Finishing its deafening roar, the magnificent white lion folded its wings, bringing them closer to its body. Asterios helped Silvia fix her balance as she was still slightly leaning on him and glanced at the princess. She easily guessed what his thoughts were and nodded with a gentle smile, to which Asterios answered with the same.

He hastily jogged up to Tina, who was still crouching in front of the beast. He passed the soldiers trying to gather themselves up from the ground, and the king, who looked much better than them, with his clothes only slightly disheveled.

The big lion regarded Asterios with a slow glance and their gazes met. He felt like it too understood his intentions and wasn’t bothered by him reaching its Summoner. Kneeling by Tina’s side, Asterios placed a hand on her back and rubbed it affectionately.

“You good? That was quite close.”

She glanced at him with a sweet smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel that much pressure from the shockwave, excluding the spiritual fluctuation passing through my circuits.”

A deep but pleasant chuckle resounded in the air and they both turned their faces towards the source.

“How could I cause discomfort to the one who has called me here? That would make for a horrible first impression, showing only the complete lack of manners.”

Asterios and Tina looked at the noble lion with raised brows. Clearly, the sound originated from its position. It hadn’t echoed in their heads like in Umbra’s case but felt like a person speaking, even though they didn't see the beast's muzzle move.

“It speaks!” Welrond exclaimed in amazement somewhere on the side.

“What else would it do?” the lion replied. “Oh. I guess it could roar or growl too.” Another warm chuckle reverberated through the surroundings.

Tina giggled quietly and the beast’s magnificent head turned back to her. She could swear she was able to recognize a smile on its face, and so could Asterios. He offered her a hand and helped Tina stand up, dusting off her clothes a little as some dirt had gotten onto them.

“Ummm… Hello.” She nodded politely at the lion.

“Greetings, human child.” It also lowered its head while briefly closing its eyes.

“I’m not exactly sure what happened but… I was supposed to call a winged tiger here, just like the ones on the side,” Tina explained a bit timidly.

The lion glanced towards the soldiers and their summons, which were still bowing towards the mighty beast. It released a soft growl and the tigers finally raised their heads. Turning back to her, Tina again had a feeling that it was smiling at her.

“I’m quite aware of that, dear child. Does my presence disappoint you?”

She hastily shook her head. “No, not in the slightest! Rather the opposite! I’m in awe, and slight shock, if I were to be honest, hahaha.”

“You altered the summoning formation, have you not?”

“Oh. I’m terribly sorry if that offended—”

“Please, don’t apologize.” It chuckled again. “I was not berating you but rather complimenting.”

“Complimenting?” Tina stared at the lion, slightly unsure about its words.

It slowly glanced around the entire location. “It’s been so long since I set my paw in this place. I’m not sure how many years have passed, but the last time, I have clearly left this array in a certain someone’s care. I don’t think they were aware that I might have given them an incomplete version, hoping that someone would notice and make proper changes.”

“Impossible!” Welrond gasped on the side again. “Do you mean to say that you are the winged tribe’s patriarch? The same one who signed a covenant with our ancestor?”

“Hm?” The lion regarded the king with a measured glance. “That would be me, yes. And you are… one of his descendants, hmmm. And so is the young lady. Such a blaze is impossible to mistake. Although…” It moved his gaze to Asterios for a brief moment.

“Ummm…” Before it could get a good look at him, Tina captured its attention again. “I would hate to be dishonest here. It was not just me alone who analyzed and modified the circuit. This person by my side, my friend, did it alongside me. Does that fact change your evaluation of me?”

“A friend you say?” Its cerulean eyes shone faintly. “A very close friend, considering the bond between the two of you.”

Tina’s cheeks turned a little rosy and she smiled softly while lowering her gaze a bit. The lion moved its shimmering eyes to Asterios and they stopped at his chest.

“I see… You are… Hmmm…” It took a deep breath and puffed some hot air at the duo. “It’s been ages since I smelled this scent, and sensed this much heat inside someone. That explains the connection you two share.”

Giving the pair one last scrutinizing glance, it smiled at Tina again.

“Worry not, dear child. While the lacking or purposefully inefficient elements of the formation were meant to test one’s knowledge, it wasn’t the only requirement. I can sense a great talent in you, in both of you. You complement each other well, which is rather surprising for such opposing elements. But, they have always used to alter the commonly known principles.” It gave Asterios an almost indiscernible nod while saying the last part, one only he and Tina could notice.

“Since you approve of Tina, does that mean that you are willing to continue with the ritual? As far as I know, the summoning was supposed to invite a beast from the winged tribe here, to serve as her steed and battle companion. Is this kind of service not beneath a grand entity such as yourself?” Asterios asked calmly.

The lion patriarch chuckled at them warmly. “Why would it be? She’s worthy, I can feel that much. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be able to reach me, and I would not answer, even if she would have received more spiritual aid from you. She is the one I have been waiting for. It will be my pleasure to share the master and familiar bond with her.”

Asterios smiled at Tina while rubbing her arm. She felt a tad embarrassed to be praised so much by such a splendid and certainly powerful spiritual beast. Even so, she was happy, very happy that it recognized her years of effort.

He glanced over his shoulder at the king but the man was frantically waving his arms at him, clearly announcing that he had nothing to do with whatever happened after the patriarch had been summoned. It was obvious that he didn’t want to offend the lion.

Chuckling a little to himself, Asterios returned his gaze to Tina and she glanced up at him. They needed no words to understand each other. With a tiny flush, she placed a peck on his cheek and they both stepped away. He nodded at the magnificent beast and removed himself from the close vicinity, returning to Welrond’s and Silvia’s side.

“Ekhm.” Tina cleared her throat, regathering her seriousness. “Since this isn’t like the summons the other members of the Royal Division did, would there be something required as a regular tribute for the contract to be fulfilled? I think that’s guaranteed considering your position, Patriarch.”

“You have already fulfilled all the conditions, dear child. But, if you really want to add something to our contract, why not make it some regular back scratches? You have no idea how itchy the base of the wings can get.” It chuckled deeply.

Tina giggled too and nodded. It was a funny thing to imagine. Such a grand and magnificent winged lion was asking for something so small and silly. She felt like her time with the patriarch was going to be so much fun.

Before she did so, she filled the magic circle with spiritual energy and caused it to glow stronger again. They unhurriedly went through every single step to contracting a summoned familiar and arrived at the bonding part.

Hydran again helped her make a small cut in her finger by extending its feeler made of pure water along her arm. Tina then drew a sigil on her and the beast’s forehead. Hugging its giant muzzle to her chest, she placed a gentle kiss on the symbol as its quiet purrs tickled her front.

A blast of spiritual energy surged from both of them, an azure one from Tina and a cerulean one from the patriarch. Serpents of mana danced around the two wildly until they combined into one mass shortly before fading.

Tina stepped back and took a deep breath. “Such an incredible feeling…”

The lion chuckled at her. “It’s just the beginning, my dear.”

“So, your name is… Esil… Is it fine for me to use it?” she asked, gazing at the noble beast and still not believing that she now shared a deep connection with it.

“That’s what names are for, aren’t they?” He smiled at her.

She giggled and nodded, reaching out with her hand. Esil lowered his head and let Tina ruffle through the fur on his forehead, shaking his silvery mane a little bit. From the side, everyone watched a petite girl pet a giant winged lion like any other adorable kitten. It could easily bite half of her in one go if it wanted.

Asterios felt Miria's bubbling excitement which had been building up since the very start and he allowed her to join them finally. A big black panther walked out of a crimson gate and stopped by his side.

He had always thought that she was sizable, being as tall as he was, pretty much, but if they placed her next to Esil, it would be like setting a pony next to a horse. Their sizes were that much different. Of course, the lion’s build was much bulkier than her muscled but still agile frame too.

Esil regarded her with a glance after Tina freed his muzzle and tilted his head a bit.

“Curious… I have never seen such a union of bloodlines… That’s not all, is it?”

Miria took a few steps forward and gradually shifted to her humanoid form, coming closer to the grand lion. Her tail kept making excited dances behind her back as she observed Esil with a joyful smile.

“Hello. My name is Miria and I’m Master’s familiar and mate.”

“It’s my pleasure, young one.” He gently lowered his head. “It seems that your kin has peculiar abilities. I do wonder about its origins and wouldn’t be surprised if your lineage began from an entity similar to us. Perhaps from a union with them. That does have a chance to be true.” Esil glanced at Asterios.

She shivered in delight, clearly catching the insinuation there. It was possible that her people came from the union of a Dragon and some mystical beast just like the lion. Such a prospect sounded so awesome she could barely hold herself back from jumping around even if they couldn’t really be sure if it was any true.

“Can you shift too?” Miria asked what had been on her mind the most.

“Hmmm. I never had a need to assume a form similar to yours. To be completely honest, I really like my current body and don’t really see myself trying to learn how to shapeshift into a bipedal frame unless that will be necessary. But, I can do something like this.”

Esil raised his head up and spread his wings. The external spiritual circuits hidden under his splendid white fur glowed brightly, breaking through the obstruction, and cerulean mist faintly enveloped his figure. Slightly covering their eyes, everyone could see the giant lion gradually… shrink.

After a few short seconds, the spiritual haze dissipated and revealed a miniature version of Esil standing on the ground, around the size of a decently big kitten. He flapped his wings and flew towards Miria, who caught him in her arms. It nestled itself in her embrace like a snuggly cat while she held it from below.

“That’s so awesome!” Miria almost squealed, glancing down at Esil sitting in her arms.

Tina walked closer and petted his head. “So adorable…”

As the two girls gently stroked the white cub, Selene joined everyone in the realm and exchanged glances with Asterios, Silvia, and Welrond. Even Umbra, now perched on his shoulder, seemed to be in sync with their thoughts, and all the other people around most likely were too.

What the hell had just happened?

After a short while, Esil jumped out of Miria’s embrace and returned to his normal size, accompanied by the same flashy effect. The girls then walked closer to Asterios and the others with him between them.

“It’s my honor.” Welrond politely nodded at the noble lion.

“So is mine,” Esil responded, also lowering his head. “I know that you have been taking great care of the tigers, as per promise. I hope that our kin can continue to cooperate in the future.”

“I have no desire to break off the agreement made by our ancestors. That is unless there’s something dissatisfactory on your side, Patriarch.”

“There isn’t, I can assure you of that, child of the solar.”

“Would it be rude of me to ask how you speak to us, Patriarch? It’s not exactly vocal talking and at the same time it also isn’t thought communication that I have experienced,” Silvia joined in.

“Of course not, young one.” Esil puffed some warm air at her, blowing her fiery hair a bit. “I let my essence carry my will. Any being attuned to it should be able to sense it through their circuits. It then assumes the most comfortable form of communication for the recipient.”

“Ooooooooooh!” Miria’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “That’s so curious! Does that mean the tigers hear you growl or roar?”

The lion chuckled at her adorable reaction. “They do. Although, since we do share another form of communication, our own language, I don’t always speak to everyone this way. It’s usually only when in front of entities that do not understand the tongue of the beasts.”

Welrond glanced at the soldiers on the side, who were trying their best to keep their composure in front of the noble beast. “If I may also ask a potentially rude question, Patriarch, would it be fine if we prepared a saddle for you and Tina since you two will sometimes be traveling alongside the others from the squad?”

“I do not mind. If it will make it more comfortable for my master, I will naturally comply. We can take measurements whenever you wish to do so. I’ve seen some of your saddles and no one amongst the tigers has ever complained about their quality.”

“That brings up another matter.” Silvia softly rubbed her chin. “Tina has ended up with a splendid companion, easy to say, the most grandiose winged beast in the entire Royal Division.”

“That is true.” The king copied her motion. “Since the squad has no captain, we were supposed to let everyone get to know Tina a bit better and then have them suggest the leader, but…”

“It’s only natural that the captain stands out the most amongst all the members of the team,” the princess finished for him.

“Eh? Me? The captain?” Tina glanced between them and her soon-to-be squadmates, now possibly even subordinates, with visible surprise. “But… I’m so new… I don’t know if I’m good for it…”

Asterios walked closer to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, showing a warm smile.

“I’m fairly sure you would do great if you put even half of the effort you were always putting into your studies and summoning. You are already leading a small squad of your own, are you not? One that gave me a run for my life back during graduation.” He chuckled.

“I think so too.” Silvia nodded with a faint smile. “Of course, we are not going to force such decisions onto anyone, be it you or the other members of the squad. If they approve, if you approve, we will approve too.”

Tina glanced at the royal knights and Asterios gave her an unnoticeable push, asking her to have some more confidence in herself. She nodded particularly to no one and walked up to the line of people and winged tigers. Esil followed after her shortly.

She stopped in front of them and tried her best to look each person in the eyes to appear dependable.

“You heard what the king said and we have just discussed, right? What do you think of it? Let me first say that while it has always been my dream to join the Royal Division, it was never my intention to run for the position of the leader, especially without proving myself first. It might seem like I’m abusing my connections to steal the spot.”

The men glanced between themselves and made various different faces while also exchanging some words. Tina watched them and awaited their thoughts and opinions in a slightly tense atmosphere. Esil’s warm breath hitting her from behind eased the stress and worry at least a little.

Before any of the men said anything, the only other woman in the squad rolled her eyes and walked up to her.

“It’s not like any of us has been a squad captain yet, so why don’t we roll with it and see how it goes? I have a feeling that you will do just fine. We will all help you grasp whatever’s necessary and learn alongside you too. What do you say? Acting Squad Leader?”

She extended her hand forward with a pleasant smirk on her face.

Tina took a peek at the men behind her and they looked to be nodding at each other and her. She smiled too, moved her gaze to match the woman’s, and shook her hand.

“It will be my pleasure, ummm…”

“Kathy, Captain.” The woman grinned at her.

“Tina. I’m looking forward to working with all of you. Like… really forward…” She added the last part quietly, making Kathy chuckle.

Everyone came closer to shake their hands with her too and introduced themselves. Tina did her best to memorize everyone’s name, getting a little overwhelmed, but her familiars assured her that they would aid her. She did have Ori, Firo, Hydran, and now Esil to share thoughts with.

Afterward, her squadmates returned to their positions and Tina walked back to the king and the others. Welrond smiled at her while crossing his arms over his chest.

“Congratulations, Captain Tina. Looks like you have already managed to capture their hearts. Good quality for a leader.”

She blushed a little but nodded, arriving by Ast’s and his girls’ sides.

“Father, I think this will be a good moment.” Silvia glanced up at the king.

“Right, right. I agree. Let’s see…”

Ast’s crew watched Welrond curiously. He brought two fancy golden tubes out of his spatial storage ring and waved them in his hand. They seemed to be interconnected.

“What’s that?” Asterios asked first.

“I did mention an engagement gift, did I not?” The king grinned.

Tina and Asterios exchanged glances with their wide eyes.

“Ummm… What is it, if I may ask?” she inquired.

“I’ve heard that all the boys love castles.” He chuckled softly. “And it so happens that there is a certain one… without a lord.”

“Oh gods…”