Human Summon Confirmed

p "Taesan, you can't possibly be a summoner."

p "Youstia, I have no idea what you're talking about, but... You have to bring a summoner. Not a guardian."

p Professor Brand fiddled with his glasses in exasperation, furrowing his brows deeply.

p "Yes. I'm a summoner."

p Yustia answered without the slightest hesitation. Her voice was so calm it sounded almost unreal.

p "Youstia, this is going too far. The academy entrance exam isn't a joke. Even for the sake of the family honor..."

p Professor Brand's lecture was about to drag on, but Yustia reached out her hand palm toward him without a word.

p A hot sensation surged up my neck. Accompanied by intense heat, a red pattern began to glow brightly on my skin—the mark of the summoning contract.

p "No way!"

p Professor Brand's eyes nearly bulged out. With his jaw hanging slack, he alternated his gaze between the red light pouring from my neck and the glowing pattern on Yustia's palm.

p "You, Youstia! What on earth is this...!"

p He cried out in a voice full of shock, stumbling over his words.

p "I don't know how you did it, but... a contract of submission with a human? This is a serious ethical and legal problem! If this fact gets out, not only will the family's honor be tarnished, but it could even lead to my dismissal! What kind of reckless act is this...!"

p Professor Brand's face had turned completely pale. He seemed to view me as nothing more than a victim of illegal slave trading or a sacrifice to forbidden black magic.

p "No. The summoner that emerged from the summoning circle is correct."

p Yustia replied calmly without even blinking, despite Professor Brand's fuss.

p "It can't be! Is it even possible for a human to emerge from a summoning circle?"

p Professor Brand shook his head vigorously in disbelief, fixing his gaze on me. His eyes were a mixture of suspicion, confusion, and a trace of fear.

p "Are you... really the one who emerged from the summoning circle?"

p "Yes, I am."

p At my answer, Professor Brand clutched the back of his neck and staggered as if struck by shock. He closed his eyes tightly, as if trying ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to deny the reality, then opened them again.

p "Huh... Is it really true? Did you actually say that with your own mouth?"

p I nodded stiffly, barely moving my rigid neck.

p "Yes. I emerged from the summoning circle."

p Professor Brand looked me up and down with a face as pale as if he had seen a ghost. He readjusted his glasses with trembling hands.

p "This... is a major issue that must be reported to the academy. No, before that, how should we even handle this...?"

p He muttered in confusion, rummaging through the piles of documents on his desk. But his hands shook so violently that the papers rustled noisily.

p "Just a moment... Wait here for a second."

p Professor Brand pushed his chair back and stood up, almost fleeing. "I need to report to the higher-ups... No, I should consult with the dean first. This is beyond my authority." He backed away, eyes still wary of us.

p "Don't move a muscle there! Don't you dare move!"

p "Hmm... He was flustered, but as a professor, I didn't expect him to get so flustered. Forgetting his pride and all."

p Yustia ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scratched her cheek in mock embarrassment and gave an awkward laugh.

p I watched the retreating professor's back and raised an eyebrow. That guy had nearly tripped over the document pile earlier, and now he was stumbling around at the end of the corridor, unable to find the door.

p "Is everything okay?"

p "Huh? Well... I didn't lie, did I?"

p I asked, but Yustia pouted. Her eyes held a subtle pride and stubbornness.

p "Indeed, it would have been easier if Father came with me. With Father's authority, one word would have been enough."

p She paused, then let out a small sigh. "But Taesan, do you know how old I am now? Even when problems arise at the academy, if I keep hiding behind Father, won't people gossip behind our backs? 'The Rosehart young lady ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can't do anything alone.' 'Without Father, she can't even manage the summoner.' I don't want to hear those kinds of things."

p Her voice was firm. But I still couldn't shake off the unease. The professor's reaction had been far beyond simple surprise.

p "Still, seeing his reaction, it's more than just a simple issue. It might even become a legal problem for admission."

p "Aigoo! It's fine, okay?"

p Yustia lightly elbowed my side. "Are you worried? I'm more worried about Taesan falling over while measuring speed and getting disqualified. So don't worry. I'll handle it myself."

p She tried to act casually and smiled, but I noticed the tips of her hands clutching together had turned white. She was just as anxious as I was.

p The registration counter to our side was constantly ringing with the stamp of approval. Students were happily receiving their documents and entering the building.

p The line was getting shorter, and when the crowd behind us had mostly thinned out...

p "We'll be late..."

p I tapped the floor nervously with my toes.

p "Just come, take one look, and say 'Oh, I see' and move on, right?"

p My words were grumbling, but my insides were burning. Was there a chance I would be dragged away somewhere and frozen as the first human summoner case? Or locked to a lab bed and dissected by those crazy scientists? Just imagining it gave me chills down my spine.

p At that moment, footsteps echoed from the corridor.

p "Professor Brand. I truly don't understand what you're saying. You should just handle the registration process yourself. If it's against regulations, just send them back."

p The people approaching were two. The professor who had fled earlier and a middle-aged man with a belly, walking next to him with a look of annoyance.

p "No, the dean has to see it himself! This isn't something I can handle alone."

p Professor Brand's face was almost in tears. The man called the dean reluctantly took a step.

p Both of them stopped in front of us.

p "Ah, yes. This is Youstia. Nice to meet you. I'm the dean of Aethernoa Academy, Cocrac."

p Dean Cocrac's greeting was lukewarm, dripping with boredom.

p "Hello, Dean. It's an honor to meet you."

p Yustia bowed with perfect composure—the very image of a proper noble young lady from a prestigious family.

p "And..."

p Professor Brand swallowed hard and pointed tremblingly toward me. "The person standing behind me is a summoner."

p Dean Cocrac's gaze, which had been absentmindedly on me, stopped. "......What?"

p He blinked several times, as if trying to understand, and then looked alternately between Professor Brand and Yustia.

p In the suddenly cold atmosphere, Yustia stealthily extended her palm. Once again, red light flashed, and my neck burned. The mark of the summoning contract reappeared clearly.

p "Ha...?"

p Dean Cocrac opened his mouth in disbelief, unable to look away from the red pattern on my neck. "No... Why is this real...?"

p A sigh or groan escaped his lips.

p Professor Brand stamped his foot in frustration. "Why don't you believe me! I told you exactly what I saw. A contract was engraved on a human body!"

p But the dean's ears didn't hear the professor's wail. He was too captivated by the strange phenomenon before him, more curious and amazed than anything, like a child looking at a rare animal. He scanned us from head to toe.

p "So... Can we register?"

p Yustia asked cautiously, but the dean remained silent. His eyes kept returning insistently to the mark on my neck and Yustia's palm.

p "...So... You summoned this person?"

p "Yes. A week ago, from the highest-level summoning circle."

p At Yustia's answer, the dean staggered and gripped the edge of the desk. "Ha..."

p He wiped his forehead with a dry hand and slumped into his chair. His eyes stared blankly into space, losing focus, as if he had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heard the world's laws breaking.

p "For now... Register him, Professor."

p The dean's single heavy word cut through the air.

p "Y-You mean you approve the registration?"

p Professor Brand asked in utter shock. His eyes were shaking with disbelief.

p "Yes. The reason we hold the top academy position in the empire is..."

p Dean Cocrac slowly stood up. "We accept all those capable, regardless of origin, family, or species. We can be here because we embrace diversity. Even if it's an unprecedented heresy, if this human is truly a summoner, there's no reason to reject him."

p He shot me another sticky, persistent gaze.

p "For now, I must inform His Majesty the Emperor."

p The dean took a hasty step but stopped. He turned back and added, "Wait... Since you're human, you probably won't pass the practical exam anyway. But after the exam, please stay at the academy. There's something to confirm, and research value..."

p "No. I can pass."

p Yustia smiled boldly and retorted. But the dean had already turned his back and was hurrying out of the corridor. It seemed his ears hadn't heard Yustia's confident voice.

p Left alone was Professor Brand, who looked awkward and pulled at his hair.

p "Haa... I've lived long enough to see this all."

p With a deep sigh, he finally picked up the stamp.

p *Bang!* p The heavy stamp struck the documents with a thud.