The Summoner and Her Adorable Demon

According to the summoning rules, a familiar exists in a space where it does not naturally belong, relying on the summoner's manipulation of spatial rules. Thus, the familiar's abilities are constrained by the summoner. On the one hand, it benefits from mutual magical enhancement; on the other, it adheres to the rule of attenuation.

The attenuation rule has two aspects: first, when the familiar's energy is too strong but is forcibly sustained in the current plane due to the summoning contract, its actual energy output decreases due to the summoner's limited capability. The extent of this decrease depends on the magical power difference between the two and the contract itself, though this can be mitigated with amplification artifacts and contract clauses. Second, the familiar's vitality is affected by its distance from the summoner, known as the distance rule. Within a certain range, the familiar retains full vitality, but beyond that range, its vitality steadily decreases. Once it falls below the minimum threshold needed for basic life activities, the familiar falls into a dormant state. This distance rule remains unavoidable, making familiars with both high vitality and a large effective range a dream for many summoners.

Generally speaking, the stronger the familiar's vitality, the smaller its effective range. For instance, Resado's Dark Dragon, which retained 1% of its energy even while separated from its master by half a continent, is considered an exceptional familiar. However, even such a familiar has an effective range of no more than 100 meters. Therefore, despite the existence of many powerful familiars in this world, high-tier familiars are rarely seen roaming freely and usually remain close to their masters.

Alpha, being the familiar Phyllis had just acquired, left her uncertain about his effective range. So far, he had only performed simple chores, and Phyllis had no idea how much vitality he possessed. Based on the mark indicating he was merely a third-tier swordsman, he likely wasn't very powerful. Nevertheless, Phyllis didn't dare let him stray too far. If he ended up dormant upon leaving her proximity, it would be a loss she couldn't afford. Awakening a familiar from near-death dormancy varies in difficulty, and some familiars enter a berserk state when their vitality drops too low, expending all their remaining energy in desperation. This survival trait is common among demons from harsh environments.

Unwilling to take such risks with Alpha, whose background was a mystery, Phyllis resolved to keep him close at all times.

Though a fifth-tier elemental mage, Phyllis had not undergone formal evaluation, which her gray-sashed mage's robe signified. Walking beside her, Alpha wore the dark red leather armor gifted by Warwick Village, layered with Phyllis's apprentice robe. This peculiar master-servant duo strolling down the streets naturally drew curious glances. However, their unremarkable attire only piqued mild curiosity without garnering excessive attention. Even Phyllis's staff was a standard academy-issue staff lacking an advanced amplification crystal.

This ordinary appearance was exactly what Phyllis wanted. She led the way to a Marley Maki barbecue shop. These barbecue shops were popular across the continent, with several locations in Flandre's capital city, Flandre City. Phyllis ordered bread, cheese, and a few desserts for herself, calling it a feast. She wasn't particular about food, but the offerings here were still better than Alpha's cooking. Naturally, she also ordered ten roasted pork hocks for Alpha, along with a frozen and preserved box of them for later.

After breakfast, a satisfied Alpha pushed a box of roasted pork hocks, trailing behind Phyllis.

Phyllis, however, was preoccupied. In the barbecue shop, she overheard news about the return of a team of mages from Flandre Academy. Their condition seemed unusual, with reports of heavy casualties. Phyllis knew they had ventured into the Dark Dragon's lair. The only threat there would have been the self-destructive array she had set up, designed merely to destroy her teleportation array. A fourth-tier fire magic array shouldn't have posed any real threat to such a team. So, what trouble had they encountered?

With a practiced familiarity, Phyllis approached the gates of Flandre Academy and pulled a badge from her pocket, pinning it to her chest. This small action immediately transformed the onlookers' gazes from curiosity to astonishment.

This oddly dressed master-servant pair were students of Flandre Academy!

Phyllis had revealed Flandre Academy's crest, which carried identity recognition features, granting its bearer unrestricted access to the academy. Being a student of Flandre Academy was Phyllis's secondary identity, besides her status as an unaffiliated mage. This dual identity explained how she managed to set up her diversionary magic array within the academy.

Even the academy's old headmaster couldn't fathom that a student would set up such an array in their own dormitory area. The first-year dormitories were the least suspicious location for such a trap. Phyllis had skillfully leveraged this fact, and the convenience of setting up magic arrays in familiar territory made it all the more appealing.

Inside the academy, another wave of attention followed them. This time, the curiosity wasn't about their unusual attire but the fact that a petite girl was lugging an entire box of roasted pork hocks!

Flandre Academy was built around Mount Moraia, with its architecture divided into three tiers. The outermost area housed the dormitories, divided into seven sections by year level, along with basic living services. The mid-level slope held the teaching facilities, including classrooms, practice grounds, basic student labs, medical care, and administrative offices. The innermost area, atop the mountain, was restricted to staff and researchers for secretive studies and was off-limits to regular students.

Phyllis, though a first-year student, was enrolled in the Space Theory Research program under the Non-Combat Magic faculty. This program was so unpopular that the entire academy had only ten students in it. As a result, she was treated like a national treasure and granted a private dormitory. By contrast, students in popular programs often crammed five or six to a room.

Noticing the attention on herself and Alpha, Phyllis pulled out a blue ribbon and tied it to her right arm, earning a mix of sneers and eye-rolls from those nearby.

The blue ribbon was part of Flandre Academy's protection policy, created to prevent combat magic students from picking fights with non-combat students. It was essentially a "no-duel" token. Any student caught attacking a ribbon-wearer in non-combat areas would be expelled immediately.

While many viewed the ribbon as a mark of cowardice, Phyllis found it perfectly convenient. She had no interest in fights and happily embraced the policy to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Ignoring the disdainful glances, Phyllis arrived at her private dormitory without incident. Flandre Academy's dorms were remarkably well-furnished. Each dorm included a living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and a small study, which many students converted into mini alchemy labs.

After instructing Alpha to store the pork hocks in her kitchen, Phyllis headed off to report to her mentor.