Chapter 50: The Other Summoner
That day, Admos Castle was in an uproar from the morning, as if someone had disturbed a beehive.
At the center of this commotion was the King of the realm.
Having received a report during breakfast, the King abruptly cut his meal short and headed to a certain location.
That location was the room of the youngest princess, Evangelin.
As the King entered the room, he was met with the familiar sight of Evangelin’s quarters.
Nothing appeared to be disturbed, and the doors and windows showed no signs of damage.
Yet, the room’s owner was nowhere to be found.
“…Is it true that Evangelin is gone? Could she have gone to take a bath or something…?”
“The bathhouse has been checked. There is no sign of Lady Evangelin anywhere…”
The Royal Guard, tasked with protecting the royal family, spoke with a grim expression, his head bowed.
For the guards, the disappearance of a royal was absolutely unacceptable.
Yet, that was precisely what had happened.
“Wait, wait, what do you mean she’s gone? Is Evangelin playing a prank and hiding? Or has she been abducted?”
The room looked just as it always did, making it difficult to make a quick judgment.
After hearing the King’s words, the Royal Guard remained silent for a moment before finally speaking up.
“…I don’t know. Last night, there were no abnormalities in this room or in the castle itself. Not even a shadow of a suspicious person was seen.”
“Then, could it be that Evangelin is simply hiding somewhere…?”
Just as the King was about to switch to a search within the castle, a lady-in-waiting who attended to Evangelin suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!”
“What is it?”
As the King approached her, she pointed at the vanity, trembling.
“The cosmetics… Lady Evangelin’s favorite cosmetics are missing…”
The King looked at the vanity, noticing other cosmetics present, but he had no idea which ones were missing since he was a man.
“There are some here, aren’t there?”
“…”
The lady-in-waiting momentarily looked at him in disbelief but quickly realized he was the King and began to explain.
“What is there is not for daily use. They are items used every few days or weeks. What is missing are the ones Lady Evangelin uses every day.”
“…So, if those are gone, it means Evangelin took them with her?”
“That seems to be the case…”
The conclusion the King reached after hearing the lady-in-waiting’s explanation was…
“Could it be… she ran away?”
Upon hearing that, the Royal Guard instinctively raised his voice.
“That’s impossible! Lady Evangelin could never leave the castle without using the proper exits!”
“That’s true…”
The King glanced at the castle walls surrounding them. If she were to leave without using the official exits, she would have to scale those walls, which he found hard to believe Evangelin could do, thus agreeing with the Royal Guard’s words.
“But then, where could Evangelin have gone? There are no signs of intruders, nor any evidence that she left the castle. Are you suggesting she vanished into thin air from this room?”
“…Honestly, that would explain things better…”
Hearing the Royal Guard’s words, the King couldn’t help but shout.
“Don’t be ridiculous!! That’s impossible!! Regardless, there’s still a chance this is one of Evangelin’s pranks; search the castle! Immediately!!”
“Y-Yes, Your Majesty!”
The Royal Guard quickly responded to the King’s command and hurried off.
As he watched the guard’s retreating figure, the King muttered to himself.
“If this is just one of Evangelin’s pranks, then fine. But if she truly has gone missing… they better prepare for the consequences.”
With that, the King made his way to his office.
A massive search operation commenced within the castle, but all reports reaching the King in his office were about Evangelin’s absence.
With each report, the King’s frustration grew, and his furious voice echoed throughout the office.
In a desperate attempt to calm the enraged King, the castle staff increased their numbers, leading to a chaotic uproar that engulfed the entire castle.
However, there was one person who was not part of this commotion.
“Huh? Where’s breakfast? Seriously, come on, do your job.”
Ota, who had woken up in a guest room within the castle, noticed that the breakfast usually laid out on the table was missing and began to grumble.
“Hmm…? What’s wrong?”
Perhaps hearing Ota’s mutterings, the woman who had spent the night with him stirred from her sleep and called out from the bed.
“Oh, breakfast hasn’t arrived yet. I was looking forward to eating together.”
Ota said this with a hint of dissatisfaction as he rang the bell placed on the table.
Normally, a maid would appear immediately, but today, no one showed up.
Growing more frustrated, Ota rang the bell again, this time with more force.
Then, with hurried footsteps, a maid appeared, breathless.
“Haah… Did you call for me?”
Without offering any words of encouragement to the panting maid, Ota snapped.
“Did I call for you? There’s no breakfast prepared! What’s going on?!”
The maid glanced at the table, confirming that indeed, breakfast was absent.
While it was certainly a blunder, today was not the day for such issues.
Couldn’t she sense that something was amiss?
Having already felt dissatisfaction towards Ota from his usual behavior, the maid was tempted to lash out at him but managed to hold back and bowed her head.
“I apologize. There seems to have been a problem in the castle this morning, and it caused a delay.”
Upon hearing this, Ota let out a large sigh.
“I don’t care about that. Is it okay? You guys are the ones who kidnapped us, right? The only reason you’re allowed to get away with it is because you’re treating us well. And yet, this is a huge blunder! A major problem! Ugh, I wonder if I should just leave this country?”
The maid felt a surge of anger at Ota’s complaints, but she knew that it was the King who had decided to treat him well.
If she were to ruin the King’s intentions, she had no idea what kind of punishment might await her.
The maid swallowed the words that almost escaped her lips and bowed her head again.
“I’m truly sorry. I will prepare it right away.”
“Make it quick.”
Ota said only that before heading toward the bed where the woman lay.
The maid, looking at him with disdain, quickly turned on her heel and left the room.
“What’s wrong with that guy? What’s wrong with that guy!!”
In the bustling castle where everyone was running around, the maid couldn’t help but shout as she made her way to the kitchen.
Her voice was so loud that those rushing around paused in surprise.
“W-What’s wrong?”
A man, presumably a bureaucrat, asked her, and the maid eagerly recounted her earlier exchange with Ota.
Upon hearing this, the bureaucrat furrowed his brow, his expression turning serious.
Seeing his reaction, the maid felt a wave of panic.
The bureaucrat appeared to be someone of high status.
In her anger, she had vented about the complaints of a guest of the kingdom to someone who clearly held a position of authority.
Normally, someone of such stature wouldn’t be found in a place like this, but today was different, with various people bustling about the castle.
So, despite his apparent high status, she had momentarily failed to recognize him.
Now, that same person was listening to her with a stern expression.
Oh no, this is bad.
The maid thought to herself.
However…
“I see… So, Ota is that kind of person…”
“Huh?”
“Unlike Lord Nara, who diligently trains and shows results, Ota has produced nothing of value. All that comes in are bills from the brothel.”
The bureaucrat offered a wry smile to the maid before turning his serious gaze toward Ota’s room.
“Thank you for the report. Now, you must be in a hurry, right? Off you go.”
“Y-Yes!”
Feeling relieved, the maid hurried toward the kitchen.
As she left, the bureaucrat cast one last glance at Ota’s room.
“I see. If that’s the case… Oh, but that’s not what I should be focusing on right now.”
With that, the bureaucrat set off once more to search for Evangelin.
Thus, even after a day of searching throughout the castle, Evangelin’s whereabouts remained elusive, and the search extended beyond the castle walls. However, there were no records of her passing through the official exits last night.
If that was the case, was there a secret passage? The search intensified, but even that could not be found.
Evangelin had seemingly vanished without a trace.
“What does this mean… Could it be that she really turned to smoke and disappeared…?”
The king had lost the will to punish the Royal Guard.
How could one possibly prevent such a bizarre phenomenon?
As the king sat in his office, his head in his hands, it was then that he heard a voice.
“Your Majesty, I beg your pardon.”
One of the kingdom’s dignitaries entered the office.
“What is it!? Have you found Evangelin!?”
“N-no. That’s not it. It’s just that…”
The king, irritated by the dignitary’s hesitant words, let his frustration spill over.
“Enough! Speak clearly! What has happened!?”
“Y-yes! It seems that a messenger from Weimar has arrived…”
“A messenger from Weimar?”
The king thought it strange that they would come at such a time, but his mind went blank with the next report.
“I have brought the bodies of Mitsuhiko Nara and five others who went to subdue the previous Summoner, Kenta Maya.”
“…What!?”
For a moment, the king couldn’t comprehend what he had just heard, but as the meaning of the words sank in, he couldn’t help but shout.
By the way, the body said to be Nara’s was actually a dummy prepared by Weimar.
The corpse, believed to have been burned by fire magic, was so badly damaged that Admos had no choice but to accept it as Nara.
“Did they… fail!?”
“It seems so…”
“What a disaster…”
With those words, the king collapsed into his chair, as if all strength had left his body, but then he suddenly realized something and stood up again.
“What about Weimar!? What on earth were they doing!? Could it be that they let Nara and the others—!?”
The dignitary shook his head.
“No. Weimar has emphasized, ‘We are not involved in this matter. We merely allowed them to pass through our territory. What happened afterward is beyond our knowledge. We have only taken custody of these bodies.’ They have made it clear they are not involved.”
“I see…”
The king sat back down, burying his head in his hands once more.
“They failed… They moved to subdue Kenta Maya and failed… This is bad… Very bad… Kenta Maya will come here…”
His head ached not only from the abnormal situation of Evangelin’s disappearance but also from having provoked the most feared Summoner.
He had thought Nara would be fine, but he never imagined they would fail.
“…Was it too soon? Should I have let him gain more experience…?”
Regret began to creep in as he thought about sending Nara to confront Kenta in a fit of anger.
Shouldn’t he have celebrated Evangelin capturing the Summoner’s heart instead?
If they had absorbed the blood of the Summoner, the Royal Family of Admos might have grown even stronger.
If only he had acted as a king and not just as a father back then…
The king found himself regretting such thoughts now.
“…By the way, what is the other Summoner doing?”
Remembering the other Summoner, Ota, whom he thought might be capable, the king finally asked the dignitary.
The dignitary let out a small sigh before shaking his head slightly.
“That one is hopeless. While he certainly has higher physical abilities and more Magic Power compared to us, he insists that this country, which abducted him, has a responsibility to support him. He shows no inclination to train like Lord Nara. He seems to take his night training seriously, though.”
The dignitary spoke with utter disdain for Ota.
Hearing this report, the king unleashed all his anger over losing Evangelin and Nara onto Ota.
“…Enough.”
“Yes?”
“Since we summoned him, we have provided more than enough support. Yet, he does nothing but waste his time. Do we really need to continue supporting him? If he were to repay our kindness like Lord Nara, it would be one thing, but he has done nothing, right?”
“Indeed. From what I’ve heard, he has done nothing. Moreover, it seems a maid was insulted by him today.”
“Do you think we should continue to offer our support to someone like that?”
“Absolutely not.”
The dignitary answered immediately to the king’s question.
“We have given him ample support and kindness. Lord Nara responded to that and even risked his life. Yet, to someone who takes our generosity for granted and indulges in idleness, we owe no further support.”
“Ha!”
“Expel Ota.”
“Understood!”
With that, the dignitary hurriedly left the room.
After he departed, the king was reminded of just how crucial Nara’s presence had been.
“If only I had simply blessed the two of them… What a waste…”
Those words were born from regret over losing a valuable piece on his chessboard.
Because…
“I suppose I should ask Lindor once more. This time, I must not fail.”
He was already contemplating the next summoning.
And as for Ota…
“Eh? Is that true!?”
With a beaming face, Ota listened to the words of the official.
The official informed Ota that today, they had reserved the brothel he usually frequented, and he was free to enjoy himself there to his heart’s content.
Having always invited one girl at a time to his room, Ota was thrilled at the prospect of indulging in the brothel’s offerings and eagerly accepted the official’s words, heading off to the establishment.
Once he arrived at the brothel in a carriage, Ota waved goodbye to the official with a smile before disappearing inside.
The official, having delivered Ota to the brothel, smiled broadly after seeing him off, then let out a deep sigh, his previous forced smile replaced by a genuine one.
“Ahahaha! Finally, finally, we can rid ourselves of that nuisance! Now the decorum within the castle can return to normal. No more being looked down upon by a good-for-nothing! Ah, what a relief!!”
Indeed, on that day, Ota would indulge in lavish pleasures at the brothel.
However, it was akin to a severance payment from the Admos Kingdom.
From this point on, Ota would never return to the castle.
The reason for taking such measures was that, despite being useless, Ota was still a Summoner, possessing strength greater than that of ordinary humans.
It would take time and effort to forcibly subdue and expel him.
Thus, they created a situation where Ota would willingly leave the castle, and all they had to do was ensure he couldn’t return.
Given that Ota had not trained in swordsmanship and could only use minor magic, it was assumed he would not be able to break through the gates.
That judgment proved correct, as after a day of indulgence, when Ota attempted to return to the castle, no carriage awaited him. Suspicious, he set off on foot, only to be turned away at the gates.
“W-why…?”
The guard at the gate laughed derisively at Ota’s words.
“Why? Lord Nara was working so hard, and what were you doing? Just playing with women and indulging in idleness!”
“Th-that’s… I’m going to become a magician…”
“And who do you plan to learn from?”
“B-but! You never introduced me to a teacher!”
The soldiers looked at Ota with genuine disbelief at his excuse.
“How many times must we explain that there are no magicians among the Human Tribe who can teach you such magic?”
“Eh? B-but… in otherworldly stories, there are always such teachers…”
Ota was lost in a fantasy.
He envisioned a legal loli magic teacher, happily learning magic together, exclaiming, “W-wonderful! I’ve never seen magic like this!” and “Huh? Did I do something?”
However, in reality, there were no teachers among the Human Tribe capable of teaching magic.
Thus, he had been instructed to train in swordsmanship.
Nara understood this, but Ota stubbornly believed that such things couldn’t possibly exist in this world, deciding that the Admos Kingdom was lying to him.
“It is a decree from His Majesty: ‘We have provided you with ample support and treated you well. However, to be treated as if this is a matter of course, and even to be insulted, we can no longer walk this path with you.'”
“T-this is absurd!! This country has a responsibility for abducting us!”
“We have more than compensated for that, haven’t we!?”
The soldier finally raised his voice in response to Ota’s claims.
At the soldier’s fierce tone, Ota froze in shock.
Then he noticed the soldier looking at him with disdain.
“Lord Nara understood why he was treated well! Even so, he had a reason to call us here and worked hard to respond to that!! Lord Nara fought against the Demon Tribe on the battlefield! Crying and retching, he defeated them!! And yet!! And yet… why is it that someone like Lord Nara is dead while a good-for-nothing like you survives!?”
“Eh?”
Ota’s face went blank as he listened to the soldier’s words, which were shouted through tears.
“Nara-kun is dead?”
Upon hearing those words, the soldier looked at Ota with a contemptuous expression.
“Hah, you didn’t even know that?”
“Well, no one told me…”
“That alone shows what they thought of you in the castle.”
“Th-that’s not fair…”
“Just get lost already. Just looking at your face is making me irritated.”
With that final burst of disdain directed at him, Ota felt a chill of fear and bolted from the castle gates.
Once he arrived in the town below the castle, Ota began to ponder what to do next.
“Hmm… I thought I could learn magic at the castle… Was there no such system? If that’s the case, maybe I should become an adventurer and make my debut at the Adventurer’s Guild. Then I could… talk to the receptionist…”
As Ota walked through the streets, he daydreamed about such a future.
It seemed Ota was confusing this world with the realms of games and novels, as the soldier’s tearful words failed to resonate with him.
Days would pass before he realized that there was no Adventurer’s Guild in this world; instead, it was the Explorer’s Association that served that purpose.
When he finally arrived there, he found a beautiful receptionist, but her response was strictly business-like, and to his disappointment, there was no magic power assessment. He was simply registered as an explorer.
“…Huh?”
Faced with a turn of events that was completely different from his expectations, Ota tilted his head in confusion.