Book 1 Chapter 165

Kalian and Riben, after hearing what happened to Leo in the Great Library, put on serious expressions.

"If I'm to believe your explanation, that was the 'Curse of Severance.'"

"Curse of Severance?"

"Indeed."

Kalian nodded.

"It's a curse that creates a sealed space. It's a curse used by high-ranking demons from Tartarus when they invade."

It was certainly a curse Leo didn't know.

'They are changing too.'

"Was the target of the Hall of Heroes an extension of destroying Hero Records, like Lady Luna's world?"

As Riben muttered with a grave face, Kalian nodded.

"It's highly probable."

"Then why the Hall of Heroes? There are no Hero Records in the Hall of Heroes."

Riben was right.

The place where Hero Records slept was the Forbidden Library.

And the Forbidden Library was a space that could not be invaded by curses.

A place protected by all sorts of defenses and anti-curse magic was not a place Tartarus would dare to invade.

"Even if there are no Hero Records, there is a 'key' that can open the Hero Records, so they must have been after that key."

Riben nodded at Kalian's words.

"They are certainly making their moves quite openly."

Kalian had expected some sort of infiltration when allowing 600 outsiders into the school.

'Even if they entered the Hall of Heroes, they wouldn't have been able to take the hero's relics.'

Kalian muttered inwardly and looked at Leo.

'He noticed the Curse of Severance. Is his sensitivity extremely sharp?'

A first-year student stopped a high-ranking demon using the Curse of Severance.

He was a student who always surprised him in many ways.

Curiosity piqued, Kalian rested his chin on his hand and asked,

"Student Leo. That demon must have been difficult to handle with your current abilities. How exactly did you stop them?"

"It was thanks to Pegasus."

"Pegasus?"

Kalian's eyes widened.

Leo being the contractor of Phoenix was something he already knew.

But this was the first time he had heard about Pegasus.

While Riben was also very surprised, Leo explained the circumstances that led to summoning Arti.

"Ho ho. Astonishing."

Kalian exclaimed in admiration and nodded.

Riben, meanwhile, stared intently at Leo, recalling the words of Lord Melina.

'Please help Leo Phlobe a lot.'

'Did the Lord see this much potential?'

Looking at Leo, who seemed as if he was born to be a hero, Riben said,

"Leo Phlobe. As you know, please remain silent about this incident."

"Yes."

"And do you have any requests? You stopped Tartarus, didn't you? I believe you deserve a reward."

It would be one thing if he had caused a disturbance in the Great Library for no reason.

But if it was to stop demons, and he succeeded, a reward was definitely necessary.

"There's nothing I can think of… Ah."

"What is it?"

"Could you support our club?"

"Club?"

"Yes."

"Alright. I will support it."

Riben nodded.

"It's getting late, so you should go. We'll take care of the rest."

With those words, Leo left the principal's office.

When the two of them were left alone, Kalian said,

"As expected, they have made their move."

To that, Riben replied,

"Is the joint class suspended as is?"

"No. Even if we send all the students from other schools away, they would have already set their schemes in motion. And if we leave it as it is, they will try to contact those inside Lumern in some way."

Kalian smirked.

"We've already identified the list, haven't we?"

"That's true."

"It would be best to wipe them out all at once while we have the chance."

***

Leo, leaving the principal's office and exiting the Tower of Heroes, found Sasha waiting on a bench at the entrance.

Sasha stood up when she saw Leo.

"What happened?"

"I was warned."

"Is it because of me?"

"It's not like that."

Sasha, who had been looking worried, let out a small sigh of relief.

"By the way, you actually managed to summon Arti. How did you do it?"

Sasha was bewildered, as she hadn't expected Leo to be able to summon a Pegasus with his insufficient mana.

Seeing Sasha like that, Leo raised his hand.

Flash-!

A summoning circle appeared on Leo's hand.

Upon seeing it, Sasha's eyes widened.

"Wait a minute! That's…!"

It was Arti's summoning circle that appeared on Leo's hand.

Leo had taken the lead in the contract during the process of summoning Arti and fighting together.

As Leo initiated the summon, the summoning circle opened, and a polymorphed Arti emerged.

Shedding her pure white hair, Arti glared at Leo.

"You pushed me into the summoning circle without my permission?"

"It was an emergency."

"Aren't you being too rough with me?"

Arti, grumbling, emerged from the summoning circle and crossed her arms.

Unlike a moment ago, Arti was wearing a white dress instead of armor.

Crossing her arms and looking at Leo, Arti waved at Sasha.

"Hello, Sasha."

"Arti! What's going on? Why did Senior Leo become the main contractor?"

Seeing Sasha asking with a bewildered face, Arti sighed deeply.

"It's complicated to explain. This person has taken the leadership of the pact with me that you inherited from the previous Emperor."

"Wh-what!"

Sasha's face turned pale.

Arti was a legacy passed down through the Rodren Imperial family for generations.

However, as a Pegasus with will, she could not be bound.

In the first place, Arti remained as the Rodren Imperial family's contractor due to the first Emperor's request.

Now, Arti's pact had transferred to Leo.

Leo chuckled at Sasha.

"Didn't you say you'd recognize the contract if I succeeded in summoning the Pegasus?"

"Oh, Sasha. Did you sell me to this man?"

Arti's eyes widened.

"W-well…! Th-that's…!"

Sasha, her face pale, looked back and forth between Leo and Arti, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Senior Leo! I'm sorry! I'll do everything I can for you, so can't you give Arti back?"

"I don't need it."

Leo said coldly and walked away, but Sasha clung to his feet.

"Please! I'm begging you!"

The Imperial Princess of the Empire was begging, crying.

There was nowhere she could complain.

If this incident became known, not only would the Empire suffer great shame, but it would also be revealed that she had carelessly gambled with Arti, and Sasha could lose her status as Imperial Princess.

If anyone had seen them, they would have been astonished, but fortunately, it was late at night, so there was no one around.

Leo, dragging Sasha who was clinging to his feet, clicked his tongue and pulled his foot away from her grip.

"Let go."

Saying that, Leo walked to a nearby bench and tapped the ground with his toe.

"Kneel down here."

At those words, Sasha, without even thinking of wiping away the tears on her cheeks, came in front of Leo and knelt down.

The moment she knelt, her body trembled slightly from the immense humiliation.

But she couldn't defy the man in front of her now.

Sasha was destined to be the pinnacle of imperial power, but she was not at the pinnacle yet.

She was solidifying her position as successor, but if she made a grave mistake, everything she had built could crumble like a sandcastle.

And this was the very moment of crisis where everything could collapse.

It was no exaggeration to say that her fate rested in Leo's hands.

Even though she had studied imperial studies and lived to become an emperor, she was still a 14-year-old girl.

The fear of losing everything was enough to crush her, and so she obediently followed his instructions.

Looking down at Sasha, who was trembling slightly, Leo crossed his legs and rested his chin.

"I know you're a summoner with outstanding talent. But you should have considered that there are plenty of people your age who are more formidable than you. You gambled with your contractor because of your arrogance? Are you still a summoner?"

An imposing aura emanated from Leo's red eyes.

The moment she met his gaze, Sasha flinched.

Arti nodded beside her.

"There's a limit to being childish. As a summoner, and as an emperor who will lead a nation. Acting rashly will only bring trouble. You're friends with Celia and Chelsea, aren't you?"

"Yes, yes."

"Didn't they advise you to be careful when dealing with me?"

"…"

Sasha lowered her head deeply.

Seeing that, Leo clicked his tongue.

"Besides, the bet earlier was a huge insult to your contractor."

Leo looked at Arti, who was watching them.

"It's not because she's a Pegasus. The reason summoners call their summoned beasts contractors is that they are life partners. Treating them with care is basic for a summoner."

Sasha lowered her head deeply.

She had no words to defend herself.

Seeing Sasha like that, Leo chuckled.

"Well, she's a 14-year-old child, so mistakes can happen. But if you aim to be a hero, and want to become an emperor who leads a nation, don't forget today's events."

Whoosh-

Leo created Arti's summoning circle on his palm.

"Take her."

"Huh?"

Sasha's eyes widened.

"A-are you returning her?"

"I don't steal other people's summoned beasts."

Sasha looked confused as she watched Leo say this indifferently.

'She's returning her so readily.'

She wondered if it was to avoid conflict with the Rodren Empire, but it didn't seem like it.

A Pegasus was a powerful force that could sway a nation.

With Leo's abilities, any faction would be desperate to recruit her.

And if she were a Pegasus summoner?

There was no need to say more.

If Leo decided to join a powerful faction in another region, even the Rodren, the ruler of the west, would have few options.

'Is it because her maternal relatives are in Zerdinger? No, that's not it either.'

Even so, she would have tried to get what she wanted from Sasha.

But Leo was truly asking for nothing and was returning the ownership of the contract.

'A Pegasus, which one would not hesitate to dedicate their soul to, has come into her hands, and she's returning her so readily.'

Looking up at Leo, Sasha felt a strange emotion.

Under the moonlight, Leo seemed to exude an absolute dignity.

It was as if he were looking down at her from a high place.

The gap, which she had inwardly thought was not large, felt overwhelming.

'The vessel is different.'

The girl who had been trained and studied her whole life to become an emperor had a certain eye for judging people.

Therefore, she instinctively knew.

'It's a vessel I can't possibly contain.'

Thinking that she looked up to him, Sasha reached out her trembling hand to the summoning circle Leo offered.

If she got that back, she would regain the ownership of the contract.

Just then.

"Wait a moment."

Arti interjected.

"Doesn't my opinion matter?"

Seeing Arti grumbling with a displeased voice, Sasha looked flustered.

Leo said in a bored voice,

"In any case, your original contractor is the Rodren family."

"That's right. I still think that, but."

Arti smiled heartily.

"After experiencing you as a summoner, I don't want to go back to Sasha right now?"

"What? Arti! What does that mean!"

As Sasha exclaimed in surprise, Arti smiled wryly.

"Don't worry. As I said a moment ago, I'm not thinking of leaving forever. However…"

Arti approached Leo.

Then, she put her nose to his head and sniffed, tilting her head.

"It's strange. The more I look at you, the more I'm drawn to you."

Arti was instinctively drawn to Leo.

It couldn't be helped.

'Is it because of my mana attribute?'

Leo's mana attribute was Purity.

And the pure white divine beast, Pegasus, was a divine beast drawn to purity.

In a way, it was no exaggeration to say that Leo was a naturally born contractor of Pegasus.

That was also the reason why he could easily form a contract with Pegasus in his previous life.

"I want to observe you by your side a little longer. Leo Phlobe."

"Just go back. If you stay with me, you'll suffer great hardship."

"Oh my? A contractor who exudes danger? I like that aspect too."

Arti beamed.

"And you said it yourself."

"……?"

"If I experience your technique, my body will be unable to be satisfied by anyone else."

Arti, covering her face, had an ecstatic expression.

"It was as you said. I thought you were just an energetic novice, but you had such skill. You are the ideal summoner I was looking for."

Arti said with a blushing face.

"So I want to follow you for a while until I am satisfied."

"Just go."

"No, if I go back to Sasha without being satisfied, I'll be thinking of your touch every night. You are the only one who has completely controlled me! A summoner who controls me perfectly! I have been waiting for someone who can be my master. Leo Phlobe!"

Seeing Arti's peculiar wriggling, Sasha blushed.

It was clearly about summoning skills, but her words and actions caused a strange misunderstanding.

At that sight, Leo pressed his temples.

He remembered his other contracted beasts.

Two childish brats and a perverted adult.

'I don't want things to get any messier than this.'

"In that sense! I'll be in your care for a while! Master!"