Chapter 43 - The Magic Otaku Prostrates Himself
"So, why exactly are you following me?"
I asked the space above my head. I had just finished dinner at the dormitory and returned to my room, where I now sat on the edge of my bed. Perched on my head, as if it were her own little bed, was Ruria's familiar, the fairy.
"Hmm, let's see. Ruria-chan and I had a little chat, and we decided it would be best for me to keep an eye on you, Saki-kun!"
"Don't call Ruria by weird nicknames. And while you're at it, don't call me that either."
"Aww. Well then, Ruri-tan? Or how about Ruri-nyan? Hey, hey, Saki-kun, which do you like better?"
"Don't add '-tan' to her name. And '-nyan' is out of the question. Also, is my nickname non-negotiable?"
"Geez, you're so fussy. In that case, how about Ruri-ru…"
"Hey, you idiot, cut it out."
My face went dead serious as I shot back. This is bad. I have to do something about her, and fast…
The Invocation of the Familiar ritual Ruria performed in the spell laboratory today had been a success. But… the one she summoned was this little pixie, whose cute appearance was betrayed by her unfortunate way of speaking. Ruria was delighted, calling her "cute," but from my perspective, it was a case of my bad premonition coming true. Honestly, I really wished it hadn't. Seriously.
According to the summoned being herself (?), her fairy form was invisible to everyone but the two of us, so we went to return the key to the professor with her perched on Ruria's shoulder. I was pretty nervous, but Professor Azadh took the key without noticing a thing. It seemed she really was invisible.
When we got back to the dorms, however, the fairy didn't follow Ruria to the girls' dormitory for some reason, instead sticking to me as I returned to the boys'. I couldn't risk being seen arguing with an invisible fairy, so I had no choice but to let her ride on my head to the dining hall, eat my dinner in silence, say goodnight to Roche and Isak, and finally make it back to my room. Which brings us back to the opening scene.
"You said you talked it over with Ruria, but I didn't see you do anything of the sort."
"Ruri-chan and I can understand what the other is thinking, even when we're apart. It's what you call telepathy! So Ruri-chan is totally on board with me sticking to you, Saki-kun. You can rest easy☆"
"How am I supposed to rest easy? And stop calling me Saki-kun."
As I spoke, I reached up to try and catch the fairy sitting on my head. My personal space was already being invaded by this unfortunate creature, and now I learn that everything she sees and hears is transmitted directly to Ruria? There wasn't even a shred of privacy left.
But the fairy deftly floated into the air, and my hand grasped at nothing. My eyes followed her instinctively as she did a somersault above me. Spreading her arms and legs, she began to slowly descend toward me. My [Light] spell, hovering near the ceiling, backlit her, throwing her silhouette into sharp relief. I was mesmerized by her soft, supple curves, and in that moment, she landed stomach-first on my forehead.
"Heehee, you're a boy after all, aren't you, Saki-kun? I don't dislike that side of you, you know."
"Urk…"
The fairy's voice was full of amusement as she tapped the tip of my nose. Damn her, she saw right through me, knew I couldn't look away. And she's tiny, but… warm and soft. No, no, no, that's not what I should be thinking about right now!
I took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled. By focusing on tensing my stomach as I inhaled and relaxing my entire body as I exhaled, my troubled mind, which had been thrown into chaos by the fairy, began to settle.
For now, the weight on my head and the strain of leaning back were uncomfortable, so I simply fell backward onto the bed with a soft thump. The fairy floated up for a moment to avoid the impact, then danced back down onto my forehead, sitting with her legs tucked neatly to one side. I did my best to ignore the sensation and posed my question to her.
"So, who are you, really? You answered the summons, so you must be a servant of the goddess Isis, right? But you call yourself 'Isis the Magic Fairy'."
"Huh? I am Isis."
"…What?"
Say what? This unfortunate little fairy is the goddess Isis? Meaning she's Sister Magisa, the Magister Templi of the Holy Magicians' Order?
Memories of my words and actions since bringing this fairy back to the dorms flooded my mind. It meant I had been unbelievably rude to the leader of my own order, a being not just beyond the clouds, but in the heavens themselves… I shot up and knelt formally on the bed. The sudden movement dislodged the fairy, but she floated gently down and landed on my pillow.
"Y-You're lying, right?"
"Yep, a lie."
"…You little…"
"Well, it's not a complete lie. Both Magisa and I are parts of Isis… like, we exist in different worlds, but our source is the same. Something like that?"
"Huh? Hmm, what do you mean?"
After a long discussion with the fairy, I came to understand the situation was roughly as follows. The great magician Sister Magisa, upon leaving this world of Assiah and becoming a being of Yetzirah, assimilated with the more powerful entity, Isis. This time, in response to Ruria's summons, Magisa-Isis sent down a part of herself to be incarnated, giving birth to the fairy Isis. In other words, this creature was like a splinter of Sister Magisa, but they each possessed separate personalities and could communicate with one another.
"Normally when a familiar is summoned, we'd just send some spirit that's lazing around, but this time was special, so I came myself. Magisa even said, 'Please protect Saki-kun and Ruria-chan,' so you can count on me, you know?"
"I-I see. Um, may I ask you something?"
"Magisa and I share the same source, but since we're separate like this, we're different people. There's no need to be so formal. If anything, I prefer the rough, mischievous way you were talking before. Magisa, on the other hand, seems to prefer you when you're all prim and proper."
"R-Right. Well, let me ask you this, then. Who is the goddess Isis? Isn't she just Sister Magisa, deified by later generations of magic users and worshipped as a goddess?"
"Isis is… well, she's more like a principle or a law, you know? Not a person like me or Magisa. Magisa says she's a being who descended to the Formative World from a much higher world. Apparently, Magisa has been training for hundreds of years to become one with the main body of Isis that exists up there."
Whoa. Higher than Yetzirah… so, Briah, the World of Creation? I knew about it in theory, but it was so far beyond my comprehension that my only reaction was something like, "Wow, that's amazing."
"But, you know, Magisa has had contact with people in this material world even after she went to the Formative World, and she apparently called herself the goddess Isis back then. I think that's probably when people started worshipping her as a god like they do now."
I see. So, viewed only from the perspective of this Material World, "Goddess Isis = Sister Magisa" is correct. But from a broader perspective that includes the higher worlds, Isis exists not merely as a goddess of magic, but as a much larger divinity.
"So, what should I call you then? Is 'Isis' fine?"
"I'm Isis-chan, the magic fairy. I'm Ruria-chan's familiar, nothing more, nothing less. It's a pleasure to work with you, Saki-kun."
"Alright! Nice to meet you, Isis. For starters, please teach me some new magic knowledge, I beg of you!"
"Ah, that's a no-go. Magisa said, 'Just knowing the ritual is meaningless without the practice to back it up.' You managed to summon me, so let's focus on summoning everyone else before we move on to the next step, okay?"
"Seriously… You pick now of all times to give a straight answer? But I guess what you're saying does make sense. Can't be helped. For the time being, I'll make it my goal to try every last ritual in that book."
I looked away from Isis and gazed at the Book of Spirits (Liber Spirituum) on the bedside table. Since the familiar summoning was a success, Ruria had returned the book she'd been borrowing. I had taken it back to decide which ritual to try next, but it was proving to be quite difficult. Not in a technical sense, but a physical one.
"Still… I managed to summon you, Isis, but the other rituals might be impossible as things stand. I'm completely lacking in ritual tools, sacred implements, and a proper ritual space."
That was the very reason I had chosen the familiar summoning from among the rituals in the Book of Spirits in the first place—because it seemed to bypass those issues of tools and location. Once again, the limitations of being a student living in a dormitory weighed heavily on me.
"I see. But if that's the problem, I might be able to do something about it. If you're short on items, you just have to substitute them with something else!"
Isis crossed her arms, crossed her legs, and puffed out her chest, a smug look on her face. But in that moment, I honestly saw a divine halo shining from behind the fairy.
"Seriously?! There's a way? Master Isis, I implore you, please bestow your wisdom upon this ignorant and foolish student!"
"Hmph-hmph, very well! Then I shall deign to grant my precious teachings to the pitiful Saki-kun."
I went from kneeling formally on the bed to prostrating myself. Isis, still sitting on my pillow, puffed her chest out even more. To an outside observer, it would have been a pathetic sight, but I felt not a shred of shame or embarrassment. For the first time since being born into this world, I had met someone who would teach me magic directly. Even if it had been an earthworm poking its head out of the ground, I would have bowed my head just the same.
And so, until late that night, I received a lecture from the fairy who was now thoroughly full of herself.
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(This is Throne, Throne. Lapis Lazuli, respond.)
(This is Lapis Lazuli. Go ahead, Throne.)
(Reporting to Lapis Lazuli. Target appears to trust me completely.)
(Lapis Lazuli, roger. Throne, continue to accompany the target and maintain surveillance.)
(Throne, roger. Continuing the mission.)
(Throne, your surveillance priorities are, first, any who would attempt to harm the target, and second, any and all females who approach the target. If possible, endeavor to obstruct these as well.)
(…You know, Ruria-chan, Saki-kun won't like you if you're too clingy.)
(Huh? What are you talking about? There's no way Saki could ever hate me.)
(…)
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This is the forty-first chapter. This time, it turned into a light, comedic story. I'd like to upload the next one at about the same pace if possible. So, I look forward to your continued support.