Editor : Amethyst00



Kiran flew excitedly through the forest.

This ill-natured fairy found it fun to tease the students.

["Hahaha! Idiots! You think a lousy bug net like that could ever catch me?"]

After teasing yet another first-year to no end, Kiran hummed a tune.

["Now then, which idiot should I go after this time?"]

Fwoosh–!

["…"]

In an instant, a net flew out and snagged Kiran.

Caught in a cheap bug net before he could even blink, Kiran’s face went blank.

["Huh?!"]

When his eyes met Leo’s, Kiran’s expression turned horrified.

“I told you to stay put quietly. Did you think I sent you here to cause trouble?”

["W–Wait, it’s a misunderstanding! Really! I had a reason for being here… Ack!"]

Leo, gripping Kiran tightly, asked,

“What reason?”

["It seemed something strange was happening on this island, so I was investigating!"]

“What?”

Leo’s eyes widened.

That night.

After sunset, Leo ate fruit he had gathered from around the island and asked,

“So what you’re saying is, the magical beasts on this island have grown violent, and they sent you to investigate it?”

["That’s right."]

“Funny, because it looked more like you were just busy teasing Lumene students.”

Though he had lost much of his power as the Fairy Prince, Kiran was still a fairy.

And with his wings regained, he had recovered some of his power.

He was a beast that not only first-years, but even second-years, could not track down.

Yet ever since Kiran arrived on the island, rumors of a fairy had spread like wildfire.

["That’s—!"]

“That’s what?”

["It’s just, seeing the students’ over-the-top reactions when they spotted me was so funny!"]

“So in the end, you forgot your mission and were just fooling around?”

Leo bound Kiran in vines and hung him upside down over the campfire, then fell into thought.

‘An anomaly on the Island of Beasts?’

Currently, this island was practically Fyrina’s domain.

There’s no way she wouldn’t notice such a anomaly.

“What’s Fyrina doing, sending you instead?”

["That Phoenix, Fyrina, isn’t even on the island right now! Let me down! Let me down!"]

Struggling frantically, Kiran spoke.

“She’s not on the island?”

["That’s right! She’s been gone ever since you sent us here three days ago! She wrote in a letter a few days ago that she was briefly returning to her Contractor…! Gahk!"]

Fwoosh–!

Flames suddenly ignited on Kiran’s body.

Barely escaping, Kiran rolled frantically on the ground to put out the fire.

“How did you even notice there was a disturbance in the forest?”

["Fiora said so."]

“Fiora?”

Leo stroked his chin.

Indeed, Fiora, Fyrina’s daughter, was like the second-in-command among phantom beast of this island.

She was still young and not very strong, but she could easily sense changes in the forest.

‘So this disturbance happened while Fyrina just happened to be away? That can’t be coincidence.’

Leo narrowed his eyes and stood.

‘I need to find Fiora first.’

Summoning her would’ve been the simplest method, but this was during a practical class.

Using spiritual power when no one else was summoning would get him caught immediately.

‘If Fiora’s identity is discovered, that’ll be a hassle.’

Focusing his mind, Leo called out to Fiora.

‘Fiora.’

Even from afar, it was possible to converse with a high-ranking phantom beast.

That was the bond between Contractor and beast.

But despite Leo’s call, Fiora gave no reply.

‘Fiora? If you can hear me, answer.’

“What is she doing right now, not even answering?”

Leo frowned at Fiora’s silence.

Kiran, flying alongside him, clasped his hands behind his head and said,

["Maybe she’s so distracted she doesn’t even notice you calling?"]

“……”

That was actually quite plausible.

Despite acting dignified, Fiora was still a curious child, easily distracted.

“……Why are all my Contractors turns out to be kids?”

["You’re a kid yourself."]

At Kiran’s grumble, Leo sighed and focused again.

Then he began walking in the direction where Fiora’s energy was emanating from.

‘I’ll just have to go to her directly.’

bl

Fiora’s energy was coming from the western edge.

‘We’re in the east, so that’s the opposite side.’

Leo sighed as he headed deeper into the forest.

Along the way, he found students struggling with their wilderness training.

To put it simply, the Summoning students were utterly failing to adapt.

They screamed at bugs, or collapsed foaming at the mouth after eating poisonous mushrooms by mistake.

Even Eliza, the ace of the Summoning Department, was barely managing.

‘And how are they supposed to survive tomorrow?’

Clicking his tongue, Leo thought as he watched the students struggling before the real hardships even began.

But not every student was like that.

“You’re busy even at night, Plov.”

A huge student sat with arms crossed before a campfire, eyes closed. It was Walden.

Leo, had suppressed his presence, had stumbled upon him while moving.

Yet Walden spoke without even opening his eyes.

“I’ve got some business to take care of.”

Leo shrugged casually.

At that, Walden opened his eyes and looked toward the trees.

There were few students in Knight Department with a build like his.

At first glance he looked like the brawling type, but Walden was a sharp mind.

‘Didn’t he score second overall in the written exams for non-major subjects?’

First was obviously Chloe.

Not only that, but his knowledge of magic surpassed even most Magic Department students.

‘And he even has the sense to combine magic with elemental arts. He really is impressive.’

“I'm looking forward to this battle royale, Plov.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I’m going to defeat you.”

At Walden’s flat declaration, Leo smirked.

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Walden closed his eyes again at that answer.

Leo kicked off the branch and dashed through the forest.

Though he couldn’t use aura, he cut swiftly through the woods with his overwhelming physical ability.

He encountered several wild beasts, but none attacked.

That was because Kiran was perched on his shoulder.

Phantom beasts generally avoided provoking stronger beasts.

Crossing the forest swiftly, Leo reached the western edge.

The western part of the Island of Beasts was a field of gravel.

["Wow, pretty."]

Seeing the moonlit lake scenery, Kiran gasped.

There, at the water’s edge, Leo spotted Fiora crouched down, rummaging eagerly.

Splash–!

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

Holding the stone up in the moonlight, she let out a cry of delight.

It was a transparent crystal-like mana stone.

“So pretty! So pretty!”

Her eyes sparkling, Fiora examined it from all angles before popping it into her mouth with a gulp.

She rolled it around like candy, humming cheerfully, then crouched down again to search for more.

“…What are you doing?”

“Hmm? Leho, I’b jusht—”

“Swallow what’s in your mouth and then speak.”

Fiora crunched the mana stone with loud crackling, swallowed, then asked,

“Leo, what are you doing here?”

“Before that… were you seriously trying to eat every mana stone in this gravel field?”

This place was normally off-limits to students.

That was because this gravel field naturally produced mana stones.

Around elemental and phantom beast habitats, mana stones often formed in large amounts.

The power they released seeped into the ground and gathered, naturally creating mana stones.

Young elementals and phantom beasts absorbed them as energy to grow.

This gravel field served exactly that role.

Which was why students were barred—so they wouldn’t harvest the stones.

Yet Fiora was gobbling them all down.

Fiora turned her head and said,

“When you’re young, you’re supposed to eat a lot.”

["We top-class phantom beasts don’t even need mana stones to grow."]

Indeed, for a supreme phantom beast like a Phoenix, mana stones were no necessity.

At best, they just a tasty treat.

But hogging all the stones meant for other beasts and elementals was far from admirable.

“Don’t tell me you chased away all the other beasts and elementals just to hog them yourself?”

Even if her power was still weak, her Phoenix aura would scare off others.

“I didn’t go that far! I was going to share nicely!” Fiora protested.

["Share nicely? If you’re intimidating them with Phoenix’s power, there’s no way. You chick—! No, you pig!"]

“Who are you calling a pig?!”

["Hmph! Your attacks are still pathetic!"]

Angered, Fiora threw a stone, but Kiran snorted and dodged.

“Both of you, enough. Fiora, you said you told Kiran to investigate the east because something strange was happening?”

“Oh!”

Having forgotten that in the middle of eating mana stones, Fiora flinched.

["What the—! You acted all serious when you told me, and then you just forgot?"]

At fault, Fiora stammered and said nothing.

["Hah? Your memory’s totally chick-level, huh? Hah?"]

“S–Sorry.”

Thinking he’d found leverage, Kiran smugly tapped Fiora on the head.

["I’ll forgive you! But from now on, you have to call me Prince and treat me with respec—Ghk!"]

“You were the one who forgot your mission and just pranked students.”

Leo smacked Kiran flat with his palm.

“So, exactly what kind of disturbance is happening?”

“I don’t know for sure. Just… there’s this unpleasant energy faintly around the island.”

‘Unpleasant energy?’

Leo frowned.

If even a Phoenix with purifying power felt it unpleasant, it had to be corrupt energy.

‘During midterms, Tartaros stretched its hand toward the Summoning Department. Could it be connected?’

Just as Leo thought that—

Whoooo–!

Mist suddenly spread across the area.

Seeing it, Leo quickly grabbed Fiora and Kiran, pulling them behind a tree away from the gravel field.

This was no natural mist.

And the energy within it was familiar to Leo.

The black magic he had felt during the Summoning Department midterm.

‘That demonic summoner.’

Leo’s eyes sharpened.

Splash–

A demonic summoner appeared in the gravel field and waved his hand.

Vrrrm–!

The mana stones scattered across the ground reacted.

The summoner paused at their pitifully small number.

“What? Why are there so few mana stones here?”

["Because the pig ate them all."]

At Kiran’s remark, Fiora glared and grabbed him by the throat.

“Stop fighting. Get ready.”

Leo summoned his spiritual power.

Use of spiritual power had been forbidden over the weekend, but this wasn’t the time to care.

“They’re coming!”

Ziiiing–!

A huge summoning circle spread under Leo’s feet.

He leapt high into the air.

Rooooar–! Crunch!

A giant demon beast snapped its jaws, devouring the space where Leo had just been.

Whip–! Thud–!

Landing lightly, Leo fixed his eyes on the demon summoner.

“It seems you and I are deeply entangled, Leo Plov.”

At the cold words, Leo smiled with a deadly glint.

“Yeah. A cursed entanglement stretching back to my past life.”