Chapter 22
At the center of Lumeln stood the Hero’s Tower.
This place was intended less for Lumeln’s outstanding students and more for its staff.
And at the very top of the Hero’s Tower was the principal’s office.
Sitting at his desk with a relaxed expression, Principal Kallian turned to look out the window.
Fwoooosh—!
A woman with crimson hair appeared in a blaze of fire.
“Welcome, Pirina.”
Kallian greeted Pirina with a gentle smile, but his expression suddenly hardened.
“Has the intruder made a move?”
Five years ago, there was an intrusion incident within Lumeln.
Since there were no casualties, it was never made public, and the culprit was never caught.
But Lumeln was not simply an educational institution—it was the place where the Hero Record was kept.
Someone had broken through Lumeln’s security and caused an incident inside, yet escaped capture.
If the world found out, it would cause immense chaos, so it was kept secret.
But the search for the culprit never stopped.
That was why Kallian asked Ellen to invite Pirina to Lumeln.
For the task of monitoring the vast grounds of Lumeln, there was no beast more suitable than the Phoenix.
“It’s not that, but I’ve brought good news.”
“Good news?”
“A student at Lumeln has become a Phoenix’s contractor.”
“Is that true?”
Kallian asked in surprise.
“Did they contract with you? Or with another Phoenix?”
“They formed a contract with my child, who was just born.”
“Wasn’t your child supposed to contract with the heir of the Lundeah family?”
“That was the plan, but things just turned out this way.”
“Because it was a young Phoenix, they could contract… But for a student to form a contract! Was there anyone besides Ulta in the fifth-year who was that gifted?”
Kallian naturally assumed the contractor must be in the highest grade.
Other than Ulta, the fifth-year contractor of Pegasus, all the other summoning students specialized in spirit arts, so it was unexpected.
“It’s not a fifth-year.”
“Oh? A fourth-year, then? Right, the current fourth-year’s summoning prodigy is outstanding.”
“It’s not a fourth-year, either.”
Pirina shook her head.
Principal Kallian’s face turned curious.
“Don’t tell me it’s a third-year?”
“No.”
“…”
“Second-year?”
Kallian gave a hollow laugh as Pirina simply smiled without replying.
“Are you saying there’s a contractor among the first-years?”
“That’s right.”
“Who?”
“Leo Flove.”
“Hahahaha. Leo Flove?”
This was the student Albi, known for being extremely picky, had recommended as hero material.
Despite opposition from other professors, he’d insisted Leo be made class representative—now that very student had become the Phoenix’s contractor.
‘Wasn’t that student a knight major?’
Principal Kallian stroked his beard in surprise.
‘I’ll have to meet him soon.’
—
“Thank you for today!”
As summoning class ended, the first-years gave a hearty farewell and streamed out of the practice area.
It was already late in the evening.
Being in their growth period, and with the taming test today, the students’ stomachs were demanding food.
The first-years, without exception, rushed toward the cafeteria.
“Young master Leo, want to have dinner together if you’re free?”
“Sure.”
Leo was about to leave the classroom with Chen Xia.
“Leo.”
“Yes.”
“The professor wants to see you.”
Karlo approached and spoke.
“Looks like I’ll have to eat dinner separately today.”
“Nothing to be done. See you in the next class, young master Leo.”
Chen Xia left the classroom first.
Leo followed Karlo to the faculty office.
When they arrived, Karlo knocked on the door, and a short “Come in” came from inside.
“Go ahead.”
After greeting Karlo, Leo entered the room.
Unlike her free-spirited personality, Professor Yura’s office was neatly organized.
Sitting at her desk, Professor Yura gestured to the seat across from her.
“Sit down.”
As soon as Leo sat, Professor Yura spoke without delay.
“I’ll ask directly, Leo.”
“Yes.”
“The beast you contracted with earlier—it was a Phoenix, wasn’t it?”
‘She knew after all.’
“Yes.”
Hearing Leo’s answer, Professor Yura was shaken.
She’d expected as much, but confirmation from Leo left her surprised.
“Could you show me once?”
Watching Professor Yura ask in a trembling voice, Leo reached into the inside pocket of his uniform.
Pirina was supposed to come collect Fiora tonight, so Leo was still looking after her.
He placed Fiora on the desk.
“To think I’d see a baby Phoenix with my own eyes!”
Even seeing an adult Phoenix was rare; to see a baby Phoenix was almost unheard of, so even a professor at Lumeln couldn’t help but get excited.
“Ah~! Such a majestic posture!”
Majestic or not, Fiora was dozing off like a sick chick.
‘Is her eyesight bad?’
“What’s her name?”
“Fiora.”
“How did you find her? I didn’t even know there was a Phoenix in the Beast Forest.”
A professor’s status at Lumeln was by no means low.
All were extremely talented in their fields and held considerable authority in emergencies.
But even to them, Pirina’s existence was a secret.
Remembering what Pirina had told him, Leo was prepared with an excuse.
“I found an egg while wandering the forest. I don’t know why it was there, but it turned out to be a Phoenix egg.”
It wasn’t a very convincing answer.
But there was no other way to explain the Phoenix contract except for coincidence.
And there was no way to verify Leo’s words.
“Still, it can’t have been easy to recognize a Phoenix egg, could it?”
For all their fame, Phoenixes were nearly unknown—an elusive beast.
That was why information about them was so expensive.
“My maternal family is related to Phoenixes, so I’ve read ancient texts about them.”
“Where’s your mother’s family from?”
“The Gerdinger family.”
Professor Yura was shocked.
‘Of course… If it’s the Gerdinger family, it makes sense. The source of their Aura flame is the Phoenix’s power.’
If you have the talent of a summoner, there’s no more perfect qualification for becoming a Phoenix’s contractor.
‘Still, for a fifteen-year-old kid to form a contract with a Phoenix…’
Professor Yura’s eyes sparkled.
There were still questions left, but what mattered most now was Leo’s talent—forming a contract with a Phoenix as a student, and after just one day at the academy.
“I understand. Thank you for your time. You can go now.”
Professor Yura saw Leo to the office door.
Before opening it, she spoke seriously.
“Leo.”
“Yes.”
“It’s best to keep your contract with the Phoenix a secret for now. If word gets out, it’ll cause a commotion.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Enjoy your dinner, and I’ll see you in the next class.”
Professor Yura patted Leo’s shoulder and closed the door.
She returned to her seat, lost in thought.
‘How should I teach this raw gem?’
Professor Yura was filled with dreams.
To have a summoner with unprecedented talent as her student!
She wanted, no matter what, to raise Leo into the greatest summoner.
‘Should I let him skip grades? Having a talented student is its own dilemma!’
Imagining her disciple’s name becoming famous as a great summoner someday, Yura was lost in happy thoughts.
If Leo wanted, she was even willing to offer personal lessons.
Professor Yura never doubted that Leo would choose summoning as his main major.
How could it be any other way? With talent like his, would he really choose a different field?
‘Hehe, for the next five years, our summoning department will be the best!’
Professor Yura didn’t know.
Leo had no plans to pick any particular major.
—
The next morning.
Leo headed to the magic building with Carl for magic class.
“Oh! Chloe!”
Carl, spotting Chloe walking ahead with a magic major textbook tucked under her arm, waved.
“Hi, Leo, Carl. Yawn.”
“Why are you yawning so early in the morning?”
“I stayed up late reading magic books.”
“Yeah? Then how about this?”
Carl grinned, pulling out a small bottle.
“Carl Trading Company’s Fatigue Recovery Potion! Only 5 shillings!”
“It’s not weird or anything, right?”
“See? The label lists all the ingredients and the certification mark is right here.”
“Hmm.”
Chloe checked the label, nodded, and bought the fatigue recovery potion.
As she drank it, she glanced at Leo.
“You’re really taking the magic class?”
“I told you I would.”
“This guy even attended summoning class yesterday.”
At Carl’s words, Chloe looked at Leo in wonder.
“What class did you take yesterday?”
“I’m aiming to be a pure mage, so I didn’t have class. I studied in the library instead.”
“Wow, you’re a real honors student.”
The three chatted as they arrived at the magic building.
Today’s classroom, the [Main Lecture Hall], was a large, circular room that could hold up to 500 people.
Carl grinned at the sight.
“The best seats in the back row are still open! What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”
“What are you talking about? The best seats are up front.”
“Looks like you and I are headed in different directions.”
Carl tried to ditch Chloe without hesitation.
But Chloe was faster—she grabbed Carl by the ear.
“Ow, ow, ow?!”
“You’re planning to nap in the back, aren’t you? If you’re a magic student, you should pay attention in class.”
“Hey, hey! Let’s talk about this after you let go! Hey!”
Chloe dragged Carl to the very front row.
“If you sleep up here, you’ll get singled out by the professor!”
Carl wailed, but Chloe just smiled and opened her textbook.
Leo, who ended up sitting up front as well, stifled a laugh.
Just then, a man stepped up to the podium.
Step—step—step—
He wore a sharp suit and had his hair slicked back with pomade, perfectly fitting the image of a handsome man.
A few female students gasped as he reached the center and smiled.
“Welcome, first-years. My name is Ren Hors. I’ll be your magic theory professor for the year.”
Applause filled the hall at Ren’s introduction.
“Any questions before class starts?”
A barrage of questions from the girls followed.
“Professor! Do you have a girlfriend?”
“How old are you?”
“What’s your ideal type?”
Pointless questions poured in, unrelated to class.
Even so, Professor Ren answered them all kindly, with a smile.
“A handsome professor, huh? The girls are already smitten. But Ren Hors? Never heard that name before. Do you know him, Chloe?”
Carl, hanging his pen over his upper lip and locking his hands behind his head, asked Chloe. She shook her head.
“I’ve never heard of him either.”
When the personal questions finally stopped, Professor Ren spoke.
“Today, we’ll be starting with an introduction to magic theory. But before that!”
Snap—!
Professor Ren snapped his fingers.
Rattle, rattle, rattle—!
Sheets of paper fluttered throughout the lecture hall.
The stacks of paper landed right in front of the students.
“Before we begin, there will be a brief magic theory exam.”
“Whaaat?”
“An exam on the first day? That’s so mean, professor!”
Complaints echoed from every direction.
Some girls even tried whining in a cute voice.
“Anyone who doesn’t meet the minimum standard won’t be able to attend any future magic major classes.”
“…!”
The lighthearted mood instantly turned cold.
One student timidly raised a hand.
“Pr-professor. What if a magic major student fails the exam?”
“Well, obviously.”
Professor Ren answered lightly, as if wondering why it was even a question.
“They’ll be expelled.”
