Chapter 19 - Wish

The dense smoke still swirled around Basara like a restless veil, concealing the creature almost completely from everyone else. However, that mist imposed an almost absolute silence on the hall.

Standing before him, imposing and mesmerizing, was a woman with horns curved like those of a demon, while her purple hair fell down to her shoulders. She crossed her arms, keeping her eyes fixed on him, while the tip of her sharp tail swayed with a touch of impatience.

"So... you're the one who called me, kid?" she asked, with a smile at the corner of her mouth, assessing Basara from head to toe. "First, who are you?"

Basara felt his throat closing up, but he also knew he needed to say something, and fast! But what exactly was he supposed to say? He swallowed, closed his eyes for a moment and firmly declared: "I'm Basara Toujou. And you? Who are you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Basara-chan, is that it? If you're asking who I am, it means you don't know me... So, you don't know what you summoned? How dangerous, huh? I'm Vermeil and, since you freed me, I'll grant you a wish."

"A wish?"

Before Basara could plan an answer, he felt a presence rapidly approaching. Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he recognized Professor Glenn stepping through the curtain of smoke that was dissipating around him. Glenn stopped in the short space between Basara and the magic circle where Vermeil stood.

"So, that's the creature that dared to appear in our academy." He said, casting a serious glance at the horned woman. "Basara, step aside immediately."

At that moment, Glenn held out his right hand, palm facing Vermeil. It was then that Basara noticed the pulsating glow in his hand: three perfectly aligned magic circles materialized in front of him, superimposed on each other, each filled with magic runes.

"What rude hosts." Vermeil crossed her arms, covering her breasts.

"You are an unknown and potentially threatening entity, and I have no choice but to contain you now."

Vermeil just sighed and rolled her eyes, visibly more annoyed at the inconvenience than anything else.

"Ah, humans..." she shot a bored look at Glenn. "Always so quick to judge what they don't understand. You know, Basara-chan, this man is just trying to strike a pose. If this ignorant being attacked now, not only will he regret it, but he'll also free me from this circle." She cast a lazy, amused glance at Glenn. "Besides, ever since this little professor noticed me, he knows he can't defeat me if he sets me free."

Glenn didn't seem surprised or willing to refute her, which showed that Vermeil was telling the truth. He sighed, and his hardened expression revealed, for a moment, his reluctance to admit what Vermeil was saying. He deactivated the magic circles, dissipating the surrounding smoke and revealing that the hall, once full of students, was completely empty.

Basara then found himself alone with Vermeil and Glenn in the empty hall. Confused, he looked at Glenn and asked: "Did you teleport everyone to safety?"

Glenn kept his gaze fixed on the creature in front of him. "Yes. I needed to ensure that none of them were in danger should this... entity decide to attack. And as for you, well, I couldn't take you because your presence here keeps the circle active. I couldn't get you out of here without deactivating it."

Basara's eyes turned to Vermeil, who now displayed a mischievous expression, and a raised eyebrow, as if he were enjoying it.

"Basara-san, don't look at her too much. She's a demon." Glenn pronounced the word as an accusation. "But not like the demons we know. The horns... she bears signs of an ancient demon, from an age before peace. Modern demons don't have those characteristics."

Vermeil let out a low laugh and smiled. "Oh, so you've noticed. A bit of intelligence, I'd say, for someone who apparently barely knows what he's up against." She glared at Glenn. "But you see, Basara-chan, a magic circle like this doesn't last forever. In fact, this one is already at its limit."

Around her, the circle flickered noticeably, like a lighthouse that was gradually losing its power. Glenn looked at Basara in amazement.

"She said she'd grant a wish, right? She was probably trying to sign a contract. If that's true, she must be forced to fulfill a wish of yours in order to be freed." He paused, picking up the fallen book and holding it carefully. "Think about it, Basara. You must ask her to return to the seal inside this book, because there's no guarantee that not making a request will make her come back. I know we're at peace, but many of the ancient demons were sealed for a reason. She's too dangerous to be let loose."

Basara looked at the book in Glenn's hand and then at Vermeil. The professor's suggestion made sense. It was logical not to release a potentially dangerous entity into the world, and he knew that better than anyone, having been brought up in the village of heroes. But, at the same time, he felt that this occasion was too unusual to be just any event. Finding a book like that in an old store, in that gigantic city, seemed more like luck or fate than bad luck.

As he pondered, the magic circle flashed faster and faster, and Glenn hurried it along, talking non-stop. Basara closed his eyes for a moment, his mind filled with questions and possibilities. When he opened his eyes, he faced Vermeil, who was watching him with that half-smile, as if she was anxiously awaiting his decision.

When the glow from the circle dimmed, Basara spoke aloud: "Vermeil, I already know what I'm going to ask."

"Really? Then, Basara-chan, make your request."

"I want you to be my familiar."

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