Author's Note:
This is a mini arc that I wasn't fully satisfied with, but didn't want to delete. This is the first chapter of this arc, and if you want to read them, read them from MA 1 to MA 8. It takes place after chapter twenty-five and before chapter twenty-six. You can skip this if you want.
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POV Rio
After coming back from a relaxing drive through the countryside, I was ready to get back to work when I stopped.
'What the?'
In my living room was a green orb. It was spherical but also a bit oval in appearance.
"Was this always here?" I ask myself as the orb just looks so perfectly placed.
I also had a strange compulsion to touch it, but as soon as I noticed that feeling, I crushed it and wagged my finger at it.
"No, no, no, you can't trick me like that!" I say with a smirk, then I start walking away.
'Let's check on the portal downstairs. Perhaps it's having some issues.'
As I think about that, I don't notice something very odd.
"Huh? How did I?" I look around and notice that I was somehow back in the living room.
I look at the still-present orb and stare at it as I back away. I never break eye contact while navigating my house, but as soon as I do, I back into the living room.
"Oh come on!" I yell.
The orb starts to react, and I quickly take back what I say.
"I want to apologize," I say calmly.
Gravity starts to fail, and I feel myself getting pulled towards the orb. I hold myself in the doorway and try to resist the pull, but as the seconds pass, it only gets stronger. I quickly noticed that only I was getting this pull, as other objects weren't being affected.
Crack
'Uh oh.'
Snap
The door frame I was holding shatters, and I am dragged towards the portal. My nails dig large grooves in the floor, and I try everything to resist the pull. For a split second, I look back, and I swear I see the Brazilian Flag.
"NOOO!" I scream.
I wasn't even sure why I was being summoned to Brazil, but I didn't want to go. But despite my best efforts, I was dragged into the sphere and felt myself falling through the sky towards the ground. At least I wasn't alone in this.
"Mayday mayday, this looks like the end! I never learned how to reeeeeeeaddd!" Pit says while falling into another portal.
I wasn't much better as I was flying to oddly and at random angles that I couldn't orient myself. But I was trying.
As I was falling, I heard someone speaking.
"My servant that existed somewhere in this vast universe. My divine, beautiful, wise, and powerful servant, heed my call, I wish from the very bottom of my heart. Answer to my guidance and appear!" says the voice.
'That sounds familiar.'
Right as I had orientated myself, I felt I was now on the ground.
"¡Ay, caramba!" I mutter to myself as I sort out the dizziness.
As my vision stops swimming, I look around myself and notice I am surrounded by... kids.
'I swear if this is a Lord of the Flies situation, I'm going to be really upset.'
I stand up slowly and draw my wand. The people around me didn't look hostile, but just in case, I would be ready to respond. A pink-haired little girl approaches me.
"Who are you, peasant?" the girl asks.
"Who the hell starts a conversation like that! I just got here!" I shout.
"What? How dare you yell at a noble!" the girl says.
"Silencio!" I cast and shut her up.
"Does somebody want to explain what is going on here?" I ask while looking at the others around me.
Everyone looks at me with shocked eyes, and the girl who was just yelling at me looks even more shocked.
"What? Oh? Have you guys never seen magic before? No, surely not, you summoned me after all?" I ponder aloud.
"Everyone get behind me!" says the only adult here.
"Whoa, hey, let's calm down. I can remove the silencing spell, no need to get violent!" I say while backing away.
I remove the spell, and the girl doesn't move from her spot.
"Y-You're a noble?" the girl asks.
"Uh, no? Not that I am aware of," I reply with growing concern.
"Ehem, let us all calm down. Good sir, could you introduce yourself? I am Professor Jean Colbert of the Tristain Academy of Magic," Colbert says.
"Nice to meet you, Professor Colbert. I am Rio Pines, of the Everfree Forest," I say with a slight bow.
"The Everfree Forest, I've never heard of it. Is that the lands you rule?" Professor Colbert asks.
"I suppose that is accurate. I am the caretaker of the forest, and in a sense I can be considered the ruler," I reply in a somewhat roundabout way.
"Yes, well, um, this seems to have been a terrible accident," Professor Colbert replies.
"Huh? Ah, I see what's going on now. You weren't trying to summon me, were you? Hmm, very well. I assume this is a form of familiar summoning, and if that is the case, you were trying to summon something or someone for a reason. So either you can send me back, or you can complete the summoning ritual," I offer.
"Professor Colbert is... Can I try resummon something else?" the girl asks.
"Ms Louise, that would be blasphemy to violate the sacred familiar summoning, though... I do admit this has never happened before. Since you summoned a foreign noble, this complicates things, but, ah, Mr Pines, could she be allowed to complete the contract?" Professor Colbert asks.
"What does that entail?" I ask.
"She will be required to kiss you..." Professor Colbert replies a bit nervously.
I offer up my hand.
"This will have to do. I do apologize, but I am not one to kiss a child," I reply with barely hidden disgust.
"Go on, Ms Louise," Professor Colbert says while gesturing.
Louise was blushing up a storm, but she still kissed my hand, and I felt an interesting magic enter my body.
Sizzle
"Oh? Interesting?" I say, and then everything clicks into place.
'So that's where I am. The Familiar of Zero world. This could be... Something. I'd best hide my elven nature.'
I recalled the basics, but I could recall more once I cast some Mind Magic to sort through and retrieve the memories.
The rune of Gandalfr vanishes soon after it was on my skin, likely something to do with my Changeling Template. Or perhaps my gear.
"Well, now that is done, may I ask what accommodations I can expect while I live here?" I ask.
"Huh? Well, uh," Professor Colbert says nervously.
"Surely you don't expect an adult noble to live in the same quarters as the children, or perhaps you intend to place me in the stables?" I comment.
"What? I would never! I will speak with the Headmaster at once, and we shall figure out this mess. Everyone else, class is dismissed," Professor Colbert says.
The next few hours are a bit of an annoyance as they try to find an appropriate place to put me. Since this has never happened before, they couldn't easily place me just anywhere. But eventually, they find an older building on campus that they quickly spruced up and let me use. It was more than adequate for me. Besides the small building, I was also given access to the library and given a schedule for when classes are, as well as meal times. Overall, despite the heavy confusion, I was well taken care of.
I did try to teleport back home, but to nobody's surprise, it didn't work. Apparition is good, as long as you aren't trying to go too far. As long as you have the mana, you can teleport almost anywhere within the same plane of existence, but when you leave the plane of existence, you are prevented from traveling between those places, even if it was as small a change as a pocket dimension to another pocket dimension.
Regardless, it was clear that I was stuck here for now. But I used Legilimency to recall my memories of this world. Though whether this would help me remained to be seen, as I couldn't be sure which version I was in, though I leaned towards the Anime.
I slept fine and then spent the rest of my time reading in the library. They had an impressive library, and I was given nearly full access to the thousands of books they had in storage. I only left the library when Louise came to talk with me.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Louise demanded.
I slam the book shut and stare at her.
"I will say this once. I am not your servant; this is at best a contract of equals. If you try to order me around, I will at best ignore you and at worst hex you. Now, as long as you understand that I will treat you with dignity, but respect will have to be earned," I reply firmly.
"I... Ehem. I understand," Louise says with a frustrated tone, but she likely recalled how I silenced her so easily before.
"Now, don't look so angry. This relationship can be beneficial for us both. You see, I have heard you have issues casting magic. I just so happened to have a lot of magical knowledge," I reply.
Louise looked ready to explode when I mentioned her difficulties casting, but she changed her tune when I mentioned my expertise.
"Are you suggesting that you can help me when I have access to the world's greatest magic academy?" Louise says hautily.
"Well, has this academy actually helped you with your issue? Or have you just been coasting along with academic scores vs practical scores?" I ask.
Louise looks less angry and more ashamed this time.
"I'm not insulting you. I'm just pointing out the issues with your argument, and my services are optional. You can continue as you are now, and perhaps you can scrape by enough to graduate, return home in glory. But given how much you praised this academy, I would imagine you don't believe that the courses will only become more difficult. Eventually, if you can't learn to cast properly, you'll be expelled," I explain.
"I... I... Sniff... I know that!" Louise responds while holding back tears.
"It's your choice to spend your time learning to become a powerful mage, that I know you can be, or keep doing what you are doing and make nothing yourself," I say while getting up and leaving the library.
The girl was young, yes, but she needed a wake-up call. I could already tell she has immense potential, but she can't use it. At least not yet.
It didn't take long for Louise to catch up to me and accept my offer.
"Good, now, do you know why you can't cast spells?" I ask.
"If I knew that I wouldn't need your help," Louise retorts.
I smack her in the head.
"Drop the attitude. I'm doing this for free; the least you can do is be polite," I threaten.
"You hit me! I'm a girl," Louise complains.
"I yearn for true gender equality. I have no patience for one who talks about female privilege when it suits them, and then complains about someone not being a man when it's convenient," I say while quoting a wise sage.
"Huh?" Louise responds dumbly.
"And don't forget the enemy will not hesitate to kill you on the battlefield, and if they don't kill you, you'll wish they did," I respond harshly while alluding to the treatment of captured women in war.
Gulp
"Now, back to the lesson. Do you know what is needed for a spell to be cast?" I ask.
"Of course. You need Willpower, A Chant, A Wand or Staff, and Noble Blood," Louise responds.
"Good, now, let me show an example," I say.
I pick up some pebbles from the ground and hold them in front of her.
"A transmtatuion spell. First, I take my wand and focus on the object I want to transmute. Then I say the chant. Transmutio. That chant takes my Willpower, as you call it, or Mana as I call it, and pushes it into the pebbles. Thus, I get a few bronze pebbles. Now, how much Mana do you think this costs?" I ask.
"I... I don't know," Louise responds.
"That's okay. It's about this much," I say while taking out a shot glass.
She nods.
"Now let's go away from the building, and I want you to try and cast this spell while trying to only use this tiny amount of Mana or Willpower, as you call it," I request.
She nervously complies, and we leave the academy for the nearby forest to practice. I remain far enough to sense what is about to happen, but far enough that I won't be in danger.
"Transmutio!" Louise chants.
BOOM
The pebbles are shattered, and an explosion occurs. I cast a quick mending spell on Louise so her uniform is quickly repaired, then I walk over and grab the pebbles.
"Well, I figured out your problem," I say while reaching a conclusion.
"You did?!" Louise asks with hopeful eyes.
"Yep. Your magic control is garbage," I reply bluntly.
"Wh-What?! What do you mean, garbage!?" Louise yells furiously.
"I said to use a shot glass of mana. You used this much instead," I say while pulling out a 5-gallon bucket.
"Wha... What?" Louise says with wide eyes.
"You have a good problem to have. Your mana capacity is ludicrous. It dwarfs mine by several orders of magnitude. And I'm pretty sure you have the greatest mana capacity I have ever seen," I say while rubbing my chin in thought.
"Wait, really!?" Louise exclaims.
"Yes, however, as I said, you have awful magic control. You use way more magic than a spell was designed to handle. That is why they always explode. You're overloading the spells," I reply.
"Well, what can I do to improve?" Louise asks with an eager tone.
"That's not that hard to answer. Use these exercises. They should help get you slowly towards being able to use your magic properly," I say while handing her some papers I had written a while back.
"Uh, I... Thank you," Louise says while bowing.
"No problem. Just learn them well and use your skills to better the world. I would prefer to have a contracted summoner that can defend themselves. The papers should have everything you need to know to better control your magic," I answer.
We walk back to the academy and go our separate ways.