The Golden-Haired Summoner - Chapter 4
**Ding, clink.**
“…Is that it?”
Two coins fell onto the wooden table with a clear sound: one 5-cupper and one 1-cupper. 600 won? I’m going crazy!
“Huh? This doesn’t make sense. I shouldn’t have so little money left… Oh! I spent it all at the tavern…”
“…Sigh.”
Yeah, I can guess the rest. That’s just how things are.
Just as I was about to lament about life, Arie’s voice chimed in.
[Master, shall I… shall I make more coins like those? I can do it!]
[Really?]
Oh, Arie! I forgot you were here. Sorry for ignoring you. I’ll be nicer from now on.
[Yes! Should I do it?]
[Yeah! Do it quickly!]
As soon as I responded, Arie, who was hanging around my waist, started to vibrate faintly. Oh, this could be a workout.
Before I could get used to the strange vibration, mana started to drain from my body at an alarming rate. The speed was so terrifying that it made me nervous.
“Wait, stop!”
The mana drain halted abruptly. Clutching my pounding heart, I checked my remaining mana.
Gosh, 90% of it was gone. A bit more and I might have passed out!
“A-are you okay, miss?”
“What happened?”
Hansen and Filo expressed concern, but I pulled Arie off my waist.
“Eeek!”
The fruit stall lady screamed. Such a high-pitched scream for her size!
[Hey!]
I gripped Arie’s neck, ready to crush him.
[Yes?]
[Do you want to die? My mana is almost gone! How much mana do you need to make a coin?]
I was furious, realizing that making one coin drained almost all my mana. I shook Arie violently.
[It’s not just one coin, but two… You told me to make two of those yellow coins exactly as they are…]
[Two or one! You should have said if it needed so much mana!]
If I had drained a bit more, I would have fainted!
[I thought making two would be enough…]
[You little…!]
I threw Arie to the ground and stomped on him repeatedly.
Hansen and Filo tried to stop me by grabbing my arms, but I continued to stomp.
[You…! Are you…! Just…! A mana…! Guzzler?!]
[Master, this is too much. It doesn’t hurt, but… this is too much.]
[Oh, it doesn’t hurt?]
My anger reached its peak. I saw a weapon nearby and snapped.
I pulled the sword from Hansen’s side. With a scraping sound, the heavy blade came free. Though it was heavy, I was determined to cut Arie in half.
I raised the sword and swung it down. Arie, being long, was easy to target.
*Clang, crack, thud.*
“…!”
[What?]
Everyone, including the bystanders who had gathered around, Hansen, Filo, and the stall lady who had screamed, fell silent.
A cold stillness settled over the market. I slowly turned to look up at Hansen, holding the half-broken sword.
He was shocked, mouth agape, muttering incoherently.
“Great-great-grandfather’s heirloom…”
I caught that word. An heirloom. Oops.
“Sorry, Hansen.”
It was just one of those days.
Hansen held the broken sword and wept.
After a while, the onlookers dispersed, finding other things to do.
Filo comforted the weeping Hansen. I scratched my head, and Arie crawled over.
[Uh, Master.]
[What?]
[What should I do with the coins I made?]
Oh, right!
[Give them here.]
[Yes!]
Arie opened his mouth and out came a 5-cupper coin and a half-formed 1-cupper coin. Thankfully, there was no saliva on them.
I picked up the 5-cupper coin and added it to the coins Filo had dumped on the table, handing them to the horrified stall lady.
“Eek!”
“Here’s the money for the apples.”
“Just take them, please!”
The stall lady seemed to feel sorry for Hansen’s broken sword and was probably repulsed by the coin from Arie’s mouth.
I put the coin back into my pocket without a second thought and picked up the paper bag with the apples.
I approached Hansen.
“Uh, Hansen!”
“Sob… yes?”
Hansen looked up, tears and snot all over his face.
“Sorry about the heirloom… is it very important?”
“Yes, it’s very important… My great-great-grandfather made it in the royal blacksmith’s forge… It was to be passed down with care…”
As Hansen started to recall memories, he buried his head and sobbed again. I felt really guilty.
[Arie!]
[Yes!]
Arie, who had been watching from a distance, quickly approached.
[Can you make that sword again?]
[Of course! If Master’s mana increases tenfold.]
[…Forget it.]
Ten times… Do I have that little mana? Even though Teacher Eriel said my mana was comparable to a second-circle mage’s.
“Sob!”
“Hey, Hansen!”
I guess I need to train my mana more diligently.
[Master, actually, I think it needs twelve times.]
*Crunch.*
[Ouch!]
Arie writhed under my foot. I could feel his squirming through my shoe. Not a good feeling.
Someday, I’ll tear his mouth apart!
*Crunch.*
I munched on an apple-like fruit, looking around the market.
There were so many interesting things to see.
Behind me, a despondent Hansen followed, holding the broken sword, with Filo by his side.
[Arie!]
[Yes!]
[You said absorption doesn’t need mana. What about spitting out what you absorbed? Does that need mana too?]
[Of course. It depends on what it is.]
Arie, now on my shoulder, wagged his tail. He seemed happy I was talking to him again.
[How?]
[If making a coin needs 10 mana, spitting it out needs 1.]
[A tenfold difference? Just to spit it out?]
[Yes. To absorb, I turn metal into liquid. So, the metal loses its original form. To reshape it, I need to extract the form from memory, which needs a lot of mana. But spitting out is easy. If you asked me to turn copper into gold, that would need more mana. Liquid isn’t the best term, but that’s the idea.]
[Have you ever eaten coins?]
[Yes!]
Arie’s tail slapped my face painfully. I grabbed it and shoved him into my sleeve.
[Get in!]
[It’s cramped in here.]
“Miss! Miss!”
“Yes? What?”
Just as I was about to scold Arie, Filo shook my shoulder gently.
“Sorry. You seemed distracted…”
“Just thinking. Don’t interrupt.”
Balancing conversations with Arie and the real world was tough.
Feeling slightly guilty, I focused on Arie to prevent another incident like today.
Sigh, the difference between a 5-cupper coin and gold…
Glancing around, I noticed colorful keys and locks on a mat. It reminded me…
[That rusted lock you restored, is that different?]
[Yes. Fixing something absorbed is harder. When metal is absorbed, its form is lost. Restoring it needs a lot of mana. But the lock remembered its shape, so I just needed to refine it. Turning something old into new. Creating from something that exists.]
[…]
[Master?]
[It’s too complicated.]
[It’s different, but basically, I handle metal well but not shaping it. It’s like how specialists have their own skills.]
My head hurt with all this information. This was different from what I learned.
[What’s that?]
[There’s a crafting spirit, specializing in shaping objects. It’s different from me.]
Crafting spirit? Sculpting? There’s a spirit for everything. And what about that curse spirit Teacher Eriel mentioned? What’s the difference?
[How is a crafting spirit different?]
[I’m better than it, fundamentally.]
[You have no rank.]
[But our abilities differ. Crafting spirits excel at shaping.]
[Hmm…]
[Crafting spirits can’t be summoned. They choose their masters based on their skills, like dwarves.]
A prideful spirit, huh?
[Why? Spirits need masters.]
[Not all. Each spirit has its own will. Contracting depends on the spirit. The crafting spirit chooses masters with excellent skills, like dwarves, but dwarves can’t summon spirits, so it’s impossible.]
[What about you?]
[I choose my master. I was alone for a long time.]
The more I talked, the more I felt Arie had depth.
[How old are you?]
[Age?]
[Yeah, how old are you?]
[About twelve thousand years, but time is trivial to us.]
Twelve thousand? Not twelve hundred, or twelve, or twelve… Spirits are ageless? No wonder he seems odd… senile?
[You’re that old? Why did you choose me after so long?]
[I tried to contract before, but… About ten thousand years ago, no one called. Then, suddenly, I heard a strong call. A voice so clear meant the summoner had strong will. I was drawn to that will.]
[Strong will? Me?]
Am I that resolute? Just a normal person reborn, wanting a peaceful life.
[Yes, Master. A spirit needs a strong-willed master. Handling spirits needs both mana and mental strength. If the summoner is weak, the spirit weakens. Anxiety and excitement transfer to the spirit. Weak-willed summoners are prone to mental shock, which affects spirits more. Spirits, being mental entities, can be destroyed by strong shocks.]
[Oh…]
I’d heard that before.
Mental entities like spirits can be destroyed by strong mental shocks. Arie seemed more impressive than I thought.
[But I like having a body. It’s interesting.]
[Undine has a body.]
[Undine’s form is just water gathered. It’s not a real body.]
[But it’s still a form.]
[It’s a shape formed by its will.]
[Hmm…]
The world of spirits was more complex than I thought.
I chose to be a summoner to avoid complexity, but now I felt like I was heading towards a mage’s path.
I didn’t want to end up like that!
I decided to focus on the market instead of Arie. Or I tried to.
[Master! Master!]
“Ah, what now?”
[Over there! By the mat next to the general store.]
I followed Arie’s excited direction to a shabby mat laid out by a scrawny kid. The items were odd and mismatched.
[What about it?]
[There’s a faint scent of a spirit stone. Shall I absorb it?]
A spirit stone? Isn’t that for enhancing affinity with spirits?
A spirit absorbing a spirit stone… isn’t that like cannibalism?
After a brief hesitation, I approached the mat. As I moved, Filo hurried to follow, dragging a semi-conscious Hansen.
Seeing them follow, I confidently approached the mat.
The kid, looking malnourished, greeted me.
“Welcome!”
I nodded and squatted by the mat.
[Arie, where’s the spirit stone?]
[By the old brown book, that yellow stone.]
Following Arie’s direction, I picked up a rough yellow gemstone next to the old, partially crumbled book.
The stone was transparent with gold-like streaks inside, covering it like cracks.
Hmm, pretty. Could be something if polished… but didn’t seem special.
[This is a spirit stone?]
[Yes, I sense a faint spirit power.]
[What spirit?]
[Not sure. Feels like lightning. Or something weaker. Too faint to tell. Should I absorb it?]
Before deciding, I looked at the kid, clearly the owner.
He looked so thin, his cheekbones were visible. What to do? Should I go get some money?
While thinking, the golden streaks seemed to move. I felt a spark in my mind.
Suddenly, the image of adorable Undine flashed. God didn’t abandon me!
Water and lightning, a perfect combo! If this is really a lightning spirit…
[Arie, how do I contract a lightning spirit?]
[Use the spirit stone.]
[Really? Isn’t it for affinity? Can I contract with it?]
[There are three types of spirit stones. Affinity stones, contract stones, and sealed spirit stones. This is a contract stone, but it’s old. Might not work.]
Arie, you’re useful! I was ecstatic.
All the hardships were worth it! Even if it’s weak, combined with Undine, it could be powerful. The spirit stone looked beautiful now.
[How do I activate the contract seal? You know, right?]
[Just infuse mana.]
Hehe. This is a real find! Trying to contain my excitement, the kid spoke up.
“Um…”
“Ah, I want to buy this. How much?”
Holding the spirit stone, I asked. The kid stuttered, eyes wide.
“Huh? Oh, um…”
“Haven’t set a price yet?”
“S-sorry!”
Should I haggle? The kid seemed new to selling, and the items were strange.
Some were things I wouldn’t take for free.
I needed to get money. Too lazy to go myself.
“Hansen, could you fetch my money from the inn?”
“Huh? Oh…”
“Wait! Miss, Hansen is injured. Shall I go instead?”
Oh, I forgot Hansen was injured.
No wonder he was slow. Filo had come after me when I ran.
“I don’t mind. My room is 106. Inside, there’s a bag on the table. Just bring it. Thank you.”
“Room 106?”
I nodded, and Filo disappeared into the crowd.
I turned back to the kid.
Where did he get this spirit stone?
“Hey, where did you get this?”
Was it found or something? If so, I might visit.
My casual question made the kid turn pale and shake.
“I didn’t steal it! Please believe me! I didn’t steal it!”
“What? I didn’t say that.”
Why is he like this? I looked into his eyes.
One of his eyes was strange.
It moved erratically, not matching the other.
What’s with his eye… It was cloudy white.
“I’m sorry! I try to cover it…”
“It doesn’t matter. Where did you get this?”
Compared to seeing a person get trampled by an orc, this was nothing.
People suffocating, eyes rolling back, and frothing at the mouth was much worse.
The kid seemed terrified, reacting to everything.
“My father found it while collecting herbs in the mountains. It was with the book. He said it was there for a year. I didn’t steal it! My mother is sick, and I thought it might help if I sold it.”
Listening, I couldn’t help but smirk.
“To me, that’s still theft. It’s not yours, is it? Selling someone else’s thing is theft, no matter the reason.”
“Ugh, but… no one claimed it…”
“I don’t care. Stolen or not, it’s not mine. I have no right to scold you.”
“Miss…”
Hansen’s voice made me look away from the trembling kid.
I picked up the book next to the spirit stone. This was found with it?
The book had a titleless brown cover. Dark brown, maybe leather?
I examined the cover, then opened it.
The first page had ancient writing, but the rest were blank.
I flipped through but found nothing else. Returning to the first page, I focused on the ancient text.
[Master, it’s ancient.]
[Yeah.]
Arie could read ancient text?
[When will you absorb?]
[Shut up!]
Is he starving? No, this spirit stone is my lifeline. Touch it, and you’re dead.
Ignoring Arie’s whining, I started deciphering the text.
My name is Ardo, and I am here to bury spirit stones.
A journal? No, a memo?
After much research, we created 25 contract seals, but only 16 were complete.
Unlike the structured four-element spirits, natural spirits’ seals were incomplete.
We debated the 9 incomplete seals and decided each would deal with their own work.
Each took responsibility for their own work? Interesting.
If destroyed, these spirits may never appear in the human world again.
This could have a great impact or none at all.
Well, the world’s fine…
I will bury these here.
Incomplete, but hoping future generations find them useful.
Spirit stones aren’t eternal. Over time, they’ll lose power and self-destruct.
If discovered, the spirits will re-emerge, or be lost forever in human memory.