The Golden-Haired Summoner - Chapter 35

“Sniff, achoo!”

I bought a spice set with various seasonings and a few basic cooking tools.

To check what spices were in which container, I brought the openings close to my nose.

The first container turned out to be pepper.

It was such a modest thing to do, even by my standards.

[“It’s pepper, right?”]

“Ugh, I can’t do this. Rai, you do it.”

[“Huh?”]

I handed the spice set to Rai.

Then, I organized the cooking tools with a clatter and tied them onto Rai, who had transformed back into a wolf to act as a porter.

On the other side of him, various jerky and fruits were already hanging.

Of course, I bought a bunch of candy as well.

“Alright! Have we bought everything we need?”

[“Um… Master, do I really have to sniff all of them?”]

“It was a joke, just a joke. Let’s head back to the inn.”

[“But… do I really have to carry all this stuff, Master?”]

As usual, Rai, who cared too much about appearances, asked the obvious question.

“Should I carry it then?”

[“That’s cruel, Master! I’m a spirit, not a pack mule! Sniff, sniff… You didn’t make a contract with me just to use me as a porter, did you?”]

“Hmm? Didn’t you know?”

[“Beep!”]

Rai even made his own sound effect to express his shock.

Well, while using him as a pack mule wasn’t the only reason, it was true that I had made the contract with that in mind.

Since Rai’s playful grumbling was nothing new, I ignored him and carried the bundle of newly bought clothes myself.

Based on the shopkeeper’s recommendation, I bought leather travel clothes.

I also bought a few outfits for Annie after realizing she always wore similar clothes.

I couldn’t have her looking like a beggar.

She’s the daughter of a benefactor, after all. I have to treat her with respect.

Besides, since we have to travel together, I can’t exactly hate her.

I just hope she likes them…

After double-checking to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything, I gestured to Rai, who was lying on the ground with a wounded expression.

“Stop playing around. Let’s go, Rai.”

[“Okay, Master~”]

We arrived at the inn in no time.

It wasn’t far, and after going back and forth a few times, I’d gotten familiar with the path.

Through the slightly open door, I saw Lox standing anxiously in the middle of the first floor.

What’s up with him? Does he need to use the bathroom?

*Ding-a-ling.*

The bell above the door jingled as we entered, and Lox rushed toward me the moment he saw us come in.

What’s going on?

I don’t know where the bathroom is!

“Geenie!”

“What is it?”

It didn’t seem like he needed the restroom, but I had no idea why he was so desperate to talk to me.

Yesterday, he was so wary of me. What changed?

“Th-the child…!”

“A child?”

What child? I tilted my head, puzzled.

What could be so serious?

A child… Annie?

“Annie, that little girl.”

“What about Annie?”

[“The little one?”]

Sensing that something bad about Annie was coming, I instinctively scanned the first floor.

Annie wasn’t there.

Neither was Ash or Chad!

“She’s gone! No—some men barged in and took her away!”

“What? What are you talking about? Why Annie?”

[“I-I don’t know anything about this, Master!”]

The news from Lox was the worst possible scenario.

A kidnapping?

One kidnapping is enough with me!

“I don’t know… They just said it was for revenge.”

“Revenge? Against me? Which bastard…”

I hurriedly tried to think of anyone who might want revenge on me.

If anyone, it could only be Leo.

We had barely arrived in the city, and someone already bore a grudge against me?

But even if they did, I’m Jinny now!

Not Geenie Crowell!

I only sent the notice to the academy an hour ago—how could someone have found out I was here and chased me down so fast?

“It was a scary, burly man. Chad and His Highness went after them, but…”

Lox was so flustered he accidentally referred to Ash as “His Highness.”

“What did he look like? Did he say anything specific about revenge?”

“I don’t know exactly, but the man… He didn’t have a nose! And, uh… Though he was wearing a hat, it seemed like he didn’t have ears either!”

[“Oh! Grak!”]

Rai exclaimed, as if suddenly remembering something.

Grak? That’s definitely an unpleasant name.

A man without a nose or ears…

“That slave trader brother and sister?”

[Bingo! That’s the one, Master.]

Damn it! Not killing them back then was a mistake.

Running into both a benefactor and a villain from nine years ago—was that good luck or bad?

But more importantly… Annie!

Grak. A former slave who killed his master and burned his slave documents to declare himself a free man.

Of course, it goes without saying that his sister was the mastermind behind his evil deeds.

Even now, they still carried out all sorts of wicked acts together.

They were so ruthless that they would beat their master to death and sell other child slaves back to the slave traders.

A slave trader took a liking to their cruelty and hired them to work for him.

Since then, they had become natural-born slave traders, fitting perfectly into the role.

Grak’s sister quickly climbed the ranks, using her cunning to become an officer in the slave trade.

Meanwhile, Grak became bolder, relying on his sister’s influence.

Kidnapping children off the streets in broad daylight was nothing to him.

For him, kidnapping was a mission, and extortion, threats, and theft were just part of the package.

“Boss! This is the inn. Let’s take a look inside.”

He also had a habit of bailing out his foolish subordinates after they returned from botched jobs.

He just needed an excuse to throw punches.

“Well? Is that brat inside?”

Two of his underlings ran to peek inside the inn, then returned to Grak, who was itching to get his fists moving.

“I-I’m not sure. That guy had his hood pulled over his head yesterday.”

“What? Idiot! If you’re going to get revenge, you should at least know your target!”

*Thwack!*

Grak viciously kicked the subordinate in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Of course, Grak’s kicks didn’t stop there. He stomped on the fallen subordinate’s back, head, and waist. He especially enjoyed crushing ears underfoot.

He used to have a thing for smashing noses too, but since broken noses rarely healed properly, they often had to be cut off. As a result, no one in his group had an intact nose left, which had earned him a scolding from his sister.

“Urgh! I-I’m s-sorry… Ugh!”

“How many times do I have to tell you? If you want me to handle things, make sure you know what the target looks like! Do you think your ears are just for decoration? Should I rip them off?”

It became clear why Grak was so obsessed with ears and noses the moment anyone saw his own face.

Grak had no ears left, and his nose had been cut off, leaving his face grotesque and disfigured.

He wasn’t born this way—his ears had been torn off, and his nose had been smashed so badly that it had to be removed.

Grak harbored a deep complex about his missing features and hadn’t forgotten the person responsible for his appearance.

Even though it happened nine years ago, he could still remember that person’s face vividly. The bitterness and grudge were etched into his heart every night, fueling his desire to kill them when they met again.

“Boss! I didn’t see the guy, but there’s a young blonde woman inside the inn. And she’s gorgeous too!”

Hearing this, Grak’s interest was piqued, and he stopped kicking his subordinate.

“A blonde?”

Grak had an unusual obsession with blonde girls. No matter what, he had to kidnap them and sell them to the filthiest, most degrading places to feel satisfied.

He didn’t discriminate by age or gender as long as they had blonde hair.

The subordinate, knowing this, brought up the topic in an attempt to curb Grak’s violence.

“Yes, Boss! And she has blue eyes too.”

“Blonde hair and blue eyes? Perfect. Let’s take a look.”

Grak kicked the beaten subordinate toward the corner of the alley and approached the inn with long strides.

He peered through the large window into the inn.

“She’s right by the counter, Boss.”

Following the subordinate’s direction, Grak’s eyes landed on the blonde woman with blue eyes.

She seemed to be talking with a silver-haired girl in the arms of a burly man.

The blonde woman’s hair and eyes reminded Grak too much of someone from nine years ago, igniting his desire for vengeance.

Even her sharp, distinctive gaze matched that of the child from his memories.

“It’s her.”

“What? The one from back then?”

“Yeah, even her cocky attitude is the same!”

Grak’s mind flashed back to the events of nine years ago when he had been a slave trader in the capital of Nekal.

At that time, he was scouring the streets for new merchandise and stumbled upon a boy with black hair. Thinking it was his lucky day, he quickly kidnapped the boy.

Soon after, his subordinates brought in two more girls, completing their haul for the day.

It had seemed like an easy job until he slapped the unusually feisty blonde girl across the face.

That was when everything went wrong.

A snake appeared out of nowhere, biting Grak’s nose and crushing it. It even coiled around his neck, ready to snap it.

With his sister’s help, Grak barely escaped with his life, though he lost both ears in the process.

Not only that, but knights stormed their hideout, ruining their operation. His sister almost lost her position as an officer in the slave trade.

Though she managed to keep her rank, they were forced to relocate to Korhan, the most dangerous and unpleasant branch, far from the luxurious city of Elan.

For Grak, who had grown accustomed to the comforts of Elan, living in Korhan was pure torment.

“Could it really be her? Nine years ago, she was just a child, so she’d be around that age now.”

“Yeah, but… Wait, what’s that?”

Grak noticed something peeking out from the blonde woman’s hair—a living creature.

Even from a distance, the golden scales glimmered unmistakably.

“It’s a snake, isn’t it, Boss? Why would a woman walk around with a snake—”

“It’s her! It’s definitely that snake that took my ears!”

The snake’s color had changed, but Grak recognized it instantly.

His phantom nose began to tingle, and the places where his ears had been throbbed painfully.

The more he stared at the woman, the more convinced he became that she was the same girl from nine years ago.

Grak’s whole body trembled violently. Was it joy from finding his enemy? Or uncontrollable rage?

“Boss, what do we do? Should we kidnap her?”

“Yeah, we’ll—wait, no! That’s not enough.”

Grak shook his head, abandoning his initial impulse to storm the inn.

“What do you mean? If we don’t grab her now, she might get away— Ah! She’s coming out!”

“Shh!”

Grak spotted the blonde woman stepping out of the inn and immediately clamped his hand over the subordinate’s mouth. They ducked into the alley, watching her from the shadows.

Grak tracked her quietly until she disappeared from sight.

“Boss?”

“We’ll kidnap her later.”

“What? What if she escapes?”

“Idiot! That’s why we need a hostage!”

Grak’s mind drifted back to the humiliating incident when the blonde girl had taken him hostage.

“A hostage?”

“Obviously. Who do you think would be the easiest target inside?”

“The silver-haired girl… Ah! Two birds with one stone, Boss?”

“Exactly.”

Grak’s deformed face twisted with malicious glee as he formulated a plan.

Since the silver-haired girl was likely traveling with the blonde woman, kidnapping her would lure the enemy right into their trap.

Then, with all his men gathered, they would ambush her.

And finally, Grak would exact his brutal revenge.

About an hour later, a group of ten men stormed the inn, causing chaos.

In the midst of the confusion, they easily abducted the silver-haired girl.

The men, of course, were Grak’s subordinates.

Though Grak had many men at his disposal, he reserved most of them for facing his real target—the blonde woman.

Grak wouldn’t admit it, but beneath his thirst for revenge was a lingering fear of the blonde girl who had once overpowered him.

Lox’ face turned pale as he stammered in shock.

“A-A slave trader?”

“Yeah, a slave trader. These guys are tied to me through some nasty history. Now, tell me everything you saw. Did that noseless guy say anything to me?”

As soon as I heard the description, I was certain. The ones who kidnapped Annie were definitely those people from back then.

It was obvious—he must’ve held a grudge against me, saw me by chance, and seized the opportunity to kidnap Annie, thinking she was an easy target.

“Yes! Well… About ten men barged in and caused a commotion. In the chaos, the child disappeared! Then, as soon as we realized what happened, the men fled outside. I saw one of them carrying Annie slung over his shoulder, but when Chad tried to stop them, the noseless man threatened us!”

“And what did he say?”

“He said, ‘If you touch me, the child won’t be safe.'”

“And?”

“Then… He told me to deliver a message to the blonde woman. If she wanted the child back unharmed, she should come alone. And that the revenge for that day would not be light. He also said, ‘My nose and ears still ache.'”

After leaving the inn, His Highness and Chad chased after them, but we haven’t heard anything since. Everything happened so fast… I was too flustered…”

[It’s definitely that guy, Master! I tore off his ears back then.]

Though I had already reached my conclusion, the mention of ‘nose and ears’ confirmed without a doubt who we were dealing with.

Now, the only thing left for me to do was to track him down and finish this.

“He told me to come find him? Where did he say to meet?”

“Huh?”

“Where? Where did he tell me to go? I need to get there now!”

“W-Well, I…”

Lox hesitated, clearly thinking that going alone was a reckless idea.

It was obviously a trap, and he probably assumed I’d only walk into disaster.

But he was dead wrong.

“Don’t waste time worrying. Just tell me—where did he say to go?”

“Um…”

[You really don’t need to go, though.]

[Shut up!]

I barked at Rai, who seemed to be enjoying the news of Annie’s kidnapping. Impatient with Lox’ silence, I urged him again.

I was running out of time.

“Tell me now! Or I’ll start with breaking your neck—”

“I-I’m sorry! I really don’t know. He didn’t mention any location. Maybe he forgot, or… maybe he left it out on purpose.”

“…Huh?”

Lox’ answer left me deflated.

Of course. It was exactly as I expected.

He had forgotten to say the location.

Telling me to come alone without even giving a destination—this was worse than those idiots who demand ransom for a kidnapped child but hang up without stating how much money they want.

If they had just asked for money, it would’ve made negotiations easier. But it was clear this wasn’t about money. Grak’s grudge ran deep, and there was no way he’d let Annie go just because I showed up.

Most likely, he intended to capture both Annie and me. His plans were as obvious as day.

“What… What do we do? If we can’t find him, the child…”

“No, I’ll find them. There are plenty of clues.”

“Clues? I don’t see anything…”

I glanced around the inn. Though everything seemed neatly put away, the air still carried traces of the recent commotion.

Then I noticed a figure trembling behind the counter.

It was the boy who had been serving earlier.

“Hey, you!”

The boy flinched and slowly looked up at me, still trapped in fear.

It seemed the chaos from earlier had terrified him.

Considering how about ten men had stormed in and caused havoc, it was only natural.

But that fear would serve as a useful clue for me.

“Y-You mean me?”

“Yes, you. You must know something. Who were the men who ransacked the inn and took Annie?”

Given that Grak had moved with such a large group, it was clear he held considerable influence in the city. Likely a gang with ties to the slave trade.

And if they were a notorious criminal group, someone working at the inn was bound to know about them.

“I… I don’t know! I don’t know anything about those people!”

The boy, who seemed like he was about to answer, suddenly curled up, clutching his head in fear.

Were they such terrifying people that even mentioning them was enough to scare him?

I frowned, trying to piece things together.

How had they found me?

If they had targeted Annie knowing she was connected to me, it must’ve been someone from the inn who gave me away.

After all, I had barely encountered Annie outside the inn since arriving in the city.

In fact, the only time we interacted openly was briefly this morning.

So, they must’ve spotted me then…

It was frustrating. Out of all the moments, they noticed me during that tiny window of time.

If only they had taken Chad instead—then I wouldn’t be worrying this much.

“Are you sure you don’t know anything? If you hesitate, Annie… My student could die because of you.”

“I-I… I don’t…”

“Answer me. Who are they? Where is their hideout?”

While the boy hesitated, I shot my questions quickly, hoping to catch him off guard.

“They’re… they’re demons. The worst kind of scum in the city! Even the guards avoid them. There’s no way you’ll be safe if you go after them! And the girl… Just give up. It’s already too late! You can’t save her!”

“Whether I save her or not isn’t your decision.”

Strangely, though I felt anxious, my mind was unusually calm.

Was it because of my training?

Just as I was pressing the boy further, a man stepped out from behind the counter.

He was a middle-aged man with a deep scar running across his nose, and despite his age, he had an impressive build.

The words he spoke were enough to make me step away from the boy.

“They are truly dangerous people. But are you still planning to go?”

“Of course. Annie is the daughter of someone very important to me. I won’t leave her in the hands of that filth.”

I nodded firmly. The man gestured toward the east.

“Their base is at the easternmost part of the city. It’s a place with tall ceilings that serve as prison cells.”

“Thanks.”

Without hesitation, I moved to leave the inn.

But the man’s next words made me pause briefly.

“Listen to my warning! They number over a hundred, and each of them is cruel and vicious. Their group is called Bloodwing, infamous human hunters across the continent. Here, they even capture beings from the jungle, so they’re far more dangerous than ordinary thugs. They’re skilled fighters, experienced in handling enemies. I lost my brother to them, and this boy… he lost his father.”

“Uncle… Please, stop him! What if he never comes back, just like Father? I can’t… I can’t bear it if that happens!”

The boy tugged at the man’s sleeve, tears welling in his eyes.

It seemed their concern was personal—both had suffered losses at the hands of Bloodwing.

Wait… Yesterday?

The mention of ‘Bloodwing’ jogged my memory.

Those three thugs we fought yesterday—the ones beaten and humiliated by that black-skinned man—had been part of Bloodwing!

Now everything made sense.

Those thugs must’ve called for reinforcements, and their backup was none other than Grak…

[Rai, what was that guy’s name again?]

[Grak, Master.]

Right, it was Grak.

I couldn’t have worse luck.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I became at the black-skinned man.

But rescuing Annie came first.

I hurried out of the inn and scanned the surroundings.

Buildings crowded the streets, making it hard to navigate through the maze-like city.

Finding the eastern edge of the city in this mess wouldn’t be easy.

After checking that the area was clear, I nodded toward Rai.

“Rai, turn back into a snake. And Undain!”

In the blink of an eye, Rai transformed into a slender snake.

I coiled him in my hand as Undain appeared, her graceful form flowing before me.

[Did you summon me, Master?]

Without wasting time, I climbed onto Undain’s back, clutching Rai tightly.

“Undain, fly high and take me to the eastern side of the city.”

[Understood, Master.]

As Undain began to ascend to the height of the second floor, Lox came running out of the inn in a panic.

He looked around frantically before spotting me, clutching my hair as it whipped in the wind. His eyes widened in disbelief.

“Geenie!”

“I’m going to get Annie! Take care of the luggage!”

As Rai shifted into a snake, the items he had been carrying clattered to the ground. I pointed toward the fallen goods as I spoke.

Maybe Lox couldn’t hear me. His expression twisted into confusion, surprise, and panic all at once. He reached out as if trying to grab Undain.

But by then, Undain had already risen high into the air, swimming swiftly toward the east side of the city.

“Hey! Geenie!”

Lox’ voice quickly faded into the distance.