“………”
Grumble, grumble.
All I can see is everyone’s pupils rolling.
I swallowed my dry saliva with a gulp and watched everyone’s reactions.
No one said it to me, but I could tell they were all wary of me.
“No, why?”
Wasn’t summoning magic originally meant to summon demons or monsters? Even the Demon King uses summoning magic to kill monsters. So why are you so surprised?
Did I learn summoning magic earlier than I thought? Or…
Gulp!
Because the monster is bigger?
“This way, I guess.”
How can this be a low-level monster? There was definitely some kind of error.
Sometimes the system makes errors too, I muttered to myself, trying to suppress the growing unease in my heart.
“Baby.”
Martin, who was standing at the door at that moment, approached me slowly.
Screech!
The monster bared its fangs at him, but Martin didn’t seem to care at all.
Is it because summon creatures move according to the summoner’s will, or is it because this guy is confident that he will win even if he attacks? Either way, I don’t like it.
“You have plenty of talent.”
Martin, standing in front of me, looked down and said.
“But.”
His face, even more gruesome than the monster, twisted in an instant.
“You must not summon monsters here.”
Snap!
It was a fleeting moment.
The fact that he drew his sword and the fact that the monster I summoned was split in half.
“If the same thing happens again, baby, you will die.”
The blue blood of the monster dripped with a thud.
“By my hand.”
“……..”
I half-opened my mouth as I was hit by the monster’s blood splattering my face.
What is happening right now?
I couldn’t understand the sudden situation at all. Moreover, I couldn’t even breathe properly in the tremendous pressure that covered my whole body. Wheeze, gasp, I took short breaths and lowered my head.
“Lady Shekina!”
At that moment, Arthur rushed over.
“Commander, even if it’s like this, you can’t act like this! Shekina is shocked!”
He hugged me and glared at Martin. Martin’s dark eyes glinted coldly.
“Monsters are uncontrollable. Even if you succeed in summoning them by chance, you can’t handle them. It’s dangerous.”
“But!”
“It’s necessary for everyone’s safety.”
“………”
Arthur, seemingly with nothing more to say, fell silent and closed his mouth.
Only then did I come to understand the situation.
After the sealing of the Demon King’s power, the monsters that were under the control of the Demon King ran wild like untamed colts. In the process, many demons died or were defeated, and more than half of the Demon Realm’s land was taken over by the monsters. The Demon King attempted to control these monsters once again, but it was impossible. The monsters had evolved and become stronger.
So the Demon King gave up on taming the monsters and instead turned towards killing them. The summoning circle was merely for “summoning,” not for controlling them.
“So…”
These guys probably thought I had just summoned them.
They didn’t dare to think that they could control the monsters, even the Demon King himself had given up on controlling them.
“But isn’t there a better way?”
No matter if they’re monsters, they are my first summoned creatures.
We might not have spoken a word, but our eyes met! Those black pupils that had been wagging like a lost puppy were vivid! I had even given him the name Cookie No. 1 in my heart!
“Byaaahh! (Kill as you wish!)”
I shouted towards Martin and immediately channeled mana through my fingertips. The summoning circle began to appear instantly.
“Lady Shekina!”
“Oh, this isn’t good!”
Kugugugung!
The center of the summoning circle swelled. A monster, even darker in color than Cookie No. 1 that I had just summoned, began to appear.
“Baby, this time it’s intentional.”
Martin’s face contorted.
“Both the monster and the baby, I’ll handle them.”
His sword was raised swiftly, but my command was quicker than Martin’s.
“Byaah! (Move!)”
Gulp!
The fully summoned monster quickly flew up. Since it was summoned in the room, it couldn’t fly very high, but it should be able to evade Martin’s attack. The narrowly saved monster turned its head back towards me, and I reached out my hand towards the monster.
“Myaak! (Come here!)”
Khueegh!
Obediently following my words, the monster descended to the floor and walked over to me.
“Byaah! (Sit!)”
Khueegh!
“Byeup! (Hand!)”
Kwonk!
According to my commands, it sat down and extended its hand.
Now, who can’t handle a monster?
I looked at Martin and the knights with a triumphant expression.
Martin stood with his sword raised, and the knights were frozen with their mouths agape.
‘I gambled, thinking I could control the monster because the system provided the summoning circle.’
I hit the jackpot. This is even better than Kangwon Land.
(TL/N”강원랜드” is a famous South Korean integrated resort and casino located in the Gangwon Province of South Korea. It is one of the largest and most popular casino resorts in the country, offering a wide range of entertainment, including casino gaming, hotels, restaurants, and various other amenities for visitors.)
I lightly tapped the monster’s hand. As I did so, the growling monster slowly faded away.
The summoning was released.
“……Ha.”
One of the knights let out a sigh.
“The monster…”
“Can be controlled?”
“Like the Demon King usually do?”
As they stuttered, they looked at each other, trying to grasp the situation, then burst into hearty laughter.
“Report to the Demon King! Right now!”
“Wow, Shekina, you’re the best!”
“Our savior! Hooray!”
They embraced each other, and chaos ensued.
They had been robbed of their ground by the monsters, so it was only natural for them to celebrate when someone appeared who could control such monsters.
And that someone was me.
‘Impressive, even today, myself.’
I chuckled and consoled myself.
“Lady Shekina.”
At that moment, I heard Arthur’s voice, who was holding me. I turned my eyes towards him.
However, Arthur’s expression was peculiar.
It seemed like he was happy like the other demons, but also somewhat bitter, like Martin, who stood still. I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“No, it’s not that. You’ve had a tough day, so rest well.”
He ruffled my hair, wearing the same smile I knew from before.
I wanted to ask what they were trying to say, why both Arthur and Martin had those expressions, but I felt like I couldn’t ask or get an answer anyway.
So I closed my eyes quietly in Arthur’s embrace.
No matter how great I might be, using summoning magic twice a day with the body of a newborn baby was an unreasonable task.
“When you grow up, you’ll know everything.”
***
“…… Daa.”
I yawned and slowly lifted my heavy eyelids.
I had fallen into a deep sleep, so deep that I couldn’t even remember when I had fallen asleep. My last memory was releasing the summoning and dozing off like a log.
It was dark outside, and it couldn’t have been just a few hours that I slept, likely more than a day.
‘Is twice a day the limit for this body?’
I muttered to myself as I slowly got up. I decided that I should monitor my condition and use summoning magic accordingly.
I quickly scanned my surroundings, but there was no one in the room.
Normally, Martin should have been here, but there was no sign of him anywhere.
‘Or did he just leave?’
Martin had wrongly judged that I couldn’t handle the monsters properly and killed my summoned creature.
So, I, in frustration, summoned another monster to prove that I could handle it.
‘Maybe his pride was hurt.’
It was a mistake in judgment on the part of someone who would become a commander.
‘Even so, where’s that stubborn guy in the room?’
Hmph, this guy.
I still preferred Arthur over you.
While still feeling the warmth of Cookie No. 1 on my skin, I snorted.
‘It’s been a day, so the Demon King should have received some communication by now.’
Let’s reassess my abilities here.
I can bind artifacts to locate the sealed place of the Demon King’s power and handle the stubborn monsters in the Demon Realm.
It means I can solve the problem that had all the demons scratching their heads.
‘I probably won’t die so easily from now on.’
My abilities, I must say, are quite commendable.
I chuckled while consoling myself.
‘Then for now…’
I blinked my eyes while tapping my palm.
‘I need to confirm if the monster I summoned is an error or the real deal.’
It’s time to use the <Demon Realm Connection Channel> I obtained through blackmailing the system.
I held my head up high and took a deep breath.
The mana consumed for summoning was fully replenished. Even if I exert some power here, it won’t be a big issue.
‘Summon Demon Realm Connection Channel.’
Poof!
Right away, an immense darkness engulfed me.
“Myaaah! (What’s going on here!)”
I tumbled backward, rolling on the ground, but the darkness that had manifested once didn’t disappear. Sharp winds mixed with darkness brushed against my cheeks.
What in the world…
In the moment of confusion, a suddenly bright red system window began to appear.
[SYSTEM]
Warning!
User’s mana is insufficient.
[SYSTEM]
Warning!
With your current mana, you can’t summon the connection channel.
Then, in an instant, the hallucination vanished, and I returned to reality.
“Awwoong… (Darn it.)”
I clenched my fingers.
Insufficient mana meant it wasn’t the right time yet.
‘It’s okay. I haven’t even turned one year old yet.’
I was curious, but I could wait. Mana would accumulate over time, after all.
“Hyu.”
With that thought, I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes again. No, I tried to close them.
“Hey.”
“Myaaah! (You startled me!)”
I jumped in alarm, tumbling from the bed, as a voice right next to me reached my ears. When I raised my head, I saw Nisha, who was making a pitiful expression.
“Mya, myah? (How did you get in? What’s up?)”
“Why are you surprised? I intentionally came in without hiding my presence. What if you couldn’t even notice this? What would you do?”
Nisha licked her tongue as if she couldn’t believe it.
I wasn’t sure why Nisha came to find me, but at least she didn’t seem to be here to harm me. If that were the case, she would have killed me before I even noticed.
So, I relaxed a bit and looked at Nisha.
“You probably know, but the demon realm is in chaos right now. We can finally reclaim the Demon World.”
As I expected.
I’m sure everyone knows my greatness. With that thought, I chuckled.
“Why are you wearing such a proud expression? We’re marked now.”
“…Myah?”
What did she say?
Nisha spoke again, seeing my slight confusion at her unexpected words.
“If you want to live longer, hide that power, you idiot.”
