Chapter 183 : Chapter 183
Chapter 183. Meeting a Direct Senior (3)
Leon had barely endured the barren environment without a single follower.
Alchemy was the worst, but Cryptozoology was even worse.
The gazes the Cryptozoology majors sent him were unfamiliar. Whenever he tried to do something, didn’t everyone stare at him with eyes full of wariness?
He felt exactly like he was being monitored. Leon could only escape that place after the time was up.
Upon learning what Leon had gone through, his followers trembled with rage.
“They are strange guys to begin with.”
“There is no need for Your Highness to concern yourself!”
“You can just ignore those who don't even seem like magicians.”
How dare they act so arrogantly toward Prince Leon! There had never been such an insulting case.
They began to argue among themselves, indignant at the fact that the incident happened when they were not present.
“See, someone among us should have taken Alchemy!”
“Major in a discipline where you recite a few spells and mix ingredients? Are you crazy?”
“Or we should have at least taken Cryptozoology.”
“Is there any reason to sleep with disgusting magical beasts? That is not a study for a real magician!”
Listening to his followers, Leon’s expression gradually darkened. Wasn’t that saying he was majoring in two subjects that weren’t even like magic?
Not long after, realizing this, Leon’s followers also began to panic.
“N-No. So what we mean is…….”
“We are not saying the majors Your Highness is taking are wrong.”
“It seems we made a slip of the tongue because we were angry.”
Leon glared at them before speaking.
“Even so, they are official subjects of the academy. Do not run your mouths carelessly.”
At Leon’s cold words, the followers bowed their heads.
“Understood, Your Highness.”
“We will keep it in mind.”
Sometimes, if loyalty was excessive, mistakes could happen. Leon found the followers’ words annoying, but decided to let it slide. To become an emperor, one had to know how to cover the faults of subordinates.
In fact, Leon himself had thought similarly to them. Although he applied for the Integrated Major, it wasn’t because he was interested in all the subjects.
‘It is because of that guy.’
He could not tolerate the fact that Radel was the only person in the academy’s history to choose the Integrated Major. It was a title too undeserved for a guy who didn’t even have talent in magic.
Radel had already claimed the top spot in the first semester. In the second semester, he must not fall behind that guy.
‘That guy is doing it, but I can't?’
Such a thing must not happen. Although he had to major in Alchemy and Cryptozoology, which he had no interest in, he didn’t mind much because he was confident in his grades.
‘……I did not expect such a reaction.’
Having lived surrounded by the Silvert ducal family and followers since childhood, it was true that he didn’t have the opportunity to clash with various people. Born as a royal, there was no need to speak while gauging others' reactions either.
Leon ground his teeth as he recalled Radel looking at him with eyes asking what to do with him.
'Does he want to act like an older brother now? If that’s the case, I will absolutely not let it be.'
Leon’s gaze turned fierce.
* * *
Summoning Magic time.
The 1st-year students, who entered the Summoning Magic Workshop after receiving leaves from the World Tree, could not take their eyes off the workshop out of wonder.
Descendants of the World Tree. Just hearing the name seemed to make their hearts flutter.
The 1st-years whispered with excited voices.
“I can't believe we are inside a World Tree.”
“It's cool. Look at the spirits over there.”
Spirits were roaming around nonchalantly inside the workshop. It wasn’t even the Spirit World, yet they looked very natural.
Seeing their innocent appearance, smiles bloomed on the faces of the 1st-years as well.
“It's really wonderful.”
“I want to make a contract with a water spirit too.”
“For me, a wind spirit!”
However, a strange scene caught the eyes of the 1st-years. The spirits lined up in a row and walked in formation toward someone.
Thud, thud.
Walking in step, the spirits arrived in front of someone and stepped forward one by one in order to greet him. The person sitting arrogantly and receiving the greetings of the spirits was Leon.
“What…… is that?”
“W-Well.”
Not only the 1st-years but also the Summoning Magic major seniors had no choice but to be flustered by that sight. Now, the spirits were flying to Leon, blowing wind or serving clean water, attending to him without being asked.
“He's doing that again.”
Radel, who was among the 1st-years, also discovered the scene and scratched his head. It was a sight he had seen when he went to the Spirit World.
It was a place where students went to ask spirits to make contracts with them, but for Leon, hadn't the spirits lined up to request contracts instead?
‘To think it would be like that even in the Summoning Magic Workshop.’
It seemed Leon’s magic power attracted the spirits. On top of that, Leon’s direct senior appeared.
“H-Hello, Your Highness. It is an honor to serve you in the Summoning Magic Workshop.”
The attitude made one wonder if this was the Imperial Palace rather than the academy. It was not at all like a senior treating a junior, but Leon only nodded slightly as if he was used to it.
His direct senior was a Magic Supremacist and a follower of Leon. Summoning Magic was one of the subjects preferred by Magic Supremacists.
Summoning Magic, dealing with pure magic power and mana close to nature. Among Magic Supremacists, Summoning Magic was considered a major befitting a real magician. That meant there were that many of Leon’s followers here as well.
Sure enough, other followers who were not chosen as direct seniors were biting their handkerchiefs from afar.
“Envious bastard, we can't see Your Highness much anyway because we are 2nd-years!”
“To be able to serve by Prince Leon’s side!”
At their words, which seemed to have forgotten what the senior-junior relationship was, Radel shook his head inwardly.
‘That is why problems arise.’
He knew that the situation Leon faced, born as a royal and possessing the ‘Dragon’s Blessing,’ was bound to be special. Higher status than others, outstanding magic skills, and even strong magic power. What could Leon possibly lack?
But this was the academy. A place where everyone learned magic on equal footing.
Whether Leon was a royal with an Ability or a magic genius, here he was just in a position to learn equally. That included human relationships as well.
If he only got used to a world full of followers like that, it was obvious that problems would arise when he went outside.
“Hello, you're Radel, right? I heard a lot about you from Senior Pasion.”
Just then, Radel’s direct senior greeted him first.
“I'm Rauf Getherson, a 2nd-year. Last year, I was Senior Pasion’s direct junior.”
Greeting cheerfully, he had a refreshing impression. Hearing he was Pasion’s direct junior, his personality seemed like it would have fit well with Pasion indeed. Radel bowed to Rauf.
“I look forward to working with you, Senior Rauf. I am not confident in Summoning Magic, so I think I will need to learn a lot from you.”
“Ay, what are you saying. When you made a contract with a Great Spirit.”
Rauf waved his hand as if that was nonsense. He remembered the time when Senior Pasion and Radel came to the Summoning Magic Workshop before. Back then, he had also seen the spirit whose name could not be spoken. A 1st-year making a contract with such a spirit was unheard of.
However, Radel seemed to be seriously contemplating.
“No. I barely managed to make a contract with my spirit as well. For some reason, spirits avoid me whenever they see me.”
“Spirits avoid you?”
It was possible for spirits not to like someone due to incompatibility, but to avoid him completely. Rauf, puzzled, summoned his own spirit.
“Spirit Summon!”
POOF!
Then, the earth spirit contracted with Rauf appeared in front of the two. It was a round-shaped spirit with short legs.
“Huh?”
The spirit, which liked seeing Rauf, hesitated and backed away upon seeing Radel. And then, didn’t it hide completely behind Rauf?
“Why is he acting like this? He isn't shy.”
It was definitely strange. Rauf went around the Summoning Magic Workshop with Radel.
They went around various spaces filled with energy of one element, such as a room full of fire energy and a room full of wind energy, but no spirit tried to approach Radel.
“……It's true.”
Rauf realized the situation and looked back at Radel. The junior with a calm expression seemed truly unaffected, perhaps having experienced spirits avoiding him countless times.
How hard must it have been to accept this situation? Rauf felt slightly teary-eyed, proud of Radel.
“It's okay! Among Summoning Magic majors, there's no one who has contracted with a Great Spirit. If you train hard in the workshop, you will probably be able to make contracts with other spirits too.”
“Will I?”
“Of course!”
Seeing Rauf trying to instill hope somehow, Radel also smiled.
The two returned to the first floor. From afar, Leon, receiving the service of spirits and his senior, sneered upon seeing Radel return empty-handed.
“Talking about doing Summoning Magic when you can't even make a proper contract with a spirit.”
Summoning Magic wasn’t just Spirit Magic, and Radel had already been recognized for his talent in Summoning Magic by Professor Marianne, so he didn’t mind. But Rauf was different. Being Radel’s direct senior, he jumped up as if he had been insulted himself.
“Who says he couldn't make a contract with a spirit? How ridiculous. Right! Let's summon your spirit. That…… what spirit is it?”
As Rauf pondered what to call Radel’s spirit, Radel answered nonchalantly.
“It is a spirit of knowledge.”
“R-Right! Spirit of knowledge!”
Under everyone’s watch, Radel summoned his spirit, which had transformed into a spirit of knowledge.
POOF!
“What is going on! No, isn't this the workshop full of those evil spirits?!”
As soon as the library spirit was summoned, terrible memories resurfaced, and it trembled.
“Evil spirits. It is an ordinary Summoning Magic Workshop.”
“You brazen fellow! What are you trying to do today……. Hmm? That guy is?”
The library spirit, who was yelling at Radel, discovered Leon sneering at Radel from afar. And seeing the situation where Leon was surrounded by spirits while no spirit tried to come near Radel, it realized everything.
“Tsk, isn't it because you are weird that the spirits run away!”
He clicked his tongue, recalling Radel’s past where ordinary spirits avoided him, leading him to seek out the library spirit, saying he had to contract with him no matter what.
It was maddening, but a contractor was a contractor anyway. He couldn't watch with his eyes open as that guy got ignored by others.
Conveniently, this was inside the World Tree, so he could exert his abilities a bit more without borrowing the contractor’s magic power. The library spirit closed his eyes and moved his energy.
Flutter.
Then, a wondrous thing happened.
“Look over there! The spirits are moving!”
“It really is?”
The spirits that were attending to Leon all scuttled over to the library spirit. As Radel’s face brightened, the library spirit fluttered his pages boastfully.
“Did you see? This is the power of a Great Spirit.”
Radel nodded.
“That is amazing. Then what else can you do?”
“What? What else, my foot. If I could, would I be like this! Only if you become stronger can I become stronger! Train, train!”
The library spirit yelled at Radel. Seeing the friendly appearance of the grumbling Great Spirit and the contractor, the Summoning Magic majors smiled at them.
“How dare…….”
However, there was someone who lost his smile watching that scene. It was Leon, trembling as his spirits were taken away.