Ideonyr Great Sea of Trees referred to a vast, vast, vast forest area to the east of the country where I lived.
To put it bluntly, it was larger than the country's land area. No one knew how far the forest actually extended, and adventurers who ventured into it to see its ends always gave up halfway and turned back, never to return.
The Great Sea of Trees was infested with powerful monsters not found anywhere else, and even just peeking in on the action could be life-threatening. It was feared as the world's worst magical realm, and it was even said that the border with the Sea of Trees was effectively "the end of the world."
That was the Ideonyr Great Sea of Trees.
Stepping into such a dangerous place would be synonymous with death, so everyone, including the kind old man, stopped me from jumping in. Apparently they thought I had become so desperate and was trying to commit suicide after I had been fired from Knight Academy and my parents had even cut me off from them.
It was no wonder people would think that way, as Great Sea of Trees was a dangerous place, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared at all.
That's why it was the perfect place to experiment with Bond Summoning.
Of course, since I had no intention of dying, I made thorough preparations, carefully packing survival equipment and food, and so the people around me no longer thought I was trying to commit suicide, and they no longer tried to stop me. "Why are there so many nice people here?" I was surprised and confused, but the Adventurers' Guild was that kind of place.
A few days had passed since I set off, with everyone seeing me off. I arrived at the town on the border with the Ideonyr Great Sea of Trees and from there I finally entered the Great Sea of Trees.
The border town was a fortress city under the jurisdiction of a margrave.
The position of a margrave was one placed in order to defend against enemy forces attacking from outside the country, which means that they feared the Great Sea of Trees with the same urgency as going to war with other countries.
In fact, it was said that the Great Sea of Trees was inhabited by thousands of vicious monsters, many of whom roamed the land.
That's why it was the perfect place to aim to complete my Bond Summoning.
Once inside the Great Sea of Trees, I could sense with my very skin that I was in a different world.
"My whole body is tingling...!?" (Idhir)
As far as my eyes could see, there was nothing but trees and grass. That's why it was called Great Sea of Trees, but on top of that there was always an indescribable eeriness about the space.
Maybe there's something hiding behind that tree trunk over there...? Could it be that something was looking down at us from beyond the dense foliage...?
Even an ordinary forest could feel eerie and creepy when you were caught up in such delusions, but in the Ideonyr Great Sea of Trees this feeling was even stronger.
It felt suffocating, like someone was constantly watching me. As if to dispel that sense of awkwardness...
"Hey! If anyone's out there, come out!" (IDIIRU)
I shouted. It was an embarrassing thing to do, but unexpectedly, there were some who took my threat seriously and came out.
An unidentified, shapeless thing suddenly appeared from the shade of a tree. That strangeness...
"Eeek?!" (Idhir)
I was shocked and pathetic. However, I soon realized what it was.
"...Slime?" (Idhir)
Isn't it slime?
The most popular and lowest-ranking monster in the world. It was unclear whether the translucent, gel-like substance was a living thing, but it was definitely trembling and moving on its own.
"There are slimes in Great Sea of Trees too...?" (Idhir)
To begin with, slimes are the weakest of all monsters, so it was surprising to see them appear in such a difficult place. Perhaps I should be impressed by the versatility of slimes, which can be found anywhere...
While I was thinking about such things, something attacked me!
"Kyupi kyupii!" (Slime)
"Gyaaaaaaah!? So fast!? How strong is that for a slime!?" (Idhir)
Truly the world's worst kept secret. If you were to encounter one there, even a slime would be a formidable opponent of a different kind.
The chaotic fighting continued for a while...
"...I won!" (Idhir)
That was dangerous. I was about to make a fool of myself like an amateur adventurer, being defeated by a slime just near the starting point. If I ended up passing through such a process, I would face further ridicule from my family and the people at school who looked down on me.
"I certainly can't die like that...!" (Idhir)
However, the slime I encountered was such a formidable opponent that it almost led me to a death I absolutely wanted to avoid. It was clearly stronger than the slimes around there.
"Normality is a terrifying threat... Is this the greatness of Ideonyr Great Sea of Trees...!?" (Idhir)
Once again, I realized that I was in a magical place, and since I couldn't continue like this forever, I decided to move forward.
Well, I somehow managed to fight back against the slime, but now it was lying dead at my feet(?).
"Kyu, kyupipiiii...!?" (Slime)
...Well, it was gel-like and spherical, so you couldn't tell just by looking at it whether it was lying down or standing.
"Is it okay to say that you were defeated and barely breathing?" (Idhir)
But it was not dead. Since I didn't finish it off, there was no doubt it was still alive.
That was because I consciously suppressed my power. Incapacitating someone without killing them required delicate technique, which made it significantly more difficult than defeating them with the intent to kill them, but I decided to take that approach.
I had a reason why I had to capture it alive.
Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to accomplish my purpose in coming all the way to this enchanting place.
So that was why I came here— To test the results of Bond Summoning I had mastered.
If the person I bonded with died, it was all for nothing.
"Well then..." (Idhir)
The slime collapsed onto the ground, seemingly unconscious. I reached out my hand towards it... and concentrated, activating the magical power within me.
"‹Form a Bond›" (Idhir)
I started chanting the spell. The magic power, adjusted to be extremely close to its life force, connected to the weak life force of the fallen slime.
"‹Let us make a pact› ‹I am the master, and you are also the master› ‹Between us there is no hierarchy, thus we are bound by a bond of true sincerity› ‹I pray that I may receive your assistance›"
Ok, things are starting to connect nicely. Then I used a spell to fix the completed magic path...
"‹Contract complete›!" (Idhir)
"Crrrrrr!!" (Slime)
The slime, which had been half dead until that moment, began to hop about energetically. It had made a full recovery.
"Kyupipipii! Kyupipipipipipipipii!!" (Slime)
The slime, now invigorated, was jumping around as if trying to release its excess power. The way it bounced was like a ball.
"Well then... how is it?" (Idhir)
If the contract was solidly sealed, that slime would become my friend and would never harm me again. If that wasn't the case, the contract would have failed and I would have been a fool for having to sacrifice my life to heal the enemy I had worked so hard to defeat.
"Kyuppiiiiiiiii!!" (Slime)
"Nghhh?!" (Idhir)
The bullet-like slime tackled me and sank into my stomach?! The impact was as if he had been hit by an iron ball, and my body was bent in a "U" shape!
"Was I attacked? Did I fail?!" (Idhir)
However, the force of the crash caused the slime to jump up and down again, riding on my body as I fell. It looked happy and joyful, like a large dog frolicking with its owner.
"Could that have been... an expression of affection?" (Idhir)
"Kyupii!" (Slime)
Maybe it didn't tackle me, but instead hugged me? It was hard to tell from a limbless slime, but it certainly seemed non-hostile.
Although we had been engaged in a bloody battle just moments ago, now we were embracing each other in a state of love and peace. What made this possible was the contract between him and me (?).
"Yay! It's a success!" (Idhir)
"Kyupi? Kyupiiiiiiiii!?" (Slime)
If you don't understand, you don't have to force yourself to be happy, you know, little Slime? However, this proved that the first stage of my hypothesis of Bond Summoning had been a success.
First, you make a pact with the monster and make it obey you. This was all part of the process, and it was worth it as I was able to successfully make the slime my ally.
However, if that was all there was to it, it was not that different from a monster tamer.
The true essence of Bond Summoning recorded in ancient documents began after forming a bond with a monster!