The night outside Horobi's mansion was quiet.
The large doors slowly opened.
Mio stood in the entrance hall.
She looked directly at Horobi…
Then at the girl standing behind him.
Silence filled the space.
"…Master?" Mio's voice was slightly different than usual.
Horobi answered calmly.
"She will be staying here for a few days."
That was all he said.
Mio's eyes narrowed slightly.
"A few days?"
Liora gave an awkward smile.
"H-Hi… I'm not causing trouble, am I?"
Mio walked straight toward her.
A little too close.
Liora stiffened nervously.
Mio looked back at Horobi.
"Master… why didn't you tell me?"
"I made the decision just now," Horobi replied simply.
Mio went silent.
The atmosphere grew heavy.
She turned and began walking away—
Then stopped.
"…The guest room is clean."
Horobi looked at her.
Mio spoke softly this time.
"But there will be rules."
Liora straightened immediately.
"Rules?"
Mio raised one finger.
"Number one — do not disturb Master unnecessarily."
Horobi: "…"
"Number two — do not skip morning training."
She paused at the third rule.
Her voice softened.
"…And don't feel alone."
Liora blinked in surprise.
"You're… not angry?"
Mio didn't answer directly.
She continued walking and said quietly:
"I trust Master."
A brief pause.
"…So I'll trust you too."
Silence lingered.
A faint shine appeared in Liora's eyes.
Horobi observed quietly.
Before disappearing down the hallway, Mio added:
"Dinner is ready. Both of you, come."
-------
The Next Day — Summoning Practical
The training arena buzzed with excitement.
Raii Heedo stood in the center.
"Today, you will perform Summon Magic."
The students straightened immediately.
"First, watch carefully."
He formed a summoning circle beneath his feet. Blue light expanded outward as intricate symbols rotated slowly.
A burst of light followed—
A large armored beast appeared from the circle.
The ground trembled slightly.
"This is how it's done," Raii said calmly.
The creature disappeared with a snap of his fingers.
"Now. One by one."
---------
Loki
Loki stepped forward confidently.
His magic circle activated.
A small fire-infused hound emerged, flames flickering along its fur.
"Impressive," Raii nodded.
Loki smirked proudly.
---------
Mare
Mare activated his magic.
A stone golem formed from the circle.
"See? I told you," Mare grinned.
The golem took one step forward—
And fell flat on its face.
The entire class burst into laughter.
"This is nothing special," Raii said dryly.
Mare froze in embarrassment.
---------
Jimmi
Jimmi summoned a small fire imp.
"Control is average," Raii commented. "So far, nothing extraordinary."
-------
Liora
Liora stepped forward calmly.
Her summoning circle glowed deep violet.
From it, a large serpent emerged — massive and elegant.
"With both a snake spirit and a serpent summon…" Raii nodded.
"Very impressive. Control is high."
The class murmured in surprise.
-------
Mio
Golden mana spiraled beautifully around her.
Her circle was flawless.
Radiant.
A shining humanoid spirit knight appeared behind her, clad in golden armor and holding a massive shield.
The pressure in the arena shifted.
"High-tier Light Guardian…" Raii said seriously.
Mio glanced unconsciously toward Horobi.
-------+
Horobi
The arena fell silent again.
Horobi closed his eyes.
This time, his mana was not dark—
It was deep crimson. Warm. Controlled.
A simple summoning circle formed beneath him.
But the symbols were ancient.
"…Ancient dialect?" Raii muttered.
The circle glowed softly.
A faint cracking sound echoed—
And from the center, a small black dragon emerged.
Palm-sized.
Tiny wings.
Golden slit eyes.
"Whyyy…"
It hovered gently in the air.
Silence.
Then—
The class exploded into laughter.
"That's it?"
"It's just a lizard!"
Mare laughed the loudest.
Raii remained silent.
The dragon floated toward Horobi and landed on his shoulder, its tail wrapping calmly around him.
Horobi looked at it quietly.
"…You came."
The dragon gave a small growl.
For a single second—
The air in the arena grew heavy.
Just one second.
Raii's eyes narrowed.
"Name?" he asked.
Horobi answered softly.
"…Abyss."
For a brief moment, the dragon's golden eyes flashed deep red.
Then normal again.
Mio's guardian spirit became uneasy.
Liora's snake spirit instinctively moved back.
Raii closed his notebook.
"Control… exceptional."
A pause.
"Rank evaluation will be based on full observation."
Students looked confused.
"But it's weak!" someone argued.
Raii gave a faint smile.
"Size does not determine rank."
Horobi lightly tapped the dragon's head.
Abyss playfully pretended to bite his finger.
The tension eased.
But Raii understood clearly—
This was no ordinary summon.
---------
Rank Announcement
Raii stepped forward.
"I will now announce your ranks."
The arena grew quiet.
"Mare — D Rank."
"What?! How did that happen?!" Mare shouted.
Laughter erupted again.
"Jimmi — C Rank."
Cheers followed.
"Loki — C Rank."
"Stop the drama," Raii said flatly as Loki reacted theatrically.
"Mio — B Rank."
Gasps.
"Good," Raii nodded.
Mio smiled slightly.
"Liora — B Rank."
Silence.
Students exchanged shocked looks.
"And finally…"
He paused.
"Horobi — A Rank."
Complete silence.
"Impossible!" Erish shouted. "That's near teacher level!"
No one laughed this time.
No one called the dragon weak.
Raii spoke calmly.
"Ancient summoning dialect. High mana density. Perfect control."
The rank stood.
"Horobi. Speak with me after class."
"Yes," Horobi replied calmly.
-------
From the hallway, Linksan overheard.
"A Rank… I see."
He smirked slightly.
"This might be interesting."
-------
Later, Mio and Liora walked beside Horobi.
"What kind of dragon is that?" Liora asked.
"It doesn't feel normal," Mio added.
Abyss blinked slowly.
Horobi looked ahead.
"…It remembers more than it shows."
For a moment, its eyes flashed red again.
Then it acted cute once more.
But even Horobi knew—
The mana within it did not match its size.
And this was only the beginning.