Miria’s ears twitched. She mustered all her courage and slowly backed away so that they could properly face each other. She still had to avert her gaze from time to time.

  “But… isn’t that childish? I’m not a little girl anymore…”

  “So, you are saying that if I turn old enough then I can’t keep doing things I enjoy? Don’t let thoughts like that limit who you really are and what you like doing. Do I have to stop giving my mother a kiss on the cheek just because I’ve reached a certain age? Why? Because the majority of people view that as embarrassing? So, I should be exactly like them and stop showing my mom how much I love her? Do not let strangers tell you what is fun and what is not. It’s your life. Your own path to happiness. It can be rough at times, but there’s nothing better than following your dreams even if you have to walk upstream.”

  He brushed through her hair while speaking and moved his hand to Miria’s cheek, just to pinch it gently and pull a bit as he spoke the last part. Another worry slowly disappeared from her heart. She felt that those words were true to what he really believed in and she could confirm it from the short time they had spent together.

  Asterios stood up and stretched. “If we go by that logic, I guess that as a grown-up man, I should never admit that it felt rather nice and pleasant to me, making me want to not stop you so that I can experience more of it, right?”

  He chuckled and left the wide-eyed Miria with her quickly swishing tail alone in the tent. She smiled to herself and calmed down with a few deep breaths. She decided to start trying to be more open and less shy about her actions. Besides, she was his contracted familiar; it was only natural for her to be close with her master. Yes, it was normal. They already hugged a few times and even kissed once in the past. What are some snuggles compared to that?

  After eating a light breakfast together and tidying up the camp, they began heading in the same direction as yesterday. Miria turned into her panther form and they somehow managed to find their way to their old encampment thanks to her keen sense of smell.

  It was utterly destroyed. The group must have tried to make it look like it was attacked by wolves since the tent was shredded with cuts similar to their claws. Asterios and Miria didn’t leave any important valuables here as most of the things were stored in Miria’s house, being brought out when they needed them, so the losses weren’t that great. The fact that they had destroyed their property persisted though.

  Before returning, the duo finished picking up the few Moontail Grass pieces they were lacking. It took them an hour to find all. They stumbled on a few wolves, but Miria didn’t give them even a chance to think about attacking them, lunging at one on sight and tearing its throat into bits with her impressive jaws. The rest ran away after sensing a predator much more powerful than them.

  With both of the tasks finished, they prepared to leave. Miria did a check around the area but didn’t find the adventurer’s group in their close proximity. The scent she noticed led back the way they came from on the first day so they concluded that those people already went back.

  Asterios stroked Miria’s fur as they were going to depart.

  “How do you feel? It’s pretty much the third day you are spending in my realm,” he asked.

  ~No different than usual, Master. Is that not normal?~

  He pondered and checked his spiritual circuits. They also were barely strained. It was utterly weird, like there was almost no effect on them from Miria spending so much time by his side.

  “It wasn’t in the past. Now, I’m not sure what to think. Too many illogical things are happening around us recently. In any case, let me know if anything changes.”

  Asterios decided to keep checking on them both from time to time and leave the weird issue for later. They covered the distance in the same time as they did before, taking only a few hours. Asterios instructed Miria to not hide in her realm during their return. The guards naturally stopped them, but after confirming Ast’s connection with the guild, they let them in.

  He jumped off her and they walked through the streets, side by side. It would create too much chaos if an unseen yet beast of this size was dashing around. Naturally, some curious gazes followed, but they would need to start getting used to them if Asterios wanted to not hide Miria, and perhaps his other future summons, completely from the world. And the fact that she could stay this long without putting a strain on him did support that idea.

  They arrived in front of the guild and Asterios pushed the door open. It was as lively as usual. Some people turned around to check on him when they noticed the huge black panther, but it wasn’t like the whole hall suddenly turned silent, which was good.

  Asterios walked closer to the counters with Miria by his side and began heading towards Ellie’s spot. When they came closer, they saw a familiar figure leaning over the wooden structure and acting all flirty with the receptionist. Miria released a quiet growl, but Asterios quickly patted her head to calm her down.

  ~Not yet. We’ll get him in time,~ he sent her a message while brushing his fingers through her fur.

  The man was so focused on courting the visibly annoyed girl that he hadn’t noticed him approaching. Asterios also leaned on the counter and spoke to the adventurer.

  “So, Ellie is your girl. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  The man jerked to the side, shocked by Ast’s voice, but managed to not act too suspiciously, at least to all the bystanders. Ellie frowned at Asterios, not understanding why he would say that. She decided to ask about that later.

  “Welcome back, Ast! That was quite fast. Did you perhaps complete one of the tasks?” she asked with a smile.

  “Actually, we are done with both.”

  “Really? That’s amazing! You must have been quite lucky back there!” Ellie started enthusiastically preparing some documents.

  “I guess so. But, I wouldn’t be able to get so many wolves this fast if not for your boyfriend’s help,” he smiled and made a side glance at the examiner.

  Ellie crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “What’s with you? When did I ever say that we are together? And what do you mean by that? Rhode didn’t join that quest, right?” She moved her gaze onto the adventurer, who was slowly starting to sweat more and more.

  “Oh? I remember pretty clearly how he told me that I shouldn’t have embarrassed him in front of his girl as he was detonating the entrance to the wolves' den behind my back.” Asterios chuckled, acting as if that was a funny thing to do.

  Her eyes instantly went wide. “What?! Rhode?”

  “That’s slander! As you have said yourself, I haven’t picked up that quest so why would I be there? I have no idea what he is talking about!”

  The guy switched into the victim role.

  “Oh, really?” Asterios glanced at him.

  “Yes, really! You can ask my guys, I was with them the whole time!”

  While Ellie didn’t know what to say, Asterios turned to her.

  “Say, if I were to kill a guild employee, would that thing I have with me be able to earn me a pardon?”

  He conveyed his question with a calm and collected tone, but Ellie got goosebumps from the coldness and seriousness in Ast’s eyes.

  “What?! You can’t kill someone just like—”

  Asterios snapped his fingers and Miria jumped at Rhode with a loud growl, pinning him to the ground. She positioned her face just in front of his and kept growling ferociously while exposing her sharp teeth. Some people started noticing that something was happening by the counter and began gathering around.

  “I wasn’t asking you, but the pretty lady right here.” Asterios glared at him and turned back to Ellie. “So, the answer?”

  “Ummm…” She moved her eyes between him and Rhode, trying to figure out words that wouldn’t escalate the situation more. “That would depend… Normally, it wouldn’t, but if there was a sound reason behind the action, then… maybe… the Guildmaster might listen...”

  “Hey, hey! What the hell are you talking about?! I’m being attacked here!”

  Miria opened her jaws in order to silence the man a bit, but Asterios sent her a mental message not to wound him. Contradictory to what he was saying, he wasn’t planning on murdering someone in the middle of the guildhall.

  “What is going on here?” A female voice arrived from behind the crowd and the people soon created a path for its owner.

  Suanori, who noticed Asterios coming to the guild through her window and walked to the main hall to observe him from the side, now stepped closer and stopped in front of the unusual scene. She frowned at the man pinned to the ground by the huge cat and then glanced at Asterios, who seemed to be nonchalantly leaning over the counter.

  “Guildmaster! Save me! This kid has gone mad! He met some bandits and thinks that I tried to kill him!” The man quickly turned to the elf woman and begged for help.

  She raised one of her brows at the boy.

  “I don’t think. I’ve seen it. Do I have to swear on that thing to make people believe me?” He looked back at the Guildmaster confidently.

  She glanced at Ellie but that only shook her head, signaling that she didn’t know anything for sure yet. To avoid causing even more chaos, she decided to get to the bottom of this in a less busy area.

  “I would like to listen to both of the sides first. Ellie, Rhode, Asterios, follow me to my conference room. Everyone else, disperse. End of the show.”

  Asterios asked Miria to release the man and they all walked behind the Guildmaster to the mentioned chamber. They sat around a coffee table and Suanori listened to the respective versions of the events. Asterios waited calmly while Rhode was speaking, but the latter couldn’t stop himself from accusing the former of lying when he was talking.

  “He is definitely trying to frame me! He is targeting me from the moment he had stepped his foot in our guild and Ellie can confirm that!” The man was shouting while gesturing angrily.

  “That’s enough Rhode. I’ve heard both of you. I don’t think he has any reason to go after you. Ellie?” Suanori silenced the man and glanced at the receptionist.

  “I think so too.”

  “What? Are you going to believe some low rank instead of a veteran guild employee? I have people who can vouch for me! I didn’t leave the town in the last week! He has no one to confirm his lies!”

  Asterios was just sitting on the opposite side and scratching Miria’s head, who was lying on the whole sofa and resting it on his lap while purring affectionately. The sight of that calmness was beginning to tick Rhode off.

  Suanori rubbed her temples. “Certainly, that does work in your favor, but it doesn’t mean that we can invalidate his points just because you have someone to back you up and he is alone.”

  “I’m not alone.” Asterios gave her a lazy glance.

  “What? Do you perhaps think that your fucking overgrown cat counts?” Miria released a low growl in response to the man's hostility but stopped under Ast’s caresses. “Nice joke, idiot. It can’t even speak, hahaha!”

  A black mist started enveloping Miria’s body and she began morphing into the humanoid form while obstructed by the swirling smoke. Everyone in the room stared at the sudden spectacle wide-eyed. A moment later, in the place of a huge black panther lying on Ast’s lap, a beautiful black-haired girl in dark crimson leather armor appeared, taking everyone completely off-guard.

  Asterios stopped brushing his fingers through her now human-like hair and let Miria raise herself to a sitting position. She didn’t display even a hint of embarrassment, glaring intently at the man who tried to murder her master. Ellie covered her mouth which had opened involuntarily from shock and Sunaori’s eyes widened to the brim after witnessing the unbelievable change. They all stared confusedly at the twitching ears on top of Miria’s head and the slowly moving tail behind her back.

  Asterios leaned back on the sofa and spread his arms wide behind the backrest.

  “Now she can.”

  Chapter 19

  The Trial

  Silence filled the room after the transformation took place. Everyone was staring at Miria, who was focusing her attention on one man on the opposite side of the table. She was showing the coldest expression Asterios had ever seen on her face, but it wasn’t like they were together for that long. It just felt quite surprising to see her assume such a mood after experiencing a lot of her full of energy, partially shy, very gingerly behavior.

  Asterios discreetly patted Miria on the back, bringing her from being deep in thought back to reality. She turned to the elf woman and spoke with a soft but still slightly cold tone.

  “Greetings Guildmaster. My name is Miria and I’m Master’s contracted familiar. Do I have to recount everything again or is it enough for me to just confirm my Master’s words since I’ve been by his side this whole time?”

  Suanori was still in a daze from what they witnessed. It didn’t feel like Shapeshifting Magic. Not with the mysterious black mist surrounding the girl during transformation. And also, it was usually people who shapeshifted into beasts, not the other way.

  Meanwhile, she had just watched as a black panther turned into a woman. Even if you would somehow manage to create a humanoid form for a beast, the lack of intelligence or just the pure experience in that body would prove difficult for them to move, not even mentioning the ability to speak a language properly.

  This could explain the dense spiritual energy she had felt around the beast the other day. There was more to it than met the eye as she thought. Rather than a beast, she seemed more like a person, but the unusual ears and tail were contradicting that statement a bit.

  The Guildmaster cleared her throat, but Rhode shouted before she could reply.

  “What the fuck?! Summoners can’t contract people! What the hell are you trying to pull off?” He turned to Suanori. “Guildmaster, they are definitely scheming against me together! She must be a Shapeshifting Magic user posing as that loser’s familiar!”

  Miria furrowed her brows and turned to the man again. “I’m not!”

  “Calm down, Rhode. She definitely isn’t a shifter,” the Guildmaster answered.

  Suanori knew well that a magician returning from their shapeshifting spell came out pretty much naked since all the clothes fell off of them during the initial transformation. And Miria appeared in front of them in full gear, even with swords behind her waist.

  “Besides, why would one try to act like a tamed beast in the first place? That would drain their mana at an enormous rate. Even the best potions wouldn’t be able to keep up and they would quickly end up with the overuse sickness,” she continued.

  “I don’t know! Maybe he is one of those freaks who fancy some animal ass and she is into getting fu—”

  “You bastard! Master is not—”

  Miria began losing it and started standing up, but Asterios grabbed her by the wrist and shook his head. He asked her mentally to let the man run his mouth as much as he wanted. As long as they didn't make the first move, they would have the upper hand.

  She wasn’t exactly happy about the thought of having to listen to that jerk’s rude remarks any longer, but Miria had already decided to trust Asterios more from now on. She emitted a low growl, which surprised even Asterios since he didn’t think she could do that in this form, and sat down while staring daggers at the adventurer. Her body language gave off a feeling that she would jump at him at any given moment.

  “Everybody, please, let’s calm down a bit. And Rhode, tone down the insults. Now, Miria, could you please prove that you are his familiar?” the Guildmaster asked.

  Miria glanced back at Asterios with an uncertain gaze. She had no idea how to show them their connection. She didn’t know of any means to do that besides just words.

  He smiled at her. ~I can take care of that. Do you mind if I touch your forehead?~

  ~Of course not, Master,~ she replied instantly and turned her whole body to the side for him.

  Asterios first transferred some mana into the fingers of his right hand and drew a circular sigil, a very simple one, with just a few brushes. The glowing rune disappeared with dark crimson particles after he tapped it.

  Then, he took off the black leather glove covering the hand he used and showed the back of it to everyone. It was decorated with a crimson red symbol too. This one though, was in the shape of a heart lying on fairy-like wings and with a crown above its top.

  This was his Summoner’s Brand. It manifested itself during the very first successful contract of an aspiring magician and no one had any control over how it looked. Some people mocked Asterios for his being all girly and cutesy, but he never paid any attention to them. It was only beautiful in his eyes. Now, even more, after it turned into a dark crimson color.

  Confirming that everyone had a chance to take a look, he moved his hand towards Miria’s head and plopped it onto her hair. He brushed his thumb over her forehead while also stroking his fingers through the fluffy black strands.

  A moment later, an identical symbol manifested itself above the girl's eyes under Ast’s caresses and he pulled back his hand. “This should do, right? You can’t fake the mark. And I’m pretty sure someone of Guildmaster’s caliber would instantly see through minor illusions from this close.”

  The glowing dark crimson shape had something enchanting to it, capturing the attention of anyone who looked at it. The feeling was very faint and unintrusive but persisted for the whole time the Guildmaster stared at the two symbols. She shook her head to clear her mind.

  “Yes, this is enough. Well then, do you want to add something to the story, Miria?”

  “Everything that Master said was true and already very detailed. I can vouch for his every word. We were lured into a cave and trapped inside by this man and his accomplices. We somehow managed to push through around thirty wolves and a Bloodfang, finding—”

  “A Bloodfang?!” Ellie shouted in shock, joining the conversation for the first time.

  “Ah…”

  Miria realized that Asterios didn’t specify what kind of beast they had fought in the cave and she might have spoiled his plans, but he just nodded that it was fine. He wanted to mention it after getting done with the adventurer, but it wasn’t any worse if they learned about it earlier.