Black Summoner – Chapter 665

After finishing their academic performance showcase, Rion and the others decided to have a meal together at the cafeteria as is. (Charles, who had been knocked out, was taken to the infirmary, and those who had been trying to recruit Bel had disbanded.) Although they lived in different dormitories, Rion came up with the idea to deepen their friendships as fellow new students.

“Oh, so you’re from Delamis’s Refill Orphanage, Graham? Older Kel, my older brother, mentioned he’d been there with Colette once,” Rion said.

“Hoho, what serendipity—or rather, it’s not surprising. Lord Kelvin, the ‘Grim Reaper,’ and the shrine maiden of Delamis had quite the… buzz about them at the orphanage. So it’s only natural that you two came together,” Graham replied.

“B-buzz!?”

“Indeed. When the shrine maiden, who had never shown any ambition before, brought a man with such a resolute face, it was only natural for the sisters and children at the orphanage to gossip. I graduated from the orphanage about a year ago, but when I visited home, I heard the story countless times. Now, there’s no one at the orphanage who doesn’t know about the Grim Reaper and the shrine maiden’s relationship.”

“I-is it really that talked about…”

It seemed that for those at the orphanage who had a long-standing relationship with Colette, her bringing a man had been quite a shock. More than that, the rumors weren’t wrong in the slightest, so there was no need to correct them. Bel scoffed, muttering, “Disgusting.”

“Hahaha, well, some of the children were in love with the shrine maiden, so the rumors spread quickly. However, her partner was an S-Rank Adventurer, so they’ve all given up now and are looking for new love. Though, I personally wished they hadn’t given up and had aimed for even greater heights… but that’s youth for you!”

Graham concluded with a heartwarming story. Meanwhile, several people gathered there, thinking inwardly that giving up on that love was perhaps the right decision, recalling Colette’s trip-induced expression.

“Come on, what are you saying~? Weren’t you in love with the shrine maiden too, Gucchi~? Come on, tell us the truth, tell us~!”

“That’s not it. I’m devoted to Sister Attra.”

“Attra? Huh, I don’t know who that is, but Gucchi isn’t blushing at all. You’ve really made up your mind~”

“I appreciate that~”

Graham extended his words to match Rami’s. He seemed surprisingly good at going along with it.

“Oh, then does that mean Graham, you know Ellen too?”

“Know her? Sister Ellen is the mother of the orphanage, meaning she’s my mother. As Rion-dono probably knows, Mother went missing for a while for various reasons. So, Ronoa-nee-san and Ashley-nee-san—or rather, in adventurer terms, Sister Silvia, the ‘Ice Princess,’ and Sister Emma, the ‘Flame Princess’—found her. Well, I had been searching for her all over the world, but the elder sisters beat me to it. However, it’s not like it ended badly. I am satisfied.”

It seemed that, just as Silvia and Emma had left Trisen to search for Ellen, Graham had also been searching for her independently. Judging by his grades, Graham’s athletic ability was second only to Rion’s. He must possess that much skill. Like Edward, who was involved in politics in the Lizea Empire, people from that orphanage might be quite influential.

“Psst psst… (Um, excuse me, Kuromel… You’ve been mentioning names of dignitaries from great nations and famous adventurers one after another….)”

“Psst psst? (Huh? Um, are you talking about Papa and them? Papa is Papa, and Colette-san and Silvia-san are friends, right?)”

“Psst!?! (Papa and themmmm!?!).”

Dorothy skillfully engaged in whispered conversations. Was this a skill gained from achieving a perfect score of 50 in all subjects?

“Mother is an eccentric person. When I was a child, I was often disciplined along with my elder sisters.”

“Hahaha, that sounds like so much fun.”

“Indeed, it was very fun. When I went home after receiving the news of her discovery, I felt like I had returned to my childhood days, which was unlike me. But that wasn’t the truly surprising part. At that time, there was someone even more formidable than Mother at the orphanage, someone who possessed an otherworldly strength. I challenged them to a match as a game, but even when my elder sisters and I teamed up, we were no match. Oh my, I thought I had gained considerable strength by traveling the world, but it seems I was just a frog in a well.”

“Ah…”

Again, several people gathered there thought of a certain black-haired strongest hero. It made sense that he was at the orphanage, being associated with Ellen. Even for Rion and Bel, defeating that hero would be extremely difficult—rather, it was a miracle they managed to win in their decisive battle. Even if Graham teamed up with Silvia and the others, it would be difficult to win without sealing his unique skill.

“Well, that shocking experience motivated me to hone myself anew. That’s a major reason why I decided to attend this academy. Fortunately, I had been taught academics by Edward-ni-san, so the exams themselves were no problem at all. As for the financial support and recommendation I lacked, I sought connections and found myself at Tsubaki-dono’s in Trisen.”

“Wow, Tsubaki-sama is so generous!”

“Indeed. She even offered me a job after graduation, saying I could serve Trisen then. I heard my elder sisters are also working at Trisen now. Hehe, to think I’ll be standing shoulder-to-shoulder with my elder sisters again… Such favorable terms wouldn’t be found anywhere else!”

“Ah, ah…”

In essence, it was a characteristic, forceful recruitment by Tsubaki, who prioritized talent.

“By the way, I heard that Rami-dono received a recommendation from Lord Leonhart, the Beast King of Gaun. What were your thoughts on coming to this Academy City? Lord Leonhart is known to be cunning despite being a beastman. Is there perhaps a deeper reason?”

“Me? No, I was just bored, I guess~? Ri-chan was taking the entrance exam for Lumiest, and I happened to hear about it from my friend Sarah-cchi. I thought, ‘What’s this, academy life sounds totally my style,’ so I went to Leo-chan’s place and asked. That’s how I got the okay.”

It was an utterly hollow reason.

“Wow, the Beast King is kind too!”

“Yeah, he was super understanding~”

Kuromel and Rami chatted cheerfully.

(The Beast King himself!? Is that really possible? He doesn’t seem to be asking for anything in return from Rei-chan… This is suspicious, definitely suspicious…!)

Meanwhile, Rion, who had prior experience receiving personal guidance from Leonhart, pondered whether there was something behind his goodwill.

In reality, the Beast King had calculated that if Gaun and Lumiest maintained a strong relationship, he could recoup more than the entrance fees by holding festivals, opening stores in his own country, and promoting them. Currently, Gaun’s food stalls were also set up at a banquet being held in the suburbs of Lumiest.

“…Rion, Graham, and you too, Rami. Can I have a moment?”

Amidst the lively conversation, Bel suddenly called out to the three of them.

“Hm?”

“What is it, Beru-chan?”

“Why am I only “tsetu-de”?”

“Tsetu-de is tsetu-de. Come to the academy courtyard tonight at midnight.”

“““The academy courtyard?”””

“Yes, there’s a large monument, so you’ll find it easily. Escape your dorms somehow. Of course, you cannot refuse, okay?”

Seeing Bel’s smile, the three of them tilted their heads in unison.