Chapter 87
“Ugh! I’m exhausted!”
Class was over, and Carr collapsed forward.
“Wow! The Fly Magic class is no joke! Seriously! It’s like doing manual labor!”
“What’s so hard about that?” Chelsea said, looking at him with a disappointed expression.
Carr let out a deep sigh.
“Sigh. How could someone like you, who passed the test in one go and went straight to Professor Albi, understand our struggles? Senior Torua is relentless! It’s like she’s trying to eat us alive!”
Chelsea was one of the four students who passed the Fly Magic test with a free pass, including Leo, Chloe, Abad, and herself.
“Should I help you?”
“What?”
“I can help you practice until you get better at Fly Magic.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, we’re friends, aren’t we?”
Carr looked moved.
“I’ll help our class’s magic students with practice.”
“Sniff! Chelsea! Thank you!”
‘They’re in for it now.’
“Do you know about Senior Elena?”
Leo asked, and Carr looked at him in disbelief.
“Do I know Senior Elena? It’d be weirder not to know, right?”
“Is she famous?”
“Not just famous! Senior Elena is the third-year class representative!”
“Really?”
“Sometimes I think you’re too uninterested in school affairs, Leo. Let me teach you.”
Chelsea cleared her throat.
“Elena Zeron. Age 18. Currently a third-year. She’s ranked second in the entire Department of Magic—even as a third-year, she’s right behind Senior Torua.”
“That’s impressive.”
“More than impressive! She was a dungeon raider by her second year—a genius magical girl!”
Carr shouted excitedly.
“I wish I could meet her at least once!”
Leo tilted his head, watching Carr’s dreamy expression.
“Is she that popular?”
“Yeah. She’s a real beauty. Her nickname is the Queen.”
“The Queen?”
“Even the fourth and fifth years don’t mess with her, and she has a lot of followers. Thanks to that, she’s a strong candidate for student council president, even as a third-year.”
“Thanks for letting me know.”
Leo patted Chelsea’s head.
Chelsea, grinning, asked,
“But why are you asking about Senior Elena?”
“I just need to meet her.”
“She’s away on assignment until next week, so she’s not at school right now. Even if she were, she’s so famous it’s hard to see her, but since you’re the class representative, you might get a chance if you want.”
Leo nodded at Chelsea’s words.
“Leo, you’ve got the next Summoning class, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Then see you later at the dorm.”
After parting ways, Leo headed for the Summoning class.
‘All outdoor classes today.’
Today’s class was at the same Familiar Island where they had their first lesson.
When he reached the pier, the other summoning students were preparing to cross the lake.
Just as Leo was about to use Fly Magic—
“Guess who?”
Someone crept up and covered his eyes from behind.
“Isn’t this a little childish for a seventeen-year-old?”
Leo laughed, brushing the hands away and turning around.
Standing there was Chen Xia.
“Anyway, you never treat me as an older woman, Leo.”
Chen Xia shrugged.
“Heading to Familiar Island now? Want to go together?”
“Sure.”
Chen Xia leapt toward the water.
“Hey!”
Chen Xia left footprints on the water’s surface as she moved.
Watching her walk so naturally over water, Leo lifted himself into the air with Fly Magic.
Normally, students crossed the lake using flying familiars, aquatic familiars, or wind and water spirits.
But Leo couldn’t summon his contracted familiar carelessly with so many eyes on him, and Chen Xia found using Aura Step faster than spirit arts.
“Leo, want to race to the Familiar Forest?”
“Loser buys dinner?”
“Deal.”
Chen Xia lowered her stance, and Leo gathered Mana.
“Ready, go!”
Splash! Whoosh—!
Both of them shot forward at incredible speed.
Watching the waves crash on the pier, a summoning student muttered,
“If we meet them in the departmental competition, just run away.”
The other students nodded.
Crack-crack-crack-crack—!
‘She’s not just using Aura Step, huh.’
Watching Chen Xia ahead, Leo’s eyes sparkled.
‘Spirit arts?’
Leo sped up even more.
* * *
“Eliza, are you sure they won’t attack us?”
“Hmph. Do you doubt Luri’s control?”
“No way! Of course not!”
On the lake, Eliza sat elegantly, crossing her legs on top of a dolphin, filing her nails with a smirk.
“My Luri may still be young, but she’s a genuine Delphinus. With my power boosting her command, these monsters are nothing.”
Delphinus.
A top-tier aquatic familiar in the shape of a dolphin.
As the heir of the famous summoning Hergin family and a top-ranked student, Eliza could handle such familiars.
Squeak—!
“That’s right, Luri. I’ll get you the best beef when we get back.”
Eliza, usually cold to everyone, smiled softly as she stroked Luri’s back at her dolphin’s cry.
‘Wish she’d treat us that nicely, too.’
Eliza’s clique gave bitter smiles.
“Huh?”
One of the students riding a monster looked back.
“What’s that? A water spray?”
All the students looked startled.
“E-Eliza! Something’s coming really fast! Move!”
“Hmph! What’s got you all so—”
Eliza, frowning at the commotion, looked back.
Crack-crack-crack-crack-crack—!
And an enormous spray drenched her.
Squeak! Squeak!
Swept away by the wave, Eliza was hastily pulled from the lake by her familiar, Luri.
“Phwah! What was that!”
Eliza shouted, eyes wide, as one of her students, who’d also been swept up, yelled,
“It was Leo Plov and Chen Xia!”
“Leo Plov!”
Sparks flew in Eliza’s eyes.
“How dare you do this to me?! Luri! After them!”
Squeak!
Crack-crack-crack-crack—!
“Ah! Eliza!”
“Take us with you!”
Eliza’s clique panicked, left behind.
Rumble—
With Delphinus’ control broken, the lake monsters turned hostile.
“Hey! Deal with them!”
“Ahh! Undine, help!”
“Eek! Get away!”
Cries of students battling monsters echoed from the middle of the lake.
* * *
Leo reached the Familiar Island pier first.
“I win.”
“Gasp—gasp—so close,” Chen Xia said, out of breath and disappointed.
Watching, Yura clapped.
“Impressive! But I would’ve praised you more if you’d used only summoning.”
Professor Yura, waiting for students at the pier, grumbled.
“Especially you, Leo! Using magic on the way to summoning class—where’d you pick up such bad habits? Minus ten points.”
As Yura growled, Leo smiled.
“It’s not like I could summon my familiar.”
“Perfect logic! No point deduction, then.”
“Why’d you deduct points and then get persuaded… Hrk?”
Yura elbowed Assistant Professor Carlo, who had been making a fuss beside him, and looked at the pier.
“Someone else is coming.”
A giant wave crashed over Leo.
“Leo Plovvvvvv!”
Splash!
Leo calmly blocked the water blast, looking puzzled.
“Why are you attacking me all of a sudden? And why are you so drenched?”
“Who do you think did this! That wave you made!”
“Oh, you got caught up in that? Sorry.”
“Sorry? You think sorry is enough?! How dare you treat the heir of the Hergin family this way!”
As Eliza fumed, Chen Xia looked apologetic.
“Eliza, it wasn’t Leo who caused the wave—it was me.”
“You, Chen Xia?”
“Yes.”
Eliza stepped back, caught off guard by Chen Xia’s apology.
As the oldest first-year and a kind soul, Chen Xia was friendly to everyone.
So even the haughty Eliza would back down in front of her.
“Well, yeah. Summoning students should all get along.”
“I’m not in summoning.”
“Me neither.”
“Oh? Look at these two?”
Yura narrowed his eyes.
“Well, since I started the race, it’s not just Chen Xia’s fault. Sorry.”
Leo offered a sincere apology. Eliza, staring at him, snorted.
“Not accepting an apology when it’s this sincere would be petty. Fine, Leo Plov, I forgive you.”
“It’s not much, but I’ll dry your clothes. A girl soaked through is kind of awkward to look at.”
Leo gathered Mana.
He used a spell to remove the moisture.
In an instant, Eliza’s clothes were dry.
But the sudden loss of moisture made her hair stand on end with static.
“Pfft!”
“Heh!”
Chen Xia and Yura couldn’t help laughing.
Eliza pulled out a mirror, her shoulders trembling.
Her once-glossy hair was now a frizzy mess.
Eliza, looking ridiculous, glared at Leo.
“I’ll fix it. Got a comb?”
Sighing, Leo took a comb from Eliza and fixed her hair.
* * *
All the first-years gathered in the Familiar Forest.
The whole first-year Summoning Department was buzzing.
Word had spread across campus that the Departments of Knights and Magic were undergoing special training for the departmental competition.
The Summoning students also thought they’d be training for the competition today.
In fact, the class was being held at Familiar Island.
Everyone looked at Yura with eager faces as he scratched his head.
“Why isn’t that kid here yet?”
“Professor, who are you waiting for?”
Tide raised his hand to ask, and Yura sighed.
“Like you guessed, today’s class was supposed to be special training for the departmental competition. But Ulta suggested something else.”
“Senior Ulta?”
“Yeah. She said she had a perfect training idea and insisted we have class on Familiar Island.”
The students were amazed.
But some looked uneasy.
Ulta of the Summoning Department.
The strongest student, rival of Rhys Zerdinger, and a famous pegasus contractor.
But also known as an oddball.
She’d drawn attention on competition announcement day by talking about love.
‘No way she’s going to make us do something weird, right?’
As the students tried to shake off their unease—
“There’s Senior Ulta.”
One student spotted Ulta walking from the pier.
“Hey! Why are you so late!”
“Sorry, Professor Yura.”
Ulta bowed gracefully like an actress.
“The supplies for the first-years were delivered late.”
“Supplies?”
Snap—!
Ulta snapped her fingers, and a giant eagle appeared in the sky.
Whoosh—! Thud—!
Stirring up a fierce wind, the eagle dropped a cloth-wrapped bundle next to Ulta and soared away.
“Was that a Wind Eagle?”
“Using a top-tier wind familiar just for delivery… That’s Senior Ulta for you!”
The students gazed at Ulta with admiration.
“What kind of training did you need supplies for…?”
As Yura checked the bundle, his expression turned grim.
“What are you making the first-years do with this?”
Ulta had brought none other than butterfly nets.
“You must have heard, Professor. On this Familiar Island—”
Ulta spread her arms wide.
“—a fairy has appeared!”
“A fairy?”
“No way?”
The first-years’ eyes widened.
A vein popped on Yura’s forehead.
“So what? You want the first-years to catch a fairy?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s right, my foot! Are you insane? We’re busy getting ready for the competition and you’re pulling this nonsense?! You’re dead! I’m going to kill you!”
Yura yanked Ulta toward her with the butterfly net, yelling at the top of her lungs.
Carlo and the students panicked and tried to stop her.
Meanwhile, Leo pressed his temple.
‘That guy… He just can’t behave!’