As Keitaro ate his food, he asked Maki about her day and how everything was going. She revealed that someone had stolen the book.
Upon hearing that, Keitaro looked at Maki before saying,
"Pour natural energy into the pen I gave you to write notes."
Listening to his instructions, Maki did as he asked.
The very next second, the book appeared in front of her, though Keitaro did notice that its cover seemed a bit dimmer.
"Everything's here," Maki added as she flipped through the book.
"Why go to the burden of stealing a book if you're not planning on taking anything?" Mai suddenly added, to which Keitaro opened his mouth and said,
"The book—my notes—has an anti-thief seal on it. If even one page is removed without the correct pin, the notes return to the author. It also has seals that make it impossible to print copies using a machine. It uses the same system the government uses to prevent counterfeiting money."
Well damn, he thought of almost everything.
"There's nothing stopping them from just writing it down or taking a picture of it," Maki added. Keitaro looked at her before saying,
"I kind of use cursed essence/blood/core as my ink...which works like invisible ink. Taking a picture of the notes would just show a blank page. This method is also useful because, since what I used to write is basically a curse, anyone who can't see curses cannot read it."
Maki tapped the seal on her neck, just for a moment turning it off. All the words on the page vanished.
But wait, how could she see it before? She technically couldn't see curses; her senses were just so attuned that she could 'see them,' but not in a literal sense.
"Since cursed energy can't really be used as ink, I had to add some natural energy in there to stabilize it. You can see it because you're attuned to natural energy, so unless someone has access to at least one of those, they can't read it," Keitaro explained.
These were things he'd learned from his trips. Plus, he had a few tricks ready for Geto for when he opened the book.
POV Change
The soft hum of rain echoed through the cavernous hideout where Geto and his group had made their temporary base.
The room was dimly lit by a lone lantern that rested on the desk.
A man handed him a piece of paper. At least those monkeys had their uses; he had a whole group of them write down everything, organizing them into groups to be efficient.
What they gave him was a plain, unassuming book, with a few smudges of ink on the cover.
His expression was unreadable as he flipped through the notebook, his fingers tracing the careful handwriting within.
He eventually reached the section about curse spirit manipulation. The handwriting looked like Keitaro's from his second year. The monkeys who had copied it even ensured that the doodles stayed, unsure if they were important.
As Geto flipped through the pages of Keitaro's notebook, he was greeted with meticulous, detailed notes that showcased the younger sorcerer's unorthodox thinking.
Each section was divided by headings, underlined in bold ink with Keitaro's messy-yet-readable handwriting. Some pages even had little doodles in the margins—a fox here, a lightning bolt there—perhaps drawn during moments of boredom or inspiration.
1. Understanding Curse Spirit Composition
"Cursed spirits aren't just manifestations of negative emotions—they're complex entities made of cursed energy, bound together by a central 'core.' The core acts like a heart, stabilizing the spirit's form. What if we tamper with the core itself? Could we alter its function?"
Keitaro had written a detailed diagram of a curse's anatomy, with arrows pointing to potential weak spots and areas where manipulation could take place.
He had encircled the curse's gut as a weakness, alongside their head.
Idea 1: By distorting the cursed energy flow around the core, it might be possible to temporarily paralyze a spirit.
Idea 2: If the core could be merged with another, the resulting spirit might gain traits of both while also stabilizing any incompatibilities through external reinforcement of cursed energy.
"Think of it like fusing two elements. Fire and water create steam—a new form with properties of both. Why can't curses work the same way?"
These were simply theories he had. Unless he had the curse technique, it wasn't like he could do anything about it.
2. Advanced Curse Storage Techniques
"If we consider cursed spirits as entities with fluctuating energy, why not treat them like raw data that can be compressed? Instead of a single large curse taking up an enormous amount of energy and storage, split it into smaller fragments and reassemble them when needed."
The section outlined a method Keitaro theorized for compacting curses into multiple smaller energy units.
Pros: Reduced energy strain during storage; easier to carry multiple spirits without overwhelming the user.
Cons: Reassembly could destabilize the curse if not done precisely.
Potential Solution: Keitaro suggested using seals—likely inspired by his own expertise with natural energy—to "anchor" fragmented energy, ensuring its stability.
Geto tilted his head. "Compressing a spirit's essence... Almost like partitioning them into smaller pieces."
3. Enhancing Curse Utility Through Reprogramming
"Curses act on instinct, driven by the emotions that birthed them. But what if we override that instinct? By injecting them with controlled cursed energy imprinted with our own will, we could force them to follow complex commands, effectively turning them into extensions of ourselves."
The notes here read more like instructions than theories:
Subdue the curse without destroying its core.Imprint a portion of your own cursed energy into the core.Establish a 'command link' to ensure the curse follows your directives.
"Think of it like a computer virus, replacing the curse's code with your own commands. The more complex the imprint, the more intelligent the spirit becomes."
Geto's eyebrows raised at that. "He's treating curses like programmable tools..."
4. Multiple Curse Techniques
"I have reason to believe that Geto's maximum technique has other uses. Maybe if he sacrificed a curse above Grade 2, he would be allowed to use its curse technique. However, all abilities need to be balanced somewhat, and I feel like the world would have placed restrictions on this. A one-time-use ability seems perfect."
The diagram for this section was particularly elaborate, showing a web of connections radiating from a central curse. Geto couldn't help but marvel at the sheer audacity of the concept.
5. Natural Energy Integration with Curses
This section was more personal, with Keitaro's handwriting becoming a little more rushed.
"I'm still experimenting with how natural energy interacts with curses. So far, the results are... chaotic. Natural energy is stable and harmonious, while cursed energy is inherently chaotic. They repel each other like oil and water. However, I've noticed that brief interactions between the two can amplify a curse's strength before the energies destabilize."
Idea: Use natural energy to temporarily "supercharge" a curse for a devastating one-time attack.
Warning: Keitaro had underlined this part multiple times. "Too risky for now. Could backfire spectacularly if not controlled perfectly."
Geto chuckled. "Typical Keitaro. Always pushing boundaries but still cautious enough to leave himself a safety net."
The Final Page
As Geto turned to the last page, he saw no new theories or diagrams—just Keitaro's handwriting scrawled across the center of the page.
"Geto, if you're reading this, then I suppose I trusted you enough to share it, or you were clever enough to take it. Either way, these notes are my thanks to you for always being my senior, my rival, and my friend. I know we don't always see eye to eye, but you've always pushed me to think bigger, to do better. Whatever happens, I hope you know I respect you more than words can say.
Wish you the best—Keitaro."
And at the end of the page... words talking about how he could sacrifice weaker curses and offer them to stronger curses to momentarily remove that cap on the curse's strength, alongside sacrificing weaker curses so that the power behind their blow becomes stronger—kind of like how Meimei's bird strikes work.
A/N I'm trying out a new approach for editing my chapters. Instead of doing it myself, I've asked ChatGPT to handle the grammar while keeping my original words intact. The writing remains mine, but the grammar check is done by the AI.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! If it works, it could really reduce the time it takes to release new chapters.