The Golden-Haired Summoner - Chapter 11

“Hey! You!”

“What do you want?”

I responded with the same cocky attitude as the lemon-haired boy who had called out to me. I didn’t recognize his face from the delegation… He was taller than the average kid, and from the knuckles on his hands, I guessed he was from the combat division. Wait a minute… Could this be that “Leo” kid?

“You… you brat! How dare you, a girl, talk to me like that!”

“And you, stuttering like a boy? How pathetic.”

If my hunch was correct, this boy was definitely Leo—the kid who had been called to the delegation after I went missing. He probably wasn’t too thrilled about my return.

But why did Mirene, who used to be so confrontational with me, seem so subdued? What’s up with that?

“Do you have any idea how much humiliation I’ve suffered because of you?”

“Oh wow, using big words like ‘humiliation’—aren’t you just a little too mature for your age? That’s gross.”

“W-what did you just say? You…!”

Leo glared at me with fierce hostility, and I wasn’t the type to play nice with people who were hostile towards me. When I taunted him, his face turned red, and he started breathing heavily. I shrugged and gave him a “you’re hopeless” gesture, but then…

“Oof! What the…?”

Something white and flimsy smacked me right in the face. (Wait, what?!)

It fell to the floor with a thud, and I realized it was a white training glove. Throwing a glove at someone’s face? I’d heard of it before, but it still felt incredibly irritating. Is this seriously happening?

“I challenge you to a duel!”

Oh, great, does he think he’s a knight?

Leo’s ridiculous duel challenge seemed like nothing more than a childish prank to me. I casually lifted one foot and stepped on the glove he had thrown.

His face twisted as if I had stepped on his pride.

“Hmph! Sorry, but I have no interest in playing with kids. Go find someone else.”

I made an exaggeratedly annoyed face, stomped on the glove one last time, and walked away. I didn’t have time to waste on childish games—I was starving.

But just as I was about to pass him, Leo grabbed my shoulder with a surprisingly strong grip. Annoyed, I frowned and met his gaze again.

“Your actions are an insult to me! Do you even understand what you’ve done, Geenie Crowell?”

“You’re not a knight, and neither am I. So, what you’re doing is just being rude to a lady!”

My patience was wearing thin. I was hungry, and this little brat was getting on my nerves.

“It may be a nuisance to you, but it’s a serious matter for me! Don’t think you can weasel your way out of this with fancy words!”

“Yeah, it is a nuisance! So, stop bothering me already!”

“You… you little…!”

Leo’s right hand, clad in a gauntlet, swung through the air and came flying toward my face, but it was stopped by Arie, who suddenly appeared and wrapped himself around Leo’s arm.

Leo stared at the snake wrapped around his arm in shock, while I couldn’t help but smirk. His reaction was so childish.

**[Master, what should I do with him?]**

“Let me think…”

“What… What is this?”

Leo struggled to shake Arie off, but there was no way Arie, who had gone toe-to-toe with the powerful Kenta, would be shaken off by this kid.

Suddenly, an idea struck me—a perfectly clean way to get rid of Leo.

“Leo, right? If you really want to fight me, then try getting Arie off your wrist. I mean, you wouldn’t seriously think about fighting me if you can’t even handle my pet snake, would you?”

**[Shall I kill him, Master?]**

**[No, absolutely not! Don’t even hurt him. Just play with him a little.]**

Even though Leo had swung at me in anger, I wasn’t mad enough to want to kill him.

As Leo struggled in vain to pull Arie off, I turned and walked away.

“H-hey! Come back here!”

Leo’s voice was on the verge of tears, but I ignored him and headed down to the dining room. Kids are so annoying.

The sight of the luxurious breakfast spread made me forget all my troubles. It felt a bit strange without Arie around, but in truth, it was nicer to eat in peace without distractions.

I chose a nicely cooked veal steak for breakfast and was quite satisfied as I started cutting into it. Even though steak was a bit heavy for breakfast, I hadn’t had a meal this nice in a long time, and I intended to savor it.

Just as I was about to take a bite…

**[Master!]**

“Geenie Crowell!”

Ugh, I reluctantly tore my gaze from the steak and looked up to see Captain Tornel standing there with Instructor Dinel and Leo in tow.

Tornel had a suspicious smile on his face, the kind that made you feel uneasy just looking at it. What’s he plotting now?

“What is it, Sir Tornel?”

“Sorry to interrupt your meal, but I have a proposal for you.”

Judging by his sly smile, it was clear he was up to no good. I really didn’t like this guy.

“Well, I’m eating now, so why don’t we talk later? I’ve always thought you were quite rude, Sir Tornel.”

“The matter is urgent, so I’d like to discuss it now.”

Tornel, clearly irritated, glared at me as if he wanted to punch me. I felt the same way about him, though!

“Fine. As the more cultured person here, I’ll compromise.”

I put down my knife and fork and motioned for him to speak. Dinel took that as his cue to start.

“I heard from Leo that you refused his duel challenge. In a rather humiliating way, I might add.”

“Oh, that? Honestly, I don’t see why I should duel Leo. I have no reason to fight him. And besides, I’m just a powerless lady.”

Now that I thought about it, Tornel and Dinel looked quite similar. They even had similar names. Tornel, Dinel… What was their family name again?

**[Master, should I just snap this guy’s neck?]**

**[No, let him go and come back here.]**

I was deep in thought about their connection when Arie started whining. I quickly called him back. He unwrapped himself from Leo’s wrist and slithered back to me.

“You might not know this, but… Leo was brought in to replace you when you went missing. He came all the way from Sharan to participate in the Winkan Festival as your substitute!”

“Yeah, I heard. So what?”

“My point is… you and Leo have a reason to duel—for the right to represent the delegation. Leo has the right to fight for his place, and I have the authority to revoke your right to compete for causing such trouble for the delegation. So, you two will duel! The winner will take the spot!”

I finally understood what Tornel was getting at. So he wanted me to duel, huh? He must be itching to humiliate me!

I considered showing him that I hadn’t wasted the last 15 days, but I didn’t feel like playing into his hands. Plus, I really wasn’t in the mood for a duel.

“Just let Leo take my spot. I have no desire to represent the delegation.”

“Oh, I see! So you’re a coward after all, Crowell. Typical of a summoner to run away when things get tough.”

Tornel’s taunt pushed my irritation to its limit, and my voice rose with my anger.

“I said I don’t want to compete, not that I’m afraid! Besides, the decision about who represents the kingdom in the festival is up to King Dikel III, not you!”

“Just a knight, huh?”

“That’s right, just a knight! And let me add one more thing! If you keep bothering me, I’ll petition the king about your rude and inappropriate behavior, including how you pressured a Drike student into a forbidden duel today! Oh, and don’t forget how you committed treason by not providing horses to Sir Hansen and Sir Philo just because you didn’t hear from the royal palace!”

My outburst made the entire dining room fall silent. One thing you should know, Tornel—I really don’t like you.

Tornel’s face was blank with shock. He knew as well as I did that the king took a special interest in me, and he couldn’t afford to ignore my petition.

Realizing that I had startled the room with my outburst, I sat back down and picked up my fork and knife. Shouting had made me even hungrier.

“Wait! You have to duel me!”

Is this kid for real? Leo pushed Tornel aside and stepped forward. I just wanted to eat, for crying out loud!

“I just told you I don’t want to fight. And fighting between Drike students is forbidden!”

“But you promised! You said if the snake let go of my hand, you’d duel me!”

What? Oh no! I silently cursed myself for making that careless promise.

I thought it was over, but Leo didn’t see it that way.

“But Arie let go of your hand on his own, so that doesn’t count!”

“No! You only said, ‘If the snake lets go.’ So now you have to fight me!”

Did I make an enemy out of this kid or something? Since it was my fault for making that promise, I couldn’t

even blame Arie.

“I don’t want to fight you.”

“But I have to! For my honor!”

I could see it in his eyes—this kid wouldn’t back down until he beat me, or until I beat him to a pulp.

“Fine, so the duel ends when one of us admits defeat or drops their weapon, right?”

“Yes! Finally, you’re ready to fight! Now, pick up your weapon, Geenie Crowell. It’s a duel!”

“Hah, a duel? Here?”

As Leo spoke with determination, I looked around. It was a spacious dining room, but still…

Everyone must have taken my gaze as a signal because the tables and chairs were quickly cleared away, leaving only my table in the middle. But even that was soon moved to the side.

I get that people love a good fight, but this is ridiculous.

“Now there’s nothing in the way. Pick up your weapon!”

I looked around at the crowd that had gathered—eager eyes from the delegation, knights, and even some regular guests. They all seemed to be waiting for a flashy, action-packed fight, but I wasn’t about to give them one.

I was too lazy for that.

“Undine, on Water Breathing!”

In an instant, the water in the pitcher floated up and shot toward Leo’s face, enveloping his head in a tight, water-filled bubble.

“Urk!”

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“That’s so cheap!”

Hey, I’ll remember the face of the one who called me cheap!

Sure, this technique might be cheap and underhanded, but it’s the simplest and most effective attack there is.

As long as you’re a breathing creature, it’s almost impossible to beat.

Unbreathing was the most powerful technique I had, and it was the same one I used to defeat Shavel. Although, back then, I added another move on top of it.

Leo, unable to free himself from the water, slammed his head into the floor in frustration, but it was useless.

To overcome this technique, you had to overpower the caster—me.

And I doubted Leo would figure that out any time soon.

“Oh, that’s impressive. But how about this? Undine, Water Compression!”

As I dodged Leo’s slow-motion attack, I cast Compression.

It seemed like Leo was smarter than the mercenaries I had fought before. He had figured out that the quickest way to break Unbreathing was to go after me, the caster.

Luckily, thanks to Unbreathing, Leo’s attacks were slow, giving me plenty of time to cast Compression.

Compression. Compressing the water around Leo’s face would force it to flow back into his nose, mouth, and ears, making it even harder to breathe.

Bubbles began to rise from the water around Leo’s head.

“Okay, Leo, I think it’s time for you to surrender. If you don’t, the water will start flowing into your brain through your ears. Eventually, you’ll go ‘glug glug,’ and that’ll be it.”

“Glurk!”

I genuinely admired Leo for using the same move Shavel had, so I offered him some advice.

“Why don’t you surrender now?”

“Grulrugr!”

As a fellow Drike student, I was proud of his determination, so I smiled as I encouraged him to surrender.

But just then, Tornel grabbed my shoulder roughly.

“Ouch! What do you think you’re doing, Sir Tornel? You’re not just rude—you’re downright disgraceful! Interrupting a duel like this!”

“Stop it! The duel is over! You’re going to kill Leo!”

I snorted at Tornel’s words.

Oh, please! Who was it that insisted on this duel in the first place?

I shook off his hand with annoyance and said, “No! This is a formal duel! It doesn’t end until one side admits defeat. Leo wanted this fight, so we’re finishing it.”

“But it’s too one-sided! Stop it now!”

“No! Don’t tell me what to do!”

“How can he admit defeat when he can’t even speak?”

Okay, I had to admit Tornel had a point. Leo couldn’t exactly speak while his face was underwater. But who said he had to admit defeat out loud?

I pushed Tornel away and approached Leo.

Tornel, clearly worried that I might actually kill Leo, followed close behind.

“Leo, take off your gauntlet as a sign of surrender! It’s as simple as taking off a glove. You can do that, right?”

“Grargh!”

Leo, clearly furious, tried to shout, but only more bubbles came out.

See? He’s still fine. I’ve used this technique plenty of times on the mercenaries. He could stay like this for a full minute without dying. What do they take me for?

I shot a glare at Tornel, who was still panicking.

“Leo! Take off your gauntlet, now!”

This duel was a mess. Dinel had joined in, shouting at Leo to take off his gauntlet.

Leo, who seemed like he could hold on a bit longer, finally gave in and shakily removed his gauntlet.

“Undine, dispel all magic and return the water to the pitcher.”

**[Yes, Master.]**

The water quickly returned to the pitcher, and as soon as the pressure around his face was released, Leo collapsed to the floor.

Since the water had been completely withdrawn from his throat, his recovery should be quick. Not a drop of water was left behind.

Leo’s head wasn’t even wet. You wouldn’t believe it had just been submerged in water.

I couldn’t help but admire Undine’s skills again. And Leo’s resilience too. He was pretty good, considering he was just a kid.

“Cough, cough! Urgh, cough!”

As Leo coughed and wheezed, Dinel and Tornel hurried to his side.

Whatever. I hope this means they’ll leave me alone now.

“D-damn you, Geenie Crowell…”

Even after all that, Leo was still filled with determination to beat me. That won’t do, will it?

“Leo, let me give you some advice. If you ever bother me again… I’ll make sure you find out what it feels like when all the blood in your body rushes out through every hole you’ve got. You’ll learn firsthand whether you live or die.”

I conjured a large water bubble in front of Leo’s eyes—one ten times bigger than the one I had used to cover his head earlier, large enough to envelop his whole body.

It was a warning.

Don’t mess with me—you’re not worth my time.

Of course, the threat of killing him was just a bluff, but I was serious about wanting to be left alone.

***

A transparent crystal ball displayed the image of Marquis Lyle, the headmaster of the Drike Academy. He stroked his beard leisurely as he spoke.

**[Hmm, the news of Geenie Crowell’s death troubled the king greatly. I was also deeply concerned. But to hear it was a false report is a huge relief. The boy, Leo, will be treated as a reserve candidate.]**

“Yes, sir. I deeply regret that my mistake caused such distress to His Majesty.”

**[I’ll handle informing His Majesty personally. For now, focus on leading the delegation. I’ll ensure your mistake is dealt with as lightly as possible.]**

“Thank you, Marquis!”

Captain Tornel bowed deeply to the crystal ball.

**[Do your best. Oh, and be sure to report every detail about Geenie Crowell to me when you return. The king is keenly interested in her.]**

“Yes, Marquis Lyle Hart! I will remember.”

As the image of the marquis faded from the crystal ball, Tornel finally straightened up. He wiped the cold sweat from his brow. It had become clear to him that both the headmaster and the king held Geenie Crowell in very high regard. After the events of that morning, Tornel was now painfully aware that Geenie was not just any ten-year-old girl. He realized she would become a formidable figure in just a few years, perhaps even less.

Tornel seriously considered trying to build a good relationship with her from now on.

“Geenie, Geenie! We’re teleporting today—warp! Did you know?”

Iruje excitedly announced, clearly eager about the upcoming warp.

“Yeah? Oh… right.”

Warping… I vaguely recalled learning about it in basic magic classes. If teleportation allowed movement to any location without restriction, then warping involved traveling between predetermined locations. Ah, yes, now I remembered. Teleportation required setting coordinates each time, making it flexible but very taxing on mana and mental energy, limiting the number of people who could teleport at once. Warp, however, used pre-existing warp magic circles to move multiple people at a time with much less mana and energy.

As a student of the comprehensive class, I had a solid grasp of basic knowledge in various fields like magic, alchemy, economics, and administration. Not by choice, of course, but because it was required.

“Yeah! I’ve never seen a warp magic circle before. Only the magic class students get to study them.”

“True. But if you’re that interested in magic, why didn’t you join the magic class?”

Come to think of it, I had drawn a magic circle before—no, it was a summoning circle, so maybe it was technically a magic circle? Hmm…

“But I can’t sense mana.”

“Oh? I see. Sorry for asking, Iruje.”

“It’s okay! I love alchemy too!”

“That’s good to hear.”

When it was time to gather in the lobby, Iruje stayed by my side as we joined the other students. While the other kids seemed more distant than before, at least Iruje was still here. That made me grateful.

As I waited, I noticed a group of older boys from the adolescent division approaching us. What do they want?

The boys, dressed in the blue-and-black uniform of the adolescent division, stopped in front of me and Iruje. The oldest-looking one, probably around sixteen, addressed me.

“Geenie Crowell, right?”

I didn’t know any of the older students, so I was on guard. Iruje just watched with wide, curious eyes.

“Yes, that’s me. Who are you?”

“Ah, sorry for the late introduction. I’m Bright Kenyon, from the magic class and the adolescent division.”

“Hmm…”

Bright Kenyon seemed to expect a more impressed reaction from me, as if saying, “Did you hear that? I’m someone important.” But I wasn’t impressed at all.

Seeing my lack of reaction, Bright seemed flustered and shouted, “What’s wrong? Kenyon! You don’t know the name Kenyon?”

I honestly didn’t know. Was it a chocolate brand? If it was, Iruje was enough for me. Noticing my confusion, Iruje leaned in to whisper.

“Geenie, Kenyon is the only magic family in our country! A family with magic in their bloodline.”

“Oh! That Kenyon?”

Thanks to Iruje, I finally understood. I had heard of them before—probably in one of our lessons on noble families. Our school really had some useless subjects.

“Yeah, that Kenyon! Now do you get it?”

“So, what does a prestigious Kenyon senior want with me? I’m not in the magic class.”

Bright was clearly pleased that I finally recognized his importance, but I still wasn’t impressed. Maybe if he were from a summoner family… But, then again, I’m not sure such a family exists.

“Well… I saw… what you did earlier…”

“You mean…?”

“The duel you had with that combat class kid.”

“Oh, that. So, what about it?”

I tilted my head, genuinely confused about why he would bring that up. He seemed hesitant, as if unsure of what to say next.

He stared at me for a moment before suddenly turning around to huddle with his friends, all of whom were also from the adolescent division. I had nothing better to do, so I patiently waited for them to finish their discussion. But what on earth was he trying to do?

After what felt like an eternity, Bright finally took a deep breath and spoke.

“Geenie!”

“Yes?”

Bright Kenyon grabbed my shoulders with both hands, his grip surprisingly firm for a teenager. It didn’t hurt, but I raised an eyebrow in response.

“Go out with me! Geenie Crowell!”

This little brat…

This… this unexpected wave of popularity was getting out of control. As much as I was flattered by my growing appeal, I couldn’t help but wonder why, in my previous life of 17 years, I had never experienced anything like this. What was wrong with me back then? Was it my terrible personality? My short stature? Or the extra chubbiness on my cheeks?

“Geenie! What do you think? If you go out with me, I’ll make sure your life at Drike Academy is perfect!”

It seemed my silence made him think I was considering his offer. Desperately, he tried to sell the idea.

I studied Bright’s face—clear skin with no trace of teenage acne, a sharp, intelligent appearance, and striking violet eyes… Hmm, not bad.

As I scrutinized his features, I briefly considered that this might not be so bad after all.

“Hmm…”

“That’s right! I’ll treat you like a princess and make sure you have everything you want!”

For a moment, I was tempted. But just as I was about to lose my composure, someone grounded me back to reality.

“Bright Kenyon! What are you doing? As the head of the magic class, you should be leading your students! The magic class is the only one not fully gathered yet!”

Amid the murmur of students, Instructor Irito’s sharp voice rang out. Somehow, her words felt like a rebuke to me as well. What was I thinking? This kid is at least six years younger than me!

“I’m sorry, Senior Kenyon. But I think we’re too far apart in age for this to work.”

“W-what?”

I expressed my regret and Kenyon, torn between me and the glaring Instructor Irito, eventually teared up, bit his lip, and turned away. What a shame. He was kind of cute.

**

Just a few hours after rejecting a cute boy’s earnest confession, I found myself in the throes of a terrible nausea.

“Ughhh…”

“Hehe, so you’re one of those people who get really sick after a warp, huh?”

That’s right. To reach the town of Rimalle, the midway point between Balene and the capital of Elan, Neikal, our delegation had to warp. That’s when I discovered I had a horrible sensitivity to warping.

I never wanted to warp again. It felt like being in a car for hours on a winding road, except on a boat. It was awful.

**[Master, are you okay?]**

**[No, I’m not.]**

Normally, with Iruje around, Arie would have gone off to hide somewhere. But since we had to warp, he stayed hidden around my waist, avoiding Iruje’s eyes.

Iruje, ever oblivious, replaced Arie’s usual antics with her own, chattering away.

“I feel like I’m going to die.”

“And we have to warp again tomorrow. Will you be okay, Geenie?”

“No, I won’t! I’d rather hire the Shavel Mercenaries and travel alone! The thought of going through this again is horrifying.”

Of course, that wasn’t an option, but if I could, I would rather travel to Neikal by carriage. The thought of enduring that nausea one more time was nightmarish.

*Clap clap*

“Alright, everyone, have you been assigned your rooms? Once you’ve unpacked, you can enjoy some free time! Don’t forget to take a knight with you if you go out!”

Instructor Irito’s instructions sent the students scurrying to their rooms. I also headed upstairs to find my assigned room.

As usual, I had to stay in a room by myself. No one wanted to share a room with me. Whenever the school tried to place me in a shared room, the other students would tremble with fear.

Iruje had to share a room with an alchemy senior to prepare for their alchemy presentation, so I was alone again. Ah, the loneliness.

My room was a luxurious single in a fancy inn. It was clean, well-decorated, and best of all, the bed was soft and inviting.

As soon as I entered, I threw my luggage onto the floor and jumped onto the bed.

“This is nice… if only I didn’t still feel nauseous.”

Rolling around on the freshly laundered sheets, I suddenly heard Arie’s voice.

**[Master! I can smell it here too.]**

“Huh? Smell what?”

**[The smell of a Spirit Stone! It’s very faint, but it’s here!]**

Arie’s words made me sit up immediately, grabbing him tightly.

“What? Where? Since when?”

**[I noticed it when we arrived via warp. But since we’re near the Magic Tower, I thought I might have been mistaken. But now I’m certain. It’s very faint, but there’s definitely a Spirit Stone nearby, Master.]**

Arie’s confirmation made me grin from ear to ear.

Since discovering Adoal and reading that ancient tome, I had been curious about other potential spirits beyond the four elements. But I had almost given up on finding anything. Now, it seemed my luck was still strong.

Despite my reluctance, I went to find Tornel.

As expected, I found him in the lobby reading some strange book. I hurried over to him.

“Sir Tornel!”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Today’s book was titled *1898 Ways to Flatter Without Being Obvious*. Where does he even find these things? For some reason, I noticed a slight twitch in Tornel’s gaze as he looked at me.

There was something suspicious about his expression. Ignoring the uneasy feeling, I continued.

“I’m going out. Could you call Sir Hansen and Sir Philo?”

“Ah, of course! But perhaps instead of Hansen and Philo, you’d prefer someone else? I could assign you someone of better breeding…”

Tornel flashed me a smile that was entirely out of place. Better breeding? What was he talking about? He seemed to be trying to get on my good side.

“Hansen and Philo, please!”

You’ve already been marked as suspicious!