Chapter 3

"Hey, you. It's already morning, shouldn't you wake up already?"

I can hear a voice, but my head is telling me I want to keep sleeping.

So I ignored it.

"Hmm... If it comes to this, I have no choice but to use the last resort. Secret move, Hundred Strikes!!"

A stabbing sensation hits my body.

"Owaaaaaah!!!"

I jumped up.

Looking around, I see an old man swinging a spear.

"Intruder!?"

I'm confused by the sudden turn of events.

Why? Why is there an old man with a spear in my house?

Could he be a burglar?

If he's a burglar, I have to catch him!

"Phew, you finally woke up."

"Secure himmmmmmm!!!"

I leaped from the bed, aiming to elbow the old man.

Huh?

Somehow, it went through him.

My body passed through the old man's and then slammed into the wall with a thud.

"Why did you jump at the wall...?"

Indeed, from the outside, it might look like I suddenly jumped at the wall.

"I was trying to catch the intruder...!"

As I started to argue, I realized something.

Oh, this old man.

He's the demon I summoned yesterday.

I had completely forgotten about him.

"Um, Mr. Fullcas, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I am Fullcas, the 50th-ranked demon."

Saying this, Fullcas puffed out his chest, perhaps to look impressive.

However, no matter how much an old, frail man puffed out his chest, it only looked like he was putting on a show.

"Are you really a demon?"

"Are you doubting me, perhaps?"

"No, it's not that... but..."

I had always imagined demons to be terrifying, so the gap between that image and this old man was too much for my brain to handle.

"It's just that, this is the first time I've summoned a demon, so I'm not sure what to do."

"Hmm, the first time summoning a demon, huh... Choosing me on your first try shows you have some foresight."

For some reason, I was praised.

I thanked him just to be polite.

"So, what do you want from me?"

Fullcas said this, staring intently at me.

Right, summoning a demon means I have to give it a command.

But I had only tried summoning a demon out of curiosity and didn't really have anything specific I wanted to command.

No, that's not true.

There was one thing I wanted to command.

"Um, I want you to teach me fire magic."

"Ho ho ho, you want to learn magic from me. Why is that?"

"Well..."

Then I explained to Fullcas.

That I attend a magic school.

That I can't perform magic that younger students can do easily.

That I get laughed at by the students and scolded by my parents.

And that I might be kicked out of the house because I can't use magic.

"Hmm, you seem to have had a tough time, but I see the reason why you can't use magic."

"Huh, what is it?"

I asked eagerly.

If I knew why I couldn't use magic, maybe I could find a solution.

"You have a constitution that is very attractive to demons. In other words, you are also likely to be disliked by spirits and angels."

"A constitution that attracts demons...?"

I had never known this about myself.

"Yes, that's right. You are very talented at commanding demons."

"So, I can summon demons but can't use fire magic?"

"That's right."

"Then what...?"

Feeling helpless, I looked down.

It seems I don't have the talent to control magic after all.

"However, with the help of a demon, you might be able to do something similar to fire magic."

"Really!?"

I immediately looked up.

Right, among the demons in this grimoire, there must be some who are good at controlling fire!

"For controlling fire, I recommend Aim, the 23rd-ranked demon."

"Really!!?"

Excited, I started flipping through the grimoire to summon him.

"But, Aim has a bit of a difficult personality."

Fullcas stopped me with his hand.

Right, I almost forgot. Fullcas seems like a kind old man, but the demon I'm about to summon is undoubtedly a demon.

It wouldn't be strange if some demons tried to attack me.

"Then, should I not summon Aim?"

"Hmm, it might be a bit of a detour, but how about summoning Ourobus, the 55th-ranked demon? He is very loyal to his summoner and will surely be of help to you."

Wow, there are loyal demons too.

"Thank you. I'll try that right away."

As I said this and was about to flip through the grimoire—

"Hey, big brother! How long do you plan to sleep!?"

The door slammed open.

It was my sister, Nene, and next to her stood a servant looking troubled.

Oh no, if I don't do something, Nene will see Fullcas.

I was trying to think of an excuse on the spot.