I Only Summon Villainesses

I frowned once Kassie went down, already hurling myself towards her before I realized. At the same time, White Feather appeared. She twirled with a blazing momentum and with her sword knocked the frozen sword off course. The sword flew sideways, landing right beside Kassie but instantly spreading frost across the ground.

"Kassie!"

Despite the terrible pain on my chest, I couldn’t help but be worried for her.

I bent down right beside her, while she clutched her chest, breathing so heavily. It was the first time I had seen it.

Kassie sounded like she was in so much pain, and looked so vulnerable.

"A Summon is bound to their Summoner, there’s a reason why Summons must obey their Masters and cannot hurt them, even though they don’t like them."

The person that spoke was the lady with a gigantic figure that Kassie had almost attacked. She glanced at Brunhilde who was meanwhile blankly looking at White Feather.

The lady gave me a hard-to-read look.

"Your summon will be fine. Right now, it’s best you dispel her and let her rest. This only happened because she caused you harm. Even though it’s not her intention, it’s the rules."

I studied Kassie as the lady’s words made sense to me.

She added.

"If you want, you can come rest at my keep. It seems Lady Brunhilde has taken fond of you."

Brunhilde finally tore her gaze from Kassie and looked forward.

"Ilse, someone defeated Nightmare."

The lady’s eyes went wide and she turned her expression where Brunhilde was looking.

"What, how can Lord Nightmare..."

A manic grin split Brunhilde’s face.

"There sure are a lot of interesting people visiting your territory all at once. What’s the occasion."

Someone was stepping closer from within the forest. And I kind of already knew who it was. I dismissed Kassie as the steps got closer and a heavy silence pressed down on the darkness of the forest.

Then the person finally arrived.

The fool... beamed widely.

"Ehhh? It’s the full house."

The lady, Lady Ilse, now had a dark grimace on her face.

"To think they will have the guts."

Altharion looked at her still wearing a harmless, kind smile. He turned to me. It was a bit difficult to figure out what was going on in his mind with the way he was smiling.

He turned back to Lady Ilse.

"It’s unfair to bring civilians into this, you know."

Altharion walked forward in the darkness, dragging something closer with a bloodied hand behind him. It took a moment before it came into visible light.

And behind him, was the head of the giant creature that had attacked me earlier. He was dragging it by the ear.

Brunhilde’s face darkened viciously as she saw this.

At the same time, Lady Ilse seemed horrified but she turned to her summon and warned sternly.

"Brunhilde, do not do anything rash."

"Nightmare has been my companion for millennia, even in the Spirit World."

"I know..." Lady Ilse responded with care and grimaced at Altharion. "But this fox is devious, he has his team stationed all around us, I’m sure they’ve surrounded us by now. Especially that crimson-haired girl."

Brunhilde was silenced. It seemed as though she had found sense in what Lady Ilse was talking about, but I had not. I didn’t know who they were talking about or what.

Meanwhile Altharion laughed.

"Team? You overestimate yourself, Madam Ilse, why would I need my team to take out you and your Legend-tier Summon."

He took a slow step forward, hurling the severed head of the beast with trails of blood on the ground.

"You seem to have forgotten. You may summon savage beasts and legends who defined an era. Go ahead and even summon Calamities who destroyed an era... it’s all pointless. I summon Immortals, beings who have existed since the dawn of time, demigods."

His laugh boomed fiercely.

"You summon from the Spirit World, I call down the heavens. I don’t need those weaklings to humiliate you."

Lady Ilse was putting on a defiant gaze but reluctance to move was saying more than enough.

Finally she managed to relax her shoulders and folded her arms over her chest.

"I am surprised, you can be ordered around like the church’s dog. Last time I saw you at the Academy, didn’t you give me a whole speech about being your own person."

Altharion released the head, spreading his bloody hands.

"Here I am, Ilse, like I promised back then."

He scoffed.

"What, you thought I came here on behalf of the church? Well, we could say I did. But then it aligns with my personal interest to destroy you. So I took the wheels of this purge mission. The north is one place that has been ignored for a long time, the power you guys wield are too much and should be evenly shared amongst the continents. And that alliance with the Forgorians you are all pushing. Who gave you the permission?"

Lady Ilse wore a derisive smile.

"Why not, that alliance will reduce the influence of the Eternal Light church in half. It’s a great boost to the Empire’s military strength. You don’t want that, I thought you and Prince Sorovia were best friends."

Altharion gave her a look of disgust and anger.

"Stupid! You want to reduce the power of Solarius by raising the bars for worshippers of Tyrvas? What an absolute genius you are."

He grimaced.

"Don’t take me for a fool, Ilse, you are trying to tear away the north, aren’t you. You all Northerners cannot be trusted after all. Eisenmark, Waldheim, Gottmund, Aldenguard and Konradin. These five nations are pushing for a unification, becoming the second Empire in Solarium. What I fairly do not understand is who?"

He walked towards Lady Ilse with confident, unhurried strides.

"Who is it? Who is the person that is devising it all. The person that made the Forgorians willing to accept the alliance. They are a closed continent, unwelcoming to the other races. But somehow, they opened up... now, that can’t be as simple as it is on the surface. There’s something... something I am missing."

His gaze went away thoughtfully for a bit, then he returned his gaze to Lady Ilse.

"Tell me, Ilse, are you a part of them too?"