A Dual Crest Summoner In Infinite Summoning World

"No," Dante said firmly. His eyes were a clear sign that no further negotiation on this would happen.

"Yeah, I don't want to do that either," Auren said. Dante's serious face couldn't help but smile a little at that.

"Why did you offer it then?"

"Just wanted to see how much we really want a wall."

"There are other ways to earn money. The thing you summon is invaluable—even Elder Tamun had no idea what it is. We have to keep it hidden as long as we can for your safety. Besides, having walls will only stop Thralls that are passing from afar. The ones who arise right in our village will still remain inside. They care more about wild animals and bandits than the Thralls," Dante said.

More ways to make money? He had no genius recipe in his head that could sell well in this world. The only things he had in his small head were all the songs, movies, anime, games, and novels he had seen or read. The only excess material they had was wood. A lot of wood summoners in the village. Could he make some useful items?

Not that there was any patent system here—the second he made something and it was even slightly famous, hundreds of copies would start floating in the market. Not to mention, they had to go to the town to sell those items. The village was already broke, and rarely did travelers visit them at the end of the Greenvale border.

If they were seriously lacking in one department, that would be.. entertainment. Simple board games would sell. There were simple dice already, which people loved to gamble over. But nothing for the general public. Making checkers would be simple enough. He could also make some chess boards for elite folks who thought they were too clever.

"How much can we expect from the village right now?" Auren asked.

"Probably around 2 gold and some silver—reaching 3 gold would be stretching it a lot," Dante replied.

"If it's only 7–8 gold, there is something we can try," Auren said, looking up at Dante. "I will need all blue-rank wood summoners who can shape their summons at will."

"Another of your ideas?" asked Dante.

"A game. A form of entertainment—we can sell it in the town. It's a long shot, but there's no downside in trying to make it. We have lots of wood, and I just need someone who can carve it and make it good. It's for the village, after all."

"As long as it's not dangerous and you don't work too hard, I won't stop you. But you'll have to explain it better to the village."

"Wouldn't just making a sample piece be better?"

"Can it be done in a week?"

"There are two types—one I'm calling Checkers, and another, Chess," Auren said. "The first one is easy to make—a week is enough."

"Very well. You know the carpenter uncle. Do you want my help?"

"No, it's fine. I can explain it."

"You don't need to do all this, you know. The best thing about being a child is that you can leave all the boring grown-up work to the adults and play around freely," Dante said. His face was looking forward as they walked side by side, but Auren did catch a glimpse of uncertainty on his face—as if he wasn't sure how to feel about all this.

Had he gone overboard? Should he not talk about earning money to the one and only provider of their family? But Dante wasn't like that, right? His claim of earning more money than anyone in the village could in a few months would indeed not be easy to listen to—for any normal man.

When they finally reached their house, something felt weird. Granny and Sable were continuously stealing glances at each other—one cooked with half a mind, and the other was just sitting on the wooden bench in the morning sunlight.

What was up with them now?

Dante was sharpening his sword on a whetstone when Granny coughed a little to get his attention and said,

"Sable wanted to eat some Dorona this morning."

Huh? Why would that be weird? Auren stopped practicing his particle shape-shifting and looked at the three faces one by one in confusion. Sable was looking at Dante with a face full of hidden excitement mixed with slight fear. Dante, just like Auren, had no clue what was going on. He was about to say something when Granny added,

"She's been throwing up for the last week in the morning."

Dante's eyes widened, and he leapt up to his feet. Auren was still confused. Wanted to eat Dorona, and she throws up? Was that code for something?

Dante rushed beside Sable, instantly lifting her in his arms, then asked, looking up, "It can't be? Is it.. really?"

Sable nodded with a big smile and a little tear at the edge of her eyes.

Finally, Granny looked back toward Auren and said,

"Congratulations. You'll be getting a younger brother or sister to play with in nine months."

Only then did all the dots connect for him. Needless to say, he had never been in a relationship serious enough to reach this point. Neither had he ever even seen anyone receive the good news.

A sibling? Auren had no idea what kind of expressions he should be making. Brother, sister—those words had been attached to so many abandoned hopes and dreams. He wasn't even sure if he could ever separate those memories from those words.

There were good times, though. When they were little, when their world wasn't so fucked up. Building forts out of blankets, sharing food in secret, one covering for the other when they were about to get in trouble—which was mostly him. Walking home from school side by side, kicking pebbles and sharing stories.

But then he remembered the people they had turned into. He hated that he was thinking such bullshit poisonous thoughts when he should have been happy for his new parents. There was one relief in his heart, though:

'At least they will finally have a normal child to raise.'