The Golden-Haired Summoner - Chapter 37

Just a few steps forward, and suddenly, a kick landed on my backside, sending me tumbling forward, completely losing my balance.

With my hands tied, I instinctively twisted my body to protect my face as I fell.

I landed on my shoulder, and the sharp pain made me scrunch up my face.

My teeth clenched involuntarily.

Who dares kick a lady’s behind?

“Ugh!”

Tsk!

If I had known I’d end up in prison, I would have just caught them one by one.

Well, it’s not too late to do that now.

I gave up on trying to elegantly search for Annie and decided to call Rai, aiming to free my hands and take them down one by one using brute force.

It wasn’t only because someone kicked me on the backside.

Anyway, just as I was about to summon Rai, I heard the sound of a metal gate being locked, followed by a conversation between some men, which made me stop.

*Clang.*

*Click.*

“I’ll go get the boss.”

“Really? Then I guess I’ll stand guard.”

I wanted to rush in and cause havoc right away, but the mention of that Grak guy made me suppress the boiling rage inside me.

[Rai, remember the face of the guy who kicked my backside!]

[Yes, Master. Don’t worry! I’ll also remember that Master got kicked in the backside very clearly.]

[You’d better forget that for your own good!]

[…Yes…]

Why does he insist on remembering only useless things?

But no matter what I say, he’s not one to forget.

His memory is insanely good—he refers to events from nine years ago as if they happened recently!

At that moment, I felt a twinge of regret—about Rai’s sense of smell, of all things.

If only Rai could use his nose to track Annie’s scent, it would make things so much easier now and in the future.

After all, I even went to the trouble of catching a wolf for him, but we can’t use even a tenth of that keen nose!

If only half of that exceptional memory of his could be invested in his sense of smell, how great would that be?

[Hmm? Master, the guy who said he’d stand guard just went downstairs.]

Rai’s sense of smell may be dull, but in exchange, his hearing is exceptional.

Thanks to that, he’s much better than me at detecting presences, like right now.

Though I pride myself on being quite sensitive to such things, at the moment, the only thing I could sense was that I was the only person in this prison.

[Is that so? Then quickly check out the second floor. See what the layout is and if there’s a way to escape.]

[Yes, Master. Leave it to me.]

I felt Rai sliding down my arm from my shoulder.

[Be careful not to get caught.]

[That’s my specialty! Puh-hee-hee!]

With that obnoxious giggle, Rai’s presence vanished.

I started planning my next move.

Should I wait for that Grak guy to show up and try to capture him, forcing him to tell me where Annie is?

If he brings Annie here himself, things will get a lot easier.

But unless he’s a complete idiot, he wouldn’t reveal such an important bargaining chip right away.

The reason he kidnapped me and brought me to his base must be to use me as leverage, so there’s a high chance Annie is hidden somewhere else.

“…Hey…”

As I was deep in thought, a faint sound reached my ears.

With my eyes covered and hands tied, my senses were particularly sharp, and I didn’t miss it.

“Hmm?”

It sounded like someone’s voice, but it wasn’t Rai’s. His voice isn’t quite like a typical voice anyway—it resonates differently.

I focused on the strange voice.

“…Hey…you…”

I couldn’t make out the words clearly.

Was the speaker too far away?

But since it was clearly calling out to me, I struggled to my feet to follow the sound.

With my hands tied behind me, it was difficult to stand, but I managed to get up with some effort.

I took a few steps in the direction of the voice, only to be blocked by a wall.

Was the voice coming from the other side of the wall?

I spoke toward the wall.

“Is someone there?”

“Ah… Who… who are you?”

It was a human voice—faint and hesitant, coming from nearby.

Could it be the next room? Or another cell?

“And who might you be?”

My tone came out a bit blunt because their question felt awkward.

In this kind of situation, shouldn’t the first question be, ‘Is someone there?’

But their question sounded more like they were trying to confirm if I was someone they knew.

“I… I’m Daria.”

“Oh, I see. I’m Geenie. So… what’s the reason you called me?”

“Huh? The reason… I called you?”

The voice was so delicate it made me feel fragile just listening to it.

It seemed the speaker was also a woman.

“Yes. You spoke to me first, didn’t you? There must be a reason for that. Surely you didn’t just want to introduce yourself to a fellow prisoner?”

At my blunt, almost sarcastic reply, the woman—who introduced herself as Daria—didn’t respond immediately.

After a brief silence, her voice returned.

“I’m sorry… I thought you might be someone I knew…”

“Well, I figured as much. But meeting someone you know in prison would be the worst-case scenario, wouldn’t it?”

“No, it’s not like that. When I was captured, my brother promised he would come to rescue me. So I thought… maybe…”

What the—another kidnapping?

Just how many people has this Grak guy kidnapped?

That rat-toothed scoundrel!

“Huh. So, how long have you been held here?”

“I don’t know. There are no windows here, and no light comes in. And even when I ask, they don’t answer me.”

“Sigh! Look, Daria, do you think any decent kidnapper would answer a question like that?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I wasn’t asking the kidnappers—I was asking the spirits.”

Spirits? Did she just say spirits?

Could this Daria woman be a summoner too?

My heart suddenly leaped at the thought of meeting another summoner.

Aside from Teacher Yael, she would be the first summoner I’ve encountered.

I never thought I’d find a fellow summoner in a place like this!

“Spirits? Are you a summoner too?”

“Huh? Yes, I am. Are you… also a summoner?”

“Yes! I am! What an incredible coincidence! There are fewer than a hundred summoners in the Elan Union, and to meet one here of all places… What kind of summoner are you? Water? Wind? Earth? Fire?”

If I were face-to-face with her, I’d be able to tell what element she handled.

With my usual ability, I would have been able to tell.

But now, my eyes were covered, and I was separated from her by a wall, so I couldn’t gauge her ability or determine her elemental attribute.

“I work a bit with earth spirits…”

“Earth spirits? What rank? Low, mid, or high?”

Earth spirits… They were not a popular attribute among summoners, making her quite rare.

Earth spirits excel in defense, but their offensive power is poor until they reach higher ranks, which is likely why they’re often avoided.

However, once they reach high rank, they boast battle strength that can rival any other spirit.

Of course, since summoning a high-rank spirit is exceedingly difficult, it’s almost as if they don’t exist.

“Mid-rank. I can only summon two so far…”

“Two mid-rank earth spirits? What about low-rank ones?”

“I’ve contracted with four low-rank spirits… but I’m still inexperienced…”

“Four? Not three, but four? That’s amazing! Which country are you affiliated with? And with that kind of ability, shouldn’t it be possible to escape?”

Two mid-rank spirits and four low-rank ones?

I couldn’t stop my jaw from dropping.

Four low-rank spirits?

Typically, summoners contract with two low-rank spirits before preparing for a mid-rank contract. Having four was truly remarkable.

If a summoner could control three low-rank spirits simultaneously, they were considered nearly on par with a mid-rank summoner.

But being able to handle four spirits at once meant they could control all four simultaneously.

Even I struggled to manage three spirits at the same time.

Granted, my spirits belonged to elements outside of the four major ones, making them particularly challenging to control.

“I’m not affiliated with any country… I’m not human.”

“Ah, I see. You’re not human—wait, what?”

“Yes… I’m not human. Also, you can’t summon spirits here. Didn’t you know that?”

“You can’t summon spirits? What nonsense is that?”

Not being able to summon spirits—what kind of absurdity is that?

Her claim that she wasn’t human intrigued me, but I set that aside for the moment.

“You didn’t know? This place is covered by an Anti-Mana Seal.”

“Anti-Mana Seal… You mean the magic circle that completely blocks mana?”

“Yes, that’s right. After realizing I couldn’t summon any spirits, I tried casting a spell, but that didn’t work either. While I can manipulate the mana within my body, with no ambient mana, I can’t cast any spells.”

She can use both spirits and magic?

Is she truly not human?

More importantly, if I can’t summon spirits, that’s a serious problem.

I tried summoning Undain, just in case.

“Undain!”

[…]

No answer.

For a spirit to be summoned, both the mana within me and ambient mana are required.

It’s like this—

Think of it as trying to make a phone call.

The battery represents the mana in my body, and the phone itself is my body.

The person I’m calling would be Undain.

However, having just the phone and the battery isn’t enough to make a call. You also need a service provider to connect the call!

The service provider, in this case, is the external mana.

Without that external mana to respond to the call from my own mana, Undain can’t be summoned.

“So? Any luck?”

“Spirit of water, rise before me. I call upon your promised name—Undain!”

[…]

I even recited the incantation for summoning, but as expected, there was no response.

There wasn’t even a hint of a spirit appearing.

Tch, so this is what it feels like.

It’s because there’s no ambient mana to respond to my own mana.

“Still no response, I see?”

“Right. Whether or not it’s an Anti-Mana Seal, this is the first time something like this has happened to me. For a spirit to not answer a summoner’s call… It’s a terrible feeling.”

Though I understood the theory, experiencing the effects of the Anti-Mana Seal firsthand was truly the worst.

And the same would apply to mages too.

If spirits can’t be summoned, there’s no way magic could work either.

General magic requires even more external mana than spirit magic.

Who came up with the idea of an Anti-Mana Seal?

The more I thought about it, the more I despised Grak’s meticulousness for preparing a prison like this.

I suppose it makes sense, though, if they’re capturing non-humans too.

Mana is such a blessing, and yet someone dared to invent something like this Anti-Mana Seal…

This is a grudge I won’t forget.

As I stewed in silence, Daria hesitantly spoke again from beyond the wall.

“Um… Don’t worry. My brother will definitely come to rescue us.”

“I doubt your brother will find us… And even if he does, will he really rescue a total stranger like me?”

Not that I needed to be rescued anyway—I have Rai.

Since Rai doesn’t need to be summoned from the spirit realm, and his power isn’t tied to my mana, he’s unaffected by the Anti-Mana Seal.

“Of course! My brother is very kind and righteous!”

“Really? But how would he manage in a place where neither magic nor spirits work?”

“My brother is an exceptional archer. He’s the most agile and accurate sharpshooter in our village!”

Daria seemed excited as she talked about her brother.

Did she even realize how dangerous her current situation was?

Unlike me, she was here against her will…

“Oh, right! Earlier, you said you weren’t human?”

“Yes, that’s right. I guess it’s time for a proper introduction. I’m Daria, the twenty-first daughter of the ‘Village of Verdant Tranquility,’ where the great ‘Cloud of the All-Seeing Eye’ sleeps… A dark elf.”

Her strange manner of introduction left me momentarily stunned.

What’s all this about a Cloud of the All-Seeing Eye?

After reflecting on her words, I realized—she’s a dark elf.

Dark elves.

They live deep in shadowy forests, resembling elves in appearance and ability, but with vastly different beliefs and personalities.

While elves are known as the messengers of the divine, dark elves are said to serve demons.

“A dark elf? Aren’t there even fewer dark elves than regular elves? How did you end up here?”

“Well, I was kidnapped, of course.”

What the…?

Even without my blindfold and bound hands, this whole situation was driving me crazy.

A dark elf should have incredible strength, shouldn’t she?

They’re supposed to live deep within forests untouched by humans, right?

And aren’t they supposed to have fierce personalities?

“Haha.”

“Hehe.”

This overly cheerful woman is a dark elf?

It feels like every time I end up in prison, I encounter beings that most people never meet in their entire lives.

Is there some kind of strange fate between me and prisons?

I didn’t believe it with Ash, but now… it feels real.

Daria didn’t seem to be lying, and she had no reason to lie to a stranger like me.

“Are you really a dark elf?”

“Of course! What, did you think I was a red elf? Oh, do red elves even exist?”

Why am I the one being questioned?

If I could muster some superhuman strength, I’d tear these ropes, rip off my blindfold, break through this wall, and see that dark face of hers myself.

“…I don’t think red elves exist.”

“Right? I thought so too.”

Why would I know that? You’re the elf here!

Taking full advantage of the fact that she couldn’t see my face, I scowled as much as I wanted.

Do I really have to deal with another strange creature—on top of everything else?

At this point, I don’t even hope for a normal person anymore. Are there no normal beings left?

—

Hey, God!

Am I asking for too much?

It’s not even something that matters.

Of course, time slipped by silently.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but through several conversations with Daria, I became certain that she was just as eccentric as Rai—or maybe even as strange as Iruse.

After all, she gave me a detailed explanation on how to distinguish between orc dung and ogre dung.

At one point, she asked me, “Do you know the crucial difference between orc dung and ogre dung?”

I answered seriously, “The smell.”

And her response utterly floored me.

“No, it’s the taste.”

For a moment, I wondered if I had misunderstood the meaning of the word “taste.”

I had no desire to know the taste difference between feces.

Surely, not all dark elves are like this, right?

I sincerely hoped she was just an oddball among her kind.

Otherwise, my fantasies about dark elves would be utterly wasted.

[Master, I’m back! I found something good!]

[Oh? You’re back, Rai! What did you find?]

I could feel Rai climbing up my arm.

He soon settled on top of my head, where, as usual, he was probably resting his head on his tail with an inappropriately relaxed expression.

[Puh-hihit, you’ll like this, Master.]

Like it? Something good?

Did he find out where Annie is?

That would make things so much easier.

Relieved to have a distraction from the weird elf in the neighboring cell, I perked up my ears, eagerly waiting for Rai’s report.

[What is it? Don’t keep me waiting—just tell me already.]

[Well, in the next cell…]

“There’s a dark elf?”

[Wha—how did you know?]

What kind of good news is that?

Rai, I was just talking to that “good news” a moment ago.

Ah, well, there was one useful piece of information from that conversation—the Anti-Mana Seal.

The rest, I hope to forget forever.

“Uh… were you calling me?”

“No.”

[Eh? You’ve already become friends with her, Master?]

[Not even close.]

This unpleasant feeling, like there are two Rais now.

Rai is at least helpful, but what am I supposed to do with this dark elf girl next door?

I had no desire to stick around waiting for her supposedly sharpshooter brother to show up.

Since we’d already spoken, though, I felt an odd sense of responsibility. Ignoring her would make me just as bad as the kidnappers from the Blood Wing.

Ah, right—she’s a mid-rank summoner, isn’t she?

Maybe she could be useful.

But still, where is that guy who went to get Grak? Why hasn’t he come back yet? Is he building a new Grak from scratch?

“Wait… Do you hear something?”

“Something?”

I strained my ears, but I couldn’t catch any sounds.

“It sounds like… clashing metal. Like a fight.”

[I hear it too, Master.]

Once again, I focused, trying to pick up the noise, but I still couldn’t hear anything.

It wasn’t surprising, though. Rai had excellent hearing, and Daria, being a dark elf, probably had sharp senses too. It made sense that they could hear things I couldn’t.

“I don’t hear anything… Where’s it coming from? Is it near the building?”

“Probably. It’s not a large-scale fight, but I’m sure it’s a battle. It sounds like it’s happening right near this building.”

A fight? Could it be internal strife?

If so, that would explain why Grak hasn’t shown up yet.

Of all times, why did a fight have to break out now?

Dragging things out like this would only make things harder for Annie.

Worry for Annie crept into my thoughts.

They wouldn’t mistreat her since she was taken as a hostage, but still, the idea of her being in danger left me unsettled.

Why did they have to take her of all people?

[Master, someone’s coming.]

[Hide, Rai!]

Rai slid down from my head to my shoulder.

He blended into my hair, which matched the color of his shell, making him nearly invisible as long as he stayed still.

Soon, I sensed someone entering the floor I was on.

The sound of footsteps and their presence indicated the person was a bit tired.

From the gasping breaths, I guessed it was a man, not too large in build.

It wasn’t the same man who had locked me up earlier.

He wandered around anxiously, and then his steps stopped right in front of my cell.

What’s this?

Did Grak send him to bring me?

Not being able to see made everything more frustrating.

“Hey! You—blonde!”

“Are you… talking to me?”

I considered speaking informally, but decided against provoking him—it wouldn’t be to my advantage.

“Yeah, you! Do you know a guy named Zeras?”

Zeras? Brother Zeras?

The last memory I had of Zeras was of his youthful face.

Since I was his first younger sibling, he had always doted on me, sending me letters regularly with such care.

But why was his name coming up here?

“…He’s my brother. Why do you ask?”

“Ha! So it *is* you. Your brother’s causing quite a scene outside because of you!”

What?

A scene outside… because of me?

But I haven’t done anything yet!

The man opened the cell door with a metallic clink, grabbed my arm, and tried to pull me up.

Caught off guard, I staggered to my feet, but I sat back down to avoid being dragged away.

“Wait a minute! What do you mean there’s a commotion because of me? And what does my brother have to do with this? Explain!”

“Shut up! Your brother stormed in, demanding we hand over his sister! Now get up and come with me!”

“Uh, excuse me… Hey, wait—”

I heard Daria’s voice faintly, just as the man yanked on my hair, trying to drag me up.

What kind of brute pulls a woman by the hair?

“Ow! Let go of me!”

*Smack!*

“Shut up and come quietly unless you want more!”

[Master?!]

What the heck?

The man hit me on the back of my head, making my eyes well up with tears.

What a jerk!

If you’re going to say, ‘Come quietly or else,’ shouldn’t you say it *before* hitting someone?

Nine years ago, Grak had slapped me across the face. That was a pain I’d never forgotten.

These Blood Wing thugs have hands as filthy as squid ink.

[Just hold on, Rai. Let’s see where this goes.]

Though I clenched my teeth in frustration, I held back from retaliating right away.

The biggest reason was the mention of Brother Zeras.

Could he have run away from home after hearing I’d been kidnapped by a dragon, and then somehow found out I was in Mierta?

It would take a string of coincidences, but it wasn’t impossible.

From what I remembered, Zeras had a fiery enough temper to leave home searching for me.

The man dragged me roughly down the stairs, as if I were rolling along with him.

Soon, I found myself outside.

The first things to greet me were the mana-filled atmosphere and the cold drizzle falling from the sky.

I let myself get captured, only to be pulled outside so easily like this?

I had planned to catch Grak inside the prison and find Annie, but that plan was now completely derailed.

*Swoosh!*

*Whizz!*