Ice Partner and Peaceful Days: A Banished Summoner's Life with a Lone Knight - Into the gentle morning light.

The late summer morning light streamed through the workshop window. The air was clear, and in a season where the heat still lingered, the faintest hint of autumn had begun to creep in. It was that kind of morning. Glen sat before his workbench, the ledger open in front of him. Quill in hand, he checked each transaction from the previous day, one by one. The scent of ink mingled with the woody aroma that filled the workshop. Against the wall stood the Living General. Several days had passed since its evolution in the Kragen Mines. The surface of its dark blue armor was now etched with far more intricate patterns of light, pulsing quietly from time to time like a heartbeat. It was no longer a mere armored soldier. It now possessed the dignity of a general who commanded the battlefield. Glen raised his head and gazed at his partner. " Nice weather again today." The Living General did not answer. But the blue light deep within its helmet flickered once, gently. Glen smiled softly and dropped his eyes back to the ledger. *(Alright, then.)* Today was the day to deliver the custom staff to Klaus. A piece made just for him, crafted from white oak and engraved with seals to reduce air resistance. A work he had spent days finishing — one he was proud of. *Knock, knock, knock.* The sound of meticulous knocking echoed through the workshop. "It's open." The door opened, and Klaus stepped inside. The tall wind mage, draped in a deep green robe, paused at the entrance, his gaze stopping on the Living General by the wall. " ...Well now, you've changed." Klaus let out a breath of admiration. He had heard the rumors. That in the third stratum of the Kragen Mines, Glen's summoned entity had evolved into a higher being and shattered an ancient guardian in a single blow. But seeing it with his own eyes like this left him speechless. "Ah, well. It's grown a little." Glen scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed. " A little, he says. You're as modest as ever." Laughing, Klaus settled into the chair in front of the workbench. Glen retrieved a staff from the shelf. Wrapped in white cloth, he placed it carefully on the workbench with both hands and opened the cloth. " The promised item. White oak, engraved with air resistance reduction seals. The core material has also been adjusted to match your magical power, Klaus." Klaus picked up the staff and examined it thoroughly. The smooth grain of the white oak. The grip was carved with delicate engravings depicting the flow of wind. The wind magic stone embedded in the tip glowed faintly in the morning light. " Beautiful... No, this is a work of art." " Would you like to try it out? Just a little, in the backyard." The two of them stepped out into the workshop's backyard. In the small garden, several herbs Glen had planted grew in clusters. Old firewood was stacked against the wall, and beside it leaned a well-worn wooden target. A practice dummy for experiments. Klaus readied the new staff and took a deep breath. " —Wind Walk." In that instant, the air in the garden shifted softly. Klaus's outline grew faint, and the next moment, he was already standing on the other side of the target. The wind quietly caught up. Klaus looked down at the staff in his hands. " Incredible..." He activated it again, this time in rapid succession, circling around the target. Five times in an instant. And yet, his breathing remained steady. " The transmission efficiency has improved, you see. I believe your magical power is now being converted more purely through the staff." Klaus gripped the staff tightly. His fingertips traced the fine engravings on the wood. Then he exhaled deeply and laughed. " ...With this, I feel like I could conquer the deeper strata of the Kragen Mines alone. Thank you, Glen. Your skill is the real thing." He pulled a leather pouch from inside his robe and placed it on the workbench. Inside were one hundred and twenty silver coins. A heavy *clink* resounded. " Thank you, as always." Glen bowed his head lightly. Klaus tucked the staff at his waist and turned back toward the Living General once more. "Even so... the more I look, the more incredible it is. Your partner." " Yes. My partner, and my pride." Glen's voice was quiet. Klaus watched his profile, and for a moment seemed about to say something, but in the end, he said nothing, instead raising a hand lightly. " If anything else comes up, I'll definitely be counting on you. Until then." "Yes, anytime." After Klaus had left, Glen opened the ledger and wrote, "Klaus — delivered." For a while, only the sound of the quill echoed through the workshop. —About an hour later. This time, instead of a knock, a slightly hesitant voice was heard. " Um... Glen, are you here?" "Come in, it's open." The door slowly opened, and Alisa entered. Her steps were far more confident than before. The cloak over her shoulders was a little dirty. She had likely walked all the way here from early morning. In her hand, she clutched the cherrywood tuning staff Glen had adjusted for her. " It's been a while, Alisa." " Yes! It's been too long, Glen!" Her face was much brighter than before. The first time she visited this workshop, she had been clutching a broken staff and crying. Unable to control her magical power, she had been on the verge of giving up on becoming a mage. But now, a light of genuine confidence dwelled in her eyes. " Um, please look! I've been practicing with the staff you adjusted for me. And then, finally—" She dashed out into the garden and readied her staff. "—Flame!" A small flame flickered to life at the tip of the staff. The magical power that had once been prone to running wild was now properly controlled by the staff, and the flame swayed steadily in her hand. " Look! It's not going out! It's not going wild! I've finally..." Alisa stared at the flame, her voice catching. " ...Huh?" She hadn't realized she was crying until her fingers touched her cheek. "I finally feel like I've become a mage...! Thank you, Glen... I've been waiting for this moment for so, so long..." Glen crouched down beside her and gazed at the flame. " It's the result of your hard work. I only helped a little." " But if it weren't for you, Glen, I'm sure I... I wouldn't have been able to hold a staff ever again..." She rubbed her eyes with her arm, then bowed deeply toward Glen. " This is the rest of the payment. I'm sorry it's late." From her small hand, sixty-five silver coins were offered. The coins were faintly warm, as if they had been clutched tightly for a long time. Glen accepted the coins and recorded it in the ledger. " Received, with thanks." Alisa raised her head and broke into a beaming smile. " Um, is it alright if I come again? When I get stronger, I'll save up my own money and get a new staff..." "Of course. Come by anytime." Alisa bowed again and again, then dashed out the front door. Watching her retreating figure, Glen smiled quietly. *(You really worked hard.)* He let out a small breath and closed the ledger. —As noon approached. The tavern "Ragna's Horn" was wrapped in its usual clamor. " Hey, did you hear? The Crimson Fang has finally disbanded!" " No way. What happened to Zex?" " ...Rumor has it the aftereffects of the wound he got from the Gray Bear are so bad he can't take any requests at all. No one even knows where he's gone." " I heard Mireille officially submitted her withdrawal. As for Gald... look, he's over there." At a corner seat in the tavern, Gald sat alone, gulping down ale. From behind the counter, the owner Ragna watched him with concern. He'd been like that since morning. Gald slowly let the last mouthful remaining in his glass slide down his throat. *(...So it's over.)* They had once been a party renowned even in Heldain. The leader Zex overflowed with talent, Mireille supported the party with her intellect, and he himself had protected his comrades as their shield. And Glen had been there. Always with that gentle smile, supporting the front lines alongside his Living Armor. *(I... couldn't say anything back then.)* On the day Glen was banished, he had certainly objected. But in the end, he was overwhelmed by Zex's momentum. More than anything, he had run away from the troublesome conflict. And this was the result. " Ragna, another one." " How many do you think you've had today? Why don't you rest a bit?" " Shut up. Pour it." Ragna sighed but slid a new mug toward him. Gald took it and drank a mouthful. The adventurers around him were still buzzing about the Crimson Fang. " In the end, kicking Glen out was the mistake. That guy's famous now, even handling S-rank requests." "Bet that bastard Zex is regretting it now." Listening to those words, Gald silently raised his glass. He murmured quietly, so no one could hear. " ...Congratulations, Glen." His voice was drowned out by the tavern's noise. He downed the rest of his ale in one go and stood up. " Ragna, I'm leaving the payment here." " Ah, hey, your change—" Without looking back, Gald left the tavern. The midday sun beat down mercilessly on the street. After standing still for a moment, he slowly began to walk. —Afternoon. Under the early afternoon sky, the city of Heldain was settling into a quiet hour. In an alley across the street from Glen's staff workshop, "Hammer and Seal," a woman stood. Long, wavy hair of a rich amber hue. Deep forest-green eyes. A glove with amber embedded on the back of her right hand. And clutched tightly, as if precious, was the oak staff Glen had adjusted for her. Mireille was gazing at the workshop window. Beyond the glass, she could see Glen working. His calm profile was visible through the window. *(...I...)* The Crimson Fang no longer existed. Zex had vanished, and Gald was drowning his sorrows alone in a tavern. And as for herself, all she could do was watch from afar like this. *(I want to apologize. But what would an apology change now?)* On the day of his banishment, she had certainly objected. But she had been overruled. She had followed the party's consensus. Which meant she had abandoned Glen. *(If I see him, what am I supposed to say?)* She wanted to ask to apprentice under him as a staff craftsman. That feeling was genuine. His skill was real. His dedication to his work was worthy of respect. But did she have the right to speak those words? Mireille bit her lip and tightened her grip on the staff. *I'll go,* she thought. But her feet wouldn't move. *(Just... a little longer...)* Hiding herself in the shadow of the alley, she simply continued to gaze at the workshop. —Inside the workshop. Glen had noticed the presence outside the window. *(Mireille, huh.)* He knew the feel of her magical power well. She was a comrade he had fought alongside in the same party for a long time. He could tell she was there just from her presence alone. But Glen did not look outside the window. *(Not until you open the door of your own will.)* That was his own form of kindness. Visiting only out of guilt, forced by someone else, would be meaningless. Only when she herself truly wished it would that first step hold meaning. Silently, Glen continued adjusting the staff in his hands. —Evening. The sun began to slant, and the workshop was bathed in orange light. Glen spread out a bundle of documents that had arrived just today on his work desk. Three request forms. Five staff order sheets. All of them had suddenly increased in number recently. Since the incident at the Kragen Mines, his reputation had spread throughout the city, and he was now in high demand. *(Alright, then.)* Glen picked up his pen and pulled the stack of order forms closer. At that moment, the envelope tucked at the very bottom slipped out and fell onto the desk. "...?" Glen picked up the envelope. It was made of expensive-looking parchment, sealed

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Episode 7

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

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