Editor : Amethyst00



“Professor. Is it true that a fairy was discovered on the Island of Beasts?”

Eliza raised her hand and asked with a serious face.

Yura, who had been grabbing Ulta by the collar like a thug, sighed and let go.

“Two days ago, there were sighting reports among some 2nd-years who were doing practical training here.”

At those words, the students buzzed.

“Of course it’s all nonsense! In all my time as a teacher, and even back when I was a student, I’ve never once heard of a fairy being found on the Island of Beasts—!”

Yura, who had been shouting with conviction, suddenly stopped and looked at Leo.

‘Wait. Now that I think about it, the Phoenix was also supposed to not exist on the Island of Beasts.’

And yet one day, a 1st-year suddenly made a contract with one.

‘And it was even with a young Phoenix.’

Yura’s expression grew grim.

‘Could it be… there really are fairies here too?’

As that suspicion crossed her mind—

Ulta, freed from Yura’s hand, straightened his uniform neatly and shouted.

“Juniors! If you’re summoners, you must also have a dream about the Great Three Mythical Beasts!”

The eyes of the 1st-years sparkled brightly.

How could they not?

Every summoner dreams at least once of making a contract with one of the Great Three Mythical Beasts!

Of course, fairies usually form contracts with elves, but that didn’t mean there had never been anyone other than elves in history who became their contractor.

The chance to meet a mighty summoned being!

For that chance, summoners would plunge into fire or into the deep sea without hesitation—that was their nature.

“Don’t you want to see a fairy!”

“We want to see one!”

“Hey! Don’t rile up the 1st-years with something that’s not even certain!”

Lost in thought, Yura suddenly snapped back and shouted angrily.

Seeing that, Ulta let out a deep sigh.

“Professor, I’m disappointed. Back when you were still an associate professor while I was a 1st-year, you were overflowing with dreams!”

“……Try being stuck under Lumene’s full-fledged professor for three years. You’ll see what happens.”

“Ahh! Seeing you become a weak adult who compromises with reality makes me so sad! Isn’t it because you live such a dry life without dreams that your personality is getting worse and worse?”

A vein bulged on Yura’s forehead.

Fwoosh—!

Carlo grabbed hold of Yura, who was about to lunge at Ulta, and shouted.

“P-Professor! Please calm down! Calm down!”

“Let me kill him…! That insolent brat who flaps his mouth carelessly, let me kill him!”

Even as a 5th-year, Ulta was the only one who dared talk like that to a professor.

The 1st-years were terrified at the sight of Yura with veins throbbing on her hands.

After a moment, Yura barely managed to calm herself and asked.

“All right, Ulta. The Inter-department Tournament is right in front of us. You’re not just planning a little fairy-hunting game, are you?”

At that, Ulta smirked.

“Of course not.”

Seeing Ulta’s bright smile, the girls screamed, “Kyaa—!”

“Juniors. What did I tell you was the basic mindset of a summoner?”

“Tolerance.”

“No, love.”

All the 1st-years looked at Yura.

“You’ll just have to filter what you hear. Still, he’s skilled enough that his advice will be useful.”

The 1st-years nodded.

They had been through a lot since arriving at Lumene, so they accepted it.

“It doesn’t mean to only love the summoned beast you’ve contracted with! You must be able to love all summoned beings! And based on trust, achieve harmony! Yes! The unity of summoner and summon, becoming one with nature! That is true love toward summons!”

The 1st-years looked at Yura with troubled faces.

They tried to filter Ulta’s words as Yura said, but at their level, it was still hard to really understand him.

Yura pressed her temple.

“In other words… what he means is you need to improve your affinity so you can bond even with summons you haven’t contracted with… Hey! Say it normally! Normally!”

Yura exploded in a shout, then took a deep breath.

“All right. I get what you’re saying. That’s what you want, huh? It may be a bit early for 1st-year fledglings though.”

Yura’s lips curled upward.

At that catlike smile, the 1st-years instantly felt a chill.

Whenever she made that face, something bad was bound to happen.

“Ain-sunbae and that arrogant Len both train the 1st-years harshly. We’ll have to do the same.”

“Exactly.”

“But to do that, there’s a mountain of paperwork issues…”

“I’ve already taken care of it.”

When Ulta handed her a stack of documents, Yura let out an impressed “Hooh—!”

“As expected of you, Ulta. Excellent.”

“You flatter me.”

The fact that the two who had just been ready to kill each other were suddenly in sync only made the 1st-years more uneasy.

After all, Yura wasn’t exactly a normal person either.

In fact, among all of Lumene’s professors, she was the most eccentric.

Yura grinned slyly.

“1st-years. For the next three days, you’ll be staying on the Island of Beasts for a special class! Your senior already filed the overnight leave requests at the dorm, so no problem there!”

“What?”

“But starting tomorrow it’s the weekend!”

“I-I already scheduled to meet someone in Lumeria City tomorrow!”

“We’re supposed to rest on weekends!”

At the students’ protests, Yura answered flatly.

“Like I care. Weren’t you all just saying you wanted to see a fairy?”

“W-Well, we did say that, but…”

“Eliza, say something. Professor Yura at least listens to you!”

Walden may have been the honor student, but the one most trusted by the professors was Eliza.

Unlike Walden, who had no interest in departmental affairs, Eliza diligently helped out.

But Eliza’s reaction was indifferent.

“Since it’s something Professor and Ulta-sunbae suggested, it must be for our benefit. As long as we’re given comfortable beds and good meals, I don’t mind.”

The students despaired at her words.

But Yura looked at her in disbelief.

“Hah? Eliza Hergin. What are you talking about? Comfortable beds and good meals? Where would that come from?”

“What?”

Even Eliza was taken aback.

“What you’ll be experiencing is the wilderness.”

Yura crossed her arms and gave a wild smile.

“Surviving in this autonomous ecosystem of nature! That’s what you’ll be doing from today!”

“What!?”

“You’re telling us to live in that forest for three days!?”

“It’s not just living in the forest.”

Ulta smiled faintly.

“For three days, summoning will be prohibited. So will aura and magic too. Survive in that forest with nothing but your own strength.”

“Whaaaat!?”

“How is that possible! The Island of Beasts is full of summons and elementals!”

Uncontracted summons and elementals were dangerous.

Encountering a hostile one could cost you your life.

So being told to survive three days on that island swarming with them chilled the 1st-years to the bone.

“A summoner should be able to handle a summon even without taming it.”

“T-That’s…”

“Of course, anyone who doesn’t want to can quit.”

Yura’s face was blank as she spoke.

“But I won’t give any special training to quitters during the Tournament. They’ll just fall behind the Knights and Magic students.”

The summoning students’ faces hardened.

“I told you in the first class, didn’t I? You can’t be the same as the others.”

The students clenched their fists.

“Thinking of the summons and elementals you may one day face, this isn’t even dangerous. Do you think I’d recklessly throw you into danger?”

“N-No, Professor.”

“Then you understand the reason for this training?”

At her question, silence fell.

No one dared to speak.

“Isn’t it because young summoners these days lack true understanding of their summons?”

All eyes turned to Leo.

Yura smirked.

“And why do you think that?”

“Because in today’s world, as long as you have money, you can easily get the mediums for summoning. You can even contract powerful summons through the Hero’s World.”

Leo looked toward the dense forest.

“Many summoners can now obtain powerful summons, but I think they’ve drifted away from the essence.”

“……”

“There are sights you can only see when you seek out a summon yourself and form a contract.”

“How old-fashioned you sound, junior.”

Ulta’s eyes sparkled.

“But that’s exactly why it’s the right answer.”

Yura chuckled.

“Leo’s right. Through mediums you can easily get strong summons, sure. But drawing out their true power is difficult.”

Yura looked at the students.

“As summoners, we’re humans who communicate with beings that embody the power of nature. In that sense, we’re both yielding to nature and also exerting dominion over it.”

Everyone focused on her words.

“That’s why Ulta spoke about tolerance. How many of you have truly witnessed the essence of your summons?”

Yura narrowed her eyes.

“Did you really see their true forms and make a contract? Or did you just get handed mediums from your families or conveniently receive beasts during class?”

Not a single student answered.

“You can’t use true summoning that way. You need to experience nature and deeply understand the summons and elementals that live there. That’s one of the paths to rising higher as a summoner.”

Yura grinned.

“Still longing for warm beds and good meals?”

“No, Professor!”

“Don't you want to reach higher level?”

“Yes, Professor!”

“Good! That’s the spirit!”

Yura clenched her fist.

“All right then, I’ll at least hand out daggers for each of you.”

“And here, some insect nets too.”

Ulta said with a grin.

“…You’re not seriously thinking you can catch a fairy with those, are you?”

Yura gave him a half-lidded stare.

“Isn’t it possible to catch one?”

“Sometimes I’m ashamed you’re the honor student of the summoning department.”

Yura spoke sincerely, but Ulta only smiled.

bl

The Island of Beasts was one of the largest islands in Lumeria Lake.

In sheer size, it was even larger than the academy’s main island where the Lumene students stayed.

The deeper one went into the center, the more vast wilderness unfolded.

Thrown suddenly into the wild, the summoning students all wore tense expressions.

Without summoning, they had to be ready for anything.

At the same time, though, they couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of anticipation.

Because of Ulta’s story about the fairy.

And so, the students began to prepare their own shelters for the three days.

This training doubled as preparation for the inter-department Tournament’s battle royale, so the premise was that it was an individual exercise.

‘No fighting among yourselves. Cooperating in emergencies is allowed. But food and shelter are your own responsibility.’

That was what Yura had said before sending them into the forest.

‘This training will also serve as your practical exam, so do well!’

‘Seriously, summoning classes are always the most hardcore.’

Leo was looking for edible fruit for food when—

“There! A fairy! A fairy!”

A frantic voice rang out in the distance.

At that shout, the nearby students quickly rushed over.

Leo also moved swiftly.

But when he arrived, one male student was caught with his head clamped inside the maw of a flower-shaped beast with teeth, his eyes unfocused as he shouted.

“It’s a fairy! A fairy!”

“…That idiot mistook it for a fairy and got caught by a plant-type summon?”

“Good grief! Moron!”

Some students, looking exasperated, moved in to rescue their classmate.

“I feel stupid for even running over here.”

Eliza frowned and turned away.

As the students began to scatter again, Leo glanced up into the trees.

There, clutching his belly and rolling around on the branches, was a mischievous fairy prince.

‘Looks like he needs a good beating to come to his senses.’