Book 1 Chapter 19
“Your name is Chen Xia, right?”
“Yes, nice to meet you. Leo Flov. Feel free to call me Xia.”
“You too.”
“Then I’ll call you Young Master Leo.”
Chen Xia, with her eyes curved softly, spoke familiarly.
“I didn’t know you were good at summoning too? Young Master Leo, what’s your specialty?”
“I’m aiming for elemental magic for now.”
“Then we’ll be seeing each other often.”
Chen Xia smiled and spread out her palm.
*Fwoosh!*
Small water droplets coalesced, and a low-level water spirit, Undine, appeared.
“What kind of spirit did you contract with, Young Master Leo?”
“I haven’t contracted yet.”
Chen Xia nodded.
It was a different story for majors, but among students who chose a minor, there were quite a few who only possessed spiritual power and affinity for spirits without a contract. Chen Xia assumed Leo was one of those cases.
“If you need advice for spirit summoning later, tell me. I’ll help you.”
She seemed like someone who liked to help others.
“I will.”
“Ahem. And how old are you, Young Master Leo?”
“Fifteen.”
“Then I’m older. I’m seventeen.”
‘Seventeen?’
Leo looked at Chen Xia with a peculiar gaze.
Lumern’s admission age was from 14 to 17, so there was nothing strange about it. However, Chen Xia was small in stature and her face was too young.
‘She looks like she could be the same age as Chelsea, but she’s two years older?’
“Young Master Leo, did you just have a disrespectful thought about me?”
Seeing Chen Xia squinting her eyes, Leo replied glibly.
“No.”
“I think you did?”
While Chen Xia’s suspicious gaze didn't waver, class time arrived.
Unlike the previous Knight class, the Summoning class definitely had fewer students.
However, even though class time had long passed, the professor showed no sign of appearing.
“It should be about time for the professor to arrive, but she’s not here.”
As Chen Xia wore a puzzled expression, Leo looked up at the sky.
“She’s here.”
At his words, Chen Xia also looked up at the sky.
A giant dragon was descending, flapping its wings.
*Fwoosh!*
The dragon, having reached the ground, flapped its wings and landed.
“Wow! Black Wyvern!”
“That’s a top-tier spirit beast!”
Students cheered at the appearance of a rare spirit beast that was hard to see in a lifetime.
A person descended from the Black Wyvern’s back.
The female professor, who was about 170cm tall, had gray hair reaching her back, tied loosely, giving her a wild impression. Her tight leather outfit accentuated her voluptuous figure, and she wore a leather whip at her waist.
“Welcome, first-year chicks! My name is Yura Marnin! I will be your summoning professor for the next year!”
“It’s an honor to meet you! Professor Yura!”
All the students greeted her in unison.
In response, Professor Yura folded her arms and nodded. A few male students blushed as her ample chest bounced.
“Where are the associate professors and assistants!”
At Professor Yura’s shout, one person, who appeared to be the associate professor, rushed over.
“P-Professor. I’m ready.”
“Why are you so late! Associate Professor!”
“It’s because you suddenly changed the class schedule!”
“Stop whining! It’s not the first day my class schedule is erratic! You should always be prepared!”
“Aargh! That’s absurd!”
Associate Professor Carlo pouted.
‘She’s unreasonable.’
All the students, including Leo, thought so.
Could they really learn anything properly under such a professor? Of course, a few male students were staring blankly at Professor Yura.
“In any case, preparations are complete, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good, you brats. Everyone here has talent as a summoner, right?”
Professor Yura’s expression turned serious.
“I advise any student who has a superficial summoning talent and is taking it as a minor.”
Her eyes glinted dangerously.
“Leave right now.”
No student moved at her words. The students who had passed the entrance exam wouldn't be scared away by something like this.
“No one is leaving, I see? Then I’ll take this as everyone being prepared. Everyone, move out.”
Chen Xia raised her hand.
“Where are we moving to?”
“Where else?”
Professor Yura smiled and pointed in a direction.
There, assistants were leading a flock of griffins.
“To the practical training grounds.”
***
Students rode on griffins in pairs of two, cheering. Flying spirit beasts were rare. Because they were so difficult to summon, most students aspiring to be summoners had never ridden a griffin.
“It was worth coming to Lumern!”
“Will I be able to contract with a spirit beast like this soon?”
Students were filled with dreams.
“Hey! It’s my turn now! I’m going to control it!”
“Ah! Just a little longer!”
After ten minutes, the first-year students were arguing over who would hold the griffin’s reins.
“This is quite fun.”
Chen Xia, holding the griffin’s reins, said in an excited tone.
“You should be careful.”
“Huh?”
“Griffins are difficult for first-time riders to control.”
“But it’s so docile and obedient?”
“That’s because it’s aware of the professor’s gaze right now.”
Leo said, glancing at Professor Yura, who was leading the way on her Black Wyvern.
“Well, given that professor’s personality, I don’t think she’ll keep suppressing the griffins for long.”
*Screech-!*
“Wha-?!”
As soon as Leo finished speaking, the griffin began to roar. It wasn’t just the griffin carrying Leo and Chen Xia. The griffins that had been obedient to the students until now started to act wild, as if they had never been submissive.
Chen Xia, flustered, pulled on the reins, but there was no sign of control.
“Aaargh! It’s not listening!”
“Why is it acting like this all of a sudden!”
“Professor! Save us~!”
Other students also fell into a panic.
Professor Yura, riding her Black Wyvern, burst into laughter.
“Can you even call yourselves Lumern students if you can’t properly handle a griffin? Try to control it properly!”
“Th-this! Kyaaak-!”
Chen Xia’s hands, which had been showing a flustered expression, were pulled out by the griffin’s force. Her hips also lifted halfway off the saddle. However, as a knight major, she immediately regained her balance. Chen Xia, frowning, put more force into her hands to start a full-on tug-of-war.
Leo pulled Chen Xia towards him by wrapping his right arm around her waist.
“Ugh? Young Master Leo? How bold…”
“Griffins have strong pride; if you try to overpower them with force, they’ll only act wilder.”
Leo held the reins with his left hand and pulled gently. Then, the griffin, which had been struggling and pulling wildly on the reins, paused at the familiar touch. It then began to regain its composure.
‘It’s well-trained, so it’s easy to handle.’
While difficult for a first-time rider, there was no easier flying spirit beast to handle for someone familiar with it.
Seeing this, Chen Xia looked astonished.
“Young Master Leo. Have you handled a griffin before?”
“No. This is my first time in this life.”
At his words, Chen Xia turned her head back and stared intently at Leo’s face. Leo looked at Chen Xia with a ‘Why?’ expression.
“It seems to be true.”
Chen Xia turned her gaze back forward and tilted her head.
“But how can you handle a griffin so well? Is there a special secret?”
“I studied the textbook thoroughly.”
“Hmm! Indeed, you have the skill to make such a provocative statement at the entrance ceremony.”
Chen Xia burst into laughter as if she liked it. Leo pulled her closer without concern.
“I’m going to increase the speed a bit more, so don’t fall behind and stay close.”
“Aren’t you being too casual with an older lady?”
“Older lady? Ah. Sorry.”
“And rude, too.”
Chen Xia, with squinting eyes, pinched the back of Leo’s hand that was around her waist. However, realizing Leo had no ulterior motive, she comfortably leaned her back against Leo’s chest.
When they were ready, Leo shouted.
“Let’s go!”
As Leo pulled the reins, the griffin roared *Piiieeeek-!* and soared high into the air.
“Ooh-!”
Chen Xia exclaimed, amazed by the distinct movement compared to when she held the reins.
“Oh?”
Professor Yura’s eyes also lit up.
“For a student, he handles the griffin incredibly skillfully? Who is that?”
“Let’s see, it’s student Leo Flov.”
“Leo Flov? Isn’t he the student representative? I heard he was aiming for the Knight major.”
“Indeed, he won against Duran Moira, the top student from the Central Region, in a previous class.”
“And he handles a griffin like that? Does he have a personal griffin?”
“No, he’s from a noble family of a small kingdom, but not a family that owns a griffin.”
Carlo replied diligently while looking at the student roster.
“Then… it’s talent?”
Professor Yura’s eyes sparkled, and she licked her lips with her tongue.
“At this level, he could major in summoning, not just the Knight major!”
“Professor, I understand how you feel, but the Knight department professors won’t stand for it.”
“What are they going to do if they don’t stand for it? There are plenty of students with knight talent, but not for summoning. And anyway, they haven’t even chosen their major yet, have they?”
Professor Yura showed a combative smile. Carlo looked uneasy at her expression.
‘Oh, I hope nothing goes wrong.’
The place they arrived at by griffin was a giant island located in Lumelia Lake. Lumelia Lake, so vast it could be mistaken for an ocean, had several such islands. Therefore, it was often used as a practical training site.
“Ugh.”
Chen Xia dismounted the griffin with agile movements. As Leo dismounted, the griffin rubbed its beak against his cheek. Leo, reaching for some tree berries to feed the griffin, paused. A large gray feather on a tree branch caught his eye.
‘What is this…?’
“Young Master Leo, what’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
Leo pocketed the feather. Meanwhile, other students also arrived on the island.
“Ugh!”
“This is… damn hard.”
“I feel like throwing up… *urp*!”
Most students were already exhausted just from riding the griffins. Of course, there were some who were fine. The most prominent among them was the top student of the Southern exam, Warden Tyden. And a female student with a slightly arrogant impression was also unfazed. She looked at the other students with a look of disdain while tidying her nails. Both students handled their griffins as skillfully as Leo.
‘Warden, Eliza. These two are definitely going to be the aces of this year’s first-year summoning department!’
Yura’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the two students.
“There are a few students with excellent taming abilities. How long are you going to lie around! Everyone, gather!”
Professor Yura, smiling with satisfaction, shouted, and the students hurriedly gathered. Looking at the assembled students, Professor Yura chuckled.
“Today, we will have a practical exam!”