The Maximum Is Three People?
The maximum is three people? Then I won't be able to save everyone. Of course, my territorial resident summoning isn't bound by time. Even if I summon them tomorrow, I might still be able to save three people at the exact same moment. But what if that's not the case?
Is there a way to summon everyone?
[Calculating...]
To summon 23 Snow Leopard tribespeople, the following mana stones are required:
1 Grade 9 mana stone
5 Grade 8 mana stones
11 Grade 7 mana stones
4 Grade 6 mana stones
2 Grade 3 mana stones
The number of mana stones matched the number of people—twenty-three. I could get anything Grade 8 or below right away. But a Grade 9 mana stone would be incredibly difficult to obtain.
“Asne! Bring the captured sea trolls over here! Miya, dismantle them right away and take out the mana stones!”
“Yes. I shall follow my lord husband’s will.”
“Huh? O-okay! Got it!”
There was no time to explain the situation. It was my ability, but I had no idea what was happening on their side. I understood that it involved time. But I didn’t know if it was completely frozen or not. What if time wasn’t stopped and was still flowing? Even the slightest delay might mean I’d end up summoning a Snow Leopard tribe that had already been wiped out.
Can a Grade 9 mana stone be substituted with lower-grade ones?
Can be replaced with 10 Grade 8 mana stones.
There weren’t any Grade 9 mana stones on the market anyway. The highest grade that had been hunted so far was Grade 9, and even that had required a large-scale raid. No one would casually sell something like that. The Grade 8 and 7 stones I was using right now were the same—top-tier items that rarely ever entered circulation. Most of the profit from hunting monsters came from the mana stones; the corpses were usually discarded. The sea trolls were a special case.
If I only use Grade 8 and 7 mana stones, how many will I need at minimum and maximum?
Minimum: 16 Grade 8 and 1 Grade 7
Maximum: 10 Grade 8 and 62 Grade 7
What if I distribute them appropriately?
14 Grade 8 mana stones and 21 Grade 7 mana stones.
“I’ve brought them all.”
“Miya, I need you to dismantle forty of them quickly.”
“Okay!!!”
Asne returned at an astonishing speed. I immediately asked Miya to begin dismantling. The mana stones came out at roughly half-and-half. Forty trolls should yield about twenty of each.
“We’ll help too!”
Since Miya was dismantling them one by one, the two Black-winged women joined in. Using their wings to create gusts of wind, they pulled the mana stones free.
“Ugh… If only I could control my strength better… I’m truly sorry…!”
“It’s fine. You’re already helping plenty, Asne. Don’t say things like that.”
“My lord husband…!”
Asne looked heartbroken watching the three of us struggle. Her power was on a completely different level. If she used her full strength to extract the stones, the corpses would probably get crushed like they’d gone through a hydraulic press. So I gently comforted her and helped her calm down. It was a simple remark, but Asne was immediately moved to tears.
In the meantime, the forty sea trolls were fully dismantled. When I checked the mana stones, there were nineteen Grade 8 and twenty-one Grade 7. I immediately initiated the summoning.
Use 17 Grade 8 mana stones and 21 Grade 7 mana stones to summon 23 Snow Leopard tribespeople?
“Yes.”
The remaining mana settles into your body.
Your grade has increased.
A massive light immediately formed the shape of a gate.
“I’m summoning them now. Everyone, don’t be alarmed. If there are any injured, can those capable of healing step forward?”
“Eh? In-injured…?”
Miya’s eyes widened at my words.
“Lord husband, the two of us can use intermediate healing magic.”
“My lord, as long as the injuries aren’t too severe, we can treat them.”
“Really? Then please do what you can.”
The two Black-winged women said they could use intermediate healing. From what I heard, they could treat anything short of severed limbs or damaged internal organs. Still, just in case, I checked the market for Grade 8 potions. They were selling for two thousand gold each. I currently had one hundred forty thousand gold, which was more than enough, so I bought twenty of them. Four million won worth of consumables—four hundred million won—vanished in an instant.
“Once everyone is summoned… if there are any who can’t be healed by Lei and Ruin’s magic, make sure you can use these potions right away.”
I handed three bottles to each of them. At that moment, the light faded and the gate opened. Beyond it stretched a pure white snowy mountain.
“A gate in a place like this…! The gods have answered our prayers…!”
“Warriors, hold back the enemy! Evacuate the elderly and weak first!!!”
“Don’t let go of anyone!!!”
A female Snow Leopard standing in the center spotted the gate and shouted. The male Snow Leopards at the front line turned to look, then immediately began issuing orders. They were probably the chief and his mate.
Which meant…
“Dad!!! Mom!!!”
“Miya!? Is that you, Miya?!”
They were Miya’s parents. At a glance, her father’s injuries looked severe. His right arm was missing, and blood was pouring from wounds all over his body.
“Asne, do you think we can help them over there?”
“Mm… It’ll take a bit of effort, but I think it’s possible. I’ve just… stopped… the humans…! Gilgen… it looks like… it’ll be difficult…!”
“While you’re holding back the humans right now!!! Snow Leopard people, please hurry and cross over here!!!”
“Everyone! Through the gate!!!”
“Mom!!! Dad!!! Hurry!!!”
The moment the humans were blocked by the barrier Asne had put up, Miya’s father immediately gave the order. The Snow Leopards rushed through the gate in a panic.
“If possible, please recover any severed body parts so we can treat them!”
Lei called out in the middle of the chaos. The last one remaining—Miya’s father—vanished from sight at those words. White shadows flickered here and there, and before anyone knew it, he had already crossed through the gate. In his arms was the body part Lei had mentioned.
“Kugh… What the hell is this wall!!! Damn it, we’re going to lose all the merchandise!!!”
On the other side, the humans were shouting in rage.
“Asne. Can you attack them too?”
“Yes… but… my lord husband…”
“Ah… right. I was trying to avoid killing humans as much as possible. But calling a race that speaks and thinks just like us ‘merchandise’? Those bastards can’t be called human. I never thought my hands would stay clean forever anyway. Please do it.”
“Understood…”
Asne, who had been maintaining the barrier, hesitated with a worried expression before finally nodding.
“Aaaaaah—!!!!”
A piercingly high note burst from Asne. At the same time, the humans beyond the gate collapsed.
“The Empire’s high-ranking knights… fell so easily…”
“A song…? A siren…? The silent death of the sea?”
“Did a high being come to our aid?”
The Snow Leopards murmured among themselves at the sight.
“Those who are injured, please gather here first! As quickly as possible!”
“Right. Treat the injured first!”
“Everyone who’s hurt, come this way!”
I shouted at the Snow Leopards who were staring blankly at the closing gate. Miya’s father and mother, snapping back to their senses, began giving orders. The tribe immediately regained their composure and started moving.
Lei and Ruin divided the wounded into those they could treat and those they couldn’t. We started with the most urgent cases. There were three people like Miya’s father with severed limbs, and four with damaged internal organs. These seven would be treated with the Grade 8 potions.
Ugh… Get a grip…!
The sight of all that blood made me dizzy. But I was the lord. I forced myself to stay sharp and face it head-on.
“My lord, this person’s injuries are the worst.”
“Dad…!!!”
“Miya…? Is that… really you…?”
“Yes…! I’m your daughter Miya!”
“I see. So the gods really do exist… To save not only our tribe but our daughter as well… *cough*…!”
“Dad! Stop talking…! H-here…!”
“No, I can hold on. Treat the other tribespeople first…”
Asne brought over Miya’s father, who had the most severe injuries. Miya rushed forward to support him. When I tried to hand him a potion, he refused.
“We have enough potions. Miya’s father, please drink this and give me the severed arm.”
“You… No. You must be the god who has come to save our tribe.”
“Save the thanks for after the treatment. Hurry.”
“Yes. If it is the god’s command, I shall obey.”
With those words, he drank the potion Miya handed him. The effect was dramatic. The wounds covering his body healed in an instant. I carefully took the severed arm and placed it against his shoulder. I was about to pour more potion on it, but it reattached immediately. Buying a potion of the same grade because I’d heard a Grade 8 mana stone was needed had been the right call.
“This… is truly a divine miracle. It feels a little numb… but I can move it properly. Thank you, O God.”
“Dear, everyone has been completely healed. It’s all thanks to the god’s help.”
“Haha… What a relief.”
“M-Minsu… Thank you for healing Dad… and everyone…”
Miya clung to me with tears brimming in her eyes. I gently patted her back.
“My lord, you’ve worked hard…”
A warm hand took hold of mine. When I looked, I saw Asne’s face. She was looking at me with deep concern.
“I never once thought I lacked power in my life… yet I’ve made my lord husband tremble like this… Today, I feel the weight of my own limitations more than ever…”
Only after hearing her words did I realize my body was shaking. Well, an ordinary person like me had never seen a scene like this before. It would be strange if I wasn’t shaking. I closed my eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and steadied my mind. The trembling gradually subsided.
“Hoo… Sorry for worrying you. And like I said earlier, you’re already helping more than enough, Asne. So please don’t put yourself down like that.”
“My lord husband… Thank you…”
Asne leaned against my other side. I wrapped both arms around the two of them. Their warm body heat helped calm my heart even more.
“Then… let’s decide how to treat the Snow Leopard tribespeople.”
All twenty-three Snow Leopards, now fully healed, were looking at me. This was the moment my territory’s population was about to increase dramatically.