LHAHS Chapter 407
That evening, after finishing his coursework, Leo returned to his dormitory.
In the center of his room, five spirit beasts sat around the round table, each holding two cards in hand as they played a game.
[Hmph. It seems this round is mine,] Kiran smirked triumphantly, pushing forward a pile of candy and chocolates as chips.
"Don't be ridiculous, you dumb fairy," Fiora scoffed, matching his bet.
As the two engaged in a fierce battle, the other spirit beasts had already folded and were merely spectating. Finally, the five community cards were revealed, and it was time to show their hands.
"Full house."
[Hahaha! Four of a kind, you chubby chick!]
Kiran let out an obnoxious laugh, reaching for the towering pile of candy and chocolates, while Fiora's face crumpled.
She had just lost a week's worth of snacks in an instant.
"Hey, fairy prince," the Elemental Lord of Light, Laruel, gave Kiran a sharp look.
[What?]
"Are you cheating with magic?"
Bam-!
[Kyaaah?!]
Laruel stomped on Kiran's hand and reached for his cards. "I'll bet everything I have that you swapped them with illusion magic. What will you wager?"
As soon as Laruel touched Kiran's cards, the numbers changed.
Fiora's expression darkened. "Cut his hands off! Cut them off!" she shrieked, outraged.
Elsie let out a deep sigh. "Miss Fiora, you really shouldn't use such violent language."
"Fine, not cutting them… but twisting them… Ah, just imagining it gives me chills… Ngh!" Arty mumbled nonsense with a thrilled expression… until Elsie shot her a glare and drove her tiny fist into Arty's side.
Arty rolled onto the floor, gasping, her body shuddering in pain… and pleasure.
Watching the spectacle unfold, Leo wore a complicated expression.
If the summoners saw this, they'd probably weep and curse the cruel reality of the world.
Even Leo wasn't quite used to his spirit beasts acting like this. 5000 years ago, Lysinas' contractees, the Flame Emperor Katariou, Luminus, and the other Elemental Lords, had been dignified beings. Even Sylord, the Fairy King of that time and Luna's contractee, had been young but never as ridiculous as Kiran.
The Elemental Lord of Light wasn't supposed to be this corrupt and temperamental either.
Is this… my fault?
Leo wondered if he had influenced them somehow but quickly shook his head.
Albus was a noble Pegasus. She wasn't a pervert like Arty.
At least among his contractees, Elsie was normal. She was practically the only thing keeping them from spiraling out of control.
It's not me. Modern day spirit beasts are just weird.
Drawing a firm line in his mind, Leo approached the spirit beasts, who were now punishing Kiran. The fairy, sprawled on the floor, twitched as Leo grabbed him by both wings like catching a bug and lifted him up.
"Who's responsible for this illegal gambling operation?" he demanded.
"The dumb fairy," Fiora said without hesitation, pointing at the unconscious Kiran.
Clicking his tongue, Leo tossed Kiran onto the desk like discarded laundry. "You know, I hate to say this, but… you're my spirit beasts."
The spirit beasts stared at Leo blankly.
"Couldn't you at least try to act with some dignity?"
"I'll have you know, it's rare to find a phoenix as elegant and well-mannered as I am," Fiora said, puffing out her chest with a smug look.
Arty smirked. "You didn't look elegant at all when you were rolling around like a fat ball."
Fiora immediately grabbed Arty's hair and yanked it.
"Nngh!" Arty let out a nasal groan, seemingly enjoying the pain.
Leo sighed deeply. Since it was now widely known that he had contracts with all Three Great Summons, the summoning department constantly requested to research them, but he absolutely couldn't allow that.
If they saw this mess, how heartbroken would they be?
It wasn't that all great spirit beasts were weird, only his. Leo didn't want to shatter the dreams of aspiring summoners.
As his spirit beasts continued making a scene, Leo groaned, "Anyway, get ready to head out."
"Head out?" Elsie tilted her head.
"Yeah. I have something to test. We're going to the spirit beast island."
"But it's already curfew. We're not allowed there at this time." Elsie frowned.
The spirit beast island was within Lumene's domain but technically outside school grounds. Even as student council president, Leo leaving school past curfew was a violation of the rules. Not to mention, entering the island without permission was also against regulations.
Leo reassured, "It's fine. We just have to go without getting caught."
"As student council president, shouldn't you be setting an example for the other students?" Laruel narrowed her eyes.
"I am setting an example."
"But you're breaking school rules," Fiora also narrowed her eyes.
"It's not a crime if you don't get caught."
Leo's calm response made Laruel sigh in resignation.
Fiora, however, looked unconvinced. "How does that make any sense?"
"Of course, it doesn't," Laruel replied.
"Then why aren't you arguing anymore? Mother always told me the Elemental Lord of Light protects justice and order."
"Yeah, but I've lived long enough to learn how to compromise with reality." Laruel patted Fiora's head and began preparing to leave.
Fiora hesitated, then slowly nodded. "So in the end… as long as you don't get caught, it's fine?"
"It's not fine," Elsie let out another deep sigh, unable to hold back any longer.
Upon arriving at the spirit beast island, Leo was greeted by none other than Mel.
"Welcome, Leo. Everything is ready."
Kiran tilted his head. [What do you mean by 'ready'?]
"There's something I need to test," Leo answered.
They had arrived at a vast clearing in the center of the island—a place so deep within that not even students or faculty members ventured there often.
At the mention of an experiment, his spirit beasts perked up with interest.
Leo said, "Arty."
Arty widened her eyes. "Me?"
"Yeah."
"Are you going to test something on me, Master? Will it hurt?" Arty's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Leo replied, "Well, I can't guarantee that it will."
Her expression turned slightly disappointed.
Shaking his head, Leo continued, "Manifest in your true form."
"Okay."
Arty transformed into her pegasus form. Leo climbed onto her back as Mel deployed a barrier strong enough to conceal any powerful energy from being detected outside.
As Leo pulled the reins, Arty shot into the sky at an incredible speed.
Crackle—!
Lightning surged around Arty's body.
[What exactly are you trying to test?]
"I want to try out one of the conquest rewards I obtained from the Hero World."
[A conquest reward?]
Just as Arty furrowed her brows in confusion…
Crackle—!
[…?]
She suddenly flinched at the sensation coming from Leo.
[This is…?]
It was the power of a pegasus. Stronger and purer than any pegasus' power she had ever felt.
Pure white lightning coiled around her entire body.
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
[Agggghhh?!]
As if electrocuted, Arty trembled violently in the raging storm of lightning. At the same time, her power surged.
Then, just as suddenly, Leo withdrew his spiritual energy.
Sizzle—!
Smoke rose from Arty's body.
"Hey, are you okay?"
The power he had just used was the Essence of Lightning, an essence containing the power of the last pegasus queen, the White Queen, Albus, Leo's former contractee. Now, that essence had fused into his spiritual energy.
Originally, Leo had intended to draw upon the pegasus' power by using the Essence of Lightning. However, no matter how much he willed it, the essence refused to respond.
After conducting several tests, he discovered that it only reacted to Arty's contract sigil.
Or rather, it seemed to react specifically to the pegasus I contracted.
Even if Leo possessed the Essence of Lightning, he himself was not a pegasus. The essence was a power that had been passed down exclusively among pegasi for generations. As such, it was fundamentally impossible for a human to wield.
But if that's the case, then perhaps I can use the Essence of Lightning to manifest the White Queen's power in a contracted pegasus. That was my theory, and it looks like I was right.
The problem was that even among pegasi, not just anyone could withstand the White Queen's power. It was a power granted only to the most noble and chosen of their kind.
Though Arty was undoubtedly a powerful pegasus with centuries of experience, it seemed even she wasn't able to fully withstand the essence's effects.
"You okay?"
[T-This… what is this?]
"The Essence of Lightning."
[The Essence of Lightning… so it really is the power of the lost queen.]
Arty's voice trembled.
5000 years ago—the power of the legendary ruler, long thought to be extinct, had returned.
As a pegasus, Arty was overwhelmed with pure awe.
"My contracted pegasi can use the White Queen's power… but it looks like the recoil isn't something to take lightly."
[Indeed. The pain is on a completely different level from anything I've ever experienced.]
"It seems like pushing it further would be too much, so we should stop he…"
[IT'S THE BEST!]
"……"
[Using the great White Queen's power and feeling this electrifying pain on top of it… Ahh, it's amazing.]
Leo gazed up at the sky in silence. I was an idiot for worrying.
Crackle—!
[Kyaaaah~!]
As soon as Leo used the Essence of Lightning again, Arty let out a squeal of pure delight.
A while later, after pushing Arty to her limit, Leo returned to the ground.
"That was bliss." Arty lay sprawled on the ground, murmuring in satisfaction.
Mel approached. "So, have you figured out Arty's limits?"
"Yeah. This will be really useful in future battles."
Mel smiled. "It's a relief that Arty ended up as your contractee, Leo."
"Why?"
"Because if it weren't for her, no pegasus would have been able to withstand the Essence of Lightning."
It was a power that only a masochistic freak could handle.
Arty lay twitching on the ground, her face plastered with a blissful grin. Meanwhile, Elsie gently covered Fiora's eyes.
"Don't look at that."
"Why?"
"It's bad for you."
Listening to the conversation, Leo let out a deep sigh. "If she saw this, she'd cry."
"Who would?"
"My former contractee."
Leo thought of Albus. Without a doubt, she would have wept, lamenting how such a pure power had been defiled.