Danistasia’s smile remained in place, but there was a sharper edge to it now.

"Why would you refuse?" she asked.

Lancet did not answer at once.

He stood in the middle of the chamber with every eye on him, feeling the weight of the room pressing in from all sides. The administrators sat in silence along the walls, the King watched from behind the table, and Danistasia stood there like she had already decided this conversation would end the way she wanted.

Lancet could feel the tension in his shoulders, but he kept his expression under control.

"This whole thing feels unsettling, don’t you think?" he said at last.

His voice was level, but there was no mistaking the caution in it.

"I’m only a first year, and I’m alone in a room with people as powerful as all of you, asking me to prove my Summons on command. What’s wrong with believing the people who’ve already seen? Even the Dean has."

A few of the administrators shifted slightly.

Dean Ordenance’s face tightened.

Danistasia, however, looked almost amused. Her smile did not vanish, but it sharpened around the edges, as though she found his resistance more interesting than troublesome.

"You are overthinking this, Lancet," she said. "Like I said before; the king is only curious."

Lancet looked at her for a moment longer, then shifted his gaze to Romsgard.

The King sat with his hands crossed before him, chin resting on them. Even though there was anticipation shimmering somewhere behind his eyes, for the most part, his expression was unreadable.

But there was something else in those eyes that made the room feel even more dangerous. He looked like a man fully aware of his own authority and entirely comfortable using it without needing to show force.

However, King Romsgard was also a fair man. He didn’t want Lancet to feel unnecessarily pressured into obedience, so she spoke up to soothe him, using a steady voice.

"Leogardt, you need not look at this as pressure," he said. "You have done the kingdom great service. What happened in Hebthej was extraordinary and it’s just I would like to see for myself the power that made it possible. Curiosity is not a crime."

His tone was mild, even respectful, but it did nothing to ease the tension in Lancet’s chest.

Perhaps the king’s magical voice didn’t work on him.

Lancet could still see distrust in the administrators’ faces. He could see it in the way Danistasia watched him. Even the King’s calm felt too deliberate. Too controlled. None of them looked openly hostile, but none of them looked truly safe either.

Still, refusing the King outright was not a wise move.

Lancet weighed the situation carefully. Then after he came to a conclusion, he admitted that maybe the king’s charm worked after all.

"Okay," he said. "Can I summon just one, though? That should be enough, right?"

Danistasia turned her eyes to the King. Romsgard nodded.

Danistasia looked back to Lancet. "King Romsgard is fine with that. Please go ahead."

The King remained still behind the table, his chin resting on his hands, his expression composed while anticipation and excitement spread through his regal body.

Lancet exhaled slowly. He was only agreeing to this to get out of this situation without making any enemies.

But he wasn’t trusting anyone. And in case betrayal was on the way, there was only one Summon who was best fit for the situation.

Lancet extended his hand.

"Summon."

A burst of lightning fell from the ceiling and touched the ground. Smoke surged outward in a thick wave. Several of the administrators raised their arms to shield their eyes. One of them jerked backward in his chair as the smell of burning steel filled the air.

When the smoke and light began to thin, a tall figure stood at the center of it.

Thor.

She appeared with her hammer already in hand, her posture firm and ready. Her eyes moved across the room in a single sweep before landing on Lancet. There was no hesitation in her expression.

"Master Lancet," she said with a calm yet alert voice. "You summoned. Is there any trouble?"

Lancet froze a bit.

He was slightly taken aback by that statement of hers. Lancet had become used to the first thing Thor told him after he summoned her being "I warned you not to call me here like a puppet!"

It seemed now she had accepted him as her master, she viewed answering the call like a soldier.

It was an unexpectedly great feeling.

On the other note, the people in the room reacted to the being in front of them.

Romsgard’s eyes widened slightly. Danistasia’s smile sharpened into something more curious than before. The administrators stared openly now, their masks of composure cracking to expose their shock.

So it was true. He is a Legend Summoner.

Thor noticed their reactions immediately. Her gaze shifted to them and narrowed.

"Who are these people?" she asked. "I sense dishonest intent coming from them. Have they surrounded you?"

Her grip tightened on her hammer, looking ready to strike.

"Should I—"

"No, Thor," Lancet said quickly.

She stopped at once and looked back at him.

Lancet dropped his waving hands and answered before things could escalate. "These are just the leaders who run my school. And that is the King of Aethelgard, King Romsgard."

Thor turned her gaze to the King. Her expression cooled, but it did not become disrespectful. Instead, it hardened to respectful recognition, like warriors gave to kings.

"Oh. My apologies, Your Majesty. Valkyries such as I highly regard the crown."

Then she tilted her head and mouthed using the corner of her lips. Just so only Lancet could hear.

"I do not trust them."

Lancet had to fight the urge to smile.

He didn’t trust them either. But it had been really humorous to see Thor speak like that, especially given the situation.

King Romsgard rose from his seat. For the first time, his calm gave way to clear astonishment.

"Unbelievable," he said. His eyes stayed fixed on Thor, full of open interest. "It truly is the captain of the Valkyries. The Battery of Brutality. Your story is riveting. I have followed it for some time."

Lancet kept his face still, though the thought crossed his mind that the King should probably thank him for that since he had been the one who created the legend in the first place.

Danistasia was oddly quiet by herself.

She watched Thor now, studying her with intense focus. Her attention had shifted completely and she was no longer satisfied with merely testing Lancet. She was now evaluating the Summon herself.

Romsgard stepped out of his table, his voice carrying genuine admiration.

"You have my respect, Thor Stormchild. Your deeds in Hebthej were not small. A great many lives were saved because of your strength."

Thor nodded respectfully. "Thank you."

Then she looked around the room, searching for something. When she couldn’t find it, she looked at the king more directly. "But why was I summoned?"

Lancet answered before anyone else could. "The King wanted to see you. He heard I could summon legends and wanted to witness it for himself."

Thor’s gaze moved back to Romsgard at once. "So you asked for me here as entertainment?" she said coldly.

’Eh?!’

The temperature dropped like an iron ball.

Lancet felt the tension return instantly. Several administrators stiffened in their seats, watching anxiously. Dean Ordenance looked increasingly uneasy. Thor’s expression had hardened, and her hand shifted on the shaft of her hammer.

"Master Lancet," she said without taking her eyes off the King, "point to one of them and order me to vaporize them."

The room nearly cracked apart at the sentence. But before the situation could worsen, Danistasia stepped in with perfect composure.

"That would not be necessary," she said smoothly.

Thor moved her eyes to her and gave her a look that asked ’Who the hell is this?’

Danistasia felt the intent of the look, but her smile still stayed, measured and elegant, though no less unsettling for it.

"The King only wanted to thank you personally for your efforts in the Hebthej raid," she finished.

Romsgard gave a single nod. "Actually, I wanted to thank all three of you. But you, Thor, I wish to thank you especially. You helped slay the first Demon Head. That is an accomplishment the kingdom will not forget."

His gaze remained steady on Thor.

"Please send my thanks to Astensia as well. And to Spectra."

Thor listened, then gave a calm nod.

"I can do that," she said. "If that is all, I will be leaving now."

Nobody spoke. The room became silent again.

Lancet looked around the room carefully, his heart beating.

’Come on. Tell me it’s over. Tell me it’s over.’

He could feel every person in the chamber watching the others, waiting to see whether the next second would bring an order, a confrontation, or a disaster.

Thor stood ready without moving an inch. Romsgard remained composed. Danistasia was still smiling. Dean Ordenance looked as though he was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.

’Pleaseeee,’ Lancet begged the open air.

Heartbeat. Heartbeat. Heartbeat.

Then Danistasia smiled a little more.

And then she spoke.

"Yes, that will be all," she said. "Thank you for your time, great Valkyrie."

The pressure in the room eased little by little.

Lancet let out a breath he had not realized he was holding and he felt the air in the room cool around him.

’Phew.’

He turned toward Thor and gave the order quietly.

"Unsummon."

Thor vanished in a crackle of lightning, leaving behind a receding smell of thunder and scorched stone.

For a moment after she disappeared, nobody spoke.

The chamber was quiet again. Lancet, happy he had escaped trouble, prayed that was the end of it.

×××××××××

A/N: Had to create another priv tier to get more WN features/benefits. Hope everyone understands! If you’re enjoying this story, I really need your support to push us forward and help the novel reach more readers! Thank you for keeping up so far! (⁠✿⁠^⁠‿⁠^⁠)