Heroine-Saving System: Reborn In A Third-Rate Manga As The Protagonist-Chapter 100: To Familiar Isle

One thing everybody could notice on Lord Haruki’s face was that he had a zig-zag silver crest running from just below his left eye down toward the corner of his jaw.

Amongst the students, a hand suddenly shot up and everybody threw glances at whoever had done it. It was a girl from Class 4.

For a moment the whole Hall seemed to hold its breath, expecting the Dean to simply ignore her but Haruki gave her a small smile.

"You have a question? Please stand up and ask away." He said.

The student trembled as she got to her feet.

"M-m-mister... M-mister D-Dean of F-F-Familiars, s-sir..." She swallowed hard and tried again. "I-I... uhm... I w-was just w-wondering... if it’s n-not too much t-trouble... c-could you... w-what is... wh-what exactly is..." She pressed both hands flat against the front of her uniform. "W-what is the F-Familiar Isle, p-please...?"

The last word came out so quietly it almost wasn’t there.

Several students groaned. A single look from the Dean of Familiars and the groaning stopped immediately, like a switch had been thrown and he clapped once.

"That’s very good. Don’t be afraid to ask a question if you don’t understand." He stopped clapping. "Very well. I will answer your question. As you are aware, there are four Supercities... Omni Supercity, Isle Supercity, Keropolis Supercity where we are currently situated, and Vantara Supercity. Now as you know, right outside the Supercities are the Outer Zones and the lands beyond that as well. After graduating, Awakened like yourselves who have come through ALI and similar academies have the choice of going outside the walls to fight and reclaim the land that was lost."

Silence held across the Hall.

The outside forces were substantial... Nobody debated that however the Awakened within the walls outnumbered them, mostly because very few people who had the option of living under the protection of the White King inside a functioning Supercity were genuinely eager to step beyond it.

"One of the lands reclaimed by splendid Awakened... including myself has been transformed into Familiar Isle. It is a place where students such as yourselves will go to receive Familiars if your class is chosen. You are not allowed to use magic there since the wild Familiars there are sensitive to active mana so you must approach and befriend one for it to come along with you." Haruki said. "If your class is not chosen, there is no need to worry. You will still be able to purchase Familiars from ALI, however the Familiars on the Isle are very different from normal ones."

The girl gave a small nod and sat back down with a quiet sigh of relief while Haruki placed both hands together in front of him.

"Now we will pick the classes that will be going on this expedition. Everybody has the capability of forming a pact with a Familiar, however the more students a class has with above average Familiar affinity, the more likely that class is to be chosen." He said and closed his eyes. "Let us begin."

The squirrel let out its signature cry and climbed out from his chest pocket, scrambling up his arm and settling on top of his head and then the room turned crimson.

Several Professors and students gasped and even Koya blinked.

’Such power...’ The mana that Haruki had just spread out from his own reserves overtook everything already in the atmosphere entirely. The crimson deepened until it was almost the color of blood and Haruki let out a slow breath.

’Let’s see.’ Haruki thought, moving his awareness through each section of the Hall. ’As usual... all of Class 1 are at my level in Familiar affinity. Class 2 has fewer above-average students but that girl... the Aoyora Heiress has an affinity surpassing mine.’

He moved through Class 3 and then Class 4. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Unlike previous years, both classes had very few students with meaningful Familiar potential... though they had strong mana development and several on the path to Blue-liner and Red-liner ranks but Familiar affinity was a separate thing entirely and it wasn’t present in useful numbers here.

Then he reached Class 5 and paused.

’That boy with the blond hair... Amagi Koya.’ The name came easily, the boy had become reasonably well known and the Creation Mage herself had sent a recommendation email directly to Haruki’s office requesting he bring Koya along regardless of whether Class 5 was selected.

He had noted it and set it aside... Now, feeling the affinity sitting in this student, he understood why she had bothered.

’His potential matches the Aoyora Heiress and there are more like him here, though they are just above average.’

Eight students in Class 5 with above average Familiar affinity... He had not expected that from a commoner class and he let himself register the surprise privately.

Just as he was pulling his mana back, something flickered at the edge of his awareness.

It appeared and was gone again in less than a second... he could recognize it in an instant, that was royal mana.

It was active and then immediately suppressed like some kind of signal and someone who was not used to regularly sensing royal magic would not have caught it at all.

His lips pressed together slightly.

’The Princess... she’s here.’ He straightened without visibly reacting.

Even wearing a brown-haired disguise and sitting in Class 5 like any other student, Hakua managed to stand out in a way that a woman trying to look average simply shouldn’t. ’The Princess manages to stand out even when she looks so common.’

The crimson sea of mana gradually receded and the Orientation Hall returned to normal as Haruki stood with both hands behind his back.

"I have analyzed the potential of each and every person in this room and only three out of five classes will be called upon to follow me to Familiar Isle." He said and took one step forward on the podium. "Announcing first... with the most students showing high potential for Familiars is Class 1. All students of Class 1, please stand."

Every student and Professor in the Hall already knew this was coming.

It would have been a genuine embarrassment if Class 1 hadn’t been selected... the descendants of the highest noble families carried generational advantages in almost every measurable category and Familiar affinity was no exception.

All twelve students in Class 1 rose and Haruki gave a nod.

"Very well. Following Class 1 is Class 2... All students of Class 2, stand."

Class 2 rose next.

After the great noble families came the regular noble families, alongside a number of relatives from the Great Clans who hadn’t quite made the cut for Class 1 which was expected.

Miyuki stood with the rest of them but her eyes were moving, doing a quiet count of the remaining classes and she fumbled slightly with the hem of her sleeve.

’At this rate... Class 3 is next.’ She thought, watching the Dean’s face for any indication and finding nothing useful.

She wondered, briefly, if there was a way to get a Familiar from the Isle for a particular person then she caught herself thinking it and her face went slightly warm. ’N-not like I want to or anything...’

"Now for the third class." Haruki said. "It is a surprising result... Out of the remaining three classes, Class 5 has the third highest number of students with strong Familiar affinity."

He looked at the Class 5 section. "Class 5, stand up as well."

The gasps came from everywhere simultaneously from students and even professors as well as the Class 5 section itself.

Even Saki, standing with the teaching staff along the side wall, went visibly still.

"I will not repeat myself." Haruki said simply.

The Class 5 students scrambled to their feet in varying states of disbelief. Koya stood, let out a quiet sigh, and glanced sideways at the merchant’s son two rows over.

The expression on the boy’s face was a specific kind of twisted surprise like he couldn’t believe what was happening. He wasn’t the only one wearing it though, most of the Hall looked approximately the same way.

Ichinose appeared at Koya’s shoulder seemingly from nowhere.

"Koya-kun, can you believe it? We can stream the Isle of Familiars now." She said, already brightening.

"I’m pretty sure there’s a no-streaming policy for that place." Mio pointed out from his other side.

Ichinose deflated immediately, grumbling under her breath.

"As for the classes that were not selected." Haruki continued, addressing the seated students. "Having a Familiar is not a compulsory exercise... Forty-eight percent of strong Awakened currently operating in the field have no Familiar at all. What matters at the end of the day is your advancement and graduation."

He gave the remaining students a small bow. "Please continue with your regular classes. As for the students accompanying me... you will be exempted from ALI for three days and will return on the evening of the third day. Receiving a Familiar is not a simple process. It requires time and patience. Now follow me outside."

A hand went up from Class 2 and he acknowledged it with a nod.

"Sir Dean." It was a boy. "Are we not going to pack up first?"

"Food and living conditions have already been arranged for this short trip. I don’t believe you need anything else." He said. "Now we must go early... The early Dolderbird gets the Giant Worm."

He stepped off the podium with the squirrel chittering from the top of his head and walked toward the Hall exit and the students followed.

Koya caught Saki’s eye on the way out and she lifted a hand.

"Don’t forget to practice Mana Constructs and keep in touch too. You can’t keep ghosting your Professor." Her voice arrived directly in his head which meant that she was using some kind of Telepathy magic. He really couldn’t get surprised anymore.

’I understand, Saki.’ He thought back.

The woman twitched visibly where she stood and her face went pink.

"Hey... don’t call your Professor by her first name. Do you have no shame? No honorifics either?" A pause. "Regardless... Koya-kun, be safe."

She cut the connection just as he stepped through the exit.

A few minutes later they were standing outside the front of the Academy in three separate groups with class representatives at the front of each.

The morning air was cool and the sky above the Supercity barrier was clear.

"Uhm... M-mister." Miyuki spoke carefully and Haruki turned toward her. He was curious... an Awakened with her affinity level asking a question was rarely a waste of time. "Is... is that your only Familiar?"

He glanced up at the squirrel perched on his head and gave a small chuckle.

"Not at all. This little one isn’t even my Familiar... he’s the offspring of my first one, who is resting at the Isle." He said. "As a Master of Familiars I maintain two teams, which is something all of you should consider if you ever find yourselves leaning toward Familiar combat. The first is your Main Team... your primary attackers and combatants while the second is your Support Team which has Familiars whose strengths lie elsewhere, covering roles your Main Team cannot. You are limited to twelve Familiars over a lifetime. If all twelve have been contracted and all twelve pass away, you cannot form a thirteenth bond." He paused. "But those are the ramblings of an old man. Ask me again on the Isle when it’s relevant."

Haruki raised his hand, placed two fingers between his lips, and whistled.

CHUU-FUU-LU-LU!

It was an eerie sound and almost immediately, shadows crossed the Supercity above them.

Three of them were large enough that they dimmed the light noticeably as they descended, and Koya watched them come down and felt his sense of scale recalibrate.

’Why are they so big?’ He thought.

「These are Dolderbirds... Gold-class Familiars. In the early days of the Apocalypse, the White King tamed a Dolderbird and rode it across settlements to gather survivors toward what would become the Supercities. A Gold-class Dolderbird can carry up to thirty people at once while the White King’s own is Silver-class and can carry one hundred.」

The Dolderbirds landed and the ground shook once firmly under each impact.

They were enormous up close with their bodies like a hawk’s but scaled up to the size of a building and feathers layered in deep gold-brown with iridescent edges that caught the light differently depending on the angle.

Their beaks were heavy and blunt which made it more suited for impact than cutting, and their talons pressed shallow grooves into the ground just from the weight of standing still.

Haruki walked up to the nearest one and patted it on the side, watching his hand disappear into the feathers.

"These are Dolderbirds and I have named them Doldy 1, Doldy 2 and Doldy 3." He said with complete sincerity. "Please be respectful." He turned back to them. "Doldy 1, 2 and 3... lie down and prepare to be mounted."

All three birds lowered themselves to the ground in one motion with their wings folding back and their bodies settling flat on the ground.

"Class 1 to Doldy 1, Class 2 to Doldy 2, Class 5 to Doldy 3." Haruki said, already climbing Doldy 2 himself. "Once you are seated, grip the feathers. We are running behind schedule."

The students began climbing.

The Dolderbirds helped where they could, using their wings to guide people upward until every student was seated on the broad flat expanse of their backs.

The backs were structured naturally for it with walls of dense, stiff feathers rising on either side and at the rear, curved inward enough to prevent anyone from sliding off.

Koya found a grip and settled in... Around him the Class 5 students were doing the same, some of them still looking at the sheer size of the bird beneath them with surprised expressions.

"All of you, hold tight." Haruki’s voice carried across all three. "Now fly."

Doldy 1 left the ground first with a single flap of its wings and it was airborne, the displaced air hitting every person still on the ground like a wall.

Doldy 2 followed and then Doldy 3 spread its wings and with one stroke launched itself upward and Koya felt the ground drop away beneath them.

He expanded Sensory out of instinct.

The skies above Keropolis were clear and wide with the Supercity laid out below them in full from this height... he could see different kind of buildings here and also the barrier that curved upward around them in a small glow.

The three Dolderbirds climbed in formation, following each other in a loose diagonal line, and as the first one reached the barrier’s upper edge that section of it turned green and passed it through without resistance.

The second followed... then Doldy 3 crossed and the barrier fizzled back to blue behind them and they were outside.

"Hold on even tighter." Haruki’s voice came forward. "We will be entering Blitz to cross the Outer Zone."

’What the hell is...’

One moment Sensory was reading the Outer Zone normally with the familiar low density of monster activity at the boundary and a few airborne creatures in the mid-distance.

Then Sensory started spazzing with new contacts flooding in faster than it could process them as well as the feed stuttering and resetting.

There was something completely wrong with the rate of information coming through. Wind hit his face in sharp consecutive gusts... each one from a slightly different angle as the bird moved.

He deactivated the skill and understood immediately. The Dolderbird wasn’t moving fast... it was moving at a speed where fast stopped being the right word for it.

The Outer Zone was being consumed beneath them in fractions of what it should have taken leaving the horizon shifting with every breath, and around him students were screaming.

From somewhere on Doldy 2 he could hear the same sounds while Class 1 was silent.

The Dolderbirds cut left in a wide arc and kept going, breaking speed in intervals when the acceleration became too much for the students to absorb, then climbing again.

Ten minutes of this followed with the land below cycling from the scarred grey of the Outer Zone into something greener and stranger and then they were somewhere else entirely.

Koya looked out and saw it.

On the far horizon, enormous and unmistakable, was a Supercity barrier but rising from within it was a single tower that extended so high into the sky he could still see it clearly from this distance, it was a spire driving straight upward well past the point where anything should still be visible.

That place was Omni Supercity.

The Dolderbirds were going in the opposite direction, heading toward a wide stretch of land ahead of them covered in purple-leafed bushes that rolled in the wind.

It was genuinely beautiful... and then Koya noticed what was pressing against the near edge of it.

The monster was large.

It had eight wings arranged in two staggered rows down its back, each one membranous and veined like a dragonfly’s however it looked like a monster straight out of a monster manga.

The wingspan of the full monster was wide enough that its shadow covered a significant stretch of ground beneath it and its body was long and segmented as well with each segment ringed with a ridge of short black spines that glistened wetly in the light.

The head was almost featureless with a flat oval with no visible eyes, it just had a wide lipless mouth that ran the full width of it and a cluster of thin antennae above it that moved independently of each other, tasting the air.

The color of it was a deep iridescent green-black, the kind that looked very attractive from a distance until you noticed that the ground directly beneath where it stood had gone grey and dry in a perfect radius.

"Nice." The Dean of Familiars said cheerfully. "Would all of you like to see Doldy 2 in action? Let’s clear this damned monster."

The monster turned toward them as the Dolderbirds descended in altitude. All eight wings spread fully and the antennae went rigid.

"That is a Venomwraith." Haruki said. "Getting hit with even its weakest poison would kill a high-tier Blue-liner given enough time. However..."

He looked at Doldy 2. "Doldy, Destroy it!"

The golden beak of Doldy 2 began to glow. The air around the bird’s head warped visibly as enormous amounts of it were drawn inward and compressed with the pressure building in a way that made the ears want to pop.

A sphere formed at the beak which was spinning and made entirely of compressed air rotating so fast it had become almost visible and then Doldy 2 released the attack.

The sphere tore through the air and the sound it made doing so was a low flat crack, like something being split.

It hit the Venomwraith dead center of mass and for one instant nothing happened... and then the compression released all at once from the inside.

The monster came apart as the internal pressure found every cavity simultaneously and the Venomwraith simply ceased to be a single thing.

The wings spun outward in different directions and the segmented body burst at every joint with it’s organs visible briefly before they scattered with a dark cloud of iridescent fluid hanging in the air where the creature had been standing before the wind began pulling it apart.

What hit the ground was unrecognizable.

"And that..." The Dean of Familiars said, resting one hand on his knee where he sat atop Doldy 2, "is your introduction to Familiars."