Book 1 Chapter 21
“A contract with Pirina, ma’am?”
“Yes. Reina refused when Elen and I offered to repay our debt. She said it was only natural to save a friend. But it always bothered me.”
Pirina smiled faintly.
“The source of Zerdinger’s power is the flame of the Phoenix. If you have the talent of a summoner, there’s no one more qualified to be a Phoenix contractor.”
‘Even so, I never expected the Phoenix to propose a contract directly.’
The proud Phoenix was not a familiar spirit that would ever propose a contract first.
“Of course, I’m not saying we should contract right now. It’s for when you grow as a summoner…”
“Is it possible now?”
“Hmm?”
Even if Pirina intended to contract, Leo’s current strength made it impossible.
However, Leo was confident he could achieve the contract.
He was the one who ended the era of calamity, no matter what anyone said, and he had handled powerful familiar spirits in his past life.
‘I never contracted with a Phoenix in my past life either.’
Even as Kyle, I wanted to contract with a Phoenix.
Contracting with a powerful familiar spirit, in itself, would help a summoner grow.
But Pirina looked hesitant.
“I understand your feelings, but you can’t contract with me right now. If you try recklessly, you’ll lose your life.”
A contract with a Phoenix is particularly arduous.
It was something even Pirina couldn’t do.
“I know. But I’m confident.”
‘He challenges the impossible without hesitation, just like Reina. But I can’t put her son in danger.’
After pondering, Pirina had a good idea.
“If that’s truly your wish, I’ll grant you a contract, but. The Phoenix you will contract with is not me.”
“What?”
*FWOOSH-*!
Crimson flames flickered before Leo’s eyes.
As the flames receded, a golden egg the size of a fist appeared, and Leo’s eyes widened.
‘A Phoenix egg?’
“That egg will soon hatch. Try taming this child.”
Taming an unhatched Phoenix egg would naturally lead to a contract.
Since it was still an egg, there was no danger even if he attempted a contract.
However, the taming difficulty was comparable to that of a top-tier familiar spirit.
‘A Phoenix egg. She’s giving me an impossible trial.’
Leo, holding the golden egg, chuckled.
‘For an ordinary person, perhaps.’
*WHOOSH-!*
As Leo summoned his spiritual energy, the Phoenix egg responded by spewing crimson flames.
Leo gritted his teeth against the intense heat.
‘Even if it’s weak, it’s the Phoenix’s flame. It’s not power a young human boy can handle.’
Pirina thought Leo would give up soon.
But Leo didn’t give up and closed his eyes, concentrating his mind.
His consciousness drifted further away.
Eventually, when he opened his eyes, he saw pitch-black darkness.
The space of ritual where he would be tested by a top-tier familiar spirit.
It was literally a world of trials that determined the worth of a contractor.
In the world of the unhatched Phoenix, there was nothing.
There was only the burning crimson flame.
Leo reached out his hand without hesitation.
In response, the flames wrapped around Leo’s body and began to burn fiercely.
Phoenixes burn their own bodies to unleash immense power.
In that process, they feel endless pain.
In exchange for that pain, they are hailed as the most powerful familiar spirits.
The pact with a familiar spirit is formed based on a bond.
And to build a bond with a Phoenix, one needs to understand the Phoenix’s pain.
This was why contracts with Phoenixes were particularly difficult.
“Guh!”
Leo’s face contorted in pain as his body burned.
Overcoming the trial depended solely on immense willpower.
Pirina’s eyes widened.
“No way…?”
*FWOOOOOOOOSH-*!
The fiercely burning flames were sucked into the golden egg.
*CRACKLE-*!
Cracks appeared on the surface of the egg.
Pirina’s expression was one of disbelief.
“He succeeded?”
*WHOOSH-*!
As the egg absorbed all the flames, Leo opened his eyes.
For a moment, Leo’s red eyes flashed crimson.
*THUD-*
Exhausted, Leo collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
His whole body was drenched in sweat.
But his face was clearly smiling.
“I succeeded in the contract.”
“Ahahahaha!”
Pirina burst into laughter.
“Amazing! Amazing! Leo Flov! You are a genius!”
“Rather than a genius… it’s just effort, I guess.”
“What else would you call a summoner who tames a Phoenix egg at your age if not a genius! You were born with the talent of the strongest summoner in history!”
Seeing Pirina’s genuine joy, Leo struggled to get up.
‘I wonder what a young Phoenix looks like?’
Even in his Kyle days, he had never seen a young Phoenix.
*CRACKLE-CRACKLE-!*
“My child is being born.”
The cracks on the egg spread across its entire surface.
*CRACK-*!
Golden fragments scattered in all directions as if a glass ornament had shattered.
Leo’s expression changed subtly as he saw the Phoenix emerge from the egg.
‘A chick?’
The newly hatched Phoenix looked just like a chick.
*FWOOSH-*!
At that moment, Pirina, transformed into human form with the flames, carefully took her child from Leo’s hands.
“This child’s name is Fiora. Leo, although you’ve contracted, she’s still young. So, I’ll keep her with me for a while.”
“Yes, but I need to have the familiar spirit I contracted with verified by Professor Yura because of the exam.”
“Then I’ll leave her with you for that time.”
Pirina smiled faintly and placed Fiora on Leo’s head.
Despite being newly born, Fiora, full of life like a Phoenix, pecked Leo’s head a few times with her small beak.
Then, as if she liked it, she settled down.
‘Is this really a Phoenix? It looks like a chick no matter how I look at it.’
But he couldn’t bring himself to say it looked like a chick to Pirina’s face as she looked at Fiora lovingly, so he decided to keep his thoughts to himself.
*PEEP-!*
‘It really is a chick.’
***
Professor Yura took out her watch.
The given three hours were coming to an end.
Most students had already had their tamed familiar spirits evaluated by Professor Yura.
Among them were students who had succeeded in contracting.
‘Let’s see… there are four remaining, huh?’
And the remaining students were the ones Professor Yura was most looking forward to.
*THUMP-! THUMP-!*
At that moment, the ground trembled.
As the student’s eyes widened, a giant blue bear emerged from the bushes.
“Aargh!”
“Kyaak!”
Students screamed and scattered in all directions.
A few students recognized the blue bear’s identity and wore expressions of shock.
The blue bear walked towards Professor Yura and lowered itself.
Chen Xia, who had been riding on its back, jumped off.
“Professor, time hasn’t ended yet, right?”
“Yes.”
‘Judging by the torn uniforms, they must have had quite a fight.’
“You said you only knew taming in theory, but you’ve tamed a cub of an intermediate familiar spirit, an Aqua Bear.”
“Whether it’s called taming… or whether it followed me.”
Chen Xia chuckled awkwardly, scratching his cheek.
In truth, it wasn’t perfectly tamed.
“If it follows you to this extent, taming will be complete with just a little more study of taming.”
‘I’m tempted to kidnap her and have her major in summoning.’
While a cub of an Aqua Bear might not be considered a full intermediate familiar spirit in terms of taming difficulty, it was still impressive.
Such a talented individual being the top student in the Knightology department…
As a Summoning Professor, it was a tragedy.
As Professor Yura licked her lips, Chen Xia sent the Aqua Bear back into the forest.
And a moment later, Warden appeared from the bushes.
A small crow sat on his shoulder.
“What kind of familiar spirit is it?”
“A rather humble familiar spirit for a top student.”
The students looked puzzled.
However, Assistant Professor Carlo and the teaching assistants were surprised.
“Ho? You tamed a Shadow Crow. You’re a spirit user primarily, so this is quite impressive.”
Looking at Warden standing before her, Professor Yura exclaimed in admiration.
The Shadow Crow was an intermediate familiar spirit, just like the Aqua Bear, but unlike Chen Xia’s, this was an adult.
Moreover, the Shadow Crow was a capricious familiar spirit, making its taming difficulty comparable to that of a high-tier familiar spirit.
‘Her talent as a familiar spirit summoner is also top-tier.’
“I couldn’t form a contract.”
“It’s sufficient.”
Simply taming an intermediate familiar spirit placed her in the top tier of all first-year students across all departments.
‘Although Eliza will be first in Familiar Spirit Summoning.’
As if to live up to that expectation.
A moment later, Eliza returned.
Unlike the other students, Eliza, who appeared as neat as before the class, approached Professor Yura with a swish of her hair.
“Where is your familiar spirit?”
In response to Professor Yura’s question, Eliza let out a scoff and opened her hand.
A summoning circle appeared, and a giant snake revealed itself.
*HISSS-! HISSS-!*
“Kyaak!”
“A, a snake!”
As the giant white snake, capable of swallowing a person whole, flicked its tongue, the female students shrieked and scattered in all directions.
“Wow… you contracted with a Gorgon Snake.”
“We don’t have this familiar spirit in our family. I decided to contract with it while I had the chance.”
Gorgon Snake.
It was an intermediate familiar spirit and a very rare one.
‘As expected of the heir of the Hergin family.’
“Very excellent! Eliza!”
“Thank you.”
Eliza elegantly lifted the hem of her school skirt and bowed.
‘Hehehe. This year is a bountiful harvest, a bountiful harvest.’
Professor Yura, chuckling inwardly, tilted her head.
‘But is Leo Flov still not here?’
There was very little time left.
Once the time runs out, no matter what familiar spirit they bring, it’s an ‘out’.
Feeling thirsty, Professor Yura said,
“Give me some water.”
“Yes, Professor. Here you go.”
As Professor Yura opened the water bottle handed to her by Assistant Professor Carlo, she checked the time.
Just then, Leo emerged from the bushes.
“Young Master Leo. Welcome.”
Chen Xia smiled and waved, then tilted her head.
Taming often involved exertion, so most students’ uniforms were torn or covered in dirt, except for Eliza’s.
However, Leo’s condition was far worse than that.
His uniform was burnt and singed in many places.
Judging by his appearance, it seemed he must have brought something impressive, but what was visible was…
‘A chick?’
On Leo’s white hair, a small red bird was chirping bravely, *peep-peep-*.
“Pfft! You tamed a chick now?”
“No way! The grade representative is a chick!”
“Hey, don’t laugh, he’ll hear you! Kikiki-”
The students suppressed their laughter.
“Leo student, I had expectations when you handled the Griffin earlier. You’re more disappointing than I thought.”
Carlo scoffed and turned his head towards Professor Yura.
“PFFFT-?! COUGH! COUGH! COUGH! HACK!”
And he was drenched in the water Professor Yura sputtered out after choking.
While Professor Carlo looked crestfallen, Professor Yura, who had barely regained her composure, looked at Leo with shocked eyes.
‘Is that crazy guy taming a Phoenix right now?!’