I've Inherited the Summoning Skill, So I'm Going to Try to Master It! - Episode 8: In Other Words, His Majesty the King Buried His Head in His Hands Again
Episode 8: In Other Words, His Majesty the King Buried His Head in His Hands Again
Guided by the royal knights in the office, I sat on the leather sofa in the center of the room. It was a dark brown, glossy, and obviously expensive piece of furniture. I needed to make sure Lagios didn’t scratch it with its claws.
I held Lagios in my arms and placed it on my lap. Pii-chan was perched on my left shoulder. I was now fully prepared for anything.
Sitting on the sofa opposite me, His Majesty the King alternated his gaze between me and Lagios. He was seemingly unable to accept the reality before him.
“Rufus, what in the world happened?”
“Your Majesty, this is Lagios, the Red-Eyed White Feather Dragon I summoned using my Summoning Skill. And on my shoulder is a Bardon, whom I’ve named Pii-chan. When I first summoned Lagios, it was too large and almost destroyed the Summoning Guild’s room. So I had it shrink down for now. Lagios, Pii-chan, introduce yourselves to His Majesty.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master’s father. I am Lagios, Master’s guardian. Please make my acquaintance. Rest assured, if you pose a threat to Master, I will show no mercy.’
“Pii-chan! Reporting for duty!”
“That’s… a lot of information at once!”
My father buried his head in his hands again. He was clearly overwhelmed. Well, I had no choice but to wait for him to calm down. So I sipped the tea brought out by the servants.
After a while, Father slowly raised his head.
“Rufus, can you explain everything from the beginning? And please, make it clear to Lagios that I mean no harm.”
“Understood. Lagios, don’t attack my father unless I order you to, okay?”
“That’s not what I meant!”
As Father buried his head in his hands again, I recounted everything that had happened at the Summoning Guild in detail. I didn’t want to sour my relationship with him—after all, until I turned fifteen and reached adulthood in this world, I was under his protection.
“I see……… I understand now. I was considering appointing Selvus as the Vice Guild Master. But I never imagined something like this would happen from your first use of the Summoning Skill.”
“That’s because Selvus is such a good teacher.”
When I smiled and said that, Father gave me a look—those sharp, skeptical eyes that seemed to trust no one. As expected of His Majesty the King, his ability to discern people’s true nature was impeccable.
Still, there was no evidence to refute what I said. So he couldn’t argue further.
“What kind of teaching could lead to this outcome?”
“I was told that visualizing the image in my mind was important, so I simply followed the instructions.”
“And that led to summoning a dragon?”
“Yes. I won’t deny I got a little carried away.”
“A little?”
Father shot me a sharp glare. Before I could respond, Lagios glared back at him. And Father looked away. Complete victory. Wow, Lagios is strong.
Father let out a deep sigh.
“What’s done is done. Make sure to prepare a proper report about this. It’s valuable information about Summoning Skills.”
“Understood. I’ll have a report prepared soon.”
Of course, Selvus would be the one writing it, not me. But I had no intention of saying that aloud—Father would just glare at me again.
After going over some additional confirmations, I was officially cleared of any wrongdoing. Naturally, I also got permission to keep Lagios and Pii-chan.
Finally, my dream of owning fluffy pets has come true! When I first learned there was no tradition of keeping pets in this world, I had nearly collapsed in despair. But through Summoning Skills, I’d found another way.
“I should show Lagios and Pii-chan to my room. But it’s a bit far from here… Oh! I can just ride Lagios. Lagios, can you grow a bit bigger?”
“Hmm, how about this?”’
With a rumbling sound, Lagios grew to twice its current size. Amazing! Now I could ride on its back like the legendary hero Kintaro.
(Note:
Here’s a short story about Kintaro in Japanese folklore:
Long ago, deep within the rugged forests of Mount Ashigara. There lived a remarkable child named Kintarō. His origins were mysterious—some said he was the son of a noblewoman exiled from the capital, while others whispered that his father was the Thunder God. Whatever the truth, Kintarō’s early years were spent far from human civilization. He was raised by the creatures of the wild and a kind yamauba, or mountain witch.
Even as a child, Kintarō was unlike any other. His skin glowed with a healthy red hue, and his strength was extraordinary. He wore a simple red bib adorned with the character for “gold” (金). It was a sign of his destiny to achieve greatness. Armed with his trusty axe, Kintarō roamed the mountains, wrestling bears, uprooting trees, and splitting massive boulders as if they were nothing. The animals of the forest adored him. Monkeys, deer, and even a great bear became his companions,. And Kintarō, in turn, treated them as his equals.
Despite his carefree days in the mountains, Kintarō’s life was not without challenges. When monsters and oni terrorized the region, he stood firm as the forest’s protector. With his incredible strength and cleverness, he defeated these fearsome foes, earning the admiration of both humans and animals. Word of the boy with unmatched power spread far and wide. It eventually reached the ears of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, a legendary samurai lord.
Yorimitsu sought out the boy. He was intrigued by the tales of his might. When he found Kintarō, wrestling a bear for fun, he was awestruck. “You have the strength of a hundred men and the heart of a true warrior,” Yorimitsu declared. He invited Kintarō to join his service. He promised him a life of adventure and honor.
Eager to prove himself, Kintarō left the mountains behind. Under Yorimitsu’s guidance, he took on the name Sakata no Kintoki and trained as a samurai. In time, he became one of Yorimitsu’s Four Heavenly Kings, a group of elite warriors tasked with protecting the land. Kintarō’s strength, courage, and bond with nature served him well as he fought alongside his companions against great evils.
Though Kintarō’s days of roaming the mountains had ended, his legend only grew. Stories of the boy who befriended animals and defeated monsters became tales told to children across Japan. To this day, his likeness is celebrated during Children’s Day. It’s a reminder of the strength, bravery, and harmony with nature that Kintarō embodied.
Thus, the wild child of Mount Ashigara became a hero, his name forever etched in the annals of Japanese folklore.
Images of Kintaro Riding a Koi
)
Climbing onto Lagios’ back, I grabbed its fur. Which felt as luxurious as the finest down. Honestly, it was heavenly. Hugging it to steady myself might be an even better idea.
“All right, let’s go! Head straight ahead first!”
“Is flying not allowed?”
“No, flying might surprise everyone. Let’s just run down the hallway.”
Wait, is running in the hallway a bad idea too? Just as I was pondering that, Lagios suddenly surged forward. It sprinted down the hall. Whoa, fast! My grip on its fur instinctively tightened. This speed was dangerous—if we collided with someone, it would be catastrophic.
“L-Lagios, stop! Stop, Lagios!”
Lagios responded to my command. It came to an abrupt halt. My body nearly flew forward. But I managed to cling to its neck, narrowly avoiding a tumble.
That was close. Without this fluff, I’d have been a goner. From now on, I’ll make sure to instruct it to slow down gradually when stopping. Lagios might be less flexible in following instructions than I thought.
I barely had a moment to relax before realizing the commotion we’d caused in the hallway. People were staring, and the atmosphere was buzzing. This wasn’t good. If Mother found out about this blunder, I’d be in serious trouble. She’s particularly strict about proper manners. Please, don’t let her find me.
But alas, it seemed my prayers didn’t reach the gods.
“Rufus, what is all this commotion?”
“Eek, Mother!”
“What’s with that reaction? Stop looking at me like I’m some kind of ogre.”