Editor : Amethyst00



[Ha!]

In the deep hours of dawn—

Kiran suddenly jolted awake.

“You up?”

["Ah! You vicious human!"]

Kiran shrieked, dragging himself backward on his rear in a panic.

Propping his chin on one hand, Leo smirked at him.

“For now, I’ll acknowledge that you’re the fairy king’s heir.”

[W-what did you say?]

“The Oath has been forcibly enacted.”

Leo furrowed his brows and glanced down at the back of his right hand. A silver summoning circle was glowing there.

Seeing that, Kiran’s eyes went wide in shock.

["U-unbelievable! You mean to tell me you’re the Oath-bearer Father spoke of?!"]

‘So it was as I thought. The seal was designed to break the moment the Oath-bearer appeared.’

In Leo’s case, he had obtained the Oath through a completely different route, apart from Sylord’s will—but the result was the same: the contract had been forced into effect.

“That’s right.”

["I refuse to believe it! Father would never make some lowly human his Oath-bearer!"]

Kiran, face twisted in indignation, jabbed a finger at Leo—only to freeze when Leo casually lifted the Summoning Studies textbook.

["O-on second thought, perhaps contracting with a human isn’t so bad after all!"]

“How did Sylord end up with a son like you, anyway?”

["Hmph! And what are you, a mere human, doing speaking as if you’re close with Father?"]

“I probably know Sylord better than you do.”

In the Age of Calamity, Leo and Sylord had fought through countless battlefields together.

Although Sylord was Luna’s contractor, his bond with Leo had been just as strong.

“Sylord is a very gentle soul. He doesn’t carry your racial-supremacist attitude, either.”

Leo rested his chin back on his hand.

“Besides—you committed some grave sin, didn’t you? That’s why Sylord sealed you.”

Kiran flinched and trembled.

“Royal Fairies have six wings. The only one who can strip those away is the Fairy King himself. It’s obvious you did something unforgivable and were banished from Fairyland.”

["H-how could a human like you possibly know such details?!"]

“I told you, didn’t I? I know Sylord better than you do.”

Kiran stared at Leo, dumbfounded, as Leo’s lips curled in a knowing smile.

["C-could it be true…? That you really are the Oaths-bearer of the Fairy King? That you’ve met Father in person?"]

“Yeah.”

Strictly speaking, it had been in his previous life—but he wasn’t lying.

["I-it’s impossible…!"]

“So. What exactly did you do to get exiled?”

["Since you’re the Oath-bearer, I suppose there’s no need to hide it."]

Kiran gazed out the window, his face melancholic.

["That night was much like this one… a star-filled sky."]

As the Fairy King’s firstborn son, Kiran had been adored by all fairies in Fairyland.

From childhood, he lived indulging in whatever whims he pleased, growing spoiled and reckless.

["But envious rivals schemed against me—and in the end, Father turned his wrath upon me."]

“So basically, you stirred up trouble nonstop until you finally drove Sylord past his limit. And now you’re posturing like some tragic victim?”

[Hieek?!]

Leo raised the textbook, and Kiran shrieked, scrambling away.

Knowing his old friend’s nature well, Leo could only imagine what it had taken for Sylord to go so far as to seal away his own son.

“Tch. Anyway—now that your seal’s broken, you can go back to Fairyland anytime, right? Call Sylord for me.”

["That I cannot do."]

“Why not?”

["I cannot return until I recover all six of my wings. Only then can I go back to Fairyland."]

“……”

["Which means… it seems you’ll never meet Father again. Well, humans are like that."]

Kiran crossed his arms, looking down his nose at Leo with a smug smirk.

["Still, while I don’t like that you’re human, you’ve at least been acknowledged by Father. So I’ll endure it! Rejoice, for I shall grant you the honor of aiding me in reclaiming my wings! The first wing, I believe, rests in what was once our domain—the Fairy Forest. You are to escort me there immediately."]

As Kiran puffed himself up proudly, a dark shadow loomed over him.

‘Sylord… seems like fate itself brought your son to me.’

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

["Guaghk! S-s-spare…! Guhk!"]

‘Don’t worry. I’ll educate him properly and send him back to you.’

With a warm smile, Leo thought of the friend who surely had suffered enough thanks to this son.

bl

“So cold!”

The next morning.

Class 5 had gathered at the clearing near the entrance of the Fairy Forest, only to cry out in unison.

Even after changing into their winter uniforms and bundling up as warmly as possible, the Fairy Forest’s chill was far beyond imagination.

Even students from the northern regions were shivering. The elves’ territory lay even farther north than human lands—naturally making it much colder.

As everyone trembled violently, Harrid spoke up.

“From now on, I’ll tell each of you what you’re lacking.”

Sena distributed prepared papers to the students. As they received them, expressions hardened across the class.

“What? ‘Poor balance of swordsmanship and magic’? Me?” Eliana stared, incredulous.

“‘Insufficient utilization of summoned beasts’?” Tade also frowned in disbelief.

“Chelsea, what’s yours say?”

“‘Lack of understanding of wind magic.’ What about you, Carl?”

“Eh? Mine just says ‘lack of mana,’ which makes sense… but yours is really the issue they picked out?”

Startled by Chelsea’s response, Carl looked baffled.

Most of the students were similarly skeptical of the weaknesses listed.

Chelsea raised her hand.

“Professor! I don’t understand! My wind magic isn’t just the best in our class—it’s the best in the entire year! How can my weakness be a lack of understanding of wind magic?”

“Is that what you think?”

“Yes! When it comes to wind magic, I'm confident only my brother surpasses me in understanding!”

As someone from a renowned heroic family specializing in wind, she could not accept such an evaluation.

And it wasn’t just Chelsea.

Every student had been told their “weakness” was in the exact field they considered their greatest strength.

The areas in which they prided themselves above all others.

So naturally, they reacted with resistance.

Harrid spoke calmly.

“Can you not accept that you cannot properly make use of your strengths?”

“That’s right!”

Chelsea pouted as she answered.

“So, that's what you really believe.”

Harrid’s lips curved upward.

“Chelsea Lewellin. Step forward.”

Startled by the sudden call, Chelsea hesitantly moved forward.

“Leo Plov. Step forward.”

Leo was the next to be named.

“From this moment, the two of you will duel—using wind magic only.”

“…!”

“If you truly believe you’re the top in this field, then prove it here and now.”

“Professor, even if it’s Leo oppa, if it’s wind magic alone, obviously I’ll win.”

The rest of the students thought the same.

“If Chelsea Lewellin wins, then it means my judgment was wrong. In that case, you’ll have full free time for the rest of the trip.”

At those words, every Class 5 student’s eyes widened.

‘Wait, that means…’

‘We wouldn’t have to suffer through these freezing morning drills?’

‘As long as Chelsea beats the class rep!’

“But if Leo Plov wins, you’ll obey my word without protest.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Go, Chelsea!”

“Crush the class rep!”

“Chelsea! We’re counting on you!”

Suddenly finding himself the sole enemy of the entire class, Leo let out a dry laugh.

“Not a single one of you is cheering for me?”

“Sorry, Leo! Just this once, we can’t!” Carl called back apologetically.

Shaking his head, Leo strode to the center of the clearing.

Step, step—

“Come to think of it, this is the first time we’ve fought each other with magic, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.”

Though Leo often helped Chelsea in her training matches, those were physical sparring sessions. They had never faced off using magic like this.

‘I don’t believe for a second I’ll lose to Leo oppa in a wind-magic-only duel…’

Chelsea’s eyes flicked between Leo and Harrid.

‘But Professor Harrid wouldn’t have said this without reason.’

She bounced lightly on her feet, loosening up.

“No matter how amazing Leo is, this time he’s overreaching.”

“Agreed.”

“Professor Harrid must’ve gone too far.”

While most looked relaxed, Carl was tense.

‘Objectively, Chelsea has the advantage. But Leo always exceeds expectations. He might have some trump card.’

“Begin.”

At Harrid’s command, Chelsea immediately began chanting.

“Wind Breaker!”

“Wind Breaker.”

At the same time, Leo chanted the exact same spell.

Chelsea, who expected him to dodge, was stunned.

Cra-ack!

Blades of wind collided, canceling each other out.

Fwoosh—!

But fragments of Chelsea’s spell slipped past and flew toward Leo.

“Wind Shield!”

Whroooosh!

The violent storm-blades shattered Leo’s hastily formed barrier, grazing his body.

“…!”

“I-it can’t be!”

Iliana gasped in disbelief, while Tade blinked, confused.

“What? Why? Isn’t Chelsea supposed to have the advantage?”

“You idiot! Chelsea’s rapid chanting is the best in first-year! But Leo just matched her spell for spell! Do you get what that means?!”

‘Leo oppa’s chant speed… is faster than mine?!’

Leo had always shown weakness with modern quick-cast techniques.

‘If it were Leo oppa, it wouldn’t be strange if he overcame that weakness early. But to say his wind magic chants are faster than mine…?’

Chelsea’s rapid-casting ability was unrivaled among the first-years. Even Chloe and Abad trailed behind her in that area.

True, Leo’s version of the spell was weaker in power compared to hers.

But the fact that he cast faster was a blow to her pride.

‘Chant speed doesn’t decide victory! Even if faster, it’s only slightly faster! It makes no big difference. And besides, I can use far more diverse spells with fast chant than Leo-oppa!’

“Wind Chain!”

Clink—!

Unlike Wind Breaker, which swept a straight line, Wind Chain was a spell that bound the enemy with chains of air.

As Chelsea’s magic flew at him, Leo completed his own incantation.

“Wind.”

‘Just as I thought—Leo oppa lacks variety in spells!’

Chelsea smiled triumphantly.

“With just wind magic, you’ll never beat me!”

But Leo laughed.

“Chelsea—do you remember what I told you the day we first met?”

“What?”

“That you were using wind magic the wrong way.”