The Summon Devourer’s Catastrophic Gate Devourer
“Apprentice, you say?”
Five question marks floated above my head.
“I was merely using it for convenience. If you have another master you’re being tutored by, then there’s nothing I can do about it.”
“It’s not like that at all.”
I was learning blacksmithing from Mr. Nam Jinwoo.
It wasn’t a formal apprenticeship. The two of them had offered out of kindness because they were blacksmiths, so they were distant from the combat-oriented instructors.
“Oh. Then can you perhaps hear the old man’s request?”
No.
So why did the topic of “apprentice” suddenly come up!
“Sir Gerard. It seems a preliminary explanation is necessary.”
Hoo.
Mr. Boss, nice assist.
“That’s right. It was just lacking in explanation.”
Sir Gerard gave a faint smile, as if he had understood the issue.
Hoo.
Now I could grasp the situation.
“Fine. Where should I start the story? The first time I met that damned mage was….”
Whoa.
Master?
Sir?
Hero?
“It was the winter of forty-nine years ago. The world was in utter chaos at the time….”
Ah, no way.
Kiiiiiiiiii!
After barely dragging myself out of the swamp of explanation in less than a minute!
For more than an hour after that, the two heroes continued their rambling explanation of how they had become friends.
Just to summarize, they had fought over whether magic or swords were superior.
Since the outcome was undecided, they now clashed on the pretext of a friendly exchange tournament, fighting over their disciples.
“……And that’s how it came to be.”
Don’t ask how a summaryable story stretched into over an hour.
I didn’t want to know.
“But I can’t use a sword?”
“Still, it seems you’ve trained quite a bit.”
Oh no.
They’d found out.
“Of course, I wasn’t planning to ask the necromancer to swing a sword for me.”
Sir Gerard pointed at Isra with an elegant gesture.
“Instead, you have a summoned creature, don’t you?”
Oh.
So the real target was that side.
“I respect the opinions of my retinue.”
I casually indicated Isra, and she immediately replied.
“My sword exists to protect my Lord. I have no desire to join in on the spectacle.”
“A knight, you say. An excellent mindset.”
“Hmph. What do you know?”
Amazing.
Someone who understood Isra’s knightly spirit on the very first meeting.
But it was odd.
Sir Gerard didn’t seem the type to give up easily, yet he conceded far too quickly.
“If it’s something that allows my Lord’s honor to shine, then what?”
“Honor.”
“If you defeat the previous disciple of a Twelve Hero, you’ll gain fame.”
“Oh. That does sound tempting.”
Don’t be persuaded.
It’s me.
I’ve already gained plenty of honor, right?
Just the news of clearing the Tower of Chaos piled up like a mountain, so do I really need to create another issue!
“Lord.”
“If you want it, then do it.”
“My Lord’s honor will never fall to the ground!”
No.
It can fall a little.
I’ve been worried lately that the bubble has gone flat.
Look at the Superhuman Total Corporation.
They sent scary uncles who were about to kidnap me just by looking at my eyes.
I thought he was just an old man who liked explaining things.
You have real insight.
Isra quickly wrapped things up by reading my mind.
So then.
I’ll have to accept something equivalent in return.
“Bare-handed is a bit awkward, though.”
“Heh heh. That’s only natural. If you want something, speak up.”
If it had been my usual self, I would have left the negotiation to Mr. White Boss.
He’s good at striking the right balance in any situation.
But.
The moment Sir Gerard spoke, I decided to handle it myself.
“You have a weapon that symbolizes you, don’t you?”
“Ah. The blood-red greatsword of the Fallen Knight, you mean.”
Isra’s body trembled slightly.
“That sword… can it be borrowed for the exchange tournament?”
“Oh ho. That’s a good idea.”
“Eh?”
“Isn’t it for strengthening the weapon of your summoned creature? For this match.”
No.
p>The Blood-Red Greatsword of the Fallen Knight was a Transcendent-grade artifact, wasn’t it?
Why would you hand over such a vicious weapon to beat up your friend and disciple?!
Sir Gerard stroked his beard and said with satisfaction.
“Excellent idea. As expected, the successor of an Executioner is different!”
It seems he had just retrieved the weapon after the Twelve Hero Exhibition Tournament ended.
Still.
The demand for the [Blood-Red Greatsword of the Fallen Knight] as a reward had turned into a preparatory process instead.
What should I demand?
I went out confidently, but I hadn’t thought of Plan B.
That guy was.
Stupid.
Idiot.
Idiot.
“Grrruuuuu.”
“Is there something you want?”
Ah. I don’t know.
I’ll say whatever comes to mind.
“As a necromancer, I want rare monster byproducts, especially bones.”
“As a necromancer, that’s a completely reasonable request.”
I glanced sideways at Mr. White Boss. He gave me a thumbs-up.
Hoo.
So the answer wasn’t wrong.
“We’ll need a permit from the Royal Hunter Association, but it should be fine.”
The Royal Hunter Association.
A legendary hunter organization that had shone on the European front during the Cataclysm.
Mr. White Boss asked with a worried tone.
“I understand the Royal Hunter Association is under direct royal jurisdiction. I’m not sure if that’s a problem.”
“Heh heh. One complaint won’t matter. Don’t worry.”
“It would be better to leave it in writing.”
Mr. White Boss. As always, you’re on the ball.
“Thorough as ever. You have a capable agency.”
“Then, Mr. Hunter Park. Please tell me what you need.”
“I don’t know what kind of monster corpse Sir Gerard can provide.”
“Hmm. Instead, let’s do this. Visit the monster corpse storage facility owned by the Royal Hunter Association and choose what you want.”
Oh.
That might actually work.
Mr. White Boss signed the contract he created on the spot, and Sir Gerard stamped it as well.
“Heh heh. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
Prague sightseeing— that should be possible.
***
The next day.
Sir Gerard wore a solemn expression.
“Well then. Let’s head to the venue for the decisive match.”
Exchange tournament, my ass!
Are you going to visit a friend?
Or are you going to visit a lifelong enemy?
The expression on his face made it impossible to tell.
At the entrance to the villa, a luxury sedan with gleaming paint sat waiting.
“Hyung! This is the one and only vehicle in the world that has only five units made!”
“You really know your stuff. This car is actually filled with the pride of our England.”
Hoo.
Lucky the explanation ended in one breath.
“But Mr. Boss and the support team aren’t going to Prague sightseeing?”
“Mr. Hunter Park can’t be sent alone. My duty is to assist.”
Ms. Mi Jeong raised her hand as well.
“If not for a special occasion, when are we ever going to see the Clock Tower!”
“Actually, we’re fine, but he insisted, so ugh.”
“Be quiet.”
He seemed to have had some sort of consultation already, so it was fine.
While riding the luxury sedan toward the Clock Tower, I asked a question.
“Sir Gerard. Why were you at that café?”
“It’s just a habit. Whenever I come to Prague, I make it a routine to stop by that shop for one drink.”
It seems there was a Mega Break near Prague during the early Cataclysm.
For days they couldn’t rest properly and slaughtered monsters.
They just wandered into any place, drank one cup of coffee, and from then on, every time they came to Prague, they returned to that shop. And it turned out to be the one across from me.
……It took about an hour to hear that conclusion. That’s not a secret.
Ching—
The knight opened the door, and regret showed on Sir Gerard’s face.
“We’ve already arrived. There are still many stories left untold.”
Leave that story behind.
With a silent sigh, I stepped out of the car at the same moment.
The first thing that caught my eye was the enormous tower.
A massive structure as tall as the L Tower in Samseong.
Even tilting my head back to its limit, I couldn’t see the top.
Isra puckered her lips and said, “Ooh~”
“It was built quite well.”
“Does the Magic Tower feel the same?”
“The Magic Tower isn’t that unnecessarily large. We have spatial expansion magic inside.”
They feed it well, rich bastard.
Good thing the Clock Tower staff couldn’t enter.
“The Tower Lord is waiting for you.”
The Clock Tower staff members who had come to greet us guided us.
The interior had the atmosphere of a grand library.
Shelves lined the walls.
At the center stood an elevator made of transparent crystal.
“Enjoy your time here.”
After guiding us in front of the elevator, the Clock Tower staff scattered in all directions.
“We ride this, right?”
“That’s right. Only the Tower Lord or guests he permits can go to the top floor.”
Sir Gerard took out a gold card and pressed it against the elevator button.
Whoosh—!
The elevator shot upward at high speed.
The scenery of the Clock Tower interior as it passed by was quite impressive.
“Some sections are hidden.”
“They’re researchers of magical bias, after all. It’s only natural they’d want to hide things they don’t want seen.”
Public areas were open, while private spaces like research labs were painted black so outsiders couldn’t see them.
Ding!
The elevator door at the top slid open left and right.
“Oh. My dear friend. The Dark Knight Sir Gerard has arrived!”
Through the opening door was an old man.
A mage wearing a robe that looked like it had been made by melting gold greeted Sir Gerard with exaggerated words and gestures.
“Th-that person right there!”
Ms. Mi Jeong. Take a breath and speak properly.
Alfons Hus.
I was about to see one of the Twelve Heroes, a man regarded as the greatest mage after the Cataclysm.
While Sir Gerard emitted a sharp, sword-like aura, Alfons was a storm-like presence.
If you didn’t concentrate at all, you’d get pulled in.
“My dear old comrade. Next time you bring guests, tell me in advance.”
“I brought you to make you surprised.”
“Did you really think I’d be surprised to see the successor of an Executioner?”
“Eek.”
So you knew that already.
Alfons laughed exaggeratedly when he saw my startled face.
“Hahaha. The world these days is so busy talking about young people. Not knowing something would be strange.”
Sir Gerard didn’t know, though.
He didn’t even mutter anything else.
“That’s good you knew.”
“What did you say?”
“Today I’ll test the strength of your disciple in my stead.”
“Hoo. Are you serious?”
“If you’re the successor of an Executioner, you’re no different from my disciple.”
“That’s the same twenty-nine years ago and now. Well, accepting that insult from a comrade isn’t so bad.”
Alfons’s lips curved upward.
The pride clash of historical figures from the history textbooks!
Whoa.
It really makes my heart shrink.
So.
Where is Isra’s opponent?