Book 1 Chapter 42

【42】41

[Did you sense my existence? Contracted of the young Phoenix.]

"Tartarus, sir."

[You even saw through my identity? Interesting. Very interesting.]

"Your schemes are predictable."

Having dealt with Tartarus enough during the Age of Calamity, Leo knew their methods well.

"This is a good opportunity. I had something I wanted to ask."

[A hero candidate wants to ask me something… Yes, what are you curious about?]

"Where did you get that Fafnir? It should have been extinct during the Age of Calamity."

[You know about Fafnir too? Just what is your identity?]

"Do you think I'll tell you?"

[I suppose not. Interesting. Very interesting.]

Fafnir tilted its head and mumbled.

[But it can't be. As interesting as you are, it seems fitting for you to disappear from here.]

A black aura poured out of Fafnir's body.

"If you have no intention of answering, I have no reason to spare your wretched claw."

Leo chuckled and focused his aura.

As a result, the flames burning on Fiora's body grew stronger.

'I haven't learned it yet, but I know the principle.'

Leo recalled the technique Celia used during the entrance exam.

'If it were just me, knowing the principle wouldn't be enough to use it. But.'

Leo smiled and focused his aura on Fiora.

A powerful sword aura that only the direct descendants of Zerding could learn.

Phoenix Breath Secret Technique - Prominence. Summoning array.

A blazing crimson inferno enveloped Fiora.

Quaaahhhh-!

Fafnir spat the sword's flames at Leo.

Fiora charged towards the black flames.

Fwoosh!

As if purifying, the black flames met Fiora's flames and turned crimson.

And the flames that changed thus became Fiora's fire.

Screech-!

Fiora's wings, sharpened by the aura, sliced through Fafnir's neck.

Splat-!

Black blood splattered, and Fafnir's body plummeted to the ground.

Just before that, Fiora extended a leg, grabbed Liu's fallen clothes, and flew to Leo.

Fwoosh-!

Fafnir's corpse soon turned into black flames and disappeared.

It vanished as if it had never existed, leaving no ash behind.

Fiora placed Liu on Leo's griffin and then lightly perched on Leo's head.

Fwoosh-!

Then she examined her appearance from various angles.

She struck various poses as if a child showing off new clothes in front of a mirror.

'What on earth was that?'

Leo narrowed his eyes.

The appearance of an extinct magical beast.

A Tartarus beast tamer controlling such a beast.

'And how did this one summon that Fafnir?'

Leo's expression turned serious.

Whatever it was, it was undeniably an unusual event.

'Is it related to Pirina being in Lumern?'

Leo stroked his chin, recalling Pirina, the phoenix staying in Lumern at the request of his mother's close friend, the principal.

'I should meet and ask.'

Leo sighed and withdrew his spiritual power.

Poof-!

Fiora, engulfed in flames, returned to her original form and dropped onto Leo's head with a thud!

Peep! Peep!

As if protesting, Fiora pecked Leo's crown with her small beak.

"You want me to go back to how I was just now? That wasn't your original form either."

Peck-! Peck-!

Fiora, seeming displeased, bit and pulled a few strands of Leo's hair with her beak.

Ignoring the little phoenix, Leo spotted a Black Wyvern flying from afar.

It was Professor Yura, in charge of summoning.

Leo scratched his cheek.

"What about the match?"

***

"Ah! It was canceled in the end~"

Kal grumbled, interlocking his fingers behind his head.

The creature race, the practical exam for summoning, was canceled.

Of course, since it was an exam, scores had to be given, so they decided to judge by how abilities were utilized during the exam.

"You seem more disappointed than I am?"

"Of course! How much did I bet on you? I could have hit the jackpot with reverse odds!"

"You bet money?"

Leo burst into laughter, seeing Kal speak with a truly regretful expression.

'Seeing that Kal doesn't know, it seems the fact that Sen Liu contracted with a magical beast hasn't spread to other students.'

After the match ended, Leo, Chen Xia, Warden, and Eliza were summoned by Yura.

They were then warned not to speak about the magical beast to other students.

'A Lumern student contracting with a magical beast is indeed a major incident. But how did that beast tamer give Fafnir to Sen Liu?'

Leo left the dormitory with Kal, his expression grim.

"Speaking of which, Leo. Recently, the magic department students seem to be gossiping about you."

"Is this the first day they've gossiped about me?"

Leo chuckled.

As the class representative and an unprecedented All-Class student, Leo was the most famous among the first-years.

At the beginning of the semester, apart from being an All-Class student, not many people paid much attention to Leo.

Even with a Dual Class, it's difficult to properly wield two abilities.

'But I excelled in all three.'

It was natural for Leo, but not so for others.

Naturally, he attracted the attention of the professors.

Especially the professors of the first-year departments: Ain, Yura, and Ren.

All three professors showed great interest in Leo, trying to recruit him into their respective departments.

There was no way other students wouldn't know that.

In Lumern, gaining attention from professors and learning more was advantageous for school life.

And Leo became the object of intense interest, monopolizing the affection of three department professors.

Naturally, it was inevitable that some students would become jealous.

Leo understood that.

'Of course, that doesn't mean I intend to be nice to them.'

Understanding other students' feelings and treating them kindly are two different things.

If someone openly gossiped in front of him, he would not hesitate to punish them.

"It's not the first day. But what's bothersome is that recently, the group that hangs out with Chloe has been openly gossiping about you."

"The group that hangs out with Chloe?"

"Yeah. You know, the ones who flock together, the kids from prestigious magic families."

"They don't seem like the type who would hang out with Chloe."

Chloe was from the Northern Magic Tower, but her family wasn't prominent within the tower.

Because of that, Chloe also had a bad relationship with the so-called prestigious family group at the beginning of the semester.

"That's what I said! They used to badmouth you, and Chloe too! But recently, it's exam season, so they've been acting friendly with Chloe. Lately, it looks like they're trying to use Chloe to form a faction."

"Chloe isn't someone who would be swayed by those guys."

"That's true, but with your competition with Chloe and how distant you've become from us lately, I'm worried."

Kal sighed deeply.

Meanwhile, the two arrived at a two-story building between the men's and women's dormitories.

It was a study room that first-year students could use for independent study.

Leo and Kal, who had brought their study materials, entered the last room on the second floor.

Inside the room, there was a long study table with long chairs on either side.

Chelsea, occupying one of the chairs, was lying down, staring at the ceiling with her legs crossed, reading a book with one hand and eating snacks with the other.

"Oh? You're here?"

Chelsea, with a long stick of candy in her mouth, greeted the two.

Crunch crunch-

Kal whispered to Leo, watching Chelsea nibble on a stick-shaped candy coated with cream, except for the part she held with her fingers.

"Leo, I used to have a fantasy about noble ladies. You know, that elegant lady vibe?"

"And then?"

"It all shattered after I enrolled in Lumern."

Kal said sadly, and a notebook flew at him.

"Can you hear me?!"

"I don't know what you're saying, but you said something rude, right?"

Chelsea hopped up and stood up.

Sitting in front of her, Kal looked at the pile of snacks on the desk and asked.

"Didn't you eat dinner?"

"I did."

"Then what are those snacks?"

"Dessert."

"This is dessert? You'll get fat if you keep this up."

"I work out hard, unlike you, Kal~"

Chelsea hummed a tune and stood up.

"So, why did you insist on meeting tonight?"

"The reason we're meeting is, as I said, to present our unique magic spells created for tomorrow's practical magic exam and to complement each other."

"The intention is good, but you're actually asking for our help, right?"

Chelsea said, crossing her arms and teasingly.

At that, Kal clasped his hands together and bowed his head.

"That's right! I'm having trouble activating the spell due to one magic formula! So please give me some good ideas! Please! Brother! Sister! I'm begging you!"

"I can't help it."

Chelsea smiled with a "Hmph" and sat down demurely.

Kal exclaimed "Ooh!" and praised Chelsea for her elegant demeanor, fitting for a young lady from a prestigious magical family.

Seeing Kal, Chelsea smiled brightly and clapped her hands.

"Snacks."

"Huh?"

"Didn't you hear? Snacks."

"What are you talking about out of the blue?"

"You don't expect to ask me, a lady of the Lewelyn family, for nothing, do you? My advice is usually expensive, but since we're friends, I'll accept snacks."

Chelsea said as if ordering.

"Go to the cafe on the first floor and buy all kinds of snacks."

"… Excuse me, Miss Chelsea? There are still a lot of snacks here."

"Yes. I know."

"Damn it! You devil!"

Leo watched Kal, who was shedding tears of blood as he went to buy snacks, and Chelsea smiled brightly.

"Speaking of which, Leo, you've never told us what kind of original magic you created."

Kal created an original magic in the alchemy category, allowing him to manipulate metal at will.

Chelsea, naturally influenced by her family, was creating an original magic in the wind category.

"You must have created something amazing, right?"

"It's a magic system based on neutral magic power."

"A magic system based on neutral magic power?"

"Yes. I created a magic formula system that allows me to use magic of all attributes without penalty."

Mages all have a specialized attribute.

Chelsea's specialization is in wind magic.

Of course, it's not that she can't use magic of other attributes, but there's a penalty.

The most representative penalty is that when using magic of opposing attributes, its power is halved, and mana consumption is doubled.

Leo's statement meant he was creating a formula system that allowed him to cast magic without such penalties.

"Is that possible?"

Chelsea expressed her doubt.

Seeing Chelsea, Leo opened his palm.

Whirr-!

A magic formula system, woven from threads of mana, manifested above his palm.

Seeing the formula, Chelsea's jaw dropped.

"… If you do well on the practical magic exam, Leo, you'll be first place."

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