The sun lazily peeked over Melromarc, birds chirped, and Chocobruh the Filolial gave an aggressive kweh that woke Thorfinn up by biting his foot.
"AGH! You glorified chocobo!" Thorfinn shouted, hopping in circles with his foot in the air like he was doing some weird tribal dance. "Is this because I gave you the name 'Chocobruh'?!"
Naofumi walked over, tired of the nonsense already. "Yeah. Her name's Filo now."
Thorfinn froze.
"You—YOU CAN'T RETCON THE NAME! SHE'S ALREADY GOT A MERCH LINE—!"
"She's a girl. And her name is Filo. End of discussion."
Thorfinn dramatically clutched his chest like a telenovela actor. "Et tu, Naofumi…"
[Medicine, Training & Slaves Being Sad]
Meanwhile, Raphtalia was starting to recover thanks to the medicine Naofumi picked up from a kind old apothecary lady (who may or may not have been shipping Naofumi and Thorfinn based on how often she winked at them).
Naofumi, ever the gentle dad-friend, knelt beside Raphtalia. "You're going to get stronger. I'll help you."
Takimaru, Thorfinn's serious and slightly emotionally repressed level 70 swordsman slave, nodded quietly. "We begin sword drills tomorrow."
Raphtalia smiled weakly, hopeful.
Thorfinn popped in from the side, sunglasses on. "I'm rooting for you, tiny warrior! If I had tear ducts, I'd cry right now."
"You do have tear ducts," Naofumi said.
"I sold them to get that dragon egg."
[Cue Magic Mayhem: Return to the Magic Shop]
Back at the magic shop, Thorfinn and Naofumi arrived just as the shopkeeper was finishing setting up a bunch of magical seals.
"I'm here to become the Wizard King!" Thorfinn declared, dramatically pointing toward the ceiling.
"You mean cast beginner-level spells," the shopkeeper said flatly.
"…Same vibe."
[Thorfinn's Spell Training Arc – AKA Chaos 101]
Thorfinn was handed a basic spellbook.
Naofumi picked the support/healing route.
Thorfinn? Dark/Fire magic, of course.
Day 1:He tried casting Fireball. Accidentally summoned a mini fire elemental that lit his pants on fire.
Day 2:He misread Dark Tentacle Bind as Dark Tentacle Buddy. Now there's a tiny shadow tentacle that follows him and calls him "papa."
Day 3:He finally cast a proper spell.
🔥 New Spell Learned: Blood Flame Spiral – Lvl 1🧛 "A fiery spiral empowered by consumed blood. Deals AoE burn damage."
The spell launched through the window, hit a scarecrow, and exploded with enough force to knock Thorfinn back into the shelves.
Shopkeeper: "You absolute magical gremlin."
Thorfinn grinned, teeth sparkling. "Magic is AWESOME."
[Training Montage – Insert 80s Rock Music Here]
Takimaru sparring with Raphtalia, guiding her movements gently but firmly.
Naofumi using his Shield to protect and counter enemy illusions for Raphtalia's training.
Thorfinn doing magical squats while reading spellbooks upside down.
Filo racing around with two baby dragons hanging onto her feathers like screaming toddlers.
[After Class: Vampire School Advisory Meeting]
That night, everyone gathered at the inn.
Raphtalia fell asleep with a smile. Filo snored in a nest of blankets. The dragons coiled around each other like sentient hotdogs. Takimaru stood by the door like a dark knight bodyguard.
Thorfinn twirled his axe and flopped onto a bean bag (which he summoned through unholy means).
"Naofumi, I think I've mastered beginner spells… and also started a demonic study group in the basement."
Naofumi didn't look up from his notes. "Please tell me you didn't actually open a magic school downstairs."
"…Define school."
Naofumi sighed. "What's next for you, Mr. Spellcaster?"
Thorfinn's eyes gleamed. "I think… it's time to summon my own familiar."
Naofumi: "What."
Thorfinn: "A magical companion! Like a sidekick. But cooler. Like Megumin's staff, but with sass. Or a cursed plushie. OOH! Maybe a talking bat with a Brooklyn accent."
[Darkness Brews… Again]
Far away, in the ruined remains of a Wave-corrupted village, a dark figure stood watching the stars.
"Mmh. The Vampire Hero is accelerating… too fast."
Another voice: "Then we push the second Wave forward. Let's see how much chaos he can really handle."
A scroll opened, revealing a distorted image of Thorfinn, grinning mid-spell with a glowing axe on fire behind him.
[To Be Continued…]
Next Time: Chapter 8 – The Familiar Summon & the Trouble With EggsWill Thorfinn accidentally summon a sentient anime pillow? Will one of the dragon eggs hatch into a kaiju? Will Filo stop bullying the baby basilisk?
Probably not. But it's gonna be lit