man that’s shouting at me. They’re the faces of corrupt nobles that frequently buy some of my wares.

If anything, those are the type of guys you should be shouting this at…
Are they using me as a scapegoat?

Oh. They’re trying to hide their faces behind their armor.

(…)

My silence is met with the hundreds of strong looking idle guards in front of my tower gripping their sword. They look like they’re raring for a fight…

I’m powerful, but even with all my alchemy and magic knowledge combined it’ll be tough to survive against this sheer overwhelming difference in numbers.
This is the Royal Capital’s typical modus operandi…

That said. I doubt very much that the inquisition knights would simply jail a man such as myself. Yup. I’d much rather die here.

Anyway, more importantly.

I glare at the guard that’s holding a sword at the neck of my would-be vessel.

My idiot apprentice got himself captured already somehow.
Be more careful with your body, you carrot obsessed idiot.

I get a little angry, despite knowing better not to get so worked up at my age.
I’m probably feeling grumpy because my back still hurts from falling on the ground.

The guard holding my “apprentice” hostage pushes the blade into his neck, causing blood to poor out of the wound.

I begin to pour mana into the terrifyingly expensive thunder magic scroll that I’m holding right now and decide to shout whatever comes to mind.

“Fwu fu fu…”

“FWAHAHA!”

“Over my dead body you ingrates! Die!!”

The sky darkens and the surroundings begin to rumble causing the carrot I stumbled over before to roll out of my magic tower.
You’re ruining the mood. I’m ignoring it.

My “apprentice” looks at the carrot and tries to reach out for it but the knight cuts his throat before he’s able to.

The sight of him lifelessly hitting the ground makes my mind go all hazy with an intense emotion.

I begin to pour an absurd amount of my mana into a familiar mental image that I accidentally sacrificed my sexual organ’s functionality for to learn.

It’s difficult to maintain a mental image of this level for a man of my age.
But in moments of peril like this, diligent training will not let you down…

“DEATH DOMAIN!!” (Alcazar)

*DOOM~*

There’s no point in shouting the name, but I’m too riled up to care and honestly it’s a notoriously scary forbidden magic, so I’m hoping it will scar some of these young ones that dared to threaten my livelihood.

Copious rotting corpses begin rising from the ground around the soldiers.

Thunder hits the battlefield, striking a considerable portion of the knights.

The smoking charred corpses covered in damaged armor drop to the ground and then shortly after begin rising up again and attacking their former comrades.

“Fwu fu fu…” (Alcazar)

I see the innumerable different types of magic spells coming towards me from the magic casters hidden in the ranks of the knights.

The magic barrier scroll I used before I walked out of my tower managed to block several spells that would’ve killed me.

I reflect a couple more of them myself with my own magic.

But as expected-

One of the powerful fire spear spells that came flying at me pierces my heart.

“GAH!” (Alcazar)

All the other spells hit me as a consequence.

Against this overwhelming difference in numbers…

“Fu… fu…” (Alcazar)

I draw my last breath comforted by the fact that my death domain can sustain itself for up to 6 hours on a cloudy day.

Have fun idiots.

…

…

…

(Ah.) (Alcazar)

The emergency soul magic worked.

This was the other reason I seemed so eager to die.

(Mmm.) (Alcazar)
What a novel experience.

I’m looking down at an old man being barraged by all manner of magic spells.

It’s my former vessel.

If someone clueless we’re to see this, it would look like some sort of tyrannical king has decreed a harmless poor old man to be executed.

(…)

I take a final solum look at my former vessel that has now turned to ashes and decide to quickly fly towards the top of my tower.

It’s time to find a new vessel for this old soul~