The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima

by Antony W. F. Chow

  "I won't," he promised.

  "Show me the Staff of Alraune," Juliette demanded.

  The son took the unique relic out of his dimensional storage and placed it on the table.

  When she tried to pick it up, its weight suddenly became 100x heavier! The duchess released it and drew closer to examine it visually. "Did Alectos give it to you?" she inquired.

  Luka shook his head. "I got it from the spirit of a Tree of Life when I stayed in an elven village," he answered.

  Juliette lost her blank expression for a moment as surprise crossed her face. Due to the Religious Wars, the elves fled the main continent. Thus, she wasn't aware of any hidden elvish settlements, especially since the Divine Church of Light captured and enslaved the elves. The woman resisted rubbing her temples. "Luka, please tell me in chronological order what happened during your ten-year apprenticeship," Juliette requested politely.

  "Yes, mother," the son nodded. "I spent the first seven years or so inside my teacher's private plane -- the magic realm. That place contains mana from all elements, and this helps me recover my spent magical power faster. Alectos gave me a choice to study either elemental magic or non-elemental magic. I chose to become a High Mage because I thought it suited me better."

  "I spent the first five years learning and practicing spatial magic. It took me that long to study it because our human mind isn't suitable to learn this form of magic. I encountered many difficulties understanding the secret of space," he recalled.

  [I helped you a lot!] Bel exclaimed excitedly.

  "Yes, my familiar helped me. Once I understood the concept of space, I began to study its applications until Alectos returned and taught me light magic. After I reached middling proficiency, he returned and helped me practice Divine Summoning. I gained two summon slots from my magical training, and Alectos brought several divine spirits for me to pick from."

  "Wasn't it dangerous?" the mother asked with concern. She recalled the first time Luka activated his Divine Summoning ability. His hair turned white because he inadvertently spent a portion of his life in a dark ritual to fuel the summons.

  The son shook his head. "Not at all, mother. My teacher poured his divine essence into my body to help maintain those summons. Tes and Stowne aren't particularly friendly, but Alectos convinced them to show me some of their powers. Tes reigns over Lightning while Stowne controls Stone."

  "Afterward, my teacher sent me to the Dark Catacombs to gain field experience. It's an old dungeon in a hidden plane. While exploring the place, I accidentally entered the shadow realm. But that place was infested with shadow monsters. Bel bought time for me to divine summon Tes and use his power to wipe them out. Then I finished off the remnants with a high-tier offensive light spell."

  Bel made guts pose and flexed his bicep.

  "We entered a castle and discovered remains of horrendous experiments in the basement. The previous owner used sacrificial magic to summon abyssal creatures, and we fought them using light magic again. Now, I'm the owner of a demi-plane, and I use it to practice magic, swordsmanship, and archery."

  The duchess pointed at the Staff of Alraune still laying on the table. "Explain how you got it," she demanded.

  "Yes, I'm getting to that part, mother. My teacher eventually appeared and pulled me back into his private plane. He tested my proficiency in magic and then gave me another assignment: to stay in a village for two years and learn 'common sense.'"

  "Alectos wanted you to learn 'common sense,'" Juliette repeated his words incredulously. She shook her head. "I suppose mere mortals can't understand gods," she remarked.

  Luka shrugged. Although he was supposed to be Alectos's disciple, he didn't spend a lot of time with his teacher. Thus, Luka never understood the deity either. "I went to Langerlan village where all the residents were elves," he stated.

  "How did they react to your arrival as a human?" she interrupted immediately.

  He smiled faintly. "It was a mixed reception. Alectos brought me there, declared that I was his disciple, and asked the village chief to let me stay for two years. Since Alectos was their patron deity, the villagers must obey his command. That said, a large group of residents hated me because of my race as a human. I ended up fighting one of them over a minor accident, and it went downhill from there," Luka recalled.

  "The village split into three factions: militant, conciliatory, and neutral. The militants served in the Religious Wars, and they harbored deep hatred towards me. I lived with a widow who lost her son, and she became my foster mother during my stay in Langerlan. She cooked my meals, and I worked in the field as her coworker. That's how I increased my Farming skill."

  "When the Harvest Festival came up, the supervisor enlisted me to develop a new food product. Since soybeans were their main diet, I came up with tofu pudding. Here's a sample," Luka said and took out a container from his dimensional storage.

  Juliette accepted the box and opened the lid. She sniffed at it, replaced the cover, and left the product on the table. "I don't like to eat sweet stuff," she lamented stiffly.

  "There's also a salty version. I'll make some for you later," Luka promised. "In addition to developing the pudding, I also participated in the youth division archery competition and won. Afterward, I joined the hunters and briefly became their apprentice."

  "We encountered Thallian gorillas in the forest and discovered a miasma which forced them out of their home and rapidly turned the pristine forest into swampland. Using my spatial magic, I discovered the source was a rift connecting to the Netherverse. I closed the hole and dispersed the miasma with spatial and light magic."

  "The elves believed that I saved their village and became their Benefactor. As a reward, I asked and gained permission to visit the Ancestral Tombs because I never went there before. It turns out that a Life Tree lived there, and it's the holiest site within the entire village."

  "Somehow, I gained the trust and affection of Ptelea, the tree spirit, after I used my spatial magic to get rid of the pests eating up her roots. Later on, Princess Kaylessa of the Delfrir royal family came to Langerlan to study my interactions with Ptelea, and she gave me the Honorary Elf certificate." Luka took out the document from his spatial storage and showed it to his mother.

  "Unfortunately, the tree spirit had the mentality of a young child. She convinced Gripper to steal a pot of honey syrup from the factory and pour the liquid down an anthill hole. The giant ants followed the dripping honey back to Langerlan and attacked the village. I received the Staff of Alraune and gained a new divine summon through this relic. Alraune lent her power and killed the remaining invaders that the elves couldn't finish off."

  "Alectos appeared afterward and pulled me back into his private plane. He taught me time magic, and I spent about eight months practicing it before my apprenticeship ended. For whatever reason, he sent me to the water fountain at the public square in Erz City."

  "I saw my dad's statue and met Lord Cloten Evans, who happened to walk past me. He invited me to his home for lunch, and his butler contacted you to arrange for a carriage to take me home." Luka took a deep breath when he finally finished explaining the past ten years in his life.

  Juliette also felt exhausted and rubbed her temples. When she agreed to let Alectos take her son as an apprentice in magic, Juliette never expected Luka to experience many dangerous encounters. She felt frustrated at the God of Magic for his cavalier attitude towards her son's safety.

  That said, Juliette couldn't argue with the result of Luka's unorthodox training. His status report revealed extensive growth in skills and abilities. Moreover, Luka's mana pool had tripled since his Ceremony of Blessings; this meant he could utilize the Divine Summon ability without risking his life. In her eyes, this was the best possible outcome from the magical apprenticeship. But now, she needed to figure out how to prepare her son for the future, especially with meddling from other noble families.

  "What do you think of Lord Evans?" Juliette asked suddenly.

 
Luka tilted his head for a moment. "He seems like a nice person. He's very loyal to father," the child shared his impression.

  The duchess nodded in agreement. "Yes, he was. I don't know what stories the lord told you, but he tutored your dad at the Royal Academy. I'm planning to enroll you in that school and retain Lord Evans as your tutor."

  "You were away for many years to study magic; therefore, you didn't receive the necessary preparation for school. I can write a recommendation to get you admitted into the academy, but you'll have trouble keeping up with the academic work. Lord Evans can help fill the gap in your knowledge and get you up to speed."

  "Also, I want him to teach you administration to prepare you to become a feudal lord. He has plenty of administrative experience as a former Earl and served several years as the kingdom's Interior Minister. Lord Evans has a great teaching ability to pass on his knowledge to you," Juliette shared her thinking. "What do you think of this idea?"

  Luka nodded enthusiastically. "If you can convince Lord Evans to become my tutor, that would be wonderful," he praised.

  Juliette clapped her hands. "Great! I will request his services and arrange for you to enroll at the Royal Academy. Okay, we spent too much time here in this treasury. Let's return to the parlor room."

  "Yes, mother."

  Chapter 38

  Future Plans

  When Juliette and Luka entered the underground corridor, the duchess stopped walking. She turned to face the continuing passageway. "That is an escape tunnel leading to a shed in the grape vineyard," she mentioned. "This was built by an ancestor to escape from a peasant rebellion."

  The woman then entered the remaining corridor and walked until she reached a door. "That is a teleportation room which connects to all sections of this manor. But the silver key is used to activate the magic square," Juliette explained. She opened the door.

  When Luka peered inside, he saw a small chamber some five feet in length and width with an innocuous-looking square at its center. A crystal orb floated just outside the boundary. The visitor squinted and noticed a keyhole inside the ball.

  Juliette inserted her key and stated aloud, "Parlor room!" She quickly stepped into the square and pulled her son along. His companions stepped inside as well.

  The magical orb emitted an azure light, and the people inside the square disappeared. The next instant, they stood in the middle of the parlor room!

  The duchess released Luka's arm. "The teleportation room is a convenient magic tool, but it works only within the mansion," she emphasized again. Juliette looked at her son and remembered his status card. "But given that you mastered spatial magic, it's a cinch for you to teleport anywhere you visited," she remarked with a tinge of jealousy.

  "Huh? I haven't mastered it," he quickly denied.

  The mother stared at him with exasperation. "You mean to tell me that the great God of Magic never bothered to explain the significance of magic rankings?

  Luka shook his head.

  Juliette rolled her eyes at the instructor's neglect. "All skills and abilities are ranked 'I' through 'X,' with I being the lowest and X the highest. Since your status card indicates spatial magic at '(X),' that means you mastered it," she explained. "But that's only half the consideration. Even though you possess magical proficiency, you might lack the magical power to successfully cast a top-tier spell. If that happens, your body will automatically offer something else to supplement the missing ingredient: your life essence."

  "When you first activated your Divine Summoning a decade ago, your mana pool was insufficient to power the summoning. Thus, the spell invoked a dark ritual to drain your lifeforce," Juliette recalled with a grim expression.

  "Right now, you possess 12,000 mana. Frankly, this amount is insane and beyond the limit of humans. I'm confident that you could use Divine Summoning without risking your life if you avoid using this power in rapid succession. So, think of it as your trump card and something to save for a life-and-death scenario rather than the first thing you use," Juliette cautioned.

  "Yes, mother," Luka nodded.

  Juliette rang a bell.

  A middle-aged maid answered her summon immediately with a bow.

  "Bianna, take my son back to his room to freshen up and rest. I will be working in the study room in the meantime. Call us when supper is ready," the duchess commanded.

  "Yes, Your Excellency," the servant curtsied. She turned toward Luka and said, "Please come with me, young master." Bianna led Luka and his pets up the staircase and entered the upper floor of the mansion. The maid turned left and stopped at the first door. "This is your room. Would you like to take a bath?" she inquired.

  "No, I would rather take a nap now," he answered.

  "Very well, young master. We prepared your bedroom already. If the clothing doesn't fit you, please let us know. I will ask the seamstress to make the necessary adjustments." Bianna opened the door, entered, and waited.

  Once Luka and his companions stepped inside, she closed it behind him. "Should I open the window or curtain?" the servant asked.

  Luka looked around the bedroom and felt nostalgic because he hadn't been here for a decade. But the maids kept everything the way he liked it: a shelf full of books and curtains pulled aside to allow natural light to illuminate the room. Also, his favorite step chair stayed before the windowsill.

  The teenager sat down and leaned his head against the window. He felt the warmth of the sunlight shining on his skin. "You may go," he ordered. Luka closed his eyes and took a nap under the warm sun.

  Bianna curtsied and quietly exited his room.

  As Juliette read documents on her desk and stamped her approval, someone knocked on the door. "Come in," she said.

  An older man dressed in a black-and-white butler uniform entered the room.

  The duchess glanced at her visitor and asked in a softer tone of voice, "What is it, James?" James Sample was the longest-serving employee in the Heavensfell household. He was the third son of a baron family within the duchy, and his grades were the third-best for a civil service examination. Tsunka's father, Artem, initially hired James as an accountant, who eventually worked his way up to become Tsunka's head steward and confidant.

  When Juliette's husband died, many employees left the household because they lacked confidence in her headship over the Heavensfell duchy. Surprisingly, James chose to stay and work for Juliette out of professed loyalty to Tsunka.

  "I heard that young master Luka returned from his apprenticeship. But you sneak attacked him immediately. Why?" the head butler asked in a disapproving tone of voice.

  Juliette looked directly at him. "You think I should have hugged and spoiled him like a baby?" she snorted. "Luka is now fifteen years old. He's an adult and, eventually, the Duke of Heavensfell. I realize Luka wanted to hug me. But if I allow that, then my skin would break out in hives."

  James frowned at this harsh condition to avoid male contact. Juliette must maintain her purity to keep her status as a valkyrie and a pegasus rider.

  The duchess understood his concern and shook her head. "Mira is my second child, and I won't abandon her by dropping out of the valkyrie squadron."

  James felt sad for Luka because Juliette was using her pegasus as a replacement for her son. But if the mother remained distant from Luka, then their cold relationship would not mend.

  "Is there anything else?" the duchess asked.

  "No, Excellency. I apologize for disturbing you." The butler bowed and quietly left her study.

  Once the old servant was gone, Juliette stood up and looked out the window. "Did I make the right choice in pushing our son away, Tsunka?" she wondered aloud.

  A decade ago, Juliette involuntarily absorbed Glacius's divine mana to resist being frozen by his power. Consequently, her magic turned rampant, and Pope Demetrius sealed her mana to save her life.

  The two agreed to have Juliette join the pegasus squadron to hide her devastating disability. But maintaining her eligibility as a valkyrie also r
equired the woman to avoid male contact. Thus, it was perilous for Juliette to hug her son.

  However, James's strong disapproval of her cold treatment of Luka made the mother feel very guilty. She took out a pencil portrait from her desk drawer and stared at the artistic depiction of Luka as a baby in her arms.

  A few hours passed, and the family gathered again for a quiet meal. The chef added a small strawberry cheesecake to celebrate the reunion of mother and son. However, the two shared a similar trait: little interest in sweets. Thus, they shared one thin slice of dessert while Bel and Gripper received two big pieces each.

  Juliette then ordered James to split the leftover cake amongst the house staff before it spoiled. After dinner, the mother told the maids to prepare a hot bath for Luka. "Sleep early and prepare for morning exercises," she reminded the son before he left the dining room.

  "Yes, mother. Good night," Luka replied with a bow and obediently followed Bianna upstairs. With the servant's assistance, he undressed and took a long bath with his pets. When Luka got out of the tub, the young master noticed that the servant had left pajamas. He tried it on and appreciated the cool sensation of silk fabric against his hot skin. Somehow, the garments fit his body perfectly.

  The young master sat in his favorite chair again, closed his eyes, and thought about his experience this eventful day of his homecoming.

  Bel suddenly spoke up and interrupted Luka's reverie. [What are your plans? Or better yet, what is your goal in life?] The familiar asked.

  The teenager opened his eyes. "I told you before. I want to protect my mother," he answered.

  The rabbit's ears perked up. [Why are you so hung up on Juliette? It's not natural, kiddo!]

  "Altima transferred me to this world because my soul happens to be compatible with the Divine Summoning bloodline. In exchange, I retained memories of my past life," Luka explained.

  "I didn't have a mother back on Earth. She passed away while giving birth to me. So when I was reborn in this world, you can imagine how thrilled I was to have a new mother. Unfortunately, she became a widow; I could see how much she struggled to govern the Heavensfell Dukedom and keep her aristocratic pride. I want to grow up quickly and lessen her burden. I also want to become a son that my mother would be proud of."