Reincarnated as a Familiar Volume 1 (Light Novel), page 4
“Instructor Simon. Why is it that Lesti is allowed to have a familiar? Aren’t students forbidden from bonding with a familiar until our third year?” a girl asked from the back of the classroom.
“W-well, as I said, there are special circumstances this time around. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say on the matter right now.”
A dissatisfied murmur passed through the room at Lani’s explanation. The students didn’t seem to be too happy that their classmate had gotten the jump on them without any good reason being given as to why. Lani quickly jumped into her lesson in an attempt to put an end to the griping.
“R-Right then. As you all are aware, the power and effectiveness of the spells we use is based on two things. First, our innate magical energy stores. Second, our ability to form a strong image of what the spell should be doing. While both can be trained, training the latter is much more efficient. So, for today, we’ll be going over proper images and incantations to use for ice-based spells.”
Well, that’s interesting. So, mages have a limited amount of magic they can access. I would have just assumed that you could spam out spells as long as you want. I wonder what constitutes a strong image, though?
Lani continued her explanation of imaging and incantation techniques for ice-based spells. It was a bit long-winded, but the basic concept was simple enough. To be successful, the image you formed in your mind needed to be clear and as close to the result you wanted as possible. For example, if you wanted to use the attack spell Icicle, you would want to imagine icicles. However, if you wanted to use the Ice Wall spell, you would want to imagine a wall made out of ice.
It really does sound ridiculously simple. Basically, you just imagine what you want, right? I wonder why not everyone can use magic then. Is it because most people don’t have a large enough pool of magic? I’ll have to ask Lesti about that later.
“Alright then, let’s have someone give a practical demonstration,” Lani continued, “W-Would anyone like to volunteer?”
Lesti stood up and turned around to point at Sebastian with her usual smug look on her face. “Alright, Sebastian, time to show you what I can do now that I have Astria on my side! I’ll show you the most amazing ice spell you’ve ever seen!”
There she goes again. Acting like she’s queen of the world just because she has a familiar now. I haven’t even agreed to help her yet, not that I would know how to do that anyway.
“A-alright, Ms. Vilia, please come to the front of the class and show us your best ice wall spell,” Lani replied, “Make sure you have a strong image in mind just like we talked about.”
Lesti walked to the front of the room and turned to face the class. She closed her eyes and focused. Then, after a moment, her eyes snapped open, and she held her hand out in front of her.
“Oh spirits of the frozen north, grant me your strength and form an impenetrable wall of ice before me. Ice wall!”
As Lesti recited her spell, I could very vaguely sense the magic power flowing from her hand. It seemed to be reaching out like it was trying to pull something that I couldn’t see towards her. As her chant continued, a small wall of ice began to form at her feet. However, by the end of her incantation, it was easy to see that the spell had failed.
A small, poorly shaped block of ice sat before Lesti. The ice only came up to her knee and was already starting to melt. The so-called wall wouldn’t provide any sort of defense in a regular fight, much less in a battle where your opponent was firing off spells of their own.
“Hahaha! Is that all you can do after all your bragging?” Sebastian heckled Lesti from the back of the room, “Well, I guess you weren’t lying at least. That really is the most amazing ice spell I’ve ever seen.”
Sebastian’s taunt sent a wave of chuckling through the classroom. Lesti stared down at her sad excuse for an ice wall with a confused look on her face. Meanwhile, Lani looked on with a worried expression on her face. She quickly spoke up in what seemed like an attempt to cover for Lesti.
“N-Now, now. That was an excellent first attempt Ms. Vilia. Ice Wall is a very difficult spell to cast and even more so in a dry environment like the classroom. I wouldn’t expect that many mages could make a full ice wall in these conditions. Keep working on your imaging, and you’ll have it down in no time!”
Lesti returned to her seat without a word. The rest of the lesson went by without incident. Classes were dismissed a little before lunch, and students were given free time. The rest of the students filed out of the room along with Lani until only Lesti and I were left. She put her head down on the desk and hid her face.
She’s taking it pretty hard. I guess I should say something. “Come on, it’s not that big a deal. Lani even said that it’s a hard spell.”
“I just don’t understand. I should have been able to do it with you on my side. I should be stronger now.”
“Stronger? Stop messing around,” I snapped, “You haven’t done anything to get stronger. All you’ve done is try and use me without even asking me how I feel about it. Well, I have some news for you, Lesti. I’m not just some magical energy box, and I’m not just going to hand you my power if I even have any at all. You’re going to have to earn your strength, your power through your own efforts.”
I jumped off the desk and started to head for the door.
“I’m going to explore the school. I’ll be back later.”
Lesti never lifted her head or said a word as I left the room.
* * *
After leaving the classroom, I wandered through the school building in a counterclockwise direction. The general layout of the rooms was pretty easy to understand after I walked around for a bit. The hall where I started was on the left side of the building and contained nothing but classrooms and labs.
From there, I made my way to the front of the building. The first two floors were once again classrooms as well as a large entrance hall. The third floor appeared to be where all of the teachers’ offices were. The one exception to this rule seemed to be Frederick. For some odd reason, his office was on the first floor of the tower that I passed through on my way to this hall.
I continued my journey into the next hall, starting with the third floor this time. As I wandered through, I saw a lot of what appeared to be small sitting rooms. There were quite a few students that were using these rooms for self-study at this time of day, though I didn’t see any of the students from Lesti’s class. Making my way down to the second floor, I found a large library that took up most of the floor. Despite its large size, it was filled to the brim with books on all sorts of subjects. It was again filled with students using their free time to study on their own.
As I was walking through the library, I heard the familiar voice of Sebastian conversing with another boy whose name I didn’t know. They were on the other side of the shelf so I couldn’t see them.
“Lesti really needs to learn her place,” Sebastian said, “She’s lucky to even be here with such low magical ability. Did you see that pathetic excuse for an ice wall?”
“Yeah, where does she get off acting so high and mighty? She probably would have failed out by now if it wasn’t for the instructor always covering for her,” the second boy replied.
“That pathetic excuse for an instructor certainly is a nuisance. No need to worry, though. We’ll get to put Lesti in her place during the practical exams. By the time we’re finished with her, she’ll wish that she had failed out.”
What a bunch of punks. I’ll have to warn Lani to keep an eye on Sebastian and his group. I’ll also talk to her about this practical exam, whatever that is.
I left the library and made my way to the last hall. The first floor contained the dining hall where we had eaten breakfast and a kitchen where the staff prepared meals for the students. The second and third floors appeared to be used for storage currently, so there wasn’t much to see.
I was getting sick of the crowds of students wandering around the building. Being around so many people reminded me of how small and weak I was. I also had the feeling I was being watched. As I had wandered through the halls, it felt like there was constantly a pair of eyes on me, but whenever I turned to look, there was no one there.
So, I hopped up into the window of one of the abandoned rooms, keeping a close eye on the doorway. However, no one seemed to be following me in here. Eventually, I gave up and looked out over the lawn behind the main building. Several students were heading back toward the school building from the dorms.
I guess it’s almost lunchtime. I’m not really hungry, and the sun from this window feels really nice. Maybe I’ll just take a short nap here. I curled up in the windowsill and closed my eyes. The warmth of the sun and the silence of the empty hallway were comforting. Everything had been so crazy since I had arrived here that I hadn’t had a chance to relax. My consciousness faded as the tension slowly bled from my body, and I quickly drifted off to sleep.
* * *
I awoke as a chill washed over my body. I opened my eyes and found that the sun had already set, and it was now dusk. The first stars had yet to emerge, but the chill of night had already started to take hold. I stood up and stretched before hopping down from the windowsill. I could hear the murmurs of conversation coming from the dining hall below me.
Whoa, is it dinner time already? Man, I really overslept. I wonder if Lesti is in the dining hall. I guess I should go find her. I was still upset with Lesti, but for the time being I didn’t have anywhere else to go. Besides, despite what had happened, I didn’t think she was a bad girl, and she was probably worried.
I walked down to the dining hall. The hallway was poorly lit, but I could still see fairly well. When I arrived, most of the students were on their way out of the dining hall. It was well lit, unlike the hallways. Small magical lights, similar to the one that had been following Lani around last night, floated around the hall. I looked around for Lesti but didn’t see her. However, I did see Lani sitting on the far side of the hall.
I walked over and jumped up on the table next to her and privately said, “Hey, Lani. Have you seen Lesti anywhere?” Lani looked at me for a moment but then went back to eating her food without answering. She had a notebook and pen sitting next to her and started writing between bites of food.
What the heck. Is she ignoring me? What could she be working on that’s so important? I looked down at the sheet of paper she was writing on.
“You aren’t supposed to be talking to me.”
Oh, right, I guess she can’t respond to me without speaking out loud. “Sorry, my mistake. Can you just write down where I might find Lesti? I have no idea where to look.” Lani started scribbling another message quickly.
“Lesti should be in one of the practice rooms on the second floor of the west wing. That’s where she always is this time of night.”
“Okay. Thank you, and sorry again. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
I jumped off the table and headed towards the second floor of the west wing. The halls were empty except for a few students and familiars that were running last-minute errands before bed. I wonder what trouble that girl is getting up to this time.
By the time I arrived in the hallway, it was completely dark out. The only light in the hall was the soft glow of a candle coming from a nearby classroom. I walked over and peaked into the classroom.
Lesti was standing there, hand outstretched. The single candle in the room illuminated her face. Her brow was drenched in sweat, and she was breathing heavily. A pile of quickly melting ice sat at her feet, surrounded by a small pool of water. A small plate of half-eaten food sat on the desk nearby.
Well, now I feel like a bit of a jerk. I thought she was just some lazy brat who wanted an easy way out, but she’s practicing this hard every night.
“Another failure,” Lesti began talking to herself, “I’m using the imaging techniques that Lani went over in the lesson this morning. My chant isn’t bad, either. I just don’t get what I’m doing wrong. Well, standing here talking to myself won’t change anything, so let’s give it another shot!”
Lesti held her hand out in front of her, closed her eyes, and started her chant.
“Oh spirits of the frozen north, grant me a yo-”
In the middle of her chant, Lesti staggered backward and slumped against the nearby desk, sending the plate of half-eaten food tumbling to the floor.
“Hey! Are you alright!?” I shouted as I ran over to Lesti.
“A-Astria?” Lesti said weakly, “Thank goodness you came back. I’m so sorry for this morning. I ju-”
“You idiot! That doesn’t matter right now. Look at you, you’re a mess. Sit down before you collapse on me.”
“I’ll be fine if I just rest for a bit. I used a little too much magic energy is all. It’s totally okay.”
“It’s not okay! What if you had fallen and hit your head!? You could have died!”
“O-Oh, come on, you’re overreacting. A little bump on the head wouldn’t kill me.”
“Oh, it wouldn’t!? Because that’s how I died!”
“Huh? Died? Astria, you aren’t making any sense.”
“Stop questioning me and sit down right this instant young lady!”
“Y-Yes, Ma’am.”
Lesti slowly slid down to the floor and sat with her back against the desk she had been leaning on. A tense silence took over. The moment stretched on for what seemed like forever as I tried to compose myself. Lesti stared at me with an anxious look on her face. The only sound was the occasional gust of wind rattling against the large windows.
“S-So, what’s this about you dying? You look totally alive to me,” Lesti said, breaking the silence.
I heaved a heavy sigh.
“I guess there’s no point in trying to hide it now. You probably aren’t going to believe this, but I was once a human just like you. I died in an accident and I guess I was reborn as your familiar.”
I spent the next half hour or so explaining everything I remembered to Lesti. The life that I had lived, the world that I have lived in, and how I had died. I told her everything. I had meant to keep some things secret, but once I started talking, it was like a dam that I had built in my heart burst. All the emotions that I hadn’t been able to express up until now came racing to the surface. My frustration and regret from my past life, but most of all, my fear and anxiety at being thrown into this strange new world.
Lesti listened to everything without saying a word. Her expression didn’t show any doubt or fear. Instead, her eyes were full of empathy and understanding. When I finished, she reached out, picked me up, and hugged me close. In a voice almost as soft as a whisper, she said, “It’s going to be okay. I’m here for you now.”
With those words, I felt the last bits of the wall I had built up in my heart crumble. I cried. I wailed at the frustrations of my own failures that I had held in for so long. I shed tears for the life that I had lost and the loved ones that I would never see again. I trembled at the unfairness of the universe, which had taken everything from me so easily. All the while, Lesti held me closely, patting my back gently.
What I Want
Lesti stood in the empty classroom with her eyes closed. Sweat dotted her brow, and her breathing was heavy. It was clear she was getting close to her limit. I sat on the desk and observed her practice via the flickering light of a candle. A week had passed since my little outburst in this very classroom. Since then, I had been accompanying Lesti to all of her practice sessions.
“Lesti, this is your last attempt for the night. Got it?”
“Yeah. I know,” she replied without opening her eyes, “I’m just about at my limit anyway.”
“You say that, but if I weren’t here, you would keep going until you fell over again.”
“Give me a break! That was one time. I haven’t overworked myself since then, have I?”
“I suppose that’s true. Though I still don’t feel like I can take my eyes off you. Anyway, hurry up and finish. I’d like to get to bed at a decent hour tonight.”
“You sound like an old woman,” Lesti said under her breath.
“Did you say something, Lesti, dear?” I replied, extending my claws.
“N-nope. I was just going over my incantation. Here we go.”
Lesti recited her incantation for the Ice Wall spell. I carefully observed the faint traces of magic that I could see flowing out from her hand. It reminded me of a squid’s tentacles. After observing for a week, I had figured out that the magical energy was actually gathering water vapor from the air. The tentacles would reach out and grab the vapor from the air and pull it into the shape that Lesti was imagining.
The spell finished, and a small sloppy wall of ice sat before Lesti. It was clearly better than last week, but it still wouldn’t be useful as a defense. The wall still only came up to just above her knee, and it was still melting rather quickly. Lesti let out a heavy sigh and walked over to sit at the desk I was sitting on.
“You aren’t making much progress, huh?”
“Yeah. It’s frustrating, but it’s always been this way for me. No matter how much I practice, all of my spells are average at best.”
“Why do you try so hard then? You’re a noble, right? I figured you would be set up for life.”
Lesti looked down with a conflicted expression on her face before lifting her gaze to meet mine.
“Alright, I guess it’s time I told you. I summoned you because I wanted to be stronger, after all. I owe you at least that much,” A distant look came over her face as she started her story, “My family controls a small territory near the sea. We’ve never been extremely rich and we’re not very influential within the alliance. Two years ago, my parents were asked to send some of our forces to assist another lord. However, they didn’t like the idea of sending our citizens to die for another noble.”
“So, they refused to send troops, then?”
“No. The lord in question had sent us aid during a particularly bad harvest some years ago. On top of that, this particular lord is very influential within the alliance. He could have used his influence to convince the other lords to abandon trade with us. For a small territory like ours, that would be a death sentence. All of that made it difficult for my parents to refuse. They gathered up as many fighting age men as they could and set off to war.”
