A New Path Forward

I watch as the medical wizards carry Arthur away.

“Nora!”

“Petra! You’re okay—oof!”

She tackles me to the ground with a hug. Lucas and Jane pile on shortly after.

“Alright, guys—as much as I love hugs, you’re crushing me.”

They let me stand, then resume the hug.

“You really kicked ass out there, Nora!” Petra remarks

“We were on the edge of our seats!” Jane exclaims.

“But we never doubted you could do it.” Lucas smiles.

My eyes start to water. “Aw, guys, stop it, you’re gonna make me—”

Fireworks suddenly shoot out of my uniform. The crowd oohs and aahs.

“What the… oh…”

They leave a message blazing across the sky:

STITCHWELL’S TAILOR SHOP

Vivian sprints onto the arena with a voice-amplifying crystal. “And remember, it’s thanks to the unparalleled magical garments offered by Stitchwell’s Tailor Shop that summoners like Nora can reach their full potential! And in celebration of the tournament—we’re offering 10% off for all customers! So come on down to—”

Coldheart charges Vivian, knocking the crystal away and wrestling her.

“How many times do we have to tell you to stop pulling this crap!”

“You’ll never keep a free spirit like me chained down, Coldheart!”

“Why, you—!”

Vincent appears next to me in a puff of mist.

“Sup.”

“Vincent!” I hug him.

“I’m so proud of you, Nora. I'm sure your parents are too.” He hugs me back.

Pulling away, he turns to Super Grandpa. “Limner… shouldn’t there only be one kind of summoner magic?”

“No, I… I was aware of this one. I just… never considered it an actual possibility. Safe to say, this changes everything. And I doubt this revelation stays confined to just our kingdom. We could very well live to see the day the Monster Queen’s reign’s finally brought to an end.”

“Monster Queen? Isn’t she just a legend—”

“A later conversation, Nora. We have more important matters at hand.”

“What?”

“Your victory speech.”

“Victory speech? But I didn’t—”

He hands me his voice-amplification crystal.

“Just speak from the heart.”

…

I step forward. “Um…h-hello? C-can everybody hear me?”

The crowd goes silent, and I suddenly feel the weight of thousands of eyes bearing down on me.

“I—um… I’ve n-never been good with words, but, by winning today, I was hoping to prove to you how wonderful monsters can really be. T-that we don’t need to fight them. That we should start treating them like f-friends—not enemies. That by doing so, we can… we can—”

The crowd chatters, growing increasingly restless, some even starting to jeer.

“I—I…”

“You really are hopeless, aren’t you?”

I turn around. Arthur standing over me, still battered.

He snatches the crystal from me.

Petra snaps. “Why you—”

“I too was skeptical of Nora’s ways.” Arthur addresses the crowd. “Repulsed by them, frankly…”

Petra prepares to slug him.

“But the results are undeniable.”

She pauses. “Huh?”

“Any summoner that can defeat a Black Dragon—the strongest of all monsters—with a mere slime, has clearly tapped into something special. I’m still unconvinced her ways will lead us to the peace and prosperity I hope—we all hope—to achieve one day. But we’d be fools not to keep an open mind, to at least give her the chance to try carving a new path forward. She has my full support as our new first-year champion, and I hope she’ll have yours as well.”

The crowd bursts into applause, and he hands the crystal back to me.

“I owe you an apology, Nora. My behavior towards you was unacceptable, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

“Thanks, Arthur. That… really means a lot.”

He flashes a warm smile—a genuine one—and nods toward the crowd.

I step forward, take a deep breath, and focus on speaking straight from the heart.

“I… know this isn’t going to surprise anyone, but, I’ve always been a bit…odd. When I was little, my parents died, and I ended up living all alone in a hut outside my home village. That loneliness is what led me to befriend the local monsters. Hundreds, in fact.”

The crowd murmurs.

“But as crazy as that sounds, not a single one of them ever hurt me. On the contrary, they helped me survive, find resources, and even protected me from danger—saving my life. I understand that’s hard to believe, but the incantationless magic you saw me use? It’s proof. I learned it from the monsters by watching how they used mana. I’m not saying all monsters can be befriended—but I promise you, many can be. If we could just learn to understand each other, we could form peaceful, mutually beneficial relationships with them. And I truly believe that we as summoners are the key to achieving this understanding.”

Pudding bounces. “Squee!”

“The summoner magic you saw me use, the form you saw me take—came from the bond Pudding and I share. Our thoughts, our feelings, our hopes, our dreams… they all came together as one. And working in perfect harmony, we found the power to keep each other safe.

“I… I’d like to start a new club at school. One where everybody can learn to foster this kind of bond with their summon. My friend Petra—I strongly believe she’s close to unlocking the same summoner magic I did. And if she can do it too, then maybe any of us can. And if that’s really the case, the possibilities are endless.

“But… that’s not all I want the club to do.” I grab Lucas’s hand. “My friend Lucas here—he wants to bring out the potential of monsters in another way. Jane’s Quill Boar, his Ruin Machina, my Blue Slime, they’re all considered weak monsters. But with the equipment he’s created, they’ve become capable of things nobody has ever expected. So I’d like to jointly form the club with him, and work to bring out the true potential of our summons through his methods too.”

I turn to Lucas, who smiles warmly, then I turn back toward the crowd.

“Beyond that, we could even use the club to make new friends, help students, research monsters, find peaceful solutions to Sweeper missions… There’s just so much I want to do! But no matter what happens, I promise I’ll give my all.”

I beam at the crowd.

“Thank you, everyone. Truly. You have my endless gratitude for giving this little witch such a big opportunity. I really do believe we can achieve peace one day, and I hope you’ll strive together with me in the pursuit of it.”

I bow.

For a moment, silence.

Then—

The crowd bursts into applause.

I… I can’t believe it. All my life, it’s felt like nobody’s ever listened to me. But all these people, thousands of them, they heard me—they really heard me!

I turn to Lucas. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask first, but… you’ll work with me, right?

Lucas grabs my hands. “Nora, nothing would bring me greater joy.”

“And don’t forget about us too!” Petra throws an arm around me, and Jane joins her.

I fight back tears. “I’ve never been so happy! I—I don’t know if I can contain all this joy! I could just… I could just—”

I pull Lucas in and plant a big kiss right on his cheek.

His face turns bright red, and he sways backward into Petra’s arms.

“Littleroot!” Coldheart stomps over. “I already warned you no public displays of—oof!”

I hug Coldheart. “I won, Miss Coldheart! Just like I promised! And I even did it with one of your spells! Are you proud of me? You’re proud of me, right?”

Coldheart blushes as her face twists with frustration, but eventually, with a sigh… she relents—allowing herself a gentle smile.

“I suppose an achievement such as this does warrant some praise.” She pulls me a little closer and pats my head.

Eventually, she frees herself from my grasp and looks away, embarrassed.

“Where’s my hug?” Vivian asks.

“It’s coming!”

I leap at her.

“Hey, don’t forget us!” Jane yells.

Everybody crowds around me, forming a giant hug pile.

Ah, now that’s the good stuff.

“Squee!”

Pudding pops out from under my hat, and I can’t help but giggle.

I really am the luckiest girl alive!