Black Summoner – Chapter 261

Here is the English translation of the provided text.

***

—Gaun, Castle of the Divine Spirit Tree

The day of our return to Pars. As discussed before, we planned to come back through the Transfer Gate that leads to the Castle of the Divine Spirit Tree. In fact, we’re already standing by the gate. All that’s left is to complete the gate’s authentication and inject magic power.

“Um, are you sure it’s really okay? You don’t need us to inject magic power…”

“Mel and I will handle the magic power injection for the Transfer Gate, so don’t worry about it. We plan to keep it open for quite a while. …It’ll be tiring, right?”

“Certainly, we can only maintain the gate for a very brief period…”

The beastman Court Mages in charge of managing the Transfer Gate glanced at Jereol and Yujil. The Prince of Gaun and the others merely nodded in resignation. “Let them have their way,” they seemed to say.

Since we had applied to use the Transfer Gate to return to Gaun, it seemed that key figures from Gaun, such as Sabato, knew of our departure today. All the princes and princesses, except for Kilt, had gathered in the room, creating a rather elaborate farewell. However, they all had strained expressions. By the way, the Beast King was absent due to personal matters.

“Thank you for everything, Sabato. Come visit Pars sometime!”

“Ah, yes…”

“Goma, I know you must have had a tough time being pushed around by King Leon, but make sure to fight back with your fists! He seems to be absent, so please give him my regards in his stead.”

“R-right…”

“Still, it’s a shame we couldn’t meet Prince Kilt—”

“—Hey (Excuse me), why are you all in full battle gear?”

As we were exchanging farewells, Sabato and Goma spoke in unison, pointing out our attire. Yes, well, that observation was quite accurate.

“You’re not heading to a Dungeon now, are you? You’re just going straight to Pars, right?”

“And Sera is even in her Giant Arm state, which she showed in the semifinals…”

The siblings voiced their questions in unison. The reason was that we were all wearing combat gear instead of the casual clothes we’d worn for our trip. Each of us held our respective weapons, and Sera had even activated Demon Fist Crimson Battle Rage. Rion and Efil, among others, were also applying various enhancement magic to themselves. I might as well cloak my staff with the Great Wind Demon God Scythe while I’m at it.

“Why? As they say, the journey isn’t over until you get home, right? As S-Rank Adventurers, I believe we must embody that principle. You know, we never know when or where we might be ambushed.”

“I-is that really how it is, Goma?”

“Don’t ask me…”

I managed to brush it off with such a flimsy excuse. I knew it was a stretch to defend myself like that, but I worried that Sabato might actually believe me. Meanwhile, Jereol and Yujil were considerate enough not to cause a fuss. Although we had secretly requested permission to be armed, it was still within the castle grounds, so they had gone to considerable lengths for us. I truly felt sorry. However, ensuring everyone’s safety was our top priority.

“Alright, is everyone ready? We’ll open the gate soon.”

Once I confirmed that preparations were complete, Melphena and I stood before the Transfer Gate’s pedestal. It seemed that magic power could be supplied to the gate from this pedestal as well. The method was simple: place your Guild Card between it and flow magic power. I placed my Guild Card on the pedestal, then placed Melphena and my hands on top of it in a layered manner.

“It’s a joint effort, isn’t it?”

“Let’s aim for about 2000 MP each for now.”

“Your Majesty, it’s sad to be ignored…”

With an MP recovery potion in hand, what was funny about that? That was a joke, though I was slightly aware of it myself. While playfully exchanging thoughts via telepathy, I channeled magic power towards the pedestal with Pars in mind. The Guild Card then began to glow golden, and simultaneously, the Transfer Gate opened. Unlike before, the gate wasn’t writhing and swirling; the light seemed to be stably aligned along the gate’s edges. Good, it seemed the magic power was sufficient. After all, it was equivalent to four S-Rank spells. …Why are the Court Mages frozen? Oh well. With Mel, who was chugging an MP recovery potion, I gave the first order.

“First wave, Gerard, Kuro!”

” “First wave!?” ”

I could hear Sabato and the others shouting, but assessing the situation on the other side of the Transfer Gate was our priority. Gerard, the party’s shield, and Kuro, who had transformed into multiple small doppelgangers, would form a defensive line. Ange had said, “I don’t think it’ll be a problem, though,” but we had to do what we could. Our opponent was Riod, after all. And a tanuki.

“Well then, let us take the lead! Let’s go, Kuro!”

Led by Gerard, who wielded a greatsword and a greatshield, Kuro’s doppelgangers plunged into the Transfer Gate. Now, it was time for Sera and Melphena, I thought. But that was short-lived. Gerard emerged from the Transfer Gate’s portal and beckoned us with his hand. There was a sense of anticlimax about it.

“Your Majesty, the situation is not as we expected…”

“…Alright, let’s go back!”

“See, I told you it would be fine.”

Apparently, there were no ambushes or traps. That was for the best! After exchanging final greetings with everyone from Gaun, we passed through the Transfer Gate.

“What was that all about…”

“Just like Father, I don’t understand what S-Rank Adventurers are thinking…”

Right before we left, I felt like I heard something rude.

***

—Pars Adventurer Guild, Underground

The person waiting beyond Gaun’s Transfer Gate was an unexpected one.

“Welcome back, Kelvin.”

“Mist?”

Stepping back from the pedestal on this side, we were greeted by Mist, the Guild Master of the Traage Adventurer Guild. The Transfer Gate required authentication from both directions, and Mist seemed to have approved our passage from the Pars side.

“I’m so sorry. I’m sure it was surprising to have someone like me greet you so suddenly. …Though I was quite surprised myself.”

Mist wiped away beads of sweat with a handkerchief. It’s no wonder she was surprised if a Demon King’s armor and a slime cheerfully came bursting out of the Transfer Gate.

“We ended up in an awkward atmosphere right after stepping through the gate, didn’t we…”

“No, it was my fault this time.”

I hadn’t expected Mist to be here. I thought it would just be some Guild staff. …Then again, her colleagues might be surprised to see Ange’s collar. Yes, I should have her wear a scarf for now. It’s too early to create a full-blown crisis.

“My apologies. We’re still caught up in the excitement of our travels—”

While continuing to speak, I discreetly searched for any presences.

“Sera, how is it?”

“I don’t detect any presences that match. The town is completely peaceful.”

Sera agrees. Riod must indeed be absent. There were no such presences nearby or anywhere in town. Is he still hiding somewhere on the Western Continent?

“Was that so… It’s not really a place to chat standing around like this, so shall we go to my private room? There’s something I’d like to discuss.”