The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima

by Antony W. F. Chow

  The other hunters also dropped to their knees.

  "Very well. You may stay with us," Juliette decided. "But you will serve in a supportive role as our eyes and ears. Your men will not participate directly in the subjugation of the man-eaters. If you agree to perform this limited role, then you may follow us."

  "Yes, we will obey your instructions," Reiz agreed immediately.

  "Yes, Your Excellency!" the other hunters said aloud and saluted.

  The mother looked at her son, who nodded his approval to this arrangement. "We will rest here for an hour. Set up lookouts to guard our temporary camp here," she ordered.

  The leader bowed and quickly assigned three men to guard the perimeter.

  However, Bel and Gripper left camp and wandered off.

  The hunters were surprised that Luka would let his pets go out in the dangerous woods. But they realized Luka's companions possessed superior combat abilities. Therefore, these mighty animals could escape from dangerous beasts that would otherwise threaten the men.

  Luka closed his eyes and spent the next hour in quiet meditation. To his relief, the Grandlan Forest saturated with various elements. Hence, the mage recovered his mana in less than an hour. Nonetheless, he discovered, via his Spatial Sense, that the hunters also devoted this period to relaxation. Thus, he declined to break camp sooner.

  His mother spent the free time sharpening her blades with a whetstone while the hunters either rewound their bowstrings or napped.

  Before the hour ended, Bel and Gripper returned to the base. [I found three more clusters of man-eaters.] The familiar reported.

  "Why are there so many of them?" Luka blurted out ruefully.

  "What's wrong?" Juliette asked.

  "Bel said he found three more clusters of those monsters," the son revealed.

  The faces of the hunters turned pale when they overheard him. Some began to regret their bravado and refusal to return home.

  "We will serve our duty and follow you, young master," Reiz declared with a stoic expression.

  Luka nodded in appreciation because he saw the fear in their eyes, but they still stuck with him. "Lead us, Bel."

  The rabbit climbed on Gripper's head, and the two animals began to walk deeper into the woods.

  Luka followed behind them and used his Spatial Sense periodically to check his surroundings for monsters. Juliette walked to his right and Reiz to his left; the remaining hunters formed a parabola behind this trio to guard them.

  After a ten-minute walk, Gripper stopped, and Bel pointed at the carnivorous plants up ahead. However, the two animals were fifty feet away; they judged the vines couldn't cross this vast distance to entangle the scouts.

  Luka used his Spatial Sense to ascertain the locations of all the man-eaters. Then the mage took out his Staff of Alraune and summoned the divine spirit again. He borrowed her power to pull the plants out of the earth and cast Spatial Blade to cut their roots.

  Afterward, Luka and his companions looked around cautiously and checked for remnants of these plants. Once they wiped out this cluster of man-eaters, Luka took another hour break to regenerate his magic power.

  The party repeated this process twice more into the late afternoon.

  Bel and Gripper scouted ahead and returned at dusk. To the shock of the hunters, Gripper dragged the carcass of a giant bear! Moreover, the head resembled an owl!

  [We didn't found any more clusters. But this owlbear stupidly attacked us and received what it deserved.] Bel chuckled.

  "Dang! An owlbear is a B-class beast! How can these two kill it and not be injured? It's ridiculous!" someone said aloud.

  "The adage is true: appearances can be deceiving!"

  Gripper and Bel puffed up their chests proudly as they listened to the praise from the humans.

  Juliette examined the bear's body and discovered heavy bruises and contusions. Additionally, she noticed jaw displacement and skull fracture. Juliette used these injuries to reconstruct, in her mind, the battle between the owlbear and the rabbit and gorilla.

  The veteran fighter learned that the two relied on brute strength, coordination, and evasive movements to win this simulated battle. Consequently, her respect for the fighting prowess of Luka's pets grew. Juliette knew that their lives intertwined with her son, and these animals would protect Luka.

  The duchess decided to return home because she wished to display the owlbear's body as the fruit of today's successful hunt. If her subjects saw it, their confidence in the feudal lord would increase. Moreover, the farmers would become less reluctant to work on Luka's farm even though it was close to the Grandlan Forest.

  When Juliette ordered the hunters to carry the carcass, Luka intervened. "I could put it inside my dimensional storage while we journey through the woods. When we reach the edge of the forest, I will take it out and let the hunters carry the body back to the estate," he offered.

  "That's fine," she agreed. The mother realized how troublesome it would be for the men to carry the heavy owlbear through the woods. Doing so would delay their return and increase the danger of encountering wolves and other predators in the dark. Thus, the duchess accepted his proposal.

  The hunters breathed a sigh of relief because they, too, appreciated the difficulties of dragging the owlbear through the woodland. The young master's magical solution would reduce their travel time by at least a half. Their appreciation for Luka and his kindness increased even further than before.

  The farmers gathered along the road when they heard the news of the successful hunt. They marveled at the dead owlbear's size and applauded the hunters as the group walked past the bystanders.

  The men felt embarrassed for implicitly claiming credit, but Luka and Juliette didn't mind at all. Per the duchess' order, the hunters took the animal carcass to a local taxidermist for processing into a display.

  The nobles returned home, quickly washed up, and arrived at the dining hall for supper.

  Lord Evans entered and took customary his seat directly across from the young master. "I was wondering why you skipped today's lessons, Luka. Next time, please inform me of your change in plans to go hunting," he teased with a laugh.

  Luka bowed apologetically. "I didn't mean to skip your tutoring session, teacher. The hunters encountered some difficulties in the forest and required immediate assistance," he explained.

  Cloten waved his hand. "It's fine. I understand you have responsibilities as the heir of this duchy," he replied amicably. Suddenly, the nobleman clapped his hands. "But I do hope you will be around the mansion later this week. Sanjiv agreed to instruct you in staff fighting. He will arrive in two days," Cloten announced.

  "Thank you for your help!" Luka said and nodded appreciatively.

  "You're welcome. I'm afraid you'll be quite busy for the next few weeks. Be ready to work hard, young man!" the older man warned.

  "I will!" the young master replied enthusiastically.

  Bianna and Hanna entered the dining hall with rolling carts. They served a roasted chicken over carrots and potato to the aristocrats.

  Luka ate his meal and retired to bed early; he felt mental fatigue because the mage had used Divine Summons several times during his rescue of the hunters in Grandlan Forest.

  Juliette noticed his exhaustion and permitted the son to leave sooner than intended. Initially, the mother wished to discuss today's events in the woods privately. But seeing Luka's condition, she decided to table the topic for tomorrow.

  Hanna followed Luka to his room and helped him change into his pajamas. "Good night, young master." The maid blew out the lantern and gently closed the door to his bedroom.

  Chapter 43

  Farming & Investigating

  Luka awoke the next morning feeling much better. His headache vanished, and his mind seemed alert. He looked out the window and noticed that the sky was turning purple. In other words, Luka woke up too early. Nonetheless, he declined to return to bed and risk oversleeping.

  The teenager quietly change
d into his exercise clothes (after a mini-adventure searching for them in his large dressing room in the darkness) and washed his face. Then he cast Move in Shadow and silently traveled from shadow to shadow until Luka secretly exited the mansion.

  The young master stood on the front steps and admired the brightening sky. He took a deep breath of the flowery scent drifting from the gardens. Suddenly, the admirer of nature sensed a patrol coming toward his direction. The heir used magic to hide within the shadow and waited patiently as the group of four guards walked past him.

  Luka decided to visit the plot of land set aside for his use. Frankly, he missed working in the field with his foster mother, Ellaria. Also, Luka felt uncomfortable having servants' eyes watching him everywhere due to his position as heir of a duke's house. And while he liked Hanna and thought she was beautiful, he couldn't adjust to the personal maid seeing him naked while he bathed -- especially when Luka sensed her lust for his body.

  With these errant thoughts running through his mind, the mage teleported to his allotted field. Luka passed by the land yesterday when the hunting group returned from the Grandlan Forest. His mother requested a slight detour to show him the area and confirm his satisfaction with it.

  Luka took out his magic staff and tried to create a Wall of Earth for the first time. Unfortunately, his low proficiency in earth magic limited the mage's ability to form and shape the barrier. However, Luka stubbornly refused to give in to feelings of hopelessness and poured more of his mana into this task. After a half-hour, the young master created a knee-high, stone fence around his entire plot.

  The would-be farmer then rolled up his sleeves, cast a Light Ball for better illumination, and began to plow the field with a hand rake. Luka disregarded the dirt accumulating on his clothes and continued the laborious task until he softened a small portion of his land. Then the farmer retraced his steps and began to plant soybean seeds.

  After another hour of work, Luka reluctantly stood up and sighed. He needed to return to the mansion for his morning practice with his mother. But Luka only seeded five percent of his land this morning. He resolved to hire some farmers to take care of his field.

  The young master used Cleanse to clean himself and then teleported back to the manor. To his surprise, Juliette was already waiting for him.

  "Where did you go?" the mother asked in a stern voice.

  "I visited my plot of land," Luka answered honestly.

  "Why?"

  "I built a fence and started planting soybean seeds."

  Juliette's brows arched in astonishment. She didn't expect her son to perform the tasks of a farmer personally. Moreover, his clothing was too clean for that. Thus, the mother harbored some doubt as to whether he lied to her. "Take me there. I wish to inspect your work," she ordered.

  "Yes, mother." Luka reached out and lightly touched her shoulder with a finger. Then he teleported with her back to his field.

  The duchess immediately noticed the stone wall surrounding the land. She pointed at it and asked, "You made that this morning?"

  "Yes," her son nodded proudly. "I also plowed and seeded a portion of the field." Luka pointed at a particular section of his land where he worked.

  Juliette walked over to that area and crouched. She dug the dirt with her hands and examined the seed buried within. The mother confirmed it was a soybean seed.

  Luka watched as she audited his work. He felt disappointed that she didn't believe him and personally visited the farm to verify his claims.

  The mother noticed his facial expression and stood up. "My son, it's not that I doubted you. I was curious about your farming ability since I never asked anyone to teach you this profession. And I must admit I'm very impressed with your work so far," Juliette praised with a faint smile.

  Luka smiled happily. "Thank you, mother." He noticed her dirty hands and requested, "Please hold out your hands." Once she obeyed, the mage cast Cleanse.

  Juliette examined her fingers and was surprised again -- this time at her son's ease in using magic to enhance his daily living. Most mages used their magic sparingly because they preferred to save their precious mana for vital tasks. Luka, on the other hand, used his magic freely like water. But then again, she remembered that he possessed an enormous amount of mana. Thus, he could afford to cast his spells more frequently than others.

  The duchess pointed at the stone fence and asked, "How much mana did you spend on it?"

  Luka checked his status card and saw that he possessed 11,352 spiritual essence points currently. He plowed the field manually for an hour and automatically regenerated his magic during this period. Thus, Luka reached a rough estimate. "I used around 4,500 points," he answered.

  "Did you use Divine Summoning to make the barrier?"

  "No. I used earth magic."

  "But you have Rank 3 proficiency, right?"

  "Yes. If my skill level were higher, I would have made a stronger fence," Luka lamented and sighed.

  Juliette resisted her urge to facepalm. "You truly lack common sense, my son. Most mages cannot create such a large stone fence by themselves without relying on magic potions to recharge. But they may suffer side effects from over-reliance on such items. As a feudal lord, I would hire laborers to create the fence and then use an Earth mage to reinforce the barrier. That's why I said you lack common sense," she lectured.

  "I understand, mother," he replied.

  "Good! Your time is precious, and I don't want you to waste it on farming right now, especially when you should be studying for the Royal Academy entrance examination. I will ask James to hire farmers to work on this plot of land. You will pay the wages either in coinage or crop yield. And remember to give the head butler your soybean seeds for the farmers to use," she said.

  "But since we're here, I need to discuss those man-eaters we discovered in the Grandlan Forest. In all the years I've lived in our family estate, I never heard of man-eating plants appearing in practically our backyard. Since you studied under Alectos, I'm wondering if you encountered them before. And whether their sudden appearance in our woods seems strange to you."

  The son shook his head. "I've never come across them either. That said, I have to admit it's worrisome to find three clusters of these carnivorous plants appearing suddenly. Something might have occurred in the environment, and we need to explore further into the forest to test this theory," he answered.

  "Let's go!" Juliette ordered abruptly and started walking toward the fence. Her long legs stretched over the stone wall; she stepped into the edge of the Grandlan Forest.

  Luka followed behind her, and the pair journeyed through the woods in silence. The son felt awkward because this was the first time Luka was alone with his mother away from the servants.

  "What is it?" she asked without looking back.

  "I was wondering how you spent the past decade while I apprenticed under Alectos," he quickly made up an excuse.

  The woman stopped walking and slowly turned around. "I tried to keep up the good fight and maintain the Heavensfell family name," Juliette admitted with a sigh. "Even though I'm now the head of a duke's house, I sometimes feel like a pretender. Either because I'm a woman or my background as a commoner before my marriage. But seeing you grown taller and healthy made those burdens seem worthwhile now."

  "It's been hard on you, mother." When he tried to hug her, she backed away. Luka became heartbroken.

  "To maintain my purity as a valkyrie who rides a pegasus, I must avoid physical contact with the opposite sex," she reminded him.

  "I see," Luka replied with an uneven breath. He looked into her eyes and saw she felt hurt by this restriction as well. He didn't question why she wanted to become a valkyrie but assumed it was a hobby.

  "Let's move on," she urged and continued walking.

  The son activated his Spatial Sense to check his location. He felt surprised to find that his mother had accurately retraced their travel from yesterday through the forest without consulting a map. Luka assumed that she
possessed a mapping skill. The mage confirmed that the nearby area was free of dangerous beasts; he continued following along behind her.

  Soon, the duo arrived at the site of the first cluster of man-eating plants. Although their bodies had withered, the lower portion, such as the thick stalk and petals, remained on the ground.

  Luka drew closer to examine these parts. He poked at the stalk with his staff. Psst! Suddenly, a dark fluid squirted out and eroded the soil!

  "Be careful!" Juliette warned as she kicked him away from the wet spot on the ground. She quickly checked her son's body to confirm the acid missed him. "Why are you prodding the carcass?" she asked in an angry tone of voice.

  "I sensed something strange. The sap of plants shouldn't be blackish or corrosive. They remind me of something I came across during my apprenticeship. A swampland appeared and engulfed the woods with a dark miasma. The reason behind this change was a rift connected to the Nethervese."

  "When I squeezed out the sap just now, the fluid's smell and appearance reminded me of that corruption. There may be a small rift within the Grandlan Forest, and we must remove it ASAP!"

  The duchess frowned at his words because she didn't expect the situation to be so dire! "Should we go back and bring reinforcements?" Juliette suggested.

  The teenager shook his head. "Frankly, they would just get in the way," he commented.

  "Okay," she nodded. "I will serve as your vanguard. If we encounter too many monsters, we will teleport out of here."

  "Yes, mother," Luka agreed. He walked behind her as they journeyed more in-depth into the woods.

  Juliette led him to the site of the second cluster and then the third cluster.

  Luka spent time scrutinizing the bodies to check the amount of corruption within. Fortunately, the level was minute and hard to trace without checking the stalk portion of the plants.