Chapter 70: Magic Circle
I finished planting vegetables from the pantry next to the field, thinking they might serve as a model for the Spirit.
And so, it was time to create the magic circle! I cleared the desk by moving aside the tools for making healing potions. First, I needed to make some ink.
While pouring my magic power into it, I crushed the designated herbs and minerals, mixing them with the water the Spirit had played in.
Starting with the small ones, I filled the newly made ink into the crow quill attached to my compass.
The crow quill is a drawing tool used to create uniform lines. Instead of directly dipping it into the ink pot or dish, I lightly touched the inside of the quill’s blade with a fine brush soaked in ink. It was a bit of a hassle, but it allowed for clean lines.
There were specialized shops for Spirit Summoning Tools, but they weren’t aimed at the common folk. They were quite expensive, and there weren’t many stores.
When drawing on the ground, you would attach a string to two sticks, but these sticks were decorated and ridiculously pricey. A simple stick would do just fine as long as it was straight. It definitely wasn’t the Spirit’s taste; it was more about the user’s preferences. Well, since I still had time before drawing the larger ones, it was fine for now.
I read from one book and combined the diagrams from another as I drew. I muttered the steps and my hopes aloud while working, as this was said to be a way to appeal to the Spirits, to summon them.
Hmm, what type of Spirit should I summon?
“Earth.”
A Spirit dressed in brown with small pink flowers bloomed from the incomplete magic circle.
“Water.”
Above the magic circle, the brown Spirit transformed into a translucent, blue gummy-like Spirit striking a pose.
“Fire.”
A small lizard dashed across the magic circle like a lit fuse made of gasoline.
“Stop bursting out from under the desk. I’m not done drawing yet!”
I shooed away the Spirit waiting under the desk, worried that my partially drawn paper would be ruined.
“Hmm. Should I go with Ice here?”
Rishu peeked out from between my knees as I sat down.
“Speaking of which, Rishu is Ice and Darkness, right?”
I ruffled Rishu’s head with both hands as he popped out.
“Is it okay if I have you cool the pot later?”
At my words, Rishu wagged his tail excitedly. The tip of his tail peeked out from either side of the chair, appearing and disappearing.
I wanted him to cool the container for making ice cream. Would he be able to do that?
“I’ve made a field, so how about Fertility?”
I wrote the final symbol into the magic circle. Fertility is often desired in this world, where food supply is heavily influenced by the weather and prone to famine, so it had its own distinct symbol.
Once I finished drawing, I channeled my magic power. The still-wet ink shimmered faintly, and suddenly, Pal was sitting cross-legged on the desk.
“I am Pal, the one who governs the earth and harvest.”
“Yeah, I know that…”
Was this a prank? Or had I succeeded? Which was it!? I was at a loss for how to react.
“Isn’t the ink not good enough?”
A hand reached out, pulling the magic circle from beneath Pal.
Looking at where the hand retreated, I saw Van. He had sun-kissed skin like tanned leather and a ruggedly handsome face. I wished he could share some of that muscle and height with me.
“I followed the steps in the book.”
“Then the book must be wrong,” Rudil said. I hadn’t even sensed his presence!
“Hm, with this, you can only summon something you’ve already contracted nearby.”
Kadal was also inspecting the ink pot, having appeared out of nowhere.
Rudil governs the earth, silence, and magic. Kadal governs green, magic, and order. —So the ink was wrong, final answer. I felt like I was being graded.
“Hehe. Jin seems to be having a lot of fun. It’s enjoyable for us to watch too.”
Mishto leaned in with a soft smile.
“If it’s about Spirits, you should just ask us.”
Ish tilted his head, his expression unchanged.
“Wait, you’ll teach me?”
I had received some guidance before coming here, but I hadn’t expected any aftercare.
“There are many small Spirits here, and it feels pleasant.”
Haralfa smiled alluringly.
The small Spirits Haralfa mentioned were fainter and smaller than the light of fireflies. They easily consumed and disappeared. They were delicate beings born in the morning and gone by evening.
They could attach themselves and grow into slightly larger Spirits, but most of the time, they would already attach to larger Spirits and dissolve away. These small ones had no will; they simply came into existence, floated around, and were consumed by someone.
“Alright, let’s have a little spar. It must be boring just sitting around, right?”
No, Van. Once I start, I tend to get absorbed in it—though I couldn’t say that, I was quietly dragged out to the garden.
Why was he so eager to grab the back of my neck and move me? If he had just asked me to go to the garden, I would have walked myself! I appreciated the sword training, though.
As I was being dragged, I glanced back at Kadal and the others, who were checking the book I had acquired and exploring the changed location of the house since I received it. Pal had somehow made his way to the garden, admiring the plants I had planted.
Spirits really are free.
I patted Rishu’s head, who had followed along while being dragged.