6. Confusion

The time was the twelfth century.

In this era, there was said to be a man named Christian Rosenkreuz, who performed miracles and spread alchemy and magic.

A note left on a door said, “He will be found 120 years later,” and indeed one of his disciples discovered his corpse, as though peacefully asleep, without decay.

Roland admired Rosenkreuz and joined his order.

Around the same time appeared figures like the Neapolitan monk Thomas Aquinas, Paracelsus von Hohenheim, and Agrippa.

They were all specialists in what was called Hermeticism, deeply knowledgeable in alchemy, magic, and even summoning.

“Summoning demons?”

Roland was speaking in secret with the leader in a small wooden room, lit only by the faint glow of a lantern, no bigger than four and a half tatami mats.

“That’s right. Roland, why don’t you try it?”

“But if I call up a demon, won’t I be cursed?”

“Of course not.”

Roland gave a bitter smile at the leader’s words.

“So then, when are we doing this?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow!? Wait, that’s way too sudden!”

The leader handed Roland a pendant marked with symbols called the hexagram and pentagram.

“This will protect you from the demon’s malice.”

“You can’t be serious…”

Roland sat in his chair as the leader departed.

Just then, the leader’s younger sister Erica entered the room.

“Roland, my brother forced some impossible task on you again, didn’t he? I know it. Honestly, it can’t be helped.”

“Erica… tomorrow I…”

He nearly blurted it out.

Before Erica, Roland was weak.

“It’s nothing.”

“You’re acting strange, Roland. Hey, want some raspberry pie?”

Erica took a pie with a sweet aroma from her basket and set it on a plate.

“No thanks, I’m going to bed.”

Roland went up the stairs to his attic room, lay down on his bed.

Erica followed after him and clung to him.

“Hey, hey.”

“Don’t worry about it. You know I love you…”

Erica pressed her lips against his.

Roland, in a daze, thought: I don’t really have a reason to refuse…

“Then are you willing to do more than just kiss?”

“Of course.”

Erica seemed more than ready for it (sweat).

“But seriously, I’m so sleepy right now…”

Roland flopped down weakly.

“You’re pathetic! And you call yourself a man!? You’re supposed to be a knight. Pull yourself together!”

“E-even if you say that…”

Roland was always like this, weak against Erica’s advances.

The next day.

Summoned to the castle basement, Roland, according to the rules of the Rosicrucian Order, wore no special garments and took part in the great ritual of summoning a demon.

“Roland, use the Tetragrammaton…”

Erica’s brother, Maximilian, handed Roland a magic sword as he spoke.

The magic sword was a tool used by practitioners of magic, meant more for ritual significance than for actual combat.

Roland gripped the sword and stood at the center of the magic circle, with everyone watching him.