Outside the academy gates, the evening air was calm.
Mio stretched her arms lazily.
"Master, we should head home now."
Liora nodded.
"You have to meet Teacher Raii, right?"
Horobi gave a small nod.
"…Yeah."
"I'll come later. You two go ahead."
Mio suddenly smiled.
"Then I'll prepare something special for dinner."
She looked at Liora.
"You'll help me, right?"
Liora raised her hand happily.
"Of course!"
The two girls walked toward the mansion together.
Meanwhile, Horobi turned and walked toward the academy building.
-----
Raii's Office
Knock. Knock.
"Come in."
Horobi opened the door.
Raii was sitting behind his desk.
"Come in, Horobi. Take a seat."
Horobi sat down calmly.
"Sir… why did you call me?"
Raii leaned back in his chair.
"You already know."
Horobi answered calmly,
"…About the summoning magic?"
Raii nodded.
"Yes."
"I want to talk about your summoning circle."
Horobi shrugged slightly.
"It was just a normal dragon."
Raii shook his head.
"Dragon summons are rare."
"And your dragon…"
"…its mana is strange."
Raii grabbed a piece of paper and began drawing a magic circle.
"This is the modern summoning script used today."
He then drew another set of symbols.
"But the symbols you used…"
"…are ancient."
Horobi looked at the paper quietly.
Raii narrowed his eyes.
"These dialects aren't even taught anymore."
"How did you learn them?"
Horobi answered casually,
"I saw something similar in an old book in my family library."
Raii stared at him.
"And you could perform it perfectly?"
Horobi scratched the back of his head.
"My magic control is actually weak."
"But I practiced it at home a lot."
"…Maybe that's why it worked."
Raii sighed.
"Well… normally only Arch Demon level mages can use ancient summoning."
"So be careful."
"Unique power attracts attention."
Horobi nodded.
"I understand."
Then he stood up.
"I'll be careful, sir."
He left the office bcalmly.
-----
Enma Clan Mansion
A messenger r ushed inside the large hall.
"My Lord!"
"Report from the academy has arrived!"
A tall man sitting on the throne raised his head.
"Speak."
"That is the rank of the young master."
The messenger swallowed.
"A-Rank… my lord."
The hall went silent.
Then,
Lord Enma suddenly laughed loudly.
"HAHAHA!"
"My son awakened A-Rank on his very first day?!"
His expression was filled with pride.
"Prepare a celebration tonight!"
"Today we celebrate my son's achievement!"
The servants bowed.
"Congratulations, my lord!"
--------
Horobi's Mansion — Later That Evening
Horobi returned home.
The mansion was quiet.
But suddenly!!
"MASTER!!"
Mio's voice echoed from inside.
Horobi walked into the living room and stopped.
Liora was standing on top of the table.
Mio was hiding behind the couch.
Horobi raised an eyebrow.
"…What are you two doing?"
Liora pointed down nervously.
"T-The dragon!"
Mio nodded seriously.
"Master… it might be dangerous."
Horobi looked confused.
"Dangerous?"
At that moment
A small black shadow crawled out from under the table.
"Zzz…"
Abyss.
The tiny dragon calmly walked across the floor.
Then suddenly
It jumped straight into the fruit bowl.
Crunch.
It started eating an apple.
Silence.
Mio blinked.
"…It eats apples?"
Liora looked shocked.
"Do dragons even eat apples?"
Horobi crossed his arms.
"…Apparently."
Abyss looked at Mio.
Then suddenly jumped onto her shoulder.
"Zzz."
Mio froze instantly.
"…Master."
"…It chose me."
Horobi shrugged.
"Looks like it likes you."
Liora burst out laughing.
"It's actually cute!"
Suddenly
Abyss flapped its wings.
And released a tiny flame.
POOF
The tablecloth caught fire.
Three seconds of silence.
Mio slowly turned her head.
"…Master."
Horobi replied calmly.
"…Yes?"
"…Your dragon burned the table."
"…I see."
Liora panicked and grabbed a bucket of water.
The living room quickly turned chaotic.
Meanwhile
Abyss happily continued eating its apple.
-------
Dinner Time
A little later, Liora placed the food on the table.
"Dinner is ready."
Then she looked at Horobi curiously.
"By the way… what did Raii-sensei ask you?"
Liora had started becoming curious about Horobi.
She always asked Mio small things about him.
Horobi answered casually.
"He was asking about the summoning circle."
"And Abyss."
"He said it might be related to ancient magic."
Mio and Liora's eyes widened.
"Ancient magic?!"
"So you can use ancient magic?!"
Horobi shook his head.
"No."
But at that moment—
Abyss suddenly jumped down from the table.
It ran toward Mio's plate.
And stole a piece of meat.
"Hey! That was mine!"
Mio protested.
But then she laughed and gave him another piece.
Everyone started laughing.
"It really is cute."
Horobi nodded.
"…Looks like it likes you."
Then suddenly
Abyss grabbed Liora's snake spirit.
And started playing with it like a toy.
The snake looked terrified.
It could clearly sense Abyss's mana.
After a while, the dragon flew back and sat on Horobi's head.
Like it always belonged there.
-------
A Late Night Game
After dinner, the three decided to play a game.
"The loser has to reveal a secret."
They played for bhours.
Laughing.
Arguing.
Teasing each other.
Eventually
Liora lost.
Mio grinned mischievously.
"So tell us."
"Do you have a crush on someone?"
Liora immediately shouted.
"NO! Ask something else!"
Horobi joined the teasing.
"No."
"That's exactly what we want to know."
Mio crossed her arms.
"Even Master said it."
"So you have to answer."
Liora covered her face.
"…Not now."
"I can't say it yet."
Horobi sighed lightly.
"Fine."
Mio groaned.
"You ruined the fun."
Horobi stood up.
"I'm going to sleep."
"If I don't wake up early, Raii-sensei might hang me upside down tomorrow."
Mio stood up too.
"I'm coming as well."
"Good night everyone."
Soon the mansion went quiet.
Everyone returned to their rooms.
--------
Somewhere in an Old Castle
Several shadowy figures were gathered in a dark room.
"Did you hear?"
"There's a student in the academy who can use ancient magic."
"Yeah."
"The Enma clan boy."
"He summoned a dragon."
Someone leaned forward.
"I heard the dragon might be Arch Demon level."
Another man laughed.
"So what? Let's just capture it."
A third man shook his head.
"You idiot."
"If that dragon is Arch Demon level…"
"You wouldn't survive one second."
Someone asked,
"What rank is the boy?"
"A-Rank."
Silence.
"…Then forget it."
"One A-Rank fighter is already dangerous."
"And now he has a dragon."
"Next month the Boss will arrive."
"He'll deal with the boy."
"And the dragon."
One of them grinned darkly.
"Soon…"
"That dragon will belong to us."