章節 18: Chapter 18 - Magic Summoning Circle
As Glenn organized the books on the table, Basara observed that the teacher was more confident than the others were.
"Now, before we start, I'd like to hear some news. Who here has already summoned a familiar?" Glenn paused.
Moka's curious gaze met Basara's, and he smiled as he nodded.
A few students raised their hands after the teacher's question. A girl with blue hair, who sat in the front row, quickly raised her hand. "I have one! It's called Tsubasa. It's a bird that can make little illusions!"
Glenn smiled and snapped his fingers, pointing at the girl. "Great! As we talked about in the first class a few weeks ago, familiars can extend ourselves, a part of our being that manifests itself in various ways. Anyone else?"
A boy in the middle of the room, with glasses and a nerdy appearance, raised his hand. "I have a cat called Nyx. He's brilliant and loves to help me with spells."
"Excellent, Nyx! Animals are great family members. And how do you communicate with him? Can he sense your magic?" The conversation continued, and Glenn seemed genuinely interested in the answers. This made the students feel valued and more comfortable sharing their experiences.
Basara wondered if he could consider Brynhildr a familiar, but quickly dismissed the idea. 'Nah, it's a demon sword. There's no way it could be considered a familiar.'
It didn't take long for the conversation to reach him, for some reason.
"What about you, young man? I don't remember your face. You're one of the new students. What's your name?"
"Basara Toujou."
"Basara-san! Do you have a familiar or not?" Glenn asked curiously, and the room fell silent, all eyes on Basara.
"No, I don't have a familiar."
A murmur went through the class, but Basara didn't feel any inquisitive looks. "And that's perfectly fine. However, don't forget that those who don't have a familiar, like Basara-san, need to form a contract by the end of the year. It's a must in order to move on to the second year, because you'll have a lot more lessons on this subject. Don't worry, Basara-san. You'll soon find one that fits perfectly. And, believe me, that can happen at the most unexpected times."
After this brief discussion, Glenn asked everyone to stand up.
"Let's try summoning some familiars!"
'What? Here?' Basara thought.
However, Glenn snapped his fingers, and an extremely bright light appeared under the students' feet. This glow dazzled the classroom and disappeared in the blink of an eye. When everyone opened their eyes, they found themselves in a large hall with a high ceiling, thick stone columns, and a sturdy floor. The place was impressive, and even Basara could feel that the air was imbued with magic. He looked around in awe as the other students exchanged excited glances.
"This is one of our exercise rooms," said Glenn, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Here, we don't have to be afraid to use mana and end up destroying something. Besides, we'll also need to dirty up the floor with magic circles made with chalk, so it's better if we don't do this on a wooden floor. But first of all, I need to ask you something: who here brought the summoning books?"
Basara raised his hand slightly along with the others, but a student next to the teacher commented:
"I think we all brought them, sensei. They're in our backpacks in the hall, though, because you didn't tell us you'd teleport us."
Glenn, with an expression of mild frustration mixed with a touch of humor, tapped his head lightly. "What an idiot I am for not remembering that detail! How could I have forgotten that you'd need the summoning books here? Wait a minute."
He snapped his fingers, and the bags that had been left behind suddenly appeared next to the students.
"Now, everyone, check that your books are there and let's start the practical lesson!"
As Basara bent down to pick up the book from his bag, he realized, unconsciously serious, how exceptional Professor Glenn was, using teleportation magic with such ease. Even Basara's father couldn't use that kind of magic like that, and he was the most powerful person Basara knew.
When he finally found the summoning book in his bag, he read the title written on the cover: "Compendium of Mystical and Familiar Summonings."
Once again, the echo of Glenn's voice reverberated, as if even the stones were paying attention to what he was saying.
"So, everyone, summoning books is an essential tool for any summoner. Each of you will have noticed that there are many magic circles in your books. These circles are like doors, which can connect this hall to different parts of this world and other small dimensions, such as the underworld. They can allow us to summon a multitude of creatures, from the most common to the rarest and most powerful."
While talking, Glenn moved towards the middle of the hall, where there was a distinct area with a different flooring. He gestured for the students to follow him. "Now, what you need to understand is that it's not enough just to draw a circle. Precision is key. Each stroke must be meticulously placed, as a flaw could cause a mana explosion or simply not work. What we want is to create a safe channel for magical energy to flow and connect this hall to another place."
"Professor, how do we know the circle has been drawn correctly?" asked Moka.
Glenn smiled, as if he had been expecting this question. "Very good question, Moka-san. After drawing the circle, the summoner needs to insert some mana. If the circle glows, it means that it has been drawn correctly. However, this doesn't guarantee that a creature will appear. It often depends on luck and the mood of the creature on the other side. Some are more receptive, while others may ignore the call."
These words left Basara with a chill in his stomach. He wondered what would happen if he summoned a creature that didn't want to be his familiar.
"Besides, when a creature appears, we have to try to create a bond with it. Sometimes a simple wave of the hand is enough; other times, a gift that it values can make things easier. There are creatures that want a personal object from you to create a connection, while others may require a dialog and negotiation, especially if they are rational beings, like dragons or fairies."
The students moved around the hall, excited to draw their magic circles and summon their familiars. Basara picked up his book, opened the pages, but as he flipped through it, discouragement overcame him. Almost every page was blank.
Suddenly, a murmur of excitement spread through the room. To Basara's left, Moka had already drawn a perfect little circle and was about to inject mana. The light from the circle shone brightly, but next to him, another student was struggling. He drew quickly, nervously, and when he finished, the circle didn't glow. Instead, a burst of mana illuminated the hall with a sudden flash. The boy fell backwards, while the others laughed, and Professor Glenn rushed over to help him.
"It's all right, everyone! Practice is essential, but watch the strength of your mana. It takes control!"
Basara looked at his book again, desperately trying to find something, anything, that would work. And then, as he flipped to the last page, he saw a magic circle. It was a hexagram identical to the one on the back cover, but there were some notes about the runes between the two larger circles. He wondered if that was the only magic circle he had.
"There's only one way to find out," he thought.
What could happen? Just one more explosion, perhaps? With chalk in hand, Basara traced the circle on the ground. The stone surface was rough, but the chalk slid smoothly as he copied what was on that last page. The circle took shape, and he could hardly believe he was actually doing it.
Suddenly, to his right, a girl had just injected mana into his circle. It glowed brightly, and a small creature appeared, crawling and gelatinous.
"Urgh! It's a slime! I don't want a slime as a familiar!"
Basara continued drawing. When he had finished, he stood in front of the circle, took a deep breath and, following Glenn's instructions, injected a small amount of mana into the circle. A white light emanated from the drawn lines, and the ground seemed to vibrate beneath his feet. The circle lit up even more, and a thick smoke began to rise from the chalk lines, enveloping its entire surroundings.
What would come from the other side? The professor had said that some creatures didn't appear even when the magic circle was successfully completed. Perhaps that was the case with him there.
As the smoke cleared, Basara finally saw something that made him certain that he had summoned something. First, he noticed horns, imposing, curved and pointed. His eyes widened. After the horns, he saw a long, thin tail, which ended at a sharp point with the symbol of swords from a deck of cards. The tail moved slowly, shaking the smoke a little. Soon, Basara spotted the base of the magic circle and two large pairs of hairy goat-like legs, with hooves and no humanoid ankles. And then, finally, he saw the back of the creature. Surprisingly, it was the back of a woman with huge breasts and, just above them, short, slightly wavy purple hair. The woman's eyes were red and, although they might usually seem warm, they were as cold as the coldest winter's day.
The moment his eyes beheld her full body in front of him, Basara had no doubt whatsoever that this was a powerful creature, more demonic than anything he had ever seen. She looked down at him, as if she saw him as a mere insect.
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