Chapter 119: Chapter 190 – The Operation

“So, how are we going to get there? Are you going to fly and we will join you later, Master?” Miria glanced at Asterios as her tail swayed slowly.

“That depends on how far it is. Do you know the distance, Venuz?” he asked their new friend.

~About two hours on foot, considering human speed. Flight would be much faster, of course,~ the Storm King replied.

Asterios stroked his chin. “There still could be beasts heading this way which we might miss while speeding through the air. It would be a good idea to take care of them on our way.”

“We can cover both the ground and the air if you ride Miria while I ask Esil to carry me and Silvia. I’m sure she can get there fast, considering how quickly you two reached Glimmervale. Bryn and Selene could wait in their realms if they don’t mind,” Tina suggested.

“Yes! I love running with Master on my back!” The panthergirl jumped in circles with a joyful expression.

“A decent plan.” Asterios smiled at Tina. “Let’s get to it, then. If no one has any objections.”

Everyone agreed and Esil soon joined them. Selene and Bryn jumped through a single gate while Miria shifted and let Asterios onto her back. The magnificent winged lion lowered himself to the ground for his Summoner and the princess.

“Alright. Southwest, right?” Asterios asked after both steeds stood up.

~Let me help you out a little.~ Venuzathor’s voice resonated in everyone’s minds.

A moment later, they heard a loud, clacking rumble reverberate through the air in the distance. The deep, guttural, growl-like bellow echoed through the forest and they turned their faces towards the source, which seemed to be located somewhere in the town.

“Now that I think of it, how come I can hear the Storm King’s voice too? I’m not part of your familiars or that draconic bond, right?” Silvia raised a curious brow at Asterios.

An ancient chuckle resounded in their heads. ~I’m more than capable of telepathy, young human. I can hear and sense you well through the others around you.~

Then, a red-feathered bird bolted towards them and perched itself on Ast’s shoulder.

~This one will show you the way,~ the Dracodon added.

Asterios petted the cute animal and nodded. The bird flew up and shot forward. Miria lunged right after it and he heard the flutter of Esil’s wings as the lion took off behind them. He leaned closer to Miria’s body and they sprinted ahead at the usual, incredible pace, easily keeping up with their guide.

Both groups kept their eyes peeled for any wild beasts but they didn’t stumble on any more attackers. The brief journey was uneventful but very enjoyable for both parties, especially for Miria. She could never get enough of pouncing and weaving between trees with Asterios gripping her fur tightly.

Twenty minutes later, their tiny guide slowed down and fluttered next to Ast’s face, chirping at him excitedly. He understood its intentions well and nodded in appreciation at the small bird. With a cute loop, it split from them and was on its way to whatever it had been doing before getting called for.

~I can see a clearing ahead,~ Tina informed Asterios mentally. ~It’s a grassy hill reaching over the tree line. We are just in front of it.~

He could already notice the rising ground through the trees too and thanked his blue-haired friend for a heads-up. A few seconds later, Miria crossed the edge of the forest and came to a sliding halt on the fluffy grass. Esil descended from the sky next to her and they all looked at the rising mound in front of them.

“I don’t know what I exactly expected, but a peaceful meadow certainly wasn’t it,” Silvia commented as she slid off the lion’s back.

“Right?” Tina jumped off too. “I would have thought that it would be much creepier here. Perhaps a lair of some big, scary monster, maybe a hut of some evil witch or wizard, but not a pretty, grassy hill.”

Miria morphed into her humanoid form and the two missing women stepped into the clearing from a dark crimson gate.

“There certainly is something weird about this place.” Selene showed a thoughtful expression as she placed her hands on her hips. “It emits quite a lot of spiritual energy. It comes from… under the ground, I think?”

“That is true. I do sense it too.” Esil nodded his noble head.

“Let’s look around first. Maybe there’s something on the other side,” Asterios suggested and they spread out to circle the tiny mountain.

Bryn took flight and scanned the natural formation from above while they examined the ground. In just a moment, it was clear that nothing unusual was to be found in the close vicinity of this green peak. It was a simple but beautiful place surrounded by trees.

“I’ll see if my draconic sight can pick anything up,” Asterios said after they grouped up again.

The girls nodded and he focused on his eyes. In a flash, his vision turned into grayscale. Greenish wisps of smoke rose all around the elevated ground. He looked down but couldn’t exactly penetrate the earth to follow them.

But, amongst the emerald serpents, Asterios noticed something else. He squinted his eyes a bit and saw another type of mana leaking through the mud. Lowering himself to a crouch, he ran his hand over the grass. That motion revealed a thin, smoking blanket of dark purple mist. It clearly came from below too.

“There’s something happening under the ground just as Selene said.” He stood up and glanced at the fox lady. “I can see spiritual energy evaporating into the air. Plus, I think there’s some contaminated mana amongst it too.”

~I can confirm that,~ Umbra joined in.

“Could it be a new dungeon forming up? Reaching the surface to make an entrance?” Silvia pondered out loud.

Asterios thought about it for a second. “That’s a possibility. But, I’ve never heard of one affecting the surrounding animals in such a way. They do end up scared of it quite often but not to the point of mindlessly assaulting nearby settlements, especially that far away.”

“Maybe there’s a hole somewhere already and the monsters are able to escape?” Miria pursed her lips while tapping them with her finger.

“The range of beasts we have seen was a bit too wide for one or two floors of a dungeon, I think,” Tina shared her own thoughts. “Plus, there is no reason for them to run away if they were born inside one. They can’t really defy the Core.”

“Dungeons and Cores are mysterious things. Who knows how exactly they operate or what they are capable of,” Silvia said.

“Should we dig down to see for ourselves, then?” Bryn suggested. “After spending a few minutes here, I’m starting to notice the contaminated energy too. It gives an eerie, chaotic feeling, even somewhat evil.”

“The sun will be setting soon.” Selene gazed into the slowly darkening sky.

“Ted didn’t mention any cases of concurrent, back-to-back attacks. I think we can return for now and come here in the morning. Even if anything happens, the Storm King can surely protect everyone from a bunch of weak beasts,” Tina replied, glancing at Asterios.

He nodded at her. “We did intend to just take a look at this place. The mystery isn’t any closer to being solved but we at least confirmed that nothing extremely lethal or dangerous lurks on the surface. And some of us still need to rest properly.”

Silvia met his gaze and smiled gently. “I won’t argue, then.”

Miria suddenly perked up. “Rematch?”

Everyone chuckled at the cheerful panthergirl and Asterios shook his head. “Do whatever you like. I’ll take Silvia back to the castle since I’m fairly sure she isn’t interested in competing with you girls in that aspect.”

“As shameful as it is to admit, I would burn through my mana at an unbelievable pace if I attempted to challenge your speed,” the princess said.

“It’s nothing shameful!” Miria beamed at her happily. “As Master always says, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Your Fire Magic is amazing, Silvia! And I’m sure that with Master’s help, you will easily grow even more incredible!”

“Alright. We’ll give you a start. Prepare for this one.” Asterios chuckled.

Miria shifted into her panther form, Selene brought a few more tails out, while Bryn stretched her wings and put them in the most advantageous position. Tina hastily trotted to Esil, exchanged a few words with her familiar, and soon sprouted a pair of beautiful wings too. Ori popped out of a small, azure gate and squeaked around her but she swatted the jealous bird away, gently of course. He wasn’t the only one who could lend his master the ability to fly anymore.

After the four women formed a line, Asterios exchanged glances with Silvia and she raised her hand to the sky.

“Ready?” he shouted and they flexed their muscles.

The princess shot a small Fireball from her palm and caused it to explode with a quiet bang a moment later. The contestants lunged forward in their own ways and a powerful gust of wind hit the duo. Asterios covered Silvia with his body as soon as he could and they chuckled lightly together. There was no sign of any of the girls when they looked ahead again.

Since they were already close, Asterios and Silvia remained in their protective hug and plunged into the shadows. They soon emerged in the castle’s hallway and looked around. Umbra had dropped them next to their bedrooms.

Asterios stepped back and smiled at the princess. “You better get a good night of rest. Thank you again for looking after me. I would have most likely missed the attack if you didn’t do so. Not like you girls couldn't have handled it yourselves with ease.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m glad I could help.” She smiled back at him. “I’ll see you in the morning. We will get to the bottom of this, I’m sure.”

“We will. Good night.” Asterios nodded and they parted.

He checked how far the girls were and decided to take a quick bath while waiting for them. Yumi hastily prepared it and he jumped straight in. His personal maid offered to help but he declined politely, wanting to soak alone for a change. She remained next to the entrance on the other side just in case he wished for anything and brought him fresh towels when he was getting out.

The women arrived in the castle a few minutes after he had gotten out and was lounging in the master bedroom. They were all sweaty and exhausted but wide smiles painted their lips. Chuckling at their euphoric state after the competition, he asked Yumi to lead them to the baths and assist them if they needed it.

Little did he know that the girls pulled the poor maid in with them the moment she had stepped through the door and they didn’t let her escape for an entire hour. They hosted a little girls' night and had lots of fun relaxing in the bath while talking about many things, especially Asterios. They missed Silvia but no one wanted to wake the princess up just for it. There would be many occasions to host such meetings in the future too.

In the morning, everyone shared breakfast together. Asterios noticed that Yumi seemed to blush a bit more than usual while assisting him by the table but wasn’t exactly sure why. He assumed that she might be thinking back to the bath from the previous day as she certainly had caught a few glimpses of him while delivering the towels.

Then, a messenger arrived and notified them about Ast’s grandfather wishing to meet him. The knight asked when he should bring the man for an audience but Asterios thanked him for his work and chose to visit James personally. He hadn’t spoken with his mother after waking up either and she was certainly at least a little bit worried.

Ast’s group reached the mansion now belonging to Hestizos and Nobelles fifteen minutes later. They were greeted by a butler who hurried inside to notify the families. Kindra showed up a second later and slammed into Ast’s chest, hugging him dearly. They talked a bit while heading to the main office.

“Morning, Grandfather.” He waved at James as they entered.

“Glad to see you back up, Asterios.” The man chuckled and stepped closer to shake hands. “I heard you were quite busy yesterday defending the town.”

“It is my duty.” Asterios shrugged. “Did you or Mom need anything from us?”

“I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be returning today.”

“Oh. To Tyrienheim?”

James nodded. “Yes. I only accompanied your mother to take care of all the formalities requiring the family head’s presence, and to enjoy a bit of travel, as I mentioned earlier.” He smirked slyly. “We, the old generation, have our own things to focus on. I’m sure my smart, talented daughter will be more than enough to make this town thrive, especially with the support of a prominent noble family.”

Tina’s cheeks turned a tad rosy when Ast’s grandpa glanced at her.

“Don’t worry, Grandfather. I’ll make sure Mom is safe and lacks nothing here.” Asterios moved his gaze to Kindra and she giggled. 

“I’m still lacking grandkids.” She squinted at him with a wide smile.

You are reading story Rise of the Weakest Summoner at novel35.com

He shook his head and ignored her, returning his gaze to his Grandfather. “I hope you and Grandmother can visit us sometime.”

“There’s no doubt that we will.” The man laughed openly while stroking his chin. “You know I trust you more than… some of my own children. And I’ve seen with my own eyes how far you can go for the people you care about. Drop by whenever you are around. Anna would love to chat more with you.”

“I shall. It was a pleasure seeing you again.”

The men hugged each other and Ast’s party left his grandpa to his preparations before the departure. Kindra pecked his cheek and stayed behind too. As they were moving through the mansion, they ran into Tina’s parents and she trotted to spend a moment with them while the others waited patiently in front of the house.

Before they regrouped, Yumi jogged into the residence’s premises and informed Asterios that Radir had sent her to let them know that he had some news for them. It was hard not to get excited at the possible prospect of discovering more about Ast's past and everyone was in a great mood when Tina finally came back.

They hastily returned to the castle and headed straight to the underground. Entering the workshop chambers, they found the demon man holding a book in each hand and reading both. His gaze comically jumped from left to right as his forehead scrunched in focus, emphasizing his closed Third Eye.

“Radir?” Asterios called out to the man as calmly as he could.

It still made the red-skinned demon flinch but nothing serious happened.

“Here you are! I’ve made progress!” he said with a broad grin.

“Can you finally take the seal down?” Miria asked, practically oozing with excitement.

Radir chuckled. “If you want to leave it to chance that either or both of us end up as a pile of ash then sure.”

Miria shivered as her eyes went wide. “Let’s not do that. Yeah.”

Asterios smiled and scratched behind her cute ear. “Is Grea not with you?”

“She was up late last night researching stuff. I know how much shit she gives me for pushing myself further than I should but she isn’t exactly a role model herself. That might be my fault, though. She does take more after me than after her mother.”

“I’m aware. It’s not the first time she’s overworked herself.” Asterios shook his head while sighing softly. “Alright. Let her have her well-earned rest. What do you have for us?”

“Hopefully, a new piece of your lost memory. Come. I’m sure you are dying to learn more.”

Radir scurried to another room with a bounce in his step, making the girls chuckle. It was like watching a kid unable to wait to get to play with their favorite toy. Sealing Magic and magical research clearly brought the man and his daughter lots of joy.

Following him, they stepped into a chamber with an intricate array painted on the floor. Besides the other, smaller formations carved into the walls and the ceiling, there was nothing else inside. The auxiliary circles and sigils differed from the shapes on the ground and Asterios could tell that they had a different purpose, most likely related to safety.

Following the man’s guidance, he seated himself in the middle while the girls remained outside of the array. They watched how Grea’s father worked himself to sweat over the formation as Asterios sat motionlessly on the ground. 

Radir hopped all around the room and manually activated and deactivated various parts of it, checking on Asterios after every single action. Everyone waited with bated breaths, not wanting to disturb either of them even in the slightest. No one wished to put the two in any possible harm and the girls understood well how dangerous this entire thing was.

After ten minutes, the formation crackled and bolts of crimson lightning shot out of Ast’s body right into the patterns. Red sparks flew everywhere and some even rose from the ground. Radir started coughing so Bryn hastily pushed the fumes out of the chamber by creating some wind with her wings.

“Is Master alright?” Miria asked with an anxious expression, not sure if she should move yet.

“I am,” Asterios replied as he coughed a few times too. “It seems to have worked. Part of the seal crumbled as it receded deeper into my mind. I guess it will be getting more and more eventful the further we go.”

She shot towards him and the others surrounded Asterios too. He smiled at them, feeling nothing but appreciation for their worry. Well, and a bit of guilt for causing it, of course.

“Ready to get confused even more?” He chuckled and everyone nodded.

Since Silvia couldn’t peer into his mind, he decided to check the memory alone with Umbra’s help and then share it with the girls afterward. He dove into his thoughts as he closed his eyes to focus.

 

※※※

 

A magnificent, ribbed vaulting of silver and gold spanned above Asterios as he moved through some kind of a hallway with his eyes pointed at the masterfully-carved ceiling. He quickly realized that he was being carried in someone’s arms, and those arms belonged to a man.

Red.

While he couldn’t see them, he heard the distinct clink of another person’s shoes hitting what sounded like metal flooring. He assumed that it was Kaguya, because who else could be accompanying his father? Hopefully, he would be able to see that for himself soon.

After a few seconds, they passed through a beautifully decorated, arched doorway and stepped into a huge room with a very high ceiling. A round dome extended past it, although no windows or other holes seemed to be present in the structure, and only weird, bright gold crystals illuminated the interiors.

Then, Red slowed down and placed Ast’s tiny body on something, perhaps a table or pedestal judging by the height as he lay slightly above the man’s waist. A fox-eared woman with white hair showed up in his vision, on the other side of whatever he lay on, and proved his earlier guess.

His father disappeared somewhere on the side and the chamber began lighting up with an uncountable number of formations and arrays carved into the walls and ceiling. Some of them even floated in the air, slowly forming up a beautiful, breathtaking cone with a shaved-off top pointing down at Asterios. A full spectrum of a rainbow filled the air as the unimaginably complex sigils and patterns spread around like webs.

An anxious expression on his mother’s face was hard to miss. The fox lady had her arms crossed under her chest and her lips pursed in a strained line. She soon spoke for the first time in that memory.

“I know I might usually be quite turned on by all the blood and gore spraying from my opponents, and I did battle against younglings in the past too, but this is making me really uncomfortable. Are you certainly sure about this?”

The stoic man returned to his place by Ast’s side and glanced at his partner without a word. He then moved his gaze to the lying Asterios and seemed to unwrap his baby body from the comfortable cloth covering it. His right cuff then retreated down his elbow with red flames and the man’s arm turned draconic, very similar to what Asterios had achieved during his duel with the Demon King, but way more ferocious.

“Your hand is almost bigger than his chest,” Kaguya commented as her eyes fell to Red’s sharp claws.

“Relax. And hold him down for me,” he instructed calmly. “This is the only method. The heart is spiritual, not physical. Barely any of his flesh will suffer any harm. The formation will heal him up, keep him alive during the process. That’s its entire purpose. Now come. We have no time to waste.”

Albeit still a bit hesitant, she did as she was told and Asterios could see wisps of blue energy wrap themselves around his limbs to restrict their movements. Shortly after his entire body felt stiff, Red raised his draconic hand and thrust it down.

 

※※※

 

Asterios gasped as his eyes shot open and his hands clutched the middle of his black shirt. Miria instantly pushed herself closer to him.

“Master?!”

“I’m fine! I’m okay! Just a scare…” He panted heavily while examining his torso and sighed in relief. “What a way to end it…”

Seeing all the confused faces, he chuckled wryly and let Umbra show everyone the memory while he calmed down. After a few moments, a pensive silence filled the chamber.

“I recognize that room.” Bryn was the first one to break it. “Any valkyrja would, honestly. It’s in the sanctified medical ward of the Descending Spire. That was our most advanced facility fitted with the most powerful healing spells, formations, arrays, everything. It could literally bring any living thing from the brink of death. Before it was lost to us, of course.”

“It seems that we have watched the initial moments of the operation they mentioned in the previous memory,” Selene said. “It’s too bad we didn’t get to see more but it’s understandable. You can’t expect anyone not to lose consciousness after getting stabbed like that.”

“I’m fairly certain we can assume that this is connected to Venuzathor’s mention,” Tina suggested. “Something like that had to leave a wound, even if not physical, then spiritual. Red did mention it for some reason. They might have been aiming for that aspect.”

“He used the word heart. That means the Dragon’s Heart, right?” Silvia looked between everyone. “We know they sealed Ast’s memories, put a barrier around his second source, which was called a Dragon’s Heart by the hostile Dragon woman, so did they do something to it back there too? Did they like… cut it in half? Is that why Asterios feels half-dead?”

“I have no freaking idea.” Asterios sighed while shaking his head. “It’s damn hard trying to figure out what someone is doing, talking, or thinking when they obviously know about the thing and don’t conveniently elaborate for any possible listeners each time they talk.”

Tina giggled a little and patted his head. “Life is not a novel, Ast. People don’t act like that, just like the villains don’t monologue all their secrets out.”

“Actually, regarding the later part, they do.” Selene chuckled. “The Phantasmal Horror? Remember?”

There was a collective ‘ah’ from everyone except for Radir. The girls had long shared their adventures with each other in full detail. No one could disregard them experiencing such a situation first-hand. It hadn’t exactly helped them beat the villain at the very moment of his long speech but it still was pretty funny when they thought about it now.

“In any way, I feel inclined to agree with Silvia. They have certainly done something to me, clearly to make me less noticeable. Every single step they took was related to that goal and they often spoke about those,” Asterios said after a moment.

“Maybe we will be able to figure it out when we get there?” Bryn glanced at him with a hopeful expression. “I don’t think anyone else used that place in a long time, besides your parents. If that event took place twenty years ago, or even decades earlier, the Spire was already infested with the Scourge. I have no idea how they could have utilized that chamber.”

“One is a powerful True Dragon and the other is the legendary ancestor of many Spiritual Foxes,” Miria commented. “I bet they could wipe out all those monsters if they worked together.”

“True.” Bryn nodded. “One Dragon’s Breath would empty an entire hallway.”

“We’ll keep thinking about it in the meanwhile, but for now, we have something slightly simpler to take care of.” Asterios slowly stood up. “Thank you for all your help, Radir. I really appreciate it.”

The demon man waved his hand nonchalantly. “You know I love working on this. One day, I will crack this seal open completely. If you find any more vaults with magical knowledge, bring them to me. They might help. Who knows?”

“We will, for sure. This place might become our own, little vault. We would need to secure it much better, though.”

“You mean hoard, right?” Tina giggled and he smiled wryly.

“Leave that to me and Grea.” Radir bumped his chest. “With all the sealing knowledge you brought in, we’ll turn this place into an even more impenetrable safe house than all those you have visited! Your dad gonna be all jealous!”

Asterios chuckled and nodded. “I can’t wait, then. Thanks again and have fun.”

Bidding farewell to the demon man, they headed out of the dungeons while exchanging their thoughts about the newly learned information. Before they tackled the Scourge issue in Bryn’s world, they had to make sure that Glimmervale was safe. And they were on a good path to that.

 

You can find story with these keywords: Rise of the Weakest Summoner, Read Rise of the Weakest Summoner, Rise of the Weakest Summoner novel, Rise of the Weakest Summoner book, Rise of the Weakest Summoner story, Rise of the Weakest Summoner full, Rise of the Weakest Summoner Latest Chapter