How could I describe it? She was definitely ABER, with the same melancholic knight-king face as in my memories. Her hand held what seemed to be the legendary Victory Oath Sword. From her appearance to her bearing, no one would doubt she wasn't ABER... but...
Ichirou's eyes welled up with tears, his throat tight as if he'd swallowed a hundred lemons. He had supposedly summoned His Majesty successfully - why was it a thirty-centimeter-tall mini-Aber?
What the hell?
Ichirou nearly tore his hair out. In the Magical Disaster world, Kira summoning a mini-Lily ABER was bad enough - that was an imagined Holy Grail spirit after all. But this miniature version? Was his luck really this rotten? Why couldn't he get the authentic edition when even bootlegs were available?
Looking at their tiny Majesty before him... Well, she was undeniably adorable. Cuter than the original even. Definitely a charming bedside mascot for sleepless nights. But could such a little figure actually fight off Ordo Levis members?
Ichirou felt it would be better if he fought himself - this kid probably couldn't survive his own pinky finger.
"Aww, what an adorable child," Reiko murmured in surprise from the side...
The moment she said that, Ichirou face-planted. The mini-Aber's tiny chest puffed out furiously as she straightened her posture and shouted: "I-I'm not a child!"
"Truly precious," Reiko seemed enchanted, reaching out to gently pat the mini-Aber's head.
"Don't touch me you idiot woman!" the mini-Aber protested, frantically using both hands to push against Reiko's finger with obvious strain. Her cheeks puffed out comically as she gasped, "P-please remove it!"
After Reiko withdrew her hand, the mini-Aber composed herself dramatically and coughed, "Understood now? State your name."
What exactly was I supposed to understand?! And why did you sound like a superior giving orders?!
Ichirou felt utterly lost. After pondering for a while, he finally asked: "Are you really a spirit servant? Do spirits come in this size?"
"Hmph," she sneered with knowing smugness, wagging her index finger at him in an unbearably haughty manner reminiscent of phoenixes. "Though I appear small, there's no doubt I'm the strongest among servants."
You're definitely not the strongest when you have more questions than answers.
"Alright, you're the strongest," Ichirou said, suddenly snapping his fingers to flick her forehead - *thunk*.
"Uwah..." The mini-Aber cried out, nearly toppling over.
"What did you do?!" Rubbing her head with a tear welling up in her eye, she shouted accusingly.
"Not much," Ichirou shrugged. "Just testing if you're as powerful as claimed." Though the spirit was small, he couldn't entirely dismiss its value. Didn't some bigwigs say condensed things are purest? Maybe all Aber's power had been concentrated - though the odds were slim.
"Hmph... I see," the mini-Aber narrowed her eyes dramatically, adopting a casual tone as if dismissing it. "Such trivial attacks won't touch me. I'm the strongest after all."
*thunk thunk thunk thunk*
Before she could finish, Ichirou's finger made seven quick taps to her forehead - he swore they were light. Yet after those seven strikes, the mini-Aber collapsed face-down with flushed cheeks and a pout ready to burst into tears.
Ichirou now understood for sure - this ABER was definitely condensed. Just not in combat power but entirely in cuteness energy.
Seconds later, the mini-Aber got up without looking at Ichirou, retreating to the corner to squat down clutching her head with a tearful mutter: "Nooo... it didn't hurt at all..."
"Uh..." Seeing this, IchirO felt awkward. Did he just commit some unforgivable sin?
"I'm such a bad person! I don't want to be your servant anymore!" she suddenly glared up at him, then suddenly levitated as if defying gravity before darting away. But halfway through her escape, she turned back with: "Also, I'm not small!"
And vanished in an instant.
"Huh?..." Ichirou was stunned. Flying ABER?! What the hell? And where did she go so fast?
"That... okay?" Reiko tugged his sleeve, glancing at the direction she flew and worrying, "Shouldn't we do something?"
"Well," he smiled reassuringly. At least the spirit was a magical being who could protect herself. Even if her flight speed wasn't exactly combat-effective.
As they continued talking, Reiko seemed tired and leaned against him to rest. IchirO didn't disturb her but looked at his right hand - three command seals had originally been there, now only two remained.
"What?" He was puzzled. Summoning a spirit wouldn't consume command seals unless forced through the seal itself. But he hadn't issued any commands! Why was one missing?
The summoning ability came from Kira's talent inheritance but this was strange. The Command Seal wasn't really Kira's talent - it had been granted by the Holy Grail. How could such an external power become an inherited trait? For someone with Kira's capabilities, elemental mastery or magical circuits would be more logical.
His command seals weren't bound by the Holy Grail at all. So what exactly was their function? Losing one when summoning meant he could potentially summon three spirits?
The thought bordered on madness yet IchirO had experienced stranger things. He wanted to test it.
"Return here immediately!"
This was a forced command. If these were true Holy Grail seals, the order would consume another seal and forcibly bring ABER back through magical phenomenon. But... minutes later, his seals remained unchanged while ABER hadn't returned.
"Of course..." IchirO now felt certain - his command ability was purely summoning-based. Yet if that was true, this talent surpassed Miko's and Sear's abilities by magnitudes despite only being able to summon tiny spirits like ABER.
Too many mysteries existed but exploring them further wasn't worth the effort right now. Increased strength meant better survival chances. The next question: should he try summoning another spirit?
After considering, IchirO decided against it. Summoning another might just get a similarly useless spirit wasting resources. Better to wait until understanding this ability fully.
"Help! Help! Some monster is going to eat me!"
Suddenly, ABER's voice reached him. Looking over, the tiny figure was flying chaotically through the air in obvious panic, completely losing balance despite her speed.
IchirO barely registered what happened before she crashed into his pocket and trembled inside.
"This is the strongest? You're here just for cuteness?" he sighed. "What monster chased you?"
"A-A white big monster! Uwah... it's so scary! Protect me!"
The mini-Aber peeked out, trembling as she spoke, then dove back in huddling together and even fastening the pocket button.
Talk about a disaster - an esteemed spirit more cowardly than mice. And didn't you just say you wouldn't be my servant?
"I've found you."
A chilling voice echoed ahead. IchirO looked up to see that white Ordo Levis member charging at them from hundreds of meters away with terrifying speed.
"Reiko, take cover! I-"
Before he could finish, a warm small hand gripped his cheek. Reiko stared at him intently, her emerald eyes softened by determination.
"I hate humans... but you're strange. Because you're strange... so, not hated..."
Suddenly, blue whirlwinds erupted from Reiko's body, enveloping both of them as she began chanting:
"Darkness shall guide my path, dawn shall illuminate my glory. Let noble radiance answer my call, twin forces entwine..."