Upon arriving at the battlefield, Ian saw the condition of the summoners and immediately realized that the situation was far more serious than he had expected.
Normally, battles were handled by the summons, and the summoner who controlled them was supposed to be heavily protected. As a basic rule, summoners were not supposed to get hurt—barely even touched by dust.
Even the serious Earl Islan on the Eastern Front had only been covered in dirt and dust, but he had remained uninjured.
“Ugh…”
“Whorgh!”
But now, the summoners here were all injured, some lightly, some seriously. The death of a summoner meant the extinction of their summons, and the cadets could clearly see how dire the battlefield situation had become.
“Why are they so badly hurt?”
“They rushed in to save their summon… and then…”
“…foolish.”
Ian was able to grasp the general situation from just those few words.
The Death King Lasti, could raise the dead and make them immortal.
Of course, it was impossible to create something from nothing. Sacrifices were needed—c0rpses or living organisms.
Summons were the most common sacrifices here, so Lasti must have built his army by sacrificing them.
‘And realistically, there is no way that a summon, once turned into the enemy’s soldier, will return…’
Even a 1-star summon was a symbol of nobility. There was a huge difference between having a summon and not having one.
Thus, the summoners could not simply stand by and watch their summons be taken. Especially when even 3-star and 4-star summons, superior to their own, were coming back injured, there was little hope of recovery.
“Marquis Ian Clark?”
Just then, an unfamiliar soldier came out to meet Ian. He followed the soldier into the largest tent.
Inside the tent, familiar faces greeted him.
The emperor and the four dukes were gathered there.
Among them, the only ones Ian had never seen before were the Northern Grand Duke, Elnes, and the Western Duke, Therra.
“Come in, Marquis Ian.”
The emperor looked at Ian with a bright, welcoming smile. While the soldiers, nobles, and even the dukes were all covered in dust, the emperor stood immaculate, his clothes spotless.
However, Ian immediately understood that this was not because the emperor had not fought on the battlefield. Rather, it was the result of a strict compulsion to protect his body at all times.
“I am honored, Your Majesty…”
“It’s enough. I have a request.”
“Anything, please tell me.”
“Can you kill the master of that army?”
At the emperor’s words, the silent dukes turned toward him in shock. Though none of them dared to speak, their expressions showed they thought the emperor had lost his mind.
Ian quietly considered the emperor’s request.
Could he face Lasti, the master of the enemy army, with his current strength?
The answer was yes—under several conditions.
“Good…”
“—Your Majesty! Ian is still a cadet! Please reconsider—!”
The Duke of Eritz cried out, startled. It was rare for Duke Eritz to lose his composure like that, and the other dukes shared his concern.
But he was not the only one who objected.
“I agree, Your Majesty.”
Duke Ariel, who was more familiar with Ian, also spoke up. Even the emperor and Duke Eritz, who shared the same concern, seemed surprised by his stance.
“…I have nothing to say if even you are opposing.”
“First of all, Marquis Ian is still a cadet. He is young and lacks experience. No matter how talented, he could lose his summon. We cannot afford to lose a precious summon like that.”
“That’s right, Your Majesty.”
Listening to their reasons, the emperor realized that the two dukes had misunderstood something.
They thought Ian, as a cadet, was inexperienced and lacking in skill?
“I guarantee the skills of Marquis Ian. He may even surpass you.”
“…Your Majesty?”
“What—”
“You heard me, dukes.”
Ian, who did not like being discussed as if he were not present, stepped into the conversation.
‘What? Lose my summon?’
That might have been the case once, when he was inexperienced and unrefined.
But now—
“I am stronger than the dukes.”
“Hey, Ian. You sound arrogant for someone who is still a cadet.”
Duke Eritz frowned slightly and glared at Ian. Ian met his hardened gaze calmly and smiled lightly.
“It’s not arrogance or pride—it’s skill. Why else would His Majesty call for me instead of the dukes? Obviously, he believes I am more capable.”
“Haha! His Majesty must have lost his mind to rate you so highly—!”
“There is evidence for it.”
Saying so, Ian summoned Anna, now fully armed.
A paladin, who had leveled up while wandering the dungeon alone, was revealed.
Her once small wings had grown so large that she could now fly, and at first glance, it was difficult to tell whether she was human or angel.
A cross was drawn on her pure white shield, clearly showing that she was an apostle following the will of God.
The image of an ordinary human hero that had once been familiar had completely disappeared, and the dukes fell silent as they witnessed Anna, awakened as an angelic paladin.
Seeing their reactions, Ian pointed to Anna and calmly explained, “Because I am the hero who will save the world.”
No persuasion was needed.
There was no fool among them who could deny the evidence laid bare before their eyes.
***
“…Stella?”
“Ah, Father…”
Duke Eritz, who could not bear to send Ian alone to his death, stepped out of the tent to assist him, only to find Stella standing there with a sullen expression.
He froze.
Why was she here, when she should have been at the Academy by now?
The reason was obvious.
“Ian, Ian Clark. Why is my daughter here?”
“I brought her, Duke.”
“You think I don’t know that? I asked why you brought her.”
“I brought her because I needed her.”
“You—!”
The moment he raised his voice, the surrounding gazes turned toward the duke.
Realizing this, Duke Eritz coughed awkwardly, lowered his voice, and growled at Ian.
“…I’m asking what you needed Stella for.”
“You can see for yourself.”
The Duke felt the heat rise to his head from Ian’s curt tone. But he couldn’t lash out in front of so many people without causing a scene.
In the end, Duke Eritz took a deep breath and turned his questioning gaze to Stella.
“Stella, answer me. Why are you here?”
“…I… I don’t really know.”
“What?”
“I just know Ian needed me…”
The Duke, realizing that his daughter had been so easily swayed by a man, clutched the back of his neck and glared at Ian.
Trusting a man like this… and trying to hand over my daughter?
Even someone as indifferent as Duke Eritz could not help but be concerned.
Apparently, when they had met before, Ian hadn’t seemed the type to manipulate women…the Duke gritted his teeth, but inwardly, he began to acknowledge Ian.
“Ian Clark. Do you truly intend to explain?”
“Even if I explain, you won’t believe me. It’ll be faster for you to see it yourself.”
“Very well. If that’s how you want it.”
In the end, Duke Eritz decided to trust Ian—or at least, to pretend he did.
“You’d better surprise me. Show me why you brought Stella here.”
“…And if I don’t?”
“Today, you will experience the greatest pain a human can endure.”
For reference, the greatest human pain was known to be burning.
In other words, Duke Eritz was warning that he would burn Ian to death if he failed.
Ian, fully understanding the danger he faced—especially in front of Stella—remained calm.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be shocked.”
Of course, Ian had no intention of dying here. He wasn’t the type to enjoy pain.
Ian summoned his party.
He led Noah, Syrah, and Stella to the wall and whispered quietly to Syrah at the top.
“…Use it on the Duke.”
“Is that alright? I mean… can I?”
“I will.”
Syrah used a buff that raised a party member’s summon level on the Duke.
Naturally, there was no way the Duke would notice the buff.
After all, the concept of a party was a game mechanic not present in this world, and people from this world couldn’t detect it.
‘That’s why I needed Stella…’
Ian glanced at Stella and gave her a slight nod.
Stella, understanding his signal, took her father’s hand.
“Father, I’m sorry.”
“S-Stella? What is this about…?”
“Ifrit! There! Come out!”
At Stella’s call, Ifrit immediately appeared, smiling brightly at her.
“Stella!”
“Ifrit, come here.”
“Is it… is it time?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s do it, Summoner.”
Seeing Ifrit’s response, the Duke looked utterly dumbfounded.
The fact that a summon voluntarily left its summoner’s side was unbelievable enough—but seeing the proud, arrogant Ifrit behave so obediently was beyond comprehension.
“W-What in the world are you doing…?”
“From now on, you’ll understand.”
Saying so, Ian signaled to Syrah.
Recognized as a member of Ian’s party, Stella received Syrah’s buff, and Ifrit, her summon, evolved immediately.
“Whoooa! This is it! This feeling!”
Transcendent omnipotence.
With a sense of overwhelming power, as if looking down upon the world itself, Ifrit shuddered.
At the same time, the other summons who witnessed Ifrit’s transformation trembled.
A god had appeared.
[The Goddess commands! All return to ashes!]