Chương 29: [1.29] Merlina the Summoner (Part 1)

"You're hesitant, that's good." Fioso nodded, surprisingly accepting that Angelica was straight up ignoring his question.

"A Bound Demon cannot do anything that would harm their master, at least physically, but most would be wary to divulge their master's secrets in fear of punishment, or breaking trust, if it exists. Allow me to assure you that nothing negative will happen by sharing her alias."

"Still no?" The High Summoner shrugged his lips.

"Most Demons would love to sell out their master if given the chance. I'm fortunate that Diamen and I have a long-standing mutually beneficial relationship, but I do not doubt for a second that he would betray me the moment he received a substantially better offer."

"Without a second thought, master." The Demon butler nodded his head.

"See?" That made the man chuckle again.

"So she has done well to earn your loyalty. Or perhaps since she snatched you up as a veritable hatchling, you somewhat see her as family. That's something extremely rare, and something worth holding on to as long as it suits you both. So if my word cannot convince you, then how about a little added assurance. I'm sure you've heard of Contracts and Orders, but how about Pacts?

"Diamen, would you please draft a Pact that states the following: no harm or negative action will come to either the Imp, Gelic, or their master as a result of anything discussed between the parties present today, nor will any information shared be further conveyed to others outside of this room. The period will be one-hundred years, and the punishment will be elinguation." The Daemon held out their hand and a piece of parchment appeared.

Words began to write themselves on the paper, roughly half of which Angelica could read thanks to Tongues, recognizing that it was mostly the same as what had been dictated. The script was different, though, than what was in her Summoning book, a new language entirely. Since it was written by a Demon, maybe she'd just call the text Demonic. Interesting that this was a Demon power and not a Summoner one. Maybe it was their equivalent of Contracts?

When it was done being written, the High Summoner picked up his letter opener and pricked his finger, dabbing a bit of blood on the Pact. The man then grunted slightly, "Diamen," as if he had to remind his servant. This made the butler grumble in turn, but then he held out his hand, and a burn mark suddenly appeared on the paper. It then rolled itself into a scroll, which flew over and landed in the girl's lap before it vanished entirely.

[Pact Received | Terms: Nothing negative will happen as a result of the current discussion. | Length: 100 Years | Punishment: Elinguation | Subjected: Fioso, Diamen | Stakeholder: **a**] If the Demon Growth System had recognized it, then the Pact had to be legit, right? It was interesting that it had used Angelica's true name, probably because she hadn't registered an Alias yet. Hopefully, they couldn't see it on their end, though it would be censored if they could.

Also, she had no clue what elinguation was, but it didn't sound good—something she'd have to look up later.

"Her name is…" Gelic meant to cooperate now since her worries had been addressed, feeling a whole lot better about the situation now, most of her fears washing away. However, she'd never mentally made it this far. What should the alias be? Honestly, "Gelic" probably should have been reserved for this case. No, it was undoubtedly better to keep them separate, since it would be easier to link to Angelica when tied to a human.

So she went with the very first other Summoner-like name that came to mind, courtesy of the main character from her webcomic.

"Her name is Merlina."

"Merlina…" Fioso repeated, the name hanging on the lips. He then looked over to one of the bookcases, causing one of its inhabitants to slowly float over to him and start flipping through its own pages as he scanned. Angelica had undeniably used magic herself now, a few times with Reprint, Transfiguration, and Frost Touch, but it still felt a bit trippy to see it being used openly in the wild like this.

"As of this morning, there are no Summoners in any Sect that use that alias. The last one who used it died fifty-seven years ago. Can I take it, then, that your master is a Rogue Summoner?" The man's eyes turned serious, gazing at the girl as if this was the most serious question yet. If the Pact hadn't been signed, she'd definitely be hesitant about it. However, in this case…

"You don't know what that is, do you?" he quickly surmised.

"To be expected, I suppose. An Imp would have little reason to know the inner workings of Summoner society. To be clear, being a Rogue Summoner is not a bad thing. I, myself, am one. That is something a younger me would have made you sign a Pact to keep secret, but that fact is well-known worldwide by now. All it really means is that we are not a member of any of the official Summoner Sects." Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Ah, yes, she's not in any Sect." Gelic could at least answer that for certain, unless she'd unwittingly joined one somehow in all this craziness.

"As expected," Fioso stroked his chin.

"Given your appearance, I take it she is quite young, as well, likely a lower-ranking Summoner, no higher than an Apprentice, at most, though one with budding talent. I wonder if she has her reasons for not joining a Sect. If she's as powerful as I speculate, then they should be banging down her door. Maybe that's part of the problem. May I ask, has Merlina been experiencing some… trouble lately?

"I inquire because you are not currently living with her, correct?" The man didn't even give her a chance to answer before expounding upon his evidence.

"2801 Songwen Street, Apartment 104, that is where you are staying, correct? Since Diamen started keeping tabs on you, no human has entered or exited that apartment complex. And it is registered to a Lurren Gate, whom as far as we can tell, has no dealings with Summoners, and there are no other tenants. Frankly, it is quite a prime location for a Rogue Summoner safehouse. Would my line of thinking be correct in that she has sent you ahead of herself to prepare the space for when she needs it?"

First, Angelica had to take just a brief moment to freak out that she had been stalked. When that bit of devastating panic passed, she was able to answer surprisingly calmly.

"Err, yes?" While not even remotely the truth, there was no way she could come up with a better lie on the spot. So sure, why not? And she even randomly came up with an idea to weave her other recent behaviors as part of it, having to thank her artist brain for allowing her to pull a storyline out of thin air.

"My master plans to move there sometime soon." While that probably wouldn't be the wisest thing to say normally to stalking strangers, she had the Pact to cling to.

"And she told me to go out and do errands disguised as her, and go for runs as her, so that when she does show up, the humans will be used to seeing her around and be less suspicious. And she wants me to get exercise so I can raise my Might and Vigor."

"Hmm, yes, you do look weak." It was Diamen who added that colorful commentary, scoffing from the corner.

"An intriguing plan." Fioso dwelled on it for a moment.

"Then if anyone came asking about someone with her likeness who'd just moved in, they could say that she'd actually been around for a while, so it couldn't be her. An imaginative idea. I can't say for certain that it will work exactly as she'd hoped, but that she'd even think of such a detail is worth applauding. It makes me wonder even more what she's running from. But don't worry, I won't pry.

"However… I do wish to offer my assistance where I can. No doubt, she will be wary of me after learning that I have… brought you in for a conversation. Hopefully, you can help convince her that it has been a friendly one. But to not make her feel that I am overstepping my bounds, I will keep my aid simple for now." The man grabbed a fresh sheet of paper and began writing something down. He then folded it up, stuffed it in a regular envelope, and scrawled "Merlina" as the recipient.

The High Summoner then proceeded to actually seal it with wax. It was honestly a bit interesting and mesmerizing watching the process—good reference material for when a character would now undoubtedly write a letter this way in an upcoming webcomic chapter. Fioso handed the envelope over to Diamen, who ran a finger across a corner of the front. A stamp appeared, a magical one that glowed with a soft blue tinge. Then the rest of the envelope shifted to a deep purple, making the paper clearly emanate with power.

It was then promptly delivered to Gelic with a respectful bow.

"Your master may open the letter to read it if she wishes," Fioso noted.

"It will only unseal for her. What's inside really isn't that of much consequence besides an introduction. The important part is the stamp, that is what is known as an enchanted invitation. Should she ever find herself in trouble, all she need do is tear it, and it will bring her to this manor. For whatever reason she comes, I will help her.

"You may ask why I would be so supportive to one whom I've never met. It is because I believe that talent should be nurtured, regardless of their circumstances, should they wish to apply themselves. That is the main difference between Rogue and Sect Summoners. And I may have a soft spot for youths who believe themselves isolated.

"You may stop by again if you wish, Gelic, and I will leave Diamen with an Order to help you however he can." This made the Demon butler grumble again.

"Merlina may also visit another time, even if not an emergency, should she desire. Though I would ask she'd come normally and not use the enchanted invitation in that scenario. Should we get along, I'd be tempted to offer to take her on as a student.

"Regrettably, I am technically mentoring a different student at present, so it would be uncouth for me to officially accept another. However, I could still provide guidance. Of course, many Summoners, especially the young ones, try to figure out everything themselves, which I respect. It takes a lot to ask someone for help, most notably maturity, so I understand if my offer goes unheeded for some time.

"But before you go, there is one more matter I believe we need to discuss. I believe you have something of mine in your possession." Huh, something Fioso owned? What could it be? Well, of course there was the letter she was just given, but he wouldn't be so cryptic about that suddenly, right? Maybe he meant the tiara? Had he somehow found out she owned it and wanted to lay claim to it? Or was it the…

"A book on Demon Summoning," the High Summoner clarified.

"My servant has already confirmed that you have it, able to sense its power in your apartment."