Chapter 39: No Newspapers
“By the way, can I ask you something?”
It all started with a casual question from Ivern.
“What is it?”
“When was your previous Summoner? It must have been at least twenty years ago since I can’t remember anything.”
Now that I think about it, I forgot to mention that Ivern is two years older than me, making him twenty-three.
Ah, and I just turned twenty-one.
Well, it’s been long enough for Leon to be born.
Time flies when you’re living a laid-back life.
But back to Ivern’s question.
“Uh, how many years ago was it? I think it was more than fifty years ago, but I can’t recall exactly how long.”
“Oh, I didn’t really need to know the exact details. I was just thinking that since it’s been three… no, four years since you were summoned, if it were possible to summon someone in such a short time, there should be more Summoners out there. But now that I think about it, there aren’t any.”
The moment I heard that, I was genuinely surprised.
“…For you to make such a sharp observation, Ivern…”
“Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
Regardless, Ivern’s observation struck a chord with me.
“I only read about past Summoners in the library of Lindor’s castle, so I never considered how much of an interval is needed for a Summoning. If it’s possible to summon again in such a short time, it wouldn’t be strange if there were more Summoners.”
“Right? Yet, in this world, there are only you and Admos as Summoners.”
“That royal family of Lindor was terrible. If it were possible to summon in such a short time, it wouldn’t be odd to form a unit of Summoners… so why not?”
Did that greedy royal family hold back on that front?
No way.
Which means…
“Is there some reason why Summoning can’t happen?”
“It’s not about the time. Otherwise, it would be strange that you were summoned this time.”
“Exactly. So, what is it?”
I stared at Ivern, and we both pondered, but nothing came to mind, and I raised my hands in defeat.
“I have no idea.”
Seeing me give up, Ivern chuckled softly.
“Well, no matter how much we think about it, it won’t change anything. If there’s some kind of drawback, it would probably occur in Lindor.”
Oh, Ivern just casually dismissed Lindor because he’s from another country, huh?
Is he starting to adopt my way of thinking?
“Speaking of which, it’s rare for you not to bring back any information. Don’t you have any interesting stories?”
When I said that, Ivern frowned in annoyance.
“That’s because I’m not an information broker.”
“Then how about a newspaper?”
“Newspaper?”
“Oh, is there no such thing as newspapers in this world?”
“What’s a newspaper?”
“Ah, it’s a collection of articles about events or incidents that happened that day, printed on paper and sold. That way, the public can learn about various things, right?”
As I explained about newspapers, Ivern tilted his head and shook it.
“I can’t imagine the rulers of this world allowing something like that. Their policy is to not give the public unnecessary knowledge.”
“This world is seriously rotten.”
Information in this world is controlled by a select few rulers.
As a result, whatever the rulers announce becomes the truth for the public, even if it’s a lie.
“So that’s why my Wanted status hasn’t been lifted.”
“…No, I think that’s more about your actions, you know?”
“Why’s that?”
I’ve been living so quietly in this world!
It’s just the people around me making a fuss.
“Oh, by the way, what’s going on with the Demon Tribe? They’ve been quiet since then.”
The reason the Human Tribe calls upon Summoners is to invade the Demon Tribe Nation.
When I was summoned last time, I was deceived by their lies and ended up slaying the Demon Tribe’s king.
If another Summoner has been called again, it wouldn’t be surprising if they planned to invade the Demon Tribe Nation. It’s not odd to think they might try to eliminate the Summoner before that happens.
“Ah, I wonder. I don’t have that information.”
“Then when we go to town next time, can you look into it? They might be planning to invade Admos to eliminate the Summoner.”
When I said that, Ivern looked surprised.
“What’s wrong?”
“Well, I didn’t expect you to worry about Admos or the Summoners.”
“Huh?”
What are you talking about, Ivern?
“That’s not it. If the Demon Tribe invades Admos, the Summoners will come out, right? Then they’d gain real combat experience. I just thought that would be troublesome.”
After I said that, Ivern slumped his shoulders in disappointment.
“Yep, Kenta is still Kenta.”
? What does that mean?
“Of course I am.”
What would I be if I weren’t myself?
“Well, whatever. Anyway, I’ll look into the movements of the Demon Tribe Nation next time.”
“Sure, thanks.”
This guy really has a knack for gathering information.
If I had him write a newspaper, he could probably make a profit, right?
Maybe I should have him do that next time.