An Unexpected Find.

The bell was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, barely ten centimeters long including the handle. The bell itself was filthily discolored, and the clapper inside was frozen stiff, likely rusted shut. From its shape, it looked exactly like a bell a master would use to summon a servant.

Finding such a thing on the top floor of a crumbling tower filled with nothing but skeletons felt meaningful in its own subtle way.

“Maybe the master of this tower used it, or something like that…”

Following habit, I opened my item list, and it slipped right into storage.

Name: Old Handbell

Rarity: Unknown

“The item name is so plain it’s actually suspicious. Hmm… what should I do?”

“Is something the matter, my Lord?”

As I pulled the bell back out and rolled it in my palm, Paula leaned in curiously to get a look. Her bold, seemingly unconscious way of closing the distance made my heart flutter slightly. It was a pleasant feeling, certainly, but a complicated one—the kind where you’d feel a bit conflicted if you saw her doing it to other men.

Apparently, my feelings leaked onto my face; Paula looked surprised for a fleeting second before showing a delighted smile.

“I only lean in like this for you, my Lord.”

“So it was on purpose…”

“So, what do you intend to do with such a dilapidated item?”

“I’m curious about its true form. Yeah… rather than worrying about it, I should just do it and get it over with.”

I stepped away from the group and pulled a magic stone from my item list. Not the small grains I usually used, but a Magic Cluster dropped by a boss monster.

This was the Third Stage: Eternal Power. An application of “Healing Power” to objects called . It is a unique transmutation art capable of returning any item to its original, perfect state. However, it consumes a vast amount of mana and requires a specifically large magic stone. Furthermore, if it fails, there’s a penalty: the target item vanishes entirely.

I steadied my breathing and carefully projected the geometric patterns floating in my mind onto the bell in my hand. Mana drawn from the surrounding atmosphere converged, forming faint lines of light that drew a circle according to my will. Connecting them meticulously, I wove a perfect magic circle to guide the energy.

The white magic cluster acting as the medium melted away like ice, shrinking rapidly. Ugh, will I make it in time? But if I forced the speed, the magic circle would fracture. Suppressing my panic at the very limit, I accelerated my fingers and my consciousness as much as I possibly could.

Just as the magic cluster shrank to the size of a pinky nail, the final line was joined. In the next instant, the massive mana converted by the completed circle poured into the tiny bell.

“That was close…”

As the blinding light subsided, a clean, black handbell sat nestled in my palm. It seemed the success was genuine. I let out a sigh of relief and looked up to find Paula and Mia staring at me as if transfixed. Without my noticing, Yoru and Kuu had also clung to my legs like cicadas, burying their faces against me.

“Se-Sensei… what was that just now? I felt this crazy tingling sensation…”

“We have truly been shown something magnificent, Mia.”

Unlike magic, which only uses one’s internal mana, a magic circle that utilizes external mana has a significant impact on the surroundings. I remembered how the entire workshop used to buzz whenever Master Barnabas performed a job. I felt my nose lift with a bit of pride for a second, but checking the results came first.

I stored the black bell in my item list and checked the name immediately.

“Let’s see… Handbell of the Underworld, Level 1… Rarity: Four Stars!?”

I blurted out a voice of shock at a rarity that even surpassed the drops of a Unique Monster. Four stars was not an item you were supposed to find in a shallow layer like this. Moreover, it was an item I didn’t recognize at all. Then again, I’d never seen a creepy tower full of nothing but undead before, either.

“Since it’s called a ‘handbell,’ does that mean I can summon something?”

I gripped the handle and gave it a light ring. A cool, clear tone echoed out. Simultaneously, a familiar sensation of mana draining away ran through me, and the floor in front of me suddenly heaved. Emerging from the rubble was a stark white skeleton.

“Intruder—!”

“Koo!”

Before I could blink, the two kids lunged from my feet and delivered a merciless punch and kick, instantly turning it back into rubble.

“Hey, don’t kill it!”

As I hurriedly tried to stop the two, the bell accidentally rang again in the commotion. Instantly, the scattered bones gathered, forming a human shape once more as it stood up.

“To arms—!”

“Koo!”

The skeleton was promptly pulverized again. It was truly pitiable.

“Paula, please.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

While Paula pulled the struggling monster-kids into her ample chest, I rang the bell for the third time. Just as before, the bones piled atop one another until they formed a human shape. The resulting, somewhat small skeleton turned toward me and gave a graceful bow.

“…………This is incredible.”

“Eh, what? Is it safe? What’s going on?”

“I am truly impressed, my Lord. To think you could even subjugate a monster of the netherworld like this.”

The skeleton that appeared seemed to have not a shred of hostility; it stood perfectly still, watching me. Since it had no eyeballs, it was unclear if it could actually see, though.

“I know I can summon skeletons now, but what should I do next…”

As a test, I held the bell out. The skeleton reached out its palm gently as if to receive it. I handed it over and pointed at Mia.

“Take it to that girl.”

Tilting its skull forward, the skeleton began to walk soundlessly toward the girl. It held the bell out to the wide-eyed Mia with both hands.

“Eh? Eh? Is it okay?”

Hesitantly receiving the Handbell of the Underworld, Mia looked back and forth between me and the skeleton.

“Try ringing it for a second.”

“L-like this?”

The bell rang out cutely, but nothing changed on the rubble-strewn top floor of the tower. Perhaps only I could summon with it, or maybe it couldn’t summon additional units while one was active.

“Alright, order that skeleton to take the bell to Paula.”

“Eh, I can just do that myself! Here, Pau-sama.”

“No, I’m testing it. Just do as I said.”

“Oh, right.”

Mia pulled her arm back, approached the skeleton timidly, and held the bell up while pointing at Paula.

“Take this to her, please.”

The skeleton didn’t move. At its blunt refusal, Mia let out a flustered, panicked voice.

“I-is it in a bad mood? Is it like… angry or something?”

“Take that bell to Paula.”

At my command from behind, the skeleton tilted its head again, took the bell, and walked over to Paula. This was interesting. It knew who “Paula” was. While still holding the now-quieted kids, Paula skillfully received the bell. She turned her gaze to me, as if asking a question.

“Alright, let’s put the bones away for now. Go ahead.”

“Yes. Yoru, Kuu. Dispose of these bones.”

“Prepare yourself—!”

“Koo!”

The moment they were released, the two pounced on the quietly standing skeleton. Once again, the human-shaped bones were shattered and scattered across the floor.

“Now, try summoning it.”

“Yes, my Lord.”

The clear sound of the bell rang out, but the rubble remained silent. Paula, smiling as if she had already known the result, walked over and handed the bell back to me. She hugged the two kids again and gave a nod.

When I rang the bell, the skeleton appeared once more. While my testing pool was small, it seemed the item was unusable by anyone but me. Furthermore, it only accepted commands from me. Additionally, every time I summoned one, it consumed a fair amount of mana. Even after summoning, I felt a faint, constant drain of mana, so it seemed mana was required for maintenance. Fortunately, it was offset by my specialty, so it didn’t seem like I’d run out.

“Hmm, I don’t know how to send it back.”

I rang the bell once more, and a second one appeared.

“Eh? Seriously?”

I checked my status immediately; the maintenance cost was still within acceptable limits. On a whim, I pulled out a rusted sword and a battered wooden shield, handing one to each.

Perfect. A pair of fine skeletons was ready.

“This is good. I’ll be counting on you. Konesuke, Konezo.” (Note: ‘Kone’ comes from ‘bone’)

“Um, my Lord…”

“Those two are probably girls, Sensei.”

Now that she mentioned it, they were short and had wide, flared pelves. It was only then that I realized the second meaning hidden in the item’s name. (Note: Meido no Yobirin — Handbell of the Underworld/Maid’s Handbell).

“Wait… was that a pun? Seriously?”