Chapter 164
Chapter Title: Intruder in the Great Library
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At Leo's words, the Pegasus, Arti, narrowed her eyes.
[Who are you? We haven't even formed a contract, so how did you exert influence over me?]
Reverting from her polymorphed state to her original form wasn't her own will; it was due to Leo's power.
A summoner could exert some influence over their summoned beast.
But that was only after a contract had been established.
Leo had summoned Arti through the summoning circle Shasha had created, but that was all he had done—summoned her.
They were not in a contractual state.
Arti was still the Pegasus of the Rodren Imperial Family.
Yet Leo had forcibly intervened in the bond and seized command.
A situation where a being other than her contractor was controlling her.
For a high-tier summoned beast like a Pegasus, it could have been an unpleasant situation.
But for Arti, curiosity outweighed any such feelings.
“A provisional contract leaves an opening, doesn't it? I just exploited that gap.”
[It's not impossible, but... I find it hard to believe a mere teenage human boy managed it.]
“That's because I'm exceptionally talented.”
Leo shrugged.
Watching him, Arti, who had been squinting, nodded her head.
[Well, having a unique experience might not be so bad. Shasha, I'll lend this boy my power for a moment... Shasha?]
Arti looked at Shasha with a puzzled expression, which then turned to shock.
Leo's face hardened as well.
Shasha was frozen, her face locked in a look of surprise.
Examining Shasha, who was frozen as if time had stopped, Leo muttered.
“A curse.”
Even for Leo, who had encountered all sorts of curses while navigating the Age of Calamity, this was a type he had never seen before.
‘A newly created curse?’
Narrowing his eyes, Leo ran to Arti.
And without hesitation, he mounted her saddle.
“Pardon me.”
[Wait! Who said you could just get on like that...!]
“The situation is urgent. It might be unpleasant, but please bear with me for now.”
Leo reached out and gently stroked the nape of Arti's neck.
[Hnn?]
For a moment, Arti's body shuddered.
“Ah, sorry. Force of habit.”
As someone who had contracted with a Pegasus in his Kyle days, Leo felt a strange sense of deep emotion upon being on a Pegasus's back once more.
[Stroking a lady's body so carelessly.]
“Sorry.”
Arti was a little surprised by the natural way Leo's hands took the reins.
[Have you ever handled a Pegasus before?]
Having charged through countless battlefields with a Pegasus in his past life, his touch was very familiar.
“First time in this life.”
[Then why are you so familiar with it?]
Surprised, Arti introduced herself.
[Let me finish my introduction. My name is Arti, and you are?]
“Leo Flove.”
[A pleasure, Leo Flove. It'll only be for a short while, but since the situation seems dire, I'll lend you my strength.]
Arti snorted and impatiently pawed at the ground with her foreleg.
[So? Who's the enemy? Judging by Shasha's state, it looks like Tartaros?]
“Correct. They've infiltrated Lumerne's Great Library.”
[In Lumerne? Must be an unusual demon.]
Arti's lips curled into a smirk.
[Alright. But listen, kid. It's fine for you to ride my back and fight with me, but can you handle me? I'm not fond of entrusting myself to a subpar rider.]
Leo smiled at Arti as she asked, spreading her wings.
“Once you get used to me, you won't be able to let anyone else on your back.”
[Hmph? Quite confident, aren't you? The only one who ever satisfied me was the first emperor of Rodren.]
Arti chuckled.
[Well, riding an ambitious, arrogant brat doesn't sound too bad. Alright then, let's go!]
Whoosh-!
Bzzzzzt-!
As Arti fully spread her wings, a powerful storm of white sparks erupted.
Kraang-!
At the same time, Arti burst through the door and out of the room.
Bzzzt-!
Simultaneously, gray sparks swirled from Leo's hand.
[Lightning Aura?]
Arti was surprised.
[You can handle Aura and you summoned me at your age? Not bad, are you?]
Even if he had summoned her through a circle opened by Shasha, a summoning was a summoning.
On top of that, Arti estimated that Leo's spiritual power was far less than Shasha's.
Yet he could use Aura on top of that.
[You handle the lightning attribute so freely. This could be a good match.]
Lightly impressed, Arti ascended to the very top of the Great Library under Leo's guidance.
Reaching the high ceiling of the Great Library, Leo narrowed his eyes and looked down.
‘It's similar to the Curse of Severance.’
The Great Library itself was cut off from the outside world.
But it was slightly different.
‘The space itself is different.’
It was similar to the World of Heroes.
Of course, it was fundamentally different.
While the World of Heroes was the creation of an entire world, this was merely a state where this specific space was separated from the outside.
‘Is this the concept of a sub-dimension?’
A technique that creates a small, new dimension within the original world.
It couldn't affect the original dimension, but there was nothing more covert for traversing between spaces.
Originally, only the caster should have been able to enter this space, but Leo was here now.
‘To be precise, it's not that only the caster can enter, but it's structured so that anyone who recognizes the nature of the curse can enter.’
If Leo hadn't recognized it, he would have been caught in the curse and wouldn't have known such a space existed.
‘I understand the principle. But if this guy is capable of using such a high-concept curse, he's going to be a real headache.’
As Leo tensely scanned the frozen interior of the Great Library.
Flash-!
From behind a desk below, a dark red light split into multiple streams.
Noticing it, Leo pulled on the reins.
K-k-k-k-kraang-!
Bullets of dark red magic flew toward Leo and Arti.
Whoosh-!
Arti shot through the interior of the Great Library at incredible speed.
The speed of a Pegasus, which boasted the fastest velocity among all summoned beasts, was literally like lightning.
Bzzzt-!
The sight of Arti, wreathed in lightning and illuminating the darkness, was truly a spectacle.
Whoooosh-!
She dodged all of the magic bullets.
However, the magic bullets that Leo and Arti had dodged changed direction and pursued Leo.
‘A tracking function.’
Leo glanced back before looking forward again.
Whoosh-!
A tall bookshelf appeared before them.
Leo easily cleared the bookshelf.
Kra-kaang-!
But the magic bullets paid it no mind, smashing through the bookshelf in pursuit.
Seeing that, Leo spoke.
“Faster.”
[What? We'll crash into something, won't we? I don't mind, but it'll hurt you.]
“It doesn't matter. Just move as I direct you.”
[Fine, I get it. Just don't regret it.]
Arti sighed and increased her speed even more.
A formidable pressure from the wind could be felt.
He could feel the obstacles in front of them approaching at an unimaginable speed.
Leo controlled Arti using the reins.
As she moved according to Leo's commands, Arti's eyes filled with astonishment.
‘His reaction speed is incredible!’
She had never dreamed there could be a rider who could give perfect instructions at such a speed.
‘His skill as a rider might be even greater than the first Rodren Emperor's. What kind of kid is this?’
Leo's red eyes flashed as he tracked the demon's movements within the complex interior of the Great Library.
As expected of one who could use such a powerful curse, the enemy was very strong and also stealthy.
But Leo located the enemy without much difficulty.
Bzzzt-!
In an instant, a magic circle unfolded from Leo's hand.
Seeing it, Arti let out a scream of shock.
[Magic? Weren't you a Summoned Knight?!]
Having seen Leo use Aura just moments before and assuming he was a Summoned Knight who handled Aura and summoned beasts, Arti couldn't help but scream in shock upon seeing him use magic as well.
“Nope, I'm an All-Class.”
[An All-Class?!]
While Arti wore a shocked expression, Leo used the completed spell on her horn.
“Chain Lightning!”
Bzzzzzzzt-!
Intense sparks flew.
Seeing it, Arti's eyes widened.
‘He fused spiritual power and magic?’
If so, the spell's power would surely be enhanced to an extraordinary degree.
‘This arrogant brat is using me as a magic amplifier?’
Letting out a hollow laugh, Arti nonetheless fired the Chain Lightning backward.
K-k-k-k-krak-!
Transformed into a spell of immense power, the Chain Lightning destroyed the pursuing dark magic.
“There!”
[Got it!]
Arti increased her speed even more, chasing the enemy.
Just then, a giant summoning circle appeared in mid-air, and a golem of blood took form.
[A Blood Golem? How arrogant! You think you can stop me with a lump of blood like this?]
With a disdainful expression, Arti spread both wings wide.
Bzzzt! Kra-ka-ka-ka-ka-ka-kaang-!
Intense sparks began to fly from the magical armor she wore.
The still-young Piora.
And unlike Kiruan who had lost his wings, Arti was one of the three great summoned beasts in a truly complete state.
Unlike the other two who needed Leo's support, Arti was a powerful summoned beast who possessed great strength on her own.
However, in response to Arti's power, giant bones began to form inside the Blood Golem's body.
Along with that, flesh sprouted all over its body.
‘A fusion.’
It's a fusion of a Bone Golem and a Flesh Golem, with the Blood Golem as the base.
‘The materials used for the fusion... are they from a Gigantes?’
Facing the golem made from the corpse of the strongest magical beast, Leo stirred his spiritual power.
Bzzzzzt-!
Whoosh-!
In that instant, Arti's wings grew even larger.
Seeing this, Arti's eyes widened.
‘This kid...? He awakened my latent abilities?’
Awakening the latent abilities of a summoned beast that is already an adult.
Unlike simply drawing out the potential of a growing beast, this was a powerful and difficult technique that unearthed hidden power the beast itself was unaware of.
It was literally impossible without the overwhelming competence of a master summoner.
K-k-k-k-krak-!
Tracing a path of white light, Arti punched a hole through the golem's chest and charged toward the enemy's back.
At that moment.
Whoosh-!
The demon vanished.
Kra-ka-ka-kaang-!
With that, the curse was lifted, and a loud noise echoed through the Great Library.
“What's going on!”
“Who is causing a disturbance in the Great Library!”
The murderous voices of the librarians could be heard.
[Just who in the world are...]
“Let's talk later.”
Sensing people approaching, Leo sent Arti back to where she came from.
If it became known that Leo had summoned a Pegasus, things would get complicated.
After sending Arti back, Leo looked up.
He narrowed his eyes at the door in front of him.
‘This place is...?’
***
Having used his abilities in the Great Library in the middle of the night, Leo was escorted to the Tower of Heroes as if being taken into custody.
Using abilities in the Great Library was not a simple violation of school rules.
It was an act serious enough that expulsion wouldn't be out of the question.
Fortunately, the only students studying in the Great Library that night were Leo and Shasha.
Shasha accompanied Leo to the Tower of Heroes as a witness.
“Please enter, Student Leo Flove.”
The headmaster's secretary, Elena, said in a cold voice.
After a brief glance at Elena, Leo entered the headmaster's office.
Shasha tried to follow him in.
“Princess Shasha, please wait here.”
Stopped by Elena, Shasha made a displeased face but soon nodded.
She too realized the gravity of the situation.
‘This is bad. Did he summon a Pegasus and cause it to rampage? But then... how did I suddenly find myself back outside, as if everything just vanished?’
Shasha, too, was feeling very confused.
Leo went straight into the headmaster's office.
Inside the office were three people.
Headmaster Kalian, Vice Headmaster Liven.
And the professor in charge of the Lumerne Great Library, who was known for being strict.
Brian.
“Care to explain yourself, Leo Flove! The reason why you dared to commit such a grave offense, breaking the rules in the sacred Great Library!”
Brian shouted in an agitated voice, stroking his white beard.
Seeing this, Leo scratched his cheek.
“It was a mistake.”
“A mistake? You call that a mistake!”
Sparks flew from Brian's eyes.
Just as the furious Brian was about to yell again.
“Calm yourself for a moment, Professor Brian.”
“H-Headmaster!”
“I understand why you're angry, but the Vice Headmaster and I will speak with Student Leo first. We will decide on the level of disciplinary action afterward.”
At those words, Brian nodded and left the office.
He clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘He's the class representative, I don't know what he was thinking. This disciplinary action will be a huge blow to him.’
Whether intentional or accidental, Brian thought this incident could not simply be overlooked.
After he left, the three of them remained, and Kalian spoke while stroking his beard.
“There's no need for pleasantries between us. I'll ask you directly, Student Leo.”
Kalian narrowed his eyes.
“Was it Tartaros?”
“Yes.”
“Did you happen to discover their objective?”
“I couldn't determine the objective, but it seemed certain that their target was the World of Heroes.”
“The World of Heroes?”
“Yes. It seemed the fiend was after the Hall of Heroes.”