Chapter 17
Alice asked the question that had been bothering her the most.
“So… why exactly do I have to summon a demon beast?”
“If you use a demon beast, you can eliminate all the demonic energy spread throughout this forest at once. Do you know a demon beast called Spell?”
“No, I’ve never heard of it.”
“Hmm, that makes sense. Spell rarely appears in the human world. It’s a bit different from other demon beasts.”
Aiden folded his fingers as he continued explaining Spell’s characteristics.
“First, Spell doesn’t have the usual creature form like other demon beasts. You could say it’s like a water droplet. It’s transparent, so it’s hard to see, but it can take the form that the summoner wants. It’s hard to explain in words, so it’s better to see it directly.”
“Okay… and?”
“Second—and this is the main reason I suggested you summon Spell—Spell can devour demonic energy.”
“Devour demonic energy?”
“Yeah. Normally, no demon beast eats demonic energy. Most demon beasts are carnivorous. They survive based on the strong eating the weak. That’s why the demon beasts that come to the human world attack humans—they have no other demon beast prey here.”
“…….”
“But Spell is different. It only eats demonic energy. It absorbs the energy to sustain its life.”
“So, you’re saying that if I summon this Spell, it will eat all the demonic energy in this forest and get rid of it?”
“Exactly.”
“And to do that, I have to summon Spell and form a contract with it.”
“That’s right.”
Alice organized Aiden’s explanation in her head. She roughly understood his proposal, but she still had lingering questions.
“Okay, let’s say I summon Spell and remove the demonic energy. What’s in it for Spell?”
“Huh?”
“To form a contract, there has to be mutual benefit, right? If the demon beast gets nothing from it, then you can’t form a contract. Spell probably prefers the demon world, where demonic energy is abundant, rather than the human world.”
“I already told you. I only suggested this because it’s you.”
Alice frowned at the cryptic answer she didn’t fully understand. Aiden smiled lightly and continued.
“You’re a genius mage, aren’t you?”
“But… how does that matter?”
“Spell likes strong mages. I don’t know why exactly, but maybe it’s because mana and demonic energy have different natures but share the same source of power.”
“So, you mean Spell will follow a strong mage more willingly?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
“Really. There’s no other demon beast that’s this friendly toward humans and likes strong mages.”
Although it didn’t seem like he was lying, Alice still found it hard to believe. She wasn’t even sure such a human-friendly demon beast actually existed. More importantly, the biggest problem remained.
“In the end, you’re saying I have to summon a demon beast.”
“Yes.”
“A demon beast from the demon world.”
“Exactly.”
“So now you want me to be not just a demon summoner, but also a demon beast summoner?”
“Once you try it, it won’t be a big deal. One time is hard, but two times? Not really.”
“For me, it’s a matter of life and death for me and my family!”
Alice grabbed her head and shouted. Summoning a demon by accident had been one thing, but now she had to deliberately summon a demon beast herself.
If anyone found out she summoned a demon beast after the demon, it wouldn’t just lead to execution. The people of the empire would see her as tainted by the evil of the demon world and publicly execute her, leaving her no chance for an honorable burial.
Such a disgraceful death had to be avoided.
Seeing Alice imagine all the worst-case scenarios, Aiden shrugged.
“Like I said, the choice is ultimately yours. If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to.”
“…….”
“But honestly, I think this is the best way. You can’t just call a priest here right now.”
“…….”
“Even as we talk, the villagers are slowly dying… But yes, summoning a demon beast carries a big risk for you.”
“…….”
“Do what you want. But if you refuse, you’ll have to give up on saving them.”
As time went on, Aiden’s words continued to grate on the pride of the great noble and archmage that Alice was. Was this demon treating her like some kind of pawn?
“Ah, fine. I’ll do it. I’ll do it if I have to.”
Alice shouted in frustration and muttered quietly after.
“……I know. There’s no other way. Better the lesser evil than the worst one.”
Her worst option was to do nothing and watch the missing people die. Compared to that, forming a contract with a demon beast to save lives was far better.
“Once I form a contract with the demon beast, it will definitely eliminate the demonic energy, right?”
“Yes. You trust me, don’t you? Trust me again this time. Nothing I do will harm you.”
“……Alright.”
Alice drew a summoning circle on the cave floor and took a deep breath to prepare herself.
Seeing her ready, Aiden came closer from behind.
“It might be hard to understand Spell’s summoning just from words. Can I touch you for a moment?”
Hearing his voice so close, Alice wondered what he intended and nodded.
Aiden extended his hands over hers as if embracing her.
Startled, Alice flinched. Aiden guided her hand toward her chest.
“Your mana core is here, right?”
“…Here.”
Alice moved her hand to correct him. Aiden continued his explanation.
“Spell is attracted to a strong mage’s mana. Once you activate the summoning circle, you need to release your mana to lure the demon beast.”
His voice tickled her ear from so close. Alice, who had never heard him speak like this, shut her eyes tightly.
“Focus.”
Sensing her entire attention was on him, Aiden teased her softly.
Alice suppressed the urge to be drawn to him and activated the summoning circle, concentrating on releasing her mana. The demonic energy reacted to her mana, and something began to take shape.
‘Is this what Aiden meant?’
Above the summoning circle, she felt something like a small water droplet forming.
Thanks to her innate talent for handling mana, she was able to summon a specific demon beast immediately after just a brief explanation.
Then, something popped out.
Alice released her mana and closed the summoning circle. A small wind stirred around her.
“Huh?”
Reflexively, she opened her eyes and caught the object that had appeared.
It was soft and fluffy, roughly the size of her forearm, covered in fur, with a long tail and triangular ears standing upright.
“A cat?”
The black-furred creature with bright red eyes snuggled into her arms.
Alice blinked rapidly, surprised by the unexpected form. Was this really a demon beast? It looked just like an ordinary animal.
Then the cat opened its mouth and meowed loudly.
“Meow.”
“That’s… weird.”
“You must have summoned it correctly.”
Aiden smiled and said to Alice.
“This is what I meant earlier. Spell can take the form the summoner wants.”
“So… this is the form I wanted?”
Alice stared at the cat in her arms. The cat rubbed its face against her.
“Looks like it likes you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Then it must like your mana.”
Because of that, it’s being friendly like this? Alice looked down at the cat. Aiden chuckled softly at the sight.
“Looks like you don’t even need to make a formal contract. It already likes you.”
“Really?”
“Meow!”
The cat meowed in agreement. Acting as if it could understand humans, the creature made Alice laugh.
She had hated the idea of summoning a demon beast, but maybe because it took the form of a cat, it was incredibly cute.
