When Sora woke up, he saw Louise lying beside the bed, tears still clinging to the corners of her eyes. She must have been worried about him. A gentle smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Careful not to wake her, Sora slipped off the bed, tucked Louise back under the quilt, and gently adjusted it around her.
"She's really gentle, Sora," Chuluk teased from the doorway.
Sora walked out of the room, closed the door behind him, and gestured toward Chuluk's room. The two of them went inside and sat down.
"What happened before? Do you know, Chuluk?" Sora asked.
"It's the familiar contract, Magician," Chuluk explained. "After a familiar is summoned, the contract is sealed with a kiss, and the familiar mark is engraved." She took Sora's left hand and placed it on the table.
"This is…!!" Sora exclaimed, staring at the strange line of characters now etched on the back of his hand. It looked as though it had grown there naturally.
"It's a familiar mark I've never seen before," Chuluk said. "But it proves you are Louise's familiar. When this mark disappears, you are no longer her familiar."
"Was the engraving painful?" Sora asked cautiously.
Chuluk shook her head. "No. When I contracted Fram, I was calm, and nothing like your situation happened to anyone else."
Sora was slightly stunned, probably because he was a time traveler and sensitive to strange occurrences.
"So, does this engraving give me any benefits?" he asked, holding up his left hand.
Chuluk laughed. "Nope. It's just proof of the contract."
"That's it?" Sora said, a little disappointed.
"Alright, even though it's still afternoon, let's continue yesterday's magic practice," Chuluk said seriously.
"Understood." Sora set aside his doubts and focused fully on cultivating his magical power.
Meanwhile, after Sora had fallen unconscious, Chuluk had called Professor Krubel to check on him. Krubel—the bald-headed professor who had overseen the summoning of the familiar—examined Sora and confirmed he was merely unconscious. He applied a salve to treat the burns, but his eyes were drawn to the strange engraving on Sora's left hand.
"This…!" Krubel muttered. The characters looked like ancient script from six thousand years ago.
Concerned, Krubel left Sora in care and went to the library on the fourth floor of the teaching building to study ancient records. He skipped lunch and, by the afternoon, finally found a text matching the engraving exactly. His expression turned grave.
Clutching the book, he hurried to the principal's office on the fifth floor.
"Professor Krubel, what brings you here?" asked the principal, a kind man with a white beard and hair, smiling.
Krubel's tone was serious. "Could Miss Lengbier step out for a moment?"
The principal looked surprised, his smile fading. He gave his secretary a subtle nod, and the cyan-haired Lengbier rose and quietly left the office.
Krubel opened the ancient book in front of the principal. "Today, I saw this engraving on Miss Valier's familiar," he said, pointing to the text. "I think you should be aware of it."
"What is it?" the principal asked, leaning closer to study it.
"It's… Gundaruff," he said, shocked. "This is the ancestor's familiar. This exact engraving has only appeared on the familiar of the Valriel family's third lady. Miss Valriel is not Louise Zero, after all."
"Also, yesterday's summoning of the familiar included a civilian," Krubel added.
The principal fixed Krubel with a serious gaze. "This matter must not be revealed to anyone else. Do you understand, Krubel?"
"I understand. I won't tell a soul," Krubel promised.
"Good. I'll handle the rest," the principal said.
"Then I'll take my leave, Dean," Krubel said, exiting the office.
The dean remained by the window, staring in the direction of Louise's dormitory as if he could see Gundaruff himself. He murmured softly, almost to himself, "Void… have you finally returned?"