Lord Summoner's Freedom Philosophy: Grimoire of Love

---The Day of Lyan's Return To The City---

"As expected, it would come to this, huh... I never thought that such a day would ever come..." Alice uttered as she let out a sigh.

After Lyan and Surena meet with the other members of the Valkyries, Raine, and Ravia, they followed up about what happened with each other and Surena explained to them how she pledged her allegiance to Lyan during their break.

"But," Surena raised her right hand, drawing the attention of everyone.

"The two of you don't need to pledge your life to him as well. The lady only gave that order to me, so the two of you didn't have any obligation to do so," (Surena)

Entrusting one's life is not an easy matter. While having their soul and life bounded by the Mana Oath, they would need to obey every order and command given by Lyan to them. It means that they will completely lose their current freedom and will have to attend to him until their last breath.

Of course, Surena wouldn't want her friends to do something like that unwillingly. She doubts that Lyan would do anything bad to her best friends, but she wouldn't want to take the potential her friends have by dragging them into the order and promise she made with her former master.

"What are you saying? We're going to pledge our allegiance to him as well, but of course, it's not because you pledged your allegiance to him. It's because we're also interested in him. Not only that, in the first place, he saved our lives as well, you know? We still have our pride as knights, we will pay the price of saving our life with our life," With her fist on her chest, Alice said with a great determination.

"Alice..." (Surena)

"She's right. I love my current lifestyle, but I guess I kind of miss the days of serving someone as well. And it seems that it will be very interesting to serve someone like him. But well, we will only serve him too only if you allowed us to do so, Rena," Emilia said as she playfully winked at Surena.

"Hm? What do you mean?" (Surena)

"If you want to keep him for yourself, as your best friends, we'll back off and let you to do as you wish, you know?" (Emilia)

Lyan caught how Surena's face flinched and made a certain flustered expression for a very short moment, but she immediately regained her composure and managed to reply to Emilia with her usual composed smile.

"What are you saying? I would be more rejoiced if my best friends were to be together with me to serve the same master, of course," (Surena)

"Is that so? If I were you, I would accept Emilia's offer and serve him myself, though. In the first place, even if Emilia backed off, I wouldn't do so. I'm interested in him as well, after all," Alice said such words with her usual straight face.

This time, not only Surena, but all of the girls got slightly flustered because of her words.

"I see... No wonder you immediately take the spot beside him..." Emilia uttered with a wry smile as she saw how Alice is sitting right on Lyan's right side, while Ravia was on the other side.

"You're a sinful man, aren't you, Master?" (Surena)

"Don't call me master. In the first place, I haven't do any advances to anyone yet" (Lyan)

"Yet? So you do aim to make seduce all of us, didn't you?" Ravia commented from beside him.

"Hm... If the situation permitted it, I guess? T-That hurts, Ravia..." Lyan made a wry smile as he bear the pain from the hand that is pinching his waist from his left side.

"You're very blunt, aren't you...?" (Raine)

"In this kind of question, lying would only lower your trust against me if you found out the truth, so it's better to say the truth from the beginning, no?" Lyan shrugged, but he soon stopped because the pinch got even harder.

"A-Anyway. There is no need for the two of you make the mana oath as well, right? It's enough for her alone to-" (Lyan)

"Of course not," Alice refused strongly.

"It would seem that we didn't have the same amount of resolve, and the weight of our devotion will seem to be weaker than hers. I strongly refuse," (Alice)

"She's right. You must not treat us differently like that, master. That would be unfair," (Surena)

"So in the end it will be like this, huh... Fine then, you can do what you want," Lyan let out an exasperated sigh as he replied to them. If truth to be told, Lyan is expecting that the two of them would make a mana oath like Surena as well. With the existence of the mana oath, they will also get bound by the summoning grimoire and it will increase the cards he could play as well.

(Luckily they took the course most favorable to me) (Lyan)

Just like Surena, the two kneeled in front of Lyan and make an oath while imbuing their mana on their oath. As the mana oath activated, the same blue board asking the same question before appeared in front of Lyan.

"I accept," (Lyan)

The flow of events is the same as in Surena's case. Chains appeared from their chest and approach Lyan's wrist, then not long after, the chains disappeared together with a loud sound of a metallic collision.

<The members of the half angels, chosen of the slain, Emilia Kavirtina, and Alice Alvis, had offered her soul to the host. The 'Mana Oath' had been completed. The insignia of the Valkyries had been placed>

"Insignia..." (Emilia)

"Of the Valkyries..." (Alice)

The two of them uttered in confusion because of the sudden announcement they heard inside their mind.

"Insignia of the Valkyries. Look at the back of your palm," Surena showed the back of her palm that now has a tattoo of a pair of wings growing from a sword.

"You're right..." Alice uttered as she saw that there is also now the same tattoo on her hand.

"It feels like my strength is surging from this insignia..." (Emilia)

Lyan clapped, stealing the attention of everyone.

"Well, you two are now officially my mine as well," (Lyan)

Alice and Emilia got their face painted with a hint of redness as they heard the word 'officially mine', but just like Surena, they hid them shortly even though a little bit slower.

"Well, we're now allies, aren't we? We'll be able to trust each other more if we know more about each other. So how about the three of you tell me about yourselves now? I believe there is something that the three of you seem to be itching to tell me, right?" (Lyan)

The three of them flinched, look at each other, and nodded after hearing Lyan's words.

"You realized it, huh..." Emilia uttered with a wry smile.

"I guess it'll be fine, right, Rena? We've bet our lives on him already anyway. And it's not like the white shadow's grandchildren are the type that have a loose mouth anyway. It's not like this is such a huge secret anyway," Alice shrugged as she shifted her gaze towards Surena.

"You're right. Sharing it with our new master wouldn't hurt, I guess," (Surena)

*************************************************************

Years before, before the great war on the central plains ended 5 years ago, there is a small kingdom called the kingdom of Kasmira located at the corner west part of the central plains. The distance between the Kasmira kingdom and the Astellia kingdom is considerably far, but the two kingdoms remained in a very good relationship.

As the two countries boast a magnificent quality of knights and military troops, they often conduct joint military training, and every year, the knights from the two kingdoms are the star and the most anticipated contestant in the annual martial tournament.

Because of their powerful knights, even though the kingdom of Kasmira is a small country and has less than half the territory of the Astellia kingdom now, the kingdom is still feared and respected amongst the countries on the plains because of their military strength and their friendly attitude in their diplomacy towards the surrounding countries.

At that time, the three young girls of the Valkyries were active knights of the kingdom under the wing of a major house of the kingdom. The house of Credia, the house of the marquess that supported the king as his right hand. They were the personal knights trained together with the eldest daughter of the marquess, the beautiful noble knight that won the annual martial tournament of the plains once before.

Under the leadership of such a beautiful, kind, charismatic, and brilliant master, the three of them lead their lives as her knights and her best friends happily without having a single thought of betraying her. With their master before them, they could only imagine that the kingdom will have a great future before them.

Or so they thought.

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<+2 Valkyries (Emilia Kavirtina) (Alicia Alvis)

Name: Lyan Arkanium Evocatore

Occupation: Gold-ranked Mercenary

Money: 49,722,400 Elnes

Weapon: None

Equipment: Black leather cloak, Leather Armor, 1 (Decent) One-handed Sword, 2 (Good-Quality) One-handed swords, 2 Health Potions, 2 Poison Vials

Grimoire's Companions: 8 High Spirits, 3 Valkyrie, Shadow Goblin Lord (Lv. 5), Papilio Slime, Galewing Butterfly, Rock Golem (Lv. 50), Deadlight (Lv. 63), Moonlight Butterfly, Ice Golem (Lv. 50)

Grimoire's Army: 6 Shadow Servants, 800 Skeleton Army