The Failed Summoning and the Unexpected Pact
The air in the deep basement of the Rosenberg mansion was heavier than usual. It was because the magical energy of the defensive circle, which usually blanketed the entire estate, had been funneled into this very room. The defensive circle was already inactive, and its power was now concentrated within the basement's own formation, vibrating with a dense, ominous intensity. Ditmar von Rosenberg stood a short distance from the circle, looking down into its depths. It was a moment he had waited for a long time.
"Is it ready?"
The head mage bowed his head slightly. "It is finished, Lord."
Another mage stepped forward from the side to continue the report. "The holy water infused with divine power from the Temple of Space, and the Water of Life obtained from the Imperial Palace, have both been placed. The medium and the chains remain as they were. The redirection of the defensive circle's power is also complete."
Ditmar’s gaze shifted to the center of the circle. The flickering of runes was leaking through the cloth covering the chains, and the magical particles of the medium were being drawn deeper toward them. "Begin."
Lukart took a short, steadying breath and cast a protective spell. He stepped into the circle, positioned himself a step away from the chains, and adjusted his stance while facing the center. He bowed briefly to the family head before looking straight ahead again. Three mages surrounded the outer edge of the circle.
"Outer three, beginning magical connection."
Following the head mage's instruction, the three extended their hands, connecting lines of magical energy to both the circle and Lukart. It was a position that served the dual purpose of supplying energy and sharing the burden of the Rebound. As the lines locked into place, the outer edge of the circle began to glow faintly.
"Initiating medium absorption."
At the head mage’s gesture, a glass bottle floated up. Pale golden particles escaped the bottle and were sucked toward the chains, causing the runes on them to flicker with even greater intensity. The air inside the circle grew heavy and suffocating. Once the absorption was complete, the runes beneath the cloth began to emit a deep, dark light.
"Activate."
The entire circle erupted in light. The energy drawn from the mansion’s defensive network flowed across the basement floor, converging on the chains. Under the weight of the concentrated power, the runes on the chains pulsed violently. The holy water rose and began to rotate at the edge of the circle, and the space in the center began to ripple. At first, it was a ripple the size of a palm, but it soon grew to the size of a person, then expanded until it touched the ceiling. Even though the basement ceiling was quite high, the distortion filled it completely.
Ditmar stepped forward, drawn in by instinct. The Gyeok—the stature—flowing from the ripple was a presence he had never encountered in his entire life. Since the medium used was the magical power of a World Tree Shinsu, the probability of that entity appearing was the highest. '...It’s coming.'
Even if it wasn't the World Tree's Shinsu, it was clearly a being of equivalent power. Ditmar clamped his mouth shut. As the inside of the ripple darkened, something slowly began to reveal itself. It wasn't a massive form. A small, slender human arm passed through the ripple, swaying.
One of the mages let out a quiet gasp.
"...?"
Ditmar narrowed his eyes. The head mage standing next to him couldn't take his eyes off the center of the circle either. '...What is this?'
The air in the basement froze for a moment.
I was roasting meat in the nest, just like any other day. I’d even taken out the spices. Kar was sitting in his spot, keeping his posture neat while he waited to be fed. The sunlight filtering through the leaves fell in a long streak across the meat.
Sizzle!
As the fat popped, the familiar aroma spread through the nest once again. Kar twitched his nose, waiting for the next piece. That was when something rippled in front of my eyes.
'...Huh?'
I put down the meat I was roasting and looked up. In the middle of the nest, the air itself was rippling as if the space had been disturbed. At first, I thought it was just heat haze, but it became clearer and clearer. Kar’s scales stood on end all at once.
"Ma-Master! What is this!"
"..."
"It looks dangerous! Don't go near it!"
Kar lowered his stance and stepped forward. His tail was stiff as a rod. But it was a ripple I had seen somewhere before. '...Wait, didn't Walter show me this?'
It was the same ripple from when a Contracted Beast was summoned. The space had been distorted just like this right before the Gryph appeared. Driven by a bit of curiosity, I reached out and touched the ripple with my fingertip. I could feel a faint trickle of magical energy being sucked from my fingertip into the void, and at the same time, a sensation returned from within, as if something was pulling me in.
'...What is this?'
Kar was frozen stiff beside me. "Ma-Master! Please don't touch that..."
I pulled my finger back and thought for a moment. "Kar."
"Yes, Master."
"I'm curious about this, so I'm going to go check it out."
"...Excuse me?"
"Stay here. If I'm too late, just go to the territory and play."
"Wa-wait a second, Master!"
Kar stepped forward, his scales still bristling. "You're just going to walk into something that appeared out of nowhere without even being suspicious?!"
"Yep. Be right back."
Kar’s mouth hung open, frozen in shock.
The surrounding scenery blurred and changed rapidly. The leaves and sunlight of the nest vanished, and a dark, gloomy space unfolded in their place. My feet touched a hard floor. It was a basement with a high ceiling. Torches hanging on the walls flickered with a yellow light, and a magic circle drawn in white powder was spread out beneath my feet. The outer edges were glowing faintly.
There were people around. Three mages were surrounding the outside of the magic circle, and one person was standing alone in the center. Two others were watching from a distance. The air was heavy.
'...Is this not a beast summoning, but something like a demon pact?'
As I looked around blankly, the mages were murmuring.
"...Isn't that... not a Shinsu?"
"A young girl has appeared."
"How could this..."
The person in the center of the circle raised one hand. "Calm yourselves."
The mages fell silent. "That person is indeed a Shinsu. Can you not feel that Gyeok right now?"
The murmuring of the mages gradually subsided. One stepped back with his mouth shut, and another lowered his posture. The man in the center stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"It has been a while, Shinsu."
'...Who are you?'
I tilted my head. The man seemed flustered by my reaction, then opened his mouth again. "You may not remember, but we spoke briefly at the Elf Kingdom palace."
'The Elf Kingdom palace... A Contracted Beast user...?'
His face looked somewhat familiar. There had been three Contracted Beast users in the delegation, and I remembered the one who had the Great Wolf contract looking the youngest. But something was strange. The unique scent of a beast, mixed with the magical energy of a Contracted Beast user, wasn't coming from him.
"I don't smell any beast on you?"
The man hesitated for a moment. "...For this contract, I have already dissolved my previous beast contract."
"Hmm. Did you summon me?"
"Yes. I am the summoner."
The man straightened his posture and stood tall again. "Will you enter into a contract with me?"
Ever since I first heard about Contracted Beast pacts from Michael, I had thought it might be fun to try one. But I’d been told it was practically impossible because the gap in Gyeok was too large, so I’d half-given up on it. But since a human had called for me first, I figured it worked out well.
"Sure."
The corner of the man's eye twitched.
"..."
The mages began to murmur again. The expression of the well-built man standing far away hardened. It seemed no one had expected me to agree so easily.
"How do I do it?"
The man took a breath and opened his mouth. "Please express your will to enter the contract while injecting your magical energy into the circle I am standing in, just as I will."
"Should I inject it now?"
"Yes. If you, Shinsu, inject your energy first, I will match it and inject mine."
I gathered magical energy at my fingertips. The white lines of the magic circle beneath my feet began to tremble as if ready to accept the power. As I poured the energy into the circle, the man followed suit. I could see two streams of energy gathering in the center of the circle. But the energy the circle was absorbing was unusual.
The man hurriedly tried to stop the flow, but the energy wouldn't stop and was being sucked into the circle as it was. His expression hardened.
'...?'
The man took a steady breath and shouted toward the edge of the circle. "Shinsu! Please stop the flow of energy!"
When I cut off the energy at my fingertips, the flow stopped right there. When I looked at the man with a puzzled expression, his side was still having energy sucked into the circle.
"Quickly, supply additional energy!"
The man shouted toward the head mage. The head mage raised his hand, pushing the flow of energy into the circle even harder. Still, the suction didn't stop; if anything, it was accelerating. In the meantime, one of the outer mages’ shoulders slumped. The energy the circle was devouring was so intense that the connected power was being drained much faster than intended. They tried to cut it off, but the flow was out of control.
"Ugh."
Another mage’s knees buckled. I was perfectly fine. But the man’s face was turning pale. The outer mages were also swaying as if their energy had been drained. '...Are these guys really the ones who summoned me? Why are they so incompetent?'
One of the outer mages eventually ran out of energy and knelt, and the other two soon followed, collapsing. As the energy lines broke, the light of the outer circle faded. Only the man remained, barely standing. He took a moment to catch his breath.
"Shinsu!"
"Before the energy absorption starts again, you must quickly finalize the contract!"
"How?"
"My name is Lukart."
The man raised one hand and placed it on his chest. "Please express your will to enter the contract while thinking of my name. I already know your name, Shinsu, so you only need to express your intent."
I wanted to get this over with quickly. Lukart. As I thought of his name and willed the contract to happen, the energy inside my core was released. I could see a strand of energy escape my core and stretch out toward Lukart. The same type of energy reached out from the man to meet it. The two strands met in the center of the circle. They connected.
Lukart let out a long sigh, as if his tension had finally broken. But then, his expression hardened again.
"...Huh?"
Lukart’s eyes grew hazy. A sensation, as if something was flowing into Lukart’s head, was faintly transmitted through the energy line to me. It was a darkness without a single star. The sensation of spreading wings and flying through an endless darkness, the warmth of that darkness wrapping around my body, and the massive something standing tall beyond it. The giant branches buried in black light swayed slowly.
Lukart’s shoulders swayed. He clutched his head with one hand and gasped. "...Th-this is..."
"..."
Lukart shouted urgently toward the edge of the magic circle. "It’s a Rebound!"
The head mage’s shoulders stiffened. "It’s flowing over here, over here! I can't handle the impulse!"
Lukart clutched his head again. His legs buckled. "Quick, the countermeasure...!"
Lukart staggered, and the collapsed mages couldn't get up. Everyone was in chaos except for me. '...Is a contract always like this for everyone?'