Maydare Volume 1 Chapter 6 - The Spirit Summoning Ceremony (Part 1)

Makia and the first-years pull in gacha summon their familiars. I'm pretty sure the spirits don't have genders so maybe I should just use "it", but it feels weird. 

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It was the next day. I got out of bed early morning to jog on the island, took a shower when I returned to my room, made salt apple juice and drank it to get my magic flowing perfectly.

“Haa~. The salt apple juice made from our family recipe is the best, it’s so refreshing. Maybe I’ll try some other recipes.”

The recipes written on old parchment. With my glass of juice in one hand, I flipped through the recipe book Grandmother gave me.

“...Mmm?”

What’s going on...the recipe page for salt apple juice was giving me a strange feeling of discomfort.

Just when I thought that it looked like the words and illustrations were shaking,

“Wah!?”

They suddenly burst open and started rampaging on the page, and the words written on it were rapidly changing.

“What is this?”

On it, in handwriting, was this.

Dear Diary.

My mood today is absolutely terrible. My hair, my pride, got cut off by that man.

As revenge, I condemned him to the punishment of being hung up by the threads of pride.

The incantation is this.

Maki rie luci ahーCrimson reason, doll of blood, turn, turn, red spinning wheel.

P.S. Popo and Don have gathered many walnuts.

Tomorrow I will bake walnut bread and binge eat it.

“...A diary?”

They even wrote “Dear Diary,” so it probably was one.

After I finished drinking my salt apple juice in one go, the page quietly returned to the original recipe.

“Oh...I see. You make something according to the recipe on the page, and only while you eat or drink it does the content change to the diary.”

I perceived these sorts of things quickly because I was a genius.

“The name should be hidden somewhere in the first incantation, so I wonder if the writer of this diary is called Maki or Rie or Lucia? A woman, I see.” 

I didn’t know when this witch was from, but it was an interesting gimmick.

“Anyways, Lapis, it’s time to get up~! You’re surprisingly a sleepyhead.”

Classes started immediately today. It was the first and biggest critical point for us.

As is tradition at Lune Ruschia Magic School, the first-years first perform the “spirit summoning ceremony.”

This magic school had a high-performance spirit summoning circle that could even be used by inexperienced magicians to summon spirits and use them as familiars. 

However, each spirit that appears is different, reflecting family lineage, the environment you are brought up in, and your personality. 

Taking into account the fact that all the great magicians of renown have used Great Spirits, it could be said that the spirit that appears is a hint of the person’s potential. 

Although, I’ve heard that it was mostly like picking lots where only luck mattered…

“Let’s see, today’s Spirit Magic Studies class is in the first ceremony hall. ...Oh, you’re bringing Noah with you?”

As I was confirming where we were taking class, Lapis was standing next to me, holding her own spirit, Noah the black cat, in her arms.

“Yes. Those who are already using a spirit and have applied to the school were asked to bring them to class today. It seems that the teacher is looking for a relationship of mutual trust.”

“I believe our instructor for Spirit Magic Studies is Yuri Ulysses Le Ruschia. I know who he is. He’s the second prince of this country, and the most powerful spirit magician in the country…”

“I heard that he summoned three Great Spirits at the same time when he was only five years old.”

“He was an incredible child prodigy. So much that his name is already in history books~. My father met him once before and he said something about his aura being different.”

Although, it was strange that he wanted to become a teacher at a magic school despite being a prince. I wonder what kind of teacher would he be?

The first ceremony hall was an old stone temple on the west side of the island. 

When we went there five minutes before class started, there were already students gathered there, exchanging information for creating teams.

“Ah, Miss O’Drielle.”

“Have you two already decided your teams?”

Students flocked around me and Lapis, and we received many invitations to group together, to aim to be the honor student on the same team, and so on.

I wondered if it was because I proudly named myself as an O’Drielle in front of people yesterday. I was a little surprised because I thought no one would invite me.

But I still had the right to make my own choice. First of all, I needed to assess the talents and potentials of each person at today’s spirit summoning ceremony.

“Good morning, first-years.”

The person who appeared was a young man with soft-looking white hair, mystical citrus yellow eyes, and handsome features. He was wearing a long white robe, carrying a long staff in his hand, and there was an owl spirit on his shoulder.

His elegant, royalty-like appearance as well as his gentle and mysterious smile made all the girls sigh.

From appearances, he looked young enough to have recently graduated from magic school. In fact, he must have been classmates with Professor Medite… Basically, he was just before thirty.

“I am Ulysses. There are several other ways to call me, but Ulysses will do. This little one on my shoulder is Phantrome. He had a name beforehand. In other words, he is a ‘Named Spirit,’ and his attributes are the double elements of【Wind】and【Darkness】. He is a symbol of wisdom that supports my class.”

His tone was gentle, and he was always smiling.

In addition, a spirit with double elements was very rare. I believe I read in a book that the owl Great Spirit, Phantrome, was also a familiar of the famous “White Sage,” as was Headmaster Pan. 

The professor first put a silver goblet on a desk.

“Magic is invoked with a first incantation and a second incantation. All of you who are brilliant enough to pass this school’s entrance exams already know that. For example, in my case…”

And then, he raised his long staff,

“Yuri yuno sysーO, water.”

He precisely chanted the incantations, and then water spilled out of the goblet that had been empty.

It was simple magic, and from the point of view of Professor Ulysses, it was probably magic that could be used without an incantation.

“Yuri yuno sys. That part is the first incantation. The first incantation is the incantation that ‘releases your own magical power,’ and is sometimes called the ‘key word’ that opens the door of magic.”

Yes. The first incantation included your own name, and each person could set it as they pleased. In my case, as soon as I was named Makia, Father created it for me. 

“However, once you have decided it, you can never change it again, and there is basically only one ‘key word’ that opens your magic. There are exceptions, though. ...Therefore, no matter what magic you use, you need that first incantation. Even when you use magic without chanting, you must chant it in your mind. We are swearing to the world that we will use magic responsibly in our own name.”

Also, you had to present your first incantation to the kingdom when you entered magic school. 

It would also serve as proof of your identity as a magician.

“The second incantation is the incantation that ‘directs the content of the magic.’ Depending on the magic, some have incantations that are recommended fixed phrases, while others have been arranged for ease of use. You can omit chanting if it is simple magic or familiar magic, but on the other hand, the more complicated the magic, the more the importance of the second incantation increases.” 

The matter of what could be done with the second incantation varied depending on each person’s ability, training, and knowledge.

And how much you understood and believed in the magical power that resided in the world…

“In Spirit Magic Studies, you will mainly learn about the spirits that are involved with the second incantation. Spirits are the embodiments of this world’s magical power. They dwell in nature, such as plants, animals, the sky, the sea, and forests, and also embody the mysteries of great magic. Magicians borrow power from the spirits in the world to perform magic.”

For instance, if you use water magic, where does the water come from?

In that case, water was sent to you from a river, lake, or sea somewhere in Maydare via spirits.

“Also, magicians can summon and use the spirits themselves. By using them, we can preferentially borrow power from our own spirits.”

And then, Professor Ulysses stood on top of the magic circle.

“This is a giant spirit summoning circle. Each student can summon a spirit once, free of charge. However, the number of spirits a person can use has a limit depending on each person’s magical power, so make your contracts carefully.”

All the students had excited faces that said, “I’ve been waiting for this!”

Spirit summoning essentially required an enormous amount of magical power and complicated magic circles, and it wasn't a magic that one magician could use easily. 

Therefore, it was a magic that could only be used in large institutions such as schools and with the help of experts. 

In that case, you needed a large amount of money, and it wasn’t always possible to get the spirit you hoped for.

“Now, let us begin. One at a time, please stand in the center of the magic circle and chant ‘First incantation——In this name, manifest, my spirit.’”

Everyone answered “Yes!” energetically.

Professor Ulysses started chanting a lengthy incantation in order to start the ceremony, and then a faint light lit up in the center of the magic circle. A male student stood there first.

“Allen kuku mora——In this name, manifest, my spirit.”

Upon that, the magic circle released a strong light, and then with a puff of smoke, something appeared.

“Wah! A water rabbit!”

He was a rather rugged boy, so the disparity of seeing him with a rabbit with light blue fur was cute.

Its attribute was【Water】, and it was a nameless medium-grade spirit, but they consumed less magical power and were easy to use. It was said that those who wanted to master water magic in particular always used one.

Therefore, the boy seemed to have decided to form a contract with it.

In this way, the spirit summoning ceremony was performed one after another. In addition to rabbits, most of them were animal-type spirits in the forms of dogs, foxes, doves, frogs, deer, peacocks, et cetera, but it was said that as a magician grew and learned more advanced summoning techniques, a spirit could take on a humanoid form or a greater divine beast. 

“Agh, I can’t deal with this ‘failure’ spirit!”

There were those who groaned that, not making a contract with the spirit they had just summoned.

But since spirit summoning was something that was rarely done, basically everyone made a contract. If you didn’t use a spirit, the purity of your magic changed, and the more difficult the magic, the more you needed to ask for the help of a spirit. 

In particular, the attribute of the spirit was important, as they were related to the magic you wanted to master in the future and your personality. 

“Bea to riche——In the name of Asta, manifest, my spirit!”

The one who arbitrarily made changes to the incantation was that Beatrice Asta. 

Her first incantation was also just her name, and it just screamed that she was very confident in herself.

However, I couldn’t help but be convinced of the meaning of that self-confidence when the magic circle emitted an intense light, and there was a surge of purple lightning that we haven’t seen before until now.

Finally, a unicorn with a greenish silver coat appeared in the center of the magic circle.

“I did it! A green silver unicorn!”

Beatrice’s retinue was crying and applauding her as she was getting more fired up.

Come to think of it, there was a unicorn on the Asta family crest.

“Very well done. It seems that you have successfully summoned a high-level spirit. Its attribute is【Grass】.”

“Yes, Your Highness! I have done it! A spirit worthy of the Asta family name!”

Professor Ulysses’ smile stiffened slightly when he was called “Your Highness,” but he only answered “I’m pleased to hear that” in an unchanging tone.

“Now, next is Mr. Nero Pachelbel.”

The chattering students became quiet.

Because Nero Pachelbel was at the head of us first-years, so everyone was expecting him to be the best.

“Mr. Pachelbel?”

However, he didn’t appear. Or rather, he wasn’t here.

“What about his roommate?”

“His roommate is Frey Levi. He isn’t here either.”

“...I, see. To think that the head of the class would skip the first class. And what’s more, the spirit summoning ceremony.”

Professor Ulysses put his hand on his chin and smiled strainedly.

Maybe there was no precedent for that. But it was true that he wasn’t here.

Wasting such a rare opportunity...What were you thinking, Nero Pachelbel?

“Now, lastly, Miss Makia O’Drielle.”

“Y-yes!”

I jumped in surprise at my name being called. And then, I stood in the center of the magic circle like everyone else.

The eyes of my classmates were focused on me. How many spirits would I summon as the successor of the O’Drielle family?

Grandmother had a dove, Father had a crow, Mother had a snake, and Uncle also had a snake. 

The O’Drielle family had a high percentage of crow familiars, and the Medite family had a family crest with a snake. 

I was worried about how those factors would work.

Ah, my heart was beating fast. I’ve decided that no matter what kind of spirit it was, if it came to me, I would love it with all my heart. 

“Myr vis makia——In this name, manifest, my spirit!”

I chanted the recommended fixed incantation as it was.

Then, the magic circled glowed with a bright red light, and everyone got excited at seeing this display that hadn’t been seen until now, and then they closed their eyes because it was too bright.

The light finally subsided, and we opened our eyes.

“...Hmm?”

However, I couldn’t see the spirit anywhere. As I looked around, some student shouted, “Your feet!” I also dropped my gaze to my feet.

“...Mice?”

There were two small mice scampering about on the magic circle.

There was a white and round mouse and a yellow and small mouse. They both had short and round tails.

“Pff. Rats are the lowest of the low-grades.”

Laughter broke out in the class at Beatrice Asta’s words.

I also stood rooted to the spot in shock, but,

“You’re wrong. These aren’t rats. ...They’re hamsters.”

“Hah?”

I held out my hand to the two scampering mice and called out in a gentle voice, “Come here.”

Then, the two of them got on my palm and sat down.

“They look just like the ham-chan I had before…!”

I stroke the two.

Small. Cute. Fluffy and warm. They’re alive!

By the way, when I said “before,” I meant my past life. When I was in elementary school, my brother begged our parents for a hamster, but no one ended up taking care of it, so I did. 

The hamster died after just two years, but it was a suffocating household, so it helped me de-stress by listening to me talk about all sorts of things.

Everyone had strange looks on their faces, but these two hamsters made me extremely happy.

“Judging from appearances, these are spirits in the forms of dwarf hamsters. They have short tails, and their very large cheek pouches are their characteristics, and they can stuff anything in.” 

Professor Ulysses said, and the students laughed again.

“They also have various attributes depending on their coat color. It seems that the white-haired one has the【Water】attribute, and the yellow-haired one has the【Fire】attribute.”

The professor, with a slightly complicated look on his face, asked me, “Do you want to cancel the contract?” But I hurriedly shook my head.

“N-no. I’m fine with these two. Oh, is it not allowed?”

“No, it’s not that it isn’t allowed. I’m only asking because people who summon mice or hamsters often don’t make contracts.”

And then, Professor Ulysses smiled the gentlest smile I had ever seen.

“It’s very rare to summon two spirits at the same time. Please take good care of them.”

He then clapped his hands and said, “That’s all for today’s class.”

The spirit summoning ceremony ended without incident in this way, but the students were still giggling at my spirits. Was summoning hamsters that funny?

“The O’Drielle house is not such a big deal after all, despite declaring that so impressively. It’s impossible that someone from a prestigious family would summon the lowest-ranked spirit.”

Beatrice Asta went out of her way to pass by me and said a snide remark loud enough for me to hear.

“I’m sure she was overawed because she went right after Lady Beatrice.”

“There is no doubt that Lady Beatrice is a true witch that the goddess of luck is smiling upon!”

The retinue was diligently buttering her up. Ignore it, ignore it.

“Are you okay, Makia?”

“I’m fine, Lapis. You can’t improve your magic if you’re relying on your spirit’s rank. And look at these little ones. They’re so cute~”

Lapis and I peeked at the two ham-chans sleeping in the pocket of my robe. 

Two round furballs. The ham-chans were cuddling together, making “puu puu” and “chee chee” sounds, looking as innocent as babies. 

“Makia, you aren’t disappointed about these spirits, I see.”

“Of course. A true magician can turn any spirit into a splendid familiar. I have to take responsibility for raising them now that I made the contract.”

Even if people made fun of them for being low-rank, I was simply happy. 

About how I was able to get my own familiars. About the fact that these little ones came to me. 

“Haa. But come to think of it, your familiar’s a cat, Lapis. Would he chase my hamsters!?”

“No need to worry. Noah is a good and obedient kitty. I think he’d adore them, actually.”

As though to say, that’s right, Noah, who was at Lapis’ feet, made a rare “Meow.”

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