The Power of a Spirit Summoner (3)

Chapter 27 The Power of a Spirit Summoner (3)

Jade suddenly spoke, as abruptly as he had summoned Sallaim.

He said he had already chosen them all.

At those words, not only Stephen but also the chancellor and Lloyd opened their eyes wide.

They were wondering what on earth he was doing.

Fwoosh!

And at that moment, Sallaim returned to the spirit realm.

Sallaim was dismissed without a sound, just as he had appeared, leaving the magic students staring blankly.

When the overwhelming presence pressing down on the main hall vanished as though it had never existed, everyone looked at one another with dazed expressions.

It was because Sallaim had appeared and disappeared in an instant, making it feel almost like a dream.

“Were you testing us?”

“You could call it a sort of test. I’m sorry I couldn’t warn you in advance, but I thought this would take too long otherwise.”

“I think it was a good method. It might not work with someone else, but you can get away with it, Marquis. It must have been a good experience as well. When else would we get to see a high-ranking fire spirit? Even my legs are trembling like this.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Haha! Not at all. It was a good experience for me too. I’d been disappointed that I had never seen a high-ranking fire spirit in person, so I’m truly glad I was able to see one this way.”

Stephen wore a genuinely delighted expression.

Seeing Sallaim, the high-ranking fire spirit he had only ever encountered in books and illustrations, was a truly rare experience.

Spirit summoners were rare, but high-ranking spirits were rarer still.

That was why Stephen smiled and shook his head.

“You should have told me.”

“That would have been a little difficult given my position, wouldn’t it? Haha. And as you can see, although the students were surprised, none of them seem offended.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Then let’s bring them in now. I’m curious myself. I’d like to see which students Marquis Jade chose.”

At Stephen’s words, Lloyd and Rainy’s eyes also sparkled.

They too were curious about whom Jade had chosen.

“I’m prepared for them to refuse as well. I liked them, but the students may not feel the same way.”

“I think you took that into account when making your decision.”

Stephen gave him a meaningful look.

The Jade he knew was surprisingly meticulous.

There was a reason he had dealt with the bandits first thing upon arriving at Drain Castle.

Knowing that they would continue eating away at the territory if left alone, Jade had acted decisively the moment he arrived and cleared out every rotten shoot.

“I’d like the chancellor’s help as well.”

“Of course!”

The chancellor eagerly stepped forward at Jade’s words.

Of course, he did not step forward alone.

Being chancellor did not mean he knew every student, so he summoned the head of the Department of Magic with a glance and followed Jade.

Tap.

After finishing his schedule at the Royal Academy and returning to the royal palace, Jade set down the personal profiles of the ten magic students he planned to take to his territory, halfway through reading them.

Although he had found the personnel he needed, Jade had actually visited the Department of Magic for another reason.

He had gone there hoping to find a professor researching dimensional travel magic, but unfortunately, there was no mage conducting the research he was looking for.

“Should I visit the Seven Great Magic Towers? But they’re all in other countries.”

Jade clicked his tongue.

It was because, once again, nothing seemed likely to be resolved easily.

Compared to the past, he had risen to an absurdly lofty position, but reality was still moving at a snail’s pace.

Even after becoming a marquis, a high-ranking noble, he still had learned nothing about dimensional travel.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.”

Pushing aside the personal profiles that still refused to sink in, Jade spoke with a smile.

He knew who had come to see him, so a smile naturally appeared on his face.

Creak.

Along with a soft creak, Della entered the room. Her appearance was completely different from when they had met at the Royal Academy—so different that it could almost be called a transformation.

She fidgeted awkwardly, as though even she found her current appearance unfamiliar.

Kkyuuu!

Whid rushed toward Della.

He had taken to her from the beginning, and now he flew over with an even more delighted expression.

“Ehee!”

Della did not seem to dislike Whid either, embracing him gently and rubbing her face against him.

Whid responded by licking Della’s cheek with his tongue.

“You two.”

At the sight of the two getting along so well, Jade wished he had a camera.

He wanted to preserve the sight of them, but he had no way to do so.

If he had learned magic, he would have been able to take pictures, but unfortunately, Jade had no magical talent.

-They’re both cute.

-I’m pretty cute too!

-You’re creepy.

-What?!

Silestin, who had struck a cute pose with a self-assured expression, glared furiously.

Having been openly called creepy, her mood was thoroughly soured.

However, Elestra did not retract her words.

She did not think she had said anything wrong.

-You need to think about your age. Your age. Those two are still young, but you’re not.

-Eek!

Silestin’s face turned bright red.

But since it was not wrong, she could not refute it even though she was furious.

“You two, come here.”

“Eeh.”

Della and Whid, who had been hugging, licking, and rubbing against each other, approached at Jade’s call.

They came walking hand in hand like siblings.

“Do you like the room?”

“Uhh……”

Della did not know what to do at Jade’s question.

She had always slept in a place like a storage room under a ragged blanket, so being assigned a room that was extravagantly luxurious left her utterly overwhelmed.

She wondered whether she was really allowed to use something like this.

“That’s because this is the royal palace. The villa is different from here. Still, it’s much better than where you stayed at the academy.”

Bow!

Della lowered her head deeply.

Since she could not speak, she was expressing her gratitude through her actions.

“You don’t need to be so grateful. Your talent deserves this kind of treatment. And people fundamentally have the right to be happy. Everyone also goes through hardships and trials.”

“Hee.”

Della wore a pleased expression at the hand gently stroking her head.

The sensation of being petted as though by a father brought an involuntary smile to her face.

Kkyuu! Kkyuuu!

Perhaps he was envious of that sight, because Whid also held out his round head.

He shook the horns that had now grown quite a bit, asking to be petted as well.

“Good grief.”

At Whid’s bold demand, Jade gently stroked the round back of his head with his left hand.

He had no choice but to use both hands.

“All right, then I’ll briefly explain the training you’ll be doing from now on.”

Della straightened up at Jade’s words.

Whid also stayed beside Della even though he must have known the subject had nothing to do with him.

He was staying close because he knew Della was still anxious.

“For now, it will be difficult to use mind intent. It’s a technique that becomes possible only after you’ve accumulated a certain amount of mana. Oh, this is mind intent—the thing you heard me use when we first met.”

-It conveys my thoughts directly into another person’s mind. It’s similar to message magic, but also different. But you can’t use it with willpower alone. You need mana.

At Jade’s voice, which seemed to echo inside her head, Della gave a small nod.

Although she had been told she could nod freely now, Della was still cautious.

An unconscious trauma remained within her, so even knowing she was allowed to, she could not easily nod.

“But Della will be able to do it soon. Ah, but don’t feel pressured. If you train naturally, you’ll manage it someday.”

“Uhh?”

“You mean it? Of course. I can promise you that. And wouldn’t you like to meet your other spirit friends too?”

Sparkle, sparkle!

Della’s eyes sparkled like starlight.

Even when everyone else ostracized and ignored Della, the spirits had always stayed by her side.

Like her, they could not say a word, but simply having someone around gave Della comfort and solace.

The spirits had actually comforted her as well.

“If you train hard, you’ll be able to exchange words with spirits too.”

-Even high-ranking spirits can at least answer you!

-With Della’s talent, forming a contract with a supreme spirit isn’t impossible, either. It would be difficult for now, though.

“Then shall we start by learning a mana cultivation technique?”

Jade smiled gently and helped Della sit comfortably.

Then he moved behind her and laid one hand over the other at the Myeongmun acupoint on her back.

He was going to engrave a mana circuit directly into her body.

He had only shown the other children the paths of their mana circuits, but since Della was his disciple, he intended to engrave hers personally.

“It won’t hurt, so don’t be too nervous. Just feel that this is mana, and feel how the energy called mana flows.”

Worried that Della might feel pressured, Jade did his best to put her at ease.

She might become tense from feeling that she had to impress him.

He did not want that, so he did everything he could to make her comfortable.

“There’s no need to push yourself at all. Just feel it. Ah, and don’t make any sound. If you open your mouth, mana will escape. Feeling that happen isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s better not to open your mouth if possible.”

Nod!

Jade could not see it, but Della nodded with a resolute expression.

Unlike Jade’s efforts to create a relaxed atmosphere, Della’s expression was determined.

Tap.

At that moment, Whid, who had been quietly waiting until then, raised a forepaw with a little tap.

He was letting her know that he was there too.

Apparently it helped, because Della’s expression relaxed slightly.

“Whid, put your forepaw down. We’re about to begin.”

Kkyuu!

Now a year and a half old, Whid understood Jade remarkably well and lowered his forepaw.

However, he did not move away from Della’s side.

He sat down with his rump on the floor and watched Della as though promising to keep watch.

“Good grief.”

Jade chuckled at Whid’s worried expression and behavior.

The way he acted, you would think he considered himself her older brother.

Though Della was much older than him.

Interestingly, Della was comforted by Whid’s behavior as well.

“All right, then let’s begin. Close your eyes and focus on the mana.”

Perhaps because Whid and Jade were in front of and behind her.

Della closed her eyes with a much more peaceful expression.

Soon, pure and gentle mana entered Della’s body through the hands touching her back.

Flinch!

Della was startled for a moment by the energy called mana, which she was feeling for the first time in her life, but that was all.

Since Jade had explained beforehand, Della soon regained her composure and focused on the energy entering through her back.

‘This is mana.’

The sensation was unfamiliar, but strangely, Della did not dislike it.

It felt as though something warm was gently embracing her.

Feeling as though it were caressing her, Della unconsciously smiled.

Sssrrk.

At some point, the mana that had been warmly embracing her entire body began moving along a set path.

Under Jade’s guidance, the mana slowly traveled through her body.

‘I have to remember this.’

The mana moved slowly, as though deliberately making it easier for her to memorize the path.

And it repeated the route several times.

-Would you like to try moving it yourself now? It’s okay if you fail, so don’t feel too pressured. No one does well from the start. Just try it today. If it doesn’t work, it can’t be helped.

As soon as she heard Jade’s mind intent, Della mustered her will.

She moved the mana slowly but surely.

Of course, the amount was pathetically small compared to the mana Jade controlled, but the important thing was that she was controlling the mana according to her own will.

-Her mana affinity is pretty strong too, isn’t it?

-Indeed. I suppose that’s what makes a genius different?