The Golden-Haired Summoner - Chapter 22

“I’m not living.”

For some reason, the dragon’s words sounded vaguely like a proposal, but regardless of how I heard it, a dwarf and I… no, that’s just too much…

“Ugh, that’s so unfair! You’re ignoring me because I’m young, aren’t you! Hmph!”

“How old are you, anyway?”

Somehow, I had already started speaking informally, but it wasn’t my fault.

It’s the dragon’s fault for looking down on me. Plus, since I’d already given up on my life, I might as well speak freely to the dragon before the end.

“Uh… I’m 503 years old.”

“That’s pretty young for a dragon.”

“Yeah, I only gained independence three years ago. But still, I can use polymorph and dragon language. Though I’m still young, so I can only do it three times a day.”

Must be nice. Your age matches your looks well.

“Heh… Oh, and this guy here is over 10,000 years old.”

I said, holding up Rai, who still looked like a lump of coal.

“Wow, that’s like my grandfather! My grandfather is 10,032 years old! Isn’t that amazing?”

“This guy stopped counting his age after 10,000 years. He said it was too much of a hassle.”

This wasn’t exactly the kind of conversation humans would have, but what can I do when the other party is a dragon?

“Wow, really? That’s so cool! When will I be that old?”

“Just sleep for 3,650,000 days straight.”

At my nonchalant answer, the young dragon’s eyes went wide.

“Whoa! Really? How did you know that? You’re amazing!”

Is this dragon… a bit slow?

“Just multiply 365 by 10,000.”

“I hate math.”

How can someone who hates math still manage to make swords and jewelry?

If this dragon had polymorphed into a handsome guy, I might have considered living with him…

“I hate it too.”

“Really? Then we’re comrades!”

Hmm, maybe if I handle this slow dragon carefully, I might actually survive.

As I began to see the reality of this young dragon’s personality, I realized I might not need to give up on life just yet. If I coax him well enough, maybe I could get back home.

“Then send me home.”

“No.”

“Comrade! You can’t do this for me?”

“… If you go, the spirit will leave too.”

It was like dealing with a child. Well, he *is* still young.

“Then… how about this? If you send me home, I won’t die. Instead, I’ll visit sometimes and let my spirit play with you. I’ll help you make metal shields or whatever you’re working on. I’ll even tell Rai to form a contract with you after a thousand years. What do you say? Sounds good, right? If I die, you lose out too.”

“… Sometimes? How often?”

“Maybe… once every 10 years?”

Is that too long?

I sneaked a glance at the dragon’s face, wondering if I had pushed too far. But the young dragon was smiling brightly, clapping his hands in excitement.

“Wow! That often?”

“Uh… And I’ll stay and play for a month each time. How does that sound?”

As expected, dragons have a very different concept of time.

“Great! But first, play with me for a month before you leave!”

“… Can’t I just come back in 10 years?”

“No! Play first!”

Tch. Well, it’s better than dying.

I couldn’t help but feel deeply grateful that this dragon was so naïve, and at the same time, I felt sympathy for his parents. They must be distraught that this is what they raised… Tsk tsk.

—

┌

To Count Lailow Crowell,

I hope this letter finds you in good health, Count Crowell.

First, I want to emphasize how well I know the loyalty and steadfastness of your family. However, it is with great regret that I must deliver some unfortunate news on what should have been a joyous spring for you.

As you may already know, your eldest daughter, Geenie Crowell, who has been serving as a professor in the Spirit Division of Drike Academy, attended the commemorative banquet of Elan’s 9,000th founding anniversary on the 19th.

It pains me to report that a terrible disaster, something too dreadful to even speak of, occurred that day—an event akin to a force of nature beyond human control, perhaps even a test from the gods. A dragon appeared!

This magnificent golden dragon demanded a large amount of jewels from His Majesty the Emperor of Elan. Despite complying with the demand, it was not enough to appease the dragon. In a fit of rage, it accused us of hiding more treasures and unleashed its wrath on the Emperor, myself, and the many foreign nobles present through a devastating breath attack, which is said to be a dragon’s signature power.

What saved us from this overwhelming onslaught was none other than your daughter, Geenie Crowell. Although I do not know how she managed to fend off such an attack as a mid-level spirit summoner, one thing is certain: she protected His Majesty the Emperor and me with all her strength.

However, shortly after, she was unfortunately captured by the dragon. Along with the jewels, the dragon took her. It seems the dragon either took a liking to her for repelling its attack, or perhaps she angered it.

Thus, Geenie Crowell disappeared with the dragon on that day.

For her heroism, His Majesty and I, along with the noble families of various foreign dignitaries, have unanimously recognized her as a national hero. For saving the lives of the Emperor and others at the cost of her own, her contribution is immeasurable.

In addition, her family, the Crowells, will be elevated to the rank of Marquis. Although I regret that I cannot provide monetary compensation due to the substantial wealth surrendered to the dragon, I offer your family a three-generation tax exemption and the honorary title of “Hero Family.” The formal ceremony for bestowing the title will take place in May, two months from now, and I will send more detailed information in a letter next month.

Lastly, I extend my deepest condolences to you and your family. If ever the Crowell family finds itself in difficulty or need, I pledge to stand by your side. Do not hesitate to reach out. I will be the first to read and respond to your call.

Signed on this day, March 22nd, Year 992 of Rune Era.

Dmitri Khan Dekel III.

┘

—

Crack!

“Hey! Zerath! What are you doing?! That letter was sent personally by His Majesty the King!”

A middle-aged man with a face full of worry yelled at the young man, called Zerath, who had just ripped the letter in half.

“Father! Do you even understand what this letter means?”

“… It’s the will of His Majesty the King.”

“The will of the King? How can they talk about compensation when we don’t even know if Geenie is dead or alive? She might still be alive, yet there’s not a single mention of sending knights or search parties to find her in the King’s letter!”

“The opponent is a dragon. Would you jump into a stormy sea to search for someone swept away into the ocean? Would you blame nature? Would you curse the gods? Dragons are like that. They are beyond our reach!”

The man who cried out was Lailow Crowell, Geenie Crowell’s father.

Opposite him stood a young man with blue hair and blue eyes—Zerath Crowell, Geenie’s older brother and the eldest son of the Crowell family.

Zerath was a skilled swordsman, quick-tempered, and had a strong competitive streak.

In one corner, shrinking in fear, was a golden-haired boy who silently watched them. He was Denika Crowell, Geenie’s younger brother and the second son of the Crowell family. Though intelligent, Denika was often dismissed as a cowardly know-it-all.

“No! Dragons are neither nature nor gods! They’re just big monsters!”

“Zerath! What has gotten into you?”

“What’s gotten into me? I should be asking you that! Isn’t the King going too far? He took that little girl away, keeping her at the academy for over 15 years! Geenie has barely come home 10 times in all those years! And she hasn’t been home even once in the last nine years!”

Zerath Crowell held deep resentment toward the King. He felt that his beloved sister had been taken away by the nation when he was just 10 years old. This had planted a deep hatred for the kingdom in his young heart.

And to make matters worse, now he had received news that his sister was missing, and the King’s letter spoke only of compensation, with no mention of searching for her. Zerath’s anger boiled over.

“That’s because Geenie chose to be there herself!”

“That’s ridiculous! Why would a young girl devote her life to the academy? It’s obvious that the kingdom is holding her there! Other noble ladies her age have been engaged five or six times by now! Damn it, I don’t care anymore. If the King won’t find her, I will!”

“What? Zerath, calm down. Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m going to search every mountain that a dragon might live in. That dragon is just a glorified monster! That’s why Geenie was able to fend off its attack! People are just scared of a myth. They’re treating my sister like she’s already dead, and it’s all because they’re too scared of something that’s not even real!”

It was reckless, to say the least. Zerath, who never believed much in legends or myths, was about to rush out and search for his sister by himself.

But before Lailow could stop him, Denika, who had been cowering in the corner, spoke up.

“Bro… Brother! Wait a moment.”

“Oh, thank goodness. Denika, talk some sense into this fool!”

The Count had hoped that Denika, though usually timid, would be able to reason with Zerath since he was a smart boy.

But Denika crushed that hope.

“I… I want to go too, Brother! Take me with you!”

“Denikaaa!”

The Count let out a groan that sounded almost like a scream.

Zerath, who had been about to leave, looked slightly surprised but didn’t stop his brother.

“Fine. If you want to come, get ready to leave!”

“Okay!”

“Y-You fools!”

The Count clutched his head in despair, but the Crowell brothers paid him no mind and quickly left the room.

Two men set out to search for Geenie Crowell, four days after she went missing.

—

At the Magic Tower of King Dmitri’s royal palace, there was commotion on the eighth floor—unusual for such a quiet place where powerful mages typically resided.

This floor, housing a fifth-circle mage’s quarters, was filled with the sound of sobbing.

The weeping belonged to a man with light brown hair, and though his eyes were swollen, they glinted purple. He was Bright Kenian.

Trying to comfort him was his loyal subordinate and colleague, Zyimom.

“Master Bright, please calm down! You’ll make yourself sick at this rate!”

“Waaah! Geenie… Geenieee… How could you leave me like this?! How am I supposed to live now?!”

The loud wailing had been going on for about a week now since he had heard of Geenie’s disappearance.

“It’s all my fault… It’s all because I told her to go there… Waaah! What if she turns into a ghost and comes back to haunt me?”

“Master Bright, pull yourself together! It’s not even confirmed that she’s dead yet… Geenie must still be alive!”

“Geenie… isn’t dead?”

For the first time in a week, Bright stopped crying and a glimmer of hope returned to his tear-filled eyes.

Now that he thought about it, all he had heard was that Geenie had been captured by a dragon, so he had just assumed she was dead.

“Of course! Geenie is not the type to die so easily. And besides, gold dragons are said to be wise and kind. I doubt it would kill her so easily.”

Zyimom didn’t dare say aloud the thought that had crossed her mind: *”Would a dragon that unleashed its breath attack really be so merciful?”*

“Right, right? There’s no way Geenie would just die and leave me behind, is there?”

“Of course not.”

Though Zyimom’s tongue slipped slightly, Bright didn’t notice.

“Then where could Geenie be right now? Is she eating well? Huh?”

“Well, that… I’m not sure.”

“Oh, I’m so worried I could die. What if she’s crying? What if that dragon has bad intentions toward her? What if it wants to make her its bride?”

Though many people knew it, Zyimom harbored deep feelings of unrequited love for Bright. Even though it was a hopeless affection due to her status as a servant, watching him worry about another person, who might already be dead, was exasperating.

In her frustration, Zyimom blurted out, “If you’re that worried, why don’t you go and look for her?”

“Huh? Look for her?”

“Gah!”

As Bright’s eyes lit up with sudden determination, Zyimom regretted ever opening her mouth.

“I have vacation days saved up… Zyimom! How many days of vacation do I have?”

“Uh, Master Bright? I didn’t mean it seriously. You don’t even know where the dragon is…”

“I’m going! I have to at least try! So, how many days can I take off?”

With Bright’s insistence, Zyimom sighed deeply and replied.

“…About a month and 10 days.”

“Great! Go request vacation time for both of us right now! I’ll pack my things!”

“W-What?! Master Bright?”

Bright, who had a knack for making people do things, was suddenly full of energy again. He shoved Zyimom out the door, and with a miserable expression, she returned to her room to write up the vacation requests. One for Bright and another for herself.

And so, a stalker-like wizard and his reluctant servant set off on a quest to find Geenie.

It was the seventh day since Geenie had gone missing.

—

Though the training room had originally been a shared space, it had unofficially become Geenie’s private training area due to its secluded location, and very few people ever visited. That was precisely why Geenie had chosen it.

*Bang, bang, bang!*

However, the training room was unusually noisy today.

Standing outside, pounding on the door, were two young children.

Each of the little ones held a heavy-looking bag in their hands.

“Sis~.”

*Knock knock knock*

“Sister~.”

*Bang, bang, bang!*

It was Pero and Iro.

About a year ago, these two had gotten lost and stumbled upon Geenie’s training room. Ever since then, they had occasionally visited her, even though they often got scolded. Geenie sometimes pretended not to hear them, but after they knocked for a while, she would eventually give in and open the door.

Of course, they’d often get a playful smack on the head, but it didn’t bother them much. They were happy enough to visit two or three times a month. Geenie had gotten used to them and, more recently, would just open the door as soon as they arrived.

But today, something was off.

No matter how much they knocked, Geenie didn’t answer.

“Rai~.”

*Knock knock knock*

“Hey, dumb snake!”

*Bang bang bang*

They even called out to Geenie’s pet snake, but there was no response. Normally, the snake would bare its teeth and slither out from somewhere, but today, there was only silence.

“Brother, I don’t think Sis is here today.”

“Yeah? But I even caught a rat for her.”

“Maybe Sis ran away because you caught a rat. Rai doesn’t eat stuff like that!”

“No way! Sister said Rai would love it!”

It seemed the heavy bags they were holding contained the rats they had caught.

Eventually, the two exhausted kids sat down in front of the training room.

“Brother, I’m hungry.”

“Do you want to eat this?”

Pero said, holding up the bag with the rat.

“…You eat it, you dumb pig.”

“You eat it, you dumb snake!”

Pero’s retort made Iro puff up her cheeks.

“I’m going to tell Dad you cursed at me!”

“Is that even a curse? And I’m your brother, so I can curse at you!”

“No, you can’t!”

“Yes, I can!”

As the siblings bickered, someone approached the training room, pushing aside the trees.

It was a woman with hair so pink it almost didn’t seem real—Eruze.

Seeing her, Pero tilted his head.

He felt like he had seen her somewhere before.

“What are you kids doing here?”

“…Who are you?”

“I asked you first. What are you doing here?”

Normally, one might let it slide after seeing how cute the children were, but Eruze was not interested. She emphasized her question.

“I’m Pero, and this is my sister, Iro.”

“Why is *he* introducing me? I want to do it!”

Iro shouted, upset. Pero once again realized how hard it was to please girls.

“Fine, do it again.”

“Hmm, I’m Iro, from the Administrative Studies class. I’m nine years old!”

“Not your name. What are you doing here?”

Eruze wasn’t interested in anything but the answer to her own question.

“Oh, we’re waiting for Sister Geenie! Do you know where she is?”

Pero asked, and Eruze’s face twisted slightly.

“Geenie… won’t be coming here anymore.”

“Ehh?! Why not? We even brought a present for Rai.”

“Rai? You guys like Rai too?”

Iro beamed and answered.

It seemed she still didn’t understand the situation.

“Yes! He’s so cute!”

“You really know what’s good, huh? Alright, I’ll tell you. Geenie is inside a dragon’s stomach right now.”

“…Dragon?”

“Yes, a dragon! The dragon took her away. And right now, our sweet Geenie is probably being… turned into dragon poop… sob.”

As Eruze’s tears welled up, Pero whispered to Iro.

“Doesn’t this lady seem a little dangerous?”

“Why?”

“I mean, she’s talking about wanting to see Geenie as a ghost and stuff.”

Iro shook her head.

“She doesn’t seem dangerous at all.”

“Ah, Geenie… If only you could become a ghost and bring me either the dragon’s bones or even Rai… I’d be so happy to see a ghost.”

“…She’s not just a little dangerous. She’s completely crazy.”

Pero, who had overheard the last part of Eruze’s rambling, signaled Iro to run.

“Let’s get out of here.”

Detecting danger, Pero grabbed Iro’s hand, and the two quickly escaped from the training room and dashed through the forest. After walking for a while, they reached the youth dormitory and, following the now familiar path, began heading toward the infant department.

Iro, dissatisfied, began to complain.

“I don’t wanna go! We came all this way… I wanted to see Sister Geenie!”

“You’re being dumb! Didn’t that lady say Sister Geenie can’t come back anymore?”

Iro pouted.

“Why?”

“Because the dragon has her now! Didn’t you hear what that weird lady said? I didn’t hear much either because I was scared.”

Pero shuddered, recalling Eruze’s strange behavior.

“Why? She was pretty. Isn’t that what makes her a good person?”

“Just because someone’s pretty doesn’t mean they’re nice. That’s what Dad said when we visited home last time.”

“Hmm, now that you mention it, our mom is nice but not very pretty, right?”

“Yeah, she’s not as pretty as how nice she is. Teacher Irito is way prettier.”

As they talked, they recalled Irito, their kind and beautiful administrative studies teacher. Rumor had it she was also skilled in magic, but they didn’t know for sure.

“Oh, Teacher Irito? She’s a mage.”

“Yeah, she knows magic! Oh, that reminds me. I read about dragons before! They’re really smart creatures that taught people magic.”

“Oh, I remember! I read about it too! It was in that book, on the H-shelf, seven spots down. That one.”

“Right, and the book two shelves over, ‘The Common Hero’s Tale,’ mentions it too.”

“I love that story! The dragon kidnaps a beautiful, kind princess to make her his bride, and the hero comes to rescue her! The hero slays the dragon and saves the princess!”

“Yeah, but it’s all because of the special gear he had.”

Pero replied flatly, and Iro nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, that’s right! He had some magic sword set, didn’t he?”

“Yup. But… didn’t that lady say Sister Geenie got taken by a dragon?”

At the mention of Eruze’s words, Pero clapped his hands in realization.

“Oh yeah, she did say that! But Sister Geenie isn’t a princess.”

“…And she’s pretty, but she’s not exactly kind.”

The twins nodded in unison, agreeing on that point.

“So, does that mean no hero is coming to save her?”

“Dad always says that pretty girls with bad tempers are disliked by guys. So, probably not.”

“Poor Sister Geenie…”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Iro looked back over her shoulder, squinting as if she had suddenly come up with a great idea.

“Brother! I’ve got an idea.”

“What is it?”

“We should go save Sister Geenie ourselves! If no hero is coming, that’s why she can’t come back.”

“But how can we save her without a magic sword?”

Pero asked, confused. Iro wagged her finger at him, clicking her tongue dramatically.

“We don’t need a magic sword! We can ask that scary lady from earlier to come with us!”

“That lady? Does she have a magic sword?”

“No, but didn’t you say she seemed scary? If she’s that scary, then even the dragon will be afraid of her!”

At Iro’s bold claim, Pero thought about it seriously for a moment. The lady did seem scary enough that even a dragon might hesitate to face her.

Pero was intrigued.

“Hmm… Should we really?”

“Yeah! Let’s go find her!”

“Hmm… Alright! We’re going to rescue Sister Geenie!”

Feeling fired up by the plan, Pero shouted boldly. Iro clapped her hands with excitement and began hopping in place.

“So, does that make us the heroes?”

“Yep! We’ll be the first-ever twin heroes…”

Pero trailed off as a shadow loomed over them.

Iro turned around and saw none other than Teacher Irito, who had come to fetch the mischievous twins.

“What are you two doing here, Pero, Iro? You little troublemakers!”

“Te-Teacher!”

“Eek…”

Terrified by the sudden appearance of the kind but strict teacher, Pero and Iro whimpered as they were taken back to the dormitory, their plans to become heroes thwarted before they could even begin.

Thus, the legend of the twin heroes that almost came to be… ended before it even began.

It was the tenth day since Geenie went missing.