Chapter 461 – The Most Important Lecture

Moving out of Madam Teireshia’s office, Ast’s group waited for the Principal to join them, giving her a moment to collect things after their interruption.

“Ori,” Tina whispered and a small gate opened over her shoulder.

Her small familiar hopped out of it, tilting his head at his mistress.

“Let our escorts know about the delay. You remember your way around so show them to the cafeteria, library, training grounds, or whatever they might want to see. Keep us updated about any trouble. Can I ask that of you?” She smiled warmly at her partner.

He hopped up and down happily before giving her a literal peck on the cheek and launching himself away with a soft flutter of his pretty wings. She watched him go for a while, skilfully navigating underneath the ribbed and arched ceiling.

“A good idea,” Grea complimented her. “It won’t be hard to confirm that he’s a familiar and having one guiding guests around should be enough to give them an easier time with any teachers they come across.”

“While that’s true, I simply wanted to give him something to do.” Tina chuckled delicately. “We are growing stronger and stronger with each day. I don’t want my first familiars to feel like they are losing their worth in my eyes. I will always appreciate their presence and support, even if they are unable to join me in most fights or if I usually borrow the abilities from my stronger companions.”

Asterios ruffled through her hair affectionately. “You have a good heart. That just reminded me why I love you so much.”

Her elegant cheeks colored a bit and she glanced around. The hallway wasn’t exactly empty since the students were rushing to reach their classrooms before the bell rang again, announcing the start of the lesson. But, that didn’t stop her from pushing through her timidness and standing on her tiptoes to press her lips into Ast’s for a sweet kiss.

The door to the office behind them opened at that moment and Principal Teireshia walked out, raising an amused brow at the sight. “Should I give you a minute to get ready?”

Tina jumped away from Asterios, turning positively crimson. Grea snickered but didn’t comment with any dirty remarks, which earned herself a surprised look from the academy’s head. He felt proud of her efforts and could sense her own satisfaction at being able to hold back at least a little.

Not wasting any more time, they followed Madam Teireshia to the place of her next lecture. She waited with them by the nearest intersection, giving her pupils enough time to arrive first. Ast’s party remembered that gesture well. Whenever it was possible, the Principal tried not to stress the young adults too much. Showing up a minute or two after the bell allowed the few stragglers to get in there without fearing punishment.

But, there was no mercy for anyone after that point.

Giving them a nod, she led the group inside the classroom. It was one of the basic setups all three of them were painfully familiar with. Rows of thick wooden benches with pulpits in front of them filled the core of the room. At the back stood a slightly raised stage the width of the chamber, with the teacher’s desk located in one of the corners. A blackboard hung over the entire wall.

Most spots were taken, which wasn’t surprising for the freshman courses. Attendance was usually obligatory unless stated otherwise. More freedom was offered in further years or depending on one’s performance. Something Asterios was thinking of implementing at his place too. But that would have to be discussed with his headmistress first.

They marched up to the stage and stepped onto the raised platform, capturing all the attention in an instant. All the whispers died down, confusion apparent on the faces of the attendees. Three strangers hadn’t been expected for today’s lecture.

“If only it was always this easy to get you all quiet.” Principal Teireshia let out a quiet laugh. “Now, your schedule mentioned a simple course on magical circles, which would have been a rehearsal for most, but we have three special guests with us today, so the plan has changed a bit.”

She gestured at the trio to step forward and they did.

“I’ll let them introduce themselves in just a moment, but all three of them are experienced Summoners with great theoretical and practical knowledge so this will be a big step up,” the kind dean explained. “I’ll stay in the back of the class just to see how they do and give them some feedback for the future. Who knows? Maybe they’ll end up stepping onto the path of mentorship someday. So, treat them like you would any professor. Enjoy.”

With a snap of her fingers, she exploded into a cloud of smoke, making a few people jump. Asterios and Tina snickered, used to her dramatic nature. They had witnessed similar tricks many times in the past. Exchanging a glance, they nodded at each other, including Grea.

The crimson-skinned demon woman was the first one to clear her throat and speak up.

“Alright. First of all, let’s drop most formalities. Feel free to call us by our names. I’m Grea, and I actually have a bit of experience teaching. I saw a few of you recognize me, and yeah, I was a professor here not that long ago. Life took a turn and I had to relocate,” she began. “Anyway, we haven’t prepared any specific lectures for today, so we’ll host an open discussion instead. With most of you being fresh, you must have lots of random questions that don’t let you rest after school. We’ll see how many we can answer and expand on today.”

Then, Tina took over.

“Hello. My name is Tina. I graduated from here recently, at the top of the class to be precise. I specialize in frontline techniques and will gladly share what I can with you. It’s a riskier path, but don’t let anyone convince you that it’s inferior. People rarely expect a Summoner to show up in front of their face so it has its perks. And feeling all those magical abilities affect your body and mind can be quite intoxicating,” she shared her thoughts.

Finally, Asterios turned to the class after getting a nod from Tina.

“I’m Asterios and my case is a tiny bit special. I explored both frontline and backline summoning due to my late-blooming talents, so you can say I’m an expert in both. I’m honestly not sure how I was able to stay here for as long as I did as I barely scraped by most of my exams,” he said.

“You are a dropout?” one of the teenage boys asked with a frown.

Before Asterios could respond, Tina beat him to it. “That might be true, but it was more of a misunderstanding in my opinion. But, don’t let that notion deceive you into looking down on him. He was the only one capable of beating me during my graduation ceremony in the Ace Showcase match, by my challenge.”

“It was fairly close,” he added.

“Only because you didn’t make use of all your abilities, lowering yourself to my level.” She smirked. “If it wasn’t a fair duel of pure summoning capability, I wouldn’t have lasted longer than two exchanges.”

“In any way, I bet you can read all about that in one of the archived editions of the Summoner’s Weekly.” Asterios rolled his eyes but smiled back. “Now, let’s try to keep things civil. Hand up if you want to speak or we’ll just end up shouting over each other. I know we said we are going to answer questions, but let’s start with one for you. What makes the most efficient Summoner?”

Several hands shot up, but he chose one of the older students to answer. It might be a freshman course, but it wasn’t a closed lesson, so people from a bit later in their studies could still come for whatever reason. Perhaps catching up on lost attendance or such.

“Control,” the lady stated. “The better your grasp on your familiar, the less energy is lost and the more accurate are its actions.”

Rubbing his chin, Asterios hummed. “You aren’t wrong from a technical standpoint, but I would say this is a much easier side result of a different, much more important in my opinion aspect. Anyone able to guess?”

This time, no hands immediately shot up as his audience thought his words over. It seemed that there weren’t many brave souls who wished to take risks with an answer they didn’t feel confident in. He wasn’t surprised.

“For future reference, there are no silly answers, just as there are no stupid questions,” he said softly and turned to his companions. “Since we haven’t planned this ahead of time, what would be your answer?”

The ladies looked at each other and smiled together, “Connection.”

Chuckling, Asterios wiped his forehead. “I got worried for a moment there. This was way off the script. Not like there’s any script.”

A few chuckles traveled through the classroom.

“So, connection, or as we like to call it, a bond,” he continued, starting to pace a bit. “Sure, you train your familiar to follow your commands, either by being a strict master who uses punishments, or a kinder one who prefers rewards, but both of these approaches lack one crucial element. Mutual trust.”

Tina stepped in the opposite direction just as he stopped. “It’s something that takes much longer to build than obedience, but in the long run, massively overshadows any other form of control. If you manage to create a bond with your familiar, the two of you trusting each other almost explicitly to make the best decisions for you as a team, the efficiency of everything will be at its peak.”

Finally, Grea walked up to the very center. “There’s an advanced technique called Mind One. It basically describes two or more individuals understanding each other so intricately that they become a single thinking entity. There’s no delay or miscommunication like with verbal or even mental commands. You see and feel everything, with the latter being one of the few downsides for the new users as it takes a bunch of attempts to get used to.”

Someone raised their arm and she let them speak.

“It can’t be that much faster than expertly practiced mental command, can it? There’s no risk of pain that way. This sounds more distracting than advantageous,” a composed girl inquired.

“Why don’t we demonstrate, then.” The devilish ex-professor grinned. “Though, this place is a little bit cramped for a full demonstration.”

Asterios looked over the heavy benches that were bolted to the wooden panels beneath them. “Mind if we temporarily redecorate, Principal?”

“Just return my class to proper state afterward, Asterios.” Madam Teireshia’s voice echoed through the room while she was nowhere to be seen.

Nodding in understanding, he moved to the blackboard, grabbed a piece of chalk, and started drawing an array the diameter of about two palms. Everyone watched attentively as more lines and symbols formed perfect angles and connections without the use of any drawing supplements. Plus it was done all from memory. The spectators knew something like that was way above them and required quite some experience to pull off without being told so.

Tina and Grea stood by Ast’s sides with proud expressions. Especially the latter. She had that look at my boy'face on, making it obvious who had tutored him in the art of drawing magical circles.

Finishing, Asterios tapped the formation. “Anyone know what this is?”

“An array to borrow a technique from one of your summons,” a man replied after being picked.

“Close, but no. That kind of an array would have used a smaller ring inside here that would hold a sigil most compatible with the affinity and effect of the technique.” Asterios shook his head. “Since we are lacking these, intentionally, what else could it be?”

The same person scratched his head. “Uhhh… Wouldn’t that result in something like… an uncontrolled flow of power from the familiar?”

“Correct.” Grea applauded him lightly. “And while that could end up disastrous in most cases, especially when your control is sloppy, it’s a different matter with a master and familiar whose minds are perfectly synchronized. If I’m guessing right, Asterios is going to let one of his partners handle the situation on her own, trusting she will do the right thing without an explicit command.”

As she finished, the array lit up with bright brown energy and the ground rumbled. Several squawks and gasps rolled off the students as their seats began moving. Everyone grabbed their pulpits desperately as the wooden benches shifted like they were made of wet clay. Bit by bit, the middle of every row retreated to the back while the sides shifted ninety degrees.

When things settled down, the classroom had an empty space in the center almost as far as the chamber allowed. The benches formed a horseshoe by the walls to allow that. Some free space was consumed in the transition, locking everyone in their seats with no easy way to leave, and bringing the students closer to each other, but that wasn’t an issue if things were going to return to normal soon.

“Perfect.” Asterios dusted off his hands. “Now, do we perhaps have any geniuses in this class who managed to form a contract with a familiar during their first introductory practical summoning attempt?”

The same girl who had questioned them earlier made herself known. Which meant, she hadn’t been going just off the theory that she could have read or heard about, and might even have achieved a decent mental link with her summon. And that was very useful for what Ast’s group had in mind.

Thankfully, she sat in the front, because of course she would, so he walked up to her and gave her a hand in extracting herself from the reshaped bench, bringing her to the middle.

“Your name?” Asterios asked kindly.

“Enkinna. Enki for friends.” She curtsied respectfully.

“Alright, Lady Enkinna.” He winked, recognizing her noble ticks. “Mind bringing your companion to us?”

Nodding, she closed her eyes and focused deeply. She might be talented, but she was obviously fairly new. How she extended her hand forward just confirmed that assumption. It was a gesture that was meant to help new Summoners visualize the placement of the gate. Soon enough, a short light red entrance rose from the ground and a wolf-sized entity crawled out of it.

Immediately, the four-legged lizard with scales of the same color froze, its head snapping up and locking on Asterios. With its vertical pupils shrinking into thin blades, its frame started visibly shivering. Even its heartbeat became audible as it elevated into the sky.

“A Drake, huh.” Asterios chuckled at the irony.

The poor thing must have instinctively sensed some of his ancestry and felt just how much outclassed it was.

Kneeling down, he tilted his head heavily to one side, showing a lot of his neck to the female beast. “Relax, friend. We just want you to help us out with a little exercise. It might benefit you in the long run.”

There were only two possible outcomes of this situation and everyone waited with bated breaths to see it. One of the first warnings shared with the students was to be extremely careful around agitated familiars. Especially newly contracted ones. They still might lash out at others. Fight-or-flight instincts weren’t easy to overcome.

Thus, the class watched tensely if the Drake was going to lunge at the proffered neck to sink its fangs into it or back away.

The answer was neither.

Anxiously stepping forward, the creature kept its gaze locked with Ast’s, searching it for any signs of deception. A few girls whimpered when its jaws split to display rows of razor-sharp teeth, but Asterios didn’t even blink. Then, nearing the surface of his skin, it waited for a few seconds and gave him a slow lick.

Drawing back, the Drake puffed a gust of warm air into Ast’s face, all the tension leaving its fierce frame. Chuckling to himself, Asterios patted its head and stood up to meet the wide eyes of its owner and all the spectators.

“Why did it react… that way?” Enkinna asked, still stunned.

“Which part?” he inquired.

“Both,” she replied.

“Well, at first, she must have sensed the lineage and strength of one of my familiars and panicked,” Asterios lied, throwing a thumb over his shoulder.

Like one man, the students turned to the row of big windows and a few screams broke out. The loudest ones came from those near the outside wall.

“Is that a Dragon?!” someone shouted.

Finding the snout of an emerald-scaled Lesser Dragon peering at you through the transparent pane would do that to you.

“I knew it! He is the Dragon Lord!” One of the older participants pumped his fist.

“The adventurer who started Dragon Valley?” another one asked.

Althea retreated out of sight, most likely climbing on top of the building. Shaking his head, Asterios clapped his hands to quiet down the intense chatter that took over his pupils.

“As for the second part, Drakes usually go for the neck when fighting each other, aiming to snap it with the strength of their jaws,” he started to explain. “This was the quickest way of gaining its trust, but it worked only because I was much stronger. Never try that with a wild Drake or one you haven’t yet contracted. But, after making it your familiar, doing this will let you gain a lot in the eyes of your partner. If done correctly. You can’t show fear or hesitation or the Drake will sense it and understand you don’t really trust it, only trying to show off, and it will scoff at you, making any further attempts harder.”

As the attendees exchanged a few whispers of awe, he glanced to the side, finding both of his mates smiling softly at him. He didn’t miss the disappearing lance of water hidden behind Tina’s short frame. Even knowing that the Drake’s teeth wouldn’t be enough to pierce his defenses, she was ready to protect him in a blink, consequences be damned.

“Let’s get back to our experiment,” she said loud enough to break the conversations. “I think I know what Asterios had in mind before he decided to check if Enki feeds her Drake properly.”

More laughs answered her as the person in question blanched, exchanging glances with her familiar, which flicked its tongue over its fangs as if eager for a snack.

Tina stopped in front of the creature and held out her hand. Seven orbs of clear water the size of a fist formed above it. They hovered forward and hung over the beast’s head, starting to fly around with seemingly no order and pattern, but one always would cross over the middle.

“Let’s see how fast your mental link is. We can tell you are more than good at it. Which is something to be proud of. So, don’t hold this against us. You can always be better. Ask me how I know.” The blue-haired girl snorted. “Take a few steps away. I’ll be releasing the balls at a random moment, always in the center. You have to warn your partner mentally to dodge it. Tell it to face forward or close its eyes if it will listen.”

Swallowing hard, Enkinna did as instructed, and so did her Drake.

“Ready?” Tina asked, then withdrew her palm, the orbs continuing their task. “Start.”

The Drake’s head flinched to the side even though no orbs descended onto it. Its Summoner flushed a little at her mistake. Tina had mentioned that she would release her water at random moments.

Just as their eyes met, she did exactly that, and the summon didn’t even react as the orb splashed over its scales. Enki’s face grew even rosier as her partner sneezed and shook its snout. Then, she turned as serious as she could be.

Unfortunately, glaring at the floating spheres didn’t help, as another dropped onto its target, the beast moving after the contact. It growled lightly and peered at the offending liquid before returning to its position.

They almost got the third one, with the emphasis on almost. Half of the ball grazed the creature’s skull, a sign of them getting slightly better at it. Enkinna was visibly straining herself, though. And the Drake had enough, throwing its head to the back with a threatening snap of its jaws.

The young lady squeaked and fell onto her butt, evoking a few chuckles and giggles from the spectators. Asterios flicked the familiar on the snout, making it sneeze again and shake its head like a dog while he extended a hand to the fallen woman.

“Don’t ever think about physically hitting it in retaliation or anything like that. Remember, Drakes form respect based courage. It currently views you as a weak master, but it can still respect you. No matter how angry it is with you, it won’t hurt you until you hurt it first, that’s its oath to you through the contract. Stand up for yourself and show you aren’t scared by its empty threats. Bonus points if you can snap or growl back at it,” he shared with her and everyone else.

“Okay…” She agreed weakly. “But… growl?”

Asterios whistled to get the Drake’s attention, then let out a quiet low growl while holding its gaze. The beast matched it initially with its own noise, but when he raised his volume, it stopped, lowering its head.

“What the hell…” someone whispered.

“I mean, he has a Lesser Dragon as a familiar. I bet that makes it easy,” another person added.

“Grea?” Asterios glanced back at his beloved ex-professor.

She cleared her throat and pressed a finger somewhere to the bottom of her neck. What followed was an accompaniment of growls of different volume, tone, and intensity. Coughing a few times after she wrapped it up, she spread her arms theatrically.

“There are multiple teachers who can aid your vocal training or guide you through other methods of communication with your familiars so don’t be afraid to ask your homeroom professor or even the Principal if you want to get better.” She winked at everyone.

“And it’s worth it,” Tina chimed in with a big smile. “With enough time, you can build enough rapport to do things like this.”

The demon lady shared a glance with her before moving to the middle of the raised stage and turning around, dematerializing her coat before putting her hands on the back of her head. Asterios joined her, facing her side. Tina walked to the other end of the chamber while Hydran took form by her side, showing up as a tall Elemental shaped like a slightly flattened rhomb with arms. Then, it shifted into a massive bow which she grabbed, spinning around and taking aim.

A few spectators gasped at the sight of the javelin in place of the arrow and a pink mist seeped through Grea’s clothes, forming a feminine figure of the same shade.

“Hey, kids. I’m Aura.” She waved merrily. “Consider me something close to an Elemental too. I’ll be watching my mistress’ back today.”

“You better,” Grea replied, then snorted to herself.

~Damn, I almost said that I don’t need any more holes,~ she added through their bond with Asterios. ~Old habits really die hard.~

The pair snickered quietly.

Calming herself, Tina took aim, making sure to show how she dragged her attention all over the other woman’s form before choosing a target. Without a warning, she let loose, the projectile crossing the short distance in a flash, evoking more shouts from the students.

Still, Grea swung her hips to the side, evading the bolt of water, which Asterios then grabbed after it passed her figure and before it pierced into the blackboard. The audience was silent, not knowing what to be more shocked about. Neither of those feats was as simple as it looked. Enkinna knew it painfully well.

“Really? My ass? What did it do to you?” The demon lady snorted, wiggling her bottom.

Some people snickered, but their laughs died down on their lips as another arrow was launched forward.

“Woah!” Grea stood on her tiptoes as it passed between her legs, almost brushing against her nether regions. “I might not need more holes but that doesn’t mean you can reduce their number either!”

Asterios sighed. Well, Tina was the instigator this time so he didn’t really count it as Grea’s personal blunder. There was only so much his beloved lustful professor could take before letting one slip out.

There was no third shot as some more laughter echoed through the room, easing up the tension.

“What do you mean, Grea?” The cheeky Summoner girl grinned. “I simply aimed at the easiest spots for you to dodge. I know how much you enjoy your hip workouts. And if you failed to dodge? Well, I would gladly take your place in those private lessons of yours until you recovered.”

“We’ll talk after class, Shortie.” The former professor glared back at her.

Rubbing his eyes, Asterios was glad the hall was filled mostly with young adults and up. These two were trouble when together.

But, at least they managed to prove their point and ease the mood after the dangerous display.