The Golden-Haired Summoner - Chapter 8

The entire camp was disturbed by an eerie scream, closer to a wail, that startled everyone from knights in the middle of their early morning training, to chefs preparing breakfast, and even the students and teachers who were just waking up.

“Captain!”

Startled knights rushed into the captain’s personal tent. Inside, there was nothing but a simple cot and a chair.

“Ugh!”

The captain was on the ground, weeping, his belongings scattered around him.

Deputy Cooper was the first to notice the cause of the problem. The captain always neatly placed his armor in one corner of the tent, but the spot where it should have been was empty.

“Gasp! The captain’s armor is… gone…”

As Deputy Cooper muttered in disbelief, the captain suddenly stood up, glaring fiercely.

“It’s not just the armor! My sword, all the money in my bag, everything’s gone! But the worst part is that the badge His Majesty personally gave me is missing! What on earth is going on? Organize a search party immediately and retrieve my badge!”

“B-but, Captain! We can’t…”

Deputy Cooper knew they were too few in number to form a proper search party, but he couldn’t argue further, knowing how much the captain cherished that badge.

Ding, ding, ding.

The bell rang, signaling breakfast, but none of the knights moved.

“If you don’t retrieve it, all of you will lose your heads…!”

As the captain shouted, his face red with anger, Dinel, one of the instructors, pushed through the gathering crowd, his face pale.

“Captain! Something terrible has happened! My gauntlets, my money, and even the wheels of my carriage have all been stolen!”

“What? You too?”

The captain and Dinel exchanged a tense glance, both falling silent. Finally, Dinel spoke.

“Could it really be? Did we get robbed… in a forest like this?”

“That doesn’t make any sense! What is going on?”

Another moment of silence passed, the knights holding their breath in fear of getting involved.

The captain clutched his throbbing head, but before he could say anything more, someone else burst through the crowd of knights—it was a shabby-looking coachman. The knights, along with the captain and Dinel, frowned at him.

“What do you want? How dare you enter my tent without permission? Do you have a death wish?”

The captain’s harsh words drained the blood from the coachman’s face. Trembling, the coachman managed to speak.

“I-I’m sorry, sir. But the young lady is missing…”

“What? The student?”

The captain’s frown deepened.

“Y-yes! I went to announce breakfast, but she didn’t come out, so I opened the door, and she was gone.”

“Have you searched for her? She might be nearby.”

“N-no one saw her leave, and we searched the surrounding area, but she’s nowhere to be found.”

“What? Is that true?”

Dinel shouted in shock, and the captain’s face paled further.

A missing student would be entirely the captain’s responsibility. Each student in this delegation was considered the future of the Dmitry Kingdom. If even one of them were missing, it would affect the Wynkan Festival and could potentially tarnish Dmitry’s reputation with the Elan Empire. In the worst-case scenario, the captain could lose his head for it.

“W-who…? Which student is missing?”

Dinel asked, his voice trembling. While the captain would bear the brunt of the blame, as the leading instructor, Dinel also wouldn’t escape responsibility.

“I’m not sure… But I heard it was a summoner.”

“Geenie… Crowell!”

The name escaped Dinel’s lips like a groan.

Geenie Crowell, the student who had pushed out Leo to be selected for the delegation, a student he had never liked. Yet, she was also the one who had captured the king’s attention, which only made Dinel dislike her more.

Even the delegation selection had been an issue. The summoning class was not even considered for the team until the king himself insisted on Geenie’s inclusion after reviewing the reports. The king’s outburst left them with no choice.

“Of all people, Geenie Crowell is missing! What a disaster…”

The captain’s voice trembled, just like Dinel’s, filled with a mix of frustration and fear.

With one bizarre event following another, the captain felt like he was going mad. The task he thought would be easy now seemed cursed, though none of them knew that Geenie Crowell was the source of this misfortune. What was certain was that the morning was turning into a chaotic one for the delegation.

“Achoo!”

[Master, are you catching a cold?]

I, who had hitchhiked on the Sabell Mercenary Group’s cart early in the morning, sniffled as I sneezed.

“Sniff! I think someone’s talking about me.”

[What kind of talk?]

“Hmm, maybe they’re praising me?”

Morning had come, and it was a bright, sunny day.

—

Finally… finally… the escape part is over! And it ended safely too!

If you notice any typos, please let me know by emailing [email protected] ~

The typing continues.

—

Sabell Mercenary Group

“…Nie? …Geenie?”

Having somewhat adjusted to the bumpy ride of the carriage, I was dozing off, just a little. My vision blurred, and the surrounding noises faded, but I wasn’t fully asleep. Then, I was startled awake by someone calling my name.

“Yes? Yes, Annel. What is it?”

Annelia, who I met just yesterday and who asked me to call her Annel, was a dual swordswoman with stunning silver hair that seemed to break under the moonlight and healthy tan skin that suited the sun. She was also the one who saved me and, as a member of the Sabell Mercenary Group, kindly offered me a ride to Veilan.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t sleep here. We’ll be camping soon, so hang in there.”

“Okay, sister.”

I nodded and rubbed my sleepy eyes, staring blankly at the moon in the sky.

It had been a day since I joined the Sabell Mercenary Group. There are two ways to get from Dmitry’s capital, Sharan, to Veilan.

One way is to go around the massive Dragonea Mountain Range that separates Dmitry from Veilan.

The other way, which is rougher, is to go directly across the mountain range.

If you take the roundabout route, it takes about 13 days. But since our delegation was slow, they estimated the journey to take around 20 days.

Crossing the mountains takes about 7 days, but those with urgent transportation requests sometimes take the rough route, as experienced mercenaries can usually handle the monsters there and reach Veilan in 7 days.

We would reach Veilan in about four days… meaning I would have to wait for the delegation there for more than ten days.

I thought about turning back, but to do that, I would have to return to the other side of the Panhel Valley, where the only bridge connecting the two paths was located. The Sabell Mercenary Group didn’t have the time to take me there. I was just grateful to have caught a ride on a cart.

As much as my sore butt longed for my comfortable carriage, what could I do? I had no choice but to keep going.

Not long after, the cart stopped, and people began unloading.

They were preparing to camp. The Sabell Mercenary Group had about 20 members, half of whom were porters. According to Annel, the cargo was the most important thing they were guarding.

If it were a transportation request that went around the mountains, the horses would be the second most valuable, but since we were crossing the mountains, the horses were just more cargo.

That’s why the porters were brought along to pull the carts. They were low-ranking mercenaries, selected more for their labor than their combat ability.

Annel was a mid-to-high-ranking mercenary, and Kenta was an elite mercenary.

“Ador!”

[Hmm? Hmm? Hmm? Hup! I’m leaving.]

Ador looked around briefly, twisting his body, before suddenly announcing his departure.

“What? You’re leaving? What’s gotten into you?”

[You’re just going to make me stay in Light form again, aren’t you? I can’t stand just sitting around like that.]

Oh, so you think you’ve grown up now? Actually, the mercenary group leader had initially planned to leave me behind. But when I mentioned I was a summoner and could be helpful, the leader agreed to give me a chance, warning that if I became a burden, I’d be left behind.

As annoying as it was, since I didn’t know the way, I had no choice but to try my best.

“We’ve only done that once yesterday. If you do it for four more days, I’ll let you have free time every day after that. How does that sound?”

[…Really?]

“Of course. Don’t you trust your master?”

Maybe just for a minute at a time? That should be enough.

[It’s not that I don’t trust you, Master. It’s just that you’re not always reliable.]

“So, are you saying you won’t do it? Fine, then. Go back.”

I slightly reduced the flow of mana to Ador, causing his form to fade.

[…I’ll do it. I said I’d do it, Master!]

“Good. You should’ve said that from the beginning.”

Ador grumbled as he floated into the air.

[I’m doing this… just for this… as a master, really…]

“Quiet!”

As

Ador cast Light, the surroundings lit up. Under that light, the mercenaries busily gathered the cargo in the center and arranged their sleeping areas around it. Small campfires were lit here and there.

“Ador, that’s enough. Rest now!”

As soon as I finished speaking, Ador disappeared into the forest. Where does he keep running off to?

Unless I gave him a specific command, Ador would often disappear somewhere and return later. He was still within the range of my voice, so I could summon him whenever I needed him.

I approached the area where dinner was being prepared and called for Undine.

“Undine.”

[Yes, Master. Hello?]

“Whoa!”

At the sight of Undine’s sweet smile, the people around me gasped in amazement. Some tried to touch Undine, but only the summoner could touch her freely.

Others would need to have exceptional affinity or the summoner would need to use mana to allow physical contact with Undine.

“Undine, could you fill these cauldrons with water?”

[Of course.]

Undine fluttered her tiny tail and filled five cauldrons with water. After filling them, about half of my mana was left.

“Undine, would you like to stay with me a little longer?”

[Really? Can I stay with you a little longer, Master?]

“Of course.”

Why does the same word feel so different depending on who says it?

Undine flew onto my shoulder. Keeping both of them summoned was draining my mana rapidly. I was about to call Ador back when Kenta approached me.

Kenta was a giant, nearly twice the size of an average person. At first, he called me “kid,” and after learning I was a summoner, he started calling me “summoner kid,” a strange nickname.

“Hey, summoner kid. I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

Kenta extended a hand larger than my head.

“Can you lend me a snake?”

[Hiss!]

“What? Sure.”

Though puzzled, I didn’t hesitate to draw Arie from my waist. Arie squirmed violently, almost slipping from my grasp, but Kenta grabbed him, causing Arie to immediately go limp.

[Huh, out of the frying pan into the fire. Now I’m being tormented by a bear. Sigh.]

Ignoring Arie’s mutterings as he was dragged away, I spread out the sleeping bag Annel had lent me.

[Ador! Where are you? It’s time to come back.]

[Huh! Ador is gone.]

…I just cut off his mana. Does he think I’m made of infinite mana?

One thing I realized after joining the Sabell Mercenary Group was that our delegation was incredibly slow.

It took them two hours in the morning just to eat breakfast, pack up, and start moving. But the Sabell Mercenary Group managed to do all that in less than 30 minutes.

The same went for setting up camp at night. Everyone except the watchmen would fall asleep immediately after finishing their meal, eager to get as much sleep as possible.

And influenced by the surroundings, I would also fall asleep quickly.

There was no bell to announce mealtime, but as the smell of food spread, people began to gather.

“Geenie, come with me.”

“Yes!”

I borrowed Annel’s bowl and followed her to the food distribution area when I heard Arie’s voice.

[Hiss! You wicked humans! I’ll twist your necks off!]

Arie’s voice was filled with malice. We had already arrived at the distribution area, but I couldn’t see him. As I looked around, Annel approached the cook.

“Why aren’t they serving the food?”

“Ah, just wait a moment. The meat isn’t cooked yet.”

The cook, whose face bore scars across his forehead and mouth, surprisingly answered kindly and shook his head. The cauldron lid he was pressing down with one hand clattered as if it were alive, trying to open.

[These wretches! Hiss!]

Is that it? I glanced over at Kenta, who avoided my gaze.

“Oh, it looks like it’s done.”

“Finally, we’re having snake meat!”

“Heh, the tougher it is, the better it is for stamina.”

Hearing that, I turned to see that the cauldron was still there, as expected.

Hmph, he’s probably pretending to be dead or asleep. The huge lid of the cauldron slowly lifted.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the contents inside. I joined in, sneaking a peek.

“Huh? There’s no meat?”

The cook tilted his head in confusion when suddenly something black shot out from the bubbling soup.

It flew straight out and wrapped itself around Kenta’s neck, who was looking into the cauldron.

[Hiss! I’ll kill you!]

In an instant, all eyes turned to Kenta’s neck.

Kenta, however, did not panic at the sudden grip around his neck. In that brief moment, he managed to wedge his hand between his neck and Arie. Muscles bulged from his shoulders and forehead as he flexed.

His thick muscles twitched, but Arie showed no signs of letting go.

It seemed like Arie was truly angry this time, not backing down like he usually did.

[Stop it, Arie. That’s enough!]

Just as Kenta’s expression began to change to one of concern, Arie loosened his grip and fell to the ground, rolling and twisting as if in fury.

[Hiss! You bear-like brute! I’ll definitely kill you!]

I felt a bit sorry for him. Arie slapped the ground with his tail, leaving small indentations in the earth.

In the end, Arie continued to roll around in frustration, even denting a large cauldron with his body.

People widened their eyes and backed away from Arie. I scratched my cheek.

After finishing my meal, I left Arie to roll around in his anger and lay down next to Annel with the sleeping bag she lent me.

I must have gotten used to a more luxurious lifestyle because the musty smell and suffocating feeling of the sleeping bag made it hard for me to fall asleep.

The campfire, lit by the watchmen, flickered in front of me, making it even harder to sleep.

As I tossed and turned, I felt Arie slither into the sleeping bag.

[Arie!]

[What is it?]

I guess he was still sulking because his words were short.

[Why are you talking so bluntly?]

[…What is it, Master?]

[Are you mad because I kept telling you to hold back?]

[No, it’s just… Master doesn’t like me anymore, and… that bear-like human bullied me, and you didn’t say anything… and you keep hitting me and only pamper that useless Undine… and you keep telling me to shut up… Sniff.]

…If that’s not being mad, then what’s all this complaining about? Arie, despite being over a thousand years old, had a surprisingly narrow heart. He really didn’t act his age.

[No, Arie. I like you a lot, okay? And if you defied Kenta, it would have been a big problem for me, right? I don’t know the way. And besides, you’re the only one I can hit, right? It hurts if I hit Ador, and there’s nowhere to hit on tiny Undine, is there? It’s all just affection, you know? Undine’s just a kid, so of course I’ll be nice to her. And I tell Ador to shut up too.]

[…Undine isn’t a kid though…]

Trying to comfort him, I coaxed Arie, but he grumbled quietly.

I asked him in disbelief.

[Undine’s a kid. Just look at her.]

[Undine? She’s at least thirty years old.]

What? How old?

[How old? Three?]

[Thirty! Three-zero. Ten times three.]

Did I hear that wrong? I haven’t cleaned my ears lately. I poked my pinky finger into my ear and wiggled it.

[No way. That doesn’t make sense.]

[Didn’t you know? To be summoned into the middle realm, a spirit must be at least thirty years old and mentally stable. If they’re too young, they can’t adapt to the polluted nature of the middle realm, and their skills are underdeveloped. Also, do you think a newborn low-level spirit could compete with an experienced one for a contract? Undine must be older than she looks. So don’t be fooled by appearances, Master! I’m the best, really.]

Ugh, the world has tricked me! I can’t believe this! Undine is over thirty? No way!

[Is that true?]

What did Professor Eel ever teach me that was useful? I want my three years back!

[Of course. Have I ever lied to you?]

[You’ve lied a lot.]

[Ahem… Anyway, Undine is older than she looks, that’s for sure.]

Although I couldn’t match Undine’s face with the number 30, I soon accepted it. I had grown used to the world playing tricks on me. Arie was over ten thousand years old, so Undine being in her thirties was still young in comparison.

[That much is forgivable. Undine is cute.]

[Master, isn’t that favoritism? You called me old! Hiss!]

Arie’s head suddenly poked out of the sleeping bag, glaring at me, but thirty years and ten thousand years were worlds apart.

[How dare you stick your head out? Get back in!]

[This is too much! It’s not like I wanted to look like this! It’s

all your fault, Master! Take responsibility! Sniff.]

Just when I thought I’d cheer him up a bit, it didn’t help at all.

I was contemplating how to discipline Arie when I noticed that the moon in the sky looked unusually large.

[Hmm? Arie, look at that. The moon is huge.]

Arie slithered out of the sleeping bag at my words and coiled up on top of it, looking up at the dazzling purple moon. His black scales gleamed under the moonlight.

[That’s because… we’re at the peak of the mountain range.]

Come to think of it, Annel mentioned that we would reach the peak of the mountain soon. I had questioned her when she said going down would be harder than going up.

It turned out that it was because the side of the mountain toward Veilan was filled with more mana, which meant there were more monsters, and they were more aggressive.

[Hmm, but there haven’t been any monsters so far?]

[Monsters? Master, do you like monsters?]

Out of nowhere, Arie asked if I liked monsters.

Who in their right mind likes monsters? I frowned as I met Arie’s purple, moonlit eyes.

[What kind of nonsense is that?]

[You don’t like them?]

[Well… monsters mean bloodshed, right? Not really my thing.]

I shook my head, showing my disinterest, and Arie scratched his head with his tail. Can snakes even scratch their heads?

[Really? Because there’s one coming this way. I thought you might like it, so I left it alone.]

“…What?”

I yelled out in shock. Arie pointed his tail toward the forest surrounding us.

[Something’s coming. It’s big and powerful. The ground is shaking from its heavy footsteps.]

“…A monster?”

[Yes, I think… Oh, it’s called an ogre.]

Damn it. I hadn’t even finished cursing when birds flew out of the forest Arie pointed to.

At the same time, the night watchman near that area shouted.

“Monster! Everyone, get up!”

His voice echoed loudly. Some nearby mercenaries quickly jumped to their feet, but many around me were still fast asleep in their sleeping bags.

Annel was one of them. I scrambled out of my sleeping bag and shook her awake.

“Annel! Annel, wake up!”

“Mm…”

Annel Ariesed a hand, pushing mine away.

Just then, something emerged from the dark forest. A long, black arm swung through the air, sending two nearby mercenaries flying.

“It’s a monster! An ogre!”

“What?!”

Even in her half-awake state, Annel grabbed her dual swords. The moonlight glinted off her blades ominously.

“Geenie, hide!”

With that, Annel dashed toward the ogre.

Now most of the mercenaries seemed to grasp the situation and were getting up. However, some sluggish ones were still sound asleep in their sleeping bags, including Kenta, who was snoring away like nothing was happening. In times like this…

[Arie, go and bite those still sleeping, but just enough so it doesn’t bleed.]

[Really? Even the bear?]

[Yes, even the bear!]

[Hehe! Lalala~]

Arie hummed an irritating tune as he swiftly slithered toward the back, where Kenta and the other sleepers were.

“Grahhh!”

“Hiiik!”

“Ughhh!”

“Form up!”

“Ugh!”

Kenta suddenly bolted upright from his sleeping bag, shouting something, but his voice was drowned out by the commotion on the other side.

After confirming that Kenta was awake, I turned my attention back to the ogre.

Each time the ogre’s hand swung, people were flung through the air like ragdolls. Arie returned, slithering up my leg to my neck.

[Master! I did it! Praise me!]

“Good job. Where did you bite them?”

[On the butt. Hehe!]

“Good job, Arie.”

I gave Arie a thumbs-up. I was about to pat him on the head when someone suddenly dashed past me.

It seemed that Arie’s bites had woken up a few more, and they were running toward the ongoing battle with the ogre.

Kenta was lying on his stomach, clutching his rear. Biting him again would hurt, wouldn’t it?

But should I really stay hidden? As I hesitated, the ogre suddenly leaped into the air.

It jumped so high that its black silhouette appeared in the middle of the moon. I had a bad feeling about this. And my intuition was right.

When the ogre’s body slammed back down to the ground, I was overwhelmed by the stench of a carnivorous monster.

A massive shadow loomed before me. Its blood-red eyes glowed menacingly, and its razor-sharp teeth gleamed like those of a shark.

My body stiffened in fear. It was the same feeling I had experienced before, when my legs wouldn’t move.

Why does nothing ever go my way? The ogre’s hand rose into the air.

My mind went blank for a moment.

Then the hand whistled through the air, coming down right over my head.

“Damn it!”

I squeezed my eyes shut without thinking. Three seconds passed. When I felt nothing, I cautiously opened my eyes.

[Hiss! How dare you!]

Arie was coiled around the ogre’s wrist. A wrist thicker than Kenta’s arm.

The ogre, annoyed, flailed its hand in the air, trying to shake Arie off.

I watched in a daze as the ogre, seemingly unfazed by Arie’s bite, swung its massive hand toward me again.

Boom!

The ogre’s hand slammed into the ground, leaving a deep, circular crater. I dodged it by sheer luck. It was nothing short of a miracle.

As I rolled across the ground, dirt fell from my hair and clothes.

Frustrated by its failed attack, the ogre lifted its foot.

At that moment, the mercenaries finally gathered around, thrusting their spears and swords at the ogre.

[For disrupting Master’s head-patting! You wretch!]

…Was that really the reason, Arie? That’s just like you…

“Geenie!”

Annel rushed over and hugged me tightly.

Her heart was pounding so hard that I could feel it through her chest.

Ah, I see. My mind cleared in an instant. The ogre had attacked me. But why me?

Suddenly, I felt a surge of irritation. Why am I always the target of surprise attacks? Where else would you find such a kind person like me?

“Ugh.”

“Geenie, are you okay?”

I clenched my fist. Sure, it was just a small child’s fist, but still.

[Hiss! You idiots, watch where you’re stabbing! You’re scratching my scales!]

I heard Arie’s voice, still clinging to the ogre’s wrist.

“Arie!”

[Yes, Master!]

Arie, who had been glaring at the spears and swords aimed at him, turned his gaze toward me.

“Pour all your resentment toward the bear and crush it!”

[Understood!]

Soon after, I heard a familiar sound, though this time it was deeper and more resonant.

Crack, crack, crunch!

“Grahhh! Grahhh!”

Snap!

Though the ogre’s thick skin made it seem like only a minor break, the ogre was clearly in pain.

Tsk, I was ready to see some bloodshed… What a letdown.

Still clinging to the ogre’s wrist, Arie proudly declared,

[Hehe! Master, did I do well? This time it was a bit tough.]

“Good job.”

“Ahhh! My leg…!”

“Argh! Stab it! Stab its eyes!”

“Eek! My sword broke!”

My praise was drowned out by the screams, but so what? The mercenaries had no time to admire Arie’s strength.

The ogre, now writhing in pain, became even more ferocious.

I retreated to assess the situation.

Swords and spears that couldn’t pierce the ogre’s tough hide shattered upon impact, and several mercenaries who were struck by its blind swings were sent flying, coughing up blood.

There were about ten mercenaries currently engaging the ogre. Around five were scattered on the ground, most of them low-ranking.

“Damn it! Where’s the summoner? Where’s that kid?”

I heard someone calling for me from somewhere. It wasn’t a welcome sound.

I turned to see the mercenary captain, Sabell, looking around. He was clutching his side, bleeding profusely. I approached him.

“Why do you need me?”

“Go and fight.”

He nodded toward the ogre.

“…Are you crazy?”

I’m just a ten-year-old girl, you know?

“I’m not crazy. But you need to earn your keep, don’t you? Physical attacks barely work on an ogre unless they’re aura-enhanced. So use your spirits or whatever to help out! Magic may be better, but your spirits are still better than nothing.”

Why are there so many people who underestimate spirits?

Well, there are some clueless spirits like Arie and some impolite ones like Ador… Hmm, now that I think about it, why are all the spirits I’ve summoned such troublemakers?

Undine seems to be the only normal one. That’s exactly why I can’t help but pamper her.

“What’s wrong, kid? Are you scared? Why are you frozen?”

I was deep in thought when Sabell nudged me with his foot. He sure had a lot to

say for someone on the verge of death.

“I’m not scared! It’s just… Let’s make a deal. If I contribute to defeating that thing, you have to pay me.”

“What? How dare you… I saved you from becoming monster chow, and you…”

Another mercenary was suddenly crushed under the ogre’s foot, coughing up blood. I glanced over to see that only Annel, Kenta, and four other skilled mercenaries were left.

The ogre’s brute strength was terrifying, forcing even Kenta to dodge and weave.

An ogre could supposedly crush a horse’s neck with its bare hands, so how could a human possibly withstand that kind of power? Just being grazed by it would likely result in instant death.

“I can’t guarantee it’ll work. So all I’m asking for is payment if it does! Are you going to agree or not?”

With the number of mercenaries dwindling, I started to feel the urgency. I Ariesed my voice and spoke informally, but the captain didn’t seem to care.

“Fine, if you contribute, I’ll give you the same pay as Annel. Now get out there and help! For a mercenary, comrades are everything, you bald-headed brat!”

I’m not selling myself short, huh! I’m worth a lot, you know. Although, even if he didn’t agree, I was planning to attack anyway.

But since I’m doing it, I might as well get something out of it. I hurriedly began the summoning.

“Undine! Ador!”

[Yes, Master.]

[You’ve been calling me a lot today, Master. I’m starting to like it.]

As Ador appeared, the surroundings brightened slightly.

Undine, still as lovely as ever—her age doesn’t matter! I turned my gaze toward the ogre.

I’d only tried this twice before on a tree and an orc, but I had a feeling it would work.

Besides, if I could take down an ogre after defeating an orc, the Wynkan Festival would be a breeze.

“Undine! Use Aqua Ball on the ogre!”

Splash!

Aqua Ball shot through the air, leaving tiny droplets in its wake.

It hit the ogre squarely on the forehead, but the ogre seemed more annoyed than hurt, shaking its limp wrist.

The goal was to soak its body, but one shot wasn’t nearly enough to drench the ogre.

Surprised by the sudden Aqua Ball, the mercenaries backed away.

“Undine, again! This time, fire multiple Aqua Balls! Can you do it?”

[Hmm… I can currently fire three at once, Master!]

“Good. Soak the ogre with a triple Aqua Ball!”

Three Aqua Balls materialized in front of Undine and flew rapidly toward the ogre.

Thinking the Aqua Balls weren’t much of a threat, the ogre didn’t bother to dodge, taking the full hit. Its upper body was soaked with water.

Drenched, the ogre shook its body furiously.

“Everyone, back away!”

“…?”

The mercenaries, who had initially backed away in surprise, were about to Ariese their weapons at the ogre again but hesitated at my command.

“Ador! Six-Bolt Shock!”

It’s funny, but I couldn’t manage a four- or five-bolt attack, yet I could pull off a six-bolt one.

The reason was that a six-bolt attack drained 90% of my mana, leaving only 10% for me to control, making it a reckless, brute-force attack with no technique involved.

Even so, my mana was already down to about 70% after using Light and filling the cauldrons with water earlier. But if I failed, the mercenaries would still back me up.

As the Six-Bolt Shock was unleashed, golden sparks crackled across the ogre’s body, traveling through the water.

“Grahhhh!”

Thud.

The ogre staggered and collapsed to the ground. Did it work?

My mana was drained completely, causing Undine and Ador to be unsummoned. The acrid smell of burnt flesh filled the air.

It was a similar scent to what I’d smelled when I defeated the orc, and I immediately covered my nose.

Squinting through the bright light, I looked at the ogre. Its charred body glared at me with a look of pure rage.

Damn it, how did it know it was me? The mercenaries, stunned by the sudden electric attack, froze in place.

The ogre’s legs trembled as it tried to get up. But soon, its strength gave out, and its massive body collapsed back to the ground.

Thud.

At that moment, my legs gave out as well, and I sank to the ground.

There was a brief silence, then the mercenaries erupted in cheers.

“Woohoo!”

“Geenie! You’re amazing!”

Annel rushed over and helped me to my feet. The mercenaries swarmed around me.

Their rough hands ruffled my hair. My head bobbed back and forth, but I couldn’t help but grin.

“Haha, we did it… didn’t we?”

The people around me seemed surprised, but who could be more shocked than me? My mana was completely drained, leaving me feeling empty inside.

That empty feeling was soon filled with a satisfying sense of victory.

Before I knew it, I was sitting on Kenta’s shoulder, and from the higher vantage point, the ogre lying on the ground looked a little smaller.

A sense of conquest, maybe? The thrill of victory? I had a feeling I would grow to like this feeling. The cheers around me filled me with satisfaction.

[Masterrr… You forgot about me… sniff.]

“Arie?”

Oh, right, where’s Arie? I looked around for Arie and found him still clinging to the ogre’s wrist.

His scales, once shiny, were now charred and peeling, making him look pitiful.

Oh no… I told him to move, didn’t I?

I climbed down from Kenta’s shoulder and picked up Arie. His scorched body left black soot on my hands.

“Ugh! What happened to you? Did your scales melt?”

[No. They corroded. I tried to mimic a snake, but my body is made of metal. The outer scales are made of simple steel, but it seems they were too thin. They didn’t melt, but they got damaged like this… I’ll have to make new ones.]

As I talked to the snake, the mercenaries looked at me with puzzled expressions.

But I was used to that kind of look, so I ignored it. Hmm, now that it’s come to this…

[Really? Then can you make your scales out of diamond?]

I thought I might as well make a real diamond snake. Hehe, three years’ worth of food is waiting for me.

[Diamond? You mean a diamond snake.]

…So diamond is diamond. I didn’t know that.

[Yeah, can you make all your scales out of diamond?]

[Of course. But…]

Arie nodded vigorously, but his corroded steel scales crumbled as he did.

[I know, I know. We don’t have enough mana, right?]

[Yes, if Master’s mana were fully replenished, I could make just the head.]

Hmm, it takes about three hours for my mana to fully recover when only 10% remains.

I would need to stabilize my mind and wait for my mana to replenish. Meditating could speed up the process, but it would still take an hour.

The best method was to gather a lot of mana at once.

But meditating more than two or three times a day could lead to mental and physical strain, possibly causing mana overload.

So the only thing I could do was gather as much mana as possible in one go, but even then, I could only meditate for about 30 minutes.

Even though Professor Eel said that was impressive, I didn’t trust him at all. All he ever taught me was useless stuff.

I lifted Arie, roughly measuring his length. Was he about a meter long?

If I replenished my mana and gradually transformed Arie’s body, it would probably take about two days to completely turn him white.

As I was estimating, Arie glanced at the ogre.

[But Master!]

[What?]