The next day.
"Ryoma-san, are you awake?"
The young lady visited my room early in the morning, accompanied by Sebas-san.
"Is something the matter?" I asked.
"My father and the others are going to teach me taming magic today. Would you like to join us, Ryoma-san?"
Taming magic... Come to think of it, the only spells I currently knew were Taming Contract, Monster Appraisal, and Contract Cancellation. There were definitely others out there, and I finally had some free time.
But then, there was the matter of those thugs from yesterday...
As I hesitated, Sebas-san stepped closer and whispered in my ear.
"This is rather sudden, I know, but I’ve heard you’ve been managing to make more time for yourself lately, Ryoma-sama. Would you consider this a holiday and spend it with Elia-ojousama? Since the time for your separation in this town is drawing near, the young lady wishes to spend as much time with you as possible. I will ensure a guard is posted at your shop for the day."
Ah... right. Ever since I decided to become independent, I’d been so focused on securing my living expenses and managing the shop that the time I spent with her had become much shorter than it was during our journey.
She had seemed so happy whenever we practiced magic together. I suppose she was just genuinely glad to have a friend.
I felt a pang of guilt. I had been a bit inconsiderate.
"I understand. I would be honored to join the lesson."
"Truly!?"
The young lady’s face lit up with a smile so bright it was almost blinding.
The guilt intensified. Or rather, I felt bad for being so dense that it had to be pointed out to me in the first place.
I stopped by the shop to let everyone know, and they all insisted with wide smiles that I should leave everything to them. Even after the incident yesterday, they didn't offer a single complaint. At my old workplace, a request like this would have been met with a storm of criticism.
They really were wonderful people. I was lucky to have hired them.
Eventually, we arrived at the abandoned mine square, a place I was becoming quite familiar with.
It seemed the training would take place here. The Madam set a birdcage down in front of Elia and me.
"Now then, let’s begin. First, Elia, tell me: what is taming magic?"
"Taming magic is a discipline where one forms a contract with a monster to borrow its power. When a Taming Contract is established, a mana-based connection is formed between the caster and the monster, allowing for communication through that link."
"Correct. And what we are going to teach you both today is a spell that utilizes that connection: Sensory Link. As the name suggests, it allows the caster to share the senses of their familiar to gather information or to alert the familiar if the caster is in danger."
"This is a unique feature of taming magic," Reinhardt added. "It’s something that cannot be done with summoning."
Is that so?
"Why is it impossible with summoning?" I asked.
"Usually, a summoning contract is a matter of using magical force to bridge worlds and compel a monster to obey. Even if there is a connection, it’s entirely one-sided."
I hadn't known much about summoning, so that was news to me.
"I see. That makes sense."
"Mastering Sensory Link requires practice," Reinbach explained. "It is said that the longer you have supported one another and the deeper your mutual understanding, the more easily and clearly you can share senses. However, for today’s training, I want you both to contract with these monsters we’ve prepared."
"Why go through the trouble?" Elia asked. "Would my slimes not suffice?"
"While it’s true that you can use Sensory Link with slimes, the effects are difficult to perceive and largely impractical."
"Slimes don't have eyes, ears, or noses," Reinhardt noted. "Even if you share their senses, you won't experience sight, hearing, or smell—and the same goes for taste. We don’t even fully understand how they perceive their surroundings."
I had to agree; that would certainly make for a poor training exercise.
"I understand now," Elia said, sounding convinced.
And so, Elia and I proceeded to form contracts with the pigeon-like monsters in the cage, known as Crew Birds.
Now that I thought about it, this was the first time I’d ever contracted with anything other than a slime. The realization made me a little nervous, but the process went off without a hitch.
"The contracts are complete, then? Good," Elise said. "Now, focus on the connection between yourself and your familiar. Use that link to strongly visualize yourself seeing the world exactly as your familiar sees it. If you do that, you can maintain the Sensory Link without needing to chant an incantation."
Following her advice, I visualized a television monitor connected to a security camera back in Japan. Immediately, a stream of images flooded my brain, but...
"...This is a bit disorienting."
My own vision and the familiar’s vision were entering my mind simultaneously. It was hard to describe, but it felt like being forced to watch two different TV screens at once while being compelled to process both. It wasn't a very pleasant sensation.
"Oh? Ryoma-kun, did you manage it already?"
"Impressive," Reinbach praised. "Many struggle to grasp the mental image for this. It is a notoriously difficult spell to master."
"That’s why we usually teach it early, so students can train over a long period," Reinhardt said. "The discomfort you're feeling is a hurdle every tamer faces when they first succeed. You’ll get used to it with practice, so hang in there. At first, it helps to close your eyes and focus entirely on the familiar’s vision."
I took his advice and closed my eyes, concentrating on the bird’s sight.
The Crew Bird I had contracted with was sitting on the ground. The perspective was incredibly low, but with only one set of visual data to process, it was much more manageable.
...Yeah, this was significantly better.
After about two hours of practice, I eventually succeeded in commanding the Crew Bird to take flight while maintaining the link with my eyes closed. Watching the world from above through its eyes was incredible. This would be invaluable for scouting and surveillance.
As I was reflecting on this, the young lady also managed to succeed.
"This... feels quite peculiar, doesn't it?" she remarked, clearly experiencing the same sense of incongruity.
I had the advantage of using images from my knowledge of Earth, but the young lady had started from zero and mastered it in a single day. That was quite a feat.
Since we had both succeeded, we decided to take a break. Arone-san and the others began preparing tea.
"Still, I never imagined both of you would learn it so quickly."
"I expected Elia to be fast given the Jamil bloodline, but this exceeded my expectations," Reinhardt admitted. "And I truly thought Ryoma-kun would have more trouble grasping the concept."
"There's no harm in being a quick learner," Elise said with a smile. "Now, all that's left is practice."
"So that sensation is going to persist..." Elia sighed.
It seemed she was finding it difficult to adjust to the sensation even with her eyes closed. Well, having your vision suddenly overridden was a lot to take in. I had the mental framework of watching a screen, but she was experiencing it as her own sight. I wanted to help her, but I didn't know how to explain the concept of a television to someone who had never seen one.
You can do it, Elia.
As we chatted, the Madam turned to me with a question.
"Ryoma-kun, how does it feel to have contracted with a monster other than a slime? Do you feel any disconnect? Does the bond feel faint at all?"
"No, I don't feel anything like that."
"Then it seems you have an aptitude for avian monsters as well."
Aptitude?
"What do you mean by aptitude?" I asked.
Reinhardt was the one who answered.
"Didn't you know? Every tamer and summoner has their own specific aptitudes. It varies by individual—some are compatible with specific types of monsters, while others are suited for managing many familiars at once, or perhaps just a few exceptionally powerful ones. It’s similar to magical elemental affinities. Ryoma-kun, you clearly have a phenomenal compatibility with slimes. I doubt anyone else could manage such a massive number of them."
"Identifying your aptitude and finding the familiars that suit you is essential for any tamer," Reinbach added. "Aptitudes are vague, so you have to discover them through experience. For instance, I have a great affinity for scaled monsters. Furthermore, while I cannot maintain many contracts, each of my familiars is individually powerful."
"I have an aptitude for most four-legged beasts," Reinhardt said. "But on the flip side, I have absolutely no talent for birds. I can't even form a contract with them."
"As for me..."
As the Madam spoke, the space beside her suddenly glowed, and a massive wolf with silver fur appeared.
I jumped in surprise, but the others remained perfectly calm. The Madam smiled at me, signaling that it was okay. I forced myself to relax.
"I’m sorry for startling you. This is Lorgue. He is my familiar, a Little Fenrir."
Fenrir... wasn't that a creature of legend?
"Oh, are you perhaps confusing him with a Fenrir?" she asked.
"Is there a difference?"
"There is. A Fenrir is a Divine Beast, while a Little Fenrir is a monster. They are wolf-type monsters that can use a bit of ice magic. Though, I won't deny they are quite formidable."
"I see..."
A Little Fenrir... and she had tamed it perfectly. Lorgue was now lying contentedly at her feet as she petted him, looking for all the world like an oversized pet dog.
"This boy is the leader of a pack. I have twenty other Little Fenrirs just like him, along with about a hundred other wolf-type monsters of various species. My affinity for wolves is quite strong."
Twenty Little Fenrirs!?
In terms of raw numbers, she couldn't match my slimes, but the quality was on another planet. The sheer pressure this creature exuded when it appeared was leagues beyond a Black Bear.
"Elise is a master-class tamer," Reinhardt said. "Normally, people can't command that many Little Fenrirs. Years ago, watching her often made me feel quite inferior."
"Oh, was that how it was? You used to shout, 'I have my sword!' and ignore your taming training entirely to focus on your blade. I don't think you lacked talent; you just lacked focus."
"Compared to Father or you, an 'ordinary' tamer's talent is completely eclipsed," Reinhardt grumbled.
"And yet you didn't seem to mind back then," Reinbach chuckled. "Don't go blaming us just because you ditched your lessons to play with swords. I won't have it."
I watched Lorgue out of the corner of my eye as I listened to their banter.
A woman who commanded twenty Little Fenrirs and a hundred wolves. And Reinbach-sama, who was considered her equal. There was no way this was "normal" for this world.
Elia noticed me staring. "Ryoma-san, what are you thinking about?"
"Hm? Oh, I was just thinking that if Reinbach-sama is considered an equal to the Madam, he must be an incredible person as well."
Elia beamed, clearly happy to hear her family praised. However, Elise shook her head.
"Ryoma-kun, that's not quite right. My father-in-law is far more impressive than I am."
"He is?"
"Yes. His familiars are in a different league entirely. He has fewer than twenty, but every single one of them would be classified as an A-Rank monster or higher if a subjugation request were posted at the guild. Half of them are of the Dragon Species."
"Dragons!?"
I had never seen a dragon in person, but I knew having ten of them was insane. Moreover, if every single one of his familiars was A-Rank or higher, his personal combat power was utterly absurd. Reinbach-sama, you’re even more of a cheat than I am.
"Hm? What about dragons?" Reinbach asked, overhearing my exclamation.
"I was just hearing about your familiars, Reinbach-sama. It's incredible that you can command so many of the Dragon Species."
"In my case, it was mostly a matter of luck. Having the aptitude helped, of course, but the first one I contracted with was exceptionally powerful. The other dragons that followed it all became my familiars as a group. They are reliable allies, but I can't call them out very often. It causes quite a stir, you see."
I could imagine the chaos ten dragons would cause.
"Besides," Reinbach continued, "we are nowhere near the level of the founder, Shiho Jamil-sama. It is recorded that she possessed an aptitude for every monster in existence and could form contracts regardless of how powerful or difficult the creature was. There was no limit to the number of familiars she could hold."
The founder was an otherworlder, so that was likely a "cheat" ability from the gods. Gain and the others had mentioned she was a good person.
Since I already knew the truth behind the founder, I was more curious about where Reinbach-sama kept his dragons.
"She sounds like an incredible person... By the way, where do your familiars stay normally, Reinbach-sama?"
"They live in the mountains within our territory. Those mountains are so dangerous that no one ever approaches them, so they live there while ensuring the local monsters don't descend toward human settlements."
"Lorgue and his pack live in a different mountain range," Elise added. "It’s a region where rare medicinal herbs grow, so they act as a guard force against poachers."
"That makes sense."
"Tamers with powerful monsters often struggle with where to house them," Reinhardt noted. "If you ever contract with a powerful monster and find yourself in need of a place for it, Ryoma-kun, feel free to rely on us."
"Thank you very much."
If I ever ran out of room in my space magic, I’d definitely take them up on that.