The Tower of Heroes located in the center of Lumer.
This place is more for the faculty than for the great students of Lumer.
And at the top of the Tower of Heroes is the principal's office.
Principal Kallian, who had been sitting at his desk with a relaxed expression, turned his head to the window.
Whoosh-!
A woman with crimson hair appeared along with flames.
"Welcome, Firina."
Kallian, who had been greeting Firina with a gentle smile, suddenly changed his expression.
"Has the intruder moved?"
Five years ago, there was an intrusion incident inside Lumer.
Since there were no casualties, it wasn't made public, and the culprit was never caught.
However, Lumer is not just an educational institution but also a place where Hero Records are stored.
Not only did the intruder break through Lumer's defenses, but they also caused an incident inside and managed to escape.
If this incident were to become known to the world, it would undoubtedly cause tremendous chaos, so it was kept secret.
But the search for the culprit never stopped.
That's why Kallian asked Ellen to invite Firina to Lumer.
There was no better guardian than a Phoenix to oversee the vast entirety of Lumer.
"It's not that, but I have some good news."
"Good news?"
"This time, a student of Lumer has become a Phoenix's contractor."
"Is that true?"
Kallian asked in surprise.
"Did you contract with him? Or did he contract with another Phoenix?"
"He contracted with my newly born child."
"Didn't you plan to contract with the successor of the Lundia family?"
"I did, but it ended up like this somehow."
"Because it's a young Phoenix, you were able to contract... Still, for a student to contract! Was there such a talented person among the fifth-year students besides Ulta?"
Kallian naturally thought that a contractor had been born among the top-year students.
Since all the fifth-year summoning students, except for Ulta, the Pegasus contractor, were primarily skilled in elemental magic, he found it surprising.
"It's not a fifth-year student."
"Hmm? A fourth-year student? Indeed! The current top student in fourth-year summoning is exceptionally talented."
"It's not a fourth-year student either."
Firina shook her head.
Principal Kallian's face changed subtly.
"Could it be a third-year student?"
"No."
"......"
"Second-year?"
Seeing Firina's silent smile, Kallian let out a hollow laugh.
"Are you saying a contractor was born among the first-year students?"
"Yes."
"Who is it?"
"Leo Flaub."
"Hehehehe. Leo Flaub, you say?"
He was a student recommended by Albi, known for being difficult, as a hero candidate.
So, despite the opposition from other professors, he was chosen as the class representative.
'Wasn't he supposed to major in knighthood?'
Principal Kallian stroked his beard in surprise.
'I should meet him as soon as possible.'
***
"Good job!"
After the summoning class ended, the first-year students, who had given a vigorous greeting, rushed out of the practice room.
It was already late evening.
The students, who were in their growth period and had just taken the taming exam, were clamoring for food.
Without hesitation, the first-year students headed to the student cafeteria.
"Lord Leo. Would you like to have dinner with me?"
"Sure."
Leo was about to leave the classroom with Chen Xia.
"Student Leo."
"Yes."
"The professor is looking for you."
Karlo approached and said.
"I guess I'll have to eat separately tonight."
"There's no choice. See you at the next class, Lord Leo."
Chen Xia left the classroom first.
Leo followed Karlo to the professor's office.
When Karlo knocked, a brief "Come in" was heard from inside.
"Go ahead."
After greeting Karlo, Leo entered the room.
Professor Yura's office, despite her free-spirited personality, was neatly organized.
Professor Yura, sitting at her desk, gestured for Leo to take the seat opposite her.
"Sit down."
As soon as Leo sat down, Professor Yura spoke without hesitation.
"I'll ask you directly, Student Leo."
"Yes."
"The familiar you just contracted, is it a Phoenix?"
'So she knew.'
"Yes."
Professor Yura was shaken by Leo's answer.
She had expected it, but hearing the confirmation from Leo was still surprising.
"Can you show it to me?"
Seeing Professor Yura's trembling voice, Leo reached into his uniform pocket.
Firina had said she would come to pick it up tonight, so Piora was still with Leo.
He placed Piora on the desk.
"Who would have thought I'd see a young Phoenix in my lifetime!"
It's rare to see an adult Phoenix, let alone a baby Phoenix, so even a professor at Lumer couldn't help but be excited.
"Ha~! What a majestic presence!"
Piora, however, was dozing off like a sick chick.
'Am I losing my eyesight?'
"What's its name?"
"Piora."
"How did you find it? I didn't even know there was a Phoenix in the Forest of Familiars."
The position of a professor at Lumer is not low.
They were all experts in their fields and could command considerable authority in emergencies.
Even to such professors, Firina's existence was a secret.
Leo, who had heard this from Firina, had prepared an excuse.
"I found an egg while wandering in the forest. I didn't know why it was there, but it was a Phoenix egg."
It's a flimsy answer, but there's no other way to explain contracting a Phoenix besides by chance.
Moreover, there was no way to verify Leo's story.
"Even so, it wouldn't have been easy to recognize it as a Phoenix egg."
The Phoenix is a legendary familiar, almost nothing is known about it despite its fame.
It's not for nothing that information about it is expensive.
"My maternal family has ties to the Phoenix, so I've read ancient texts about it."
"Where is your maternal family from?"
"Zerdingger."
Professor Yura was surprised.
'Indeed... If it's Zerdingger, it makes sense. The source of their aura flames is the power of the Phoenix.'
As a summoner, there could be no better condition than being a Phoenix contractor.
'Even so, for a mere fifteen-year-old to contract with a Phoenix...'
Professor Yura's eyes sparkled.
There were still questions, but what was important now was Leo's talent, who had contracted with a Phoenix just a day after enrolling.
"I understand. Thank you for your time. You can go now."
Professor Yura escorted Leo to the door of her office.
Before opening the door, she said seriously.
"Student Leo."
"Yes."
"It's best to keep the fact that you've contracted with a Phoenix a secret for now. It will cause a commotion if it gets out."
"I understand."
"Good. Then have a good dinner and see you at the next class."
Professor Yura patted Leo's shoulder and closed the door.
She then sat down and pondered.
'How do I teach this gem?'
Professor Yura was filled with excitement.
To have a summoner with such talent as her student!
She wanted to do whatever it took to make him the best summoner.
'Maybe I should promote him to the next grade? Having a talented student is a dilemma!'
Thinking of her future great summoner, Yura was lost in happy thoughts.
If Leo wanted, she was even willing to give him private lessons.
Professor Yura firmly believed that Leo would choose summoning as his major.
Isn't it obvious? How could someone with such talent choose another major?
'Haha, for the next five years, the best major will be our summoning major!'
Professor Yura didn't know.
That Leo had no intention of choosing a major.
***
The next morning.
Leo headed to the magic building with Kal to attend a magic class.
"Hey! Chloe!"
Kal waved at Chloe, who was walking ahead with a magic textbook under her arm.
"Hi, Leo, Kal. Yawn."
"Why are you yawning so early in the morning?"
"I was reading magic books until late last night."
"Is that so? How about this?"
Kal chuckled and took out a small bottle from his pocket.
"A potion to recover fatigue from the Kal Syndicate! It costs only 5 shillings."
"It's not strange, is it?"
"All the ingredients and certification marks are on the label."
"Hmm."
Chloe nodded after checking the label and bought the fatigue recovery potion.
She took a sip and glanced at Leo.
"Really listening to a magic class?"
"I said I would."
"Did this guy attend a summoning class yesterday too?"
Kal's words made Chloe look at Leo in amazement.
"What class did you attend yesterday?"
"I'm aspiring to be a pure mage, so I didn't have any classes yesterday. I studied in the library."
"Wow, you're really a model student."
The three of them chatted casually as they arrived at the magic building.
Today's lecture hall, [Great Lecture Hall], was a large circular room that could accommodate up to 500 people.
Kal chuckled when he saw the lecture hall.
"The best seat, the very back, is still available? What are you guys waiting for? Let's go!"
"The best seat is at the front, you know."
"Seems like we're taking different paths."
Kal was about to cut ties with Chloe.
But Chloe was faster in grabbing Kal's ear.
"Ouch?!"
"If you sit at the back, you'll fall asleep. As a magic student, you should listen to the class diligently."
"Hey! Let go and let's talk, okay? Yes! Hey!"
Chloe finally made Kal sit at the front of the lecture hall.
"If you fall asleep, the professor will notice you!"
Chloe smiled at Kal's desperate plea.
"On the contrary, if you study hard, the professor will look favorably upon you."
Kal looked at her with a resentful gaze, but Chloe ignored him and opened her textbook.
Leo, who had to sit at the front as well, tried to suppress a chuckle.
At that moment, a man climbed onto the podium in the lecture hall.
Thud- Thud- Thud-
Dressed in a clean suit with a pompadour hairstyle, he was a man who fit the description of a handsome man.
Several female students gasped as he stood in the center of the podium and smiled.
"Hello, first-year students. My name is Ren Hors. I will be your professor for the magic theory subject for the next year."
Applause erupted at Ren's introduction.
"Are there any questions before the class starts?"
A barrage of questions from the female students followed.
"Professor! Do you have a girlfriend?"
"How old are you?"
"What's your ideal type?"
A flood of irrelevant questions poured in.
Despite this, Professor Ren answered all of them with a friendly smile.
"A handsome professor. The female students are swooning. But Ren Hors? I've never heard of that name. Chloe, do you know him?"
Kal, with his pen on his upper lip and his hands behind his head, asked Chloe, who shook her head.
"I've never heard of him either."
As the personal questions ended, Professor Ren spoke.
"Today, I plan to give an introduction to magic theory. Before that!"
Snap!
Ren snapped his fingers.
Rustle-!
Papers began to fly throughout the lecture hall.
The bundles of paper landed precisely in front of each student.
"Before we start the class, we will take a simple magic theory test."
"Whaaat?"
"A test on the first day? That's too much, Professor!"
Complaints poured in from all directions.
Some female students pouted cutely.
"By the way, students who fail to meet the standard will not be able to attend any magic major classes in the future."
"......!"
The light-hearted atmosphere turned cold instantly.
Amidst this, a student cautiously raised his hand.
"Professor, if a magic major student fails the test, what happens?"
"Of course."
Professor Ren answered lightly, as if wondering why he was being asked such a question.