Book 1 Chapter 88
“Professor. Is it true that fairies have been discovered on the Island of Mythical Beasts?”
Eliza raised her hand and asked with a serious expression.
Yura, who had been grabbing Wolta by the collar like a thug, let go with a sigh.
“There were sightings among the second-year students who were doing their practical training here two days ago.”
At that, the students murmured.
“Of course, it’s all nonsense! In my entire teaching career, and even during my student days, I’ve never heard of fairies being discovered on the Island of Mythical Beasts…!”
Yura, who had been shouting with conviction, stopped and looked at Leo.
‘Wait. Come to think of it, the Phoenix was also a mythical beast that was said not to be on the Island of Mythical Beasts.’
Yet, one day, a first-year student suddenly made a contract.
‘And it was a young Phoenix.’
Yura’s expression turned serious.
‘Could it be that there really are fairies?’
At that moment of doubt.
Wolta, released from Yura’s grasp, tidied his uniform and shouted.
“Juniors! As summoners, you all must have a romantic notion about the Three Great Mythical Beasts!”
The first-year students’ eyes sparkled.
Why wouldn’t they?
Every summoner dreams of it! Of themselves contracting with the Three Great Mythical Beasts!
While fairies generally contract with elves, it’s not as if there haven’t been non-elf contractees of fairies throughout history.
A chance to meet a powerful summon!
For such a chance, summoners are known to plunge into fiery pits or the depths of the sea without hesitation.
“Don’t you want to see them! Fairies!”
“We want to see them!”
“Hey! Don’t incite the first-years with unconfirmed stories!”
Yura, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to reality and retorted.
Seeing Yura, Wolta let out a deep sigh.
“Professor, I’m disappointed. When I was a first-year, you, as the associate professor, were full of dreams!”
“……Try being stuck as Professor Lumern for three years. See what happens.”
“Ah! I am so sad to see you become a weak adult who compromises with reality! Isn’t your personality getting worse because you live such a harsh reality without dreams?”
Veins bulged on Yura’s forehead.
*Fwaat-!*
Carlo grabbed Yura, who was about to lunge at Wolta, and shouted.
“Pro-, Professor! Calm down! Calm down!”
“Let me kill him……! Let me kill that arrogant brat who speaks so carelessly with that open mouth!”
Even as a fifth-year, Wolta was the only one who could speak so rashly in front of a professor.
Seeing Yura’s veins protruding from her hands, the first-years were terrified.
A while later, Yura, who had finally calmed down, asked.
“So, Wolta. The department competition is just around the corner. You don’t intend to just play a game of fairy hunting, do you?”
At that, Wolta chuckled.
“Of course not?”
Seeing Wolta’s radiant smile, the female students shrieked.
“Juniors. What did I tell you was the basic mindset of a summoner?”
“Comprehensiveness.”
“No, it’s love.”
All the first-years looked at Yura.
“You’ll have to listen carefully and filter it out. However, he is certainly skilled, so his advice will be helpful.”
The first-years nodded.
Having experienced quite a bit since coming to Lumern, the first-years just went along with it.
“It’s not about loving only the summon I contracted with. You must be able to love all summon! And you must be able to harmonize based on trust! Yes! The state of unity of mind and matter, where the summon becomes me and I become the summon! Harmony with nature! That is the true love for summon!”
The first-years looked at Yura with crestfallen faces.
Although they tried to filter Yura’s words, the first-years’ level was still not high enough to fully understand Wolta’s words.
Yura pressed her temples.
“So… if I interpret it, it means you should be able to communicate with summon that you haven’t contracted with by increasing your affinity…… Hey! Speak normally! Normally!”
Yura, who had exploded, shouted and took a deep breath.
“Okay. I understand your intention. You want to do it that way, right? It might be a bit early for such young first-years, though.”
Yura’s lips curled upwards.
The first-years felt a sense of unease at her cat-like smile.
Whenever she made that expression, something ominous invariably happened.
“Senior Ain and that arrogant Ren, they both push the first-years hard. We should do the same, right?”
“Yes.”
“But to do that, there are more than a few paperwork issues involved……”
“It’s all done.”
Seeing Wolta hand over a stack of documents, Yura exclaimed in admiration.
“As expected of Wolta. Wonderful.”
“You are too kind.”
The first-years felt even more uneasy seeing the two, who had been threatening to kill each other moments ago, getting along so well.
In fact, Yura was not a human with normal thinking patterns either.
No, she was perhaps the most eccentric professor at Lumern.
Yura chuckled.
“First-years. You will stay on the Island of Mythical Beasts for three days of special training! Your senior has already received permission for you to stay out overnight, so there are no problems!”
“What?”
“It’s the weekend from tomorrow anyway.”
“But I have an appointment to meet someone at the Lumerian tomorrow!”
“We have to rest on weekends!”
In response to the students’ protests, Yura said indifferently.
“Do you think I care about that? You all said you liked finding fairies until just now.”
“We… we did say that, but.”
“Eliza, say something. Professor Yura usually listens to you!”
While Warredon was the top student in the Summoner Department, Eliza was the student most trusted by the professors.
Warredon had no interest in departmental affairs, while Eliza diligently assisted with them.
However, Eliza’s reaction was indifferent.
“Since Professor Yura and Senior Wolta proposed this, it must be for our benefit. As long as we are provided with a comfortable sleeping place and good meals, I am fine.”
At Eliza’s words, the students looked despairing.
However, Yura looked dumbfounded.
“Hah? Eliza Hergin. What are you talking about? Comfortable sleeping place and good meals? Where do you think that is?”
“What?”
This time, Eliza was slightly taken aback.
“What you will experience is the wilderness.”
Yura crossed her arms and smiled with wild charm.
“Surviving in this vast nature that has built its own ecosystem! That is what you will do from today onwards!”
“What did you say?”
“Are you saying we have to stay in that forest for three days?”
“It’s not just staying in the forest for three days.”
Wolta smiled faintly.
“For three days, summoning will be prohibited. Of course, using aura and magic is also prohibited. Survive in that forest purely by your own strength.”
“Eeeek?”
“Does that even make sense! The Island of Mythical Beasts is inhabited by all sorts of mythical beasts and spirits!”
Uncontracted mythical beasts and spirits are very dangerous beings.
Especially if you encounter a hostile mythical beast or spirit, you could lose your life.
Being told to survive for three days on an island teeming with such wild mythical beasts and spirits was overwhelming for the first-years.
“A summoner must be able to handle summon without taming them.”
“Bu-, but!”
“Of course, if you don’t want to, you can give up.”
Yura said with a blank expression.
“However, I will not provide any special training during the department competition for those who give up. You will fall behind the students from the Knight and Magic departments.”
The faces of the summoner students hardened.
“Didn’t I tell you in the first class? You cannot be the same as students from other departments.”
The students clenched their fists.
“Considering the mythical beasts and spirits you may have to deal with in the future, this is nothing. Do you think I am pushing you into danger without thinking?”
“Ah, no.”
“Then you know why we are conducting this training, right?”
At Yura’s question, the students remained silent.
No one dared to speak rashly.
“Isn’t it because young summoners these days lack understanding of summon?”
All eyes turned to Leo.
Yura chuckled.
“Why do you think so?”
“Because in this world, you can easily obtain the medium needed for summoning if you have money. And you can contract with powerful summon through the Hero’s World.”
Leo looked at the dense forest.
“Many summoners have been able to obtain powerful summon, but I think they have also drifted away from the essence.”
“…….”
“There are landscapes to witness when you go to find and contract with a summon yourself.”
“That’s a very old-fashioned remark, junior.”
Wolta’s eyes sparkled.
“But that’s why it’s the truth.”
Yura chuckled.
“Leo is right. When you contract with a summon through a medium, you can easily obtain a powerful summon. However, it’s difficult to fully bring out the summon’s abilities.”
Yura said, looking at the students.
“We summoners are humans who communicate with special beings that use the power of nature. In that sense, we conform to a part of nature while also dominating it.”
Everyone focused on Yura’s words.
“That’s why Wolta talked about comprehensiveness. How many of you have witnessed the essence of the summon you wield?”
Yura narrowed her eyes.
“Did you contract with them after seeing their true form? Aren’t they all easily obtained through mediums provided by your families or during class time?”
Not a single student answered this question.
“You cannot use true summoning like that. You must experience nature and gain a deeper understanding of the mythical beasts and spirits that live there. That is one of the paths to reaching a higher level as a summoner.”
Yura chuckled.
“Do you still miss a warm bed and meals after all this?”
“No!”
“Don’t you want to reach higher places?”
“Yes!”
“Good! That’s the spirit!”
Yura clenched her fist.
“Alright, then I’ll hand out daggers for each of you to use.”
“And I’ll give you this butterfly net.”
Wolta said with a smile.
“……You don’t really think you can catch fairies with that, do you?”
Yura blinked her eyes lazily.
“Can’t we catch them?”
“Sometimes I’m ashamed that you are the top student in the Summoner Department.”
Yura said with sincerity, but Wolta just smiled.
***
The Island of Mythical Beasts was one of the largest islands in Lake Lumellia.
In terms of size, it was much larger than the main island of the academy where the Lumern students were.
As such, if you went deep into the center, a vast expanse of nature unfolded.
The summoner students, who were suddenly thrown into the wilderness, all wore tense expressions.
Since they couldn’t use summoning, they had to be prepared for any situation.
At the same time, they also harbored a sense of strange anticipation.
It was because of the fairy story Wolta had told.
Thus, the students began to create their own sleeping places for the next three days.
This training was also a preparation for the battle royale in the department competition, so it was based on individual combat.
‘Fighting each other is prohibited. Cooperation is possible in emergencies. However, you must take care of your own sleeping arrangements and meals.’
These were Yura’s words before sending the students into the forest.
‘This training will also serve as a practical exam, so do your best!’
‘Summoner classes are surprisingly the most hardcore.’
Leo was looking for edible berries to prepare a meal when.
“A fe-, a fairy! A fairy!”
A desperate voice was heard from afar.
At that cry, the surrounding students were seen moving quickly.
Leo also moved swiftly.
However, when he arrived, a male summoner student had the top of his head bitten by a flower-shaped plant with teeth and was shouting with unfocused eyes.
“It’s a fairy! It’s a fairy!”
“……Is that idiot not even recognizing a plant-type mythical beast and got caught by rashly approaching it?”
“Ugh! Idiot!”
A few students, with disgusted expressions, approached to rescue their comrade.
“I feel like a fool for rushing in.”
Eliza said with a frown and turned away.
As the students scattered again.
Leo looked up at a tree.
There, a reckless fairy prince was seen rolling on a branch, clutching his stomach.
‘He’ll probably come to his senses after getting hit once.’