***
"Heya, Principal, did you hear?"
"What, specifically, should I have heard this time, Instructor Kami?"
"That we have a very special student this year."
"I heard that we have many noteworthy students this year. It's almost a record."
"No, it is a record. They just finished their rank assessment."
"And the results?"
"One S-rank, three A-ranks, and I didn't care about the rest, but that's still a record. How many S-rank first-years have there been?"
"Two. You and one other person."
"And I didn't even have any A-ranks! Principal, isn't this crazy!"
"It sure is. So, who is going to be our lucky charm during these upcoming trying times?"
"Zacharia Evandiel."
"...That's worrying."
***
The lesson after lunch was, as Jarron promised, light and basic. But it wasn't unnecessary.
All the students who came, applied, and entered the Empire's Academy of Summoners knew about as much as each other when it came to actual summoning. They knew how the entrance exams would be performed. They knew that familiars could have different ranks.
Families with a history of summoning might have passed down more information. But there still wasn't a lot of information about how the summoning process actually worked and how life as a summoner looked.
That was because no one's summoner looked like any other's. Even summoners with almost identical familiars could go about raising, training, and fighting completely different ways.
The shortest explanation for that was personality. Different familiars have different personalities.
Familiars aren't summoned things that the summoner can order around as they wish and treat like a tool. They are beings with thoughts, emotions, and will.
They are subservient to the summoner. But if the summoner breaks the contract by going against one of the many still-unknown clauses, the familiar can return to where it came. It's a rare occurrence, but summoners who have lost one familiar that way have an exceedingly hard time contracting another.
Jarron's lesson boiled down to learning to treat your familiars with respect, learn to communicate with them, and make sure their needs are met. But don't become pushovers. The summoners are still the masters.
Zach paid attention the entire lesson, even if he felt like he had an unfair advantage. After all, he could actually talk with his familiar using words. He didn't have to rely on guesswork and reading reactions. He could just ask Yanael what she wanted and if she was displeased with something.
"Great. That's everything for now. We'll continue with theory the rest of the week. Then we'll begin with practical lessons next week, after the entrance ceremony. Remember to pick up your books and uniforms sometime before the weekend. If you're going into the city, you'll need to wear it."
With those words, Jarron dismissed the class again, most of who were more focused on their familiars rather than their fellow students this time.
One of the exceptions was Zach. Rather than his own, he was looking more at Dukiel's sentinel and Anerias' dog. Those two didn't have anything in common, but the Sentinel was interesting, and there was something with that dog.
"Dukiel, are you doing anything after this?"
"I was planning to look for a job in the city or apply for a scholarship."
"Alright. Let me know if you need help with anything. As humble as I am, I'm still the youngest son of a duchy. I can get you a job if you want."
"I-I appreciate the thought but…"
"No worries. It's understandable that you don't want to be indebted to me or whatever. But in that case, remember to flaunt your familiar's rank. A-rank summoners are almost as good as me."
Dukiel nodded earnestly while Julius just shook his head. Dukiel took his leave after saying his goodbyes to Zach and Julius.
Zach turned to Julius.
"What about you?" Zach had told Nora that he would be bringing a friend over for refreshments when classes ended, after all.
Julius glanced at his mannequin.
"Well, Manny here is made of wood, so I was planning on getting some wood oil and treating him to a spa day."
"...Good idea. See ya tomorrow then."
After Julius also left, Zach finally turned to one of the few other remaining students in the classroom, Anerias.
"You noticed it, too?" Anerias questioned as he approached Zach.
"How could I not with your dog looking at my maid like she was covered in peanut butter."
"That's…a crude way of putting it." Anerias frowned at Zach's way of talking. It wasn't befitting of his status as a duke's son.
"To the training grounds?" Zach stood up while giving his suggestion.
"I was thinking the library."
Zach shrugged.
"That works, too, I guess. So, what do you think we're looking for?"
Zach got up and started walking.
"...Wrong way."
"Right."
"I'm not sure. My family hasn't had many summoners, so I don't know much about different familiars. But it could be something about maids liking cleanliness and thus not liking dogs, who are usually associated with, well, being not clean." Anerias had a thoughtful frown as he spoke.
Zach tilted his head.
"Could it be something about a deeper sense of service and protection that what other familiars are known for? Like, regardless of familiar or not, dogs and maids serve, aid, and protect their masters." Zach glanced at the overgrown black dog after he finished talking.
Anerias nodded slowly while scratching his chin thoughtfully.
"Could be."
With Anerias leading the way, the two students and their familiars made it to the library without getting lost or getting into any trouble. Zach took it upon himself to enter through the large double-doors first. He stopped to take in the sight of stories upon stories and shelves upon shelves of books spreading out in front of him like a mountain range.
"Damn."
"...Yeah."
Calling it an impressive collection of books was far from enough. It was an insult to the effort and results of the principal and the librarians who had put together it all.