Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit-Chapter 153: The Hero Summoning Ritual(Part 1)

"Cheers! Today marks six months since we joined the Knight Order, and it’s been a while since all seven of us were together like this, so let’s kick back, relax and celebrate!" Grinned Aster, as he held up a glass, the others joining in and clinking their glasses with his.

It was the 15th of June, 1919, and as Aster had mentioned, it had now been half a year since The Irregulars were pardoned and joined the Knights.

It had been about three weeks since the group that went to Sylph returned, and things had been relatively peaceful and uneventful since then.

About a week ago, Aster realized that the six-month mark of The Irregulars joining the Knights was approaching, so he contacted the others to set up a hangout.

None of them objected, and after that, it was just a matter of convincing Jules, who approved the days off for each of them, since there wasn’t much going on at the moment.

"This really takes me back, all of us were constantly around each other when we were living in our hideout in Pearl Forest, so this is nice," Smiled Raven, as he munched on some fries.

"Yeah, I miss that place...what happened to it, anyway? I wonder if it’s just as we left it, though it’s probably gotten super dusty," Mused Celia thoughtfully, as she brushed off a small crumb on the corner of Raven’s mouth with a napkin.

"Well, we cleared out all the furniture and stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if some Monsters or animals came across it and are now using it as their den," Responded Tacitus with a shrug.

"Now that I’m used to living in a proper house and walking out in the open, I’m not sure I’ll be able to go back to living like that. I have great memories of our time there and all, but hunting and gathering was a serious pain...it’s so much easier just being able to shop for what I need," Sighed Lexia wistfully.

"Yeah, you might be doing a bit too much shopping. You’ve kinda been going overboard ever since the imported goods from Sylph hit the stores, you’re looking a bit pudgy," Grinned Colt, as he poked her cheek a couple of times.

"Sh-shut up, I know that! I-I’m going to put in a few extra hours into training to get back into shape, so lay off!" She huffed as she smacked his hand away.

"Wait, you actually did gain weight? Huh, I was just messing with you, didn’t realize that I was actually right," Responded Colt in bemusement.

"...I’m gonna kill you."

"Wow, you two haven’t changed at all, have you?" Chimed in Ravella with an amused look on her face.

"Yup, we’re as close as ever! No, actually, scratch that...I think we’ve gotten a lot closer than before," Laughed Colt.

"I-I don’t know what you’re talking about," Muttered Lexia with a huff.

"I don’t want to piss off Lexia, so I won’t say this out loud, but...they really do seem closer than before," Raven whispered to Celia.

"Yeah, definitely...she isn’t snapping at him as much as she used to, and she’s blushing more than usual too," Nodded Celia in agreement.

"I’m surprised we were all able to get a day off on the same day. The Commander is usually so stingy with days off," Sighed Tacitus in exasperation.

"You do realize that you’ve requested more days off than anyone else in the Order, right? No one else has even requested half as many leaves as you have since we joined," Aster reminded him dryly.

"Yeah, yeah, I remember the warning letter I got. It said I’d get suspended if I asked for too many days off...but a suspension is basically several days off in a row, so I don’t see how that’s a punishment. Sure, I won’t get paid while suspended, but money hasn’t been a concern for a while, I’ve already been paid enough to live relatively comfortably for the rest of my life," He shrugged in response.

"You probably shouldn’t push your luck though, they might-...," Began Ravella.

"What, kick me out of the Knight Order? I doubt that. I’ve made myself pretty valuable to them, after all, so they’re not going to get rid of me that easily. Huh...maybe I should just retire. I mean, I’ll take requests for Spell Cards if there are any emergencies, and I’ll fight when needed too, but...I won’t need to patrol if I retire. How did I not think of this before, this is-...," Remarked Tacitus, his eyes widening as a gleam appeared in them.

"H-hey, uh, maybe we shouldn’t talk about work, we’re here to relax, after all!" Aster cut him off with a nervous laugh, while thinking to himself, "Crap, he finally realized it, I was hoping he wouldn’t! Let’s hope he forgets about this...I should call the Commander and warn her, she’s bound to blame me if he blindsides her with a sudden retirement or resignation."

"Oh, your glass is empty, want a refill, Aster?" Inquired Ravella with a smile, as she held up the bottle.

"Hm? Oh, sure, thanks," He nodded gratefully, before she leaned over the table and refilled his glass, making a not-so-subtle, deliberate effort to flaunt her cleavage at him.

She nervously glanced at him, her heart skipping a beat as he noticed, before she pouted in disappointment as he swiftly averted his gaze.

"Come on, at least stare for a couple of seconds," She thought to herself, letting out a sigh.

"It’s overflowing," Remarked Tacitus, as he took a sip of his drink.

"Huh? What is-...oh, crap! I’m so sorry!" She exclaimed in alarm, quickly stopping pouring as the drink spilled out the sides of the glass, forming a small puddle around the base of the glass.

"Nah, don’t worry about it," Smiled Aster, as she wiped it up with a napkin, her face red with embarrassment.

"Heh," Smirked Colt tauntingly as she sat back down, eliciting an annoyed glare from her, as Raven patted her shoulder with a sympathetic smile.

"Well, that sucked. But I can’t mope, we’re all meeting up for the first time in ages, it’d be pretty shitty of me to to ruin the mood by sulking," Ravella thought to herself, putting on a smile.

Meanwhile, at the castle...

"I see, so there’s still one corrupt Noble unaccounted for," Remarked Lyra with a look of concern on her face.

"Yes, your Majesty. Alphonse Plore, a member of the Plore family, the second son of the former Count Ernet Plore, as well as the younger brother of the former Third Squad Captain Zilk Plore. He was on the list of Exalt collaborators that Tilda gathered, and while we’ve apprehended everyone else who was involved with them, he’s managed to evade us so far," Replied Jules with a grimace.

"Is there any serious cause for concern with this?"

"I’d say that’s unlikely, but of course, that doesn’t mean we’re going to leave him be, it would be foolish to let a potential threat roam around free. Based on everything we know, he’s a noncombatant with no Combat Template mastered. However, he possesses Detection Magic with an above average level of mastery over it, that could explain how he’s been able to avoid capture so far."

"Hm, I see. Is it possible that he fled the Kingdom?" Wondered Jules uncertainly.

"No, I don’t believe so. A man matching his description was sighted in Sapphire City by the Inquisitors three days ago, they lost track of him, but we plan to sweep the city and the surrounding area soon. We’ve also kept a close eye on all the properties owned by the Plores, thought I’d say it’s unlikely that he’d show up at any of those spots," Sighed Jules in response.

Meanwhile, not too far from Sapphire City, hidden amongst the trees in an area known as the Flourite Forest, was an old, abandoned mansion, a forgotten piece of property owned by the Plores. And inside the rundown old mansion...

"Come on, damn it, there has to be something, anything! I can’t evade the Knights forever, it’s only a matter of time before they find me...before that happens, I need to-...! Hm? What’s this?"

Alphonse Plore, he was in his mid-twenties, with long, wavy black hair that framed his face, light red eyes, pale complexion, and he was of an average height and build.

He was currently in the mansion’s hidden basement, where an archive of old documents and books was located.

It was a fairly massive space, and he’d spent the last two days searching through every shelf in the basement, desperate to find something he could use to protect himself.

And just now, he’d stumbled across something that had caught his eye...

"No way, this is...this is an Ancient Magic Ritual! Oh, and here are the instructions...it’s pretty old and falling apart, but it’s still legible. Come on, please be something useful, please...let’s see, ’this ritual is only to be used as a last resort, the risks are-...’...whatever, I don’t care about that, I want to know what it actually does! Ah, here we go...’upon conducting this ritual, a gateway to another world will be opened, and through it, a Hero will be summoned to...’...i-is this for real?

I can’t believe it...this is the legendary Hero Summoning Ritual, I didn’t imagine that a copy of this would still exist, let alone in here, of all places! Hahaha, it would appear that the Goddess Persona smiles upon me, what a brilliant stroke of luck this is! With this in my hands, forget simply protecting myself, I’ll have the means to fight back!" He exclaimed gleefully, before adding nervously, "Well, first I have to get it working, let’s hope I can pull it off. Please let it work..."