Chapter 5
***
Ten seconds passed.
But nothing appeared.
From a distance, Airi could hear voices:
“Young lady! We’re all hidden!”
“Little round miss! Did you hurt yourself bumping into the old tree?!”
‘It was supposed to be here!’
Airi remembered what she had read in the book.
‘If the maids see me, it’ll be a disaster!’
Her anxiety grew.
Her heartbeat was so loud she could hear it in her ears.
And then, a thought struck her—
Magic spell!
To summon a friend, a spell was necessary!
Airi tried reciting the magic she had seen in her anime:
“Oh key of darkness…?”
But nothing happened.
She clenched her fists and thought deeply.
She could still vividly remember her dream—or rather, her past life as “Iarin.”
Just then, a major crisis came.
“Young lady! Aren’t you coming to find us?!”
“Little round miss! Did you get hurt?!”
The impatient northern maids were about to come back any second.
The little hero was in big trouble.
Then, thanks to her countless hours watching anime, a powerful spell flashed in her mind:
“Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo! Moon Prism Power! Avada Kedavra!”
Airi pressed her hands together like in prayer, staring into the knot hole in the tree.
“Come out quickly!”
Her Hero of Justice Regent theme music built up to the climax in her head.
Finally…
Plop, plip-plop.
Time seemed to stop, leaving only Airi and the tree.
A thick mist swirled around the entire tree.
Airi’s eyes widened as she stared at the empty air.
[The greatest summoning spirit of the Ortezo family had been sealed inside the beech tree. They longed to gain a physical body through a human contract.]
‘So now it’s finally going to get a body…!’
[The Ortezo family’s summoning spirit was a powerful ally that could make the summoner the strongest.]
Airi remembered these words perfectly.
The mist thickened.
Was the legendary summon about to appear?
Airi clenched her fists tightly.
“Finally freed from the seal! Mwahahaha!”
From the dense mist, a sinister voice echoed.
The strange fog swirled around the tree.
Airi stared at it, a little nervous but also excited.
‘It’s supposed to be a terrifying monster!’
What kind of monster would it be?
Would it have pointy horns on its forehead?
Maybe it’s best to approach with “Taekwondo Form 3” just in case.
But no matter how long she waited, the mist remained.
Time was frozen as she continued staring into the knot hole.
Her stomach rumbled.
‘I want the ginger cookies Hamuni gave me.’
Just thinking about them made her mouth water.
She should have brought the cookies while waiting!
‘Even if I’m hungry, I must wait. I’m no ordinary five-year-old—I’m a brave nine-year-old who remembers the past!’
So she waited patiently.
After a few more seconds, the mist slowly began to clear.
And…
“Huh… huff…”
Through the thinning fog, a tremendous presence appeared.
Round head, round arms and hands, round body, round legs.
A summoning spirit shaped like a ginger cookie, with little chocolate chip eyes.
A smile drawn in white chocolate.
‘It appeared! My summoned friend!’
Airi finally smiled brightly.
“Hello!”
“…Heheheh, hero who will save the world with me…!”
The cookie extended its little arms toward Airi, but something seemed off.
“Heheh, nice to meet you… wait, why are my arms so short?”
“I don’t know!”
Airi tilted her head. The cookie’s chocolate eyes squinted in confusion.
Then it exploded in frustration.
“You turned me into a cookie!”
“Me? I… I didn’t do anything!”
Airi’s shocked face made the cookie stomp its little feet.
It tried to look dignified, but it was still kind of silly.
“A summoned spirit takes the shape the summoner desires!”
“Huh?”
“You wanted me to appear as a cookie!”
Of course.
Airi was hungry, and she just wanted her grandmother’s ginger cookie. That’s it.
When she explained, the chocolate chip eyes shook dramatically.
“My glorious body became just a cookie because of a moment of hunger?”
Airi murmured in confusion.
“Huh… the cookie?”
The cookie stomped its round little feet and shouted:
“I was once summoned by the first head of the Ortezo family! I was the strongest dragon on earth!”
“Wow! Amazing!”
“And then! I was summoned once more by a legendary swordmaster, a hero admired by all! I appeared as a magnificent phoenix!”
“Whoa! A phoenix too!”
“But… but…”
“But?”
The cookie collapsed onto the floor, looking utterly disappointed.
“These crispy little brown arms!”
“Perfectly baked!”
“Chocolate eyes! I can barely see ahead!”
“Aww, cute!”
“And… this bald head!”
The cookie groaned and slumped down.
“My glorious body… turned into a tiny, insignificant cookie!”
Airi gently scooped up the struggling cookie.
It was soggy, like it had fallen into milk, but it was her precious hero friend.
“Even one cookie isn’t wasted. Cookies are delicious! Crispy, sweet with chocolate, salty with a pinch of salt!”
The cookie didn’t respond, so Airi added:
“Sweet and salty!”
The cookie slumped its shoulders. Clearly, it thought Airi didn’t understand anything.
“So… why did you summon me?”
“To… save the world… together with you!”
A dry wind whistled across the ground.
“…Me?”
“Yes!”
“What’s your ability?”
Airi confidently raised her fists.
“I can do Poomsae and sparring too!”
“…?”
“I’m super strong!”
The cookie sighed.
“I, who have always been the aide of the strongest, have become a babysitter for a child…”
But there was no other choice.
The cookie extended its round brown hand toward Airi.
“…Anyway, you summoned me, so we are now contracted.”
When their little hands touched, a brief white light connected them like a pact.
“We shall journey together to save the world.”
Airi held the cookie’s hand tightly and stepped forward.
Between one cookie and one child, the contract was complete.
It may have seemed trivial, but it was a great first step toward saving the world.
***
After pretending to play hide-and-seek with the maids a few times,
Airi returned to her room with the cookie.
“…”
“…”
The great determination from before had vanished.
Only silence filled the room.
“…So… you don’t know how to use your power?”
“Yes! I’m supposed to be the world’s ‘purifier,’ but I don’t know how to purify!”
The cookie stared at her incredulously.
“Hmm… then let’s check your stats.”
“Wow! You can do that?”
“Of course. My ability is to help the contract grow into the strongest.”
The cookie closed its chocolate eyes and opened them again.
Suddenly, little bead-like ice cream appeared on its forehead.
Airi held her breath, staring at the cookie.
Finally, its mouth opened grandly.
