Seeing Klein's interest, Lynn continued to encourage him, "I happen to have the spiritual materials needed for the ritual. Why don't we give it a try now? Even if we fail, it won't be a big deal."
Klein finally nodded and said, "I do need a messenger." However, he quickly added, "But even if we decide to summon one, we should wait until we dock and find a secluded place. Otherwise, we might endanger others."
Although this was different from the original version, Klein had now received thorough lessons from Mr. Door, and his knowledge about messengers had deepened significantly. Even so, randomly summoning a messenger was still quite risky, and Klein couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be any danger to himself or those around him. So naturally, he didn't choose to summon one immediately.
"Ah, right. I forgot that summoning a messenger carries risks…" Lynn scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
Lynn didn't actually forget the risks of summoning a messenger. He simply knew that Klein had a 99% chance of summoning a safe one, and even if there was danger, he was confident he could handle it. That's why he didn't bring it up.
But since Klein had said so, Lynn didn't explain further. The two patiently waited until the ship docked at the first stop along their route. After a brief rest at the port, they disembarked and found a secluded area with no one around for miles. They quickly set up the ritual and began summoning a messenger.
"I!"
"I summon in my name.
The spirit that wanders about the Spirit World.
The friendly creatures that can be subordinated.
Those who are swift beyond imagination."
Because both Lynn and Bernadette had previously summoned fast messengers, Klein's first instinct was to summon a speedster as well.
He did succeed, but a bit too well. With a sudden "whoosh," the sound of wind rushed by, and a blurry figure dashed past Klein. Then… nothing.
Klein: …
Klein and Lynn exchanged glances. Although Lynn was laughing inwardly, he blinked and smiled calmly, saying, "Your messenger sure is fast, even faster than mine. Maybe we should wait for a bit. It should come back soon, right?"
Klein thought it made sense, so the two waited together. After a full thirty seconds, there was still no sign of the messenger.
"Hmm, could it be that the messenger is too good for the job?" Lynn mused, rubbing his chin. "Maybe you should summon another one. I feel like we're not going to see this one again."
Klein nodded grimly. After becoming aware of the connection between the gray fog and the spirit world and sensing faintly the power of the gray fog within himself thanks to Mr. Door, Klein had a good guess as to why the messenger summoning had gone like this.
It was likely that the spirit world had sensed the power of the gray fog and, in response, sent the best candidate available—but the result was a bit over the top.
Klein had no choice but to end the summoning and try again with a new incantation. This time, he summoned "a weak, easily overlooked presence," aiming for something low-key—safety through invisibility, so to speak.
Then… nothing happened.
"Maybe it's already here, and we just can't see it?" Lynn rubbed his chin, glancing at a corner of the area.
As someone whose intuition was sharper than that of even angels, Lynn could actually sense where the messenger was. He could even tell how pitifully it was cowering, but that didn't stop him from feigning ignorance.
After all, the Fool's messenger position had already been claimed by a Remnant of an Angel, so the others might as well head back to wherever they came from.
Klein, however, was feeling a bit frustrated. He ended the summoning again and changed the incantation once more. This time, out of caution, he summoned "a creature with survival abilities."
After all, as the saying goes, "As long as they're not dead, they can deliver the message." Speed and stealth didn't matter so much. Just staying alive was enough.
To avoid a repeat of the previous too-powerful summon, Klein even avoided using words like "strong" this time.
Unfortunately, as everyone knows, the number of spirit world beings eager to be messengers is countless. In fact, they were practically fighting over the position, with angels even blocking the gates. So, even though Klein's description wasn't too extreme, he still ended up summoning a being with extremely strong survival capabilities—one that resembled a turtle.
And this turtle-messenger took ten minutes to crawl a single centimeter.
Klein: …
Although speed isn't necessary for delivering messages in the spirit world, it shouldn't be this slow!
Left with no choice, Klein politely dismissed the "turtle" messenger, and Lynn finally couldn't hold back his laughter anymore.
"Hahaha, so… this is the trouble with being too popular?" Having finally witnessed a scene from the original version, Lynn wiped the tears from his eyes and encouraged Klein once more, "Why don't you try summoning 'a unique being willing to become your messenger' next time? Most people would probably fail with that description, but with your popularity, you might get a whole lineup of messengers to choose from!"
Klein was initially a bit annoyed by the teasing, but after hearing Lynn's suggestion, he paused and realized it made sense.
Since he was so "popular" in the spirit world, holding a recruitment drive didn't seem like such a bad idea.
'If this attempt didn't work, I could always ask Mr. Door for a few travel talismans and personally head to the spirit world to find a messenger…' Klein thought to himself. Without further hesitation, he proceeded with the fourth summoning:
"I!"
"I summon in my name.
The spirit that wanders about the Spirit World.
The friendly creature that can be subordinated.
Unique beings who wish to become my messenger."
If it were anyone else using such a broad description, not a single spirit world being would respond. But due to the unique "aura" of the Fool, Klein immediately received a response as soon as he finished the summoning.
However, instead of a massive group of spirit world beings as Klein had imagined, there was only one.
It was a female humanoid figure dressed in a black gown with intricate patterns. The reason she wasn't entirely human was because, instead of a head, she held four golden-haired heads by the ponytails, two in each hand. This gave her an air of danger and eeriness.
'She doesn't seem like a regular spirit world Creature… Is she a high-sequence entity?'
Klein wondered to himself, but before he could say anything, Lynn let out a surprised sound beside him, as if he recognized the summoned messenger.
"Huh? Aren't you Miss Sharron's teacher? What was your name again… It's too long, I forgot."
(End of Chapter)
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