I've Inherited the Summoning Skill, So I'm Going to Try to Master It! - Episode 24: In Other Words, the Legend of the Holy Sword Has Begun

Episode 24: In Other Words, the Legend of the Holy Sword Has Begun  

Tora-chan was opening and closing its lid with a clatter. It looked like it was searching for something. Judging by how long it was taking, it seemed like an incredible number of things were stuffed inside Tora-chan.  

“Here you go!”  

From inside the treasure chest, an old-fashioned sword shot out. However, upon closer inspection, while it looked ancient, it was clearly an exceptional masterpiece. The scabbard was adorned with intricate lettering and geometric patterns. And the hilt had a solemn, familiar design.  

Huh? It looks familiar?  

Oh! I remember now! I’ve seen this in an encyclopedia before. It was in a book listing legendary weapons said to have existed in ancient times. The hilt’s design is exactly the same. If that’s the case, then…  

“No way, is this the Holy Sword Excalibur!?”  

“Yes, that’s the one!”  

Before I could react, Brother Leonard let out a scream. Or was it a cry of joy? It was a bizarre mix of both, making it hard to describe.  

Trembling, Brother Leonard picked up the sword with his shaking hands.  

He stared at the sword as if he wanted to burn a hole through it. He sniffed it, and even rubbed his cheek against it. H-He’s a total weirdo!  

“Lagios, Cayenne, Beartolt, Tora-chan, you mustn’t look.”  

Saying that, I covered Lagios and Cayenne’s eyes with my hands. Beartolt covered its own eyes with both hands. Tora-chan shut its lid tightly. With this, Leonard’s dignity was preserved.  

With cautious hands, Brother Leonard slowly drew the sword. It gave off a faint glow, an incredibly beautiful blade. It was so pristine that it was hard to believe it had existed since ancient times.  

Oh, Brother Leonard is staring at the blade with a dreamy look. Ah, now he’s rubbing his cheek against it again. If he gets hurt, that’s on him.  

“Rufus, can I keep this?”  

“O-Of course. I can’t use swords, so it would just be wasted on me.”  

“Thank you, Rufus. You truly are my beloved little brother. And thank you too, Tora-chan.”  

“You’re welcome.”  

Even Tora-chan seemed a bit put off. It didn’t say, “Give it back.” Probably because hardly anyone would rub their cheek against a holy sword like that—except Leonard.  

After witnessing another one of Brother Leonard’s concerning quirks, we left the basement along with Tora-chan.  

Now we fully understood what lay beneath the castle. Another one of the Royal Castle’s Seven Mysteries had been solved. Though, in reality, there were way more than just seven mysteries in this place.  

“Brother Leonard, thank you for accompanying us on our castle exploration.”  

“No need to thank me. As your older brother, it was only natural. Just so you know, the treasure vault in the basement is a secret, okay?”  

“Understood. I’ll keep it a secret.”  

After parting ways with Brother Leonard, I returned to the Summoning Guild. When Selvus and Lala see our new companions, they’re going to be shocked.  

“We’re back!”  

“Pii-chan!”  

“Chun-chuun!”  

“Great job, both of you. Look, we brought new companions!”  

With a thud, I placed Tora-chan and the glowing Lightmoth, which I had been using for illumination, on the table.  

Come to think of it, I hadn’t decided on a name for this little one yet. Would it get mad if I named it Marimo? What should I do? But, well, it really does look like a marimo (a type of round green algae). Alright, I’ll name it *Marimo*.  

Maybe because I summoned it with the image of a marimo in mind, it didn’t speak. But when I placed it on the table, it started rolling around energetically. Well, it looks like it’s having fun, so that’s good.  

Selvus and Lala stared in silence at this bizarre scene.  

“Umm, this round one is a magical creature that serves as a light source. It’s called Lightmoth. I named it Marimo. And this one here is Tora-chan, the Trap Box.”  

“Pleased to meet you!”  

“Hii!”  

Lala shrieked as Tora-chan’s lid flapped open. But she managed to hold her ground and didn’t fall over in her chair. She’s grown a lot. As Guild Master, I’m proud of her.  

Next to her, Selvus was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. Was he in shock because his workload just increased? Maybe I should help him out a bit.  

“Selvus, if there’s too much work, I can help you out.”

“That’s not what I meant. I just realized that even non-living things can become magical creatures.”  

“Yeah, seems like it. Oh, but I wasn’t the one who originally summoned Tora-chan. It was someone else—probably one of my distant ancestors from long ago.”  

“What…?!”  

Should I look into who that person was? But if it turns out they’ve already passed away, Tora-chan might get sad. What should I do?  

Yeah, I should quietly ask Father later and see if he has any idea.  

No, maybe asking Brother Gilliam would be better. After all, he has the Scholar Skill. With his intellectual curiosity, he might even know a lot about the royal bloodline.  

“Lala, were you able to summon Bardon and Firebird?”  

“Yes! Thanks to the Guild Master’s guidance, I managed to summon a Bardon!”  

“Well done, Lala.”  

“Ehehe.”  

I wanted to pat her head, but I held back. She did great.  

The sketches on the table were probably drawn by Lala. But by looking at them, it didn’t seem like she had improved at all.  

“Alright then, let’s see your new power in action.”  

“Leave it to me! In the name of Lala, I command you—manifest, Bardon!”  

“Piiiii!”  

Light radiated from Lala’s body, and a Bardon appeared in the palm of her hand. Success!  

It looked exactly like the Bardon that Selvus had shown me before. But, there was one difference. For some reason, it was striking a side chest pose.  

……………Sorry, Lala. I should have told Pii-chan to pose normally.