The Golden-Haired Summoner - Chapter 69

“Attack, Withry!”

“Oh, right! Sylph! Wind… Wind… Boom!”

…Seriously?!

At least use Wind Cutter!

If Wind Cutter is a blade of wind, Wind Boom is nothing more than a strong gust.

It might be enough to knock someone down, but it lacked the impact to do serious damage.

Withry seemed to be using Wind Boom to push Cridit out of the arena, but Cridit wasn’t someone who would be so easily forced out.

Stubborn as ever, she held her ground on the arena floor.

Knowing Cridit’s tenacious nature, I wasn’t surprised. She seemed furious about her precious Lava Stone being useless, swinging her ringed hand wildly before finally biting down on it.

“Inomi! This… smoga ahhh!”

“Sylph! Keep using Wind Boom! Push her out of the arena!”

At that moment, Cridit spat the bitten Lava Stone into her palm, then angrily hurled it toward Withry.

The stone sailed through the air, past the Unbreathing barrier, and landed near Withry.

‘Boom!’

“Ahhh!”

“Huh? Salamander!”

Disaster struck.

True to its nature as a fire-infused gem, the Lava Stone exploded violently upon impact, likely absorbing both the bite and the fall’s impact.

Withry’s clothes caught fire, and Cridit immediately summoned Salamander.

While summoning fire spirits was usually challenging, the presence of fire made it significantly easier.

‘Whoosh!’

Flames flared, and a red salamander spirit materialized, slithering onto the arena floor.

“Ahhh! It’s hot! My clothes… My clothes! Gale, help!”

Hey, no! Stay away from Gale!

Withry, panicked and jumping in distress, looked ready to fling herself at Gale for comfort. I waved her off.

Turn around! Gale is busy explaining nighttime escapes to Rai!

Cridit, furious and full of venom, stormed toward Withry.

“You’re dead, girl! I don’t know what trick you pulled, but I’ll turn you to charcoal!”

“S-Sylph…”

Withry stood frozen between Cridit and me, clearly too scared to continue fighting.

Tch. Withry had already lost the will to fight.

Knowing Cridit’s temperament, there was a genuine risk she’d follow through on her threats.

This was the same woman who had once maimed someone for grabbing her backside.

“Salamander! Fire Flare!”

That witch!

As Cridit cast her spell, I immediately summoned Undine.

“Undine! Water Ball!”

Undine appeared in an instant, releasing a water ball that doused the flames on Withry’s clothes just as the Lava Stone’s remnants detonated.

‘Boom!’

‘Pop! Bang!’

The explosions were deafening, louder than any fireworks display.

Clutching my ears, I heard Cridit shriek in fury.

“That girl! What are you doing?! Interfering in a match?!”

“Withry forfeits!”

“What?!”

“I’m forfeiting her match. There’s no way I’m letting Withry continue against someone who’s clearly trying to kill her. This is supposed to be a match, not an execution. Besides, your attack broke the rules first, so my actions are justified. Right, Council of Elders?”

Cridit’s Fire Flare was a spell designed to cause explosions in the presence of fire.

Had I not extinguished the flames, Withry could have lost her lower body.

Confused by the situation, Withry hesitated briefly before slinking back to the waiting area after hearing the word “forfeit.”

[Geenie Crowell, is this true, Vanessa Cridit?]

“Not… exactly…”

“Not exactly? The explosion from Fire Flare is as powerful as a cannon! You used that on a person and now claim it’s ‘not exactly’ true? Are you an idiot? A Spirit Summoner unaware of their spell’s destructive power? That’s laughable.”

Under my sharp criticism, Cridit clenched her jaw and glared daggers at me.

Then she pointed at Undine.

“And you! Summoning a spirit so casually? You’re going to be crushed by Lord Rovenin!”

“Oh? Undine was summoned the moment you attacked. Isn’t that right?”

“Th-that’s impossible! Water spirits have slow summoning speeds…”

“Did you forget who I am? I’m Geenie Crowell. I’m not like the water summoners you’re used to. If you’re not a total idiot, don’t forget that.”

With that, the score became 2–1.

We were losing.

Only two matches remained—Gale’s and mine.

We couldn’t afford another loss.

If Gale lost, the score would be 3–1, and the competition would end.

Feeling an unshakable heaviness, I turned to Ash.

“Sorry, Ash. I forfeited on my own. But… there was no chance.”

“It’s fine, Geenie. If not for you, Withry might have died. I don’t want to become Crown Prince by causing someone’s death. I’d rather give up the position.”

If it meant you’d become Crown Prince, Ash, I’d gladly kill someone.

Repaying my debt to you is my priority.

I still haven’t paid you back, Ash.

So don’t talk about giving up. It puts me in a tough spot.

I approached the group where Rai, Gale, and Withry sat together.

Withry looked utterly dejected, not just from losing her match but also because Gale had been too focused on explaining to Rai to watch her fight.

“Got it? A nighttime escape is when someone slips away under the cover of darkness, unnoticed by anyone.”

[How could that big human escape without mice or birds noticing, you fool?]

“Did you get it now?”

[Be goneeeee.]

Rai’s hostility toward anyone other than me was nothing new, so I called Gale over.

“Gale, it’s your turn.”

“Huh? What happened to Withry?”

“She lost.”

“…Gale, you’re so mean. You care more about that dog than me, don’t you?”

Obviously.

Even if Gale had wanted to watch Withry’s match, Rai would never have allowed it.

Rai must have growled, bared his teeth, and pressed Gale to explain quickly, as was his way.

Not that I felt bad about it.

Think of it as practice for raising kids in the future.

“That’s not true, Withry!”

“Then answer me! Who’s more important—me or the dog?!”

“Well, obviously, Withr—”

‘Grrrrr!’

Rai let out a spiteful growl.

Normally, he wouldn’t care whether Gale liked him or not, but now he was being possessive.

I gave Rai’s ear a gentle tug as I returned to my seat.

[Alright, let’s give Gale some time with his sweetheart before his match begins.]

[Tch, that Gale guy is stupid, Master.]

[Why? He’s actually quite smart, maybe the most sensible one among us.]

[But when I asked why it’s called a ‘nighttime escape,’ he said, ‘Isn’t the dog cute?’ I almost threw up.]

What would you even throw up, Rai?

Wait, if Rai did throw up, would it be gems? Metal?

Either way, even his vomit might be valuable.

Suddenly, the Council of Elders barked out an impatient order.

[Gale! Guardian to Prince Epiros! Are you coming or not?]

“I’m coming! I’m coming!”

[Is that guy really normal, Master?]

Like a tardy student raising his hand in class, Gale dashed to the arena with exaggerated enthusiasm.

This guy…

Is he really the most normal one in our group?

I started to doubt it.

[Ahem! Let the match begin. Foneya versus Gale. Participants, take your positions… Three, two, one!]

Each match was preceded by a ten-minute break.

While the time might seem ample, it felt painfully short for the participants.

My own heart was pounding heavily, knowing my match would begin in just twenty minutes.

I couldn’t focus on this match. Depending on the outcome, I might not even get a chance to fight.

‘Clang!’

True to his reputation, Gale shattered Foneya’s shield almost immediately.

His boast about the speed of his blade wasn’t a lie, but credit also went to Rai’s upgrade of his sword.

It already felt like the match was wrapping up, and I couldn’t help but smirk.

Foneya, a 3rd-class mage, had only recently learned Haste.

In contrast, Gale, a seasoned swordsman, was a formidable Guardian handpicked by Ash.

When Foneya’s shield broke, she panicked and failed to cast Haste immediately.

“So… from my fingertips… Magic Arrow!”

‘Ting!’

She hastily released a pre-cast Magic Arrow, but Gale deflected it effortlessly with his blade, as if mocking its weakness.

The hastily prepared spell was feeble, lacking power.

Gale didn’t even need to use aura on his sword as he swiftly redirected his blade toward Foneya’s neck.

It seemed he wanted her to surrender, but a trickle of blood ran down his sword from her neck.

The edge was supposed to be blunt!

“…Ack!”

Startled, Gale jumped back and inspected his sword.

He muttered under his breath.

“…Double-edged?”

His sword was supposed to be single-edged.

Why was it double-edged now?

Ugh, another headache.

I raised a hand to rub my forehead while my other hand grabbed Rai’s tail as he tried to slink away.

“Where do you think you’re going, Rai?”

[Uh, just for a walk…]

“You even know the word ‘walk’ now? You’ve grown up so much.”

The culprit was obviously Rai.

I had told him to enhance the weapons, but he must have overdone it and made Gale’s sword double-edged.

How many times have I regretted giving Rai tasks?

And yet, I keep assigning them because I’m terminally lazy.

Rai, when will you start doing things properly?

[Master, it’s because you said—]

[Choose. The storage room or the bathroom?]

[There’s neither here, Master.]

[Fine. Go stand in the corner then.]

After giving Rai a light kick, I turned my attention back to the match.

While Gale had momentarily retreated, Foneya cast Haste.

Looks like I’ll need to start boiling water. Let’s see how dog stew tastes today.

“Why is Gale’s sword double-edged?”

“Who knows? Maybe it’s the enemy’s trickery.”

Feigning ignorance, I deflected blame onto the opposition.

“Could it really be… my brother’s doing?”

Oh, please. Your brother has a laundry list of sins: smuggling 5th-class mages, bribing judges, coercing biased rulings.

Even if none of it is confirmed, the circumstantial evidence is overwhelming.

“Yahhh!”

“Eek!”

Foneya, darting around the arena with the help of Haste, stumbled right into Gale’s preemptive strike.

She collapsed in front of him, and his blade once again hovered near her neck—though not as close as before.

“Phew. Surrender?”

“I… I surrender.”

The mage seemed completely out of mana and offered no further resistance.

This match, at least, ended smoothly.

Though Rai’s unnecessary meddling had complicated things slightly.

Now, only one match remained… mine.

“Good luck, you grouchy lady. Don’t die, okay?”

“Ugh, that double-edged sword was a shock. Oh, it’s your turn next, Geenie. Good luck.”

“Y-yes! Good luck, Miss Geenie. Please… do your best!”

“I believe in miracles. You survived dragons; Rovenin should be nothing. Right? Say it’s true!”

What do they think I am?

Why is no one saying I’ll win, only telling me to try my best?

I glared at them, but Ash approached with a worried look.

Ugh, why am I so weak to that face?

“I’ll do my best. Stop looking at me like that.”

“Okay, Geenie. You can win this. I know you can.”

“Don’t worry! Rovenin is nothing but bread… or maybe… roasted pork? No, not that easy. Maybe veal roast?”

“Do you need some Blue Mind?”

Blue Mind was the equivalent of a calming herb, not a drug but a natural remedy with soothing effects.

As if I’d rely on something like that!

“I am Geenie Crowell!”

Taking on someone like Rovenin should be easy, but…

“Give me two.”

I decided to take the Blue Mind anyway.

‘Thump, thump.’

My heart refused to calm down.

Even after taking two Blue Mind capsules, I still felt restless!

“Miss Geenie, good luck! We’ve got the priest on standby!”

“Do your best, Geenie! You’ve got this!”

[Master, good luck! But… can I put my hands down now?]

[No.]

As I ascended to the arena, I felt a nagging sense of unease.

Rovenin was already standing there.

He had been waiting since the last match ended.

‘Thump, thump.’

I couldn’t believe how violently my heart was pounding.

“Ugh, was that Blue Mind… counterfeit?”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“I mean, what if it had melamine in it?”

“Who’s Melamine?”

Great, my thoughts were scattered.

The thrill of facing him after ten years made me excited, but I was also worried—worried that I might lose and fail to help Ash.

At the same time, I was anxious about how much stronger he’d become.

I called for Undain.

“Undain.”

[Yes, Master.]

Instead of Undine, I summoned Undain right from the start.

The world knew me as a mid-tier Spirit Summoner.

This fight needed to end with Undain, but could I manage it?

[Rovenin Fedri versus Geenie Crowell. Take your positions.]

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

Step by step, I walked onto the arena.

When I finally opened my eyes, I faced Rovenin head-on.

His crimson hair was as striking as ever.

[…Three.]

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the faint, beautiful blue glow of Undain’s tail fin.

As the calming effects of Blue Mind began to kick in, I steadied myself.

This time, Rovenin, I’ll make sure you’ll never forget me.

[…Two.]

Remember this: My name is Geenie Crowell!

[…One!]

“Undain, Frozen Ice!”

‘Fwoosh!’

The sound of rapidly freezing air filled the arena as Rovenin’s sword sliced past my face, cutting a few strands of my hair.

I barely dodged by stepping back.

I knew it.

His swordsmanship was still as ruthless as ever!

Frozen Ice froze the air itself, enveloping the area in a cold mist.

Similar to fog, but denser and far colder.

It obscured vision and froze anything within its range.

As I retreated, Rovenin stepped forward to strike, his face now tinged with a faint blue hue.

Gotcha!

The icy cold rising from the ground wrapped around his feet, binding him in place.

Having faced me before, I knew his instinct would be to charge straight in.

I had laid this trap specifically for him, baiting him with myself.

“Are you going to fight dirty?”

“Why, thank you for the compliment.”

I had no choice.

I might pride myself on speed, but it’s only in reaction time. My body isn’t fast enough to keep up.

Besides, water magic alone wouldn’t suffice. I had to resort to ice magic.

‘Crunch!’

“Ugh!”

Rovenin struggled against the ice binding his feet, trying to break free of Frozen Ice.

His hands, frostbitten and trembling, still held his sword firmly.

Even though I hadn’t experienced it myself, I knew how excruciating it must feel to have your blood freeze.

I had to act before he broke free.

“Undain, Frost Diver!”

White particles gathered around Undain, forming a dolphin-like shape of pure ice.

The icy dolphin shot toward Rovenin.

Frost Diver—an ice spell that deals damage while freezing the target.

The dolphin didn’t dodge Rovenin’s raised sword; instead, it collided head-on, shattering upon impact.

‘Crack!’

Tch, it didn’t even have enough intelligence to avoid the blade?

Well, it’s a straightforward spell, focused entirely on charging the target.

Rovenin’s sword, wrapped in aura, remained unharmed, even as the surrounding Frozen Ice began to melt away.

In that case…

“Undain! Water Strike!”

A pillar of water erupted beside Rovenin, coiling around like a serpent before slamming into him, ice and all.

The impact shattered the ice and sent Rovenin flying through the air, his body soaring at least five meters.

If he hit the ground, he’d take some serious damage.

‘Thud!’

What?! Instead of crashing, he twisted mid-air and landed gracefully on his feet, immediately readying his sword.

The moment he landed, he began chanting.

“Blades of frigid cold, shards of merciless frost, gather and strike with the fury of winter…”

Like a panther, he charged toward me with icy mist clinging to his face, his eyes gleaming with battle lust.

“Let the frost-laden storm rain down before me. Storm Gust!”

Unlike summoning a spirit, casting a spell didn’t require shouting its name—though it did demand significant affinity with the elements.

As the spell completed, a blizzard erupted around me, cascading toward Rovenin.

Storm Gust—a wide-area ice storm spell.

It whipped up a snowstorm that froze everything within its range, capable of killing an opponent instantly.

Normally, this would be beyond a mid-tier spirit like Undain, but my determination to defeat Rovenin pushed me to cast it.

‘Whoosh!’

“Good… very good.”

“…!”

But Rovenin’s sword, now glowing with a fierce red aura, cut through the snowstorm, slowly but surely closing the distance between us.

What the hell is this guy?!

That spell consumed at least 10% of my mana!

I couldn’t even replenish my mana through Rai in this situation, making it feel like a waste.

I still had half my mana left, but what about him?

How much mana does he have left?

Breathing heavily from the cold, Rovenin muttered,

“It feels like I’m fighting nature itself.”

“Damn it! Undain, Frost Drain!”

Loving nature, are you? That’s my line!

Frost Drain—a spell that drains moisture from the target.

The spell I failed to use against him ten years ago.

But this time, it was the enhanced version!

A net of water instantly engulfed Rovenin, clinging to him like a spider’s web.

Wherever the net touched his skin, it turned red.

It was draining his blood.

Unlike before, this version adhered tightly to the body, making it impossible for him to cut through with his sword aura.

“Tch, so that’s how it is. That girl… Haha.”

Rovenin showed no sign of panic as he trudged toward me, dragging the blood-red net through the icy blizzard.

Just fall already!

His sword came dangerously close, slicing through the air right in front of me.

I barely dodged, but I wasn’t confident I could avoid his attacks repeatedly.

His second strike cut a long piece from the hem of my hood.

The third grazed my left cheek, leaving a stinging pain—I was definitely bleeding.

His sword moved too fast for me to chant any spells.

“Ugh!”

As I glared at him, I noticed spiderweb-like wounds appearing on his cheek.

It seemed the net was finally taking its toll.

Once it had drained enough blood, the net fell to the ground with a wet splat.

The remnants of the red web burst into a pool of crimson liquid as soon as it hit the floor.

Though mixed with water, at least half of it was undoubtedly his blood.

But why does he still look so lively?!

“…Tch!”

No, I take that back.

He wasn’t completely fine.

Though the net was gone, his movements were noticeably slower.

The blood he lost had weakened him.

Dodging his downward slash, I began chanting another spell.

“Undain, Ice Spear!”

‘Shing!’

The spears of ice shot toward him, forcing him to deflect them.

The brief moment of distraction gave me time to chant again, though I was gasping for breath.

“Undain, Ice Cannon!”

Ice Cannon—a freezing ray capable of encasing anything in ice.

It required some preparation but traveled with incredible speed once fired.

‘Fwoooosh!’

“Ugh!”

Sensing the spell, Rovenin ducked, and the ray narrowly missed his head, striking the arena floor instead.

Dammit!

“Undain, Dust Chip!”

Dust Chip—a spell that shoots ice needles from a spirit’s body.

Sharp needles protruded from Undain’s sleek dolphin-like form and launched fiercely at Rovenin.

Take as many hits as possible!

‘Ping! Ping!’

“Argh!”

One needle seemed to hit his eyelid, making him squint in pain.

If only it had struck his eye directly, it might have paralyzed him for a day.

Still, the effect was sufficient.

His right eye wouldn’t open, leaving him partially blinded.

Nice! He’ll be stuck like that for at least a day!

“Undain, Bind Re—ugh!”

Even with one eye shut, Rovenin kept moving relentlessly.

His sword slashed toward me again.

I dodged, but I couldn’t evade every strike.

Small cuts appeared on my face and arms, and the worst injury was a deep gash on my right calf.

The pain was excruciating, but I couldn’t afford to stop.

Rovenin’s ragged breaths mirrored my own.

“Hah… Hah…”

“Undain, Bind—”

‘Thud!’

Something sharp and foreign pierced my side without hesitation.

The pain was unlike anything I’d ever felt—cold, searing, and numbing all at once.

I felt my legs give out as I collapsed to my knees.

‘Bubbling.’

A boiling sensation spread from my side.

Blood was flowing—I could feel it.

[Ma-Ma-Master…]

“Geenie!”

“My god!”

“Ahhh!”