Chapter 222.2: Starting to Evangelize (Part 2)
It was slightly different for Sanctia, but those details were not very important, and she had seen that they acted the same way in essence through her research. Likely because she would summon the sword itself, and not Sanctia as a spirit.
「I've heard about that before... I see, they really are Armor Spirits...」
The soldier leader seemed slightly surprised, but as he knew some information about summoners from an acquaintance, he knew Mira was telling the truth. The jeering from the rest of the crowd also died down, as now only a few muttered something to the rest. Those who knew something about summoners were explaining to those who did not know anything.
That went on for a short while, before loud cheers erupted from everyone. They had gained a sudden boost of confidence, feeling that maybe they would be able to catch the phantom thief for once, without him expecting anything.
The adventurers were feeling a lot more reassured, and even the soldiers were excited about the prospect of having Ashen Knights on their side.
「By the way, this is also a summon.」
Seeing that she was the center of attention and everyone had a better image of her, she decided there was no better time than now, and sent the spirit mansion away.
The house that had been standing behind Mira that entire time vanished suddenly, leaving behind the grassy plain that was there before.
Just as Mira had expected, that caused quite an uproar from the crowd as well, as they wondered if that really was possible.
「Incredible... I was wondering how you built such a house overnight, but to think it was a summon as well...」
The soldier leader mumbled in disbelief, slowly approaching the spot where the spirit mansion had been and grasping at the air, making sure there was nothing there anymore, before jumping around excitedly like a child that just witnessed a magic trick.
As Mira really wanted to revitalize the popularity of summoners, she was very pleased seeing the soldier leader acting the way she wanted, happily saying 「I know, I know.」
There were others in the crowd who also began to react.
「I didn't think a house could be summoned like that,」 「I thought she had summoned some carpenter to build it real quick,」 「Does this mean we don't have to worry about camping in the open if we have a summoner?」 「I guess having a summoner can help a lot actually,」 「That's incredible.」
Mira was delighted hearing all of that, but then remembered the detail she forgot to mention.
After a short moment of panicking, she raised her voice and said 「Though well,」 and she began to explain just how hard it was to actually obtain a spirit mansion.
Summoning the spirit mansion required a large amount of mana, so only summoners blessed with a large mana capacity, or those who trained enough would be able to use it. They also had to be able to establish ties with spirits with ease, and more importantly, they needed to find a mansion with a spirit living in it.
So all in all, the spirit mansion was not a summon most would be able to obtain. Mira made sure to stress that, as she did not want other summoners to be terrorized by excessive demands. She was mostly interested in showing up-and-coming summoners just how powerful they could be.
「It's a whole house, so I guess it makes sense for it to be an advanced summon.」
The soldier leader nodded with understanding. Everyone else also did the same, understanding not everyone would be able to repeat what Mira did.
While the spirit mansion was not the biggest in terms of a house, it was quite big for a summon that could be carried everywhere. It was obvious enough for everyone that only master summoners would be able to have something like that.
「Still, being able to summon a house? That'd be perfect to travel. It'd be such a dream to not have to worry about inns or camping anymore.」
Eventually one of the adventurers said that, and his words quickly spread throughout the rest of them.
No matter the weather, they would always be able to sleep inside a comfortable house. On top of that, if there were Armor Spirits patrolling outside, everyone would be able to sleep without having to take turns to keep watch. They would be able to save up on inn costs, and they would be able to rest without having to go through the trouble of setting up a tent. All the adventurers were quickly finding the various uses for a house that could be summoned.
Seeing how they all discussed that, Mira found it was the perfect opportunity for something else.
「Other than that, this is also possible for us.」
Saying that, Mira summoned Undine.
A magic circle appeared and Undine stepped out of it, and once she looked around and saw that large crowd, she quickly clung onto Mira. The large crowd had startled her.
「I'm sorry for shocking you like that, but don't worry, they aren't bad people.」
Mira turned to face Undine, talking gently to her. Then, wanting to show the power of summoners even more, as well as her bonds with spirits, she took out a cup from her Item Box.
「Now, Undine. Could you please pour some water in here?」
As she spoke, Mira held out the cup. Undine nodded happily, probably because she was glad to be of use to Mira so soon, and held her hands above the cup.
Undine cupped her hands a little, and before long, they brimmed with water, which then overflowed and cascaded into the cup below.
Soon enough the cup was filled with water, so Mira took it and drank all of it in a single gulp, then saying, 「Yes, that hits the spot!」
「While finding a mansion with a spirit living in it might be hard, forming a contract with a water spirit isn't very complicated. If you love spirits, respect them, and are willing to live with them, they'll certainly answer in kind. Spirits are some of the kindest creatures, and we summoners turn our friendship into power. For example by befriending a water spirit like her, you can have crystal clear water no matter where you go!」
Mira announced that loudly, explaining what more possibilities could be achieved by summoners. Summoning a water spirit only required a small quantity of mana, and the water produced by one would not vanish like the water of magic spells. On top of that, it was far more cost effective compared to water made with Concept Magic.
Primitive Spirits required little mana to summon, though that also depended a little on their type. But in exchange, when those spirits used their abilities, they would also use some of the summoner's mana. That was a fundamental rule of summoning, put in place to preserve the balance of nature.
Then again, the amount of mana consumed was not excessive, and since the spirits still did most of the heavy lifting, the results were extremely efficient. Concept Magic would require at least twenty times as much mana to produce the same amount of water, for example.
After Mira explained that much, the soldier leader said 「I see,」 realizing how useful that could be. It really was nothing complicated to understand.
But the adventurers amongst the crowd were seeing more possibilities from what Mira had shown them.
「So in other words we won't have to factor the weight of water when packing for a trip anymore.」
「If it's so mana efficient then it'd be better to carry mana recovery potions instead of water.」
「Fresh water anywhere we go... I see, that's certainly incredible.」
Water was an essential resource when going on a trip or into a dungeon. If a party took a summoner who had a contract with a water spirit, they would be able to procure it with ease. That revelation came as a huge shock after Mira announced it to the crowd.
Though that was supposed to be common knowledge for any summoner with a contract with a water spirit, so Mira was confused as to why it seemed like such a foreign concept here.
「So summoners could actually do that too.」
「I guess they can do more than just create decoys or help carrying stuff.」
Some adventurers muttered that. It seemed like all they knew were Dark Knights that could carry heavy loads, and Holy Knights with thick shields that could lure away enemies.
Due to the decrease of summoners and their abilities, not many knew of the possibilities they held.
But that was where Mira could come into play. She held the power to shock anyone, and possessed a wealth of knowledge about summoners, letting her paint that class into a much better light.