Book 1 Chapter 19

【19】18

"Your name is Chen Xia, right?"

"That's right, nice to meet you. Leo Plov. Just call me Xia."

"You can call me casually too."

"Then I'll call you Young Master Leo."

Chen Xia, with gently curved eyes, spoke to him in a friendly manner.

"I didn't know you were skilled in summoning magic too? What's your field, Young Master Leo?"

"For now, I'm aspiring to spirit magic."

"Then we'll be seeing each other often."

Chen Xia smiled brightly and held out her palm.

Chwarrreuk-!

Small water droplets gathered, and Undine, a lower spirit of water, appeared.

"Which spirit have you contracted with, Young Master Leo?"

"I haven't made a contract yet."

Chen Xia nodded.

If it were their major, perhaps.

Among students who chose a minor, there were quite a few who hadn't made a contract and only possessed spiritual power and spirit affinity.

Chen Xia thought Leo was also one of those cases.

"If you need advice when summoning a spirit later, just tell me. I'll help you."

It seems she's the type of person who likes to help others.

"I'll count on you."

"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 strange gaze.

The age for admission to Lumen was from 14 to 17, so there was nothing strange about it.

However, Chen Xia was small in stature and her face was too youthful.

'I would believe she's the same age as Chelsea, but she's two years older?'

"Young Master Leo, you just thought something rude about me, didn't you?"

Seeing Chen Xia's eyes narrow slightly, Leo replied feigning innocence.

"No."

"It seems like you did?"

While Chen Xia didn't drop her suspicious gaze, class time began.

Unlike the previous knighthood class, the summoning studies class certainly had fewer students.

However, even though a long time had passed since class began, the professor showed no sign of arriving.

"It seems like it's about time for the professor to arrive, but they're not coming."

As Chen Xia made a puzzled expression, Leo looked up at the sky.

"They're here."

At his words, Chen Xia also looked up at the sky.

A giant wyvern was descending, flapping its wings.

Hwaak-!

The wyvern, reaching the ground, flapped its wings and landed.

"Wow! A Black Wyvern!"

"That's a top-tier phantom beast!"

Students cheered at the appearance of a rare phantom beast, one rarely seen in a lifetime.

A person dismounted from the back of the Black Wyvern.

The female professor, who looked about 170cm tall, roughly tied her grey hair, which reached her back, giving her a wild impression.

Her tight-fitting leather attire clearly showed off her voluptuous figure, and she wore a leather whip at her waist.

"Welcome, first-year chicks! My name is Yura Marnin! I'm the professor who will be teaching you summoning studies for the next year!"

"It's an honor to meet you! Professor Yura!"

All the students greeted her in unison.

In response, Professor Yura crossed her arms and nodded.

As her ample chest jiggled, some male students blushed.

"Where have all the associate professors and assistants gone!"

At Professor Yura's shout, an individual who appeared to be an associate professor rushed over.

"P-Professor. Preparation is complete."

"Why are you so late! Associate Professor!"

"That's because you suddenly changed the class schedule, Professor!"

"Stop complaining! It's not like my class schedule has been erratic for just a day or two! You should always be prepared!"

"Ugh! What an unreasonable claim!"

Associate Professor Carlo made a tearful face.

'She's headstrong.'

All the students, including Leo, thought so.

Could they really learn anything properly under such a professor?

Of course, some male students were too busy gawking at Professor Yura.

"Anyway, preparations are complete, right?"

"Yes."

"Good, you brats. Everyone here has talent as a summoner, right?"

Professor Yura made a serious expression.

"If there are any students foolishly trying to take summoning studies as a minor with mediocre talent, I'd advise you."

Her eyes gleamed dangerously.

"Leave right now."

Even at her words, no students moved.

Students who had passed the entrance exam wouldn't be scared by just this much and leave class.

"No one, 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 broadly and pointed in one direction with her finger.

There, teaching assistants were leading a flock of griffons.

"To the practical training ground."

***

Students, riding griffons in pairs, cheered loudly.

Flying phantom beasts are rare.

Because they are equally difficult to summon, the majority of students aspiring to summoning studies had never ridden a griffon before.

"It was a good decision to come to Lumen!"

"I'll be able to contract with a phantom beast like this soon, right?"

The students were filled with dreams.

"Hey! Switch now! I'm going to pilot it!"

"Ah! Just a little longer!"

After 10 minutes, the first-years squabbled over who would hold the griffon's reins.

"This is quite fun."

Chen Xia, holding the griffon's reins, also spoke in an excited tone.

"It's better to be careful."

"Huh?"

"Griffons are difficult phantom beasts for someone riding them for the first time to handle."

"But they're so docile and obedient like this?"

"That's because they're currently watching the professor."

Leo said, glancing at Professor Yura's back, who was moving at the forefront on the Black Wyvern.

"Well, given that professor's personality, I don't think she'll keep suppressing the griffons."

Kkiyak-!

"Uh-oh?"

No sooner had Leo finished speaking than the griffon began to roar.

It wasn't just the griffon Leo and Chen Xia were riding.

The griffons, which had been obedient to the students until now, began to rampage as if nothing had happened.

Chen Xia, flustered, pulled on the reins, but there was no sign of them being controlled.

"Ugh! It's not listening!"

"Why is it suddenly acting like this!"

"Professor! Help me~!"

The other students also fell into a panic.

Professor Yura, riding the Black Wyvern, laughed heartily.

"If you can't even properly handle a griffon, can you call yourselves Lumen students? Go on, try to control it well!"

"Th-that! Kyaak-!"

Chen Xia's hand, which had worn a flustered expression, was pulled straight out by the griffon's force.

Her butt also lifted halfway off the saddle.

However, true to her knighthood major, she immediately regained her balance.

Chen Xia, frowning, put force into her hands, intending to seriously engage in a power struggle.

Leo wrapped his right arm around Chen Xia's waist and pulled her towards him.

"Ugh? Young Master Leo? What a bold move…!"

"Griffons have strong pride, so if you try to overpower them with force, they'll just rampage more."

Leo took the reins with his left hand and pulled gently.

Then, the griffon, which had been wildly pulling on the reins and rampaging, paused at the familiar touch that handled it.

And then it began to regain its stability.

'It's well-trained, so it's easy to handle.'

While it was difficult for someone riding it for the first time, for an experienced person, there was no flying phantom beast easier to handle than this.

Seeing that, Chen Xia made an amazed expression.

"Young Master Leo. Have you handled a griffon 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, turning her gaze back to the front, tilted her head.

"But how do you handle a griffon so well? Do you have some special secret?"

"I studied mainly from textbooks."

"Hmm! You certainly have the skill to make such a provocative statement at the entrance ceremony."

Chen Xia burst into laughter as if pleased.

Leo, not minding her, pulled Chen Xia closer.

"I'm going to pick up some speed, so don't fall off and hold on tight."

"Aren't you being too informal with an older lady?"

"Older lady? Ah. My bad."

"And rude besides."

Chen Xia, with narrowed eyes, pinched the back of Leo's hand wrapped around her waist.

However, realizing Leo had no particular ill intent, she comfortably leaned her back against Leo's chest.

Once ready, Leo shouted.

"Let's go!"

As Leo pulled the reins, the griffon roared, "Pppieeek-!", and soared high.

"Oooh-!"

Chen Xia exclaimed in admiration at the movement, which was clearly different from when she held the reins.

"Well, well?"

Professor Yura's eyes also gleamed.

"For a student, he's incredibly skilled at handling a griffon, isn't he? Who is that fellow?"

"Let's see, it's student Leo Plov."

"Leo Plov? He's the student representative, isn't he? I heard he was aspiring to the knighthood department?"

"Indeed, he won a duel against Duran Moira, the Central's top student, in the previous class."

"That kind of kid handles a griffon like that? Does he own a personal griffon or something?"

"No, he's from a noble family in a small kingdom, but not a family wealthy enough to own a griffon."

Carlo answered diligently while looking at the student roster.

"If that's the case… then it's talent, isn't it?"

Professor Yura's eyes sparkled, and she licked her lips with her tongue.

"At that level, he could major in summoning studies instead of knighthood, couldn't he?"

"Professor, I understand your intentions, but the knighthood department professors won't stand idly by."

"If they don't stand idly by, what are they going to do? Students with knighthood talent are a dime a dozen, but not so for summoning studies, are they? And besides, he hasn't even chosen a major yet, has he?"

Professor Yura wore a belligerent smile.

Seeing that, Carlo wore an uneasy expression.

'Ah, I hope nothing serious happens.'

The place they arrived at by griffon was a huge island located in Lumeria Lake.

Lumeria Lake, so vast you could mistake it for a sea, had several such islands.

Thus, it was often used as a practical training ground.

"Whoa."

Chen Xia dismounted from the griffon with agile movements.

As Leo dismounted, the griffon rubbed its beak against his cheek.

Leo, who was reaching for a tree fruit to give to the griffon, paused.

A large grey feather on a branch caught his eye.

'This is…?'

"Young Master Leo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

Leo tucked the feather into his pocket.

Meanwhile, other students also arrived on the island.

"Ugh!"

"Th-that was terribly tiring."

"I feel like I'm going to throw up… Ugh!"

Most students were exhausted just from riding the griffons.

Of course, there were also those who were fine.

The prime example was the top student of the Southern Exam, Warreden Tyden.

And the female student with a slightly arrogant impression was also fine.

She, who was manicuring her nails, was looking at the other students with a disdainful expression.

The two students handled griffons as skillfully as Leo.

'Warreden, Eliza. These two will definitely be the aces of this year's first-year summoning studies 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 stay collapsed! Everyone, gather!"

As Professor Yura, who had been smiling contentedly, shouted, the students rushed to gather.

Looking at the students who had lined up, Professor Yura grinned.

"Today, we will have a practical exam!"