“Um … sorry, but what … what the fuck was that? What. The fuck. Was THAT?!” Rala exclaimed.

“… Dumb luck?”

“Don’t try to smile out of this with that cute baby face of yours, mister!” Rala then pinched my cheeks and pulled them to the sides.

“Ow, ow, ow! Muh jeeksh!”

“To use that spell at such power at your age, why aren’t you knocked out from mind down?! Who even taught you that spell?!”

“Muh dah?”

“Gullivaaaaaaaan!”

“Breesh dun dag dish ou on me!”

“Um, what should I …?” Agnes asked while shifting glances between us, having no idea what to do.

Zalena then stepped in and pulled us apart … well, it was more like she pried Rala’s hands away from my cheeks. She then gave Rala a strong flick to the forehead. “Calm down. Are you not supposed to keep an open mind when examining rookies?”

“Ow. Even if you say that, this is abnormal, isn’t it?! Grayson himself told us to be mindful of his magic but I don’t think he was expecting this!”

So, Grayson did tell them what he heard from me and Agnes, at least to some extent.

“What’s next?! That he has over two fairies?!” Rala continued. “I’ve been scratching my head how much mana he had until he took my potion before we went in! That’s the only reason I can think of for him to not fall into mind down after that! Heck, even having three fairies is questionable for someone of his age!”

Mind down, by the way, is a state one falls into when they spend too much mana that their bodies or Companions could take. You’re out cold, and you won’t wake up until you regain a minimal amount to move around within a couple hours, on average. It can be a dangerous thing to be in depending on where you are, especially for fairies.

“Sheesh, lighten up, will you?” Zalena asked. “Yes, that display of magic was … surprising, to be sure, but it is not like he has to tell us what is really going on, including how many fairies he has, if he has any. Like us adults, kids like Soar have their reasons for keeping secrets to themselves.”

“And you are okay with that?!”

“Oh, come now, Rala, you know of me well enough that I keep things discreet unless someone really gets on my nerves. For example, telling everyone why you really have no luck with men if you do not drop this right now.”

Zalena’s change of tone as she glared at Rala was a surprise to everyone, especially me.

Is Zalena … sticking up for me?

“W-What are you talking about?” Rala asked, just as startled.

“Let us step over here and have a little girl talk, shall we? You two just stand by for a bit. We will be back shortly.”

“O … kay?” I answered for us.

We then watched Zalena pull Rala to a corner of the room. Flinto followed close behind.

“What do you think they are talking about?” Agnes asked.

“No idea. I didn’t think she’d get serious like that.”

“Me neither … but did you notice?”

“What?”

“She did not call you ‘fairyboy’ earlier.”

“… Ah, you’re right.”

“You think that … thing with the monster changed something in her for you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well, I am glad you are okay, Soar, but I ask that you please do not be so careless next time. That outburst from you really surprised me. That may not compare to your ‘performance’ earlier, but still …”

I chuckled nervously and put up a wry smile. “Right … sorry about that.”

“That aside, do you know what this is?” Agnes asked while pointing down to the magic circle that covered most of the floor.

“Ah, right, if I remember correctly …” I pulled the Book of Understanding Ancient Practices from my Dark Space and flipped through the pages to find a specific illustration. “… Yeah, it’s as I thought, this is a familiar summoning circle.” I even remember the details clearly in my mind. I guess the Great Sage gift recording stuff like this was no joke.

“Why would there be one here?”

I then explained how these dungeons were where these magic circles came from. There was even a slate on the wall with a passage in Shimmerlin that described the chant required to summon the familiar. No matter what went on in these dungeon rooms and how long it has been, the circle and passages would still be etched in the floor and slate as if they were freshly made.

To keep it short, some people in the country of Dustarga, where I reincarnated and grew up in, had helped make summoning familiars more convenient after many years of trial and error. They replicated the magic circle in ‘summoning rooms’ that are in sacred places around the country called sanctoriums that bishops manage. To get into those rooms and receive the needed help to summon a familiar, you need to pay an expensive fee that those from the lower noble class can afford, at the least.

These days, since we can make contracts with fairies for access to greater magic and power, people don’t really need familiars. You would usually see successful hunters and nobles, whether or not they have fairies, have a familiar at their side for various reasons. Since there are summoning circles at sanctoriums now, nobody really goes to dungeons to do the same unless they want to summon one for free through some questionable means.

“But you have a drawing of the circle right there in that book, right? Could you summon a familiar now if you want to?” Agnes asked after I explained my piece.

“I could try, but it won’t do anything. They’ve tried this in the past, and it didn’t work. These circles are gateways between realms that acts the same as one would use a door. If it isn’t big enough, there’s no chance the familiar would appear, which is why they’re as big as this. I haven’t seen one myself yet, but it said in the book they made the summoning rooms as big as these in dungeons. There’s also how you need to chant the summoning spell properly with the Shimmerlin language.”

“Interesting. I suppose summoning one is not possible if you do not know how to speak the chant in Shimmerlin.”

“That is true, but … I think I can.”

“Huh?”

“It doesn’t have the passage in the book, but I think I can read it in the slate here. I, uh, skimmed a bit of this section after Claire gifted the book to me last night, but I have some idea on how it goes … you want to see me give it a go?”

“I would love to! Please, fire away!” Agnes answered excitedly.

“All right, it will be the first I’ve spoken in this language and the circle detects accuracy. I may not get it right the first try, so don’t get your hopes up.” I took one last look at the slate and Mona deciphered the characters into a readable script I could see with my mind. I turned back to the direction of the circle and took a deep breath. My Companions wished me the best of luck from the pockets.

Just think of this like reading captions from subtitled anime, I thought to myself. The words are there, but unlike how you’ve cast spells up to now, you need to speak up with your heart to give them life, make it so that the gods themselves can hear …

Determined, I took my Conductor, stepped into the circle, and pointed the dagger-wand straight ahead with both hands. I wasn’t sure if using wands or staves to summon familiars would change anything, but I thought I might as well.

It was then the adults came back from their talk when Zalena spoke up.

“Sorry for the wait, kids! We had a bit of a disagreement and—”

“[Great Gods watching me from a world beyond mine, I require thine aid!]”

The circle below me brightened. A mysterious wind blew from inside the circle outward. I almost got blown off by surprise, but I stood my ground.

“W-What is happening?!” [Agnes]

“No way, is this … on his first try, even?” [Zalena]

“Are you freakin’ kidding me?!” [Rala]

“[Heed mine call, I require a servant!]”

The light brightened enough to fill the room, and the gusts picked up enough speed and power to kick the dust on the floor. It was quickly getting hard to tolerate, but I was almost done with the chant. I yelled the last of the chant with the loudest volume I had done in my second life.

“[COME FORTH, MINE FAMILIAR!]”

The light exploded like a flash bomb, gusts blew like a powerful storm, and the dust was almost like smoke by that point, or maybe it blended with the actual white smoke that appeared, I didn’t know. Everyone outside of the circle shrieked in shock. I only stood my ground with eyes tightly shut, but I didn’t move my Conductor from its original position.

The noise from the wind died down, and then there was silence …

“[Goodness~, so that was being summoned? Quite the rush.]”

An unfamiliar voice of a mature woman broke the silence. Despite it being a different language, even though this was the first I heard someone else talk with it, I immediately understood it was Shimmerlin, and I could interpret like I also spoke it fluently. I slowly opened my eyes and made out a figure in the clearing smoke. What stood out first were the two large wings that spanned out to the sides, resembling to those of a bat. The one spanning out those wings looked tall with curves, a humanoid shape of a female.

As the smoke cleared, I got a better picture of her profile. She wore very little clothing; the majority was practically underwear made of black leather, hence why her curves from before were so distinguishable. Thigh-high black stockings mostly covered her legs. Matching leather platform boots with raised heels were her main footwear. She also had special black fingerless gloves that stretch up to the elbows.

As for the unclothed parts, her skin was a reddish pink color covered with black grapevine-like markings that stretched down her limbs, the sides of her waist, around her exposed bellybutton, and across the collarbone. It was as my eyes scrolled around that last area that I noticed hot big her chest was. It didn’t quite match Zalena’s and Flomi’s, but they were still an impressive size as they were practically spilling over her bikini/bra-like top. The rest of her curves were also as deliciously plump, it was a devilish mix of muscle and fat that was pleasing to the eyes.

‘Devilish’ described her best as I noticed a black tube tail with an arrowhead at the tip curling behind her. There were also matching horns curling toward the temple, standing out from her hair that was even whiter than a dark elf’s, bearing a likeness to fresh snow as they stretched to the mid of her back with straight bangs. And then there were her eyes as pink as rose quartz as she stared at me curiously.

“Hmm? Are you perhaps the one who summoned me?” she then asked me in Dustaran, the common language for residents of Dustarga.

Words got caught in my throat as I was trying to process it all. I only got a few of them out after I lowered my Conductor. “I-I … think, so?”

Her face brightened up, and she clapped her hands with glee from hearing my answer. “How delightful! Oh! Pardon my excitement, I need to introduce myself!” She then took her unfurled wings in her hands, holding them like a skirt, and did a curtsey.

“I am Sarise, of the devils. It is a pleasure to be under your servitude, Master.”

“A devil …” Once I grasped the situation, a big, goofy smile grew on my face. “Y-You mean you’re really going to—”

“Sooooooooar! Did you know what you have just dooooone?!” Rala screamed as she rushed to me and went straight to my cheeks.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! I shummun a vamiria, lai?!”

“Not just any familiar! That’s a freakin’ devil! A high-class demon from Zalecks! Some bishops took years to speak Shimmerlin fluent enough to even summon a low-class demon, much less a mid-class! And you just summoned one from a high-class on your first try—OWOWOWOW?!” Rala was shaking me by the collar of my shirt in hysteria before a reddish hand took the leopard-girl’s wrist and twisted it. It looked easy to hold, but there was enough force in the grip to break her bone like a twig. Rala succumbed to the pain and released me.

I glanced over and see it was Sarise who pried Rala away before she pulled me to her generous bosom. My face went right into the chasm that was her bare cleavage.

Whooooooa! It’s so soooooooft! And this scent’s incredible! I hadn’t even gotten this far with the few dates I went to on Earth! Is this what women smell like?!

“I do not know what relationship you have, but I will not have you treat my master this way in front of me. Bother him like that again, and it will not just be your arm that I will snap in two.” I didn’t see Sarise’s face, but I could only imagine how scary she looked then from the tone of her voice.

“Y-Yes, ma’am! Never again!” Rala exclaimed in panic.

“Are you all right, Master? Are you hurt?” Sarise then asked me while pulling my head up to face her. She gently ran a thumb over one of my cheeks that Rala pinched. Her eyes were on me like one would towards an abandoned puppy.

If I wasn’t as red as Sarise’s skin was before, I was at that moment, maybe even redder. I felt like a budding teenager again, being so embarrassed in front of a beautiful woman treating me like that, which brought some realizations after remembering what Rala said.

“I-I’m fine, but … is it really okay for you … to be my familiar?” I asked her.

“But of course, why would it not be?”

“Well, as she said, you’re a high-class demon, and I’m still a kid, you know? Wouldn’t you rather be with someone older? Now that I’m thinking about it, don’t devils want our souls as payment for fulfilling a contract?” Sure, my soul mindset was that of an old man’s, but first impressions and appearances is a universal thing. As mature as I sounded when I spoke, some adults might have thought I was just ‘acting like a grown-up’ and wouldn’t treat me like one.

As for the devil wanting souls, I only got that out of the few things I read in Christian mythology before they got popular in modern media. I may have sounded rude asking about Sarise’s devil culture like that, but if I could get away with it being a ‘curious, young kid,’ I might as well play that card.

“I will admit it was a surprise for me, but it was not bad by any means, quite the contrary. His Greatness, Garem, was the one who brought us together after he judged you worthy, and for the Two Fathers who manage our realms picking one of us to serve as a familiar is a great honor for everyone. In which case, it is unforgivable for us to kill our masters, and an even greater tragedy to let them die in our hands, no matter what bloodline we come from, but those are not the only reasons I am going along with this.”

She then held my face in her palms with a gentle smile. “Before that scaredy-cat intervened, this cute little face here made a big, beautiful smile. ‘We will live a long, happy life together,’ was what I thought when I saw it.”

“Sarise …” Her words touched my heart like when I first made a contract with Breezy, Shadina, and Mist. I hurled any further doubts I had for this devilishly beautiful woman over a cliff.

“Now, before that scaredy-cat rudely interrupted us, I believe she called you Soar?” Sarise asked.

“I will have to get used to her calling me that now, am I?”

“Most likely,” Zalena answered to Rala’s question.

“R-Right! I haven’t introduced myself! And there was the rest of that tradition, too!” I gently pulled myself away from Sarise’s hold and cleared my throat. “My name is Soar Osmis. I will look forward to us working together, Sarise.”

“Soar Osmis … I will forever burn your name in my heart, Master. I am in your care.”

It was a tradition that after a successful summon, the master would kiss their familiar’s head, and I did just that as Sarise kneeled down to my level (I had to quell my embarrassment doing that as I sort of expected doing it to an animal-like familiar like Flinto at first). Just after I finished, she then closed in and cupped her hands over one of my ears.

“Regarding your age, if a splendid boy like you could summon a devil like me, then you will no doubt grow to become an even greater man. I will wait in anticipation for when that time comes~.”

Sh-She makes a very convincing argument … I must not let her down.

[Marble]

[Cinder]

<“Oh, I have been very aware of your presence for a while, you know? We will make proper introductions later, but I look forward to the six of us working together for Master,”> Sarise said through my mind, surprising all of us.

“So! Soar made a pact with a familiar, and a devil at that! Very well done!” Zalena exclaimed while clapping her hands in applause. “Before we continue with business, is there anything else one of us would like to share here? How about you, fairygirl?”

“H-Huh?!”

Honestly, I was so occupied that I didn’t notice Agnes had gone quiet. All of us were looking toward her while she fidgeted in place.

“… Did you want to try summoning a familiar, too, Agnes?” I asked.

“U-Um … truthfully, I was told I could try summoning one on my thirteenth birthday. That is the usual age we of the noble class try to do it. It had been a tradition among us before we even realized it, a rite of passage towards adulthood, if you will, but … after seeing Flinto and Sarise here, I cannot help but want to try it even more now. Is that bad?”

“I don’t think so, and I don’t know how your father will respond when he sees you coming back with a familiar, or even a hunter’s license, but if you really want to do it, I’ll help you out.”

“Well, I am sure I stepped out of line just taking part in this hunter’s exam a long time ago, might as well go all the way, right? And actually … with two more allies helping us, do you think we have a chance of clearing the dungeon?”

“I don’t see the harm of us trying it out. Sarise, think you’re up for your first job right after coming here?”

“Whatever you desire, I shall oblige, Master,” she answered me while bowing.

“Is this okay with you guys?” I then asked the adults.

Zalena and Flinto only looked towards Rala.

“… Screw it. Do whatever you want. I’ve already lost my third, maybe even the fourth of my nine lives putting up with the stress of this disaster.”

“You heard the examiner. Let us get fairygirl’s summoning underway while we still have daylight,” Zalena proposed, and my growing party nodded in agreement.

With a paper and charcoal pencil from my Dark Space, I wrote out how someone should speak the summoning chant. Agnes and I then went over the pronunciation and did some practicing outside of the magic circle—you only have one shot to summon a familiar, but as long as you’re outside of the circle, you could say the chant as many times as you like. Sarise even stepped in and gave her own inputs on speaking Shimmerlin after requesting my permission to do so. It might have been out of formality for familiars to ask permission on several things, but I told her she could speak her mind any time.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes of practice, Agnes stood on the circle with my Conductor in her hand (I loaned it to her for that occasion) and began the chant. The light show and theatrics weren’t as grand as my own performance, but it was still impressive seeing it from the outside.

“[Come forth, mine familiar!]” Agnes exclaimed before a large flash filled the room. Sarise shielded my eyes from the brightness with an unfurled wing.

When the light faded, and the smoke cleared …

“Well, you are quite the charming-looking young child, are you?” another mature woman asked. What stood in the center of the circle that time was a yellow falcon with black tips on the feathers, a white underbelly, and matching markings spread along her back and head. From that, this familiar came from the realm of Zaleese.

I was worried since it wasn’t someone like Sarise, but Agnes seemed satisfied as she kneeled and stared in awe.

“You are … beautiful. Did I really summon you?” Agnes asked.

“I thank you for the delightful compliment, and yes, that seems to be the case. I am Dhalia, and I will be your familiar from this point forward. It would be an honor if you took me under the wings of your servitude, Mistress.” She then unfurled her wings and made a bow.

“N-No, the honor is all mine. I am Agnes Zanri, and this is my Companion, Flicker. We would be glad to have you.”

“Then, I shall be in your care, Mistress.”

Like me, Agnes followed the tradition and kissed Dhalia on the head. We all gave them a round of applause and then went around to introduce ourselves. We then found Sarise and Dhalia hadn’t eaten from how their stomachs growled. Me and Agnes agreed to share the rest of our lunches with them, and they gratefully accepted.

“Okay! Now that we all have our familiars and got acquainted; I will bring us up to speed and go over our next course of action!” Zalena announced. “After I had a word with Rala, we agreed to record Soar’s earlier victory in the report as ‘dumb luck.’ Sarise’s and Dhalia’s arrival, however, cannot be overlooked and must get registered with you two as their masters’ familiars, but we will worry about that at the end of the exam.

“As per the kids’ request, we will go further down Miron Dungeon with the goal of defeating its boss and clearing it. Once we clear it and you two earn your rewards—should you be worthy to receive them—there is another transportation circle at the end that will take us right back to the dungeon’s entrance, and we would be home free by the time we make it back to Brightlas’ hunter’s guild.

“From this point forward, there will be monsters even stronger and greater in variety than before, and the floors will be more expansive that can take more time to traverse. We are in the afternoon now and have until the end of the day to make it back and you two get a passing grade. Most hunters would call it a day and head right back through the circle before this room. To clear the rest of these floors, some hunters would require spending the night in the dungeon if we went now, and we will not have a chance of getting out of here by magic circle until the 18th and 29th floors.

“Taking all of that into account, are you two certain you want to do this?” she asked us.

“We just have to breeze past the monsters as fast as we can, defeat the boss, and make it back by dinner. Putting it like that, I don’t think we’ll have any problems.” Still, why would Zalena cover for me like that back there? What are her motives? I need to figure them out soon. Since they’re mostly aware of my powers already, I’ll resort to Dark Gate to get us out of here if we ever get in a pinch. I thought.

“I will make sure to not hold Soar back and take this on with my strength.” [Agnes]

“For Master’s succession, I will clear us a path if we need to.” [Sarise]

“I will give it my all for Mistress, too.” [Dhalia]

“I’m ready to go home …” [Rala]

“I think they overrule us on that option, Mistress.” [Flinto]

“Then, it is settled!” Zalena exclaimed, taking over Rala’s position at this point. “As soon as we open those doors, there is no going back, at least until the 18th floor. As always, Rala, Flinto, and I will mostly observe, only providing support when we need to.

“Without further ado, let us take this dungeon by its balls and do this thing~!”

“Zalena! Language!” Rala yelled with a flustered face.