The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima

by Antony W. F. Chow

  The teacher nodded gravely.

  "I won't," the teenager promised. "Frankly, I've never tried to influence people in that way before. I don't spend any time with my peers," Luka pointed out and shrugged.

  Lord Evans patted his shoulder. "That's why we're insisting for you to attend the royal academy. Okay, we should return to your manor in the afternoon. I bought some snacks if you're hungry."

  Luka shook his head. "I ate a big breakfast. I'll take a nap."

  Cloten smiled. "Then I'll wake you when we arrive."

  Since other noble carriages and escorts filled the roads, the coachman couldn't drive faster. But the roaming monsters and bandits avoided the travelers as well. The carriage returned to the Heavensfell estate in the late afternoon.

  When Luka stepped out of the cabin, he saw all the servants assembled behind his mother.

  Lord Evans approached the duchess and delivered his report. "Young master Luka scored 183 points out of 200, and he placed first in the entrance examination with another candidate."

  "You did it!" "Hurray!" "Bonzai!" The workers broke out in applause.

  "Thank you for guiding my son, Lord Evans," Juliette said in reply.

  "Luka worked hard for this achievement. Now that the test results are released, it's time for me to return home," Cloten said. He turned around and offered his protégé a handshake.

  "I enjoyed being your student. Will I see you again?" Luka asked.

  "I'm a vassal of your duchy. Come visit me in Erz City whenever you need my advice," the teacher invited with a smile.

  "I will!" the teenager nodded.

  The nobleman climbed into the cabin, and the family carriage drove away.

  "Have you eaten?" Hanna asked.

  "I skipped lunch," Luka admitted.

  "That won't do!" the personal maid huffed. "I will ask the cook to whip up a quick meal for you. Please enter the dining room immediately!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the mansion.

  Juliette exchanged looks with James and quietly followed the two.

  * * *

  "Move!" A girl shrieked as her escorts shoved the other people standing in her way.

  When the aggrieved parties turned around and saw the group, their protests immediately ceased as the bystanders obediently parted for the newcomers. They saw two girls dressed in expensive attire escorted by four maids plus an equal number of knights. Even worse, the guards wore the royal insignia on their chest plates!

  However, the witnesses were amazed to see the entire party comprised of beautiful women. Two female knights cut their hair short while the rest kept them long. Their red-colored armor pieces retained the users' feminine figures and didn't inhibit movement. The escorts focused on keeping unwelcome hands away from their noble charges.

  The boys within the crowd began to guess their identities. They enjoyed looking at these beautiful faces as if visiting a garden in the middle of spring. The more astute observers recognized the two girls as Princess Camellia Harchesta Morninglory, the king's surviving daughter, and Terrwyn Cadogan, second daughter of Marshal Rhun Cadogan, the country's Defense Minister.

  The two aristocrats couldn't be more different from one another. Camellia was tall and slender, with long, straight blonde hair covering the back of her red dress. This princess was the textbook definition of a "cool beauty" who drew many admirers and suitors.

  Terrwyn barely reached her friend's chin; she possessed wavy, raven hair and a big chest supported by her tiny frame. Eschewing a dress, she favored a loose-fitting blouse and pants plus a broadsword at her hip; Terrwyn gave off the impression of a hot-blooded tomboy.

  "The bulletin board won't be going anywhere. There's no need to rush," the princess chided gently.

  "That's easy for you to say!" her peer huffed. "If only I were born a year earlier! Then we would be in the same grade! Instead, I have to address you as 'senior' in school!"

  "But look on the bright side! You don't have to fight this princess for top honors in the admission test!" Camellia pointed out and wagged her finger.

  Once the knights cleared a path to the bulletin board, an attendant approached and scoured the list for Terrwyn's student ID number. She found it -- second from the top! The maid pointed at the number.

  Terrwyn rushed up to the board and looked. She squinted her eyes and stared incredulously. Someone tied her for first place! She grew livid and punched the board in anger. BAM!

  Camellia immediately grabbed her wrist before her friend threw another punch. "Stop it!" she hissed. The other maids gently pulled the angry girl away from the bulletin.

  The knights took the group to a more secluded spot on campus.

  The princess pulled Terrwyn's wrist to check her knuckles. Camellia frowned at the ugly, bluish marks forming on her friend's skin. "Why are you so angry? You scored 183 points and tied for first. Your dad and siblings can't complain, right?" she asked. Camellia made a gesture, and her attendant used light magic to heal the wound.

  Terrwyn breathed a sigh of relief as the sting in her hand dissipated. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I should congratulate the other person for reaching such a high score," she agreed.

  "So, where did you mess up?" Camellia questioned.

  Her friend sighed. "The magic test. Although my power is above average, I can't cast any long-range magical attacks. So obviously, I lost points on the target range," Terrwyn explained. "It's ridiculous how the test requires firing off at a dummy from ten feet away!" she complained.

  The princess thought for a moment. "Your magic focuses on body enhancement, right?"

  "Yes," the other girl nodded. "I'm a melee specialist, and my magic enhances my strength, speed, and accuracy while fighting with my sword. I suppose I could throw magically enhanced rocks in real combat, but that wouldn't satisfy the rules of the magic test," Terrwyn noted with a big sigh.

  "Should this princess use her connections to find your rival?" Camellia offered to distract her friend.

  Terrwyn shook her head. "I'll meet that person sooner or later at the academy. Frankly, I don't care who it is, either. My rival is probably an ugly, four-eyed nerd with zits and freckles all over!" she sniffed. "Not every top scorer has your beauty!" she added with open admiration of Camellia's head-turning looks.

  "So, do you think your rival is a boy or a girl? And what's your preference?" the princess teased.

  Terrwyn rolled her eyes. "Let's go shopping!" she declared and pulled Camellia along.

  * * *

  Headmaster Ladis smiled as the two girls left the courtyard under heavy supervision. His hobby was looking from his office window and observing children's reaction upon seeing their admission test results on the bulletin. He did this as a yearly reminder of his mission to provide an education worthy of these incoming students.

  The official also memorized the names of those from noble families and sought opportunities to observe them. Ladis recognized the two aristocrats and used a magic device to eavesdrop on their conversation. From his office, the headmaster could see and hear from any area of the school campus. He secretly installed these devices as a security measure because his students often included VIPs targeted for kidnappings and other nefarious plots.

  Only the headmaster knew about those items and the magic chant to activate them. Ladis understood and appreciated the privacy issues that rose from eavesdropping on students, faculties, and campus visitors. He had wrestled with these concerns and ultimately decided that his students' safety and well-being trumped their privacy.

  In this particular instance, Ladis wished to understand why Terrwyn became upset and punched the board after seeing her outstanding test result. He thought her reaction was strange because he expected her to jump for joy in her achievement.

  From her conversation with Camellia, the headmaster realized that the incoming student faced enormous pressure from her family to perform well and uphold its reputation. The Cadogan House expected her to receive top honors. When Terrwyn saw that she fai
led, the girl became upset.

  The headmaster felt sympathy for her. He hoped that Terrwyn would get along with Luka since the two students would be in the same class for at least the upcoming academic year. The school official believed Luka fell victim to the pope's trick essay question; if the exam asked a more conventional topic, Luka would have aced it and become the undisputed top scorer.

  Ladis believed that Pope Demetrius would soon assign secret agents to attend school and protect Altima's Godson. He hoped that the security officers wouldn't conflict with the royal knights protecting Princess Camellia.

  Additionally, Ladis felt disappointed when Luka stayed inside his carriage while Lord Evans checked the scoreboard. The headmaster knew very little about the boy. Therefore, he wished to observe the incoming student's reaction to his top score.

  But the nobleman's service to the Heavensfell family resolved the mystery of how Luka performed so well in the admission test. Most nobles knew that Luka entered a magical apprenticeship for a decade and didn't receive proper tutoring during this period. Hence, it was surprising for the headmaster to see the boy almost received a perfect score for the written portion. He trembled with anticipation at Luka joining the royal academy as an official student and adding to the Heavensfell family legacy.

  Chapter 52

  First Day of School (Part 1)

  The Morninglory Royal Academy will begin its new academic year next month. In the short weeks before then, Luka spent the majority of his time outside the family manor. During the day, he supervised planting soybean seeds and visited the Alaife dungeon to provide input on its setup.

  Afterward, Luka hurried home and changed his attire to receive distinguished guests for dinner visits. Juliette relied on this method to introduce her most loyal vassals to the heir. She also took this opportunity to disclose her son's status as a top scorer for the entrance exam. The mother enjoyed their lavish praise of Luka even though it was mere flattery on their part.

  Through his conversations with these guests, Luka learned his rival's identity: Terrwyn Cadogan, Marshal Rhun Cadogan's daughter. The latter served as the Defense Minister and general of the king's army. The visitors tried to ingratiate themselves with Luka by offering him friendly but often contrary advice in dealing with her.

  "Terrwyn is a sword fanatic. If you want her respect, you must give her a big spanking in a duel!"

  "Terrwyn is a tomboy. The marshal is desperate to make her act more feminine because he fears that no high-ranking noble family would agree to marry his daughter. You must treat Terrwyn gently!"

  "No, she hates being treated like a girl! Just pretend that Terrwyn's a boy!"

  "The girl lacks magical talent. Impress her by making big explosions with magic!"

  "You should woo her by giving her a magic sword!"

  Juliette listened to these inane conversations with amusement. The duchess met Marshal Cadogan often during her monthly visits to the royal capital. Although he had a fiery temper when provoked, Rhun acted as a model knight who treated her with dignity and respect. He listened to her opinions without interruption and never diminished their value due to her gender as a woman. Thus, Juliette thought well of the man and wouldn't mind arranging a marriage between their children.

  Luka shook his head. "It's too soon for me to think about marriage. I'm only 15!" he protested.

  The guest pounded his fist on the table. "Under kingdom law, you are an adult who could legally marry now. Besides, most noble families already set up marriage arrangements by then!" argued Viscount Jenken Angove, who possessed domain along the border with the Eblain and Droustan duchies. His populace was the least homogeneous because his subjects included many beastmen and demons migrating from the other dukedoms.

  The viscount worried that Luka would marry demihumans and dilute his unique Divine Summoner bloodline. Thus, he forcefully pushed the duchess to matchmake Luka with Terrwyn to ensure his bloodline's continuity.

  Jenken noticed his outburst and bowed deeply to the hostess. "I apologize for my impropriety, Your Excellency. But your vassals are very concerned about the heir's marriage partner because our dukedom's future will depend on it. We sincerely hope that you seriously consider Terrwyn Cadogan as a marriage partner for Luka."

  Juliette accepted his apology with a nod while her son rolled his eyes.

  Although Luka appreciated the viscount's concern, he felt it was too early to consider marriage. His past life's sensibilities made it hard to accept settling down early with a wife and child during his teenage years. Thankfully, Luka noticed that his mother wasn't keen on this notion either. Hence, he politely remained silent as his guest continued to blather on about the joys of matrimony.

  When Luka escorted the viscount out the front door, the guest pulled him close. He said quietly, "Be sure to enjoy the beautiful flowers at school." Jenken winked his eye and gave a big thumbs-up.

  The mother overheard the conversation and rolled her eyes because the guest was acting like a cheap peddler. Nonetheless, Juliette felt confident that her son would not waste time chasing girls at the academy like his father. Her faith came from Luka's interactions with Hanna.

  The duchess arranged for the pretty young girl to become his maid for two reasons. First, Juliette wanted a child close to Luka's age near him because the rest of the servants were old enough to be his parents or grandparents.

  Second, the duchess used Hanna as a barometer to gauge her son's interest in sexual activities. If Luka took her to bed, then the mother would arrange escorts to accompany him at school and keep girls away from him. But since Hanna retained her maidenhood, Juliette thought such arrangements were unnecessary.

  Indeed, the mother felt thankful that Luka lacked his father's carnal nature. But Juliette also observed some physical attraction between master and servant; Luka exercised enough willpower to avoid acting on his lust.

  Juliette closed her doors to further dinner visits during the final week before Luka departed the estate to attend school. The duchess became fed up with their matchmaking attempts with Luka.

  Instead, Juliette granted her son free time to finalize his preparations before leaving home for three years. They included customizing his school uniforms to ensure proper fit, teaching the workers how to make his tofu pudding, finding a suitable merchant partner for product distribution, and processing the gold ore from the Alaife dungeon.

  Juliette approved of her son's commercial activities because they provided new revenue streams for the Heavensfell duchy. She felt impressed by his business acumen and witnessed how much money Luka earned from these transactions. They also provided new jobs and employment opportunities for younger people who couldn't find apprenticeships. Moreover, the servants at the mansion were grateful when Luka hired their sons, daughters, and other relatives for his business enterprises.

  However, the duchess had to intervene when bandits tried to steal his goods during transportation to the merchant warehouse. Her knights investigated the information leak for the transport routes and uncovered a link between the brigands and sponsors from other aristocrats. Unfortunately, they couldn't identify the specific nobles involved in this conspiracy.

  Juliette avoided telling her son about these incidents because the responsibility of providing safe roads for merchants was hers alone as the feudal lord. Instead, she hired escorts from the Adventurers Guild to accompany the merchant caravans; the additional tax revenue on Luka's goods provided more than enough funds to cover this expense.

  When it came time for Luka to leave, all the servants gathered with Juliette in front of the mansion to send him off. He rode inside the family carriage with Bel and Gripper under the escort of a dozen knights on horseback.

  Luka felt silly wearing his school uniform for the first time. The clothing consisted of a short-sleeved, white sailor shirt with a blue tie and a matching pair of pants plus a blazer. On his left arm was a golden stripe. Luckily, the uniform didn't come with a sailor hat.

  Luka cri
nged at the thought of wrinkling his uniform from sitting inside the cabin for many hours. To save money, he declined to enter Tirli City a day earlier and rent an expensive room at The Princely Abode for an overnight stay. Instead, Luka chose to leave home after midnight, arrive in the morning, eat breakfast, and enter the academic grounds for the eight o'clock morning assembly for the incoming class. "Wake me up when we get there," he requested.

  [Yeah, yeah. Take your precious nap, you cheapskate!] Bel ridiculed him because the familiar preferred to leave a day early and spend the night at the inn. Luka's action violated noblesse oblige. Nonetheless, Bel knew that the boy would make up for his faux pas by splurging on breakfast and ordering lots of food! Thus, Bel grudgingly stayed awake throughout the night with Gripper to serve as lookouts during this six-hour journey.

  Hoot! The gorilla pounded his chest to assure his master.

  The carriage ride proved uneventful because would-be ambushers were scared off by the twelve knights escorting the transport. They rode charger horses and carried well-maintained equipment. Thus, bandits and beasts alike avoided this group and sought more vulnerable prey instead.

  The group waited outside the walls for the Tirli city gate to open at dawn. The guards recognized the Heavensfell insignia on the family carriage and quickly waved the coachman through.

  Clop-clop-clop-clop. Despite the early hour in the morning, the streets were busy with commoners heading to work. Thus, the driver waded through the street at a slow pace to avoid hitting pedestrians. Thankfully, the commoners obediently made a path for the contingent to pass through.

  The carriage stopped in front of The Princely Abode, and the coachman opened the cabin door.

  Luka exited the vehicle and entered the inn. He passed through the reception area and entered the dining room. The noble took a seat near the window; Bel and Gripper sat next to him. Luka ordered three sets of scrambled eggs, bacon, and fries plus hot tea for himself and his pets. The bodyguards claimed an adjacent table and ordered the same meals.