"Whoaaaah," "Hoh... hoh,"
Ard woke up suddenly from his sleep. He sat up in bed, panting heavily, his body soaked in sweat, and tears wetting his entire face. Geoffrey, who was sleeping below, immediately woke up and looked up.
"Are you okay, bro?" Geoffrey asked.
"I'm fine... s-sorry I woke you up," Ard answered.
"No problem, but are you really okay?" Geoffrey asked, looking at Ard anxiously.
"I-I'm fine," Ard replied, still breathless.
Geoffrey observed Ard, who was staring blankly ahead, still gasping for air. Ard immediately wiped his tears with the blanket.
"Alright then... it's still dark, go back to sleep, bro," Geoffrey said as he lay back down below.
"Y-yeah," Ard replied, turning to look at the window and seeing that it was still dark.
Geoffrey went back to sleep on his lower bunk. Ard remained sitting on his bed. He rubbed his face and hair.
"W-what was that just now... I was... Ashton? The feeling of anger... vengeance... and the suffering from my village being destroyed... I could feel all of it... what is truly happening to me? Throughout the nine lives I've lived... only in this tenth life have I had a dream that felt so real... are these my buried memories? Or is there something else... ever since I came to this academy... I've been weird," Ard muttered to myself.
Ard opened his dimensional box and pulled Exgrandal out. Then he held Exgrandal with both hands and stood it up right in front of his face.
"What kind of sword are you, really... why are you with me... I don't understand at all, please tell me what happened," Ard muttered to myself, staring at the glossy black blade of Exgrandal.
After a few moments of staring at Exgrandal, which was incapable of answering the questions in Ard's mind, Ard finally put Exgrandal back and climbed down from his bunk. He glanced over and saw that Geoffrey was already snoring again as before. Then he left the room and walked down the corridor to go downstairs and out of the dormitory.
Ard walked toward the dorm garden in the back and sat down on a garden bench right in front of the statue of the first female Emperor, which stood powerfully in the middle of the garden. He stared at the statue, lost in thought.
"Huh... Ard? What are you doing out here?" a girl asked.
Ard turned. His eyes widened when he saw Eva, wearing pajamas wrapped in a white cloth, standing behind him. But in Ard's eyes, Eva suddenly changed into Esmeralda, who had bright blue eyes. His heart immediately pounded, and somehow, he truly saw Esmeralda standing right behind him. Without realizing it, he immediately stood up and hugged Eva.
"Esmeralda," Ard mumbled.
"Huh... have you... remembered who I am?" Eva asked, surprised and intending to hug him back.
But Ard suddenly broke the embrace and stepped back before Eva could hug him back.
"Ah... I'm sorry... Princess, I was just rambling and actually hugged you. Ha ha ha," Ard said, panicked.
"Hah (walking forward, closing the distance) You... you remember, don't you? I deliberately didn't say Esmeralda's name when we talked in the forest so you would remember... you remember who I am, right?" Eva yelled, staring at Ard up close.
"Um... Princess, it's late, don't yell. Besides, what are you doing in the garden? It's still nighttime," Ard said, stepping back.
"I couldn't sleep," Eva replied curtly, folding her arms across her chest and looking annoyed.
"I-I see, same here. I couldn't sleep either, ha ha ha," Ard replied with a forced laugh.
"Have you remembered?" Eva asked again, insistent.
"I-I don't know what the Princess is talking about. I just had a bad dream. Maybe it's from reading too many history and legend books, ha ha ha," Ard answered.
"Huh... fine, if you want to pretend you forgot, that's okay. I'm heading back now. Don't stay in the garden too long, it's late," Eva replied, turning around.
"Y-yes, Princess," Ard replied.
Eva immediately turned and walked back toward her dorm. Ard watched Eva from behind and covered one side of his flushed face with his hand. His heart was still pounding, and his feelings were in turmoil.
"Is it true that Eva... is Esmeralda... and Edith? What is this feeling... I've never felt a feeling like this in my nine lives... I don't know if it's love or not... because it's different from what I felt for Alicia, Milia in my third life, and others... I don't understand at all," Ard muttered to myself, watching Eva walk farther away.
***
The next day, the entire Class S gathered in the auditorium with Minerva for the familiar or minion summoning. In the center of the auditorium, there was a magic circle that had been there from the start and was used specifically for summoning magic. They all lined up in a row in front of the magic circle. Ard turned to look at Irwin, who was standing next to him and kept sneaking glances at him with a mysterious look.
"Huh... why has Irwin been looking at me strangely all this time... what exactly does he want... but I don't want to ask... not yet," Ard muttered to myself.
"Today we will perform the summoning of a familiar that suits your element. This familiar will be your protector, friend, and also your weapon. Everything is as I have taught you. The familiar symbolizes a person's soul, and its color symbolizes a person's element. Now, who wants to go first?" Minerva said.
Eva immediately raised her hand. Minerva allowed Eva to step forward, and Eva then placed both of her palms toward the magic circle in front of her. She closed her eyes and concentrated while chanting an incantation. Suddenly, the magic circle emitted a bright white light, which then formed a pillar of white light. Eva opened her eyes and looked toward the pillar.
Shortly after, "screech," a sound came from inside the pillar. A mini white griffin flew out of the disappearing pillar of light and perched on Eva's shoulder.
Eva immediately stroked the neck of the griffin, which looked affectionate, with a faint smile. Then she turned and showed the newly summoned creature to Minerva.
"Wow... a white griffin, like the familiar of the first female Emperor, the founder of the Orthus Empire. Congratulations, Princess Eva," Minerva said.
"Thank you, Madam Minerva," Eva replied, stroking her small griffin.
After that, they began to step forward one by one. Alicia, who had the fire element, received a salamander familiar, which looked like a Komodo dragon with reddish-black scales. Milia, with the water element, received a sea serpent. Beatrice, with the wind element, received a carbuncle, which looked like a forest cat with green fur and a long tail, with a blue gem on its forehead.
Rosalind, who had the wind element, received a little green wind dragon.. Geoffrey, with the earth element, received a behemoth, which looked like a bison with curved horns. Ainsley, who also had the water element, received a kelpie, which looked like a horse but with a fish tail. Patricia, who had the fire element, received a Cerberus, which looked like a three-headed dog spitting fire.
Then Irwin stepped forward. He immediately summoned his familiar. The magic circle emitted a black light and became a pillar of black light. "Groar," a small, cute black dragon emerged from the pillar of light and perched on Irwin's shoulder. Then Irwin stepped back, carrying the black dragon on his shoulder. Minerva applauded.
"Wow... the dark element... incredible," Minerva said.
"Thank you, Madam Minerva," Irwin replied, glancing proudly at Eva.
But Eva ignored him and turned to look at the magic circle because Ard was now stepping forward.
"Okay... now it's my turn... in nine lives, I've never done this ritual," Ard muttered to myself.
He immediately raised both of his palms and closed his eyes. His mouth began to mumble an incantation, and suddenly, "bwooooosh," the magic circle emitted half black light and half white light. Their meeting was so dazzling that it made everyone cover their eyes with their arms.
"Cawww," the sound of a large bird echoed in the auditorium. Ard opened his eyes. He was immediately shocked to see a Garuda bird, which looked like a very large eagle with half black and half white feathers, spreading its wings in front of him.
The bird stared intently at Ard. Ard smiled and raised his hand, then he bent his arm in front of the bird. The bird nodded, then shrunk down, turning small, and flew to perch on Ard's arm.
"Oooh... so it's a Garuda... but why are your feathers black and white... half your wing is black and half is white... cute," Ard said, sticking out a finger to stroke the underside of the bird's beak. "Caww," the bird flapped its wings happily.
But Ard suddenly realized that the familiar represented the element, and the bird on his arm clearly represented both the holy and dark elements. He immediately turned to look at Minerva, Eva, Alicia, Milia, and the others, who were all stunned, staring at him. Then he turned to look at Irwin, who looked angry staring at him.
"Huh... oh no... I was caught, wasn't I... this is bad," Ard muttered to myself, seeing everyone stunned and looking at him.