Chapter 018
Chapter Title: Practical Exam
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“You said your name was Chen Xia, right?”
“That’s right. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Leo Flove. Feel free to call me Xia.”
“You can drop the formalities too.”
“Then I’ll call you Young Master Leo.”
Chen Xia spoke in a friendly tone, her eyes curving into a gentle smile.
“I didn’t know you had a knack for summoning too. What’s your specialization, Young Master Leo?”
“For now, I’m aiming for Spirit Arts.”
“Then I guess we’ll be seeing each other often.”
Smiling brightly, Chen Xia held out her palm.
*Shwaaa-!*
Small droplets of water gathered, and a lesser water spirit, an Undine, appeared.
“What kind of spirit have you contracted with, Young Master Leo?”
“I haven’t made a contract yet.”
Chen Xia nodded.
If it were his major, it would be a different story.
Among students who chose it as a minor, there were quite a few who hadn’t made a contract and only possessed spiritual power and spirit affinity.
Chen Xia assumed Leo was one of those cases.
“If you need any advice on spirit summoning later, just let me know. I’ll help you out.”
It seemed she had a personality that enjoyed helping others.
“I’ll take you up on that.”
“Ahem. And how old are you, Young Master Leo?”
“Fifteen.”
“Then I’m older than you. I’m seventeen.”
*Seventeen?*
Leo looked at Chen Xia with a strange expression.
The eligible age for admission to Lumerne was from fourteen to seventeen, so it wasn't unusual.
However, Chen Xia had a small frame and a very youthful face.
*I'd believe it if you told me she was the same age as Chelsea, but she's two years older?*
“Young Master Leo, you were just thinking something rude about me, weren't you?”
Looking at Chen Xia, who was squinting her eyes, Leo answered nonchalantly.
“No.”
“I think you were.”
As Chen Xia continued to eye him suspiciously, class began.
Unlike the previous Knighthood class, the Summoning class was noticeably smaller.
But even after a considerable amount of time had passed since the class was supposed to start, the professor showed no sign of arriving.
“It feels like the professor should be here by now, but they're not coming.”
As Chen Xia made a puzzled face, Leo looked up at the sky.
“They're here.”
At his words, Chen Xia also looked up at the sky.
A huge wyvern was descending, flapping its wings.
*Whoosh-!*
Reaching the ground, the wyvern flapped its wings and landed.
“Wow! A Black Wyvern!”
“That’s a high-tier summoned beast!”
The students cheered at the appearance of a rare beast that was hard to see even once in a lifetime.
A person dismounted from the Black Wyvern's back.
The female professor, who looked to be about 170cm tall, had gray hair reaching her back, tied carelessly into a single ponytail, giving her a wild look.
Her tight leather clothes blatantly showed off her voluptuous figure, and a leather whip hung from her waist.
“Nice to meet you, first-year chicks! My name is Yura Marnin! I'm the professor who will be teaching you Summoning for the next year!”
“It's an honor to meet you, Professor Yura!”
The students greeted her in unison.
In response, Professor Yura crossed her arms and nodded.
As her ample chest shifted, a few male students blushed.
“Where are the assistant professor and the TAs!”
At Professor Yura's shout, a man who appeared to be the assistant professor came running in a hurry.
“P-Professor. Everything is ready.”
“What took you so long, Assistant Professor!”
“It's because you suddenly changed the class schedule!”
“Stop whining! It's not the first or second time my schedule has been all over the place! You should always be prepared!”
“Ugh! That's so unreasonable!”
The assistant professor, Carlo, looked miserable.
*She's completely unreasonable.*
Leo, along with all the other students, thought the same thing.
Could they really learn anything properly under a professor like this?
Of course, a few male students were too busy gawking at Professor Yura with dopey expressions.
“Anyway, you're saying the preparations are done, right?”
“Yes.”
“Good, you brats. I take it everyone here has some talent as a summoner, right?”
Professor Yura's expression turned serious.
“If there are any students who are thinking of minoring in Summoning with some half-baked talent, I'll give you some advice.”
A dangerous glint shone in her eyes.
“Get out right now.”
Despite her words, no student moved.
There was no way students who had passed the entrance exam would get scared and leave the class over something like this.
“No one? Then I'll take that to mean you're all prepared. Everyone, move out.”
Chen Xia raised her hand.
“Where are we going?”
“Where else.”
Professor Yura grinned and pointed in one direction with her finger.
There, the TAs were leading a flock of gryphons.
“To the practical training grounds.”
***
The students, riding the gryphons in pairs, let out cheers.
Flying summoned beasts are rare.
They are that much harder to summon, so the majority of aspiring Summoning students had never ridden a gryphon before.
“I'm so glad I came to Lumerne!”
“I'll be able to contract a beast like this soon, right?”
The students were filled with dreams.
“Hey! Switch now! It's my turn to steer!”
“Ah! Just a little longer!”
After ten minutes, the first-years were bickering over who would hold the gryphon's reins.
“This is quite fun.”
Chen Xia, holding the gryphon's reins, also spoke in an excited tone.
“You should be careful.”
“Hmm?”
“Gryphons are difficult beasts for first-time riders to handle.”
“But it's so docile and obedient.”
“That's because it's wary of the professor right now.”
Leo said, glancing at the back of Professor Yura, who was riding her Black Wyvern at the head of the group.
“Well, given that professor's personality, I doubt she'll keep the gryphons suppressed for long.”
*Kiiiaaak-!*
“Ugh?”
As soon as Leo's words ended, the gryphons began to roar.
It wasn't just the gryphon Leo and Chen Xia were on.
The gryphons, which had been submissive to the students until now, began to rampage as if they had never been docile.
Chen Xia panicked and pulled on the reins, but it showed no signs of being controlled.
“Aah! It's not listening!”
“What's wrong with it all of a sudden!”
“Professor! Help me~!”
The other students also fell into a panic.
Professor Yura, riding her Black Wyvern, cackled.
“Can you even call yourselves Lumerne students if you can't handle a simple gryphon? Go on, try to control them!”
“Th-That's! Kyaaah-!”
With a panicked expression, Chen Xia's hands were yanked forward by the gryphon's strength.
Her bottom also lifted halfway off the saddle.
But, as befitting a Knighthood major, she immediately regained her balance.
Frowning, Chen Xia tightened her grip, about to get into a real struggle of strength.
Leo wrapped his right arm around Chen Xia's waist and pulled her toward him.
“Ugh? Young Master Leo? How bold of you to...!”
“Gryphons are proud creatures. They'll rampage even more if you try to overpower them with force.”
Leo took the reins with his left hand and pulled gently.
The rampaging gryphon, which had been yanking wildly at the reins, faltered at the familiar touch handling it.
Then, it began to calm down.
*It's well-trained, so it's easy to handle.*
For a first-timer, it was difficult, but for an experienced rider, there was no easier flying beast to handle.
Seeing that, Chen Xia wore a look of wonder.
“Young Master Leo. Have you handled a gryphon before?”
“No. This is my first time in this life.”
At his words, Chen Xia turned her head back and stared intently at Leo's face.
Leo looked back at her with a 'what?' expression.
“It seems you're telling the truth.”
Turning her gaze forward again, Chen Xia tilted her head.
“Then how are you so good at handling a gryphon? Is there some special secret?”
“I just studied the textbook.”
“Hmm! I see you have the skills to back up that provocation at the entrance ceremony.”
Chen Xia burst into laughter, as if she was pleased.
Leo paid her no mind and pulled Chen Xia in closer.
“I'm going to pick up the pace, so don't fall off. Stick close.”
“Aren't you being a little too forward with an older lady?”
“Older lady? Ah. Sorry.”
“And rude on top of that.”
Squinting, Chen Xia pinched the back of Leo's hand that was wrapped around her waist.
But realizing Leo had no ulterior motives, she comfortably leaned her back against his chest.
Once she was settled, Leo shouted.
“Let's go!”
Leo pulled the reins, and with a *PIEEEEEEK-!*, the gryphon roared and soared high into the air.
“Ooh-!”
Chen Xia let out a cry of admiration at the movement, which was clearly different from when she held the reins.
“Well, look at that.”
Professor Yura's eyes lit up as well.
“For a student, he's incredibly skilled at handling a gryphon. Who is that kid?”
“Let me see... that would be student Leo Flove.”
“Leo Flove? The student representative? I heard he was aiming for the Knighthood Department.”
“Indeed. He won his match against the Central region's top student, Duran Moira, in the previous class.”
“A kid like that can handle a gryphon so well? Does he own a personal gryphon or something?”
“No, he comes from a noble family in a small kingdom, but they're not prominent enough to own a gryphon.”
Carlo answered diligently while looking at the student roster.
“In that case... it must be talent, right?”
Professor Yura's eyes sparkled as she licked her lips with her tongue.
“With that level of skill, he could major in Summoning instead of Knighthood.”
“Professor, I understand how you feel, but the Knighthood Department professors won't just stand by.”
“What are they going to do about it? Students with talent in knighthood are a dime a dozen, but not in Summoning. And besides, he hasn't even chosen a major yet, right?”
Professor Yura gave a belligerent smile.
Watching her, Carlo wore an uneasy expression.
*Ah, I hope nothing comes of this.*
The place they arrived at after riding the gryphons was a large island in Lake Lumeria.
The massive Lake Lumeria, large enough to be mistaken for a sea, had several islands like this one.
That's why they were often used as practical training grounds.
“Hup.”
Chen Xia dismounted from the gryphon with agile movements.
As Leo got off, the gryphon rubbed its beak against his cheek.
Leo, who was reaching for a berry to give the gryphon, paused.
A large, gray feather on a tree branch had caught his eye.
*This is...?*
“Young Master Leo, what's wrong?”
“It's nothing.”
Leo tucked the feather into his clothes.
In the meantime, the other students also arrived on the island.
“Ugh!”
“Th-That was ridiculously hard.”
“I think I'm gonna puke... *Urp!*”
Most of the students were exhausted just from riding the gryphons.
Of course, there were some who were perfectly fine.
The prime example was the top student from the Southern exam, Woreden Tiden.
And a female student with a slightly arrogant air also seemed fine.
She was filing her nails, looking at the other students with a pathetic expression.
The two of them handled the gryphons as skillfully as Leo.
*Woreden, Eliza. These two will definitely be the aces of this year's first-year Summoning class!*
Yura's eyes shone as she looked at the two students.
“There are a few students with outstanding taming abilities. How long are you going to lie around! Everyone, assemble!”
As the satisfied Professor Yura shouted, the students hastily gathered.
Looking at the lined-up students, Professor Yura grinned slyly.
“Today, we'll be having a practical exam!”