Chapter 19
“Your name was Chen Xia, right?”
“That’s right, nice to meet you. Leo Flove. Just call me Xia.”
“You can call me whatever you like, too.”
“Then I’ll call you Young Master Leo.”
With a gentle, playful smile, Chen Xia spoke in a friendly tone.
“I didn’t expect you to have a knack for summoning. What’s your specialty, Young Master Leo?”
“I’m aiming for spirit arts, at least for now.”
“Then we’ll be seeing each other often.”
With a bright smile, Chen Xia opened her palm.
Swoosh—!
A cluster of small water droplets gathered and the lower water spirit, Undine, appeared.
“What spirit have you contracted with, Young Master Leo?”
“I haven’t made a contract yet.”
Chen Xia nodded.
If it was your major, that would be odd, but for students taking it as a minor, there were plenty who hadn’t formed a contract yet and only had affinity with [Spirit Power] and spirits.
Chen Xia assumed Leo was that type.
“If you need advice on spirit summoning, just ask me. I’ll help.”
She clearly liked helping others.
“Thanks, I’ll count on you.”
“Ahem. By the way, how old are you, Young Master Leo?”
“Fifteen.”
“Then I’m older. I’m seventeen.”
‘Seventeen?’
Leo glanced at Chen Xia with a strange look.
There’s nothing odd about it, since you can enter Lumeln from age 14 to 17.
But Chen Xia was so petite and looked so young that she could’ve passed for Chelsea’s age, yet she was two years older.
‘She could be Chelsea’s age, but she’s two years older?’
“Young Master Leo, you’re thinking something rude about me right now, aren’t you?”
As Chen Xia narrowed her eyes, Leo replied smoothly,
“No.”
“Pretty sure you are, though.”
While Chen Xia continued to look at him suspiciously, class time arrived.
Unlike Knight Studies earlier, Summoning Studies had far fewer students.
But even after quite a while, the professor didn’t show up.
“It’s about time for the professor to arrive, but they’re still not here.”
Chen Xia looked puzzled. Leo glanced up at the sky.
“They’re here.”
At his words, Chen Xia looked up as well.
A massive flying dragon flapped its wings as it descended.
Fwoosh—!
Landing on the ground with a powerful flap, the dragon settled.
“Wow! A black wyvern!”
“That’s a top-tier phantom beast!”
The appearance of a rare creature that few would ever see in their lifetime made the students cheer.
A person got down from the black wyvern’s back.
A female professor, likely around 170 cm tall, with long gray hair tied in a rough ponytail, giving off a wild vibe.
Her tight leather clothes accentuated her curvaceous figure, and a leather whip hung at her waist.
“Welcome, first-year chicks! My name is Yura Marnin! I’ll be your Summoning Studies professor for the next year!”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Professor Yura!”
All the students answered in unison.
With arms crossed, Professor Yura nodded.
As her ample chest bounced, several male students blushed.
“Where did all the assistant professors and TAs go!”
At her shout, a flustered assistant professor ran over.
“P-Professor. Preparations are finished.”
“Why are you so late, Assistant!”
“It’s because you suddenly changed the schedule, Professor!”
“Don’t whine! It’s not the first time my schedule’s been all over the place! You should always be ready!”
“Agh! That’s so unfair!”
Assistant Professor Karlo looked ready to cry.
‘She’s outrageous.’
All the students, including Leo, thought the same.
Could they really learn anything under a professor like this?
Of course, a few of the boys were too busy gawking at Professor Yura to care.
“Anyway, you’re ready now, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good, kids. If you’re here, that means you have talent as summoners, right?”
Professor Yura’s expression turned serious.
“If anyone’s here just taking this as a minor with half-hearted talent, here’s my advice.”
Her gaze sharpened dangerously.
“Leave right now.”
No one moved at her words.
Students who’d passed the entrance exam wouldn’t quit a class just for this.
“So no one’s leaving? That means you’re all ready. Everyone, move out.”
Chen Xia raised her hand.
“Where are we going?”
“Where else?”
With a sly smile, Professor Yura pointed.
Over there, a group of TAs were leading a herd of griffins.
“The training site.”
* * *
Paired up, the students rode the griffins and cheered.
Flying phantom beasts are rare.
They’re difficult to summon, so most aspiring summoners had never ridden one.
“I’m so glad I came to Lumeln!”
“I bet I’ll be able to contract with a beast like this someday!”
The students were full of dreams.
“Hey! Switch! I want to steer now!”
“Come on! Just a little longer!”
After ten minutes, the first-years were already squabbling over who got to hold the reins.
“This is pretty fun.”
Chen Xia, holding the reins of the griffin, spoke in an excited voice.
“Be careful.”
“Huh?”
“Griffins are tough to handle for first-timers.”
“They’re so gentle and obedient, though?”
“That’s only because they’re being careful with the professor watching.”
Leo glanced at Professor Yura, who was leading the way on her black wyvern.
“Well, knowing that professor, she probably won’t keep the griffins restrained for long.”
Screech—!
“Whoa?”
No sooner had Leo finished speaking than the griffins started roaring.
It wasn’t just the griffin carrying Leo and Chen Xia.
Griffins that had been so docile with the students until now suddenly went wild.
Chen Xia pulled on the reins in a panic, but it didn’t help at all.
“Ahh! It’s not listening!”
“What’s wrong with it all of a sudden?!”
“Professor! Help us!”
The other students also panicked.
Professor Yura, riding her black wyvern, burst out laughing.
“If you can’t even handle a griffin, can you really call yourself a Lumeln student? Let’s see you get them under control!”
“T-That’s—! Kyaaa—!”
Chen Xia, who had been flustered, was suddenly pulled forward by the griffin’s strength.
Even her hips were lifted halfway out of the saddle.
But, true to her Knight Studies background, she immediately regained her balance.
With a determined expression, Chen Xia tightened her grip and prepared to wrestle for control.
Leo wrapped his right arm around Chen Xia’s waist, pulling her closer to him.
“Uh? Young Master Leo? What are you doing, so bold…!”
“If you try to overpower a griffin with force, it’ll just go wilder since they’re so proud.”
Leo grabbed the reins with his left hand and gently pulled.
At his practiced touch, the griffin, which had been bucking and yanking the reins, paused, sensing the familiar way it was being handled.
Gradually, it began to calm down.
‘It’s well-trained, so it’s actually easy to handle.’
For a first-timer, griffins were tough, but for someone used to them, there wasn’t an easier flying beast to control.
Chen Xia looked at Leo in amazement.
“Young Master Leo, have you handled a griffin before?”
“No, it’s my first time in this life.”
Chen Xia turned and stared at Leo’s face.
Leo met her gaze with a look that said, What?
“Seems to be true.”
Turning forward again, Chen Xia tilted her head in confusion.
“Then how do you handle griffins so well? Do you have some secret technique?”
“I just studied the textbook.”
“Hmph! You really have the skills to back up that bold entrance speech.”
Chen Xia laughed, clearly impressed.
Unbothered, Leo pulled Chen Xia even closer.
“I’m going to speed up, so don’t stay far—hang on tight.”
“Aren’t you being a bit too forward with an older lady?”
“Older lady? Ah, sorry.”
“And rude, too.”
Chen Xia squinted and pinched the back of Leo’s hand wrapped around her waist.
But realizing Leo didn’t mean anything by it, she relaxed and leaned comfortably against his chest.
Once ready, Leo called out,
“Let’s go!”
As Leo pulled the reins, the griffin let out a piercing cry and soared high into the air.
“Whoa—!”
Feeling the obvious difference in movement compared to when she held the reins, Chen Xia gasped in awe.
“Well, well?”
Even Professor Yura’s eyes lit up.
“That student’s handling the griffin like a pro! Who is that?”
“Let’s see, that’s Leo Flove.”
“Leo Flove? The student representative? I heard he was aiming for Knight Studies.”
“He actually beat Duran Moira, the top central student, in the last class.”
“And now he’s handling a griffin like that? Does he have his own personal griffin or something?”
“No, he’s from a minor noble family in a small kingdom—definitely not wealthy enough to own griffins.”
Looking over the student register, Karlo answered diligently.
“Then… it’s just talent, huh?”
Professor Yura’s eyes sparkled as she licked her lips.
“With that level of skill, he could major in Summoning, not just Knight Studies.”
“Professor, I get how you feel, but the Knight Studies professors won’t be happy about that.”
“If they don’t like it, what are they going to do? There are tons of talented Knight students, but not in Summoning! Besides, majors haven’t even been decided yet.”
Yura grinned fiercely.
Karlo watched, looking uneasy.
‘Hope nothing happens…’
The destination after riding the griffins was a massive island on Lake Lumeria.
Lake Lumeria was so vast, it could be mistaken for a sea, and several islands dotted its surface.
Because of that, it was often used as a training site.
“Alright.”
With nimble movement, Chen Xia dismounted the griffin.
When Leo got off, the griffin nuzzled its beak against his cheek.
As Leo reached for some tree berries to feed the griffin, he suddenly paused.
A large gray feather on a branch caught his eye.
‘This is…?’
“Young Master Leo, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
Leo tucked the feather away in his coat.
Meanwhile, the other students arrived on the island.
“Ugh!”
“S-So exhausting…”
“I think I’m going to—urp!”
Most students were completely drained just from riding the griffin.
Of course, there were some who were fine.
Most notably, the southern top student, Warren Tiden.
And a girl with a slightly arrogant look, filing her nails, was also perfectly fine.
She looked at the other students as if they were pathetic.
Both were just as skilled as Leo at handling griffins.
‘Warren, Eliza. These two are sure to be the aces of this year’s first-year Summoning Department!’
Yura’s eyes sparkled as she looked at them.
“There are a few students with excellent taming ability. How long are the rest of you going to lie around! Gather up!”
Smiling in satisfaction, Professor Yura called out, and the students hurriedly assembled.
Grinning at the lined-up students, Yura announced,
“Today, we’re having a practical test!”
