Two days after I embarked on an adventure with Rin and Leticia, I was attending school.

For the record, Rin had been actively taking on tasks she can handle alone ever since. She said she wanted to become independent quickly. This morning when I asked her about her plans, she said she was going to the guild to accept a request to gather medicinal herbs.

As for Shafal, he is still not waking up. Is he hibernating or something…? Even though it’s not winter now, it’s autumn.

“Hey, Lark-kun. Did you go out of the royal city with two girls on the day off the other day?”

As I entered the classroom and took my seat, my classmate Sera came up to me and asked.

“Well, you could have called out to me if you were nearby. Yes, I was on a regular herb gathering request. Those two are my party members.”

“Oh, really? It’s rare to see a party with so many girls.”

Eh, is it?

Reading my question, Sera continued, “Usually, even if people become adventurers and form parties, there are more men. But there are no other boys in your party, right, Lark-kun?”

Well, yeah, that’s true. But I want her to understand that it’s just a coincidence.

“It really is just a coincidence. I’m not specifically choosing only girls.” When I explained, Sera stared at me for a moment and then nodded as if convinced.

“I see. I thought you didn’t want boys in your party. I’m sorry.”

Hahaha… Next time, I’ll invite a man to the party.

Regaining my composure, I discussed the personnel needed for the party with Sera for a while.

“What we lack in our party is someone who can take on the role of a shield to fend off enemy attacks, or a blacksmith-like person who can maintain our equipment. Well, it’s hard to find good people for either role… Also, I feel like we need one more person in the rear.”

“Those kinds of people are in demand in every party… Oh, speaking of which, does your party have a healer?”

“That’s fine, I can use healing magic.”

“Oh, that’s right. You, Lark-kun, can also use holy attribute magic. It’s amazing, having multiple attribute magic is handy. I wish I had the aptitude for holy attribute too…”

While we were having a rambling conversation, the other classmates started coming to school, and after everyone had gathered, Teacher Karl entered the classroom.

“Good morning, everyone. Today’s first class will be magic outdoors, so please move to the location. I’ll go ahead to prepare the teaching materials, but you can come after the chime rings.”

Teacher Karl said that and hurried out of the classroom. ‘He seemed to be in a rush, but what kind of class is it?’

After the chime rang, all the classmates went to the training ground where Teacher Karl was waiting.

When we arrived at the first training ground, we saw a large circle drawn on the ground. Along the circumference of the circle, difficult letters were written all around. That’s… magical language, the hardest language in this world. I see, it’s a magic circle.

Teacher Karl confirmed that all of us had gathered, and began to speak, “It seems everyone has gathered. Then, I will explain today’s class. Starting now, I want you all to call forth your ‘Summoned Beasts’ and form a contract with them.”

“Eh?”

“Huh?”

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar word, but the other classmates started to get restless with excited faces.

I wondered why, so I asked Lia.

“Lia-chan, why is everyone so excited?”

“Eh, of course, it’s because the long-awaited Summoned Beast class is starting. Huh… Lark-kun, didn’t you know?” Lia looked surprised, then she explained in detail, Apparently, in this school, when students reach the first year of the senior division, there is a class where they form contracts with ‘Summoned Beasts’, starting with the top-ranked classes.

“Hmm… What’s a Summoned Beast?”

“To put it simply, it’s a creature that forms a contract with us and lends us its power.”

“…I see. Something like a familiar?”

“Um, well, yes. But unlike familiars that are controlled by magic, Summoned Beasts usually reside in a place called the Spirit World. They are connected to their contractors through their souls, and as the contractor grows, so does the Summoned Beast.”

“Heh… So it’s like you become one and the same, huh?”

“It’s surprising that you didn’t know about familiars, Lark-kun.”

Upon hearing my conversation with Lia, Teacher Karl spoke up in a polite tone for a lecture, addressing everyone. “Since I’ve already contracted with a familiar, let’s call it forth as an example… ‘Oh beast linked by soul. Answer my call and respond to the summon!'”

As Teacher Karl chanted what seemed to be a spell, a magical circle began to glow brightly. When the light finally settled, a cute dog resembling a Shiba dog appeared on top of the magic circle.

“This little one’s name is Pochi. As you can see, he’s a spirit of a dog. But unlike ordinary dogs, he can use earth and wind magic. Pochi, please activate Create Golem.”

“Woof!”

Upon Teacher Karl’s command to his dog summoned beast, Pochi, the dog barked energetically, instantly creating a two-meter golem in front of our eyes.

“Pochi, please release Wind Cutter at that golem.”

“Woof!”

Pochi unleashed wind magic and the golem was shattered in an instant.

“Woof!” As we clapped our hands, Pochi happily barked again.

“Pochi, thank you. I look forward to calling on you again.”

As Teacher Karl petted Pochi’s head, the dog gave a satisfied growl before disappearing.

“In this way, summoned beasts are kind creatures that respond to the call of the summoner and fulfill their wishes. Please do not misunderstand that you are in a superior position. It’s important to recognize that the relationship between the summoner and the familiar is equal.”

As Teacher Karl said this, our classmates responded, “Yes!”

“Now, does anyone have any questions?”

When called upon, I raised my hand to speak, “Um… Do you need any special skills to summon a familiar?”

“No, you don’t need any skills for the summon. However, when contracting with a familiar for the first time, a magic circle with magic language written on it, as well as a tremendous amount of magic power, is required. However, you don’t have to worry about magic power here, because we substitute it with magic stones available at the academy.”

I see. So the environment is already prepared, and anyone can summon.

Teacher Karl continued with the explanation, “Also, those who succeed in summoning will be granted a special ability called ‘Summon’. It’s a blessing from the gods. Once ‘Summon’ is granted, you will not need magic language or a vast amount of magic power to summon next time.”

“Thank you. Also, you were chanting something when you called out your familiar, right? What was that about?”

“To put it simply, it’s similar to chanting a spell. By the way, you can say anything in your chant. However, you will continue to use the first words you chanted, so think carefully before you chant… Now, those who have decided on their chant, please tell me.”

Then, Roeck, who was sitting next to me, raised his hand first. He seemed to have already decided on his chant.

“Then, Roeck-kun, please step into the magic circle.”

“Understood.” Roeck, looking nervous, obeyed the teacher’s instructions and stepped into the magic circle.

“Then, please begin your chant.”

“Yes… ‘Oh you who resonate with my call. Show yourself to me!'” As Roeck chanted, the magic circle shone brightly, enveloping him. When the light gradually settled – a white bird was perched on top of Roeck’s head.

“It seems like a success. Now, Roeck-kun, please name your familiar.”

Nodding at Teacher Karl’s words, Roeck took the white bird from his head and held it in front of his face. “…Haku. Your name is Haku.”

“Chirp!” As Roeck whispered the name, the bird named Haku chirped happily and flew into the sky.

“I’m glad, I was able to summon properly.” Roeck, who had returned to my side, murmured with relief.

Afterward, the other classmates also succeeded in their summons one after another. The forms of the familiars varied. For example, Kagura summoned a red bear. She joyfully named the bear Rota.

“Who’s next?”

“Ah, can… can I go?”

At Teacher Karl’s call, the beastman Leon raised his hand a bit nervously. Seeing that no one else had raised their hand, Leon stepped into the magic circle.

“Beast linked to my soul, answer to my summon!”

And so he chanted, with a voice slightly stronger than his usual. The magic circle responded to his chant as it did with the other students, shining brightly — but when the light faded, only Leon was left standing there.

“…”

An awkward silence filled the space.

“…Leon-kun, it’s common to fail at first. Don’t give up and try again—”

It was then when Teacher Karl began to speak, a strange noise suddenly erupted from the ground, and a mole appeared at Leon’s feet with a ‘Boon!’ sound.

“Eh!? Could it, could it be my summoned beast!?”

“!”

When Leon, looking on the verge of tears, addressed the mole, the mole thumbed up in response.

“Oh! I was worried about you! Your name is Galuri. Nice to meet you!”

Leon held the mole in his arms, tears brimming in his eyes.

“Leon-kun, good for you.”

“Yes! But, I was surprised.”

“I see. You never know what kind of summon beast will appear, it might be underground like now. Be careful not to overlook such minor changes.”

At Teacher Karl’s words, everyone responded earnestly.

The next one to summon after Leon was Sera. When Sera stepped into the magic circle, she closed her eyes to calm her breathing. After a few seconds of silence, she opened her eyes and began her chant.

“If you can hear my voice, appear to where it reaches!”

In response to her voice, light was emitted once again. Several seconds later, when the light faded, a ball of water floated in the air. Then, you could see a dolphin inside the sphere. The dolphin poked its head out of the water sphere and squeaked, “kyu~”.

“How cute~, your name is Sui!”

“Kyu~”

Sera gently stroked the dolphin and stepped out of the magic circle.

Next after Sera, it was Dran’s turn. When Dran chanted, a large elephant appeared.

“Oh, what a robust beast. Alright, decided. Your name is Borazzo. Nice to meet you.”

“Pao~n”

The elephant, named Borazzo, twined its long trunk around the hand Dran extended in a handshake-like gesture. When Dran rode on the elephant’s back and stepped out of the magic circle, Melia stepped in to take his place.

When Melia performed the summoning, a white horse appeared.

“How lovely… Your name is Prano. Nice to meet you.”

The white horse approached Melia and lowered its head.

“Do you want your head stroked?” When Melia said so and stroked its head, the horse wagged its tail happily.

Now, most of the classmates had finished summoning. What was left was…

“…The only ones left are Lia and me.”

“That’s right~. Lark-kun, have you thought of your chant?”

“Somewhat. What about you, Lia-chan?” When I asked, Lia made a worried face.

“Actually, I had it from the start. But I’m worried if I can really summon, I didn’t have the courage to go… but it’s more difficult if it’s after you, Lark-kun, so I’ll go now!”

Lia stepped into the magic circle, looking resolved. She then calmly took a breath and started her chant.

“Beast linked to me, show yourself.”

A flash of light appeared for what felt like the umpteenth time today, quickly fading away. When I looked, a small squirrel holding a nut was sitting neatly by Lia’s feet. As the squirrel looked at Lia, it stuffed the nut in its mouth, and scampered up Lia’s body. Once it reached her head, it flopped down and took a nap there.

“To be summoned and then immediately fall asleep… what a laid-back child… Your name will be Dino. Nice to meet you.” Lia gently lifted the sleeping squirrel onto her hands as she spoke.

Seeing Lia’s return, I finally solidified my resolve. “Well, I guess it’s my turn.”

“I’m sure you, Lark-kun, will summon a strong beast.”

“Yeah, wait and see.”

Encouraged by Lia, I stepped into the magic circle. ‘To be honest, I’d prefer a cute animal to a powerful summoned beast… like a dog or a cat. But, well, this is all up to luck.’ While thinking so, I began to chant.

“Beast that responds to my voice, show yourself!”

With those words, the magic circle began to glow brightly, forcing me to shut my eyes. As I waited for the light to fade, a strange scene unfolded in my mind.

Bears, rhinos, wolves… Many strong beasts were fighting fiercely.

Unable to comprehend, I stood stunned when a cheetah tried to break free from the fight and approach me. However, the cheetah was immediately dragged back by the other animals.

Just when I thought that, a giant eagle flew towards me at full speed. But, a nearby giraffe swung its long neck and shot down the eagle.

It seemed like every animal tried to approach me but was hindered by the others each time.

What the heck is this… Could they all be spirits?

Amidst all of this, I noticed a black cat slowly walking towards me. None of the other animals seemed to notice the cat. The moment the black cat reached my feet, another strong light spread in my mind.

Along with the light, the image in my mind vanished, and when I opened my eyes, the glow of the magic circle had also disappeared. In the center of the magic circle, the black cat from earlier sat neatly.

“Meow.”

“… I feel like I saw a weird scene, but it must’ve been my imagination. Your name will be Noir. Nice to meet you.”

The summoned black cat I named Noir meowed as if replying, then rubbed its head against me.

After everyone had summoned their beasts, Teacher Karl gave us some time to interact with them. Apparently, the purpose was to strengthen our bonds and improve our coordination.

Currently, Noir was sitting on my lap. S-so cute…!

As I was admiring it, Noir turned it’s face towards me and meowed. It was so adorable that I felt like dying on the spot, but I had to hold myself back because Lia and the others were nearby!

As I desperately tried to maintain my poker face, Lia, with Dino sleeping on her head, started a conversation.

“The cat you summoned, Lark-kun, it’s so cute with its pitch-black fur.”

“Yeah, I think so too. Dino, the one you summoned, is also cute. Even though he’s always sleeping.”

“But his sleeping face is cute, isn’t it?” Lia giggled.

…Oh, right. I should ask Lia about the scene I saw earlier.

“Hey, Lia-chan. When you summoned Dino, did you see a strange scene in your head?”

“Yeah, I saw Dino running towards me. You saw the cat coming towards you too, didn’t you, Lark-kun?”

“Ah… yeah, something like that.”

“When you make a contract with a summon, it’s because the spirit reacted to the summoner’s magical power and thought, ‘I wouldn’t mind forming a contract with this person.’ So, depending on the situation, multiple spirits might approach you. Although, it’s extremely rare.”

“I, I see…”

So that means, all those spirits gathered because they reacted to my magical power?

As I was contemplating this impactful experience, Roeck approached me. “Can I pat the cat you summoned, Lark-kun?”

“Huh? Yeah, if Noir doesn’t mind… Noir, Roeck wants to pet you, is that okay?”

“Meow,” Noir let out a short meow and moved closer to Roeck, sitting down by his side.

When Roeck was happily petting, Lia, who was watching from the side, started to squirm, wanting to pet as well. Noticing Lia’s demeanor, Noir meowed towards her.

Lia, who began to stroke Noir happily, opened her mouth in admiration, “I’ve heard that summoned beasts are usually intelligent, but this one is particularly smart.”

Indeed, it seemed like Noir was particularly sensitive to human emotions.

After interacting for about an hour, we decided to return to the classroom at the command of Teacher Karl. We sent back summoned beasts that were too large to fit in the classroom, but small summoned beasts were allowed to stay for class.

That day we also had class with a notoriously difficult teacher, but perhaps because everyone was soothed by the cute summoned beasts, the class proceeded in a calm atmosphere. ‘The power of animals is amazing.’

And then, after school. I hurried home and showed Noir to Father and Rin who had already returned home. Sensing they both wanted to pet him, Noir stepped forward on his own.

“Hey, where did you find this guy?” Rin asked while petting Noir.

“I didn’t find him, I summoned him. Noir is a summoned beast, different from ordinary cats.”

When I answered, Father then asked, “Hmm, if it’s a summoned beast, it should be able to use magic. What can this one do?”

Understanding his words, Noir slipped out of their hands and meowed. The next moment, a lump of black magic power appeared in front of Noir.

Is this… dark magic? In a sense, it’s a magic befitting of a black cat.

As we clapped and exclaimed, “Oh!”, Noir hopped and landed in Rin’s shadow. Then Noir disappeared into the shadow.

Where did he go!? As we looked around, he next appeared from Father’s shadow.

“Amazing, Noir! So you can move within shadows!” When I praised him, Noir meowed in a triumphant manner.

After a while of enjoying time with Noir, I started to get hungry. It’s about time for dinner.

“Okay, Rin and I will prepare dinner, so Father, could you clean the bath?”

Father nodded and reluctantly left Noir to go to the bathroom. Rin and I moved to the kitchen, enthusiastic about preparing a feast to celebrate Noir’s arrival. But a simple question came to mind. ‘What kind of food Noir eats? After all, Rin doesn’t know about summoned beasts, so she probably can’t answer.’

I thought for a bit and decided to ask Father.

“Hmm, I’ve heard they can eat anything. Mostly, they fill their bellies with the summoner’s magical power… But since I don’t have a summoned beast, I can’t say for sure.”

Father, scrubbing the bath with a scrubbing brush, gave such an answer. So I guess we can think of it like Shafal.

However, I thought it would be sad if he only ate magical power, so I returned to the kitchen, took some grilled rice balls left in the “Useful box”, put them on a plate, and placed it in front of Noir.

After sniffing it once, Noir started eating as if it was very delicious.

“It seems to be okay…”

“Yeah, we don’t have to buy special food, which is good, Lark-kun.”

“That’s right. If we had to go out to the commercial district to buy it now, it would be late.”

While chatting with Rin and preparing dinner, we moved to the living room and lined up the dishes on the table. Since the ogre incident, Shafal hasn’t shown up, so there were only three plates.

Lastly, I put a plate filled with Noir’s portion of rice on the floor and said, “Let’s eat” before starting dinner.

After finishing dinner, we took a bath, returned Noir, prayed, and then went to bed.

A lot happened today… Speaking of which, it seems like Father doesn’t have a summoned beast, but I wonder what kind of creatures are the summoned beasts of my older friends, Prince Wallis and Prince Rio… Maybe I should ask Lia tomorrow…

While thinking about such things, I fell asleep. The next morning, when I woke up, Noir had come out on his own. ‘Hey, can he come out even without an incantation… it’s going to be troublesome if he comes out in a dangerous situation.’

“You can’t just come out on your own.”

] While I was warning him for the time being, Noir dropped his ears and tail disheartedly. I wonder, he seems to be reflecting a lot.

Even after I finished getting dressed and left the room, Noir remained lethargic. If he keeps feeling down, I’ll become sad too, so I hope he understands.

“I’m not angry anymore.”

When I picked up Noir and rubbed my face against him, Noir meowed ‘nya~’, licked my cheek, and regained his spirits