Daybreak Summoner Chapter 21 (Patreon)

First Subjugation Request

Royal CapitalThe rolling hills northwest of Valluf.

Because of the warm and stable climate in this area, ranches of summoned beasts are scattered here and there.

The weather is clear and cloudless, and the breeze that blows through the meadows and carries the smell of green is pleasant.

Two girls are walking together in this place.

Their destination is a farm.

They are here to fulfill a request to defeat a carnivorous summoner that appears to target livestock and summoned beasts.

With her sidetail blowing in the fresh breeze, Rei talks to Rinna, who is walking next to her.

"I wonder if the ranch that sent the request is still there, it's already about an hour's walk from Royal Capital."

"The client was Nadis Ranch, right? I think we should be able to see it soon."

This is the first defeat request that Rinna undertakes as a B-level summoner.

Most of the requests for B-class summoners are for capturing and defeating low-ranked summoned beasts.

Unlike the C-level work, which consisted mostly of daily chores, there is a fear of putting one's life in danger.

Although she was well aware of this, Rinna was not worried.

Learning partial reinforcement and the presence of Rei.

These two things have given her a great deal of confidence.

Of course, she is not letting her guard down.

"Oh, isn't that it?"

Rei points to a summoner's ranch that can be seen over the hill.

A large signboard on the hillside reads "Nadis Ranch.

"Well, we're finally here...we walked here because you said it was right by Royal Capital..."

"Come on, Rin-chan!

Taking Rinna's hand, Rei starts to run.

"Wow, you're really energetic."

Rinna giggled as they started running together.

"Tochaku!"

"Hah...hah...hah..., it was quite a distance..."

Rei ran into the ranch at full speed.

Rinna, who was being held by the hand, had to run at full speed for a longer distance than she had expected.

With her hands on her knees and breathing on her shoulders, Rei watched her anxiously.

"Oh, sorry, Rin-chan, I didn't realize it was that far."

"It's okay, it's okay...I'll get you strong..."

She was out of breath, but after a short rest, she seemed to be okay.

After sitting Rinna down in the shade of a nearby tree, Rei looks around with interest.

The first thing that catches his eye is the vast pasture surrounded by fences.

Sheep, goats, and mild-mannered C-class summoned beasts are grazing in their own way.

Several wooden huts line the perimeter of the entrance where we are now.

The largest of these is probably the house where the rancher lives.

As Rei watches, the door to the house opens.

A girl of about the same age appears.

When she notices us, she rushes toward us with great energy.

She is an orange-haired girl wearing blue overalls.

She is definitely from the ranch.

Rei greets her in place of Rinna, who has not yet recovered.

"Nice to meet you. We, the summoner's guild, have received your request..."

"It's Rinna-chan!!!"

The girl runs past Rei and dives for Rinna, who is sitting in the shade of a tree.

She hugged Rinna and even started rubbing her cheek.

"Long time no see! I didn't expect Rinna-chan to come, it's fate, isn't it!"

"Rhea! Why are you here? I mean, stop rubbing your cheeks."

"Eh, that's good. But still, you got to be a summoner. And if you're asking me to kill you, that means you're a B-level summoner, right?"

The girl completely ignores Rei and proceeds with her story.

What is it about Rinna that makes her so strangely familiar with him in the first place?

"...Well, Rin-chan, do you know this person?"

Rei enters the conversation, trying to smile as much as possible.

"Oh, he's a childhood friend of mine from Floji, my hometown..."

"I'm Rhea Nadius, and Rinna-chan and I have a future together."

What does this girl say with a big smile on her face?

I almost crack a smile.

"...What does that mean?"

"What do you mean, I mean it as it is. She said that when we grow up, we will get married.

Oh, really? Really, Rin-chan?

Rei turns her head toward Rinna.

Obviously, his eyes are not smiling.

"No, I think I said something like that when I was a kid playing around.... Rhea, you can't be serious..."

"Of course, Rin-chan would never seriously say such a thing!"

"Hey, you've been calling me Rin-chanRin-chan since a while ago, what kind of relationship are you two having?"

Rhea pulls herself away from Rinna and takes a swing at Rei, who of course doesn't budge.

Rei, of course, doesn't take a step back.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Rei, I'm Rin-chan's handmaiden...[Partner], Rin-chan and I live together."

"What do you mean, Rinna-chan, living together? Are you cheating on me?

"Oh my God, you two need to calm down."

If I continue any longer, I'm going to lose control of the situation.

Rinna intervened before the conversation could get any more complicated.

"Well, first of all...Rhea, why are you here at this ranch?"

"Actually, this used to be my grandfather's ranch. But suddenly he passed away and it was about to be disposed of. My father and mother didn't want me to take over the ranch, so I took it.

"I see, you've always said you wanted to take over the ranch. And suddenly you're a rancher."

Rhea nodded her head.

It must be a lot of work to run this big ranch.

"Yes, it is. It's a lot of work, but it's what I've always wanted to do. I'm very fulfilled right now. But..."

"The summoner you asked for?"

Her expression suddenly clouds over.

The request, a summoned beast attacking livestock, casts a dark shadow over Rhea's mind.

"At night, you know, they appear. I'm too scared to get more than a glimpse of it, but it's a big shadow that walks on two legs, and it beats livestock to death... and its flesh..."

"Walking on two legs.... That's not enough to identify the killer."

For wild carnivores, livestock in the fence is an easily accessible feast.

Once they get a taste, they will come back again and again.

Eventually, they might even start attacking people.

In this case, there is nothing left to do but to exterminate them.

"Are there any corpses of the dead livestock? There might be some clues left.

"I haven't gotten rid of the ones from yesterday...they're pretty bad, do you want to see them?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine with it. I'm just trying to get a little bit of information on the guy."

"Okay, I'll show you around. Okay, I'll show you around.

Rhea walks to one of the small huts.

Rinna is about to follow her, but is concerned about Rei.

She has not joined the conversation at all since earlier.

"Rei, are you still mad at me? I don't know why you're in such a bad mood, but Rhea is a client, after all."

"...I'm not angry."

Although she says this, she is clearly unfaithful.

However, I don't want this tone of voice to interfere with the request.

"I don't blame you for not liking Rhea, but I want you to concentrate until the request is finished."

"...I understand, it's Rin-chan's first job as a B-class. I can't make any mistakes, can I?"

"That's not true. We might be dealing with a dangerous summoner, and if something happens to Rei, I'll..."

"Rin-chan..."

Rinna is worried about her.

Just knowing that, the blur in Rei's mind fades.

"Rinna-chan, what are you doing? I'm over here!"

"Oh, sorry. I'll be right there."

Rhea, perhaps tired of waiting, leans out from the entrance of the hut and calls out to me.

Rinna replies, urging Rei on.

"Come on, let's go."

"...Yeah."

Following Rinna's lead, Rei steps into the hut where Rhea is waiting.

Inside the small, straw-lined hut, a bloody smell wafts through the air.

The source of the smell must be under a raised sheet at the edge of the hut.

Rhea willingly flips open the sheet.

"Here's the goat that got hit yesterday."

"Ugh...!"

Rei covers her mouth involuntarily.

The goat's head was caved in, as if it had been hit with tremendous force.

The neck was broken and pointing in a strange direction.

The belly had been eaten through, and most of the internal organs had been devoured.

In addition, there were bite marks all over its body, and its once-white fur was now red and wet.

"Rei, are you okay? If you can't, you should go outside."

Rin-chan, I'm glad you're okay..."

"I used to help break up livestock and all that."

Rinna carefully examines the goat's wounds.

The bite marks show that the goat has sharp fangs.

The scars look as if they were cut by a sharp knife.

The size of its mouth and the shape of its claw marks suggest that it was a bear, which would make it more than five meters long.

Next, the way the neck was broken.

A blow that caved in the goat's skull and bent the bones of its neck.

How much force would it take to strike a goat with such a blow?

A bipedal carnivore, nocturnal, and a summoned beast with this much prowess.

Considering its habitat, Rinna had a rough idea of what to expect.

"This...is probably the work of a crescent bear."

Crescent Bear.

A summoner that has no special abilities, but is ranked in the middle of the B class because of its strong arms and ferocious nature.

A novice B-class summoner would immediately call for help.

However, Rei, who has dealt with hordes of Orthrus and Bolt Lizards, would not be caught unawares.

"This guy will be out at night. Let's make a plan by then."