Dark Fantasy Guide for the Summoner - Chapter 46

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 46.
Reorganization Ⅰ
The man cleared his throat awkwardly as I stared at him.
“……I did mention it was personal, but of course, I’m not buying it for myself. Rather, I thought our Knowledge Academy might purchase it formally. You may have heard of us—I’m affiliated with the Knowledge Academy, one of the three major academies within Porto Magic Tower.”
The Magic Tower appeared on the surface to be a single unified power, but it was far from that.
There were no divisions by race or status, yet the vast differences in the schools and sects of magic they pursued created an extraordinarily complex web of factions within the tower.
‘The Knowledge Academy, now—they’d certainly have some clout.’
Mystery, Knowledge, History.
The three major academies of Porto Magic Tower, with more than half of all tower-affiliated mages belonging to one of them.
“How much are you thinking of offering?”
“Eight million……or rather, we can pay up to eight million five hundred thousand Seed immediately.”
“Hmm.”
It was a million and a half less than the auction estimate, but honestly, it wasn’t a terrible offer.
There were registration fees for auctioning, commissions to pay after a sale, and the auction itself could drag on for quite some time.
But.
“Unfortunately, I’m not in any particular need of quick money at the moment.”
“I see…….”
The attendant clicked his tongue with evident disappointment.
Of course, that was a lie.
I was in dire need of quick cash. My pockets were already running dangerously thin.
So.
“That said, I do have something else I’d like to dispose of promptly.”
“What sort of item? Perhaps another Branch?”
“No, not that.”
I pulled out another piece of loot I’d prepared.
“This one.”
“Let me see……. A Red Seed, I see? Hmm.”
The attendant nodded calmly this time, his manner noticeably different from when I’d shown him the Branch.
“Quite fine quality. I can sense robust vitality to it. Yes. Disposal shouldn’t be difficult.”
“How much could I get for it?”
“At this size, perhaps around four million Seed? Of course, if you auction it, you’d likely fetch a bit more. Even after commissions, you’d probably earn an extra two to three hundred thousand Seed.”
“Hmm.”
“Would you like to auction this one as well?”
Part of me wanted to. Two or three hundred thousand Seed wasn’t spare change.
But.
“How long do you think it would take to sell if I put it up for auction?”
“Hmm. Well, Seeds are common goods even in good condition, so you’d need to expect a good two months before it sells.”
Two months was far too long. In this game, the value of Seed surged as my level advanced.
“Just dispose of it immediately.”
Besides, the early game had so many places where money needed to be spent.
The attendant nodded.
“Then I’ll process the Red Seed for immediate sale.”
As an aside, the imperial currency ‘seed’ and the ‘Seed’ that dropped from monsters used different notations in-game.
Currency-type seed was always written in lowercase, while the raw seeds obtained directly were capitalized as SEED.
“So I’ll proceed with putting the Branch up for auction, then?”
“Please do.”
“Understood. As I mentioned, the auction commission is five percent of the final bid, and with taxes included, that’s a total of twenty percent. The listing fee, of course, is separate.”
“How much is the listing fee?”
“One hundred thousand Seed.”
“Damn it.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
A fortune just to list something. If the item isn’t expensive, you’re better off forgetting the auction house altogether. If you’re unlucky, you won’t even break even.
‘And if the item doesn’t sell, they don’t refund the listing fee either.’
What a shitty game.
“……I’ll register it. Deduct the listing fee from the Red Seed sale proceeds.”
“Understood.”
“Oh. And separately, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“What would that be?”
“Do you happen to know of a mage named Raunesu Pureulton?”
“Raunesu……?”
The guide tilted his head for a moment, then shook it.
“I’m afraid I haven’t heard that name before. Are they perhaps affiliated with the Knowledge Academy?”
“No. They’re likely part of a Minor Academy.”
A Minor Academy—that’s what they called organizations with five or fewer mages.
The guide shook his head, looking troubled.
“Even if they belonged to a Minor Academy, I’d typically know the names of any famous mages, but Raunesu Pureulton is a name I’ve never encountered.”
Hmm. So they haven’t gained prominence yet.
“Would you like me to look into it for you?”
“That won’t be necessary. Thank you for your concern.”
Drawing attention now would do no good. The longer that mage remained obscure, the better it was for me.
‘Besides, there’s nothing I could do even if we met now.’
Still, contact would be unavoidable eventually.
The cataclysmic event that would unfold in two or three years—the key to that event lay in the hands of Raunesu Pureulton.
* * *
My purse, which had been scraped bare, grew heavy again.
Four million Seed in surplus.
Though I’d been charged another hundred thousand Seed as an entry fee, leaving me with roughly three million nine hundred thousand Seed.
“Phew.”
I’d caught my breath, but the respite was temporary. Now that I had money, it was time to spend it.
“Is this the carriage heading to District 6?”
“Yes, it is.”
I hired a carriage again—I’d lost count of how many times.
Still, with the weight of my purse restored, my hand didn’t tremble when I paid the fare as it had before.
Clatter.
Looking out the window suddenly, I could see the street bathed in the fading light of dusk.
When playing as a game, I could traverse the interior of the Royal Capital in ten minutes or so. But now that it was real, it felt like an entire day was consumed just wandering here and there.
Thud.
When I stepped down from the carriage, the street was completely swallowed by darkness.
‘Royal Capital District 6.’
It was a street of merchants and craftspeople, but unlike District 5, it didn’t feel like a commercial district. What was sold here wasn’t merchandise.
‘Technique.’
In game terms, skill.
That’s right.
District 6 was where specialists from various fields concentrated, and in the game, it was primarily a place one visited to find a Master from whom to learn skills.
The skills one could learn here were diverse.
‘Potion Crafting, Herb Gathering, First Aid, Trap Setting, Stealth, Tracking, Base Construction…….’
First, one could professionally learn survival skills, and beyond that, one could acquire techniques in Blacksmithing using a forge, Refinement, Alchemy, Smelting, Polishing, Alloy Crafting, Tanning, Weaving, Woodworking, and even Distillation.
Of course, I hadn’t come here to learn such practical skills.
‘The Weapon Guild.’
Not a guild that made weapons, but rather a street where specialists who professionally wielded each weapon gathered.
In other words, it was a place one absolutely had to visit in the game to raise proficiency in Weapon Mastery and learn higher-tier skills.
The problem was…….
“A scythe? The Agricultural Guild is that way over there.”
“Huh? As a weapon? Wait, you can actually use a scythe as a weapon……?”
“Listen here, young man. Why don’t you just use a sword? There’s a reason the sword is called the king of all weapons.”
“…….”
As if I didn’t know that myself.
But having already acquired Scythe Mastery, I had no other choice.
I had to see this through, whether it meant failure or success.
‘There has to be at least one person out there.’
The scythe was already an obscure weapon—could I really teach myself to use it? And not in the game, but now that the world had become reality?
Absolutely not. Teaching myself alone would take ages just to acquire a new skill.
‘I absolutely have to find someone.’
So I spent hours asking around and walking the streets…….
Just as the crowds began to thin from the district, I managed to pick up a clue about a Scythe Master.
“Come to think of it, I think I’ve seen a Master carrying a scythe once…….”
“Where did you see them?”
“Probably around the outskirts of District 6. If you head straight down this way, you should find them.”
I set off in the direction the resident had indicated.
Before long, the few pedestrians who had been scattered and sparse vanished entirely, and the street sank into darkness.
And then.
“…….”
Was this really the place?
It was probably on the far outskirts even for Royal Capital District 6. Against the backdrop of a dark street where rats scurried about, a single mansion stood.
‘No matter how I look at it, this seems like an abandoned house.’
A crow perched on the half-collapsed fence, and the weathered front gate hung so loosely it looked ready to fall off at any moment.
The overall atmosphere was eerie enough that you’d swear a ghost lived there.
Blood’s Testimony
The name on the sign was ominous, but I had to confirm it either way, so I knocked on the gate.
Creak-eeeeeeeek.
The lock wasn’t even fastened, and the unoiled door swung open on its own with a shriek.
I hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside.
Crunch.
I passed through the neglected, overgrown garden and reached the mansion’s entrance. Since the door was wide open, I went straight in.
“……Is anyone here?”
The interior of the mansion was empty. Not that there were no people—it was genuinely, utterly bare.
The vast hall contained only a grand staircase leading up to a second-floor railing and a skeletal chandelier hanging from the ceiling’s center.
The rest of the space held nothing but dust scattered across bare floor.
“Who are you?”
In that instant, I felt the presence of a blade so close it nearly touched my neck, accompanied by a chilling voice.
‘A scythe?’
The moment I tried to turn around, the blade’s cold touch and presence vanished in a flash.
Reflexively, I touched my neck, and a voice came from somewhere.
“A face I don’t recognize. What business do you have in my house?”
The voice made the speaker’s gender clear—a woman, it seemed. Yet I still couldn’t see her or locate where she was.
“I came because I heard there was a master here who wields the scythe.”
“Hmm…….”
“Are you perhaps the Scythe Master?”
At that moment, a form dropped from the darkness above.
It was a woman wrapped in shadow. Her entire body was swathed in bandages, over which hung a tattered cloak. Her jet-black hair and the single eye visible in the gloom were striking.
Of course, what drew my gaze most was the scythe in her hand.
“So you came all this way without knowing who ‘Carmellin of the Thorn Vines’ is? Amusing.”
“…….”
She looked like someone with a temperament to match, and I wasn’t sure how to avoid crossing her. …….
After a brief moment of thought, I spoke directly.
“I also use the scythe as my weapon. I came hoping I might learn the technique from you.”
“Ah, I see.”
Her interest seemed to cool instantly, and Carmellin’s expression hardened.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t easily pass on my secret techniques.”
“Is there some condition?”
“There is.”
“Please tell me.”
I wasn’t in a position to be choosy.
After all this searching, I’d found nowhere else. It meant that in all of vast Royal Capital District 6, Carmellin was the only master capable of teaching the scythe.
Perhaps my desperation had reached her. Carmellin spoke in a solemn voice.
“300,000 Seed per lesson.”
“…….”
I faltered.
“300,000 Seed?”
“……that was the price, but today’s a day I’m feeling generous, so I’ll give you a special 20% discount.”
“…….”
“……plus, now that I look at you, your hair color is exactly the same as mine. Fine, I’m in a mood. I’ll halve it specially for you.”
Carmellin looked at me, then spoke with an oddly tense expression.
“This is as low as it goes. No lower. Absolutely not. ‘Carmellin of the Thorn Vines’ has her pride, after all.”
“…….”
“So, what will you do?”
……What kind of person is this, anyway?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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