CH 90

Soya took up a position in the center of the lodge and finished drawing the red and black formation with his own blood and black ink. Inside the completed formation, Shamil, the Cait Sith, stood with a look of disbelief.

Merylou, along with her client, Peryton, and his coachman, Rams, are standing guard over the horses in the stable. In addition to Souya and Shamil, the only other people in the cabin are Mia, Aisha, and Hans, the Lingen hunter, who is asleep in the corner of the lodge.　

“…… High Familiar …… To use a Grand Master level magic …… That’s Impossible, it’s as if…”

Aisha watched with a dumbfounded expression as the magic formation was drawn.

Grand Master level. This is the rank attained by the six heroes, Silve Rei, Ranak the Ashen, and Shamil’s former master, the Hermit of Mount Iskar. It is a realm close to the summit of magic, where only a handful of human beings can count on their fingers.

Mia didn’t seem particularly surprised, but she was looking at Souya. She already knew about Souya’s ability and his reluctance to reveal it to the public.

“Mia …… Is Souya-san really…”

“Aisha-san.”

When Mia touched her finger to her mouth, Aisha kept her mouth shut, put her round glasses back on, and looked at the magic formation with interest. 

In the outer edge of the circle is a man with dark glasses, wearing a dark gray business suit.

In his right hand was a magic stone, given to him by Charlotte, the second receptionist.

“…… Souya. Can you really do it?”

“I can. Shamil, do you even understand the meaning of a service contract? At the very least, I’ll have you help us rescue Lingen.”

“…… Who the hell are you? Why are you hiding your power? …… Why aren’t you on the stage where you can wield your power?”

“I’ll leave it to you to figure out who I am. If you knew, you’d understand immediately …… A reason to hide. It may be the same as your former master, the hermit of Mount Iskar.”

When Souya laughed, Shamil’s odd eyes flickered slightly. 

(Aisha-san is here, but I can’t help it. I hope she won’t make a scene, though.)

Souya decided to chant in a magical language known only to magicians, rather than the common language used on the continent. This is because the chanting of the High Familiar requires one’s real name. There was someone here that I really didn’t want my real name to be known to at the moment.

“-Phantom Beast Shamil. In the name of Grand Master Rei, I now command you. By the rites of my covenant, thou shalt be my messenger. [High Familiar].”

— When the magic stone in Souya’s hand shone, the lodge was enveloped in a dazzling light.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The next morning. Souya woke up in the lodge.

The thunder that had been rumbling all night had stopped, and instead, he could hear the cries of early birds. It was probably just before dawn. It was hard to tell what the sky would look like from here, but it looked like we had avoided the worst of the weather.

If Tat that had left the lodge last night is doing well, he should have arrived in Ilstadt by now, and the adventurer’s guild’s strike team should be preparing now. I hoped that he would be safe on the way.

Souya picked up his dark glasses, put them on, and looked around to see Mia wrapped in a blanket sleeping a short distance away. She has been using her three Cure Wounds to regain Souya’s lost blood after the contract ceremony. It seemed that waking her up would have to wait.

The only other people in the lodge were Aisha and another stranger, a dark-haired boy or girl with a neutral face.

“…… Good morning, Aisha-kun …… And you are…”

“It’s me. Shamil, the Cait Sith …… I look forward to working with you in the future. My Master.”

Shamil bows reverently, dressed in a thick butler’s uniform, his eyes are the same as when he was a black cat, golden and blue eyes, and his head of black hair is pointed like cat ears, perhaps to assert himself.

Perhaps it was the style he had when he served his former master, the hermit of Mount Iskar. If you think about it, when he goes to the city to buy something, he should at least be in human form.

(The technique to transmute into human form, Transform …… That’s all well and good, but aren’t his character very different?)

Souya, with a dumbfounded look on his face and sleepy eyes, drank from the water bottle he had prepared nearby. He could feel his head becoming clearer and clearer as the water cooled his throat.

“Um. …… Souya-san.”

Aisha was shaking her brown braid, as if she wanted to say something. In both hands, she was holding a copy of The Tale of the Six Heroes. Souya thought it was like a message.

In the contract ceremony of the High Familiar, Souya had to reveal his real name. One of the six heroes, the Silver Rei. She, who knew magic, would probably have understood.

“Aisha-kun, if it’s about yesterday, you didn’t hear anything. I want you to understand what I meant when I used magic words.”

“…… Ah, yes. I understand. Can I ask you just one thing? …… On the back cover of the book. Please write your real name and nickname.”

“I believe it has the Eternal Preservation Eternal Protection, doesn’t it? Any writing will be repelled.”

“The back cover has a parchment overlay.”

“…… Okay.”

Now that I think about it, she’s like a girl that follows each new fad. Souya picked up the Tales of the Six Heroes and the quill that Aisha had given him. In the margin of the back cover, the name of the Ranak the Ashen was already there, occupying one-sixth of the page. I wonder if she’s trying to complete the six heroes or not. If that’s the case, the chances of getting it from the black Vlad are close to zero.

Souya wrote “Silver Rei” with the quill pen, even though he was feeling slight dizziness.

“…… One thing I should mention is that I did not write that. If you know who wrote it, please let me know.”

That would probably be someone with a bad personality.

Souya let out a sigh and decided to slowly get up and get ready to leave.

“…… Souya, you’re awake? The rain is getting weaker. It’s a little foggy, though.”

As she called out, Merylou appeared at the entrance. She was wearing a cloak and two green hair pigtails. It seems that she is already ready to leave.

“Good morning, Souya-san.”

A little later than Merylou, the client Peryton also showed up.

“Hey, Merylou-kun, good morning …… Good morning, Peryton-san. I look forward to working with you today as well.”

When Souya finished greeting the two, both Merylou and Peryton gave him a serious look. I don’t think it’s possible, but did they find out that I am Silver Rei? Souya wondered and looked at Aisha sideways, but shook her head as if to say that she didn’t say anything.

“…… Merylou-kun, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Souya decided to ask Merylou a question, as if to probe.

“…… Souya. If you want to go and rescue Lingen, you don’t have to mind us …… You’re taking this Shamil guy with you, right? I’ve already talked to Peryton-san. He said he didn’t mind if we were the only ones to escort him home.”

As if to affirm Merylou’s words, Peryton nodded quietly and anxiously.

Souya’s mind was wavering. It’s unavoidable that I can’t get to Lingen right away because I’ve been asked to escort Peryton. That cause is gone.

However, it was highly doubtful that Souya and Shamil would be able to resolve the situation. However, there might be even one life that can be saved by rushing there immediately.

Souya thought for a moment, looked at Merylou and Peryton, and began to speak.

“…… If you don’t mind me going to Lingen, then by all means, let me go …… Yesterday, Tat-kun showed his courage. Peryton-san is also making a risky decision …… THere’s no way I can’t do nothing about it either.”