LIGHTNOVELWORLD 007 - Naming Fenrir and Evolution
In front of the log house…
“You’re saying this tomato is my familiar, but what exactly is a ‘familiar’…?”
I received a text from the useless goddess on my phone.
[It means a being granted divine power that works for the god.]
“Got it… but why a tomato?”
[Well, you picked that tomato from the garden earlier, right? That’s probably when the familiar was created.]
I had plucked about five tomatoes from the garden, and since I couldn’t eat them all, I put one in my pocket. That tomato somehow became a familiar.
“……”
As I stared at the familiar tomato, it seemed to scratch its head bashfully. It apparently has some self-awareness, though it can’t speak since it has no mouth.
[To create a familiar, a being must sacrifice its life for the god.]
“Wait, so it has to die for the god?”
[Yes, that tomato was considered dead the moment you picked it from the vine, and then it was given pseudo-life by the god.]
Interesting… I poked the tomato familiar on the head.
It clung to my finger and rubbed against it affectionately. Cute.
Still, a familiar… I wasn’t really keen on having one. Or wait…
[Ah, I see you’ve caught on. Yes, just like this tomato familiar, other familiars you create will work for you, free of charge.]
“Hmm… So, I can assign them chores like cleaning or harvesting vegetables?”
[Exactly. Convenient, right?]
“Then, can I leave household chores and taking care of things to you?” I asked the tomato familiar on my shoulder.
“…!” *Thumbs up*
“It might be too much for just you alone, Tomato-kun. Maybe I’ll pick more vegetables and make more familiars to help out…”
I’d like to delegate things like cleaning and laundry anyway.
Just then…
“Woof!”
“Huh? What is it, Fenrir-mom?”
The mother Fenrir tugged at my down jacket with her mouth.
“God, translation.”
…Silence.
“Hey, God.”
…Still silence.
“Useless goddess, where are you?”
The message I sent hadn’t been marked as read. Oh yeah, the goddess mentioned she was working earlier. Maybe she got busy and can’t check her phone.
“How inconvenient… Without the goddess, I can’t understand what you’re saying, can I?” I said, patting mother Fenrir’s nose. I could tell she wanted to say something, but I couldn’t figure out what.
“Hmm… This is a problem.”
[Sorry, sorry, Mika! What’s going on?]
“Useless goddess, mother Fenrir seems like she wants to say something. Can you translate?”
[Heh, so you really can’t do anything without me, huh?★]
“Just translate, please.”
[Okay! She’s saying, ‘My lady, would you consider making me your familiar as well?’]
Mother Fenrir looked at me seriously. She wants to become my familiar…?
“Why?”
[‘You saved the lives of both me and my child. I wish to repay you.’]
“So, you want to become my familiar to repay that debt?”
Mother Fenrir nodded. Hmm…
“That’s okay. You don’t have to repay me.”
All I did was bring her to the dragon vein area. It seems a bit much to be treated as a savior for that.
[Oh, just so you know, her pup was breech-born.]
“Breech?”
[Yes, and the mother was already weakened. If it had gone on like that, both mother and child would’ve died.]
“I see…”
So they were saved thanks to the holy magic. That’s why she feels indebted.
“But doesn’t becoming a familiar mean she’d have to lose her life?”
That’s what the goddess said earlier.
[‘I am willing to offer my life if it is for your sake, my lady,’ she says.]
“That’s heavy, heavy, heavy.”
[‘However, one must die to become a familiar.’]
“Ugh… what should I do? Useless goddess, can’t you do something about this?”
[Oh fine, I suppose I’ll help. (Nobuyo style!)]
Really? You’re going to drop a reference like that now?
[Mika, use the god app on your phone!]
My phone has an app with divine powers embedded in it, called the god app (it was installed without my permission).
I turned on the phone and noticed there were more apps aside from KAmiZon.
“‘Let’s Make Familiars’… Is it this one?”
[That’s right. The ‘Let’s Make Familiars’ app lets you turn living creatures into familiars.]
“That’s handy… So how do I use it?”
[First, launch the app.]
The camera opened up.
[Now, take a picture of the one you want to make a familiar.]
“Alright, say cheese.”
Click.
[Next, input the name of the one you want to make a familiar.]
“Name…”
[You need their face and name to make them a familiar.]
This is starting to sound like a death note or something…
“Name… Hey, Fenrir-mom, do you have a name?”
[‘I do not have one,’ she says.]
“Huh, why not?”
[Most creatures in this world don’t have names.]
“Huh… why?”
[Like how wild Pokémon don’t have names, you know?]
Fair enough… But if she doesn’t have a name, I can’t make her a familiar. Plus, it would be inconvenient not having a name to call her by.
“Okay, I’ll give you a name.”
Then…
“Awooooooo!”
“Wah, whoa, what’s wrong!?”
Fenrir-mom’s tail was wagging so hard it looked like it might break off. She was howling, too. What’s going on…? She’s a bit too excited.
Well, since I’ve agreed, I guess I’ll have to think of a name.
Fenrir… Mom… Hmm.
“Alright, how about ‘Felma’?”
[That’s… pretty basic.]
“Okay, then how about ‘Felmaa’?”
I typed “Felmaa” into my phone and pressed confirm. At that moment…
Bzzzzzt!
“What!? Why is Felmaa glowing all of a sudden!?”
The light quickly faded.
“What was that…?”
[I apologize for surprising you, my lady.]
“Oh, no, it’s fine but… wait, what?”
Huh?
“Whose voice was that…?”
I heard a woman’s voice, but it wasn’t mine.
[Could it be… Are you hearing my voice, my lady?]
“Huh? Uh, Felmaa? Is that your voice?”
[Yes!]
Wait, what…?
“Can monsters talk?”
[Yes, but only high-level or ancient monsters can speak human languages.]
Ancient monsters…
“Felmaa, judging by your voice, you sound pretty young though.”
[Yes, I am but 200 years old, a mere youngster.]
Two hundred and you’re considered young…?
[I’ve heard Fenrirs typically can’t speak until they’re over a thousand years old.]
“A thousand!?”
Monsters sure live long, huh!?
“Wait, but why can you speak at only 200 years old?”
[I believe it’s because you gave me a name, my lady.]
…Excuse me?
“How does me naming you let you speak?”
[In the world of monsters, naming is a significant ritual.]
“A naming ritual?”
[Yes. By receiving a name, a monster becomes a named being, a ‘Named.’]
“A ‘Named’?”
[Indeed. A monster evolves from an ordinary being to a special one by gaining a name.]
Huh… I see. But wait…
“Didn’t you say naming only caused evolution among monsters?”
[Yes, a human naming a monster usually doesn’t cause evolution.]
“But you evolved, didn’t you? Why?”
Ping! A text came from the useless goddess.
[Hey! Don’t ignore me! I was about to explain that!]
Her message went on with the same explanation that Felmaa had just given.
“Sorry.”
[Geez! Anyway, let me explain!]
Why is she so eager to explain herself…?
[As Felmaa said, typically naming evolution only happens between monsters. But with the ‘Let’s Make Familiars’ app, humans can cause it too.]
“I see. So using the app, even humans can perform naming evolution.”
“Exactly. But since you’re the only one with internet skills, you’re the only one who can use a smartphone, so it’s not an exaggeration to say it’s a unique ability of yours.”
I see. Even if someone stole my smartphone, they wouldn’t be able to connect to the internet, so they couldn’t launch the app.
“Thank you very much, Saintess. I, Felmar, will work tirelessly for you!”
By the way, I ended up naming Felmar’s three children as well:
Felta (male)
Felko (female)
Felmi (female)
…It goes without saying that I was mocked by the useless goddess.
It’s better to have names that are easy for the children to say and remember!