The Hero’s Tower in the center of Lumerne.
This place is meant more for the staff than the students of Lumerne.
And at the top of the Hero’s Tower is the principal’s office.
Kalian, the principal sitting at his desk with a relaxed expression, turned his head toward the window.
Whoosh-!
With flames, a woman with crimson hair appeared.
“Welcome, Pirina.”
Kalian greeted Pirina with a soft smile, but his expression suddenly changed.
“Did the intruder make a move?”
Five years ago, there was an intrusion incident inside Lumerne.
Since there were no casualties, it wasn’t publicly known, and the culprit was never caught.
However, Lumerne is not just an educational institution; it is the place where the Hero Record is stored.
Not only had someone breached Lumerne’s security, but they had also caused an incident inside without being caught.
Such an incident would undoubtedly cause massive chaos if it became public, so it was kept under wraps.
But the search for the culprit never stopped.
For that reason, Kalian asked Elan to invite Pirina to Lumerne.
There was no one better than a phoenix to oversee the vast Lumerne.
“It’s not that, but I bring good news.”
“Good news?”
“A student in Lumerne has become a phoenix contractor.”
“Is that true?”
Kalian asked in surprise.
“Did they form a contract with you? Or with another phoenix?”
“They formed a contract with my child who was just born.”
“Wasn’t your child supposed to form a contract with the heir of the Runda Family?”
“That was the plan, but somehow this happened.”
“So the young phoenix was able to form a contract… Still, for a student to make a contract! Besides Ulta, was there such a talented individual among the fifth years?”
Kalian naturally assumed the contractor was a senior student.
Aside from Ulta, the Pegasus contractor, the fifth-year Summoning students mainly specialized in Elemental Summoning, so this was unexpected.
“Not a fifth year.”
“Oh? A fourth year? Come to think of it, the top fourth-year Beast Summoning student is quite exceptional.”
“Not a fourth year either.”
Pirina shook her head.
Kalian’s face turned slightly awkward.
“Could it be a third year?”
“No.”
“……”
“Second year?”
Seeing Pirina smile silently, Kalian let out a dry laugh.
“Are you telling me the contractor is a first-year student?”
“That’s right.”
“Who is it?”
“Leo Plov.”
“Ha ha ha ha. Leo Plov, you say?”
The student recommended as a hero candidate by Albi, who was known to be incredibly picky.
Despite objections from other professors, Leo was chosen as the grade representative, and now it turns out he has become a phoenix contractor.
‘Wasn’t he a Knight Studies major?’
Principal Kalian stroked his beard in surprise.
‘I must meet him soon.’
***
“Good work!”
After Summoning class, the first-year students energetically greeted and left the training ground in a rush.
It was already late evening.
The students, in their growth spurt phase and having just taken the taming test, were famished.
Without exception, the first-years quickly headed to the cafeteria.
“Leo, would you like to have dinner together if you’re free?”
“Sure.”
Leo was about to leave the lecture hall with Chen Xia.
“Leo Plov.”
“Yes.”
“The professor wants to see you.”
Carlo approached and said.
“I guess I’ll have to eat dinner separately.”
“It can’t be helped. See you in the next class, Leo.”
Chen Xia left the lecture hall first.
Leo followed Carlo to the professor’s office.
Upon arriving, Carlo knocked on the door, and a short reply came from inside, “Come in.”
“Go ahead.”
After greeting Carlo, Leo entered the room.
Despite her free-spirited nature, Professor Yura’s office was neatly organized.
Professor Yura, sitting at her desk, gestured to the seat opposite her.
“Have a seat.”
As Leo sat down, Professor Yura immediately spoke without hesitation.
“I’ll get straight to the point, Leo.”
“Yes.”
“The beast you contracted earlier, it’s a phoenix, isn’t it?”
‘As expected, she knew.’
“Yes.”
Professor Yura was visibly shaken by Leo’s answer.
Although she had expected it, hearing it confirmed from Leo surprised her.
“Can you show it to me?”
With a trembling voice, Yura asked as Leo reached into his uniform pocket.
Since Pirina had said she would come to take it tonight, Leo still had Piora with him.
He placed Piora on the desk.
“I never thought I’d see a young phoenix in my life!”
Seeing a mature phoenix was already rare, but a young phoenix was even rarer, making Professor Yura of Lumerne visibly excited.
“Ah~! Such a dignified presence!”
Piora, who looked like a sickly chick, was dozing off, completely oblivious to the professor’s enthusiasm.
‘Is her eyesight bad?’
“What’s its name?”
“Piora.”
“How did you even find it? I didn’t know there was a phoenix in the Forest of Beasts.”
The professors at Lumerne weren’t just teachers; they were skilled individuals with significant authority in emergencies.
Even to them, Pirina’s existence was a secret.
Having learned this from Pirina, Leo had prepared an excuse in advance.
“While wandering through the forest, I found an egg. I didn’t know why it was there, but it turned out to be a phoenix’s egg.”
It wasn’t a convincing answer, but there was no other explanation for a phoenix contract.
Besides, there was no way to verify Leo’s claim.
“Even so, identifying it as a phoenix egg couldn’t have been easy.”
Phoenixes, despite their fame, were mysterious creatures with little information available.
“My maternal family is related to phoenixes, so I’ve read ancient books about them.”
“Where is your maternal family from?”
“The Zerdinger family.”
Professor Yura was astonished.
‘Well… if it’s the Zerdinger family, it makes sense. The source of their aura flames is the power of the phoenix.’
If he had even a shred of talent as a summoner, there couldn’t be a more perfect condition for a phoenix contractor.
‘Still, for a mere fifteen-year-old to make a contract with a phoenix…’
Professor Yura’s eyes gleamed.
There were still questions, but what mattered now was Leo’s talent. A student, barely a day after enrolling, had made a contract with a phoenix.
“Understood. Thank you for your time. You may go now.”
Professor Yura escorted Leo to the office entrance.
Before opening the door, she spoke seriously.
“Leo Plov.”
“Yes.”
“It’s best to keep the phoenix contract a secret for now. If word gets out, things will become chaotic.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Have a nice dinner and see you in the next class.”
Professor Yura patted Leo on the shoulder and closed the door.
Returning to her seat, she began to think.
‘How should I teach this raw gem?’
Professor Yura was filled with excitement.
A summoner with extraordinary talent as her student! She was determined to train him into the best summoner possible.
‘Should I have him skip grades? Having such a talented student is quite the dilemma!’
Imagining her student’s future as a great summoner, Yura happily mulled over her plans.
If Leo wanted, she was even willing to provide personal lessons.
Professor Yura was convinced Leo would choose Summoning as his main field of study.
How could he not? With such talent, it would be absurd for him to focus on another department.
‘Hehe, for the next five years, the best department will be Summoning!’
Professor Yura didn’t know.
Leo had no intention of committing to a single department.
***
The next morning.
Leo was heading to the Magic Hall with Karl for a magic class.
“Oh! Chloe!”
Karl spotted Chloe walking ahead, clutching a magic textbook at her side, and waved to her.
“Hello, Leo, Karl. Yawn.”
“Why are you yawning so much in the morning?”
“I was reading magic books late into the night.”
“Oh? Then how about this?”
With a grin, Karl pulled out a small bottle from his pocket.
“Karl’s Trading Company Fatigue Recovery Potion! Only five shillings!”
“It’s not something weird, is it?”
“It has all the ingredients and certification labels on the label.”
“Hmm.”
Chloe checked the label, nodded, and bought the potion. As she drank it, she glanced at Leo.
“You’re really taking the magic class?”
“I said I would.”
“This guy even took Summoning class yesterday.”
At Karl’s words, Chloe looked at Leo in amazement.
“What classes did you take yesterday?”
“I’m an aspiring pure magician, so I didn’t have any classes yesterday. I studied in the library instead.”
“Wow, you’re such a top student.”
As they chatted casually, the three arrived at the Magic Hall.
The classroom for today, the [Main Lecture Hall], was a large circular room that could hold up to 500 people.
Seeing the hall, Karl grinned.
“There are still prime seats at the very back. What are you waiting for? Let’s grab them!”
“What are you talking about? The best seats are in the front.”
“It seems you and I have different destinations.”
Karl was ready to abandon Chloe without hesitation, but Chloe grabbed his ear faster than he could escape.
“Ow, ow, ow?! What are you doing?!”
“You’re planning to doze off in the back, aren’t you? As a magic student, you should focus on the lecture.”
“Hey, hey! Let’s talk about this! Let go! Hey!”
Chloe dragged Karl to the very front row of the lecture hall.
“If you doze off here, the professor will definitely notice.”
As Karl complained loudly, Chloe smiled.
“If you study hard instead, the professor will think well of you.”
Even as Karl glared at her with resentment, Chloe ignored him and opened her textbook.
Sitting beside them, Leo chuckled quietly.
At that moment, a man walked onto the lecture hall stage.
Step, step, step.
He was dressed in a neat suit, his pomade-styled hair giving him an air of sophistication. The word “handsome” suited him well.
As some female students gasped, the man smiled and stood at the center of the stage.
“Welcome, first-year students. My name is Ren Horus, and I will be teaching you Magic Theory this year.”
Applause erupted at Ren’s introduction.
“Before we start, does anyone have any questions?”
A barrage of questions from female students followed.
“Professor! Do you have a girlfriend?”
“How old are you?”
“What’s your ideal type?”
Despite the irrelevant questions, Professor Ren smiled and answered them all kindly.
“A handsome professor, huh? The girls are falling for him. But Ren Horus? I’ve never heard of that name. Do you know him, Chloe?”
Karl, balancing a pen on his upper lip and clasping his hands behind his head, asked Chloe, who shook her head.
“No, I haven’t heard of him either.”
After the personal questions ended, Professor Ren spoke again.
“Today, we’ll cover the basics of Magic Theory. But before that!”
Snap!
Professor Ren snapped his fingers.
Flutter, flutter, flutter!
Papers began flying throughout the lecture hall.
The paper bundles landed perfectly in front of the students.
“Before we start, we’ll have a simple Magic Theory test.”
“What?!”
“A test on the first day? Professor, that’s too harsh!”
Complaints erupted from all around.
Some female students even whined playfully.
“For reference, students who fail the minimum score will not be allowed to attend any magic courses in the future.”
“……!”
The lighthearted atmosphere turned cold instantly.
Amid the tension, a student timidly raised their hand.
“Pro-professor, what happens if a Magic Department student fails the test?”
“Well, of course.”
Professor Ren answered casually, as if it were obvious.
“They’ll be expelled.”
End Of Chapter
