The room housing the engraved summoning circle beneath the academy is large.

By Li’s sense of scale, it is about the size of a gymnasium.

In other words, even with the entire class inside, it does not feel cramped.

The male instructor stands in front of the engraved summoning circle and the students line up in a row.

“Everyone’s here, right. We’ll be performing the summoning ritual now. I explained it beforehand, but I’ll confirm it again.”

The instructor’s explanation is a simple one.

Stand in the center of the engraved summoning circle, chant the trigger word and pour in mana.

It is something anyone enrolled in this class can do.

Once the engraved summoning circle activates, a barrier is first deployed over the entire formation.

Next, the summoning occurs in response to the mana.

From there, whether one can proceed as far as forming a contract also depends on luck.

Why luck?

Because it depends on whether the summoned being takes a liking to you.

What constitutes being liked is entirely a matter of chance.

One theory claims it is judged by the wavelength of mana, but its truth is unknown.

“By the way, this here is my familiar.”

A magic circle appears a short distance away from the male instructor’s feet.

This is the sign that summoning magic has been activated.

The magic circle spins flatly and what appears is a snake with small wings.

It is about one meter long, with cute, round eyes.

Combined with its vivid lapis-blue body color, it is quite adorable.

Flapping its small wings, it coils itself around the instructor’s neck.

“If you can form a contract, it’ll look something like this. Well, even if you can’t, it can’t be helped. This really is all about luck.”

The male instructor begins calling out names one by one.

Li’s class consists of ten boys and fifteen girls.

There are slightly more girls.

The summoning ritual starts with the boys.

The first boy summons a low-ranking imp, but fails to form a contract and slumps his shoulders in disappointment.

If a contract is not formed, the summoned being is automatically sent back.

“Next.”

The male instructor sends one boy after another forward, but none manage to form a contract.

Then, the Crown Prince’s name is called.

“Your Highness, best of luck.”

The entourage chant in unison.

The Crown Prince activates the engraved summoning circle.

A brighter light than before envelops the area.

Voices of admiration spill out from the entourage.

What appears within the summoning circle is a spirit clad in dull-shining armor.

It wears metal armor like a knight and holds a bare sword.

“I offer my mana as payment and seek a contract.”

At the Crown Prince’s declaration, the knight spirit kneels.

In that instant, the engraved summoning circle emits a burst of light.

“Oh, you formed a contract.”

At the instructor’s words, the entourage erupts in cheers.

“Alright, next.”

Paying no heed at all to the entourage’s excitement, the male instructor calls the next name.

The red-haired boy strides forward, swinging his shoulders.

“Congratulations, Your Highness.”

At the Crown Prince’s magnanimous “Mm,” Li feels a stab of irritation.

After bowing to the Crown Prince, the red-haired boy steps into the engraved summoning circle.

In the end, every member of the entourage manages to form a contract with a familiar.

They are low-ranking spirit-type beings, but being able to form contracts is honestly something to celebrate.

Still, Li thinks it is a bit much that they are getting carried away among themselves.

They could at least show some consideration for the other boys who failed.

Those who stand above others are the ones who most need consideration.

That was a belief born of Li’s own experience.

“This is an education case,” Li mutters quietly.

It is not as though her words were heard.

And yet, the Crown Prince and the others are seized by a chill and let out cries of “Hii.”

Only the blue one shouts, “Thank you.”