Chapter 088
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Kiruan flew through the forest, thrilled.
This mischievous fairy found it amusing to tease the students.
[Hahaha! You fool! You think I'd be caught by a flimsy butterfly net like that?]
Having thoroughly teased another first-year, Kiruan hummed a tune.
[Now, which fool should I target next?]
*Swoosh-!*
[......?]
A net flew in out of nowhere and snatched Kiruan.
Caught in a flimsy butterfly net in the blink of an eye, Kiruan wore a dazed expression.
[Huh?]
Kiruan's eyes met Leo's, and his face filled with terror.
“I sent you here to stay quiet, not to cause trouble, you know?”
[I-It's a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding! There's a reason I'm here... Gack!]
Leo, gripping Kiruan tightly, asked.
“And what reason is that?”
[I was investigating because it seems like something strange is happening on this island!]
“What?”
Leo looked surprised.
That night.
After the sun had set, Leo asked while eating fruits he had gathered from around the island.
“So, you're saying the magical beasts on this island have become violent, and you were sent to investigate?”
[That's right.]
“For someone investigating, you seemed to be having a lot of fun teasing the Lumerne students.”
Though he had lost his power as the Fairy Prince, Kiruan was still a fairy.
Moreover, he had regained a pair of wings and recovered some of his strength.
He was a magical beast that not only the first-years but even the second-years couldn't find.
And yet, the day after Kiruan arrived on the island, rumors about a fairy spread like wildfire.
[That's because!]
“Because?”
[The students' reactions when they discovered my magnificent self were just too amusing!]
“So you're saying you forgot your original purpose and were just messing around?”
Leo, who had tied Kiruan up with vines and hung him upside down over the campfire, was lost in thought.
'A disturbance on the Magical Beast Island?'
This island was practically Pirina's territory.
There was no way she wouldn't have noticed a disturbance.
“What about Pirina? Why did she send you?”
[That phoenix, Pirina, isn't on the island right now! Let me go! Let me go!]
Kiruan struggled and said urgently.
“She's not on the island?”
[That's right! She's been gone since you sent us here three days ago! She left a letter saying she was returning to her contractor for a few days...! Agh!]
*Fwoosh-!*
Kiruan caught on fire.
Kiruan barely managed to escape and rolled around on the ground to put out the flames on his body.
“How did you know there was a disturbance in the forest?”
[Piora told me.]
“Piora?”
Leo stroked his chin.
Indeed, as Pirina's daughter, Piora was essentially the second-in-command on this island.
Though still young and weak, she could certainly sense changes happening in the forest.
'Is it really a coincidence that this disturbance occurred while Pirina was away?'
Leo narrowed his eyes and stood up.
'First, I need to find Piora.'
Summoning her would be the easiest way, but he was in the middle of a practical class.
If he used his spiritual power when no one else was using summoning, he'd be caught immediately.
'It would be a pain if Piora's identity was revealed.'
Currently, the only people at Lumerne who knew Leo was a Phoenix's contractor were Professor Yura of the Summoning Department and Principal Kalian.
Leo focused his mind and called out to Piora.
'Piora.'
He could communicate with high-ranking magical beasts even from a great distance.
As her contractor, they were connected mentally.
However, Piora didn't respond to Leo's call.
'Piora? Answer if you can hear me.'
“What is she doing that she's not answering?”
Leo frowned at Piora's continued silence.
Kiruan flew up beside Leo, clasped his hands behind his head, and said.
[Isn't she probably distracted and doesn't even know you're calling?]
“……”
That was a very plausible explanation.
Despite pretending to be mature, Piora was a curious child who got distracted very easily.
“……My contractors are all children.”
[Says the kid.]
Leo sighed at Kiruan's grumbling and focused his mind.
Then, he started walking in the direction where he could feel Piora's power.
'I have no choice but to go find her myself.'
***
The direction he felt Piora's power from was the western edge of the island.
'We're on the eastern side of the island now, so it's on the opposite end.'
Sighing, Leo headed deeper into the forest.
There, he encountered students participating in the wilderness survival experience.
To put it bluntly, the Summoning Department students were not adapting to the wild at all.
Incidents like screaming at the sight of a bug or collapsing and foaming at the mouth after eating a poisonous mushroom were happening one after another.
Even Eliza, the ace of the Summoning Department, was struggling to adapt properly.
'I wonder what they'll do starting tomorrow.'
The real hardship hadn't even begun, yet the students were already struggling. Leo clicked his tongue.
Of course, not all students were like that.
“You're busy late at night, Flove.”
Woreden, a student with a massive build, said this with his eyes closed and arms crossed in front of a campfire.
Leo had been moving with his presence concealed when he ran into him by chance.
Despite that, Woreden spoke without even opening his eyes.
“I've got some urgent business.”
Leo shrugged nonchalantly.
At his words, Woreden opened his eyes and looked up into the trees.
Even among the Knight Department, few students had a build similar to Woreden's.
He looked like he would be a tough fighter, but in reality, Woreden was quite the intellectual.
'His written exam scores for general subjects outside his major were second in the entire year, right?'
Chloe was first.
In addition, his knowledge of magic was more extensive than that of most Magic Department students.
'And he even has the sense to combine magic with spirit arts. He's certainly impressive.'
“I'll be looking forward to this battle royale, Flove.”
“And that means?”
“It means I'm going to defeat you.”
Leo let out a small laugh at Woreden's deadpan declaration of war.
“I'll be looking forward to it.”
Hearing his reply, Woreden closed his eyes.
Leo kicked off a branch and dashed away.
He couldn't use Aura, but he swiftly traversed the forest using his overwhelming physical abilities.
He encountered a few wild magical beasts along the way, but none of them attacked.
That was because Kiruan was on Leo's shoulder.
Magical beasts had a strong tendency not to challenge other beasts stronger than themselves.
Cutting through the forest at high speed, Leo was able to reach the western edge.
On the west side of the Magical Beast Island, a gravel field stretched out.
[Wow, it's pretty.]
Kiruan marveled at the beautiful lakeside scenery, reflecting the moon and stars.
Leo spotted Piora squatting by the water's edge, diligently rummaging through something.
*Splash-!*
Piora picked up a small pebble from the water and stood up.
Then she held the stone in her hand up to the moonlight and let out a gasp of admiration.
It was a magic stone in the form of a transparent crystal.
“So pretty, so pretty!”
Her eyes sparkling, Piora examined the magic stone from all angles before popping it into her mouth.
She rolled it around in her mouth like candy, humming a tune, then squatted back down and started searching for more magic stones.
“……What are you doing?”
“Hmm? Leo, what brings you here?”
“Swallow what's in your mouth before you speak.”
Piora crunched down on the magic stone in her mouth, swallowed it, and then asked.
“Leo, what are you doing here?”
“Before we get to that… were you finding and eating every single magic stone in this gravel field?”
This area was originally off-limits to students.
That was because this gravel field was a place where magic stones formed naturally.
Near the ecosystems of magical beasts and spirits, there are areas where large quantities of magic stones are generated.
The power they emit seeps into the ground and gathers in specific places, where magic stones then naturally form in large amounts.
Young spirits and magical beasts absorb these magic stones as a source of energy for their growth.
On the Magical Beast Island, this gravel field served that very purpose.
That's why access was restricted, to prevent students from harvesting the magic stones.
And yet, Piora was in the middle of finding and eating all of them.
Piora turned her head away sharply and said.
“It's normal to eat a lot when you're young.”
[High-ranking magical beasts like us don't need things like magic stones to grow.]
Just as he said, magic stones weren't of much help to a high-ranking magical beast like a phoenix.
They could be a tasty delicacy, though.
Of course, that didn't justify eating all the magic stones meant for the magical beasts in the territory she ruled.
“Don't tell me you scared off all the other magical beasts and spirits to hoard the magic stones for yourself?”
Though she was still weak, other magical beasts and spirits would surely be intimidated by the presence of a phoenix and stay away.
“I didn't go that far. I was going to share nicely!”
Piora protested.
[There's no way you can share nicely when you're intimidating them with your phoenix power. You chick...! No! You pig!]
“Who are you calling a pig!”
[Hmph! Still a pathetic attack!]
An indignant Piora threw a pebble, but Kiruan snorted and dodged it.
“Both of you, be quiet. Piora, you told Kiruan to scout the eastern area because something was happening on the island, right?”
“Oops!”
Piora, who had forgotten all about it while eating magic stones during her search, jumped in surprise.
[Hey! You told me with such a serious face, and you're the one who forgot?]
Piora, being at fault, couldn't say anything and just fidgeted.
[Huh? Isn't this a total chick-level memory! Huh?]
“I-I'm sorry.”
Kiruan, thinking he had found her weakness, arrogantly tapped Piora on the head.
[I shall forgive you! In return, you will address my magnificent self as 'Prince' and treat me with the utmost respect... Kugh!]
“You forgot about the investigation and were busy playing pranks on the students, too.”
Leo said as he slapped Kiruan with his palm.
“So, what exactly is the disturbance?”
“I'm not sure. But I can feel a faint, extremely unpleasant aura on the island.”
'An unpleasant aura?'
Leo narrowed his eyes.
If a phoenix, which possessed the power of purification, felt it was unpleasant, then it was surely a profane power.
'During the midterms, Tartaros reached out to the Summoning Department. Could this be related?'
The moment Leo thought that far.
*Wooooosh-!*
Suddenly, a watery mist began to spread.
Seeing this, Leo quickly grabbed Piora and Kiruan, left the gravel field, and hid behind a tree.
This was no naturally occurring mist.
Moreover, the energy felt from the mist was one Leo recognized.
The dark magic he had felt during the Summoning Department's midterm practical exam.
'The beast summoner from back then.'
Leo's eyes widened.
*Splash-*
A beast summoner appeared on the gravel field and waved his hand.
*Vwoom-!*
The magic stones scattered across the gravel field reacted.
The beast summoner paused at the absurdly low number of magic stones.
“What is this? Why are there so few magic stones?”
[Because the pig ate them all.]
At Kiruan's words, Piora glared daggers and started strangling him.
“Stop fighting and get ready.”
Leo roused his spiritual power.
The use of spiritual power was forbidden during the weekend, but this was no time to worry about that.
“Here it comes!”
*Ziiiing-!*
A massive summoning circle formed on the ground where Leo had been standing.
Leo leaped high into the air.
*Grooooowl-! Chomp!*
A giant demonic beast opened its maw and swallowed the spot where Leo had been.
*Whoosh-! Thud-!*
Leo landed on the ground and looked at the beast summoner.
“It seems you and I are bound by an ill fate, Leo Flove.”
At the beast summoner's cold words, Leo gave a murderous smile.
“A damn rotten fate that's carried over from a past life.”