Ch. 15
“Summon Undine!”
“Uuuung?”
I was still chewing on a mouthful of bread.
Behind Master Yael Roenin, a row of people stood, all glaring at me with intense eyes.
From the Academy Headmaster, whom I was somewhat acquainted with, to the Vice Headmaster and several older Spirit Mages I had only seen a few times before.
“Call it! Summon it, quickly!”
“The Water Spirit!”
“Let us see it!”
Only then did I grasp the situation.
I had wondered what the sudden commotion was about, but it seemed they had all come to see Undine.
Well, I suppose my Undine ‘is’ pretty cute. Here I thought I was about to get scolded.
“Undine.”
Since my throat was dry from swallowing too quickly, I needed water.
I picked up the cup on the table and called out loudly. Immediately, water droplets rapidly gathered in the air, forming the shimmering shape of a tiny mermaid.
It was my small Water Spirit, Undine.
The moment it was summoned, Undine simply looked at me.
“Here, give me some water…”
I lifted my empty cup, and Undine gave a small nod before filling it to the brim.
As if it was the easiest thing in the world.
Of course, since my mana was being consumed in exchange for the water, it wasn’t exactly ‘free’, but the sight was fascinating nonetheless.
Water rose steadily from the empty bottom of the cup, filling it up completely.
“Ooooh!”
“Incredible!”
One of the teachers even lifted his glasses in astonishment.
“This is a Spirit? It’s my first time seeing one in person.”
“Ah, well, I ‘am’ a professional. But it’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a ‘clear’ Undine! Look at the exquisite form!”
“Usually, spirits don’t appear in such delicate shapes.”
“Amazing. To reach this level at just ten years old…”
As they showered Undine with admiration, I puffed out my chest with pride and drank the water.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but it tasted exceptionally good. Clean and refreshingly cool.
“Thanks, Undine.”
‘Blub.’
“This is the best water I’ve ever had!”
Undine shyly wobbled its little head side to side, as if embarrassed.
Completely captivated by its cuteness, I immediately shoved aside the fact that my first contract had actually been with Rai.
Far, far away.
‘My first spirit is Undine! Of course! Undine is the best! The cutest in the world! My precious fairy!’
[Master! You were about to abandon me just now, weren’t you?!]
Oh. I almost added a new candlestick to the cafeteria.
—
‘Hiccup.’
I clutched my chest, trying to calm my racing heart, suddenly realizing that I had been ‘way’ too arrogant.
What kind of absurdity was this?
Meeting the ‘King’ just because I made a contract with a ‘low-ranking spirit’?!
The moment I woke up this morning, I had been ‘dragged’ to the royal palace.
I should have run when Master Yael and the Headmaster showed up at my room in full formal attire!
Or at least passed out when my tutor, half-asleep, yanked off my nightcap and started dressing me in fancy clothes.
Why didn’t I do that?
The royal palace, which I was seeing for the first time, was much larger and more grandiose than the Academy. Everywhere I looked, knights stood in perfect formation.
[‘Hooh, it’s been a while since I’ve been in the palace.’]
[‘Wait, you’ve been here before?’]
[‘Ages ago. That time, I ate an orichalcum crown, and the humans thought a thief had broken in…’]
[‘DON’T eat anything here!’]
I clutched the scarf brooch where Rai was hiding, but it did nothing to slow my pounding heart.
Why was I so nervous?
It was just one person I was meeting.
…Except that person was ‘the King’.
One wrong word, and I could lose my head.
One small act of rudeness, and I might lose a hand.
On top of that, I was a student of the Royal Drike Academy, which was practically a training ground for the royal guards. From a young age, I had been ‘indoctrinated’ with the greatness of the King.
I had scoffed at that brainwashing before, thinking it was ridiculous.
But apparently, it ‘had’ some effect.
Because here I was, trembling like a leaf.
‘Hiccup!’
“Calm yourself, Geenie.”
“How can I ‘calm down’?! This is way too sudden!”
“Haha, there’s no need to be nervous. You’re here to be ‘praised’.”
The Headmaster, his beard streaked with gray, spoke soothingly, but his words did nothing to help.
Of course, they didn’t!
I had just been bombarded with a lecture on ‘124 forbidden offenses’ against the King.
Everything even remotely sharp had been confiscated from me.
And now, I was walking down a path ‘surrounded’ by armed knights.
I clung tightly to the Headmaster’s sleeve, shuffling forward with apprehension.
I had never thought of myself as a coward, but I ‘did’ seem to value my life.
This unfamiliar and imposing palace felt like thin ice beneath my feet.
One misstep, and I might lose my head.
“The King was deeply impressed when he heard about you.”
If he gets impressed one more time, I might ‘die of a heart attack’!
“There has never been a case of someone summoning a spirit at just ten years old, not even in the Empire. So it’s only natural His Majesty would want to meet you. You should be proud—His Majesty treasures talented individuals.”
As we passed through the path guarded by knights, a vast garden unfolded before us.
The air was ‘thick’ with the intoxicating scent of roses, filling my lungs to the point of dizziness.
Red, white, pink, yellow—roses of all colors surrounded me, overwhelming my senses.
As we moved deeper into the garden, I spotted a breathtaking arch-shaped outdoor terrace in the distance, as if it were a piece of art.
And, of course, yet another ‘crowd’ of knights stood stationed before it.
The entire palace was swarming with them.
This place, in particular, had knights standing ‘layer upon layer’.
I could tell immediately.
At the very center of their formation, they were guarding the most important person.
The King.
My breath grew shallow. It didn’t feel real.
After hearing about him my entire life, I was now about to ‘see’ him.
The greatest knight of the Kingdom of Dmitri.
A seasoned Swordmaster.
The absolute ruler of the realm.
King Dikel III.
Born into the strict aristocratic hierarchy, I had been ‘fortunate’ to be born a noble.
And yet, even for me, the King was an ‘impossible’ existence.
King Dikel III would be the highest-ranking person I would ever meet in my lifetime.
Of course, the Emperor of the Empire ranked higher in terms of status.
But I was a subject of Dmitri.
To me, there was only one King—Dikel III.
He was the one I had been bound to serve from the moment I was born.
The pillar and foundation of this nation.
I had to decide, right here and now, ‘what the King meant to me.’
“Show your respects, Geenie.”
While I was still caught in a state of nervous instability, a firm push came from behind.
I stumbled forward—and, rudely, found myself looking directly up at the King.
I was a small child. He was a towering man standing with the sun behind him.
Of all the humans I had seen in my life, none had ever looked as powerful, as striking, or as vividly ‘real’ as him.
Even while standing still, he ‘dominated’ his surroundings, ‘commanding’ the very space around him.
It wasn’t hard to recognize that this was what they called ‘presence’.
I had heard he was middle-aged, yet he looked far younger.
His disciplined body and unshakable spirit gleamed proudly in his sharp gaze.
His blue hair caught the sunlight, shining as if a divine halo surrounded him.
His expression was calm, seemingly indifferent—yet filled with a confidence that made it unmistakably ‘royal’.
The first emotion that arose in me was ‘fear’.
Then came ‘admiration’.
And finally, ‘awe’.
“Geenie?”
“Hurry and greet His Majesty.”
Dikel III made me shrink back, yet at the same time, I couldn’t ‘look away’.
There was an indescribable clarity in his presence, something profound that weighed heavily on my senses.
Spirit Mages were known for having strong intuition.
And right now, ‘every instinct’ in my body was telling me—
“This child is Geenie Crowell?”
“……”
“A remarkable talent, I hear. It is truly a proud moment. It has been some time since I last met such a young citizen.”
As I stood frozen, my eyes wide, the King’s large hand gently came to rest atop my head.
Kindly. Warmly.
And when he smiled at me—when ‘the King’ smiled at ‘me’—I felt something strange stir within me.
I had become ‘his prisoner’ in an instant.
How could someone be ‘this’ strong, ‘this’ noble?
That feeling of sheer wonder that only comes from witnessing something perfect—
I felt it now, as I looked at ‘my King’.
He was truly magnificent.