Book 1 Chapter 38
【38】37
-Hello, everyone! It's that time of year again! The biggest event of the first semester for first-year students! I wholeheartedly welcome you to the Summoned Beast Race! I'm Runba Tess, a third-year student in the Department of Summoning, and I'll be your commentator!
Whoa!
The students filling the summoning practice grounds let out cheers.
Celia made a disgruntled expression.
“Is this really an exam?”
There were spectators during the Knight Arts sparring exam, but the scale of the Summoning practical exam was different.
Not only was there a commentator, but there were also proper spectator stands.
Even video magic was installed in a place clearly visible from the stands.
Lis, who was sitting next to Celia, burst out laughing.
“The Summoned Beast Race is a popular tradition of the Summoning exam. Plus, it's an event adopted for exchange matches with other Hero Academies, so there’s a lot of interest.”
“Student Council President! We're from the newspaper club! The first-year next to you is your sister, Celia Gerdinger, right?”
A male student with a magical device for filming around his neck approached, holding a notebook and pen.
“That’s right.”
“Oh ho! We’d like to interview both of you, if possible?”
The newspaper club student requested.
“Popcorn available! Cold drinks available!”
“Come on! Choose! Choose! Who will win first place! The current odds are like this!”
Besides them, students from merchant clubs were out, not only doing business but also arranging gambling.
‘What kind of exam is this!’
The first-year students secretly screamed at the atmosphere, which was completely different from the solemn exam atmosphere they had experienced until now, resembling a chaotic marketplace.
Meanwhile, among all this, the first-year students of the Department of Summoning were suffering the most mental damage.
“No! Why are they all crowding around and being so noisy that I can’t concentrate!”
When Teide exclaimed, clutching his head, the surrounding first-year students shared his sentiment.
The endlessly nervous first-year students didn't know what to do when the entire school gathered and created a festive atmosphere.
Rather, they felt even more pressure because of this atmosphere.
Of course, there were also relaxed people.
The prime examples were Eliza and Wereden, the aces of the Department of Summoning.
“To treat me, the lady of the Hergin family, as a mere spectacle, is displeasing.”
As Eliza frowned her beautiful brows, her followers nodded their heads.
In Wereden's case, he just stood there with his usual expressionless face.
Eliza glanced at Wereden and then saw Leo warming up on one side.
As Leo stretched, bending and straightening his knees, Eliza asked with a sneer.
“You showed outstanding skill in the Knight Arts practical exam, but have you prepared well for the Summoning practical exam too?”
“Of course.”
“As expected, the class representative is full of confidence.”
Eliza squinted her eyes.
“But I didn’t see hide nor hair of you during the Summoning practical exam practice… do you perhaps take the practical exam lightly?”
In a spirit beast race, participants normally ride the spirit beast they have contracted with.
However, many first-year students have not yet contracted with a flying spirit beast.
So, Lumerne provided flying spirit beasts.
How quickly one could tame those flying spirit beasts was said to be the key to this exam.
However, the Department of Summoning had given practice time during the exam period, but Leo had never participated in that practice.
“Hey, Eliza. Why do you say things like that?”
Teide frowned at her barbed words.
However, the gazes of those around Leo were not kind.
“Honestly, it’s true that he’s half-assing it.”
“He might be famous in Knight Arts and Magic, but in Summoning, he only has magical power. I haven’t seen him contract with a spirit or a spirit beast.”
“Isn’t he looking down on Summoning?”
“If he’s going to half-ass it, why doesn’t he just pull out?”
As the Department of Summoning has a small number of students, their attachment to the department is quite strong.
In such a situation, Leo, who had never shown up for exam practice, displayed confidence, so they couldn’t help but show resentment.
The Summoned Beast Race is a competition where participants use all their summoning magic to quickly pass obstacles and cross the finish line.
The obstacles are all formidable, and interference between competitors is allowed.
It was common for participants to get seriously injured in the race.
Given such a dangerous race, and having never come to practice even once, Leo did not appear favorably in the eyes of the Summoning students.
Leo had experienced everything from land to sea to air battles as a spirit beast in his previous life, but of course, no student knew that.
“Your words are too harsh.”
“Ha! Are you taking his side just because he’s in the same class as you, class president?”
When a Class 5 student flared up, a student from another class sneered.
“The atmosphere isn’t good.”
Chen Sia stepped in to mediate.
“I understand that everyone is on edge because it’s before the exam. But slander…”
“Chen Sia. Since your grades in Knight Arts are good, you don’t have to care much about Summoning, do you?”
A female student taunted.
When she became the target, this time Class 10 flared up.
The Summoning Department students glared at each other, exuding a hostile atmosphere.
It was then that Leo clicked his tongue, watching them.
“Noisy.”
A low, heavy voice resonated.
Everyone’s gaze shifted to one side.
Wereden, who had been sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed as if uninterested, had now opened his amber eyes.
“If you’re going to squabble and bark over merely riding a spirit beast a bit more, do it somewhere else, not in front of me.”
“What? What did you just say, Wereden!”
“I said it’s annoying to hear you blab as if riding a spirit beast a bit more is some great feat.”
Watching Wereden speak with an expressionless face, Sen Liu, a male student from the eastern continent in the Summoning Department, reacted defiantly on behalf of the others.
“Ha? Seems you’ve been hit where it hurts, eh? You barely showed up for taming training either, did you?”
Wereden chuckled, seeing the male Summoning student curl up the corner of his mouth.
“What? What’s with that laugh?”
“Shall I tell you why I didn’t go to taming training?”
“What?”
“Because it wasn’t worth training. I’m not some half-witted fool like you who can’t even properly handle a mere griffon.”
At those words, sparks flew from the eyes of Liu and the other students.
“You bastard!”
The male student threw a punch at Wereden.
Thud—!
But just before Liu’s fist reached Wereden, it was caught by Leo’s hand.
“If you fight before the exam, it won’t end just with a scolding.”
“Hmph! I don’t want to hear that from you!”
Liu shook off Leo’s hand and went to where the Summoning Department students were.
Watching his retreating figure, Leo sighed, “Ehyo,” and then looked at Wereden, saying,
“Why don’t you choose your words a little more carefully?”
“Is it a problem to state the truth?”
“I don’t know how great you are, but I don’t think you have the right to mock others’ efforts, Wereden Taiden.”
Wereden, who was looked up to by Leo, who was a head taller than him, gave a cold smile once and then walked away.
“The atmosphere is worse than I thought.”
Leo had just diligently attended Summoning classes, but he hadn't realized how bad the relationship between the students in the department was.
Teide sighed at Leo's words.
“You wouldn’t know because you take all the other majors too, but our batch of Summoning students currently has a pretty bad atmosphere.”
“Why?”
“The top students in our batch of Summoning are you, Sia, Wereden, and Eliza, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Summoning is originally a department where the skill gap between main majors and sub-majors is significant, but since you and Chen Sia are at the top, the second-year Summoning seniors once gathered us.”
“They gathered you for that? They’re complete old farts.”
“Exactly what I mean! And in the midst of it all, Wereden even blew off the seniors when they gathered everyone, you know?”
Thanks to that, the second-year students reportedly got even angrier and grilled the first-year students.
“Anyway, our mood was already bad because of that… and with you and Wereden barely participating in training for this exam, the atmosphere got even worse, you know.”
“No wonder the atmosphere is bad.”
“Right. So please try to understand.”
“Understood.”
Saying that, Leo looked around at the students preparing for the competition.
While each one showed signs of nervousness, a strange animosity could be felt.
‘So, problems like this arise too.’
Indeed, in the eyes of others, it might seem negligent.
‘Of course, I don’t intend to do it half-heartedly.’
As long as he was competing, the goal was always first place.
***
-Ladies and gentlemen! The time has finally arrived! All the competitors are at the starting line!
First-year students lined up inside the starting line.
In front, a fence with griffons inside was visible.
At the start, students were to tame the griffons in that fence and begin.
Summoning Department students prepared for the start with nervous faces.
“You rookies! Don’t be nervous, just do as you practiced! If anyone gets nervous and can’t perform well, I’ll kick your butt after it’s over!”
Yura, the judge, raised a flare and shouted at her students.
At her words, laughter erupted among the Summoning students.
Thanks to Yura, the tension eased.
“Alright, then!”
Yura raised the flare.
“Three, two, one!”
Bang—!
Whoosh—!
At the same time as the start, spirit magic poured down around Leo and Wereden.
Leo paused at the sudden situation.
-Ah! What is happening! The Summoning Department students! As if unified beforehand, they are pouring out restraints on Player Leo, the class representative, and Player Wereden, the top student from the south!
The spectators murmured at the unprecedented situation.
The Summoning Department students from Class 5 also looked flustered.
“Ugh! What is that!”
“That’s dirty! Those Summoning Department guys!”
“Hey! Don’t you have any shame!”
“Compete fairly and honorably!”
-Haha! Jeers are pouring in from the Class 5 side!
Students watching from the stands made a ruckus.
“C-Class President!”
“Hey! Leo! Wait! I’ll help you now!”
“Don’t worry about me, go quickly!”
As his classmates didn't start in order to untangle the spirit magic bothering Leo, Leo urgently shouted.
“This is an exam! I’ll handle it myself, so don’t fall behind for nothing! Go on!”
“Ugh!”
“Leo! I’m sorry!”
The Class 5 students started late with indignant expressions.
The ground, turned to mud by water, held Leo’s feet.
Fire and wind blocked Leo’s path.
Wereden, who received the same restraints as Leo, unleashed his magical power.
“Ridiculous.”
Whoosh—!
Although it was spirit magic intentionally used by the Summoning students, Wereden easily dismantled it.
It would have been impossible without overwhelming power.
“You look like you’re having a tough time. Shall I help?”
As Wereden asked, curling up the corner of his mouth, Leo chuckled.
“No, I’ll handle it myself.”
“Is that so? Then I’ll go first.”
Wereden headed toward the griffon enclosure with a leisurely stride.
Meanwhile, other students had finished taming their griffons and were taking flight.
Leo, watching them from the starting line, unleashed his magical power.
“I thought I was disliked, but I didn’t expect them to collectively interfere like this.”
Yura clicked her tongue, watching Leo chuckle.
‘That’s going to be tough.’
If this weren't an exam, he could probably break through this level of restraint.
However, in this competition, there was a restriction that only 'summoning magic' could be used.
Moreover, from what Yura had observed, Leo’s primary summoning magic was spirit beast summoning, not spirit magic.
In the midst of that, he was subjected to spirit magic restraints at the department level.
It seemed difficult for Leo, who was still considered inexperienced in practical combat, to overcome this predicament.
‘The emotional rift among the first-year students is deeper than I thought. No matter what, to collectively lynch like this.’
It wasn't a foul, but it wasn't a good look.
As a professor, she had been looking out for the students, but it seemed she had been insufficient.
It was when Yura was blaming herself and thinking she needed to calm down the department students.
“—!”
At Leo’s voice, Yura felt her hair stand on end.
The language, a soft melody like a song, was not human.
“──! ─!”
As the melody continued, the power of the spirits weakened.
Whoosh—!
Soon, the power that had been hindering Leo vanished.
The spirits, obeying their contractor’s command, chuckled and twirled around Leo as if dancing before disappearing.
The power to influence spirits contracted by others.
‘Did that crazy guy just use spirit language? That’s something taught in at least second-year spirit magic class, isn’t it?’
Yura couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh, watching Leo make a delayed start.
‘He’s truly something, something! We absolutely must make Leo do summoning!’
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