Amur had grown up in the harshest lands of the empire. He quickly recovered and rose to his feet.
"I'm embarrassed... to be startled by the name of a horse," Amur said, dusting off the dirt and straw from his clothes.
He realized, even if it was Einrogard, it was unlikely they had captured a griffin. It must have been the horse named Griffin.
It was quite common to name a horse after a fearsome monster...
"No, it's an actual griffin."
Amur staggered again as he stood.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah... No. Where did you find that? No, what are the mages doing?"
Amur asked with a rare tone of anger in his voice.
It was surprising enough that a student had caught a griffin, but more astonishing were the mages who stood by idly during the capture.
What were they doing, not protecting their students?
Einroguard's mages were known to be eccentric, but this was...
"Well... it's like..."
"It was brought by the professor," Yonaire said, unable to stand it any longer. Amur just gaped, speechless.
"Really?"
"There's a reason for this. You'll understand if you hear it."
"I doubt I'll understand..."
Amur waited for Yi-Han's explanation.
Yi-Han explained that the griffin wasn't a real griffin but one transformed into a horse due to a curse.
The professor had done this to familiarize the students with monsters...
"Doesn't it make more sense than you thought?"
Yi-Han asked after finishing the explanation. Amur answered firmly.
"It's strange."
"!"
That... really?
While Yi-Han was slightly flustered, Amur continued.
"I've heard the mages of Einroguard are eccentric, but this is beyond that..."
"No. This is actually quite reasonable."
"Yi-Han... maybe it's better if you stop talking now," Yonaire advised.
It seemed any further explanation would only lead to more bizarre misunderstandings.
And the most important thing was that it wasn't even a misunderstanding.
After a long struggle with the eccentricities of Einroguard's mages, Amur finally regained his composure.
"It's good that you found a flying mount."
"Yes. We haven't found the way to the spire stable yet, but we will soon."
"Take your time. Rushing increases the chance of errors. Escaping is more about not being caught than getting out."
'This conversation seems odd.'
Yonaire thought to herself as she listened to the two.
"What does the griffin like to eat?"
"Well, it likes fresh horse meat."
"...Isn't there anything else?"
"It also likes less fresh horse meat..."
Excluding horse meat, Yi-Han packed snacks the griffin would like.
Cans of meat and sugar were neatly stacked in the backpack.
"By the way, did you meet Igor who came to the town?"
"Who is Igor?"
Yi-Han asked, puzzled. Amur realized his mistake.
He hadn't noticed because it was so natural, but Yi-Han wasn't a townsperson or an adventurer. He was a student from the magic academy.
"He's my cousin. He often sells rare animals to adventurers in the town."
Just like mages raise summons, well-trained animals were always good companions to adventurers.
Thus, rare and powerful animals were in high demand, commanding high prices.
"Looks like you missed him since he's mostly away."
"Thank you. But wouldn't such creatures be too expensive for me?"
Yi-Han was collecting, or rather, legitimately earning, the students' money, but he was far from being truly wealthy. He could afford various groceries and books from the town but buying expensive animals was another matter.
"It's not just the expensive ones. Take a look around. I'll speak to him, so he'll guide you well. Bring your other friends too."
'Really?'
Yi-Han wondered if he really needed to bring the students from the Black Tortoise or White Tiger, but he remained silent. He wanted to appear as a righteous and diligent student in front of Amur.
"You're the student who tamed that griffin, right?!"
"..."
Igor whispered urgently upon meeting Yi-Han, his voice low enough to be unheard by other students.
"I didn't tame it, but..."
"No?"
"Well, yes, but that's..."
"You did tame it!"
Adventurers helping Igor in the store rushed over and surrounded Yi-Han.
"Did you really tame a griffin?"
"How exactly did you do it?"
"Shh. Keep your voice down. It's supposed to be a secret."
"Alright, alright. So how did you tame the griffin?"
Igor, resembling Amur in appearance and dress, differed in one aspect: his immense curiosity about how the griffin was tamed.
In truth, Amur was curious too. He didn't bother Yi-Han out of pity for the Einroguard student...
"It was really a stroke of luck. I once saved its life..."
"You saved its life? Indeed!"
"Then it makes sense!"
The scruffy and dusty adventurers seemed convinced, easing Yi-Han's mind.
But he was mistaken.
"But still, a griffin wouldn't easily acknowledge someone as its master..."
"It surely seems like a natural talent."
"Could we join you the next time you go to capture a Gorgon? If we could get your help..."
Skilled adventurers were always treasured wherever they went. But more valuable was someone who could win the affection of monsters.
The adventurers eyed Yi-Han, wondering if they could somehow get him to join them.
"Calm down, everyone. This student is from Einroguard."
"Ah..."
"If he's a student from Einroguard, there's nothing we can do."
Igor's friends quickly gave up.
If he was a student from Einroguard, there was nothing they could do. The mages might come after them, turning them into beasts.
"But we can wait a few years. If you remember us after you graduate, be sure to contact us."
"Our lives are full of danger, pain, and romance. It would be enough for us to join."
"...?"
Yi-Han was slightly taken aback by the proud adventurers' words.
Were they seriously suggesting this now?
'They say there are many madmen among adventurers, and it's true!'
To think they were seriously making such a proposal...
"Come, follow me. Sorry for taking your time."
Igor apologized and led the way inside the store.
Most of his time was spent traveling the empire, searching and capturing rare animals, so the inside of the store was a mess.
But that didn't matter at all. The newly acquired animals captivated all attention.
Fwoosh!
A bird trapped in a cage suddenly burst into flames, then froze instantly. Igor explained,
"Elemental Bird. A rare bird that only eats gems imbued with the power of spirits."
"That's a crazy animal."
Yi-Han was astonished.
It was an animal that could bankrupt someone in just a week or turn them into a debtor in a month.
"Sorry, but that one already has a buyer. I've agreed to sell it to a noble nearby."
"That's alright."
Yi-Han wouldn't have accepted it even if it were free.
"For a magic academy student... pigeons or rats might be useful."
Trained pigeons could fly around delivering secret messages, and trained rats could navigate hard-to-reach places and disarm traps.
Yi-Han nodded in agreement.
'Having one of each wouldn’t be a bad idea.'
"How much are they?"
"They're free. Since I asked you about the griffin, I owe you that much."
"No, I couldn't. Thank you."
Yi-Han decided to gratefully accept without refusing too much.
...Should he have brought some griffin feathers as well?
-"How much for this deer?"-
-"Ugh. It's too much. I definitely can't afford it."-
-"Can't we borrow more money from Wardanaz?"-
-"As generous as Wardanaz is, he might kill you if you ask to borrow money to buy that..."-
-"Forget it. We'll learn summoning magic later anyway."-
'These kids are clueless.'
Yi-Han frowned.
It was a rule not to say things like 'we can just use magic' in someone else's shop.
That's why mages were criticized for being insensitive.
However, Igor, overhearing the students' conversation, didn’t seem to mind. He actually nodded with interest.
"Actually, mages can directly contract and summon creatures. It's difficult, but it doesn't cost anything... What about you?"
"Yi-Han has already made a contract with a spirit."
At Yonaire's words, Igor was impressed.
"Indeed... It's only natural for someone with the affinity to earn a griffin's loyalty to also receive a spirit's love."
"...No, that's not it."
Yi-Han was flustered by the absurd misunderstanding.
He was far from receiving a spirit's love; he was mostly met with fear...
However, Igor took Yi-Han's response as modesty.
It was expected.
Even seasoned adventurers, risking their lives, couldn't earn a griffin's loyalty without luck. Such loyalty was impossible without innate affinity.
"But may I ask one thing?"
"Yes."
"That summon on your waist, is that Sharakan?"
Igor noticed the ornament-shaped bone hanging on Yi-Han's belt and wondered if it could be Sharakan.
It was Sharakan, indeed asleep.
"Yes, it's Sharakan."
"Indeed! I had my suspicions..."
Worried about a possible misunderstanding, Yi-Han quickly clarified.
"It's an undead."
"I can tell. That's even more impressive."
"...I didn't create it. It was a gift from another dark mage."
"Of course, I knew that. A student couldn't have made that, right? An undead monster, especially Sharakan, would be really troublesome... To have it asleep and carry it around shows remarkable affinity."
"..."
Yi-Han just nodded with a resigned expression.
"Yes, thank you."
"May I ask how you form its body when you summon it?"
"I use water to form its body."
"That must require a lot of it, right? If there's no river or pond nearby, does it not respond to the summons?"
"I summon it through magic."
"..."
Igor was taken aback.
To think that water could be used to form all the muscles and flesh of a monster like Sharakan.
Is this what a student of Einroguard is like!
'Impressive!'
Igor knew they were remarkable, but to think even a freshman could be like this...
He looked anew at the students browsing his shop, thinking of the greatest mages of the empire being here.
-"Why are they like that?"-
-"Are we not buying anything and just making noise?"-
-"I was going to buy something..."-
Unaware of the students' whispers, Igor felt proud and handed Yi-Han a small green glass bottle.
"Take this."
"What is this?"
"It's a Jade Pillar Solution. A liquid made by dissolving purified water. If you mix this with water, Sharakan will really like it."
"Should I accept something like this?"
Yi-Han hesitated.
A small freebie was harmless, but a big one might have consequences.
But Igor reassured him, patting his shoulder.
"Showing kindness to someone loved by monsters and spirits is important for adventurers like me who seek their affection. It brings luck."
"...It's really a misunderstanding."
Yi-Han was genuinely concerned for Igor.
Yi-Han clicked his tongue, looking at the Jade Pillar Solution he had received.
Igor wouldn't take no for an answer, no matter how much Yi-Han declined.
"Can't we stay in the town for a day?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Then you'll stay behind."
"...Ah, I was just asking!"
They could have left early in the morning to return to the academy.
But Yi-Han had no intention of doing so.
'I must always be one step ahead of skull principal.'
By now, the agitated skull principal might be... well, setting traps.
"Have all the priests arrived? Let's depart."
"But Mr. Yi-Han of the Wardanaz family, what about the other tower students?"
Ignoring one priest's question, Yi-Han didn't want to waste time convincing other tower students.
"Let's depart!"
"Did he not hear?"
Sha-aaa-ak-
Walking along a dark path, Yi-Han felt an unease.
Even though it was night, they were walking with magic light.
So why was it getting darker ahead?
“Students of the magic academy.”
With the sound of armor clashing, a heavily armed knight appeared, exuding an aura of death.
It was an undead knight.
A name popped into Yi-Han's head.
'...Death Knight!'
"I am here by my master's order to guard this path. The students of the magic academy may pass if they sacrifice one among them."
Unknowingly, Asan glanced at Gainando, who then tried to poke Asan's eye with his finger.
