Chapter 11 : Chapter 11

Chapter 11

“If you fight one more time, understand that I truly will not summon you again for much longer this time.”

At my warning, Seirei, who had recently suffered the humiliation of being forcibly unsummoned, wore a terrified expression and nodded repeatedly, almost as if she were about to have a fit.

To her, being unsummoned was practically the most frightening punishment imaginable.

Had she never tasted the sweetness of being summoned in the first place, perhaps it would have been different. But now that she had already experienced once what it meant to possess a physical body and move around again, she would naturally want to avoid having that freedom restricted as much as possible.

Judging by the way Sharon was watching from the side, this seemed to apply to her as well.

She, too, swallowed dryly with a slightly tense expression.

“At the very least, do not ever fight in front of me. Understood?”

Of course, while I was watching like this, they would at least pretend to behave and refrain from snarling at each other.

But I could say this with absolute certainty. The moment I looked away, even for an instant, they would grab each other by the hair and start fighting all over again.

Their compatibility was fire and oil itself.

Well, I could not exactly interfere with every little scuffle they had among themselves when I was not watching.

‘Hmm. Should I simply set aside a day later and properly give those two a stage where they can fight each other to the death?’

That absurd thought suddenly crossed my mind.

To be honest, I was also somewhat curious about which of the two would win if they clashed in earnest….

In any case, even if a Summoned Creature died, it did not vanish completely. It merely could not be summoned for a while.

In that case, perhaps it would not be a bad method to have them fight one decisive battle to the bitter end and clearly establish the hierarchy.

That way, would things not become a little easier for me in the future?

‘Good. I will seriously consider that again later.’

For now, I decided to focus on the matter at hand.

At the moment, I was on my way to the training grounds inside the mansion in order to meet my younger brother, Simon.

And in my hand was a small glass bottle filled with a rippling blue liquid, which Sharon had just carefully(?) made using Low-grade Magic Crystals.

This was the Low-grade Mana Elixir.

According to Sharon, Low-grade Magic Crystals could only produce Low-grade Mana Elixir.

It was an utterly obvious statement.

After all, low-grade ingredients could only produce low-grade results.

However, she said that if higher-grade Magic Crystals, such as Mid-grade or High-grade Magic Crystals, were used as ingredients, she could create Mid-grade Mana Elixir or High-grade Mana Elixir with far more powerful effects.

I would definitely have to obtain higher-grade Magic Crystals later and ask Sharon to make better elixirs.

“Simon!”

As soon as I arrived at the training ground, I called out to Simon, who was sweating as though rain were pouring off him while he devoted himself to swordsmanship training.

I had known he would be training here today as well, just as always.

“Huh? Brother! What brings you here? Are you here to train with me, by any chance?”

Simon greeted me with a delighted expression and asked.

His eyes held pure expectation.

‘As if that would be the case, you little fool.’

Unfortunately, I had the cursed constitution known as Mana Insensitivity, which prevented me from sensing even the slightest trace of mana.

It was an innate physical condition that could not be healed by any medicine or Divine Power.

I had asked Sharon about it just in case, but even she had shaken her head and said that there was nothing she could do about Mana Insensitivity, though she would try researching it.

I did not know what would come of that research, but for now, there was no solution.

In the end, since I could not use mana at all, no matter how desperately I trained, it would be difficult for me to grow stronger beyond a certain point.

It was not exactly a good idea for someone like me to spar with Simon.

When I only smiled without saying anything, Simon gave up on the idea that I had come to spar and spoke again.

“What is that you are holding? The color looks a little strange.”

Simon noticed the small glass bottle in my hand and looked at it with eyes full of curiosity.

“It is a gift.”

I grinned and held out the glass bottle.

“A gift? For me? All of a sudden?”

Simon’s eyes widened.

“That is right. I brought it for you. Here, hurry up. Drink it all down right now. One shot!”

I placed the bottle in his hand and urged him on.

“No, how am I supposed to drink this when I do not even know what it is? You should at least tell me what it is. It does not have poison in it, does it?”

Simon examined the blue liquid in the bottle with a suspicious gaze.

He even sniffed at it.

“You rascal. Do you distrust your brother that much? Do you really think I would feed you poison?”

I spoke while pretending to be wounded.

Of course, if this had been another noble house where a bloody struggle over the position of heir was taking place, it would have been only natural to be suspicious.

But upon hearing my words, Simon swallowed the mysterious blue potion I had given him without the slightest hesitation.

That was how completely Simon trusted and relied on me.

How could I ever hate a younger brother like this?

In truth, the position of heir to the Count’s House of Lake had long since been practically decided in Simon’s favor.

How could a good-for-nothing Eldest Son who could not handle mana at all lead the house?

That was something I acknowledged as well.

That was why I had long ago cleanly given up all lingering attachment to the position of heir, and naturally, that place had been taken by my younger brother Simon, who had been receiving harsh successor lessons as the next family head.

Even now, those lessons are continuing.

He truly was a commendable and diligent fellow.

“Gasp! Brother…. W-What in the world is this? My insides… My insides feel strange.”

After drinking all of the potion, Simon suddenly inhaled sharply and looked at me with an utterly startled expression.

His face seemed to have gone slightly pale.

‘Heh heh. Now his insides must be starting to churn. The effect is immediate.’

I chuckled inwardly.

Ah, of course, when I said “churn,” I did not mean it in a negative sense, such as his stomach hurting.

According to Sharon’s explanation, when one consumed a Mana Elixir, the mana inside the body would temporarily surge violently.

However, since Low-grade Mana Elixir had such a faint effect, she had said that at most, one would feel that churning sensation for about a single second before it quickly disappeared.

But something was strange.

By now, the churning should have stopped long ago, yet Simon’s expression did not change.

In fact, he seemed to be suffering even more.

“Hey, Simon. Are your insides still churning? Are you sure you are all right?”

I asked cautiously, unease creeping into my heart.

I was beginning to worry.

“Huh? Yes. They still are. Why? Is this not what is supposed to happen?”

It felt as though ten seconds had already passed.

This was strange.

His reaction was completely different from what Sharon had told me.

Could there be a side effect?

Or had Sharon deceived me?

At that instant, cold sweat ran down my back.

What if something happened to Simon because of this?

I did not even want to imagine the dreadful consequences that would follow.

“Hey! Simon! Keep your mind clear! You absolutely cannot lose consciousness here! Do not die!”

I shouted in a panic.

I was suddenly seized by fear that something might go wrong.

“What in the world have you been talking about, Brother? Why would I lose consciousness? And die?”

But Simon only stared at me as though he had no idea what I meant.

His expression looked far more stable than before.

His complexion had returned to normal, and his cold sweat had stopped as well.

“How do you feel? Are you a little better now? Truly?”

When I asked cautiously, still unable to remove the suspicion from my eyes,

“Yes. I think I am completely fine now. Actually… my body feels lighter than before.”

Simon answered with a bright smile.

“But Brother, what exactly is this?”

His eyes shone with curiosity.

“Hmm! Well, let us just say it is something similar to an elixir. So, how is the effect? Tell me honestly.”

“The effect? Wow, Brother! This is incredible. My mana has definitely increased compared to before.”

Simon shouted in an excited voice, as though he could hardly believe it. His eyes widened with awe.

“Huh? Really?”

I was startled as well.

What was this? This reaction was completely different from the explanation I had heard from Sharon.

She had clearly said that the effect of a Low-grade Elixir would be minimal.

It seemed I would have to ask Sharon about this in detail later.

There had to have been some kind of misunderstanding.

* * *

Leaving Simon behind as he entered meditation again, saying that he needed to adapt to his suddenly increased mana, I hurried back to my room.

At present, both Summoned Creatures were waiting inside my room within the count’s mansion.

Of course, once my Summoner Level rose later, perhaps I would gain a skill related to a separate space where Summoned Creatures could stay.

‘But for now, I do not have such a convenient function. In other words, my room is the Knight Order barracks.’

There was nothing I could do about it. For the time being, the three of us(?) had no choice but to huddle together in my cramped room.

Still, Sharon and Seirei themselves had said that even this was far better than being forcibly summoned to an incomprehensible dimension and spending time alone with no promise of when it would end. If that was fortunate, then it was fortunate.

“Sharon. Simon’s reaction earlier was a little strange. It was different from your explanation.”

As soon as I entered my room, I approached Sharon and explained the strange symptoms(?) that had appeared in Simon.

After hearing my explanation, Sharon’s eyes widened for a moment in surprise, and then she let out an exclamation of admiration.

“Wow… In that case, Young Lord Simon’s mana aptitude must truly be beyond imagination. It is almost on the level of a blessing.”

According to her, the effect of a Mana Elixir varied greatly depending on the person’s natural Mana Affinity, in other words, their aptitude.

For example, someone with Mana Insensitivity like me would see no effect at all even if they drank it. Conversely, for someone born with genius-level aptitude like Simon, the effect would be amplified dramatically.

It seemed Simon’s aptitude was even more outstanding than I had expected.

If an ordinary person gained an effect of barely “1” from a single Low-grade Mana Elixir, Simon would gain an effect of “10.”

Was this not too great a gap in talent?

‘Damn it. Honestly, I am a little jealous. No, very jealous. That cursed talented freak.’

I could not help feeling a bitter surge of envy.

However, I forced myself to remain calm and suppressed that emotion.

I could not act pathetically by envying my younger brother’s talent.

Besides, even for me, who had no mana at all right now, there was still hope.

Yes. Although I was insignificant now, someday, I would become an existence far greater than Simon.

I would show the potential of an EX-grade Summoner! Mwahahaha…….

Damn it. My laughter did not feel like laughter. Tears blurred my vision.

At that very moment, Seirei, who had been sitting quietly in meditation beside us, suddenly opened her eyes wide and shouted.

“My Lord! I can sense something strange. It appears to be Killing Intent.”

“Killing Intent? Could it be someone targeting me?”

Who could it be? An enemy who would come looking for me all the way out here in the countryside. There was exactly one face that came to mind.

First, I would have to see that face for myself.

This time, I would make sure to end it for good.