“Another Summoner?”

Chapter 45: After The Breakup?

The morning sun filtered through the heavy velvet curtains, casting a golden hue over the tangled silken sheets. It felt entirely different waking up today. The air carried a distinct, quiet shift, marking the immediate fallout of the breakup.

I woke up exactly where I belonged—wedged between the soft, warm bodies of Yin Meng and Shehuang. Yet, as I stared up at the canopy, I knew exactly what was missing. Thorin.

Beside me, the mattress shifted. Yin Meng slipped out from under the covers, moving quietly to prepare the morning bath. The moment she left, Shehuang closed the distance. My snake lady’s slitted gold eyes locked onto mine, watching me with a gaze that balanced perfectly on the razor's edge of anticipation, devotion, and predatory hunger.

"Loki, my master," she murmured, her scaled fingers gently tracing the edge of my swollen eyelid. "Why won't you let me heal your eye? It looks strange. It either ruins your handsomeness or makes you look entirely too manly."

I chuckled, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her into a sudden, tight hug. The fierce predator instantly melted, a dopey, utterly smitten smile breaking across her gorgeous face. I kissed her cheek, holding her close as I answered.

"This is my badge of honor," I explained softly. "Thorin gave it to me with brotherly love, Shade tempered it with her devotion, Sylvia protected me for it, Ayala sacrificed her star student for it, and you retaliated out of pure love because of it. I want to let it fade naturally."

Shehuang didn't speak. Instead, her response was to tighten her hold, locking her arms and legs around my body like a vice. My bones, though tempered through brutal, life-threatening trials, practically begged for mercy under her overwhelming demi-human strength.

By the time we made it down to the courtyard, Yin Meng was still pouting. Shehuang had aggressively volunteered to take over today's escort duties, eager for any excuse to wave her delicate fists in people's faces again. Because of the sudden roster change, my traveling partner for the morning commute wasn't Thorin, but a tall, strikingly sexy Amazon with her fiery red hair tied back into a high ponytail.

Ayala had already led her all-black Clydesdale Demonic Beast out to our stables. That was where we stood, witnessing a deeply pathetic sight.

Sleipnir was pacing his stall, letting out agitated, depressed snorts. His mate, Brown Sugar, had been taken away by Thorin’s faction the previous evening. Word around the stables was that she would be permanently housed in the royal castle alongside the other high-bred palace horses. Watching the proud beast wallow in heartbreak made me feel genuinely bad for him.

"Sleipnir, buddy, I hate that they took her too," I said, leaning over the stall gate to pat his dark flank. "Maybe we can get her back one day. Until then, you have Precious here as your new companion. Maybe love can blossom with someone new?"

I pointed casually toward Ayala’s massive black beast.

Instantly, the courtyard fell dead silent. Ayala, Precious, and especially Sleipnir turned their heads, staring at me as if I had been dropped directly on my skull as an infant.

Ayala broke the silence, clearing her throat. "Precious is a stallion, Loki, not a mare... But I suppose they can be war buddies."

Beside us, Shehuang’s eyes twinkled with dark amusement, deeply enjoying my internal embarrassment.

Anxious to shift the focus away from my stellar matchmaking skills, Ayala turned to the snake lady. "Shehuang, can you ride my horse this morning? I want to ride into the academy sharing a saddle with my man. I want to properly claim him today—I don't think the rumors from the other day spread fast enough."

"Okay," Shehuang agreed instantly.

Ayala and I exchanged a dumbfounded look. Since when did Shehuang get so incredibly cooperative?

Clop, clop, clop.

As we trotted through the academy gates, I finally understood Shehuang's mischievous angle. The taller, half-naked Amazon sat directly behind me, her chin resting casually on my shoulder. She wrapped her muscular arms securely around my waist, completely reversing the traditional roles of a knight protecting a maiden. I felt a slight sting of shame under the blatant staring of the passing students, but Ayala looked utterly ecstatic, so I let it slide.

The moment we reached the school stables, Sleipnir suddenly froze. His nostrils flared, and his eyes opened wide with raw, chaotic excitement. He had caught a scent. Against all odds, Thorin had ridden Brown Sugar to the academy today, and she was already tied inside.

Before Ayala and I could even dismount properly, Sleipnir bucked hard, forcing us to leap from the saddle. With a wild, triumphant neigh, the stallion charged straight into her stall, shattering the reinforced wooden door inward. Within seconds, he was aggressively mating her right then and there, utterly dumbfounding the gathering stable hands.

I coughed into my hand, quickly tossing a heavy pouch containing 100 gold coins to the stunned workers to cover the property damage and the emotional trauma.

"Here," I whispered, adjusting my collar. "Those two are a mated pair and clearly need privacy for the day. Just... pull him out before school ends. Thanks."

Seeing the glint of heavy gold, the stable hands nodded rapidly. They immediately dragged a thick canvas sheet over the busted stall door, completely ignoring the rhythmic, violent crashing noises echoing from inside.

Ayala grinned wickedly, pointing a thumb back at the noisy stable. "Come at me the way Sleipnir just went to his mate. That is exactly what I want from you."

"I just hope your changing room door isn't magically reinforced," I shot back, a smirk returning to my face.

By lunchtime, rumors were already flying across the campus that Sir Thorin’s prized royal mare was completely unrideable and utterly exhausted.

My first class of the day was Summoner theory, where I was still plugging away at mastering 4th Circle spells.

Even though Lana sat a few rows behind me, I could feel the heavy weight of her gaze burning into the back of my neck. I was genuinely impressed she managed to keep her distance, though I noticed her eyes flinch whenever she caught sight of my bruised face. It sucked that I couldn't just turn around and tell her it was fine; I didn't want her blaming herself for Thorin and me fighting over her. It wasn't her fault we both happened to love the same girl.

At the end of the class, just as Lana finally built up the courage to approach my desk, a shadow fell over the doorway. Thorin appeared, clad in his pristine armor, there to pick up his princess. He instantly dashed her plans.

Thorin quietly observed the lingering tension between Lana and me, completely avoiding my gaze as he swept her away. I let out a quiet, tired sigh.

Ayala, Shehuang, and I ate our lunch in the bustling, general dining hall of the academy restaurant. Across the courtyard, separated by a heavy set of glass doors, the royal group—including Lisa—ate in the restricted, quiet VIP section.

Lisa still needed to maintain her normal behavior around Prince Vali and his sycophants. I just had to get used to her absence during high-profile hours.

However, immediately after lunch, Lisa managed to catch up with me in a deserted corridor to walk to her next class.

"Loki, you are absolutely my lucky charm!" she laughed, falling into step beside me and flashing a brilliant smile. "Thanks to yesterday's chaos, I was handed a brand-new mission and a massive treasure from an absolute idiot."

"Oh? What's the new mission, Teacher Lisa?"

She discreetly pulled back her wide sleeve, flashing two high-grade 9th Circle Electricity Cores pulsing with dense mana. "Well, since you asked, these rewards should be more than enough to get me close to the 9th Circle, or even trigger a breakthrough before the year ends!"

I smiled at her amateur attempt to make me jealous. Shrugging carelessly, I said, "Fine, keep your secrets then. See if I care."

She instantly bristled, her finger flying up to poke at my smug face before she realized she'd been baited perfectly. "Damn you, Loki! I told you—more love, less annoyance! Sigh..."

Her expression softened into a loving smile as she leaned in closer, ensuring her voice was low enough only for my ears. "Vali asked about our interaction yesterday. I told him I was far too drunk to complete his original plan, and that I'd just woken up from a blackout remembering absolutely nothing. He completely swallowed the story. He told me to get even closer to you, since you already 'corrupted' me once."

She took a breath, her cheeks dusting with a light pink. "Vali wants me to charm you, wrap you around my finger, and maybe even get pregnant. He thinks it will disgust Lana and Thorin enough to make them hate you permanently."

I smiled, reaching out to catch her hand before she could pull it away. I squeezed her fingers tightly, locking them with mine. "So, basically, Prince Shithead wants you to do exactly what I wanted to do with you anyway, right?"

Lisa stopped dead in her tracks. She looked down at our joined hands, completely ignoring the passing students who were beginning to gawk and point.

"Loki, I'm shy about doing this so openly," she muttered, a deep flush creeping up her neck. "Can we be more discreet? I don't want people spreading bad gossip about you because of my reputation."

As if Lady Fate was actively mocking her concerns, the hushed whispers of nearby students drifted straight into our ears.

"Oh my god, look! Is that Count Sky and Lady Swallow?"

"Are they holding hands and confessing right now?!"

"Holy shit, first Knight Teacher Ayala rides in on the same horse with him this morning, and now this?"

Thanks to Shehuang’s incredible stealth skills, none of the onlookers noticed her trailing a few paces behind us, though I could practically feel her waves of dark amusement rippling through the air.

Lisa blushed furiously and half-heartedly tried to pull her hand back. However, she didn't actually use any of her high-level mana or physical strength to force her way out of my grip.

"See? No problem," I laughed, holding fast. "If the King of the Balder Kingdom can be a lecherous guy with seven wives, why can't I? Lisa Swallow, let's put on a show for the Prince that isn't actually a show."

Her grip tightened around mine, completely abandoning the struggle. "I'm still shy. In public, we stick strictly to hand-holding, okay?"

Remembering an old meme from my past life, I adopted an expression of pure, unadulterated horror. "Hand-holding? Lisa, you're so lewd... You'll definitely get pregnant if we do that."

Lisa blinked, completely bewildered by how hand-holding equated to being lewd, let alone how basic human biology factored into it. Ultimately, she chalked it up to me just trying to piss her off again and aggressively dragged me down the hallway toward her class.

If Owen Balder had been there to hear it, he would have been the only person on the entire planet of Myst to give me a solid thumbs-up for the joke.

After that frantic day, the rest of the week passed in relative peace.

Shehuang spent her free hours locked away in her room, meticulously crafting high-grade talismans for our upcoming venture into the Secret Realm.

Yin Meng focused entirely on polishing her Wing Chun forms, dedicating her nights to reading up on the Secret Realm's historical records. Taki Tsuki provided a couple of exceptional "night services" to keep me satisfied, but otherwise spent her energy practicing diligently for her upcoming 8th Circle breakthrough.

Meanwhile, Lisa officially moved her things into my capital mansion. The sheer speed of her relocation left Prince Vali completely stunned; the idiot was probably questioning reality, wondering how putting a spy next to me could possibly be this incredibly easy.

Ayala toned down her aggressive public displays of affection at the academy, but she regularly slipped into my bed at night, completely unbothered by whoever else was already sleeping there. The rest of the harem accepted her direct, no-nonsense behavior as completely normal—mostly because Ayala never interrupted anyone else's turn, patiently waiting in line for her own time with her man.

The day before the first-year students were scheduled to depart on the royal flying warship, my grueling routine was abruptly derailed. I was pulled straight from Ayala’s unforgiving vanguard training by Gondul, one of the King’s legendary Valkyries. When a legendary warrior serves as your escort, you don't ask questions; you just follow.

We navigated the polished corridors of the academy until we reached the highest office. With a single, crisp knock from Gondul, a refined voice drifted through the heavy oak door.

"Please send in Count Loki."

Creak~!

The door swung open. I stepped over the threshold, and the heavy wood clicked shut behind me, the sound of ancient deadbolts sliding into place. Instantly, the ambient hum of heavy mana washed over me. The entire room was heavily enchanted with the absolute highest tiers of security magic. This wasn't a standard meeting; this was a locked-room interrogation.

Principal Leandra wasn't sitting at her desk. Instead, she had arranged two lowered couch cushions around a low, polished tea table—a sight pulled straight from an Earth anime. It was a calculated trap, designed specifically to throw me off balance.

I looked at her, trying my absolute best to ignore her exceptionally bodacious figure. Her golden hair was done up in a flawless, traditional Japanese fashion, held perfectly in place by six ornate hairpins. She wore a striking, crimson silk kimono, featuring an intricate back design of delicate cherry blossoms blowing across a massive, gnarled tree.

In every single way, she looked like a live-action reincarnation of Yasaka from High School DxD, minus the fox ears and tails, trading them instead for elegant, pointed Elven features. Or maybe a real-life Tsunade from Naruto?

While my inner otaku desperately debated which legendary MILF hottie she resembled most, my mouth moved on pure autopilot to save me.

"That cherry blossom kimono looks really good on you."

Leandra immediately shifted into an over-the-top, exaggerated pose, resting a flawless cheek against her hand. She delivered a classic trope line with pitch-perfect accuracy.

"Oh-my~ Loki-kun, you're so flattering to an older woman, haha~!"

She was doing the literal ara-ara and ufufu routine.

I froze in place. She sounded like she had stepped right through a portal from Earth. Then again, Elven culture in Myst shared an uncanny resemblance to feudal Japan—from their elaborate kimonos down to the elegant, sweeping katanas they called Elven Curved-blades.

Pat, pat!

Leandra nodded, clearly satisfied by my completely dazed expression. She patted the vacant cushion beside her, her playful demeanor shifting seamlessly into something far more grounded.

"Sorry, I won't tease you anymore," she said, her voice dropping to a comfortable register. "Owen likes it when I joke around like this. Sit, have some green tea with me."

Seeing her kneeling gracefully on the cushion, I carefully lowered myself into a matching seiza posture. She gave an approving nod and poured the tea.

"Recently, my husband Owen and your brother Thorin have gotten to know one another better," she began, studying my reaction over the rim of her cup. "They've been drinking and swapping tales. Tell me, what do you think of this?"

I took a slow sip of the offered tea. It was perfectly steeped, rich and earthy. I set the porcelain cup down and kept my face entirely neutral.

"Setting aside my personal thoughts for a moment, let's look at the optics," I replied. "To outside observers, it looks like King Balder has found a promising young knight who catches his eye. By bringing him into his inner circle, he's actively hinting at a potential engagement between a Protector Knight and the Princess."

Leandra’s smile widened, her eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of a queen whose husband had guessed correctly. "Go on. And your actual opinion?"

"Thorin is rushing it," I said bluntly. "He's trying way too hard to force King Balder's approval, solely so he can court Princess Lana. While building a connection isn't inherently bad, his underlying motivation makes it incredibly dangerous. Thorin should have waited for the King to approach him on his own terms. Overstepping to gain favor for the sake of romance is a tactical error."

I let out a soft sigh, watching the steam rise from my tea.

"If Thorin wanted to court Princess Lana, he should have started with her, not used a backchannel through the monarch. But honestly? I’m willing to bet Lana’s mother, Queen Angelica, talked him into this approach. She clearly doesn't understand the commonalities between the King and Thorin, making this a plan destined to end poorly for everyone involved. That is my assessment."

Leandra’s smile shifted from polite approval to genuine amusement. She leaned forward, tilting the teapot to refill my cup.

"My husband will be joining the airship flight east to the shores of the Inner Sea tomorrow," she noted casually. "Why not approach him yourself? See if you two share any common ground."

I immediately gave her a firm thumbs-up, while simultaneously shaking my head.

"King Balder and I definitely share plenty of common interests," I chuckled. "Tastes in food, preferences in women, and an absolute mastery of keeping a low profile. I know this for a fact because he hasn't summoned me for a formal 'chat' in the throne room yet. As the second male summoner in existence, a normal king would have had me interrogated weeks ago."

Buzz~!

With a subtle flex of my mana, I pulled a sleek, sixteen-ounce porcelain bottle sealed with a heavy stopper from my dimensional storage and placed it gently on the low table.

"Please tell King Balder that this is a token of my sincerity," I said smoothly. "Consider it an apology for making him wait so long to officially meet me. It’s a custom creation of mine, blending magic, alchemy, and my own brewing techniques. I call it Alchemist Sake. Trust me, it hits just as hard as the finest Elven wine."

Leandra picked up the bottle, her eyes lighting up. She knew all too well that Owen constantly complained about the absolute lack of quality rice wines in the kingdom of Myst. She smiled warmly, but then her expression shifted into something distinctly predatory.

"Good. He will be incredibly pleased," she murmured. "Owen views the situation exactly the same way you do. I'm also well aware of his past... so rest assured, your shared interests are entirely safe with me. Only his Summons, myself, Thorin, and you truly understand the kind of man the King is at heart. Thank you."

"Perfect, I appreciate it, Queen Breeze," I said, eager to escape before the trap snapped shut. "I still need to pack and prepare for tomorrow's departure. Shall I take my leave?"

"Tsk~!"

The sharp click of her tongue made me freeze mid-rise. She didn't look angry, but the sudden shift in the room's pressure was palpable.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" I swallowed hard.

"I am perfectly willing to overlook the fact that you completely stole my closest friends and personal instructors, Ayala and Lisa, away from me," Leandra said, her voice dropping into a smooth, terrifyingly sweet register. "But should we perhaps discuss you stealing my daughter to add to your ridiculous otaku harem as well?"

Cold sweat immediately erupted across the back of my neck. I raised my hands defensively, speaking with absolute, vehement panic.

"I have absolutely zero intentions of that nature with Lana, I swear! That is entirely Thorin's doing! I know exactly where I stand... wait. Eh? You said that out loud."

Leandra’s eyes narrowed into a pair of dangerous, gleaming crescents.

"No," she purred, a sinister, triumphant smile spreading across her lips. "I said 'my daughter.' And you said 'Lana.' Which means you just exposed yourself, Loki-kun."

Slap~!

I smacked my own hand over my mouth, cursing my utter stupidity. If Queen Angelica had been the one sitting across from me, my big mouth would have officially signed my death warrant right then and there.

What the Elven Queen said next completely terrified me...

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