After all the chaos, we finally began training together.
I had them line up as I prepared to teach the lesson on familiar control.
For so reason, I felt excited—as if I were a military commander issuing orders on the battlefield.
Envi laughed at , saying I didn’t suit the role at all. The other heroes looked like they were struggling to hold back their laughter too.
I cleared my throat. "Enough! Let’s begin. One by one, summon your familiars."
Serena, Cain, Theresia, and Freya began their summonings.
I started with Serena. She cast an ice-elental magic circle that slowly brought forth her familiar.
It was my first ti seeing it, and I was stunned.
A white stag erged—graceful and majestic, like sothing out of a northern legend. Its antlers shimred with crystalline ice, its bluish-silver body exhaled cold mist that froze the air itself. Wherever it ran, the ground below turned to intricate spirals of frost-covered runes.
Lyra imdiately started playing with it—it seed Serena had shown it to her many tis before.
"Ei, you look so happy," Serena said sweetly. "There are lots of friends here—why don’t you go say hello?"
Her familiar dashed playfully around Hyperion and Runa, making them both light up with joy.
"His na is Eikþyrnir. He’s from the Winterfell Heroic Lineage. We’ve been together since I was a child, so our bond runs deep," Serena explained with a soft smile.
"That explains why you can control him so easily," I nodded, genuinely impressed. "Good work, Serena. I don’t think you’ll have much trouble with this training."
"Hehe, thanks! But I still can’t get him to talk like Runa-chan. So I’ll need to learn a lot more from you, Naoki," she said, gently stroking Runa’s head. Runa looked pleased.
Runa then explained that while it is possible for familiars to speak human language, not all of them can. It depends on whether their full potential has been drawn out or not.
Serena nodded, encouraged by the thought that she might soday talk to Ei. She seed even more determined now to unlock his true abilities.
Runa added that all familiars can understand their masters, and can even communicate with each other on a deeper level.
Then, without warning, Runa whispered sothing to Hyperion. I had no idea what she said, but suddenly—everything went dark again.
Hyperion had swallowed my head. Again.
I flailed in panic, muffled cries escaping his mouth.
After about a minute, he gently spat out.
Everyone burst into laughter.
I turned to Runa, half-drenched and exasperated. "Why would you do that again?!"
"Relax, Master," Runa giggled. "I just wanted to demonstrate how familiars can follow detailed commands. For example, I told Hyperion to swallow your head for exactly one minute—and he obeyed perfectly."
Everyone seed impressed by Runa’s command over familiars.
Except . I was still sulking.
I let it slide and moved on to the next hero—Cain.
Sothing seed off. For once, he actually looked... nervous.
"Cain... where’s your familiar?"
"I already summoned him! He’s... here..."
Cain looked sheepish, hiding sothing behind his back.
Slowly, he revealed what he was holding—and I blinked in disbelief.
"...An egg? Your familiar is an egg?!"
Cain’s face turned red with embarrassnt.
"Shut up, idiot! This is Vulkarion, a Salamanderm—he’s from the Flamore bloodline of fla dragons! I don’t know why, but... he’s still in egg form," Cain grumbled, clearly annoyed.
The whole room struggled to hold back laughter, which only made him more irritated.
"Alright, alright," I said, trying to keep a straight face. "So he hasn’t hatched yet. That must be why you couldn’t use him during the battle against Nosef, right?"
Cain frowned, but nodded. "Yeah... it’s embarrassing, but it’s true. But this ti I’ll bond with Vulkarion properly. I’ll make him hatch—and crush that bastard Nosef!"
I smiled at his renewed determination.
"I think you’ll need to summon him often, spend ti with him, and talk to him—even if he doesn’t respond yet. That’s how Serena bonded deeply with Ei and unlocked his true form."
"That’s right, Cain-sama," Runa chid in. "If you want Vulkarion to hatch quickly, follow Master Naoki’s advice for the next week."
Cain didn’t look entirely convinced at first—but hearing it from Runa finally convinced him. He gave a reluctant nod.
And then, with a blush creeping across his cheeks, he began quietly speaking to the egg.
The proud Cain—actually following instructions. That alone was a miracle.
Next up was Theresia.
She had already summoned her familiar... but sothing wasn’t right.
A massive white tiger stood before her—its fur streaked with glowing golden lightning. Each roar cracked the air like a thunderstorm, and every leap released bolts of divine electricity.
...Or at least, that’s what it was supposed to be.
Right now, it looked like a deflated two-dinsional drawing. Completely flat. Like soone had pasted a sticker on the floor.
"Hnghh... Byakko, I’m so sorry! I don’t know why I can’t summon you properly," Theresia whimpered, hugging her strange, floppy familiar and stroking its fur. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
I stepped forward gently.
"It’s alright, Theresia. You’ve done well just summoning him at all. But... sothing definitely went wrong during the process."
"That’s right, Master," Runa spoke up, her tone calm and precise. "From what I can tell, it looks like Theresia overloaded her summoning circle with mana. In familiar summoning, if too much mana is forced in, the result becos unstable—leading to defects in the summon."
She explained it like an expert, surprising everyone with how knowledgeable she sounded.
"In that case, Theresia," I said gently, turning to her, "try not to rush the process. Focus on controlling your mana and channel it slowly when you summon. Let the connection build naturally."
Theresia’s shoulders slumped slightly in realization.
"...I guess I was just dumping mana into the circle without thinking. I didn’t even realize it mattered that much..."
Serena chid in supportively, "Summoning a familiar isn’t sothing you force—it’s sothing you feel. If you rush it, the bond will never form the right way."
Cain, hearing that, looked down at the egg he still held close. Even he seed to be silently reflecting—perhaps realizing that brute force wouldn’t help Vulkarion hatch.
Theresia nodded at last, her expression softening. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and began trying again—this ti more gently.
Finally, I moved on to the last person—Freya.
Unlike the others... Freya hadn’t yet been able to fully summon her familiar, Phoenix. She could summon it briefly—just enough for a joint attack—but maintaining its form or calling its true self was still beyond her reach.
Her expression was heavy with frustration and self-doubt.
But I smiled at her, speaking with firm encouragent.
"You’ve done great, Freya. You’re one of the people here with the potential to stand shoulder to shoulder with the heroes. Just keep training, and you will master it. I believe in you."
Serena and Theresia both offered words of support, and even Cain—though in his usual aloof way—nodded toward her in silent approval.
"Thank you, Naoki-dono... and everyone," Freya said softly, her spirit rekindled. "I’ll do my best."
Then, out of nowhere, Runa looked at her and asked curiously, "Freya... how did you form your contract with Phoenix?"
Freya paused to recall.
"It happened when I first picked up my sword... Ignis. I was drawn into the Phoenix’s realm. There, I t it—and we spoke. After that, the contract ford."
Runa’s eyes widened slightly in understanding.
"That makes sense," she said. "Phoenix is a unique familiar... just like Hyperion. It resides within a vassal—in your case, the sword Ignis, just as Hyperion resides within King Aslan’s blade."
She looked thoughtful, then made a suggestion.
"If you want to strengthen your bond, you should ditate. Try returning to Phoenix’s realm. Do it regularly—every few days or even every day. With ti, your spiritual link will deepen, and the summon will grow more stable."
Freya looked relieved and hopeful. "I understand. I’ll start today."
She gave Runa a grateful smile and patted her head gently, making Runa purr with satisfaction.
With that, Freya took a seat to begin ditating—calmly, patiently, as Runa had advised.
A few monts later, King Aslan stepped forward to take over the training.
"Everyone—attention!" he called out, voice powerful and commanding. "I will now show you the pinnacle of familiar summoning magic."
He motioned for Hyperion to stand behind him.
Then, with a surge of majestic force, he began channeling Divine Magic.
"Back in my generation, no one could do this... But now, you must surpass even . You must master this magic."
Slowly, he drove his sword into the ground. A blinding light surged forth, engulfing both him and Hyperion.
The entire field was bathed in radiant energy. Everyone was awestruck.
Alia’s eyes sparkled with awe—this was the power she had dread of. And one day, when she ford her contract with Hyperion, she too would stand at that summit.
"Behold... the ultimate form of summoning," King Aslan declared.
"[Soulbind Ascension]—the union of body and soul with your familiar."
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