The Golden-Haired Summoner - Chapter 32

Cheers erupted in the dark alley.

Inside the alley were two men—one with white-dyed hair and the other wearing a hat pulled down low.

“As expected! Look at this, Jack! It’s a real gem! We could live off selling this for at least a year!”

“I couldn’t believe it… and that traveler really was an idiot! Walking around with such an expensive item so openly on their back!”

The white-haired man exclaimed in excitement as he examined the sword, embedded with a large, sparkling jewel, while Jack, the man in the hat, mocked the foolish traveler.

Both men appeared to be in their early thirties.

“Judging by the clothes and shoes, they were new. A novice traveler… or maybe a runaway noblewoman.”

“A lady? It was a woman?”

Jack asked in surprise, and the white-haired man nodded with an exasperated look.

“Yeah. Judging by her voice, she was a young woman! Her personality was awful, though.”

“We don’t pull this kind of trick often, but still, for all the effort of pretending to be old beggars, we’ve never encountered such a stingy traveler. I almost had to beat her up when she refused to give alms to an old man.”

“Hah, what could a woman do, even if she tried to hit us? Would it even hurt?”

“It might hurt an old man! Haha.”

The two men chuckled, thoroughly amused by their recent heist, with the gleaming sword at the center of their laughter.

Suddenly, the white-haired man touched his hair and remarked, “Still, it was worth dyeing my hair. At first, I wondered if we really needed to go this far.”

“Heh, people are naturally sympathetic toward children and the elderly. Since we can’t disguise ourselves as kids, dressing up as old men is the way to go, especially with that prematurely aged face of yours. See? It worked perfectly!”

Jack spoke proudly, as if he’d accomplished something great.

The white-haired man, equally proud, added, “And my acting skills were a big part of the success!”

“Exactly! Your leg-shaking act was flawless. Hahaha! Wait, what’s that?”

Jack, who had been laughing with his head thrown back, suddenly stopped, squinting up at the sky.

“What’s wrong, Jack?”

“I swear I just saw something blue falling from the sky.”

“Something blue? What do you mean?”

“Not sure… it was floating like this… then suddenly started coming this way…”

Jack, tilting his head in confusion, was cut off by the sound of footsteps, gradually growing louder. It wasn’t just one person—multiple sets of footsteps were approaching quickly and then stopped at the entrance of the alley.

The two men, knowing they were guilty, froze, staring toward the entrance, their faces tense with unease. They feared they’d been caught already.

Against the bright background stood a tall woman—at least tall for a woman—with blonde hair, accompanied by a large, yellow dog. Neither seemed particularly threatening to the men.

Relieved, Jack and the white-haired man quickly relaxed, realizing how foolish they had been to be scared of just a woman and a dog.

“Oh, come on, what a scare.”

“Right? What’s with that mutt?”

The white-haired man, trying to hide his earlier tension, waved his hands exaggeratedly. As he did, the sword in his hand caught the light, causing it to gleam.

The woman at the entrance saw the sparkle, and her eyes gleamed in response.

Sweeping her golden hair out of her face with a frustrated gesture, she spoke.

“Give it back!”

“Grrr…”

The dog growled fiercely beside her, and the white-haired man furrowed his brow. He recognized the woman’s voice—it was the same one from earlier.

“I said, give me back my sword!”

“Grrrr.”

Only then did the white-haired man realize that the woman standing before them was the traveler from earlier, who had been wearing a hooded cloak.

He whispered cautiously to Jack, “Jack, it’s that woman from before.”

“What? How did she find us here?”

Jack shouted in disbelief. This alley was a hidden spot, a place you could only reach if you knew the maze-like streets of the city. Even locals often got lost trying to navigate through it.

The woman frowned aggressively, demanding once more, “Give me my sword…”

But Jack and the white-haired man didn’t bother listening to her finish. If she’d looked strong or had brought guards, they might have surrendered, but she was just a woman with a dog.

“Run!” Jack shouted, and both men dashed into the dark alley.

They were confident in their ability to escape, sure that they wouldn’t be caught by a mere woman and her dog.

“Get them, Rai! You too, Undine!”

As the two men planned to split up at the next turn, the white-haired man suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.

“What the…?”

A yellow dog had caught up to him at incredible speed and was now biting at his pant leg. The white-haired man didn’t know this; all he knew was that he was humiliatingly sprawled out on the ground.

Jack, who had been exchanging glances with his partner, understood what had happened but didn’t stop running. While the dog was busy with the white-haired man, Jack figured he could escape. The woman was still standing back where she had first appeared, so his chances of getting away were high.

But before he could even feel sorry for his fallen partner, something caught his foot, and he also tumbled to the ground.

“Damn it!”

As he fell, Jack’s thoughts raced. What was this cold, slimy thing that had wrapped around his leg?

Despite the pain from his forehead smashing into the ground, Jack’s curiosity got the better of him, and he looked down at his leg.

Wrapped around it was something transparent and jelly-like. For a moment, Jack was paralyzed by confusion.

What is this?

“Drag them here.”

The woman’s voice echoed as the slimy substance around Jack’s leg started to move, seemingly alive.

The white-haired man, who had been caught by the dog, was in the same situation.

“Ow! My nose! Ouch, my forehead! Gah!”

“Ugh! Ah! Urgh!”

Their faces scraped painfully against the rough stones scattered across the alley, but neither the dog nor the mysterious jelly-like substance showed any concern for their suffering.

By the time their faces were bruised and scratched, resembling squashed strawberries, they found themselves face-to-face with the blonde woman.

The large dog was pressing down on their backs with enough force to make their spines feel like they were going to snap.

“My sword!”

The woman’s demand was clear as she looked down at the men sprawled on the ground. The white-haired man shot a panicked glance at Jack, as if to ask, “What do we do?”

“What do you mean, what do we do? Give it back to her!”

Jack shouted in frustration. The white-haired man, with a reluctant grimace, pulled the sword from his coat.

Even before the sword was fully revealed, the woman snatched it from his hands.

“You should have just given it back in the first place. Undine, return.”

As the woman murmured softly, the transparent, jelly-like creature around Jack’s leg vanished with a quiet pop.

Only then did Jack realize his terrible mistake—he had messed with a magic user. He looked up at the woman, thinking about how unlucky he was to have targeted a mage today.

The woman was still quite young, with a hint of childishness left in her features. Their eyes met for a moment, and Jack, having survived many close calls, quickly recognized what needed to be done.

“Ah, I’m so sorry, my lady! We didn’t realize you were a mage. Please, forgive us just this once, and we’ll never…”

Before he could finish, he felt a sharp pain as her boot struck his jaw, cutting off his words. More pain followed as she pressed down on his back with her foot.

“Who said I was a mage? Huh? Do I look like one to you?”

The woman’s repeated kicks found their mark every time, causing Jack to instinctively curl up and protect his head.

If she’s not a mage, then what?

Her kicks were precise and targeted, suggesting she was a trained fighter. But she had used magic earlier, so she couldn’t be a simple brawler.

Then what could she be?

Suddenly, a realization struck him, and he shouted, “Wait! I get it! You’re not a mage, you’re a monk, right? A monk—argh!”

“Shut up, you dog!”

Her kicks intensified, and even the dog let out a disapproving growl from nearby.

“Grrr.”

Having retrieved my sword, I summoned Undine to help me return to the plaza. Just as I was about to give instructions, Undine tilted her head and asked, “What is that, Master?”

“Huh? What?”

“Over there, in the corner.”

“Oh, those are just the pickpockets from earlier.”

I turned to look where Undine was pointing and saw the thieves crumpled in a corner. Their faces were so swollen it was hard to recognize them.

“Oh, I see. But why don’t they have any hair?”

“They dyed their hair white to pretend to be old men, so I shaved it all off.”

It was a shame I couldn’t shave it cleaner due to my lack of skill with the sword.

“And why do their faces look like that?”

“They’re paying for their crimes.”

“Serves them right. It’s a miracle they’re still alive after calling me a mutt.”

Rai chimed in, clearly still upset about being insulted as a mere mutt. Once a proud wolf, Rai had become a “yellow dog” after his fur changed color—an unfortunate fate, but it was what it was.

“Now, can you help me find the way, Undine? We need to find the plaza with the fountain and the city gate.”

“Yes, Master.”

Undine nodded and gracefully floated up into the air with a sound like rippling water.

Though scouting wasn’t Undine’s specialty, she could manage as long as she had enough mana and experience. Once she spotted the direction, I’d simply follow her.

This method worked surprisingly well; it was how we tracked down those con artists. Their white-dyed hair had made them easy to spot.

At first, I had tried to have Rai sniff them out, but the result was disappointing. While Rai could transform into a new shape, he couldn’t actually fly, and as it turned out, his sense of smell was no better than that of an ordinary dog.

His nose was just for show, apparently.

“Have you found it yet?”

“Um… ah! I found it, Master! It’s over there.”

Undine pointed toward the plaza from the air, but from where I stood, a large building blocked the way.

“Then find a path leading there!”

“This way!”

Undine flew off, and Rai and I followed. As the sun was setting, Undine’s form stood out clearly in the sky, shimmering in the fading light.

After weaving through the maze-like streets for a while, we came upon a familiar path. If I was right, heading right from here would lead to the plaza.

“We’ve been here before…”

“This looks like the place we passed earlier, doesn’t it, Master?”

“Yeah, it does. Undine!”

“Yes, Master?”

At my call, Undine slowly descended from the air. The setting sun filtered through her transparent form, making her appear reddish.

“You can go now. Thanks for your help, Undine.”

“It was my pleasure, Master. I’ll see you again.”

Undine smiled sweetly and vanished.

No matter how much time passed, her innocent smile always brought me a small sense of happiness. Now that she could speak so fluently, I was even more satisfied.

“She’s wagging her tail at you again, Master. She really should act her age!”

Rai, as usual, muttered discontentedly, seemingly bothered by how much I adored Undine. He must have been annoyed that I found the small, cute Undine more endearing than him, who was as big as a calf.

But what could I do? It’s not my fault she’s cuter than you.

“Mind your own business.”

At my scolding, Rai stretched his already long snout and gave me a sullen look.

That meant he was sulking.

Let him sulk.

Leaving Rai behind, I resumed walking.

As expected, my memory hadn’t failed me. The plaza came into view as we emerged from the alley, with the familiar small fountain, large city gate, and various stalls around it.

But I didn’t see Aini.

I hadn’t really expected them to wait for me, but when I had entrusted Aini to them, I thought I’d be able to find them again.

I had some confidence.

I had thought I could track them down with Rai’s keen sense of smell.

But that hope had been crushed as soon as I realized that Rai’s nose was just for show.

I had originally planned to have Rai sniff out the pickpockets and then use that same skill to find Aini…

But maybe I was dreaming too big?

If I’d known Rai would be so useless, I would have left him behind as well. At least he could find me by listening for my voice.

In the end, I had to accept that Aini was missing.

I didn’t think the people I’d left him with were bad, so I assumed they were taking care of him somewhere. But finding them was the problem.

Even if I asked Undine to search, it would be pointless if they were inside a building.

I trudged over to the fountain and sat down on its edge.

It felt like today was cursed. I kept losing things.

First, I’d left Aini behind in the forest. Then, I’d forgotten Aini and my money pouch together. Third, my sword had been stolen. And lastly, though this was entirely my fault, I’d lost Aini again.

How was I going to find him…

“Master, why don’t you just leave that crybaby brat behind?”

“No.”

“Tsk!”

Honestly, I felt the same way. I wanted to just dump him somewhere. But I had taken responsibility for bringing him along, so there was no choice.

I’d take him with me for now. Once we got to the academy, I could leave him with Master Eel. Hehe.

“Excuse me…”

Just as I was coming up with my irresponsible plan, someone spoke to me.

I looked up to see a girl who appeared to be about twelve years old.

She was holding a large basket of flowers, likely a flower seller.

“I’m not interested in flowers.”

“No, it’s not that… A traveler told me to give this to a blonde woman with a yellow dog if I saw her.”

The girl, with light brown hair tied in two braids, blushed as she handed me a white piece of paper.

She seemed like a shy child.

I accepted the paper, feeling a little guilty for snapping at her earlier.

“Oh, I see. Thank you! Let me buy some flowers to show my gratitude.”

“R-really? Thank you! These are 15 copper, and these are 20 copper. Which ones would you like?”

The girl beamed, explaining the prices as she pointed to her basket.

Her smile, for some reason, reminded me of Undine. I couldn’t help but smile back.

“I’ll take them all.”

“Wh-what?”

“I’ll buy them all. You can even give me the basket if you want.”

“A-all of them?”

The girl’s eyes widened in shock, and even Rai blinked his already large eyes in surprise.

“Master, why are you buying so many flowers when you can’t even eat them?”

Rai, ever the practical one, seemed confused by my decision. I grinned and replied, “What’s the harm? They’re cheap.”

“That’s your reason?”

“Well, also…”

“Also?”

Rai tilted his head to the side, looking somewhat adorable.

“This girl is cute. Hehe.”

“Wait, is she a rival?”

“Just give me the money.”

The total cost for the flowers, including the basket, came to 10 silver and 20 copper.

The basket, filled with vibrant red and yellow flowers, was now hanging from Rai’s neck.

Surprisingly, the combination suited him quite well, though Rai didn’t seem to appreciate it, looking rather displeased.

After paying, I unfolded the paper.

It seemed to be the name of an inn, probably where they were staying.

More importantly… hmm.

I feel like I’ve heard this name before. Where was it?

I tilted my head, trying to recall where I had seen or heard the name of this inn, but nothing came to mind.

“Do you know where this inn is?”

The girl, who had been staring at the money in her hands, snapped back to attention at my question.

Hey, hey, if you keep spacing out like that, someone’s going to rob you.

Not knowing what I was thinking, the girl hastily waved her hands and answered, “Yes! Oh, I can show you the way if you’d like!”

“That would be helpful. Let’s go, Rai.”

I gathered my things, including the sword, and stood up.

It was an important tool and potential bribe.

“Do I really have to carry this all the way, Master?”

Rai, still seated with the flower basket around his neck, asked plaintively. I glanced at the basket, which was even larger than his head, filled with flowers of all colors.

“Want me to carry it? It doesn’t suit me.”

“You just don’t want to carry it, do you?”

This brat was getting too sharp for his own good.

I felt a little guilty, but after nine years of perfecting my poker face, I managed not to show it.

“Ahem, shall we get going?”

“Yes, this way.”

We started walking, following the girl.

Now that I thought about it, I was tired. Sleeping outdoors wasn’t something I wanted to do again.

“Master! What about the basket?”

Rai, still sitting there with the basket around his neck, called out to me pitifully, but I didn’t turn around.

If he really wanted to, he’d follow.

And sure enough, before I had taken more than ten steps, I saw Rai slinking after me.

Knew it.

Grumble.

I’d forgotten how hungry I was.

Ugh, I need a good rest.

We walked for a while, following the girl, until the sky had darkened, and faint stars began to twinkle. It was then that I finally spotted the sign for the inn.

It was a mid-tier inn—small, but clean and quaint.

I hope they serve food.

Otherwise, that’ll be a problem.

“Do they serve food at this inn?”

“Yes, they’re known for having delicious and affordable meals.”

“Really? That sounds promising.”

“Um… I should be going now. Thank you again.”

[Rival! Be gone!]

“Thanks for your help.”

Ignoring Rai, who seemed to be burning with pointless jealousy, I said goodbye to the girl and approached the inn.

The large, clear sign caught my attention first.

“The Happenings at Mierta.”

That name sounds familiar…

I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The first thing that hit me was the smell of freshly baked bread, followed by the rich aroma of soup.

Inside, tables were set up with a few people scattered about, mostly travelers, all enjoying their meals.

The sight made my stomach growl even louder.

Tinkle.

The bell above the door chimed softly, and a boy, who looked to be about fifteen, came out from behind the counter.

“Welcome! Are you here to stay or just to eat?”

The boy had a cheerful, freckled face, and he spoke brightly with a wide smile.

He seemed well-suited for his job in customer service.

“I’ll eat first. There should be someone here already?”

“Oh, are you with them? Your party, right?”

Technically, Aini was the only one with me, but explaining that would be a hassle, so I just nodded.

“Yes, I’m with them. Three men and a little girl.”

“Oh, yes! They’ll be coming down soon. They went upstairs after ordering their meal.”

I glanced toward the staircase next to the counter.

In that case, I’d wait down here.

“Good. In the meantime, I’ll have my meal as well.”

“Of course! How would you like your meal?”

“With meat.”

“If you’d like meat, shall I serve you the B course? It comes with steak, soup, two freshly baked rolls, salad, and fruit.”

Hearing the word “steak,” I swallowed hard.

Steak, steak…

How long has it been since I’ve heard that word?

I hadn’t had anything but dried fruit and jerky for half a month. No, ever since I’d been kidnapped, it had been a month and a half.

There were so many things I wanted to eat, but meat was the priority.

“I’ll take a double.”

“Huh?”

“Double!”

“W-what’s that? I don’t think we have that dish.”

Oh right, I had let my excitement over meat cloud my judgment.

I need to keep up appearances.

[Master, are you insane?]

“Ahem… I’ll have the large steak, please. Well done.”

I wasn’t into the whole blood-sucking thing. Despite appearances, I could be quite delicate.

“Alright, one large well-done steak for the B course. Anything else?”

“Ah, could you take this dog to the stables?”

[Master, why?]

[She’s lost her mind, that’s why.]

Maybe he should’ve behaved better.

I waved a cheerful goodbye to Rai, who was being dragged away by the boy, and smiled brightly as he disappeared with the flowers still dangling around his neck.

Rai and the flowers were gone.