Chapter 72

71

“A while ago, I heard that you both left the dormitory to investigate something. Why are you and Leo here, miss Lunia?”

Eiran’s question was answered by Leo.

“I’ve come to investigate the unusual event happening in the Fairy Forest.”

“At night? Did one of the teachers assign you this mission?”

“Not really. I just decided to follow this guy when I noticed him moving on his own.”

In front of others, Lunia usually addressed Leo as ‘Leo-kun,’ but in front of Eiran, it seemed she wasn’t putting on airs, and casually called him by his first name.

“In that case, I’d like to help too! This land has been protected by our ancestors for generations!”

Eiran clenched her fists tightly.

As the granddaughter of the president of the Elsalbekia Grand Council and the last descendant of the Fairy Knight Berkiya, such a reaction was only natural.

Seeing Eiran like that, Lunia whispered to Leo.

“Don’t bring up anything uncertain in front of Eiran.”

Leo smirked, knowing she must have been referring to the matter of Rauta.

“Got it.”

Having said that, Leo turned his gaze towards the Fairy Forest.

‘As expected, the curse grows stronger at night.’

The ominous aura of the curse, which could only be felt at the heart of the forest during the day, now reached the entrance.

Of course, it was a very subtle force.

Still, once they ventured closer to the center of the woods, both Lunia and Eiran would surely be able to sense the power of the curse.

“We should prepare a bit before heading in.”

“Huh? What kind of preparation?”

Leo spread his hand as Lunia looked at him curiously.

“In the name of the Vow Keeper, I summon thee.”

Fwoosh-!

A flame summoning circle emerged above Leo’s palm. Shortly after, a red bird appeared through the summoning circle.

With graceful wingbeats, Fiora emitted an aura of solemnity.

Peeowk-!

Of course, the moment her call came out, all the dignity she’d gathered with her graceful wingbeats vanished in an instant.

Fiora turned to Leo, flaunting her appearance before him.

‘It’s like she’s asking, “How do I look?”’ but Leo’s expression remained unimpressed.

No matter how graceful her wingbeats or how dignified her demeanor, to Leo, Fiora was simply a red chick.

Upon seeing his disinterested reaction, Fiora squawked her discontent.

And with that, she looked even more chick-like.

“That’s a cute familiar, isn’t it? What kind of familiar is that, Miss Lunia?”

Eiran looked on in amazement at the adorable Fiora and asked, but Lunia didn’t reply. Instead, she turned to the side—and saw Lunia shivering.

“Miss Lunia?”

“Fi-Ora!”

Peeowk-?

Terrified at Lunia’s sudden charge, Fiora hastily took refuge above Leo’s head.

“How could someone be born so beautifully! Fiora! It’s me! Me! It’s your sister, Lunia! Don’t you remember? Right?”

With her hands clasped together, Lunia’s eyes sparkled as she gazed upon Fiora. Fiora responded with a cautionary look, to which Lunia’s face fell in shock.

“What does she remember about events from so long ago?”

With a click of his tongue, Leo took out a few pieces of cookie from his pocket and placed them in his palm.

Peeowk-

Fiora flew onto Leo’s palm and elegantly pecked at the chocolate part of the cookie with her beak, then knocked the rest of the cookie off his palm, letting it fall.

Seeing this, Leo let out an expression of disbelief.

“This chick is getting pickier by the day.”

After picking only the chocolate, Fiora squawked, seemingly asking for more.

“I have treats too!”

Lunia quickly pulled out a piece of chocolate from her pocket.

Fiora instantly flitted over to her palm and started pecking at the chocolate.

“Hwooo!”

With the other hand, Lunia cupped her cheeks.

“This noble posture! The movement carries such gravitas! Ah, it’s beautiful!”

‘She looks like just any chick to me. I don’t know what Professor Yura sees in her, or why Lunia’s behaving like this… Are summoners these days just deluded?’

While observing Lunia going gaga over Fiora, Eiran cautiously asked,

“Leo, what kind of familiar is that?”

“It’s a Phoenix.”

“A Phoenix? Leo, are you a Phoenix Contractor?”

“Kind of.”

Smiling faintly at Eiran’s shock, Leo summoned another familiar.

“In the name of the Vow Keeper, I summon thee.”

However, even though the summoning circle appeared, the familiar seemed unwilling to come.

“Doesn’t he want to come out?”

At Leo’s question, something popped out of the summoning circle.

A very tiny piece of paper simply read [It’s cold].

Without hesitation, Leo shoved his hand into the summoning circle and forcibly dragged out Kiran.

[This princely figure is a Fairy Prince! Such rudeness! Unforgivable…]

Before Kiran could finish his nonsense, Leo tossed him into the snow, grinding him underfoot.

“Fairy? Leo, you’ve even made a pact with a fairy?”

“Kind of.”

“Th-That’s amazing!”

‘For a first-year to be a Contractor to both a Phoenix and a Fairy!’

Admiration filled Eiran’s eyes.

“Fairy?”

Lunia, who was previously oohing and aahing over Fiora, squatted in front of Kiran.

The slightly ragged Kiran smirked when he saw Lunia.

[What is it? Have you lost your senses looking at my royal presence?]

“No wings? Is this some kind of fairy variant?”

[Variant?! How dare you make such an impolite statement about this body!]

“Leo, while it’s good to have contracted with a fairy, which is on par with the Phoenix as a high-ranking familiar, isn’t it a bit strange to be dealing with this kind of variant? It might tarnish Fiora’s dignity.”

[Hahas! Your chicken will tarnish my dignity before anything else!]

“What did you say?”

Peeowk- Peeowk-

‘This prince complex, octopus-like nature, and childishness… It’s chaos.’

As Leo sighed at the unexpected chain reaction between the three, he said,

“Stop gabbing and get ready. We’re moving out.”

With that, both Fiora and Kiran settled on Leo’s shoulder.

Lunia tied her long red hair into a ponytail for convenience as Eiran pulled out a sword and shield from her subspace, her face tense.

“So where are we going?”

After Lunia had finished organizing her hair, Leo glared at the forest and said,

“The very core.”

“It seems they’ve uncovered us.”

“What?”

At his words, Lauro raised his hood, and Kartgor, a d*ath Knight, frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

“Intruders have appeared. They seem to be hero candidates.”

At that statement, Rauta scoffed.

“So let the knights deal with them. Isn’t that why we’re here?”

“Hmm. That’s true. However, whelp, are you treating the great Demon King’s knights as mere servants?”

Seeing Kartgor’s displeasure, Rauta smirked.

“You’ve forgotten that the great Demon King himself chose me!”

Rauta held up his hand, displaying a black ring.

“A Demon Tool imbued with Erebos’s power! Given to guide me to become a hero by your great leader himself!”

Crimson eyes glimmered from under the hood as Kartgor’s gaze sharpened.

“Got it. Stop with the chatter and deal with the intruders already.”

“Hmm.”

Kartgor disappeared into the darkness with a low chuckle.

Seeing this, Rauta grimaced in disgust.

“Stinking Undead freak.”

With that, he began to draw a summoning circle.

‘Just wait. Soon, I’ll no longer need the filthy help of these Tartarus bastards!’

During the last break,

When he obtained the ring that was said to draw out hidden potential, he was ecstatic.

But when he realized it was a Demon Tool, he was plunged into despair.

‘I thought I was doomed. But it was an opportunity!’

The mysterious demon who proclaimed himself the legendary Legion Commander, the Demon King Hel Kaiser, personally instructed Rauta in magic.

It was a magic spell that had long been lost and forgotten.

Rauta believed this to be his chance to become a hero.

‘I’m using them to become a greater being!’

Rauta’s eyes gleamed with madness.

‘If I can just get the power of the First Ancestor beyond this… No one will be able to look down on me ever again!’