Mira's first reaction was to wonder who that man was, approaching her like that. Then she caught the whispers around her:
「There's no way she can do it,」
「Even if she could, it won't matter once she hears the rest,」
「Wait—do you think she might be…?」
It did not take long for them to figure out who Mira was, as they had all heard the stories about the Spirit Queen.
Just as everyone turned her way, wondering if she could be the Spirit Queen, Mira decided to raise her voice and proudly announced, 「Yes, I can. When it comes to summoning, I can use anything no matter how high level it is!」
She did not want those to be empty words either.
「Bring me that pure white healing power from your spiral.」
Instead of venom, Asclepius produced medicine, and while his instant healing power was far inferior to holy spells, he was at least on par with them when it came to prolonged healing abilities, enough to make up for his other deficits. Sadly, when his power was utilized to its fullest, he needed to rest for months or even a whole year, so it was best to use his power sparingly.
His appearance also sent a stir through the Union. It was obvious Asclepius was not some easy to acquire summon, and that was enough confirmation for them to be certain that Mira was the Spirit Queen.
「She did that so easily…」
「So she's actually her,」
「I had heard she was cute…but she's even more than I expected…」
Hearing those mutters of admiration made Mira grin with satisfaction. Once again, she had succeeded in improving the perception of summoners.
While everyone seemed to be repeating Spirit Queen everywhere, the man who had approached her let out a gleeful shout. And that was not everything.
「Ahh…how mesmerizing…so divine… It would be no exaggeration to say this is on par with Master Danbulf's Asclepius.」
He moved so close his excited breathing was nearly touching Mira's chest, or rather, her neck, where Asclepius was coiled around. Mira was not really bothered by that closeness, but instead was surprised by what he said. He had essentially claimed he had seen Danbulf's Asclepius before.
「Wait, are you the summoner from the tower I've heard about?」
The circumstances made her reach that conclusion, so she looked straight into his eyes as she asked that, and that made her notice something else.
He looked familiar, she knew his name. He was Jude Steiner, the fifth son of a noble in Arkite. He had aptitude to be a summoner, and she remembered him being admitted into the Tower of Summoning when he was still a young man.
Now, he had grown out of that youth, and was starting to show signs of aging. Noticing that change really made Mira realize how long of a time three decades were. But his next words would pull her back to reality from those thoughts.
「Yes, that's me! I'm Bruce, from the Tower of Summoning!」 He replied affirmatively, and then introduced himself briefly, causing even more shock to Mira.
At the very least, she had found the man she was looking for. But a new mystery came into the picture. He was not using his real name, but a pseudonym, Bruce.
That was also a name that was still fresh in her memory. Leyla, a summoner Mira had met in Haxthausen, once told her that Bruce had helped her acquire Armor Spirits as summons, and the author of the summoning textbooks she had seen in a bookstore was also Bruce.
「Young lady! Now that I've witnessed your power, I have a favor to ask from you!」
While Mira was beginning to feel thrilled about finally meeting Bruce, whom she had seen and heard so much about, Bruce himself appeared oblivious as he asked his question.
On the other hand, he looked as if he had just found precisely the person he was seeking. His eyes were fixed on her sharply, like those of an eagle, but she merely responded, 「Hmm,」 seemingly unbothered by his intense gaze.
Everyone else in the Union fell silent, not wanting to intrude on such a rare occasion as two top-class summoners meeting. However, their silence only amplified the noise that followed—Mira's stomach groaning with hunger.
「Oh right, I haven't eaten yet…」
Mira gave an embarrassed smile, and the adventurers who had been silent erupted into laughter, wondering why they had taken things so seriously.
「There's a famous restaurant not too far from here. Let's go have a feast to commemorate our meeting as fellow summoners.」
Bruce knew exactly what to say and suggested the perfect course of action. However, it was clear that his true intention was to prolong their meeting so he could properly explain the favor he had mentioned earlier. Mira had no objections.
「Well, why not then.」
Mira accepted the invitation, and Bruce's face lit up as he began to lead the way right away, taking Mira's hand and rushing out with her. Seen from afar, it almost looked like he was kidnapping her.
「Is she…going to be okay?」
「I mean, we've seen him around for a while so…」
「At least it's the Spirit Queen we're talking about too…」
A beautiful young girl and an aging man, a rather questionable pairing, but it should not really be an issue for those who knew them. Regardless, the adventurers in the Union remained slightly concerned.