Editor : Amethyst00



At Leo’s words, Shasha made an expression of not understanding for a moment.

It wasn’t just Shasha—everyone around was the same.

“What did you just say…?”

Looking at Shasha, who asked with a bewildered face, Leo replied.

“I said you’re an cheeky brat.”

Shasha froze, her face blank.

“You…… how dare you to Her Highness the Crown Princess!”

Barden, agitated, was about to shout, but Shasha lifted her hand and stopped him.

Then, staring intently at Leo with her golden eyes, she asked:

“Is there something about me as a lord that you find displeasing?”

“Pleasing or not, why would I be your vassal? I’m from a different country to begin with.”

“Well, your mother’s side is ‘Zerdinger.’ You’re from the Kingdom of Delad, yes, but you’re also of the Lordren Empire.”

At Shasha’s words, the students in the great hall opened their eyes wide.

“Leo Plov’s maternal family is Zerdinger?”

“Wait. Then he’s related to Celia Zerdinger?”

“No wonder… they were always together. Turns out they weren’t dating but actually relatives.”

Even the students from the Lordren Empire looked surprised.

“This is a scoop! A scoop!”

At that, one student—seemingly from the newspaper club—rushed out of the great hall with an excited face.

‘By tomorrow, the rumor will be everywhere.’

It was something Zerdinger was planning to announce soon anyway, so there was no particular problem.

‘That doesn’t mean I feel good about my private life being spread like this. And so what if my mother’s family is Zerdinger? What difference does it make?’

Leo still looked at the princess before him with indifferent eyes.

The princess, who had lived at the very peak of the Empire’s enormous power, naturally assumed she was Leo’s lord.

Snap!

Shasha unfolded a red fan from her sleeve and narrowed her eyes.

“Hmmm, I see.”

“What now.”

“I haven’t yet shown Leo-sunbae my worth as a lord, have I?”

Nodding as if she understood, Shasha smiled with her eyes.

“You want me to prove it, don’t you? That I’m worthy of being your lord.”

Tap!

Closing her fan, Shasha curved her lips into a smile.

“Splendid. To take in an unprecedented all-class student as my vassal, I must first show my worth, naturally.”

Lost in her own firm delusion, Shasha nodded to herself.

“Very well. In this joint class, I’ll prove my worth to you. Hohohoho!”

Shasha then swept out of the great hall.

The Lordren Empire students hastily followed after her.

As soon as Shasha left, the entire hall began buzzing.

“What? So if she proves she’s worthy, then later Leo Plov could be drawn into her faction?”

“Hmmm. He’s arrogant, but… if it’s him…”

Because of this grand misunderstanding, the surroundings became noisy.

Watching this, Chen Xia smiled faintly.

“Leo-doryeon, your popularity will only grow.”

“I resufe this kind of popularity.”

bl

By the end of lunch break, the rumor about Leo and Shasha had spread through the whole school.

Students gathered in the open yard for summoning class, chattering endlessly about it.

The hottest topic was none other than Leo’s family background.

“Hey! Leo! Your mother’s side is really Zerdinger?”

“Yeah.”

“Whoa. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“No reason to go around bragging about it, is there?”

To his classmate Tade’s question, Leo just shrugged.

Seeing that, Tade clicked his tongue.

‘Most people would be dying to brag about this… but, well, it’s Leo.’

Then Tade looked around.

The ones most visibly excited were the girls.

As class representative and someone handsome enough to be called a “pretty boy,” Leo was already quite popular.

But despite that popularity, surprisingly, the girls hadn’t paid him much romantic attention.

Because of Celia.

Since the beginning of the term, the two had always been seen together, and rumors were rampant that they were dating.

If the rival was Celia Zerdinger, there was no chance.

On top of that, the other girls close to Leo were all formidable in their own right, so most didn’t even bother.

But now that it had come out that Leo and Celia were cousins, the girls’ interest surged dramatically.

“Tade! You’re close with your class rep, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then do you know what he likes?”

A girl from the summoning department asked in a coy voice.

‘Argh! Don’t ask me that kind of thing!’

Tade wept inwardly but still answered her question.

Meanwhile, Yura appeared, accompanied by Associate Professor Carlo and professors from Skarn.

The first-years, who had been chatting among themselves, quieted at the sight.

“Ahem. Is everyone here?”

Seeing her displeased face, the first-years whispered among themselves.

“Why’s the professor like that?”

“Isn’t it because word got out that Leo’s mother’s side is Zerdinger?”

“Yeah, that would make it less likely he’d choose the summoning department.”

“Well, it’s true that the class 5 rep is amazing as a summoner, but compared to what he’s shown as a knight and a mage, the impact is weaker.”

At those words, Yura’s eye twitched.

‘Weaker impact, my foot! This kid made a contract with a phoenix on his first day! Hmph! Compared to that, even the greatest knight or mage would look less impressive!’

Suppressing the urge to shout it out, she said instead:

“Before class begins, an announcement about the sparring evaluation. It starts next week. As previously notified, opponents will be determined by draw.”

At that, many students tensed up.

Most silently prayed not to be paired against the top-ranked students.

“Now then. That’s all for Lumene students. Let’s begin class.”

At Yura’s words, the Skarn students also grew tense.

A summoning class in Lumene.

How long had they been waiting for this?

As everyone wore taut expressions, Yura folded her arms and spoke.

“During the joint classes, what we’ll be doing will be useful not just to Skarn but also to Lumene students.”

Everyone looked puzzled.

“I’ve invited someone to help with today’s class.”

“Greetings, students of Skarn.”

The moment Yura finished speaking, a majestic voice boomed.

Everyone looked around in shock.

Only Leo and Yura pinpointed the source at once, looking up at the sky.

Crackle! Boom!

Suddenly thunder and lightning burst across the sky.

Through it, a man astride a pegasus descended with overwhelming presence.

Clop!

Seeing Ulta arrive on his pegasus, not only the Skarn students but even the Lumene students gasped.

A pegasus.

For summoners, one of the three legendary beasts of dreams.

It was said that even living a whole lifetime, one might never see one.

So to see one directly, the Lumene students couldn’t help but be moved.

“That’s Ulta-sunbae’s pegasus I’ve only heard about!”

“What unbelievable luck!”

While most marveled, Yura asked with an annoyed face:

“Why make such a flashy entrance?”

“To highlight the summoner’s most important quality. Love.”

As he dismounted, Ulta’s words made Yura sigh deeply.

Half giving up, she said:

“This guy’s name is Ulta Rygdician. A remarkable student who contracted with a pegasus while still in school.”

At that, everyone buzzed with excitement.

“From today you’ll learn one thing. How to summon and contract with a ‘powerful summon.’”

At her words, the Skarn students looked confused.

Summoning and contracting powerful summons—wasn’t that the ultimate goal of summoners already?

To speak of it as though it were something special didn’t make sense to them.

At that moment, a girl raised her hand.

“Professor, I have a question.”

A Skarn student.

Seeing her face, Yura’s eyes gleamed.

‘Shasha. Originally strong enough to enter Lumene directly next year, but chose Skarn first to try its classes. A rather unusual princess.’

A girl with absolute confidence in her abilities.

One Lumene was also keeping a close eye on.

‘If she joins next year, the summoning department couldn’t ask for better.’

“Yes, what is it?”

“Isn’t controlling powerful summons only natural?”

Hearing Shasha’s voice, dismissive and bored, Yura smirked.

“True. But what I’ll teach today isn’t just that.”

Crossing her arms, Yura wore a meaningful look.

“It’s how to contract with a summon beyond your limits—and control it.”

Everyone widened their eyes in shock.

“There’s someone here who especially needs that lesson.”

Yura smiled at Shasha.

“For example, the Lordren royal family’s pegasus.”

The Lordren royal house had held a contract with a pegasus for generations.

At her words, Shasha smiled brightly.

“That does sound fun.”

bl

Yura’s class drew enormous concentration from nearly every student.

Her assistant was none other than Ulta.

Having contracted a pegasus in his third year, he was the perfect example of a summoner who had succeeded in bonding with something beyond his capacity.

Though his unique, confusing explanations needed Yura to translate beside him, the lesson still went on.

Of course, not everyone was fully invested.

Leo, Walden, and Eliza paid attention, but not with desperate interest.

Leo was the phoenix’s contractor. Walden and Eliza, while not at that level, had both bonded with powerful summons beyond their limits when they were young.

Having lived it, they weren’t as fascinated by the theory.

“In conclusion, love alone isn’t enough.”

“…There are times when you have to stake your very life.”

Translating Ulta’s words, Yura pressed her temples as if her head hurt.

“All right, since you’ve listened, let’s move to practice.”

“Practice?”

“You’ll attempt a contract with Ulta’s pegasus.”

At that, everyone’s eyes went wide.

“Is that even allowed?”

One Skarn student asked excitedly.

Ulta laughed.

“Of course.”

“But if someone actually succeeds…”

“Then you’d become Aeria’s contractor.”

Ulta gently stroked the pegasus’s muzzle and smiled.

“Of course, if that’s even possible.”

To overwrite a summon’s bond meant surpassing the existing contractor.

By a wide enough margin to overwhelm them.

For a student—or even most heroes who had risen to fame as summoners—surpassing a pegasus’s current contractor was nearly impossible.

Still, students gathered eagerly around Ulta.

“Leo, come here a moment.”

“Yes?”

“This lesson means nothing to you, right?”

“Right.”

For Leo, the phoenix’s contractor, it was meaningless.

“Then take care of that one.”

Ulta pointed toward Shasha, who sat fanning herself, looking unconcerned.

“You know the Lordren family are pegasus contractors. Outwardly it looks like the Lunda family, but inside it’s different. The Lunda contract with one phoenix, who then mediates others. But the Lordren family has contracted with a single pegasus for generations.”

Every Lordren emperor had been a pegasus contractor.

It was a blood bond.

But not all of them had been able to summon it.

If their ability fell short, they could not bring it forth.

“It’s a sort of provisional contract. That’s why your know-how is needed.”

“Understood.”

Leo nodded and walked toward Shasha.

Seeing him, Shasha smiled.

“Hello, Leo-sunbae. What brings you here?”

“Professor Yura asked me to help you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You’re already a pegasus contractor, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“She asked me to help you summon it.”

“Oh my. The professor’s thoughtfulness overwhelms me. But what help could Leo-sunbae possibly offer in summoning a pegasus?”

Leo’s phoenix contract was a secret.

So Shasha looked at him with open scorn.

‘He really is arrogant about everything.’

“It will help. It’s not a pegasus, but I did contract with a powerful summon.”

“Hmmm. A one-on-one lesson, is it? I can certainly feel Lumene’s summoning department making an effort for me, a likely class representative next year.”

Confidently, Shasha curved her lips into a smile.

“But I’d rather not be a spectacle in front of everyone.”

“Then I’ll tell the professor you don’t need my help.”

“My, Leo-sunbae, you’re such a haughty man.”

Shasha frowned.

“Fine. For the sake of your sincerity, I’ll accept your help.”

“It’s not my sincerity, it’s the professor’s.”

“You’re curious too, aren’t you? Whether I’m someone of value.”

“Not curious at all.”

“But I don’t want to be a show here. Give me a special lesson at night. I’ll tell the professor.”

Watching Shasha decide everything on her own, Leo sighed softly.

‘She always doing things her own way.’

It seemed the princess really wouldn’t rest easy until she heard him call her “my lord.”

Unfortunately, Leo only knew one way to deal with that kind of personality.

‘Guess I’ll have to give her some education.’