The silence between them stretched for several seconds.
A cold breeze swept through the ruins, making the branches of the trees that had grown around the ancient structures creak.
I turned my attention to the individual in front of me. I examined him from top to bottom. His body was slender, his features delicate, his skin too smooth for someone who had supposedly been summoned as a warrior.
At first glance, anyone would have thought he was a young woman of extraordinary beauty. There was nothing about him that screamed danger.
Finally, our eyes met.
I scratched my head, still unable to process the situation.
"Are you... Goliath?"
The doubt in my voice was impossible to hide. I had expected a giant, a monster capable of tearing down walls with his bare hands.
Someone worthy of the title of Titan. Not... this boy.
Compared to some of my former summons, he seemed far too small.
The young man smiled and, suddenly, adopted a firm posture. He placed his right hand over his chest, put his left behind his back, and knelt before me with a smile.
"That's right!"
His voice echoed enthusiastically through the ruins.
"My name is Goliath of Gath! Paladin of the Philistine army and the one who was recognized as the Titan of my army!"
He raised his gaze to me and his smile overflowed with pride.
"Titan..."
The word got stuck in my throat.
"Titan?" I looked at his body again, slender, small and delicate. For some reason, hearing that title attached to his appearance felt almost like a bad joke.
However... there was something I couldn't ignore. The system had classified him as an SSS-rank summon. That meant that, behind that appearance, there had to be a power I had not yet seen. And after what had happened with Reinhard... I had learned a lesson.
Never judge someone by their appearance.
Goliath remained kneeling before me.
"Since I have introduced myself, would you honor me with the name of my lord?"
I ran a finger along my chin.
"My name..."
I opened my mouth.
"My name is Varka, lord of..."
"Shit."
I stopped. I had almost said it.
One of the most important rules of summoning came rushing back to my memory.
The free will of the summoned.
Throughout my entire life I had used my strength to subdue them. No matter how powerful they were: I always found a way to impose a contract of absolute obedience. But this time it was different. I didn't have my old power and i didn't even have the strength necessary to face a goblin without getting beaten.
Even if Goliath looked like a delicate boy, I couldn't make the mistake of judging him by his appearance.
I remembered the case of a king who, centuries ago, had summoned an A-rank sorceress. The woman had obeyed his orders for three days. On the fourth... she tore off his head while he slept. No one ever knew why. And even if a summoned creature lost part of its power after its summoner's death, it was still capable of remaining in this world.
I did not intend to find out firsthand how true that story was.
So I decided to take the safest path. One that would allow me to keep some distance from my old identity. Although my name had already been revealed, I could still hide everything else.
"My name is Varka."
I paused briefly.
"And, as you can see..."
I pointed to my own body.
"I'm a homunculus."
Goliath's eyes flew wide open.
"A homunculus?"
"That's right."
I looked at the ruins behind me.
"An artificially created being. I don't know the circumstances of my awakening, but..."
I paused. The wind blew among the trees. A cloud partially covered the sunlight and cast shadows over the ruins. I pointed to the abandoned structures.
"it seems I was forgotten a long time ago. I don't even know who my creator was."
Goliath didn't respond. He remained motionless for a few seconds, his gaze lost in the distance as he seemed to process my words. Finally, he stood up. He dusted off his knees and began to approach.
"Hmm..."
He tilted his head to one side. Then to the other. He examined me with childish curiosity.
"I've never heard of a homunculus capable of summoning."
Before I could respond, he extended one of his fingers.
Pok.
He pressed it against my chest. I felt his finger sink slightly against my skin.
"..."
I looked at him, he looked at me and then he let out a small chuckle.
"Hahaha..."
He withdrew his hand and wiped away a supposed bead of sweat from his forehead.
"Wow... what a relief."
I tilted my head.
"Relief?"
Goliath placed both hands behind his back. His feet began to move with a certain shyness over the damp earth.
"It's just... you know..."
He looked away playing with his fingers and, he began to make a small hole in the ground with the tip of his foot.
"Because of the first impression I got from you..."
Goliath slowly raised his gaze.
"I thought you were some demon king or a creature from hell."
My eyebrows rose.
"What?"
Suddenly he opened his eyes nervously.
"No, no, no! I didn't mean to offend you!"
He raised both hands.
"I'm sorry!"
His expression changed quickly. Now he smiled with embarrassment as he brought his palms together in front of his chest.
"It's just that... as a paladin, I planned to finish you off if you turned out to be an evil being."
He stuck out his tongue.
"Sorry... hehe."
I felt a chill run down my spine. My fingers trembled slightly. My skin prickled.
He had said it smiling. With a kind tone. As if he were talking about something as insignificant as choosing what to eat for dinner.
I swallowed.
The forest, which until a few minutes ago had seemed calm, now felt... too silent.
"Shit..."
I looked away as a drop of cold sweat ran down my forehead.
"I shouldn't have said my name."
"Damn it."
Then I felt something around my waist.
"Huh?"
By instinct I took a step back, only to finally lower my gaze and see two slender arms wrapping around me.
Goliath was hugging me, tightly. His face was pressed against my chest.
"Hehe..."
He raised his gaze to me with a completely innocent smile.
"So you'll be my new master, won't you, Varka?"
I froze.
I swallowed. I had no idea what to do with that boy. After several seconds, I sighed and slowly raised a hand and placed it on his head.
"Uh..."
I touched his pink hair. It was incredibly soft.
"Could you give me some space?"
Goliath raised his head. His smile grew even wider.
"Of course!"
He immediately separated from me. He returned to a firm posture, with his hands behind his back.
I brought a hand to my face, hiding my exhausted expression.
"Finally..."
I thought I could breathe easy. But then... an aroma reached my nose.
It was sweet. An extremely pleasant floral scent. I frowned. I recognized it. It was similar to the perfumes used by noblewomen.
Then I realized.
It was my hand. The same hand I had just placed on Goliath's head.
I immediately pulled my hand away from my face.
"What the hell am I doing...?"
I waved it in front of me, trying to get rid of the aroma. I looked at Goliath again. He was still completely firm. With his back straight. His hands behind his back. He looked like a dog faithfully waiting for his owner's next order.
I gritted my teeth. And then I looked at Goliath again. An SSS-rank summon.
A creature whose true power I still didn't know and who would kill me if he discovered I was evil.
I clicked my tongue.
"Tch..."
I closed my eyes.
"Why did everything have to end like this...?"
For a few seconds I heard no answer. Then...
"Varka?"
I opened my eyes. Goliath was watching me.
"Yes?"
He smiled.
"What do we do now?"
I looked at him, then my stats, and finally... that damned message.
[SSS-Gacha Femboy Summons]
My eye began to twitch.
"..."
I sighed.
"First..."
I turned around.
"I need to find out exactly what you are."
Goliath smiled, placing his hand on his forehead in a salute.
"Yes, sir!"