Chapter 95 – Summoning Ritual on a Moonlit Night

—A round, large moon floated in the night sky.

A full moon night. One could say it was the perfect night for a ritual to summon monsters.

I had purchased all the necessary catalysts and tools during the day, and under the pretext of magical experiments, I arranged to borrow the academy’s courtyard.

So, since around noon, I had been taking my time to draw a magic array with blue transference stones in the academy courtyard and set up an altar. These blue transference stones were rather expensive among the catalysts, but since they would be single-use disposables, I needed to draw two magic arrays.

“I came to see because I heard you were doing something interesting in the courtyard. But again—this is quite a complex magic array. I’ve never seen anything like this even at the academy.”

While checking the magic array for errors, I heard a voice from behind and turned around. She must have come to watch. Rosetta approached.

Hmm. I wonder. The conditions to learn it from the system are quite strict… but since it’s a ritual that can be observed, unlike combat skills, if you memorize the procedure and magic array, you can use it without issue.

I worked really hard to memorize this one, and it was a fairly popular method among certain players.

“It’s not a very user-friendly summoning ritual, though.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. There’s an element of luck involved. Since you don’t know what will appear, you also need a spacious area.”

“…It’s an unusual summoning ritual, then.”

This is the only summoning ritual I know. It uses the magical power of the moon and stars to randomly summon a monster with high affinity for the caster.

If you’re lucky, there’s a possibility of summoning a high-level monster relatively early on, so in BFO, many magic-oriented players performed it as a test of luck on full moon nights. Since the caster’s mental image tends to be reflected, the satisfaction rate is high despite the randomness.

I was one of those who tested my luck with this too, but that was back when I was Kagehisa.

Rather than repeatedly retrying on full moon nights, it was faster to obtain a desired familiar through magical creatures that could be created via alchemy.

“What are you planning to do today?”

“For Ashley, a familiar. For Marlene, I’m thinking of having her contract with a summoned beast.”

“Um. Does Her Highness Marlene have the talent of a summoner?”

“That’s how I see it. Communicating with or commanding remote entities seems to be her forte.”

“I see.”

There are roughly two methods to command monsters summoned through a ritual.

First, choosing a single monster as a partner, as a familiar. This isn’t about summoning or dismissing, but rather being together constantly.

Once you make something your familiar, you can’t redo it, so it’s better to do so after you’ve developed some strength as a magic user and increased the possibility of summoning a powerful monster. Of course, if the monster that appears isn’t to your liking, we plan to dismiss it without making it a familiar.

The other method is to contract with the summoned monster, creating a magical connection that allows for summoning and dismissal. This is treated as a summoned beast and falls under the summoner’s domain. Other magic users can’t do this.

If your magical aptitude isn’t suited for it, it’s impossible… but for Marlene, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Given that she’s a Termwills royal who has been experimenting for the Nation Protecting Ceremony aptitude, you couldn’t ask for more. She also has a foundation from her previous training as a shrine maiden. I have some expectations for the monsters she can summon.

“Well then. Shall we begin?”

After finishing the final check, I turned back to face everyone.

“Yes, Theodore-sama.”

Ashley and Marlene nodded.

“Marlene-sama. I’ll go first.”

Ashley smiled and stepped forward, while Marlene nodded with a solemn expression. As the elder, Ashley probably felt it was her place.

“Alright, then proceed as I taught you.”

“Yes.”

Ashley stepped forward, looking slightly nervous. I had given both of them notes with the procedure written down since morning to memorize.

Picking up the ceremonial rapier placed on the altar, she lightly cut her fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto the water mirror—a silver bowl filled with water reflecting the moon.

Then she closed her eyes and held the sword before her.

“—By the guidance of the moon, O thou who art connected to my lodestar. Answer my call.”

As Ashley constructed the spell formula through her chant, the magic array drawn with blue transference stones began to glow. Now then. What will appear?

Responding to the sonorous chant, the magic array’s glow gradually intensified. Finally, a pillar of light rose up, and when it subsided—a pure white animal was sitting there.

“A wolf… is it?”

Grace said. A wolf. And a rather large one at that.

“…It’s a Snow Wolf.”

This is Ashley, who has an aptitude for water magic. I thought an aquatic monster might appear… but it connected through ice, I suppose.

A wolf that manipulates ice and cold air. It makes its home in lands perpetually locked in ice and snow throughout the year. You could say it’s a fairly high-rank monster.

“What will you do?”

I asked Ashley.

“Since it answered my call… I don’t want to send it back. I’d like to form a familiar pact.”

“Understood.”

When I nodded, Ashley continued her chant while maintaining her stance with the ceremonial rapier.

“O thou who hast answered my call. Here I declare my name, grant thee a name, and form an eternal covenant.”

The water mirror now reflected not the moon, but the Snow Wolf before her. Ashley chanted while dipping her cut fingertip into the water mirror.

“My name is Ashley Rodias Silun. Thy name shall be—Lavigne.”

The Snow Wolf—Lavigne—let out a single howl toward the moon.

The magic array lost its light, and with lumbering steps, it came to position itself deferentially beside Ashley.

“Nice to meet you, Lavigne.”

It quietly lowered its head. It seemed successful.

As a familiar, it’s more than satisfactory. I think its compatibility with Ashley is good too.

After this, it’s about the sensory link—I’ll just need to teach Ashley the spell formulas for familiar control.

“Marlene. Can you do it?”

Marlene nodded with a serious expression and received the ceremonial rapier from Ashley. She headed to the unused magic array prepared nearby and proceeded with the ritual using the same procedure. However, there was no chant.

As long as the form of the chant exists, she can proceed with the ritual without issue using the same principle as chantless magic. Originally, calling out through prayer was her specialty, her area of expertise.

She can’t have a familiar since she can’t name it, but it’s possible to make it a summoned beast through a contract.

Grasping the sword’s hilt with both hands, she made a gesture as if praying.

Responding to the spell formula Marlene was constructing, the magic array increased in brightness.

The glow intensified notably—.

“This is—”

I noticed Grace and the others bracing themselves.

A jet-black—horse clad in armor stood in the center of the magic array. Not an ordinary horse. Its eyes, mane, and tail were a blue-green flame.

Astride the horse’s back was a Black Knight. Clad in a tattered mantle, the gaps in its armor filled with darkness. And where its head should normally be atop the armor—there was nothing.

No, it does exist. The helmet it held under its arm must be it. What lies beyond the visor is unknowable, but a blue-green flame flickered within.

“A Dullahan, huh.”

A headless knight. To get this right off the bat.

I advised her that it would be good to visualize a guardian role while performing the ritual, so perhaps that’s why it became a Dullahan, a knight-type.

“An undead…?”

Sheila murmured.

“No… despite appearances, they’re said to be closer to spirits.”

“A spirit… is it?”

“Yes. At the very least, it’s not an impure being. I’ve heard many stories of people being defeated because anti-undead magic had no effect at all.”

…A spirit. Indeed, for Marlene, who trained as a Moon Temple shrine maiden, this would be a type with high compatibility. Dullahan appear at night, so that’s probably included too.

In Marlene’s case, rather than ordinary monsters, it’s more likely that beings of this lineage or phantom beasts would be summoned, I suppose.

The Dullahan dismounted from its horse, went to the edge of the magic array, knelt on one knee, and paid homage to Marlene as a subject. Marlene—though she looked somewhat surprised—composed herself, pursed her lips, and used the ceremonial rapier to cut a small portion of her hair, tossing it into the water mirror. The Dullahan made a gesture as if respectfully receiving something invisible with both arms.

That’s how it works—offering a part of one’s body, whether hair, claws, or anything else, to create a bond and form a contract.

The Dullahan swirled its mantle and returned to the center of the magic array. The magic array glowed once more, and the next instant, its form had vanished. From now on, she should be able to summon it as a summoned beast using a summoning spell formula.

Marlene, having successfully completed the contract, was stroking her chest in relief. She was healing her cut fingertip with healing magic, together with Ashley.

“It went well, didn’t it, Marlene-sama?”

Marlene nodded happily. Mhm.

The difference between a summoned beast and a familiar—would be the part where, while summoned, it consumes the summoner’s magical power as a cost. While a sensory link isn’t possible, it is possible to control it or issue commands through spell formulas.

“That was a rather scary-looking monster, wasn’t it?”

“No, it’s actually quite strong. That one.”

I answered Irmhild’s words.

It has an intimidating appearance, and in a pinch, it could probably carry Marlene behind it on its horse. While it might be a bit much for mere self-defense, you could say she managed to contract with something that suits the purpose.

Should we decide to perform the summoning ritual every full moon from now on? The more types of monsters she can summon, the more versatility Marlene’s response capabilities will have.

Her goal would be to summon and control multiple monsters.

Hmm. What about taking her into a labyrinth? Should I sound out King Melvin about it? Our familiars have increased too, and everyone is accustomed to the monsters of Dusk Forest. With Dullahan, Caduceus, and Lavigne providing solid protection, I don’t think there’s anyone in Dusk Forest we couldn’t overcome.

“Marlene, it’s good for you to keep holding that rapier. It will strengthen your connection with your summoned beast.”

When I said this, Marlene nodded. By the way, regarding the rapier’s material, it’s made of mithril silver.

Increasing the rank of catalysts and tools affects the rank of the summoned monsters too. Although it’s expensive, we’ll be performing summoning rituals in the future as well.

Even so, a Snow Wolf and a Dullahan, huh. I was wondering what would come—but them being higher rank than expected is the best outcome.