I Became the Youngest Summoner in the Strongest Guild

31. Arcana Online

When I logged in early in the morning, Yong-yong welcomed me, but half of his face was gone!?

"What happened!?"
"Kyuuung."
"What do you mean by that!?"

He says he used some power for my sake, and eats the magic stone I took out with a gaunt face, but how should I put it... it's pitiful?

After Yong-yong finished eating, I hugged him. With Ernia gone, now is our chance to escape.

According to Yong-yong, the mark has been erased, so she shouldn't be able to chase us anymore, right?

I took out a «Teleport Scroll» from my inventory and used it immediately. With a bright light, we arrived in front of the guild headquarters in the commercial city of Thalassa.

When I opened the door and entered, the guild members looked at me with surprised eyes.

The stalker, no, Sasha unni, grabbed my shoulders and checked my body condition, looking at me with worried eyes.

"Where have you been all this time!? We were worried because we couldn't contact you!"
"Ahaha... I'm sorry. I was kidnapped by Ernia and just escaped now."
"Ernia...? Who's that?"

At that moment, Rea unni dropped the cup she was holding.

"Dragon King Ernia..."

*

*

*

Feeling magical power, I entered the room, but Yuna was nowhere to be found and only a neatly made bed was visible.

"She escaped."
"That's a shame. I wanted to greet her..."
"There will be another chance next time. Our child will like Yuna too."
"Really? I'm looking forward to it."

Our child smiled, but her face was full of mischief.

I'm worried about where she got such a playful nature from.

"Be nice to her."
"Don't worry, mom."

She smiles brightly, but it makes me more worried.

Well, our Yuna will handle it well on her own.

*

*

*

"Achoo!"
"Kyuung!?"
"No, no. I'm fine."

I stroked the head of Yong-yong, who was worried about me, and said I was fine, but I'm more worried about Yong-yong than myself.

Half of his face is gone, but he won't tell me what happened, so how can I know?

Hugging Yong-yong to my chest and feeling like I've forgotten something, I left the village and saw Ran's face, and then I realized.

"Benefactor..."
"Ah..."

I left Ran in the lair. How did she manage to escape...?

I apologized and handed over a magic stone, and she said it was okay as she accepted it.

Ran returned to her village, saying to call the clan anytime if I needed help.

I waved goodbye and was heading to the hunting grounds with Yong-yong when I heard a voice calling me.

"Child."
"Huh? Me?"

When I turned my head, there was an old lady sitting on a mat in the plain where there was nothing just a moment ago.

"Would you like to have your fortune told? Only 10,000 gold."
"Goodbye."

As I was about to leave after greeting her, I heard a voice.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry husband. We'll have to go hungry again tonight."

I turned back and approached the old lady.
She frowned as she looked at my face.

"Have you been having a hard time lately?"
"How did you know!?"

The old lady held out her hand to me.

When I handed over 10,000 gold, she sighed. While stroking Yong-yong's head, who was also sighing, I listened to the old lady's words.

"Are your parents giving you a hard time these days?"
"They passed away though?"
"......"

She was flustered for a moment, then took out a crystal ball from her bosom and started touching it intently.

"I meant, don't you have any brothers or sisters!?"
"I have an older sister."
"R-right. Hasn't your sister been giving you a hard time lately!?"
"My sister also left on a long journey following our parents though?"
"......"

The old lady looked dumbfounded, avoiding my gaze.

I told her she didn't need to return the money and was about to leave when she grabbed me.

"I didn't want to use this, but I'm sorry, husband."

She took out something else from her bosom... tarot cards?

"Draw one card."

I drew one card from the cards the elder spread out, and it showed a knight riding a horse.

"Oh! To draw such a good card! Child, you have the number that communicates with heaven! This means fortune that connects to the sky..."

"It's a skeleton knight though?"
"......"

She took out glasses from her bosom and looked at the tarot card, and it was a skeleton wearing armor riding a horse.

"What I meant was! Haven't the dead returned recently? That's what I mean!"

At that moment, Yong-yong nodded and said it was correct.

"Yong-yong says it's correct."
"Yong-yong...? Anyway! Since you drew such a good card, I'll give our child a very good gift."

She keeps taking things out of her bosom, does she have a subspace pouch inside?

She took out a shining bead and handed it to me.

«??? Treasure Map»
It looks like a bead, but it's a map.

"Go to the marked location. The map will guide you on the way."

I shouldn't say "Aren't you supposed to find the way by looking at the map?" right?

I thanked her and was staring intently at the bead when suddenly...

I closed my eyes tightly due to a strong wind, and when I opened them, the elder who was in front of me just a moment ago had disappeared.

Was I bewitched by a ghost?

"Should we have an exorcism when we get back?"
"Kyuung?"

While stroking Yong-yong's head, who was asking what an exorcism is, I used the bead. With a bright light, the bead disappeared and I heard someone whispering.

[Route guidance will begin.]

"W-what!?"
"Kyuuu!?"

Yong-yong seems to hear it too and is flustered.

[Turn right in 1km.]

"How far do we have to go?"

[Calculating estimated arrival time.]

[It will take 14 days on foot.]

"Are you kidding me!?"

After pondering for a while upon hearing such an absurd thing, I had no choice but to whistle with two fingers.

'Pheeeee!'

Our Yong-yong felt puzzled by my action.

After a little while, I heard the sound of something running from afar.

It was the bear taxi!

"Groooan!"
"You're charging a call fee separately!? That's too much!"

I climbed onto the bear's back and followed the guidance of the map, no, the navigation system for several days, and finally arrived at the destination.

It was a fishing village by the sea, but what kind of treasure is supposed to be here!?

[You have arrived at your destination. Guidance will end.]

"Are you kidding me!?"

How am I supposed to find the treasure without navigation!?

With a deflated heart, I handed over the taxi fare to the bear and sent it back, then entered the village.

But the atmosphere is not right.

It doesn't feel like a normal village, but more like a den of criminals.

While I was looking around the village, some thugs approached me.

They were holding ropes in their hands.

"Miss. What brings you to our village?"
"I came for sightseeing!"
"To such a remote village?"
"Yes!"

When I spoke confidently, the other party seemed at a loss for words and exchanged glances with each other.

The man holding the rope turned around and said.

"We may be bad guys, but we don't lay hands on such young children, do we?"
"What are you suddenly saying? Have we been in this business for just a day or two!?"
"I feel the same way. Such a young child..."

Except for the man who raised his voice, the others scattered. The remaining man sighed when he made eye contact with me and told me to leave the village.

"This village isn't the normal village you think it is. So get out quickly. Before you get hurt."
"What kind of village is it?"
"If I tell you that, I'm dead."

The man who warned me disappeared, and I was left alone. I started walking around, looking here and there.

Moving from shadow to shadow like an assassin!

"Kyuung."
"You can see everything!? No way!?"

Finally giving up, I looked around and something was suspicious.

It's not just a feeling, it's blatantly suspicious.

I arrived at a place where several large carriages were gathered, and I heard some sounds from inside.

It sounds like metal scratching, and also like screams, but I can't tell for sure.

Taking advantage of the moment when the men standing guard were away, I sneaked into a carriage and checked inside, and at that moment...

"This has crossed the line."
"Kyuung."

Inside the carriage, baby monsters and even beast-kin were imprisoned in iron cages, all creatures except humans.
Shackles on their wrists and ankles, like slaves.

Hoping it wasn't true, I checked other carriages too, but in numerous carriages...

I want to free them, but it's beyond my power alone.
At that moment, I thought of the Silver Fox Clan.

They told me to contact them when I needed help, right?

So how should I request help? While I was pondering, a brilliant idea came to mind.

"Help!!!"

[Due to the effect of the skill: Help!, a summon is being summoned.]