This mischievous fairy found it amusing to tease the students.
[Ha ha ha! Fool! Do you think I would be caught by such a shoddy butterfly net?]
After taunting another first-year student, Kieran whistled.
[What fool should I target next?]
Whoosh!
[...?]
A net suddenly flew in and caught Kieran.
Caught by the shoddy butterfly net in the blink of an eye, Kieran had a dazed expression.
[Wh-what?]
Kieran's eyes met Leo's, and he looked terrified.
"I sent you here to behave, not to cause trouble, did you think I sent you here to cause accidents?"
[O-oh no! It's a misunderstanding! I had a reason for... Gulp!]
Leo, who had Kieran in his grip, asked.
"What reason?"
[It seemed like something unusual was happening on this island, so I was investigating!]
"What?"
Leo looked surprised.
That night.
After the sun set, Leo, who had gathered fruits from all over the island, asked.
"So, you're saying that the spirits on the Spirit Island have become violent, and you were sent to investigate?"
[Yes.]
"But it seemed like you were teasing the Lumern students?"
Although Kieran had lost his power as a fairy prince, he was still a fairy.
Moreover, he had regained some of his strength by acquiring a pair of wings.
A spirit that even second-year students couldn't find.
Yet, the day after Kieran arrived on the Spirit Island, rumors about fairies spread widely.
[That's because!]
"That's because?"
[It was fun to see the students' reactions when they discovered me!]
"So, you forgot your original purpose and just played around?"
Leo, who had tied Kieran to a vine and hung him upside down over the campfire, fell into thought.
'Something unusual happened on the Spirit Island?'
Currently, this island is practically under Phoebe's domain.
There's no way she wouldn't notice something unusual happening on the island.
"What did Phoebe do to send you here?"
[That phoenix Phoebe isn't on the island right now! Let me go! Let me go!]
Kieran, who was struggling, said urgently.
"Not on the island?"
[Yes! She's been gone since three days ago when you sent us here! She wrote a few days ago that she would return to her contractor for a while...! Gulp!]
Whoosh!
Kieran's body caught fire.
Kieran, who barely escaped, rolled on the ground to extinguish the flames on his body.
"How did you know something unusual happened in the forest?"
[Phoebe said so?]
"Phoebe?"
Leo stroked his chin.
Indeed, Phoebe, Phoebe's daughter, is one of the top spirits on this Spirit Island.
Although she is still young and weak, she can easily detect changes in the forest.
'Is it really a coincidence that something unusual happened while Phoebe was away?'
Leo narrowed his eyes and stood up.
'I need to find Phoebe first.'
Summoning her would be the easiest, but it's currently during a practical exam.
Using spirit power when no one else is using summoning magic would definitely get him caught.
'It would be troublesome if Phoebe's identity is discovered.'
Currently, only the summoning professor Yura and the principal Kallian know that Leo is a phoenix contractor at Lumern.
Leo focused his mind and called Phoebe.
'Phoebe.'
Even though they were far apart, he could communicate with the high-ranking spirit because they were bonded.
However, Phoebe didn't respond to Leo's call.
'Phoebe? Answer if you can hear me.'
"What is she doing that she's not answering?"
Leo frowned at Phoebe's silence.
Kieran, who flew over to Leo, put his hands behind his head and said.
[Maybe she's distracted by something?]
"..."
It's a plausible story.
Despite pretending to be mature, Phoebe, being a curious child, often got distracted.
"...Contractors are all kids, aren't they?"
[You're a kid too.]
Sighing at Kieran's grumbling, Leo focused his mind.
He then moved in the direction where he could sense Phoebe's power.
'I have to find her in person.'
***
The direction where Phoebe's power was felt was at the western end.
'Since we're currently on the eastern side of the island, it's the opposite direction.'
Sighing, Leo delved deeper into the forest.
There, he encountered students who were having a wilderness experience.
To put it bluntly, the summoning students were completely unadapted to the wild.
Some screamed at the sight of bugs, while others foamed at the mouth and collapsed after eating poisonous mushrooms.
Even Eliza, the ace of the summoning department, couldn't adapt properly.
'What are they planning to do from tomorrow?'
Seeing the students struggling even before the real hardships began, Leo clicked his tongue.
Of course, not all students were like that.
"Busy at night, Flaubert."
Walden, a student with a massive build, who was sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed by the campfire, said.
Leo had moved quietly and met him by chance.
Yet, Walden spoke without even opening his eyes.
"I have something to do."
Leo shrugged nonchalantly.
Hearing this, Walden opened his eyes and looked up at the tree.
There are few students in the knight department with a build similar to Walden's.
Although he looks tough, Walden is actually a very intelligent student.
'He was second in the general subject written exams outside his major, right?'
Chloe was first.
Moreover, his knowledge of magic was more extensive than most magic students.
'Combining magic with elemental magic, he's definitely impressive.'
"I'm looking forward to this Battle Royale, Flaubert."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I'm going to knock you down."
Leo chuckled at Walden's calm declaration.
"I'll be looking forward to it."
Hearing this, Walden closed his eyes.
Leo kicked off a branch and ran.
Although he couldn't use aura, he used his overwhelming physical abilities to swiftly navigate the forest.
He encountered a few wild spirits in the middle, but they didn't attack because Kieran was on Leo's shoulder.
Spirits generally don't attack those stronger than themselves.
Crossing the forest at high speed, Leo reached the western end.
The western side of the Spirit Island was a pebble beach.
[Wow, it's beautiful!]
Kieran marveled at the beautiful lake scenery illuminated by the moon and stars.
Leo found Phoebe crouched by the water, diligently searching for something.
Splash!
Phoebe, who had picked up a small pebble from the water, stood up.
She then held the stone up to the moonlight and exclaimed.
A transparent crystal-like magic stone.
"Pretty, pretty!"
Phoebe, her eyes sparkling, examined the magic stone from all angles and then popped it into her mouth with a snap.
She then hummed a tune while rolling the stone in her mouth like candy and started searching for more magic stones again.
"...What are you doing?"
"Hmm? Leo, what are you doing here?"
"Swallow what's in your mouth and then speak."
Phoebe swallowed the magic stones in her mouth and asked.
"Leo, what are you doing here?"
"Before that... you were eating all the magic stones on this pebble beach, weren't you?"
This area was originally off-limits to students.
That's because this pebble beach is a place where magic stones naturally form.
There are areas around the ecosystems of spirits and spirits where magic stones occur in large quantities.
The power they emit seeps into the ground and accumulates in specific places, where magic stones naturally form in large quantities.
Young spirits and spirits absorb these magic stones to use as growth energy.
The Spirit Island is a place where this pebble beach plays such a role.
Therefore, access was restricted to prevent students from harvesting the magic stones.
However, Phoebe was in the process of finding and eating all the magic stones.
Phoebe turned her head and said.
"Originally, when you're young, you eat a lot."
[High-ranking spirits like us don't need magic stones to grow.]
That's true; magic stones don't significantly help high-ranking spirits like phoenixes.
They can be a delicious treat.
Of course, eating all the magic stones that other spirits and spirits need to eat is not a good thing.
"Surely you didn't chase away all the other spirits and spirits and monopolize the magic stones?"
Although she is still weak, other spirits and spirits would be scared and stay away if they sensed the phoenix's aura.
"No, I didn't do that. I was trying to share nicely!"
Phoebe protested.
[You can't share nicely by threatening with the power of a phoenix. You chick...! No! Pig!]
"Who are you calling a pig!"
[Ha! Still a weak attack!]
Phoebe, who was angry, threw a pebble at Kieran, who dodged it with a snort.
"Both of you, be quiet. Phoebe, you told Kieran to investigate the eastern area because something unusual happened on the island, right?"
"Ah!"
Phoebe, who had forgotten about it while eating magic stones, was startled.
[Hey! You told me with a serious face, but you forgot about it?]
Phoebe, who was at fault, couldn't answer and fidgeted.