Failure to Summon a Messenger

Doe's Captain's Cabin the HMS Hit.

Wall of Spirituality, Luther burned the herbs in the metal cauldron to ashes and dripped essential oil into the candle that symbolized him. A mysterious and ethereal fragrance began to fill the air.

He's going to try to summon the messenger.

Messengers are essentially creatures that live in the Spirit World. They are familiar with the environment of the Spirit World and can move freely within it. The "Spirit World Traversal" that extraordinary beings need to advance to the Mid-Sequence to use is instinctive for them, so they can easily overcome the barriers of distance to deliver messages.

Before the Ritual began, Luther mentally reviewed the summoning incantation provided by Klein.

Although he could create his own incantations based on the principles of Ritual, that might create unnecessary trouble; it would be better to use already proven and reliable "mature experiences."

The first part of the summoning incantation is fixed and must include descriptions such as "wandering in the illusion" or "roaming in the Spirit World" to refer to the Spirit World. The specific descriptions in the second and third parts depend on the summoner's needs.

Regarding this part, Klein specifically reminded Luther to be careful. Because Spirit World Creature are unpredictable, some have Distortion personalities and are full of malice towards the living; some carry poisons or Curse, and can harm people even without malice. Therefore, when summoning, the description of the messenger in the incantation must be very clear and precise.

However, since Luther had served as Secrets Suppliant, there was no need to worry about his control over the Ritual.

He stared at the burning candle, took a step back, and then spoke loudly in Ancient Hermes:

"I!"

"I summon in my own name:"

"A spirit wandering in illusion, a benevolent being that can be commanded, a powerful being with a sufficient sense of responsibility."

The first two sections Mimic Klein, while the third incantation was Luther's own creation. The incantation took into account both the messenger's strength and quality, so there was no need to worry about being attacked during delivery, and it also ensured that the messenger would deliver the letter to the target diligently.

"Boom!"

As the incantation was uttered, the candle flame instantly turned a chilling green, and a strange entity seemed to slowly emerge from a membrane into the Real World. Its shape resembled a giant snake, except that it had grown a pair of fleshy membranous wings on its body.

It has wings, so it can probably fly. With such a large size, its strength is also guaranteed. Although it doesn't look as flashy as that four-headed lady, it's still quite good.

Luther thought to himself, then spoke in a deep voice, "Would you be willing to become my messenger?"

Hiss.

The giant serpent raised its head, flicking its tongue as it turned its head toward him, seemingly confirming the summoner's identity.

However, in the next instant, a strong emotion suddenly surged in the giant serpent's vertical pupils. Without hesitation, it turned its head, rapidly flapped its wings, and disappeared into the void.

"Bang!"

The candle flame then burst and went out, leaving only a wisp of white smoke rising slowly.

". ah?"

Luther was stunned.

Things happened so fast and without warning that it took him a second or two to process what was happening.

What happened?

Did that Spirit World Creature escape?

Why? Didn't I successfully summon it? If you don't want to be my messenger, you can refuse, and we can part ways amicably. There's no need for you to run away so violently!

Luther walked silently to the altar, looked around, and finally confirmed that the creature had indeed left.

Since the summoning of the Spirit World Creature was successful, the Ritual itself was probably not the problem. Perhaps the creature was simply unusual and unwilling to act as a messenger. He guessed this as he lit the candles again and chanted the incantation once more.

"I!"

"I summon in my own name:"

"A spirit wandering in illusion, a benevolent being at your disposal, an extraordinary being willing to become a messenger."

Luther slightly modified the description incantation so that the summoned creature would be willing to act as a messenger, and wouldn't simply run away like before.

"Boom!"

The candle glowed with an orange light, and a creature resembling Hound quickly emerged. It was much smaller than the giant snake from before, and had six legs. As soon as it entered reality, it began to run around happily, its ears flapping back and forth, looking very energetic and cheerful.

Well, she's quite pleasing to the eye.

Luther seemed to be infected by the other person's joy, and asked with a smile, "Would you like to be my messenger?"

The illusory dog, which had been running happily, stopped and looked at Luther.

"Squeak!"

It let out a mournful cry, tucked its tail between its legs, slid along on all six legs, its belly pressed against the ground, and desperately fled in the direction away from Luther. In this way, it disappeared into the void in terror!

"This"

Even if Luther were slow on the uptake, he should have realized something was wrong by now. The creatures of the Spirit World seemed to be afraid of him and rejecting him.

He was surprised by this.

In Tingen, he performed Ritual to summon Spirit World Creature and successfully communicated with them. If even Sequence 9, the lowest level of Spirituality, could accomplish this, why is it impossible for those at Sequence 4 and above?

After that, Luther tried several more times. Although he tried to modify the incantation to describe things like "spiritual strength" and "willingness to communicate," all the summoned Spirit World Creature resisted him. In the end, even after he finished reciting the incantation, none of them were willing to respond.

Is this even possible?

Luther ended the Ritual with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

Standing before the ravaged altar, he fell into deep thought.

What went wrong?

Luther didn't believe it was Klein's fault for deliberately providing him with incorrect incantations. Because he had been a "Secrets Suppliant," he could confirm that the Ritual's procedure and incantation settings were reasonable.

In other words, the problem may lie with oneself.

In Tingen, Luther was able to communicate with Spirit World Creature; in Backlund, he became Shepherd and communicated with "Red Light" El Moria. Not long ago, he even entered the Spirit World due to spatial turbulence on the island, and nothing unusual happened.

So, the question arises after advancing to Sequence 4. Did my body undergo some kind of change after becoming Black Knight?

Luther thought of the shadow beneath him, and of the Tower rising from the sea.

Oh, right, Red Light!

"Brush."

He swiftly pulled a Paper Figurine Substitute from his robes and placed it on the altar. Then he took out two more candles, Qidian with the previous one, and sprinkled essential oils and other substances on them. After completing the preparations, he opened his mouth and chanted in Ancient Hermes:

"I!"

I pray in my own name.

"I pray to communicate with 'the undying light of the Spirit World, the embodiment of endless knowledge, the red of authority and will.'"

As the prayer was recited, Luther saw the three candle flames expand simultaneously, merge into one, and form a gate of light.

A cold wind blew by, and all the items on the Altar floated into the air, while the paper figure stood up unsteadily, bathed in a rich and clear red light.

Red Light descended.