Book 1 Chapter 163

163

Murmur, murmur.

Evening, after all classes had ended.

Leo, who had returned to the men's dormitory, looked at the commotion in the dorm and asked a classmate passing by.

"What's going on?"

"Huh? Leo?"

The student, seeing Leo, showed a very flustered expression.

He was a student from the Magic Department who usually belittled Leo about his family and origins.

With many noble families within Lumen, there were many students who looked down on those from border kingdoms, no matter how great their achievements.

But for some reason, he kept glancing at Leo.

Seeing that, Leo easily figured out the reason for the commotion in the dormitory.

'The rumors are out.'

It seemed that the fact that Leo's maternal family was Zerdinger had become known throughout the school.

As Leo entered the dormitory, all the male students' gazes turned to him.

Ignoring their stares, Leo went up to his dorm room.

Leo was in a bad mood because he couldn't rest in the evening and had to go out later for private tutoring with the princess.

*Clang-*

As he opened the door, he saw his room in disarray.

The first thing he saw was Fiora, polymorphed, propping up the bed and hiding behind it.

Looking around the room, at the highest point.

He saw Kirian, who had piled Leo's textbooks like a fortress on top of the wardrobe.

Finally, he saw Elsie sitting by the window and watching.

"What are you guys doing?"

Fiora, who had lifted her head from the bed, turned her head at Leo's question.

"Leo! Defeat that wicked fairy with me…!"

*Fwoosh-! Thwack-!*

Kirian quickly revealed himself from on top of the wardrobe and threw a stone, hitting Fiora on the back of the head.

[Hahahahahaha! That's the 89th hit! You're pathetic!]

Fiora irritably picked up a stone and threw it back, but Kirian slyly hid behind the books.

In response, Fiora puffed up her cheeks in frustration and started to tremble.

"What's going on?"

At Leo's question, Elsie scratched her cheek.

[It seems Kirian ate all the snacks Fiora had hidden.]

[That's not true! He ruined the works I made first!]

"What works? They're just pathetic toys you made to prank students on the Island of Beasts!"

[This chick called them pathetic!]

"You stupid fairy!"

Leo let out a deep sigh, watching the Phoenix and the fairy engage in a childish argument.

'If the summoners outside knew that the fairy and the phoenix were acting like this, how much would they lament.'

"Stop fighting and both of you come here."

At Leo's words, Fiora and Kirian came before Leo with sullen expressions.

"You two are among the three Great Beasts, aren't you? Stop fighting like children. Shake hands as a sign of reconciliation."

At Leo's mediation, Fiora and Kirian clearly showed their reluctance.

But soon, Kirian reluctantly extended his hand.

[Hmph! As the elder and leader, I will extend my hand first for the sake of harmony! Consider it an honor to receive the apology of the Fairy Prince!]

Fiora, who had been gazing at Kirian's small hand with a smug expression, took it.

[Hmph! Be moved by my magnanimity… Ugh-!]

As soon as she grabbed Kirian's arm, Fiora spun his arm around wildly.

Kirian, barely escaping Fiora's grasp, shouted venomously.

[I shouldn't have apologized to a chick who only cares about food! Prepare yourself!]

"As you wish!"

*Whoosh-! Whoosh-!*

The two ran back to their respective fortresses and continued their confrontation.

Leo, watching them, said,

"Finish it by the time I come back."

With that, Leo left the room.

He needed to submit an outing request for the night.

Elsie waved goodbye to Leo's retreating figure.

[Have a good trip.]

***

"Celia, Chelsea. Just as you two said, Leo-senpai is a remarkable talent, isn't he?"

In the center of Lumen, at a high-class restaurant near the Tower of Heroes, Shasha said in an elegant voice.

At her words, Celia and Chelsea, who had been looking at each other disapprovingly, looked at Shasha with confused expressions.

"I heard you were clearly rejected when you made a scouting offer?"

Chelsea asked with a bewildered look.

Shasha nodded.

"Yes. Leo-senpai seems to intend to join a faction led by someone he acknowledges."

The three were having a relaxed conversation.

Zerdinger and Lewalyn, the right and left hands of Lodren.

Unlike the usual lord-vassal relationship, the relationship between the three was slightly different.

The first Zerdinger and Lewalyn were close friends before becoming founding officials.

That traditional relationship remained even after a long time.

Therefore, the relationship between the three girls was closer to that of friends than lord and vassal.

They maintained proper etiquette in public but spoke casually in private.

Thus, Celia and Chelsea wore strange expressions upon hearing Shasha's words.

'He'll join someone he acknowledges? That's not like him.'

Celia, who knew her cousin's personality well, fell into thought.

Chelsea seemed to think similarly to Celia and let out a small sigh.

It seemed this misunderstanding princess had misinterpreted Leo's words.

"So, we're going to meet Leo-senpai in a bit."

"What? Just the two of you?"

Celia exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, he said he'd give me advice on summoning. Isn't that a little cute?"

Shasha, resting her chin, smiled faintly.

"He said he'd give me advice on summoning. Even if I'm an all-rounder, I'm a member of the Lodren family."

Shasha said with a proud expression.

The Lodren Imperial family was not only the ruler of the empire but also a world-renowned family of summoners.

All of Lodren's bloodline were born with the talent for being powerful summoners.

Some evaluated that if they weren't the imperial family of an empire, they would have become a very powerful family of summoner heroes, their abilities were that genuine.

And Shasha was a summoner who inherited Lodren's blood very strongly.

"Besides, for him to make such an excuse to meet me, maybe he's fallen for me?"

Seeing Shasha covering her mouth and laughing "hohoho," Celia and Chelsea looked at each other.

Although the two were famous rivals, at this moment, they were worried about their childhood friend, Shasha.

Furthermore, didn't both of them experience being "severely" dealt with by Leo after being competitive in swordsmanship and magic?

"Still, for the Crown Princess to meet a boy her age late at night is a bit much, isn't it?"

"That's right. Shall we go with you?"

At Celia and Chelsea's words, Shasha shook her head resolutely.

"That's not possible. I'm supposed to study summoning with Leo-senpai alone today."

It was difficult to dissuade Shasha, who was lost in her own imagination.

In the end, the two could only offer their own advice.

"Don't make any strange bets out of misplaced pride."

So said Celia, who had been a maid for a week.

"Don't refuse out of pride when he offers something, even if it's just advice."

So said Chelsea, who almost had her backside burnt to a crisp.

Despite her two friends' advice, Shasha's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Hmph! He'll surely be surprised by my skills, won't he?"

Looking at her humming happily, Celia and Chelsea wore worried expressions.

***

Late at night, at the Grand Library.

This space, open to all students, also provided individual study rooms for students who wished to study at night, not just during the day.

This was because when preparing for complex assignments or needing many reference materials, one had to use the Grand Library late into the night.

Consequently, some students occasionally misused this for romantic encounters.

'But if they get caught, hell ensues.'

Of course, as it was a place used by energetic teenagers, the librarians kept a vigilant eye, so few students dared to engage in romantic acts.

Leo, looking at Shasha sitting in front of him, said,

"Why do you think you can't form a formal contract with Pegasus, even though you have a pact?"

"That's because my abilities are insufficient."

At Shasha's words, Leo said,

"Haven't you considered that your abilities are sufficient but you're not utilizing them?"

Hearing Leo's words, Shasha narrowed her eyes.

"Leo-senpai. The three Great Beasts are immensely powerful beings. Without strong spiritual power, they cannot be summoned even if there is a pact."

"I know that, of course."

Leo said indifferently.

"I'm asking if you've considered that your efforts are insufficient."

"Leo-senpai, I'm not like other geniuses who rely solely on talent and are lazy." Shasha lifted her chin.

"I am destined to lead the Lodren Empire, one of the world's strongest nations. I believe I must always be the best in my field. The reason I chose to go to Scount, even though I could have entered Lumen at 14 like Chelsea, was for that reason. To conquer Scount for one year."

Shasha's eyes, as she sat up straight, exuded a chivalrous spirit unfitting for her appearance as a young girl.

The eyes of a girl who had been educated since childhood to become an emperor were filled with intense ambition.

"In Scount, there aren't many summoners like me, not just among first-year students but even among upperclassmen. So, my next goal is Lumen."

Shasha's eyes sparkled.

"I will become the class representative, the top student, and the student council president. And I will make Lumen the best of the four Great Hero Academies. Because I can only rest when I become the best."

Leo rested his chin.

"Wouldn't it have been easier if you had entered this year? Celia and Chelsea are here too."

"I have no intention of borrowing Celia and Chelsea's strength. It only has value if I achieve it alone."

Shasha lifted her chin.

"I can confidently say that purely in terms of summoning, I could take the top spot in Lumen's first-year summoning department right now."

At that, Leo smirked.

"Unfortunately, it's impossible for two reasons."

"What?"

"First. You can't beat Wariden, who is at the top of the summoning department. That guy is a monster."

Leo thought of Wariden.

In Leo's opinion, Wariden, known as the monster of the south, was undeniably among the top 3 in combat power among all first-year students right now.

"Second. There are two first-year students who could summon Pegasus right now if they had a pact."

Shasha's eyes twitched.

Her relaxed demeanor thus far was due to absolute confidence in her abilities.

But Leo contradicted that.

Moreover, she couldn't help but feel upset that there were students who could summon Pegasus under the same conditions as her.

"Who are those two people?"

"One is Eliza Hergin. And the other is me."

Leo smirked.

"If it were me, I think I could form a formal contract, not just a pact."

Provoked by Leo, Shasha's expression turned indignant.

"Are you saying that your abilities as a summoner are superior to mine right now?"

"Why are you asking something so obvious?"

"I think being proud is good, but arrogance is not."

"You decide whether this is pride or arrogance."

The moment she heard that, Shasha realized.

Leo had no regard for her.

'Was his refusal of my offer not to test my abilities, but because he wasn't interested at all?'

Having realized that, Shasha felt humiliated.

'This guy is unbelievable!'

"I have no intention of learning anything from someone less skilled than me!"

Driven by misplaced pride, she refused Leo's offer.

"Is that so? Then I'll be going."

Leo stood up without a hint of hesitation.

Seeing that, Shasha became even more indignant.

"Fine! Then prove it! Prove that Leo-senpai is a superior summoner to me!"

"How?"

At Leo's question, Shasha deployed her spiritual power.

Then, a summoning circle was completed in the air.

"You said you could summon Pegasus under the same conditions as me, right? Go ahead and try."

The passage was complete.

It was in a state where anyone qualified could summon.

"If I succeed in summoning, perhaps Pegasus of Lodren will form a contract with me?"

"Hmph. Then I will acknowledge the contract. However."

Shasha smirked.

"If you fail to summon, you will become my servant during our joint lesson period."

Driven by misplaced pride, Shasha ended up making a strange bet with Leo.

Despite Chelsea and Celia telling her not to, Shasha was confident.

'He absolutely can't. His spiritual power is far inferior to mine.'

Shasha's spiritual power was immense.

In terms of pure spiritual power alone, it was on par with Eliza's.

It was unthinkable that Leo, who couldn't summon Pegasus even though Shasha, who had such immense spiritual power, couldn't, would be able to.

"If you're not confident, you can stop now."

"Not at all."

Leo chuckled and reached for the summoning circle.

Suddenly-

*Whoosh-*

The vision momentarily went black.

*Blink-* *Blink-*

Then the magic lamps began to flicker.

"Huh?"

Shasha looked at the ceiling with a bewildered expression.

Conversely, Leo's face hardened.

'Curse of Severance? No. It's a bit different.'

Whatever it was, it was definitely Tartarus.

Leo urgently placed his hand on the summoning circle.

*Zap-!*

Along with it, sparks began to fly from the summoning circle.

"……!"

Shasha's eyes widened.

*Zap zap! Boom boom boom!*

The study room was thrown into disarray by the powerful light and sparks.

And what appeared was a woman with pure white hair, white eyes, and armed with pure white armor.

"This feeling, it's not Shasha?"

The woman smirked and looked at the boy with his arms crossed in front of her.

"It's surprising that someone other than the Lodren bloodline summoned me… and to summon me with such pathetic spiritual power?"

A spark appeared in Pegasus's eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Before I introduce myself, I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

*Zap-!*

Sparks flew from Leo's body.

Instantly, Pegasus's body returned to its original form.

[What? He interfered with the contract?]

Watching Pegasus, who was surprised, Leo said,

"It seems we need to fight right away. Can you lend me some strength?"