Rebirth Of The Bastard Spirit Summoner

"Whooooo! Thish must be how a kite feels like. Move faster, Stark," Jasmine said, holding tightly onto his neck.

"I'm moving. Oh, look how fast I'm going…" Stark said dryly, cringing internally.

But the girl clapped and giggled before resting her body on his back once more.

Jasmine had taken three glasses of wine at dinner, and all it took was a fourth to turn her into a five year old kid.

If he acted in any way she hated, she would throw a tantrum, alerting every single person in the area.

That was why, even with his aching body, he was carrying her on his back, holding her up with one hand and holding his walking stick in the other as he took her back to her inn.

"This is the last time I'm letting you drink."

"Hmmm?" She pouted. "N-no fair! I'm an adult y-you know?" She hiccuped and then stopped speaking as she rested her head on his shoulder.

'Finally…'

He had been wondering when she would fall asleep. Taking her home while she was sleeping was far easier than taking her home drunk and lucid.

But his joy dissipated seconds later.

"Shtarku, how old are you?" she whispered close to his ear.

He sighed, realising she was never asleep. "I'm eighteen."

"Eighteen?! Hahaha."

Overcome by a fit of laughter, Jasmine suddenly pulled Stark back by his neck, causing him to almost lose balance.

He hurriedly put a foot forward to steady himself, but Jasmine kept shaking on his back. "Jasmine, stop that!"

She was not listening, and so they came crashing down on the floor.

Since she was drunk, Stark immediately moved to stop her from landing badly, and as a result, he took the brunt of the fall, while Jasmine landed untouched on his stomach.

He stared up at the sky, a frown forming on his face when Jasmine's face popped up in his vision.

She held up seven fingers to his face. "I'm nineteen years old!" she boldly declared, her words slurred and her eyes half closed.

Then she placed both hands on her waist and smiled proudly. "Y-you should call me s-senior from now on."

Stark sighed. "Alright, senior. Can you get off me now?"

•••

Kael had been working for hours, compiling the final bits of information he had gotten into his paper.

The day they hunted the snow mimic was coming very soon—six days to be exact. In six days' time they would have acquired what they came here for, and bring an end to the three-month study.

He stood up and stretched, after which he walked towards the window. But as he peered through the glass, he was met by the oddest sight.

"Is that… Jasmine?"

Although a bit of an extrovert, Kael knew Jasmine to be the reserved type. How close had she and Stark gotten that he was carrying her home?

From the way she was acting it was clear that she was drunk, which only made matters worse.

How could she bring herself to trust him so easily?

He adjusted his glasses and slowly shook his head. "Maybe she is indeed unfit for the academy."

He brought his chair close to the window and sat down, waiting until Stark dropped her off and went his way. When it was clear that he was truly gone, he left his room.

As their teacher, he had to set their paths straight. If he failed there, then he would not be able to look at himself in the mirror.

On the way to Jasmine's room, he met Eurus, who was just coming back from his evening work.

He was soaked in sweat and there were a few blood stains lining his clothes and skin, yet he still managed to look nervous.

Kael had already stopped at Jasmine's door and was about to knock when Eurus stopped him.

"I-If you are looking for J-Jasmine then she already left..."

"Left? Where could she possibly have gone in that state?" Stark had just dropped her off and she looked very drunk.

Eurus seemed confused by his statement.

"W-what state?"

"Isn't she drunk?"

He shook his head. "She didn't seem drunk to me. She was very lively, too lively..."

'Could she have used a hangover potion to clear the drunkenness? But why would she do a thing like that?'

"Did she say anything before she left?"

Eurus scratched his neck before speaking. "Nothing important—oh, she asked me if there was any river nearby."

"?!"

Kael suddenly rushed past Eurus, sprinting across the hall and down the stairs.

In his mind, he was praying that he was just overthinking things, that she was interested in a river for another reason.

But a part of him told him he was wrong. What other use would she have for a river? Especially in such cold weather?

'Was I too hard on her?'

As a teacher, there were times he could not be soft, and the truth was that Jasmine's current performance was unable to carry her through the first year.

He had to push her at least a little bit…

If he knew it would lead to this, then he would have thought of another way!

'Please, let me not be too late.'

There were a few rivers around this city, but the closest and most accessible river was the one that flowed underneath the bridge.

They had passed that river multiple times when going to the mountains, so if she was going to any river, it would be that one.

Not stopping once, Kael sprinted through the city, his body moving too fast for people to even recognise—up until he made it to the river.

Once he arrived, he glanced around the area surrounding the water, hoping to see Jasmine somewhere at the edge, but there was no one in sight.

The river was completely silent except for the sound of the slow flow of the water.

Then he peered down, his gaze cutting through the waters.

And when he did…

He gasped and clenched his jaw as he made out a figure deep within it.

He was too late.