“Hmm. Senior. Phoneig seems angry. Will this really be okay?”

“It’s proof that you’re an excellent player, junior.”

Karnella answered immediately without even looking flustered while feeding demon bones to the cerberus.

“...Pardon?”

“Look at him. Look how eager he is. To calm a griffin and make it wait for the match—your hearts are perfectly synchronized. Excellent.”

Phoneig happily clacked his beak.

Out of all these insane mages, at least one person finally understood his feelings.

Lee Han, however, looked at his senior suspiciously.

Isn’t this person just spouting nonsense because he’s obsessed with the match?

No matter how he looked at it, Phoneig was clearly furious.

Yet Karnella kept insisting he was merely eager for the match.

Only a lunatic could say that with a straight face.

Thinking about it, Karnella had been the wrong person to ask in the first place.

If Lee Han asked, Would it be alright if Phoneig didn’t participate?, Karnella would probably answer, Then transform into a griffin and participate yourself, junior.

“Junior. Don’t think about unnecessary things. Once my dog breaks their formation and draws their attention, charge straight through. Understood?”

“But what if Phoneig doesn’t want to ru—”

Karnella suddenly grabbed Lee Han’s shoulders.

His fingers dug in with the strength of iron hooks fastened to a ship’s railing.

But the truly terrifying thing wasn’t the grip.

It was the eyes.

Karnella’s pupils trembled with madness without blinking even once. It was the exact same gaze Professor Bivle, Professor Voladi Bagreg, or Lady Yoanen of House Meikin would sometimes show.

“Didn’t I tell you not to think about useless things? That’s exactly the kind of useless thinking I meant. Junior. Your griffin wants to run. It couldn’t even ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) fly properly for a while because of the curse. It must’ve been waiting desperately for the cheers of the arena. Honestly, it might even go berserk thinking the opposing players are Professor Thunderstep.”

“...Yes...”

Overwhelmed, Lee Han had no choice but to nod.

What exactly could he say to a madman like this?

“Sorry, Phoneig. If you really don’t want to do it, tell me afterward.”

Phoneig stared straight ahead with detached eyes.

It was less the expression of someone suppressing emotions and more the face of someone who had simply given up on being understood.

Please just start already!

***

Before the match began, Anglago and Salco had been enthusiastically enjoying the pre-match events from their seats...

...or rather, Anglago had.

“That’s a gargoyle, and—damn! That’s a Bokabat! Tutanta, hurry up and get back to our seats!”

“Hmm. What kind of metal did they use for those iron bars? To safely contain monsters like these...”

“Tutanta! Hurry! What if the match starts without us?!”

“Quiet down. It’s nowhere near starting yet.”

Salco casually wandered through the underground corridors near the monster cages, waving dismissively as though bored.

Anglago nearly grabbed the back of his neck in frustration.

Even after seeing a rare mount like a Bokabat, this fake dwarf was more interested in old architecture.

I never should’ve brought this bastard.

There wasn’t enough time to properly enjoy the pre-match events, yet this lunatic was sightseeing underground hallways.

“Look at that tail! Do you know what players call Bokabats? They call them stranglers!”

“Shouldn’t monsters like that be banned?”

The Bokabat—a six-legged reptilian monster with a long, flexible tail—lashed the air threateningly.

Cunning, persistent, and vicious, it was perfect for sniping players during a match.

Since the creature rarely appeared in the Eastern Empire, Anglago had never imagined he’d get to see one in person.

—A Bokabat... I never thought I’d see one here.

—Honestly, though, it feels overshadowed by the griffin. Who would’ve expected such a magnificent griffin to appear?

The noisy conversations drifting down from the spectator stands above sounded like music to Anglago’s ears.

“Gr-Griffin?! Tutanta! They said there’s a griffin! A griffin! We need to get back immediately!”

“There are griffins at Einroguard too.”

“How is that remotely the same thing?!”

Salco almost asked What’s the difference?, but Anglago’s expression was so painfully earnest that he hesitated.

“...Fine. We’ve seen enough. Let’s go back.”

“Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!”

What an exhausting bastard.

The two cursed each other internally as they sprinted up the stairs.

Inside the arena, several mounts that had already been released from their cages were performing tricks for the crowd.

And among gargoyles, hippogriffs, and hellhounds, the griffin naturally dominated everyone’s attention with its overwhelming majesty and size—

“...Isn’t that Wardanaz?”

“Wardanaz came to arrest us?!”

Anglago panicked and immediately ducked beneath his seat before casting a spell. His cloak shifted color to blend perfectly with the surroundings.

The nearby spectators stared at him in disbelief.

“No, you idiot. Isn’t that actually Wardanaz riding the griffin over there?”

“What are you talking about? Why would Wardanaz be—”

Anglago slowly raised his head.

Then his jaw dropped open.

Among the gargoyles, hippogriffs, and hellhounds, Lee Han was calmly riding the griffin while performing aerial tricks.

“...Something feels very wrong here.”

“Isn’t that the Einroguard Jousting Club?”

“He’s only a second-year! What kind of lunatics send a second-year into a match like this?!”

“Well, Wardanaz learns magic at an upperclassman level too.”

“...How is that the same thing?!”

Unable to argue logically anymore, Anglago resorted to stubbornness.

Though honestly, even he found it difficult to deny.

If Lee Han could already use upperclassman-level magic, then jousting...

“That bastard Wardanaz. Why didn’t he tell me about this?”

“It’s not that he hid it. You never asked.”

“Wardanaz! Do your best! You’re the pride of Einroguard’s second-years!”

Anglago jumped to his feet and started shouting at the top of his lungs.

Salco stared at him in horror.

Does this bastard seriously have no shame?

Still, in a jousting arena, that level of cheering was hardly unusual.

All around them, spectators were already screaming themselves hoarse.

—Long live the Plaher City Jousting Club!

—Einroguard students should just secretly use magic!

—How dare you say something so shameless?!

—Stop fighting! Keep causing trouble and you’ll be thrown out of the arena!

In the rougher sections of the crowd, spectators had already started throwing mud and stones at each other over which side would win.

The guards and knights finally rushed in to break things up.

“Tutanta. Wardanaz is only participating because the club practically forced him into it.”

“I don’t think anyone could force Wardanaz into something...”

Salco looked skeptical.

No matter how unreasonable upperclassmen were, he couldn’t imagine anyone outright overpowering Lee Han’s will.

But Anglago was completely convinced.

The Einroguard Jousting Club’s recent record had been disastrous, so they must have dragged Lee Han into the match against his will.

“He definitely only agreed because of the griffin. We should at least cheer for him! If not us, then who will?!”

“...That’s actually a fair point.”

Salco nodded slowly.

If Anglago had been participating, Salco probably would’ve quietly prepared mud to throw at the field instead of cheering.

But this was Wardanaz.

If they didn’t support him, who would?

—Who’s that student riding the griffin?

—A direct descendant of House Wardanaz.

—Ha! Since when do members of House Wardanaz care about ball-striking matches?

—Why can’t nobles enjoy sports too?

—Clearly you don’t know anything about House Wardanaz.

—More importantly, isn’t that the student who defeated that magical criminal last year?

—I thought it was a basilisk?

—Wasn’t it an anti-magic extremist?

“...Looks like we don’t actually need to cheer.”

“Quiet! It’s starting! Long live Einroguard!”

Trumpets blared.

Drums thundered.

Dragon roars echoed across the arena.

And the jousting match finally began.

The Plaher City Jousting Club lined up in flawless formation across the massive field, drawing gasps from the audience.

True masters could intimidate others simply by standing still.

Anglago clenched his teeth.

“How much did they train to form up that quickly?!”

“Is it really that impressive?”

“It’s incredibly impressive! Breaking through a defense that solid is almost impossible!”

“Then shouldn’t Einroguard wait for an opening instead?”

“The Einroguard Jousting Club’s defense is much weaker than theirs! We can’t afford to wait!”

“...?”

If both offense and defense were weak, didn’t that just mean they were weak overall?

BOOM!

—Student Wardanaz charges forward atop the griffin!

“Y-You idiot! That’s way too reckless!”

Anglago screamed.

And he wasn’t the only one.

The entire arena erupted.

If the enemy formation had no openings, they should have pressured it gradually and forced mistakes.

Charging in alone was basically suicide.

Even Karnella, who had been trying to coordinate with his junior, was caught off guard by the sudden assault.

“Junior! Too fast! The rear formation’s completely—”

As Lee Han crossed into enemy territory, opposing players charged from every direction.

A gargoyle leaped high toward his exposed flank.

GRAAAAAWL!

Murderous fury exploded from the griffin’s eyes.

Even during battles spanning centuries, it probably had never radiated this much killing intent.

The gargoyle unconsciously hesitated under the overwhelming pressure of the king of the skies.

THUD!

The griffin’s massive hind leg smashed into the gargoyle and launched it across the arena.

It rolled helplessly along the ground.

...KRAAAAAAAANG!!!!

Even after that exchange, the griffin’s fury didn’t diminish.

A frightened hellhound was sent flying by a shoulder slam.

A Bokabat trying to strike with its tail panicked and fled after taking a single peck from the griffin’s beak.

Meanwhile, Lee Han clung tightly to the griffin in complete confusion.

...Why is he acting like this?

As someone experienced in combat, Lee Han didn’t lose his balance even while Phoneig rampaged wildly.

He adjusted his posture smoothly and stayed mounted without difficulty.

But internally, he was baffled.

Phoneig was far too enthusiastic.

Whether it was rage or genuine love for jousting—

“...To think I’d witness such perfect unity between rider and mount in my lifetime.”

Defender Hadagak stared at Lee Han with a mixture of fear and awe.

He had thought he fully understood his opponent.

Yet from the very beginning, Lee Han and the griffin had shattered their entire formation through sheer force.

“I apologize for underestimating you, young master of House Wardanaz. The bond between you and your griffin far surpasses my shallow understanding...”

“Move!”

Before Lee Han even finished shouting, the griffin lunged at the next target.

Hadagak immediately steered his hippogriff aside.

He had absolutely no intention of confronting that bloodthirsty griffin head-on.

“...Is it afraid?!”

Only then did Hadagak realize something was wrong with his own mount.

He had been so focused on observing the enemy that he failed to notice the hippogriff trembling beneath him.

“Remember your training! We faced monsters far more terrifying than this!”

—...

Even after hearing its master’s shout, the hippogriff hesitated.

It had encountered creatures more frightening than griffins before.

But never a griffin carrying monsters this terrifying on its back.

“No need to confront it directly! Evade! He won’t be able to follow your movements! He’s exhausted already!”

The hippogriff barely regained its courage.

The advanced evasive maneuvers it had practiced with its master were difficult for ordinary opponents to track.

Feigning one direction before instantly changing course using the elasticity of its hind legs—

No exhausted griffin, especially one that had already crushed multiple opponents, should have been able to follow such movements.

BOOM!

As if refusing to be fooled a second time, the griffin slammed to a sudden stop despite panting heavily, then instantly lunged after the hippogriff again. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Its intent was obvious.

It planned to crush the enemy through overwhelming physical superiority regardless of tricks or techniques.

The griffin Lee Han rode at this moment was the most stubborn griffin in the Empire’s history.