Summoners War: Only I Summoned Divine Beasts

“Noelle? What’s wrong?”

Nathan tilted his head in confusion, not expecting Noelle to find him first. It wasn’t like Flora was with her.

Noelle looked down, hesitating. “Do you have time…? Just a bit.”

Nathan looked around before nodding his head. “Yes. I have time. Should we go somewhere else?”

Noelle nodded as Nathan guided her to the top of the wall. While watching the soldiers of the royal army get going, Nathan asked, “What do you want to talk about?”

Noelle couldn’t help but remember what Asmodeus said previously. She clenched her hands into fists. “Is my path wrong?”

Nathan raised his eyebrows before turning to her. Seeing that solemn expression made Nathan serious.

‘Why is she suddenly asking such a thing? Did someone tell her something? Sera is not the type to do something like this, but this is a bit too sudden…’ Nathan crossed his arms. “Why do you think your path is wrong?”

“That’s…”

“It’s fine. Speak freely. No one can determine whether it’s wrong or not except you.” Nathan asked, “Let me ask again. Why do you think your path is wrong?”

Noelle looked down. It was hard to admit it, because she had been following this path for as long as she remembered. “Because I can’t kill a lot of aliens. I might be strong, but I’m only a single person.”

“Is that so? In that case, what do you think is the correct path?”

“A summoner who can fight together with their familiars and handle all kinds of situations instead of aiming at the peak.”

“Does that mean summoning a familiar does not allow you to reach the peak?”

Noelle paused for a moment. “No…”

“Why do you think so?”

“The one that determines it is one’s strength.”

“So, what is this strength you’re talking about? Are familiars not considered a part of your strength?”

“That’s… Yes. They’re part of a summoner’s strength.” Enjoy new stories from empire

Nathan smiled. “Instead of asking yourself whether your path is correct or not, you should think about it logically. If you’re able to answer everything about your path, it means you understand that path more than anyone else. However, if you don’t, you either haven’t taken a single step on that path or that path might lead you to nowhere.

“In that case, what kind of path do you think you want to take?” Nathan continued.

“The path to become the strongest in swordsmanship.”

“In that case, what kind of path does this swordsmanship have? Is it alone? Is it together?”

“Alone.”

“In that case, have you done everything by yourself? Including learning swordsmanship?”

“That’s…” Noelle fell silent. She had learned from other people, including her grandfather. Her grandfather once said that a familiar could be a part of their strength, their comrade, and even their teacher.

Had she been denying their existence when taking this path? Even her grandfather acknowledged their existence, but at the same time, he acknowledged the fact that his path was something he should take alone.

Noelle was facing a dilemma. On the one hand, the path to become the strongest confused her. On the other hand, there was a much clearer answer on that side.

“It looks like you have thought about this, so I will change my question. Is being alone necessary in your path to become the strongest?”

“That’s…” Noelle shook her head. If it was necessary, she would have isolated herself from other people. She wouldn’t be standing here with Nathan and the others.

Nathan smiled. “There is only one spot for that path. Everyone else is your enemy, but even the word ‘enemy’ can be toned down as a rival. Everyone can be everything in your perspective.

“In my eyes, you can become a friend, a comrade, or even a rival to push me harder. It’s just… what kind of perspective do I want to perceive about you?”

Noelle closed her eyes for a moment. “There is no right and wrong in the so-called path. The only thing you have right now is confusion.”

‘Confusion…’ Noelle fell into deep thought. ‘Does that mean my path is not wrong? No. After listening to our discussion, it’s clear that I have made some mistakes. At the same time, it’s not completely wrong.

‘Is this what he means by confusion? I’m straying from my path because I wrongly perceive something.

‘The familiars will weaken me… That is both correct and wrong. On the one hand, the familiar weakens me temporarily because of the ena used for their summoning. On the other hand, they can strengthen me in other areas, including my own swordsmanship.

‘Both my grandfather and Nathan once said that the most terrifying thing was to find no one that could push us to get stronger. My grandfather has achieved the peak of swordsmanship… or what he perceives to be the peak of swordsmanship.

‘What if he has a familiar who has been training together with him and achieving the same level of swordsmanship that they want to surpass each other? Will he continue to grow? Will he reach a level that is incomprehensible from a swordsman’s perspective?

‘If I continue like this, when I see no one on the peak other than me, can I actually say that is the peak of swordsmanship?’

When she thought about it, the clearer her path had become. It was then she realized that she had deviated from the path.

It was as if she was transported into a dark world where she couldn’t see anything other than the glowing path underneath her. However, when she turned around, she noticed that she had been deviating to the right and saw the main path far away from her.

However, it was not too far to the point where she couldn’t return. No. Was it even necessary to return? Couldn’t she just continue on this path but with a slight correction?

She looked down, imagining the correct path. At that time, her path suddenly changed direction, heading back to the correct decision. It would take a bit of time, but she could still continue.

Noelle took a deep breath before looking the guy before her in the eye. “Suppose I want to summon a familiar who is also good at swordsmanship without deviating from my path, similar to that of my grandfather’s. Do you have any suggestions?”