Ice Partner and Peaceful Days: A Banished Summoner's Life with a Lone Knight - The Truth of the Frozen Lake

The early summer sunlight streamed into the Mutual Aid Association hall, which had been filled with the heat and energy of adventurers since early morning. In front of the request board, a crowd of about ten men and women had gathered. Their eyes were serious as they searched through the sheepskin parchments plastered across the wall, looking for requests that matched their abilities. Glen stood a short distance away from the crowd, checking a personal request slip with his name written on it. (*Herb gathering, material transport... looks like I can finish all of these quickly.*) As he was mentally organizing the workflow for the workshop, a voice suddenly called out to him. "Um, excuse me. You're Glen, right?" When he turned around, a young swordsman stood there. Around twenty years old. Well-maintained leather armor, with a longsword at his hip. His dark brown hair was trimmed short, and he gazed at Glen with a somewhat nervous expression. Behind him stood a woman of similar age with a bow on her back, and a girl who appeared to be a healer, clutching a small staff. None of the three could hide their inexperience as adventurers. Their equipment was practical but not yet worn in, and even the way they looked at the request board betrayed hesitation. "What can I do for you?" "Well, actually..." The swordsman who introduced himself as Kyle exchanged glances with his companions, then began speaking as if he had made up his mind. "We're a D-rank party called the Bluebird. We're thinking of taking on a survey request for the Frozen Lake, but the reports say there's a lizardman equivalent to C-rank in that lake." Glen nodded silently, urging him to continue. "We're a little uneasy going alone. So we were looking for someone to provide support. Then the receptionist at the Mutual Aid Association told us that you handle solo requests too, and that you're an ice magic user." "I see." Glen looked at each of the three faces in turn. Kyle the swordsman seemed like a serious young man. Shera the archer was gauging Glen's reaction with sharp eyes. Luna the healer furrowed her brow anxiously, gently clutching Shera's sleeve. "Alright. I'll take it on." When Glen answered immediately, the three of them widened their eyes. "Wait, really? We haven't even discussed the reward split yet..." "For the reward, since I'm just in a support role, fifteen percent of the total is fine. If you're all satisfied with that, you can go ahead and register as an official temporary party at the Mutual Aid Association." Shera furrowed her brow and spoke up. "Fifteen percent? Isn't that too little? We've heard the rumors that you were banished from the Crimson Fang. But we don't know how strong you really are. Even if you say support, the danger is the same when it comes to combat. You should take more." Glen smiled gently. "There's only so much I can do. Besides, I might just hold you back. Fifteen percent is plenty." Kyle still looked like he wanted to say something, but pressed by Glen's quiet demeanor, he eventually nodded and said, "Understood." The four of them headed to the reception counter at the Mutual Aid Association and completed the temporary party registration. While the receptionist efficiently processed the paperwork, the three members of the Bluebird whispered quietly among themselves. "Is that guy really the summoner from the rumors? I thought he'd be more unfriendly and gloomy." "Yeah... he seems really kind. But the story about him being banished... it's so sad." "We don't need pity. As long as we can complete the request, that's all that matters." Glen could hear their conversation, but he showed no particular reaction. He gathered his belongings and approached the Living Knight, who had been waiting by the wall. The dark blue heavy armor stood silently in the corner of the hall. The three members of the Bluebird noticed its imposing figure—over two meters tall—for the first time, and caught their breath. "What is that... a summon?" "It's way too big... I'd heard it was living armor, but that looks like something else entirely." Glen lightly tapped the Living Knight's shield and spoke to it in a quiet voice. "Today, defense is our main job. I'm counting on you." The Living Knight said nothing, but as if responding with certainty, the blue magical light deep within its armor shimmered quietly. --- At the same time, on the eastern shore of the Frozen Lake, a single woman stood. Mireille opened the gathering pouch at her waist and carefully picked the ice-capped mushrooms growing wild along the lakeshore. These mushrooms with their silver caps grew only on frozen ground and were traded at high prices as valuable materials by the apothecaries of Heldain. The wind from the cold lake surface swayed her long amber hair. (*A solo request like this... back when Glen was around, I would never have chosen it.*) She stopped her hands and gazed far off toward the western shore of the lake. Ever since Zex had been seriously injured, the atmosphere within the Crimson Fang had been at its worst. The leader was irritable, and the remaining members blamed each other. Gald grew more and more silent, spending more days holed up in the tavern. Even she, the party's strategist, didn't know what to do, and had come outside alone as if fleeing. (*Back then... it was quieter. More stable.*) Glen in the rear guard, the Living Knight protecting the front line, forming a defensive line together with Gald. While they held, Zex and she would pour all their power into attacking. No one recklessly charged ahead, no one had to push themselves too hard—that way of fighting was the true strength of the Crimson Fang. Who was it that called that "insufficient firepower"? As Mireille was lost in thought, she saw several figures approaching from the direction of the western shore. Three—no, four. And at the very rear, an especially enormous shadow swayed. (*That's...*) She instinctively hid behind a rock. Straining her eyes, she saw a young swordsman walking at the front. Behind him, an archer and a girl who seemed to be a healer. And walking at the very rear— "Glen..." She murmured aloud, then immediately covered her mouth. Beside him was that dark blue armor. But it was no longer the living armor she knew. Across the entire surface of the armor, an eerie bluish-white magical light pulsed ominously, unlike anything she had ever seen. Just standing there, it exuded a pressure so heavy the very air seemed to tremble. (*That's... the Living Knight...?*) She had heard the rumors. After his banishment, she had overheard in a tavern that Glen's summon had evolved into a higher being. But this was the first time she had seen it with her own eyes. Unable to call out to him, Mireille held her breath on the spot and decided to watch how things unfolded. --- The Bluebird began their investigation on the lakeshore around the time the sun approached its zenith. Kyle drew his sword and kept watch on the surroundings. Shera nocked an arrow and glared at the distant lake surface. Luna stood in the rear, gripping her staff tightly so she could chant healing magic at any moment. Glen stood a little behind them, accompanied by the Living Knight, quietly assessing the situation. "The lizardman sightings were around the center of this lake. However, they say it hasn't shown itself for the past few days..." "Wait!" Shera shouted sharply and aimed her bow at the lake surface. The next moment—a massive pillar of water erupted at the center of the lake. SPLAAAAAASH!!! Emerging from the spray was a gigantic lizardman, over four meters in length. Its deep green scales gleamed eerily in the sunlight, and its cold, reptilian eyes locked onto the four people on the shore. "It's bigger than the report said...!" Though trembling, Kyle readjusted his grip on his sword and stepped forward. Shera immediately loosed her arrows. The sound of the bowstring tearing through the air rang out, and three arrows rushed toward the lizardman's head. But— Clang. Clang. Clang. Deflected by the hard scales, the arrows scattered in useless directions. "The scales are too hard...!" The lizardman shook its massive body and opened its mouth wide in a threat display. Deep within its maw, water magic swirled into a vortex. "Crap, water cannon incoming!" The moment Kyle shouted, a high-pressure stream of water was unleashed from the lizardman's mouth. It wasn't an attack aimed at a single point, but a wide-area sweeping shot that spread out in a fan shape. The three tried to scatter—but they wouldn't make it. That was when it happened. Glen gave a short but clear command. "Shield." The Living Knight stepped forward. Its movement was astonishingly smooth, unbefitting its massive frame. It slammed the greatshield on its right arm into the ground— GOOOONG!!! Simultaneously with the impact, a blast of cold air surged from the shield's surface. White mist spread forward, and in the next moment, a semi-transparent ice wall over a meter thick unfolded in a fan shape. Ice Wall Guard—a shield skill of the Living Knight, specialized for wide-area defense to the front. SPLAAAAAASH!!! The water cannon crashed against the ice wall. The high-pressure stream tried to shatter the ice, but the wall didn't budge. The water turned into fine spray, scattering into countless rainbows beyond the ice wall. The three members of the Bluebird were speechless at the sight. Beyond the curtain of ice, the sight of the shattered water stream glittering in the sunlight was so beautiful that it made them forget, for just a moment, that they were in the middle of battle. "This is... the Living Knight..." The ice wall shattered. Glen immediately issued the next order. "Flank around from the left." At the same time, his own incantation began. He held his staff horizontally in his right hand and formed a seal with his left. Cold air rose from his fingertips, and the moisture in the atmosphere transformed one after another into particles of ice. "Area Freeze." The lake surface turned white in an instant. The lizardman's lower body was locked in ice several dozen centimeters thick. The massive body struggled, and the ice creaked and cracked, but it was enough to rob its upper body of freedom. "GYAAAAAAAH!!!" The lizardman roared and once again concentrated water magic in its mouth. But— By that time, the Living Knight had already charged in from the flank. A single step forward, impossible to perceive from such a massive body. The battle axe in its right arm was raised high, and the pale blue cold air swirling around the blade howled. The surrounding temperature plummeted, and their exhaled breath froze. A single flash. The moment the axe struck the lake surface—the world was dyed white. With a thunderous roar, the lizardman's entire body froze solid. Every single scale, every single fang, and even the water magic it had gathered in its mouth—all of it froze in an instant. The four-meter giant stood still, like an exquisite ice sculpture, and in the next moment— Crack. With a sound like shattering glass, the ice statue burst into countless fragments. Glittering particles of ice, sparkling in the sunlight, rained down upon the lake surface. The battle was over. Everyone was speechless, simply standing frozen in place. The sword fell from Kyle's hand, clattering against the stones. "This is... the Living Knight...?" His voice trembled, a mix of awe and something close to rapture. Shera lowered the hand holding her bow and collapsed to the ground as if her legs had given out. Luna, with tears in her eyes, pressed her hands together as if in prayer. Glen, still holding his staff at the ready, surveyed the battlefield. The Living Knight lowered its axe and quietly returned to its master's side. Its gait was heavy, yet somehow proud. --- Mireille, who had witnessed the entire battle from behind the rock, collapsed

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Episode 4

Name: Ice Partner and Peaceful Days: A Banished Summoner's Life with a Lone Knight
Author: Novelia

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