Ice Partner and Peaceful Days: A Banished Summoner's Life with a Lone Knight
Glenn, a 30-year-old summoner, is expelled from his B-rank party 'Crimson Fang' for only being able to summon a single Living Armor. Their leader, Zex, dismisses him coldly: 'Your summon can't hold the front line.' Glenn simply says, 'I see,' and leaves without a fight.
However, the Living Armor he poured all his magic into for fifteen years has secretly evolved into a higher being with its own will—a 'Living Knight.' Glenn himself, through relentless training, possesses three times the magic c
Ice Partner and Peaceful Days: A Banished Summoner's Life with a Lone Knight - Ice Blade and Teachings
The morning air was still cold, and a dampness lingered over the cobblestones like a remnant of the night before. When Glen opened the door of the workshop "Iron Hammer and Engraving," that familiar, calming atmosphere wrapped around him—the scent of wood mingled with the ash of the forge.
In front of the shelves along the wall, Glen spread open his leather bag. Inside were three spare magic stones and two freezing catalysts. He lifted one of the small glass tubes filled with silver powder, holding it gently between his fingertips and up to the morning light. The powder inside shifted silently, like flowing sand.
*(Will this be enough?)*
Today was not the usual workshop labor. At Gald's request, he was to lead five rookie adventurers in live combat training. The location was the shallowest excavation site on the first level of the Kraagen Mines. D-rank ore insects would be their primary opponents. For the rookies, this would be their first real battle against monsters.
Glen closed the leather bag and glanced down at the roster left on the workbench. Gald had delivered it the night before. The hastily scrawled handwriting listed five names, ages, aptitudes, and their lack of combat experience in brief phrases.
Kyle, seventeen. Aspiring swordsman.
Tina, sixteen. Archer.
Rio, eighteen. Healer apprentice.
Maya and Ren, fifteen. Light warrior twins.
*(All of them with less than three months of real combat experience...)*
At the edge of the roster, Gald had written just two small words: "I'm counting on you." Seeing those two characters, Glen smiled faintly. It was truly rare for that man to make such a request of someone else.
Without a sound, the Living General stood beside him. The dark blue-black heavy armor reflected the morning light dully. The blue glow deep within the helmet pulsed quietly but strongly. In its hands were a greatshield and a battle axe. His partner was already fully prepared.
Glen slung the leather bag over his shoulder and lightly tapped the Living General's helmet. The cold sensation of metal returned to his fingers with a small *clink*.
"Today, I intend to bring all five of them back safely. That's what matters most to me."
The blue light within the helmet flared brightly for an instant.
That was answer enough.
He locked the workshop door. The sky was clear and blue, and from beyond the city walls came the morning bustle of the town. The faint scent of the bakery drifted on the wind. The sound of merchants' wagons. Children's laughter. The daily life of this city was beginning again, just as it always did.
Glen set out with the Living General toward the western highway.
---
The entrance to the Kraagen Mines lay in the hilly region west of Heldein, about half a day's walk. It was an abandoned mine once used for extracting magic iron ore, now repurposed as a dungeon. At the entrance stood a wooden barrier gate installed by the mutual aid association, designed to keep out anyone without a permit.
That said, the barrier's effect only extended to the area near the first level's entrance. The deeper one went, the thicker the darkness of the old tunnels became, and the less human oversight reached. That was precisely why rookie training was conducted in the shallowest area, within range of each other's voices—an ironclad rule.
When Glen and his party arrived, five young people were already waiting in front of the entrance.
The tallest boy stepped forward with a tense expression. This was Kyle, seventeen. His chestnut hair was damp with sweat, and the hand gripping the sword at his waist was clenched so tightly it had turned white. Glen could see that hand trembling ever so slightly.
"G-good morning. Thank you for today."
His voice cracked slightly.
"Good morning. You don't need to push yourself. Today, let's just focus on learning to stand on your own two feet and making it back."
Kyle relaxed his shoulders just a little.
Behind him, the archer girl Tina was counting the arrows in her quiver with her fingers. Sixteen years old. A petite girl with black hair tied back into a single tail. When she finished counting, she plucked the bowstring with her fingers and gave it a light flick. A dry *ping* was absorbed into the hilly air. It was obvious she was trying to steady herself.
Beside her, the light warrior twins Maya and Ren were checking the leather straps of each other's light armor. Fifteen years old. The older sister Maya had her red hair cut short, while the younger brother Ren wore his hair—the same color—grown out carelessly. Both had slender builds, but their movements were efficient. Maya punched Ren's shoulder guard with her fist, and Ren tugged at Maya's waist belt to tighten it. They seemed to need no words.
And standing at the far end of the group was Rio, the healer apprentice. Eighteen. Tall, with a pale face. His eyes, visible beneath thin golden hair, darted restlessly around his feet. The bag on his back should have been packed with bandages, medicinal herbs, and simple healing talismans, but he kept gripping and regripping its strap.
Gald walked slowly out from the shade of a tree. A massive figure at 195 centimeters. Shaved head, with an old scratch scar running from his left cheek down to his neck. A greatsword on his back, two small axes at his waist. Clad in the equipment of a heavy warrior, he carried an intimidating presence that seemed to tighten the very air around him as he approached.
The rookies' spines straightened all at once.
Gald stood before the rookies and spoke in a low voice.
"We're entering the mines now. I'll tell you three things so you don't die today."
He raised one finger.
"One. During combat, listen to your comrades' voices. Use your own ears and your own head to constantly track what's happening around you. Don't act on your own judgment."
A second finger.
"Two. Rather than recklessly pushing forward, protect your path of retreat. Survival comes before killing. There will be times when running is your job."
A third finger.
"Three. Don't abandon your role. Swordsmen swing their swords. Archers secure their firing lines. Healers stay in the back and move when needed. Don't take someone else's role. That's the condition for all of us making it back."
His rugged voice soaked into the quiet air of the hills.
Kyle swallowed quietly.
"Gald is right. Today is training for you to learn how to protect your own lives as adventurers. If anything happens, both my partner and I will move. So first, focus on listening to instructions and acting on them. Just remember that."
The five of them nodded, each in their own way.
Gald glanced over at Glen. His eyes softened for just a moment. It was the same expression he'd worn that day in the workshop, when he'd bowed his head.
"Formation: I'll take point. You five in the middle. Glen and the Living General bring up the rear. Maintain formation at all times. Don't stray."
The rookies hurriedly fell into formation.
Glen walked over beside Kyle.
"You're gripping your sword too hard. Put strength into your hand only at the moment you swing. Until then, relax your shoulders. Otherwise you won't have the room to drop your hips."
Kyle started and opened his palm. The leather grip, damp with sweat, had gone cold in the morning breeze.
"S-sorry. I'm just nervous."
"It's your first real battle. That's natural. But gripping too hard dulls your blade's path. Take a deep breath. Today is training for staying alive."
Kyle inhaled deeply, then exhaled. His shoulders lowered just a little.
Glen looked back at the Living General, waiting silently behind them. His partner had already taken position at the rear of the formation. Its greatshield stood as if protecting the backs of the five rookies.
"Let's move."
At Gald's signal, the party stepped into the mine entrance.
---
The inside of the mine was far colder than outside. The damp rock walls reflected the lamplight in wet, clinging patches. In the high-ceilinged tunnel, rows of old wooden support beams lined the path, and the smell of moldering wood mixed with the scent of iron rust. The sound of water dripping somewhere echoed ceaselessly.
As they advanced, the outside light faded, and only the pale glow of the magic lamp Gald held aloft illuminated their surroundings.
At the rear of the formation, Glen expanded his mana detection. Without even closing his eyes, he could read the flow of magic around him as clearly as if it were in his hands. Trace amounts of magic iron ore remaining in the rock walls. The damp air. Within it, the faint mana emitted by living creatures—still far away. But definitely there.
*(Two clusters of about five on the shallow part of the first level... and a faint reaction deeper in the mines.)*
Rock lizards or ore insects. Glen advanced while precisely tracking their positions.
The rookies were silent. But all of them were breathing shallowly. Tension prickled in the air.
Kyle was biting his lip. Tina kept touching the position of her quiver with her right hand, checking it repeatedly. Maya and Ren maintained their distance from each other while their eyes moved restlessly. Rio, his face still pale, kept nearly tripping over rocks at his feet and desperately catching his balance.
"Rio."
Glen called out quietly from behind. Rio's shoulders jumped.
"If it gets too hard, you can fall back. Your job isn't to kill—it's to keep people from falling. The most important thing is that you're still standing when someone gets hurt."
Rio turned and looked at Glen's face. His pale eyes were wavering.
"...I'm sorry. I keep thinking about whether I'll just be dead weight."
"You won't be dead weight. Just having you there lets the front line fight with peace of mind. A healer isn't someone who's merely protected by standing there. You're the one who keeps everyone else standing."
Rio nodded—a tiny, tiny nod.
A little ahead, Kyle turned back to look at Rio. His face was worried, but when Glen signaled with his eyes, Kyle turned forward again and placed his hand on his sword.
---
About thirty minutes after entering the mines.
The shallow part of the first level. They emerged into a wide open space with a high ceiling that had apparently once been a mining site. Along the walls, the remnants of old torches left blackened soot stains. The ground was scattered with fragments of small stones that ore insects had chewed apart.
Glen's mana detection caught something—sharply.
Immediately after, Gald spoke in a clipped tone.
"Halt."
Everyone stopped.
They listened.
*Skitter. Skitter, skitter.*
From the gaps in the rocks came the sound of hard things scraping against each other. Several of them. Overlapping. And then, through the damp air, the sound of wings fluttered past—*flap, flap*.
Gald drew his greatsword from its sheath. The sound of metal scraping rang sharply through the tunnel.
"They're coming. Don't break formation."
The next moment, from the shadows of the rocks near the ceiling, something tumbled down with a rumbling sound.
No—not something. Stones.
Ore insects, their bodies curled into spheres. Their black, gleaming carapaces reflected the lamplight as they hit the ground and bounced, then unfurled their round bodies. One, two, three—five of them. Each over a meter long, with sharp mandibles visible at their mouths, designed for crushing ore.
Kyle instinctively stepped back half a pace.
As if hiding in their shadows, three shadow bats glided down from a crack in the ceiling. Their gray wings sliced through the air without a sound, and on their bellies, a faint purple mana pulsed. C-rank equivalent monsters with ultrasonic attacks. These were not opponents that should appear on the shallow part of the first level.
"A new wave! Front line, stop the insects! Tina, cut off the bats' firing line!"
Gald's roar echoed through the tunnel.
"H-hiii...!"
Rio went pale and collapsed to the ground on the spot. The bats would never miss such an opening. One of
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