I've Inherited the Summoning Skill, So I'm Going to Try to Master It! - Episode 26: In Other Words, It's Pandora’s Box

Episode 26: In Other Words, It’s Pandora’s Box  

His Majesty the King took a deep breath—*inhale, exhale*—and smoothed out the wrinkles between his brows. It seemed he was doing his best to calm his raging emotions. Well, that was understandable. He probably felt the most threatened right now.  

After all, Lagios had somehow grown to the size of Beartolt. That was intimidating.  

Amidst all this, the King forced a smile. Yeah… that was definitely a fake smile. I could tell.  

“Rufus, I just heard from Brother Leonard… Apparently, the sword he’s holding was taken out of that box?”  

“Yes, that’s right. This is Tora-chan, the Trap Box. It seems that a distant ancestor of ours possessed the same Summoning Skill as I do. They left it behind. Tora-chan is a magical creature created by that person.”  

“An ancestor with the same Summoning Skill as you, huh? I’ll have to look into that later. So… does this box contain any other similar weapons?”  

The King’s smile deepened. Ah, so this is what he really wanted to ask.  

Now that I thought about it, I had only asked Tora-chan to bring out the best sword available. I never actually asked what else was inside.  

“What do you think, Tora-chan? Are there any other amazing weapons in there?”  

“Amazing weapons? What exactly do you mean?”

Tora-chan tilted slightly, as if cocking its head in confusion. It was such a human-like gesture that I felt an odd sense of familiarity.  

From this, I deduced that Tora-chan didn’t really grasp the rarity of the items inside.  

What should I do? Should I just start listing off legendary weapons?  

“Uh… okay then, do you have the demon sword Durandal?”  

“Yes, I do.”

“The holy spear Gungnir?”  

“Yes, I do.”

“The cursed lance Longinus?”  

“Yes, I do.”

“You’ve got everything?!”  

I couldn’t help but shout in disbelief.  

Startled, I turned toward the King—he was holding his head in his hands. He looked just about ready to mutter “How did things end up like this?”  

And right beside him, Brother Leonard was staring at me with sparkling eyes.  

…You haven’t learned your lesson, have you, Brother Leonard? Do you realize that because of you, the King is in distress right now? No, you definitely don’t.  

Brother Leonard wasn’t exactly a musclehead. But when it came to swords, he turned into an entirely different person.  

“Rufus, would it be possible for you to write down a list of all the items inside Tora-chan?”  

“Uh… about that… Tora-chan, how many things do you have stored inside?”  

“A LOT!”

“I see. Your Majesty, that’s impossible!”  

With a big, bright smile, I declared my swift surrender.  

Because let’s be real—I have no idea how many items are in there. An endless inventory check would be absolute torture. It could take a whole month, for all I knew!  

“Why are you giving up so easily? Sigh… fine. Then Gilliam and Leonard will create a list of items they want checked. Based on that, you’ll confirm whether Tora-chan has them or not. That much should be manageable, yes?”  

“Wait, me too?!”  

“Leonard.”  

“…Yes. Understood.”  

And with that, Brother Leonard’s defeat was sealed.  

Even with his Sword Saint Skill, there was one insurmountable wall in his way—His Majesty the King.  

………Actually, our mother was probably another wall he could never overcome. I had no confidence in beating her, either.  

“Fine. Under those conditions, I accept.”  

There was only one choice here.  

If I refused, the King might summon Mother. And that was something I absolutely had to avoid.  

With the matter settled, His Majesty left the room. He dragged Brother Leonard with him.  

Brother Leonard was definitely going to get scolded after this. No—he was already being scolded. This was just round two.  

Good luck, Brother Leonard. You brought this upon yourself.  

“Well then, things have finally calmed down. Now, Selvus, Lala—let’s get you both started on summoning Lightmoth.”

“Prince Rufus, this is truly a wonderful offer. But first, I would like to complete the Magical Creatures Encyclopedia.”  

“Oh, right. That makes sense. Hmm… but I’d feel bad leaving all the work to you, Selvus. So I’ll help too. We can take turns. So you should practice summoning as well—hey, Selvus?!”  

Ahhh, Selvus was staring up at the ceiling. Tears were streaming down his face.  

Was this really such an emotional moment? It sure didn’t seem that way to me… Oh, and now Lala was getting teary-eyed too.  

Wait, what? Am I… like an idol to them or something?  

“Prince Rufus, I am deeply moved. I swear to follow you wherever you go!”  

“I feel the same as the Vice Guild Master!”  

“Ah… uh, thanks. I appreciate it. I really do. Now, let’s get to practicing. Lightmoth is easy to sketch, so I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time. While we’re at it, why not prepare some paints too?”  

After somehow calming the two of them down, I got them started on summoning Lightmoth.  

For the record, Balt, Ray, and even the servants in the room—who had been acting like background decorations—were also tearing up for some reason.  

What’s wrong with everyone?  

This is starting to feel like one of those stories where a delinquent student finally does something good… But I’ve always been a good kid, okay?