Episode 79: Puppet
Time rewinds to one of the offices in the Royal Castle of the Demon Tribe Nation.
“A fragment of the Summoner?”
Snail, a close aide to Mekido, the Demon Tribe Nation King, frowned as he read the report brought by his subordinate.
The report stated that one of the two Summoners taken in by Admos had crossed the border into the Demon Tribe Nation.
The Summoners were the sworn enemies of the Demon Tribe, having killed the previous-previous King and recently inflicted a major blow to the forces under Mekido’s command.
It had been reported that the Summoner who had recently dealt a major blow to the Demon Tribe had been killed by the Previous Summoner, but the other Summoner was still alive.
Snail was furious that this surviving Summoner had been allowed to pass through like a free pass, and that it had taken so long to confirm this through a report.
“Hey. Call the person who submitted this report.”
“Yes, sir!”
Snail, who had been close to the current King Mekido since their days as soldiers, was so enraged that his aide trembled and hurriedly summoned the person mentioned in the report to Snail’s office.
The reporter, upon entering the room, was also taken aback by the anger emanating from Snail.
“I-I have come as summoned,”
The reporter said, saluting like a soldier. Snail, trying his best not to show his anger, opened his mouth.
“This report says that a Summoner, an enemy of our Demon Tribe, was allowed to pass through the border without any repercussions… Could it be that you really did such a thing?”
The reporter, hearing Snail’s words, which sounded even more frightening because he was trying to suppress his anger and lower his voice, gulped and carefully chose his words.
“Y-yes. The Summoner who entered the Demon Tribe Nation this time is named Ohta… According to reports from the Intelligence Unit infiltrating Admos, the Admos Royal Family has abandoned him and banished him from the Royal Castle.”
Upon hearing those words, Snail doubted his ears for a moment and repeated them.
“Banished?”
Snail recognized Summoners as beings with immense power, unmatched by humans in this world, whether they were of the Demon Tribe or the Human Tribe.
He could not believe the report that such a being had been banished.
However, with the reporter’s continued explanation, Snail’s expression gradually changed to one of understanding, and he eventually felt anger for a different reason.
“So, this Summoner named Ohta is just a fool who hasn’t made any effort and is deluded into thinking he’s strong?”
“That seems to be the case, according to the reports. Therefore, we thought it would be fine to leave him alone and let him pass through without stopping him. Although he is lazy and can’t do anything now, he is still a Summoner. We don’t know what might trigger his power to awaken.”
In short, they didn’t want to provoke him unnecessarily.
Hearing that explanation, Snail pondered for a moment.
“…A Summoner who has no power and was ostracized in the Human Tribe Nation… If things go well, we might be able to bring him to our side.”
Snail’s words caused a stir among his aides.
“A-are you going to bring a Human Tribe member to our side?”
“Don’t misunderstand. He is a Summoner. He is neither Human Tribe nor Demon Tribe, but a person from another world. We are not bringing a Human Tribe member to our side.”
Snail forcefully silenced his aides with those words and began to think again.
Recently, Snail had begun to think that Mekido did not have the qualities of a king, and he was worried that if things continued as they were, he, as Mekido’s aide, would also lose his position in the near future.
Mekido was popular among the military, but he was not well-regarded among the common people and nobles.
If things continued as they were, wouldn’t Mekido be dragged down from the throne?
Since the bloodline of the Royal Family, Meileen, remained, there would surely be those who would try to remove Mekido from the throne and place Meileen or her child on it.
He had to take action before that happened…
Having thought that far, Snail gave instructions to his aide.
“When that Summoner named Ohta arrives in the Capital City, go and meet him. I hear he can’t even use proper magic, but he is a Summoner and possesses more Magic Power than anyone else in this world. If he is trained, he will become a useful asset.”
Snail decided to place his hopes on Ohta’s abundance of Magic Power as a Summoner…
However, Ohta caused a commotion at the Explorers’ Association as soon as he entered the Capital City and was arrested. Snail was so angry that he punched the top of his desk with all his might.
“How much of a nuisance can one person be! These Summoners!!”
Snail said, his fist bleeding from punching the desk. After shouting, he calmed down a little and sat back in his chair, exhaling deeply.
“Immediately go to the guardhouse and pick up Ohta. Once you bring him here, start his magic training immediately.”
“Yes, sir!”
Snail, who had connections in the military from his previous position, was a stern man. He sent soldiers, who even a Summoner could not easily defeat, to pick up Ohta.
Ohta, who was released from prison under such circumstances, was completely unaware of this.
He was excited at the prospect of being guided by a beautiful girl mage, as he followed the soldiers who had come to pick him up.
When Ohta was introduced to Snail as the person who had ordered his release, he was visibly disappointed and slumped his shoulders.
Snail’s temples twitched with anger at the sight, but he somehow managed to explain that he would teach Ohta magic. In return, he had a request he wanted Ohta to take on.
Ohta, who had initially been disappointed and slumped his shoulders, gradually became interested in Snail’s story and eventually accepted Snail’s conditions.
The condition was that “once he had learned magic, he would have to rescue Princess Meileen, who had lost in the power struggle and was currently being held captive in a certain place.”
Upon hearing that, Ohta shouted loudly, “Princess-sama is here!!” causing everyone around him to recoil.
It seemed that Ohta was fantasizing about falling in love with the Princess after rescuing her, and starting a romantic relationship with her.
His sloppy expression clearly showed it.
However, Ohta was unaware.
He didn’t know that Snail had deliberately not mentioned that the Previous Summoner was lurking in that place.
He didn’t know that depending on the negotiations, there was a risk that they could be annihilated.
Unaware of that, Ohta began to devote himself to magic training, dreaming of a sweet life with the deposed Princess.
The seeds of trouble also existed within the Demon Tribe Nation.