Chapter 239.2
“Now, please give it a try. I know this task may seem hard to understand, but please rest assured. The Divine Calling Ceremony can be performed as many times as you wish. It is said that only one in a hundred can succeed on the first try, as it is a particularly difficult ritual. Today, to mark the beginning of your calling, your task will merely be to touch the holy hand of go—” (Bishop)
The bishop fell silent, astonished.
Misha and Sasha had drawn a magic circle inside their Pledge Jewels, causing flames to rise, and the silhouettes of two dragons appeared.
“It’s my first time using this magic. Am I doing it right?” (Sasha)
“I think so.” (Misha)
The flames scattered, revealing dragons that were over a full size larger than the one summoned by the bishop.
“M… My word…! I can’t believe… you summoned a dragon superior to mine on the first try… And there’s two of them…?!” (Bishop)
The bishop’s face was filled with shock, but the next moment, his eyes widened even further.
Two more flames erupted, and dragons were summoned.
Eleonore and Zeshia had both cast .
Predictably enough, their dragons were also much larger than the bishop’s.
“Hehe, it worked!” (Eleonore)
“… It’s a big… dragon…” (Zeshia)
The two looked up at their dragons with satisfaction.
“…F-Four of you…? What a day… What an unbelievable day this is…! O Almighty Radiance Equis… Where are you leading m—?!” (Bishop)
Gazing at the sight before him, he just stood there in amazement.
The dragon that Eldmed summoned was so enormous that its head reached the vast ceiling.
“…What a gigantic dragon…This one is as big as a thousand-year-old dragon…” (Bishop)
“Now, Bookworm. You try it as well.” (Eldmed)
“…Yes, sir…!” (Naya)
Naya drew a magic circle on her Pledge Jewel and cast .
A small flame rose up in front of her.
In the center of it was the silhouette of a dragon.
However, even for a young dragon, it was quite small.
When the summoning flames dissipated, a small dragon, about the size of a cat, was floating there.
“… I-It’s small, but I managed to do it somehow…” (Naya)
Naya sounded a bit self-conscious, perhaps because her dragon was so much smaller than the others.
However, Eldmed approached the dragon with interest.
He stopped right in front of the small dragon and scrutinized it from head to tail.
“I’ve never seen a dragon like this before,” he murmured.
At that moment, the little dragon let out a small cry and opened its mouth.
“Eh…?” (Naya)
In an instant, the six dragons that had been summoned here were surrounded by transparent spheres of magic power.
The inside of the magic spheres distorted and shrank rapidly, and with them, the bodies of the dragons shrank too.
In the blink of an eye, the magic spheres, now the size of balls, flew toward the small dragon’s mouth as if it had sucked them in.
With a soft squeal, the little dragon swallowed the magic spheres.
That dragon’s scales, which had been green, seemed to have taken on a slight reddish hue.
“…Did it just… eat the dragons…? No, I’ve never seen or heard of… a dragon eating other dragons…” (Bishop)
The bishop looked shocked, as if he couldn’t keep up with what was happening.
“Hmm. What a strange dragon you’ve summoned.” (Anos)
I gazed at the dragon that Naya had summoned. It was indeed a different type from the others.
There were no such specimens like this even two thousand years ago.
Not to mention, its scales changed color after eating the dragons.
“Try eating the dragon I’ll summon as well.” (Anos)
As he drew the magic circle for inside my Pledge Jewel, I spoke to the bishop, who was standing there dumbfounded.
“Bishop of Jiordal, this could get dangerous. It’s my first time using this spell. So I don’t know if I’ll be able to control it properly.” (Anos)
“… Ahh… Ah…” (Bishop)
Finally regaining his composure, the bishop replied.
“N-Not to worry, the summoning flames are the flames of incarnation meant to provide flesh and blood. We clergymen never get burned by them.” (Bishop)
“Never?” (Anos)
“Yes, never. We are protected from them by divine order.” (Bishop)
I had my doubts about it, but there might be things I didn’t know.
“Just to be on the safe side, be careful. You might die.” (Anos)
“Please rest assured. We have the protection of the gods. And I hope you understand this: doubting is something we, as followers of Jiordal, must avoid even more than death.” (Bishop)
“I see. I said something I shouldn’t have, then.” (Anos)
I should stick to the local customs.
If his faith was that strong, then I wouldn’t say anything more.
I would go along with the ways of Jiordal.
As I imbued the magic circle with my magic power, flames erupted in front of me.
The flames grew increasingly powerful, and in the blink of an eye, they swelled to an enormous size.
“Th-This is… I’ve never seen summoning flames rise up so violently… W-W-Whoaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!” (Bishop)
The bishop screamed at the sight of the summoning flames growing so strong that they filled the entire room.
I erected an anti-magic barrier around him to protect him.
“Stay still. This could actually burn you.” (Anos)
Despite my warning, the bishop timidly stepped outside the anti-magic barrier.
“…Please rest assured. It shouldn’t burn me. Even if the flames appear intense, the summoning flames are the flames of incarnation, which do not pass judgment on clergymen.” (Bishop)
“W-Wait…! Anos! This whole room is in danger…!” (Sasha)
“The magic of the Underground World is a bit unpredictable. Even if I adjust the magic power, it doesn’t seem to respond much. Protect yourselves well so you don’t die.” (Anos)
“Khahaha! You truly are the Demon King of Tyranny. That’s why you’re Anos Voldigoad!!” (Eldmed)
“The bishop is on fire,” Misha murmured.
That was why I told him to stay still.
“I used on him.” (Eleonore)
Eleonore quickly resurrected him.
The flames, which had swelled to their limit, suddenly dispersed.
In front of me appeared the leg of a crimson dragon.
Its body was so enormous that it broke through the ceiling of the basement, destroying the church, and its head protruded from the ground.
Rocks and debris from the shattered buildings rained down one after another from above.
“Now, Naaya, feed this one to your dragon.” (Anos)
“Huh? T-This huge dragon?” (Naya)
Naya stared in shock at my dragon, which was too enormous to see entirely.
“Yes. If it can make things smaller, it should be able to eat this one as well.” (Anos)
“…Ah, yes… But, um, sorry. I’m not sure how to do it…” (Naya)
Naya seemed unsure how to handle her summoned dragon.
As she wore a troubled expression, the little dragon let out a soft cry.
A transparent magical sphere began to envelop the crimson dragon, but it burst like a bubble and disappeared midway.
The small dragon cried out, a little sad.
“Hmm. I guess it was too much to ask.” (Anos)
When the crimson dragon slightly twisted its enormous body, a thunderous noise echoed, and the church was further destroyed, causing countless pieces of rubble to fall.
“H-hey, Anos! Do something! At this rate, everything will collapse on us!” (Sasha)
“You don’t have to worry about that.” (Anos)
Staring at the crimson dragon, I gave an order.
“Fly away to a place where you won’t cause trouble.” (Anos)
“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!” (Crimson dragon)
The dragon let out a massive roar, and the vibration shattered the ceiling of the basement and the building above into dust.
Shattering the ground under it, the crimson dragon spread its majestic wings and flew off to the underground sky.
“Hmm.” (Anos)
The church had vanished without a trace, leaving a clear opening down to the basement.
“See? Nothing is collapsing on us anymore.” (Anos)
“Are you an idiot?!” (Sasha)