Book 1 Chapter 89

[89]88.

Kyran flew around the forest excitedly.

This mischievous fairy enjoyed teasing the students.

[Hahaha! Idiot! Do you think I'd get caught by some flimsy butterfly net?]

After thoroughly provoking another first-year, Kyran hummed a tune.

[Who should I toy with next?]

*Whoosh-!*

[……?]

A net suddenly flew in and snatched Kyran.

Caught in a flimsy butterfly net in the blink of an eye, Kyran wore a blank expression.

[Gasp?]

Kyran’s eyes met Leo’s, and a look of terror crossed his face.

“I sent you here to behave, not to cause trouble, understand?”

[Oh, it’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! The reason I’m here is…]

Leo, clutching Kyran, asked.

“What reason?”

[I was investigating because it seems something unusual is happening on this island!]

“What?”

Leo’s expression turned surprised.

That night.

After sunset, Leo ate fruits gathered from around the island and asked.

“So, you’re saying the mythical beasts on the Island of Mythical Beasts have become violent, and you were sent to investigate?”

[That’s right.]

“Then why did it seem like you were just teasing the students of Rumern?”

Although he had lost his power as a Fairy Prince, Kyran was still a fairy.

Furthermore, having gained a pair of wings, his power had somewhat returned.

These were mythical beasts that not only the first-years but even the second-years couldn’t find.

Yet, the day after Kyran arrived on the Island of Mythical Beasts, rumors about fairies spread like wildfire.

[That’s because!]

“Because?”

[I found it amusing to see the students’ reactions when they discovered me!]

“So, you forgot your original purpose and were just playing around?”

Leo, who had tied Kyran with vines and hung him upside down over the bonfire, fell into thought.

‘An anomaly on the Island of Mythical Beasts?’

Currently, this island was practically Pirina’s domain.

She wouldn’t fail to notice any anomaly that occurred on the island.

“What did Ms. Pirina say before sending you?”

[That Pirina, the phoenix, isn’t on this island right now! Let me go! Let me go!]

Kyran said urgently, struggling.

“She’s not on the island?”

[Yes! She hasn’t been here since you sent us here three days ago! She mentioned in a letter a few days ago that she was returning to her contractor for a while…! Ugh!]

*Fwoosh-!*

Kyran’s body caught fire.

Kyran, who narrowly escaped, rolled on the ground to put out the flames.

“How did you know there was an anomaly in the forest?”

[Fiora told me?]

“Fiora?”

Leo stroked his chin.

Indeed, Fiora, Pirina’s daughter, was a second-in-command mythical beast on this Island of Mythical Beasts.

Though still young and not very powerful, she could sufficiently sense changes in the forest.

‘Is it just a coincidence that the anomaly occurred precisely when Pirina is absent?’

Leo narrowed his eyes and stood up.

‘I need to find Fiora first.’

Summoning her would be the easiest, but they were in the middle of a practical lesson.

If he used his spiritual power when no one else was using magic, he would be immediately detected.

‘It would be troublesome if Fiora’s identity were revealed.’

Currently, in Rumern, only Professor Yura of Summoning and Principal Kalian knew that Leo was a phoenix contractor.

Leo concentrated and called out to Fiora.

‘Fiora.’

He could communicate with high-ranking mythical beasts even from a distance.

As they were contractors, they were mentally connected.

However, Fiora didn't respond to Leo's call.

‘Fiora? If you can hear me, answer.’

“What is this guy doing that he’s not answering?”

Leo frowned at Fiora’s silent response.

Kyran flew over to Leo and said, putting his clasped hands behind his head.

[Maybe he doesn’t even know you’re calling him because he’s distracted?]

“……”

That was a plausible explanation.

Despite acting mature, Fiora, being a very curious young child, was easily distracted.

“……All of you contractors are such children.”

[You’re a child too.]

Leo sighed at Kyran’s grumbling and concentrated his mind.

Then, he walked in the direction where Fiora’s power could be felt.

‘I have no choice but to go there directly.’

***

The direction where Fiora’s power could be felt was the western end.

‘We are on the eastern side of the island, so it’s the opposite direction.’

Leo sighed and walked deeper into the forest.

There, he encountered students who were experiencing a wilderness survival training.

To summarize, the students of the Summoning Department were completely unable to adapt to the wilderness.

Screaming at the sight of insects or collapsing after mistakenly eating poisonous mushrooms occurred frequently.

Even Eliza, the ace of the Summoning Department, couldn’t adapt properly.

‘I wonder how they plan to manage from tomorrow.’

Leo clicked his tongue, seeing the students struggling even before the real hardship had begun.

Of course, not all students were like that.

“Busy at this hour, Flove.”

Warden, a student with a massive build, said, standing with his arms crossed in front of the bonfire, his eyes closed.

Leo had encountered him accidentally while moving stealthily.

Yet, Warden spoke without opening his eyes.

“I have something important to do.”

Leo shrugged nonchalantly.

At that, Warden opened his eyes and looked up at the trees.

There were only a few students in the Knight Department with a build similar to Warden’s.

While he looked like he would engage in tough combat, Warden was actually a highly intelligent student.

‘His written exam scores in general subjects, excluding his major, were the second highest overall.’

Chloe was first.

Furthermore, his knowledge of magic was more profound than that of most magic students.

‘He even has the sensibility to combine magic with elementalism. He’s truly remarkable.’

“I’m looking forward to this battle royale, Flove.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m going to defeat you.”

Leo chuckled at Warden’s nonchalant declaration of challenge.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Warden closed his eyes upon hearing Leo’s reply.

Leo kicked off a branch and dashed off.

He couldn’t use aura, but he swiftly traversed the forest using his overwhelming physical abilities.

He encountered several wild mythical beasts along the way, but they didn’t dare to attack him.

This was because Kyran was on Leo’s shoulder.

Mythical beasts generally had a strong tendency not to attack creatures stronger than themselves.

Leo swiftly crossed the forest and reached the western end.

West of the Island of Mythical Beasts lay a gravel beach.

[Wow, it’s pretty!]

Kyran exclaimed at the beautiful lake scenery illuminated by the moon and stars.

Leo crouched by the water and found Fiora diligently rummaging through something.

*Splash-!*

Fiora picked up a small pebble from the water and stood up.

She then held the stone in her hand up to the moonlight and gasped.

It was a magic stone in the form of a transparent crystal.

“It’s pretty, pretty!”

Fiora, her eyes shining brightly, examined the magic stone from all angles and then *gulp* swallowed it.

She rolled it around in her mouth like candy, hummed a tune, and then crouched down again to search for magic stones.

“……What are you doing?”

“Huh? Leo, why are you here?”

“Finish eating what’s in your mouth first and then speak.”

After chewing and swallowing the magic stone in her mouth, Fiora asked.

“Leo, why are you here?”

“Never mind why… Were you eating all the magic stones on this gravel beach?”

This area was originally off-limits to students.

That’s because this gravel beach was a place where magic stones naturally generated.

Around the ecosystem of mythical beasts and spirits, there are areas where magic stones are produced in large quantities.

The power they emit seeps into the ground and collects in specific locations, where magic stones are generated in large quantities.

Young spirits and mythical beasts absorb these magic stones as a source of growth.

The Island of Mythical Beasts serves this role with this gravel beach.

This is why students were banned from entering to prevent them from collecting the magic stones.

Yet, Fiora was finding and eating all of them.

Fiora turned her head sharply and said.

“It’s natural to eat a lot when you’re young.”

[We, the highest-ranking mythical beasts, don’t need things like magic stones to grow.]

As Kyran said, magic stones are not of great help to highest-ranking mythical beasts like phoenixes.

They can be a delicious delicacy.

Of course, it was absolutely not a good thing to eat all the magic stones that the mythical beasts under her dominion should be eating.

“You didn’t happen to chase away all the other mythical beasts and spirits and hoard the magic stones for yourself, did you?”

Although still weak, other mythical beasts and spirits would surely be intimidated and not dare to approach if they sensed the phoenix’s aura.

“I didn’t go that far. I was trying to share them nicely!”

Fiora protested.

[There’s no way they could share nicely if you threaten them with the power of a phoenix. You little chick…! No! You pig!]

“Who are you calling a pig!”

[Hmph! Your attack is still pathetic!]

Fiora, angered, threw a pebble, which Kyran dodged with a snort.

“Both of you, be quiet. Fiora, you said something was happening on the island and asked Kyran to scout the eastern area.”

“Ah!”

Fiora, who had forgotten about it while searching for magic stones, was startled.

[Hey! You told me with a very serious face, but you forgot yourself?]

Fiora, knowing she was in the wrong, stammered without an answer.

[Hah? Is your memory really that of a chick’s! Huh?]

“I… I’m sorry.”

Kyran, thinking he had found a weakness, tapped Fiora’s head with a smug look.

[I’ll forgive you! But from now on, call me Prince and treat me with respect…]

“You were also forgetting your investigation and playing pranks on the students.”

Leo said, striking Kyran with the palm of his hand.

“So, what exactly is the anomaly that’s happening?”

“I don’t know exactly. However, I can feel a very unpleasant energy faintly emanating from the island.”

‘Unpleasant energy?’

Leo frowned.

If even a phoenix, who possessed the power of purification, felt it was unpleasant, it was clearly a corrupting power.

‘During the midterms, something from Tartarus reached out to the Summoning Department. Could it be related to that?’

Just as Leo thought this.

*Rumble-!*

Suddenly, a mist began to spread.

Seeing this, Leo urgently grabbed Fiora and Kyran and led them away from the gravel beach, hiding behind trees.

This was not a naturally occurring mist.

Furthermore, the energy emanating from the mist was something Leo recognized.

The dark magic he felt during the Summoning Department’s midterm practical exam.

‘A beast tamer from back then.’

Leo’s eyes widened.

*Splish-!*

A beast tamer appeared on the gravel beach and waved his hand.

*Whoosh-!*

The magic stones scattered across the gravel beach reacted.

The beast tamer faltered at the shockingly low number of magic stones.

“What is this? Why are there so few magic stones?”

[The pig ate them all.]

At Kyran’s words, Fiora glared at him and began to choke him.

“Stop fighting and get ready.”

Leo generated his spiritual power.

Using spiritual power was forbidden during the weekend, but this was not the time to worry about that.

“Here it comes!”

*Vwoosh-!*

A giant summoning circle appeared on the ground where Leo was.

Leo leaped high into the air.

*Roar-! Crunch!*

A massive beast opened its maw and swallowed the spot where Leo had been.

*Whoosh-! Thud-!*

Leo landed on the ground and saw the beast tamer.

“It seems we have a deep-seated animosity, Leo Flove.”

At the beast tamer’s cold words, Leo smiled with killing intent.

“It’s a damn annoying animosity that’s been passed down since our past lives.”

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