The OP Lich is a Returnee, Chapter 115 (Patreon)

Chapter 115 – On Warlocks

Once things had been settled to my satisfaction, I began Chihomi’s training in earnest. Clearing an empty space in my hotel room, we both knelt in seiza, facing each other. “You have already begun on the path of growing your mana pool, and this is good. You should continue doing this, and developing your powers as a Seawalker, a witch of the Water.

“However, you are more than a mere Witch, now. Not that any witch could be called ‘mere’. But the truth is that you now have access to powers beyond your own. These powers will allow you to do things beyond what a normal witch can do.

“It is a common misconception that, because a Warlock is granted power by a greater being, that all their power comes from that being. This is objectively false. Yes, a pact will forcibly expand your mana pool, and it may bring some physical changes, as your pact has done, but your abilities as a warlock still run off the same mana pool that you use for all your other abilities. You simply have more to start off with, which gives you a shortcut to reaching higher stages of mastery.”

I saw a frown form on the young miko’s face, and smiled. “You may be wondering, why, if this is a shortcut to power, don’t more people take pacts like you did? There are many reasons for that, but, in the end, they all boil down to the same simple truth, that not all those who offer pacts to prospective warlocks are helpful. In fact, some are actively malicious, even to the warlocks they ensnare. The majority, however, see their warlocks as tools to be used and then cast aside when they are no longer useful.

“If that were not trouble enough, once the pact is bound, the mortal is often influenced by their patrons wants and desires. If they are not careful, then they become little more than puppets dancing to their patron’s whims, while still thinking they have free will. This is especially true when dealing with creatures of the higher and lower planes, like angels and demons.”

“But, Lady Akagawa, aren’t angels supposed to be good?”

“Ah, but good by who’s definition? What is good for the spider is evil for the fly. What is good for a nation is an atrocity for a village. But what might be good for a village might bring down a nation, throwing all its citizens into chaos and war. It would be better to say that angels are always Righteous. With a capital R, mind you.

“What is the difference between Righteousness and Goodness, you might ask? Goodness would see a man, destitute and on his last legs, stealing a loaf of bread to bring home to his family, and look the other way with a smile, if they had not the power to do more to help. Righteousness would see that same man, and slap him in irons, bringing him to the town square so that all might hear and know his crimes, before judgement is cast down upon them.

“Now, it is true that, when you take a wider view, Righteousness combats some of the greater evils out there, such as slavery, but Righteousness must be tempered by Mercy, or it is no less destructive than pure Chaos. I should know. For it was in Righteousness’s name that I set about the damnation of Onearth, the world which summoned me, and the rest of my class. In Righteousness’s name, I removed all knowledge of the Hero Summoning ritual, and set up all the slave collars in the world to fail simultaneously, as I left that world. It was in Righteousness’s name that I unleashed monster hordes upon my leaving, allowing them to rampage through the lands that had grown soft after twenty years of having someone else fight their wars for them.”

I took a breath. “That is the face of Righteousness. Just because it is wrapped in a pleasing form does not make it Good, or Gentle, or Nice. Righteousness cares only about seeking out those who have done wrong, and ensuring that judgement is carried out upon them.”

“So then, what of demons?”

“Ah, demons. In some ways, they are the most trustworthy of the two, at least when you compare them to angels. Angels will jump at any injustice they see, and seek to smite those responsible, unless they have some higher directive binding them. With all the injustice that happens every day, from minor transgressions to full atrocities, an angel will push their warlock into self-destructive behavior in a hurry, unless they are surrounded by an organization, like a church or holy brotherhood, which shields the warlock from hearing or seeing too much, and going off on a righteous warpath through the city.

“Demons and devils, however, are a different breed. Of course, the type of fiend you contract with makes a difference, here. Contracting with a Succubus will have different effects than contracting with a Balor, one of the great demonic warriors. Contracting with an imp in all its petty cruelty will go differently from contracting with one of the bounty hunters from the various hells.

“Fiends, by their nature, are manipulative creatures, always looking out for themselves, and what brings them the most power, or entertainment. However, this makes them somewhat predictable. You know they are not dealing with you in good faith, and that any bargain you make will benefit them more than you in the end. Once you know they are going to try and put the screws to you, you can start looking for the ‘how’, and perhaps work around it.

“However, you and I are not bound to angels or fiends. I am bound to a Goddess of Death and you are bound to a Primordial. Creatures of these types are less likely to abuse their contracted warlocks on a whim, or to drive them to destruction. However, you must always remember that their wants and needs may be different from your own. And, because of that, there may come a time where they demand their desires be put ahead of yours.”

I paused, to make sure the young miko understood the severity of my words. When I spoke again, it was in a less grave tone. “But, if there is all this caution against bad deals, or ancient powers forcing you into terrible choices, then why would any but the truly desperate, or truly naïve, take up a contract, and become a warlock? Surely a bit of a power boost, a jumpstart on gathering power how you normally would, is not worth such a thing, right?

“The answer to that is Knowledge. Yes, a Patron grants you an increase in power, but the true benefit they grant you is knowledge, beyond what a normal Mage or Warrior might possess. There is also the fact that a Mage who contracts with one of the more combative patrons may gain skills and abilities similar to those of a Warrior, or a Warrior might gain powers like unto a Mage. Or they may double down on strengths they already possess, allowing them to push further, along roads a normal practitioner could not.

“In my case, Murena, Goddess of the Hunt and of Death, is my patron. The knowledge she granted me was that of Souls, and Soul Magics, as well as knowledge of the Hero Summoning ritual, and the Ritual of Returning. With this knowledge, I was able to arrange for my own return, while eliminating any chance of the people of Onearth summoning more heroes unless they rediscovered the ritual anew. It also granted me the knowledge to sabotage the slave collars used around the world, gradually replacing all ‘true’ slave collars with my version, which would free the slaves upon my leaving the land. And, well, you’ve seen some of the things I can do with souls directly.”

I paused once more, before continuing. “All of these things are not outside the realm of what a necromancer might learn, if they devoted enough time to the study. However, even if a lich has nothing but time to devote to their research, such things are not accomplished in a day, or even a scant few years. With Murena’s gift, I was able to skip that stage of my research, and move on to higher things. It also gave me the flexibility to devote time to other tasks, like the other spheres of magic, or increasing my combat prowess, whether with spell or blade. Do you understand what I am saying, young warlock?”

“Yes, Lady Akagawa, or at least I think I do. You are saying that it is not the power boost that is most beneficial to a warlock, but the knowledge gained, which allows them to start at a higher point, and do more with their life, whether they be mortal or immortal, yes? That the Warlock’s pact is a foundation to build from, not a finished product.”

“Good. But I do not mean to make light of the power boost, either. While the boost you have gained may seem insignificant compared to my own power, you are far beyond where you once were. For those in desperate straits, or those who are blinded by vengeance, that power may be just what they are looking for. Unfortunately, such creatures make easy prey for those who would offer horrible deals, and they rarely live long.”

“I understand. So, what does this mean for me, and my Pact?”

“Well, so far you have not shown any signs of falling to madness, or thinking that your patron’s power makes you all-powerful, which is the first and most dangerous hurdle every warlock must face. You have also managed to keep control of your form, which is difficult when you’ve been changed as fundamentally as you have.”

“Thanks, I guess?”

I chuckled. A bit of confusion was only natural, after all. “In your case, you will be one of the primary ways Lord Dagon interacts with the world around us. Beings like Primordials are too alien to this plane of existence for us to truly comprehend them, but the same applies to them, as well. It is one of the things making them different from gods. While gods are beyond the mortal ken, they were born of and empowered by mortals, and so they still have an understanding of the mortal world, even if they lose sight of the meaning of mortal existence from time to time. But a Primordial? For one of them to truly understand us is as maddening for them as it is for us to understand them.

“The role of a Warlock, in this case, beyond being an agent to act within the world without bringing their full power to bear, is to serve as a filter, or lens. I said it before, when you agreed to take up this charge, that a Warlock acts as the eyes and ears of their patron. You have been changed enough, and are bound closely enough to him, that Lord Dagon is better able to understand your experiences of mortal life than if he were to take his best approximation of a human form and walk down the street.

“The child you carry will be another link between Lord Dagon and the mortal world. Another anchor, as it were. The more of these anchors a Primordial possesses, the more ‘settled’ they are within normal reality. Never pushing so far as to actually make them a creature of three dimensions moving in a fourth, like we are, mind you, but it brings them closer into focus, so that even those of us who aren’t contracted to them or already mad, as I am, can look upon them and not be driven insane.”

“I’m sorry, Lady Akagawa, it still feels wrong, hearing you talk about being mad so easily.”

“That is because I have had forty years to temper my madness, child. The twenty years between when I was summoned and when I began my campaign against the Demon King was not just spent gaining strength, but in gaining some measure of control over myself. If I subjected myself to a psychological exam, I would likely be diagnosed as an extremely high-functioning sociopath.

“Outside of select individuals, I have little regard, and less empathy, for the plight of the common folk. My family is important to me, and perhaps one of the few true lingering attachments I have, especially now that my classmates have finally been laid to rest. My students and disciples are under my protection, as are some other groups. But I do not have any true affection for them, other than that of a teacher’s pride in seeing her students excel. But the people of Japan? Or this world? While I do not wish them ill, the only thing that would sadden me if they were to all die tomorrow is the thought of the lost potential of what they could become, in another forty years’ time.”

“Will I become like that, as well?”

“I do not know, Chihomi. I would hope not, however. The fewer people there are like me in the world, the better.”