As I continued examining the scroll, it became more and more obvious—
This wasn't just a failed attempt at summoning a magic beast. This was something else entirely.
It wasn't a coincidence that the summoning had failed.
Looking closely at the characters in both circles, I noticed something odd.
The character placed in the smaller, inner circle referred to something like "mana" or "magic."
Whereas the larger, outer circle had a character that should've meant "beast," "monster," or more precisely—"entity."
If the placements had been reversed, the meaning would make sense:
_A summoning spell for a magical entity._
But as it stands now…
It reads as something else.
_Entity magic._
A strange phrase. It didn't make sense—unless…
_Unless the spell was designed to summon an entity made of magic itself._
A demon, perhaps?
"It does make sense when you look at this other character..."
I tapped the parchment.
Another symbol stood out—this one unmistakably meant _hostile,_ _mean,_ or _foe._
There was nothing in this spell indicating anything friendly or protective.
"A hostile, magical entity… summoned into this world."
No matter how you try to spin it, this wasn't a mistake.
This was a trap—for the Hero Party.
Laid out by none other than Viscount Ironhart.
Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that Emma had made a mistake—but not in the way I first thought.
Instead of the problematic character being the one that meant _magic_ or _entity,_ the real issue seemed to lie elsewhere.
At the bottom of the circle—the symbol in the inner ring meant _world,_ while the corresponding character in the outer ring meant _second._
_Second world. World of another timeline or realm._
This scroll wasn't searching for a magical entity _in this world._
It was casting its reach beyond—to a second world entirely.
And then it hit me.
It summoned _me_.
The spell had scoured another world… and pulled in just _an entity._ Not magical because entity magic doesn't make sense. It's also not a beast. Just... something.
Because of the error in placement, it looked for a plain entity—hostile, maybe, and definitely not from this world.
_Sigh..._
I guess calling myself hostile and mean isn't entirely wrong.
Still, I need to talk to Emma about this. She needs to reevaluate her translation and understand what this scroll truly was.
As for Ironhart…
The man is more than suspicious now.
Whether it was a mistake or intentional, the Viscount had a hand in crafting or tampering with this scroll.
And if he altered it knowingly, that means he studied ancient magic symbols far more deeply than we assumed.
Another sigh escaped me as I rolled the paper back up.
_"Let's wrap this for now."_
I'll hand it to Emma later. Let her assess the findings herself.
With that, I left the mansion for my usual evening bath and dinner. The day had been long, and my mind was worn thin from decoding ancient characters and their implications.
But what I failed to realize…
Was that I should have told the King.
This wasn't just a translation mistake or a magical fluke.
This was the first breadcrumb in a trail leading to something far more dangerous.
And ignoring Viscount Ironhart's true motives…
That might be the mistake that comes back to bite us all.