I've Inherited the Summoning Skill, So I'm Going to Try to Master It! - Episode 137: In Other Words, There Won’t Be a Next Time

Episode 137: In Other Words, There Won’t Be a Next Time 

I watched Brother Gilliam closely, wondering what he planned to do. He seemed to have noticed something. As he approached the dirt wall and began digging into it with magic. 

“Brother Gilliam?” 

“Look at this wall. It looks like it melted after coming into contact with something extremely hot.” 

Brother Leonard and I moved closer to him. Sure enough, the metal in the spot he pointed to had melted into a round shape. The surrounding walls were covered in black soot-like residue. It was as if they had been burned. 

“What is this?” 

Brother Leonard turned his gaze toward Brother Gilliam. I did the same. 

“My guess is that the facility beyond this point was destroyed by some kind of attack. For example, an attack from the Demons.” 

“An attack from Demons…” 

We had only dug out a small section. But if we excavated the entire area, we’d likely find more melted metal. Given that this terminal still contained an Airship, the possibility of an attack was high. 

“Perhaps the ancient people fought the Demons here. Any traces of battle seem to have been erased by geological shifts.” 

“The ancient people… But how did they defeat the Demons? Were there any extraordinary individuals among them, like Rufus?” 

“Brother Leonard, you’re one to talk. You could defeat Demons yourself if you had the holy sword, couldn’t you?” 

My voice came out lower than I intended. I couldn’t help it—he was acting like I was some kind of monster. Brother Leonard seemed to realize his mistake and awkwardly apologized. I forgave him… but there wouldn’t be a second time. 

“Leonard, it seems that during that era, there were weapons capable of defeating Demons.” 

“Weapons?” 

“They were weapons infused with powerful magic—so powerful they could wipe out an entire city. I see… Maybe one of those was used here.” 

Brother Gilliam’s words sent a chill down my spine. It was a very real possibility. If it had been a desperate attack against Demons, that would have been one thing. But what if ancient humans had used it against each other? 

Perhaps my ancestors feared such weapons and hid them inside Tora-chan. They might have thought they’d be needed in the future but didn’t want humans using them against one another. That possibility seemed highly likely. 

“Rufus, could there be one of those weapons inside Tora-chan?” 

“Of course not! There’s nothing that dangerous in there!” 

“…I see. That’s a relief.” 

Hmm… I had a feeling I didn’t fully convince him. Knowing Brother Gilliam, he probably noticed something. As expected of the future king—he was usually incredibly sharp. 

Of course, when it came to ancient civilizations and magical artifacts, he turned into a complete fanatic. But I decided that was part of his charm. 

Brother Gilliam stood up with a stretch. 

“That’s the end of our terminal investigation. Digging any further is likely a waste of time. Let’s move on to the other ruins.” 

“That makes sense. Digging a tunnel here would be a huge task. And if there’s nothing on the other side, it would be a complete waste.” 

“I agree with Brother Gilliam. Even if it’s just a preliminary survey, it’s better to check out the other ruins.” 

Satisfied with our responses, Brother Gilliam nodded. We retraced our steps and briefly explained our findings to the team investigating the Airship. 

The research team was surprised but seemed to accept the explanation. 

“Take half of our team with you. We should at least be able to investigate the entrance without any issues.” 

“We’ll do that.” 

Despite his response, I had a feeling that was Brother Gilliam’s plan all along. He could have just smashed through the wall. But since it was a part of an ancient ruin, he probably wanted to preserve it as a valuable sample. 

—

Since it was almost lunchtime, we ended up eating while listening to the research team’s reports. 

The location was the Airship’s dining hall. It seemed that by morning, the place had already been inspected and cleaned. And to make things more troublesome, they had even finished tidying up the guest rooms. 

“Well done! I’ll make sure everyone gets a bonus. Now we can stay here starting tonight!” 

“No, we cannot.” 

“That’s far too dangerous, Brother Gilliam.” 

Oh, Brother Leonard’s temple had a visible vein bulging. His face wore a perfect smile, but it was completely ruined by his irritation. Meanwhile, my own expression was likely one of obvious exasperation. 

Balt, Ray—say something, please. I shot them both a look filled with that exact sentiment. 

“Gilliam-sama, we absolutely cannot use such a dangerous place as a lodging. Besides, if we did, we would be disappointing Duke Flute, who went out of his way to prepare accommodations for us. He was quite excited about finally getting his hands on some good wine.” 

“I heard about that too. I imagine he’s looking forward to sharing it with you and Leonard-sama.” 

At the mention of Duke Flute’s name, Brother Gilliam’s expression regained some of its royal composure. Of course, he couldn’t afford to damage his relationship with the duke. The man had even gone as far as preparing expensive wine. Turning down his hospitality would inevitably create a small rift between them. 

“I see. In that case, I can’t refuse. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll have to save staying here for another time.” 

Just give up already! Ahh, this won’t do—Brother Gilliam is hopeless. Looks like I’ll have no choice but to summon Mother.