"G-Gainando was taken!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
Of course, the students fell into a panic. A monster had suddenly flown in broad daylight and taken away a friend. It would've been strange not to freak out.
But strangely enough, Ihan felt himself becoming oddly calm.
"I really have gotten used to this school."
He had seen so many insane situations that even a monster kidnapping Gainando in the middle of the day didn't faze him anymore.
"Everyone, get down!"
Ihan shouted without hesitation.
The students from the Blue Dragon Tower, who were next to him, hurriedly crouched down at his command.
-KRAAAAAWR!
"It's coming back!"
"No!"
Another panicked student was taken. This time, it was someone from the White Tiger Tower.
Seeing that, a flash of insight struck Ihan's mind.
"No way!"
There had to be a reason why, out of all the students gathered here, the monster had chosen those two.
Gainando had bright blonde hair.
And the student just taken had bright silver hair.
"Everyone, cover your heads with your cloaks! It's targeting shiny hair!"
"It's going after bald people?!"
"He means hair color, you idiot!"
The Blue Dragon Tower students were flustered by the sudden instruction, but none of them doubted Ihan's words.
Thanks to that, they responded faster than the other tower students.
They ducked down and covered their hair with their cloaks, and the monster quickly lost interest in the Blue Dragon Tower students.
"It worked!"
Ihan realized his hunch was right.
He had known that many birds were drawn to shiny things—but he never expected that would also apply to monsters.
Without Gainando's sacrifice, he would never have figured it out.
Tap tap—
"?"
As Ihan crouched low, he realized someone he didn't recognize was tapping him.
From their uniform, it was clear they were from the White Tiger Tower.
Long black hair, pointed ears, and a physique honed in the way of knights. She had to be from an Eastern elf knight family.
Before Ihan could say anything, a fierce reaction came from beside him.
"Who dares lay a hand on Wardanaz?!"
"Honorable comrades! A bumpkin from the White Tiger Tower is touching Wardanaz...!"
The Blue Dragon Tower students reacted quickly and fervently, like a domino chain reaction, causing the White Tiger Tower girl to fluster and respond urgently.
"I have no affiliation with the Moradi faction! Your Highness! Please explain!"
The princess, Adenart, stepped forward and stood protectively in front of Ihan. He looked at her, puzzled.
"What the? You two know each other?"
With her signature blank expression, Adenart nodded. While she bought time, the elf girl quickly explained.
"I am Rowena, a knight serving Her Highness."
"Serving the princess? But no one's allowed to bring attendants or guards into this school... Ah. I see."
Without needing the full explanation, Ihan figured it out. Rowena looked at him, surprised by his quick understanding.
Bringing attendants or guards was against the school rules.
But every rule had its loophole.
If someone entered the school as a fellow student but volunteered to serve a classmate, there was no rule preventing that.
Adenart had been famous across the Empire since she was a child, so it wouldn't be odd if some of the new students had already pledged their loyalty even before enrollment.
"That explains the alchemy class too."
Back then, Ihan had wondered why students from all towers had gathered around the princess while avoiding him. But if they had already formed connections before entering the academy, it all made sense.
"Now I just feel bad for Gainando…"
Ihan felt sorry for Gainando, who was probably still flying through the air right now.
Adenart didn't have to do anything—people lined up from all over to serve her. Meanwhile, Gainando...
They were both royalty, but the gap between them was just too wide.
"So I get that you're the princess's knight, but why are you telling me that?"
"Though we've hidden ourselves from its sight, the monster could change its mind at any moment. Lord Wardanaz, please take command and lead us in fending it off."
"...??"
Ihan thought he must have misheard.
"She wants me to lead... who exactly?"
For a moment, he wondered if there were some undead soldiers under his command that even he didn't know about.
But as it turned out, there were people under his command that he hadn't realized.
Shff—
The students of the Blue Dragon Tower wiped under their noses confidently and stepped forward.
"Hmph. Wardanaz, we're counting on you."
"If it's you, Wardanaz, we can trust you. Lead us with honor."
"..."
Ihan was dumbfounded.
Without even realizing it, he had somehow become the leader of the Blue Dragon Tower students.
"There's never anything good about being the team leader, no matter the place or tradition…"
It was bewildering, but he couldn't just sit around doing nothing in this situation.
So Ihan nodded and began issuing commands, doing what came to mind.
Rowena watched Ihan's actions with curious eyes.
She wasn't the only one among the new students who served Princess Adenart. There were others in different towers as well.
But they didn't serve her simply because she was one of the hundreds of imperial royals. Nor was it about wealth or power.
They came from different races, classes, and backgrounds—all drawn together for one reason: Adenart's ability.
Because of that, Rowena had simply assumed that the leader of the Blue Dragon Tower would naturally be Adenart.
But to her surprise, it wasn't.
The one leading the Blue Dragon Tower… was a boy from the Wardanaz family.
"No way!"
"How can this be?"
Sure, Adenart wasn't exactly a social butterfly.
She was quiet, barely spoke, and had a cold expression that often intimidated people.
But her followers never saw those as flaws.
Especially not when she possessed such overwhelming talent.
A genius in every field—surely even the prideful, arrogant Blue Dragon Tower students would recognize her worth…
And yet.
Wardanaz?
His family wasn't known for being sociable either.
Yes, the Wardanaz were one of the top mage families in the Empire—but their reputation was eccentric and terrifying.
So how could a boy from that kind of family be leading the students of the Blue Dragon Tower?
Her fellow followers couldn't believe it.
"How did he do it?"
"Maybe now I'll find out."
Rowena stared intently at Ihan while staying close to Adenart to protect her.
She had no choice but to ask Ihan to take charge.
If she or even Adenart had spoken up, there was no way those prideful Blue Dragon Tower students would've listened.
Honestly, it frustrated her.
If she could just figure out how Ihan managed to lead them, then maybe Adenart could do it too.
"I'll figure it out and advise Her Highness myself!"
What Rowena couldn't possibly imagine…
Was that Ihan had won over those arrogant students—with food.
"Now that I'm actually trying to give commands… there's not much I can do, huh."
They didn't have bows or crossbows. There was no way they could take on a monster flying that high up.
Then what?
"Like dealing with wild animals… We'll have to scare it off somehow."
Fortunately, Ihan had a few tricks up his sleeve.
"Everyone, form a line! Make a wall!"
At his command, the students stood in a line to form a makeshift wall.
Ihan crouched behind it to maximize the effect of his ambush.
"Here it comes!"
As the monster descended again, Ihan immediately cast a spell.
"Light, come forth!"
It was just a simple first-circle spell: Create Light. But how it was used made all the difference.
A shining orb of light flared in the sky like a miniature sun, and the charging monster let out a screech, twisting away in alarm.
-KRAAAAAWR!
The monster had been completely caught off guard, thanks to Ihan suddenly casting from hiding.
"Woah! Wooah! Pull back!"
"What the—?"
Just as Ihan thought the monster was fleeing in fear and the situation was under control… a voice called out from atop the creature.
Something about it felt all too familiar.
"Don't tell me… is that a professor? No—of course it is. There's no way a normal professor exists in this school!"
There was no real evidence—just a gut feeling. But Ihan was convinced.
The person who rode in on the monster… had to be a professor.
This damn school, seriously…!
Thanks to its rider—likely the professor—the once-frightened monster calmed down and turned again.
-KRAAAAAWR!
It looked embarrassed about being startled by a harmless light spell. It clicked its beak angrily and seemed to roar out of frustration.
This time, it charged directly at Ihan.
Clearly, it had figured out who was calling the shots here.
"No! Wardanaz, get out of the way!"
Rowena shouted desperately.
Ihan's plan had clearly worked—he had found a way to drive the monster off by exploiting a weakness.
But now, it was time to run.
"What is she talking about?"
"Doesn't she even know who she's yelling at?"
Other students from the White Tiger Tower gave Rowena confused looks.
Clearly, she hadn't attended swordsmanship class and was operating under a massive misunderstanding.
That boy from the Wardanaz family didn't need protection—he was more than capable of protecting himself.
And Ihan didn't dodge.
His chiseled face hardened with focus, and he swung his staff.
"Move!"
With the incantation, small stones rose into the air.
Just a low-level first-circle telekinesis spell—but to the watching students, Ihan looked like a grand mage.
"Please don't hit our own side. Please don't hit our own side…"
Since he didn't know many spells, Ihan had planned to use the basic control spell if the light spell failed.
The problem was…
The moment he lifted the stone, instead of floating it gently, he accidentally launched it like an arrow.
Aimed? Not even close. It was pure luck.
If he could aim, he would've used this spell from the start.
"Wardanaz! Wardanaz! Wardanaz!"
"Wardanaz! Wardanaz! Wardanaz!"
Completely unaware of his inner panic, the Blue Dragon Tower students shouted Ihan's name with enthusiasm.
Even students from other towers had started chanting his name.
Ping!
The stone Ihan had levitated shot out sharply.
"!!"
And, to everyone's surprise, it grazed just past the monster's beak with pinpoint accuracy.
"I'm screwed!"
Ihan inwardly groaned.
Honestly, he was just grateful the stone had flown that far. He couldn't really complain about bad luck.
-KRAWRRAWRR!
But astonishingly—it worked.
The monster flinched, startled by the stone that whizzed past its beak, and abruptly changed direction.
"Wooooaaahhh!"
"Wardanaz! Wardanaz!"
Some students from the White Tiger Tower looked on with bitter, conflicted expressions—blending fear, frustration, and awe.
They had to admit it, no matter how grudgingly:
The boy from the Wardanaz family was on another level.
While they couldn't even manage a simple light orb, he was already mastering stone manipulation spells and using them in actual combat...
It was widely known that learning a spell was one thing—but using it in a real battle was a whole different challenge.
In the chaos and violence of combat, with blood flying and weapons whizzing by, even the most practiced spells often fell apart due to lost concentration.
But he had pulled it off flawlessly...
"That guy's a monster."
"Huh? It actually worked?"
Everyone else was impressed—but Ihan himself was just confused.
Did the monster get scared from a glancing shot?
"Guess I got lucky."
"Ho-ho! Ho-ho! Ho-hooo! That's the way!"
The voice from earlier echoed from atop the monster again—clearly the professor—and then, with a burst of dust, the monster landed.
Thud!
Before dismounting, the professor threw down the students who'd been dragged up with him one by one. Gainando was foaming at the mouth, passed out cold.
Thap!
The professor made a flashy landing.
He wore leather pants, a leather jacket, and magical pilot goggles perched on his head (definitely enchanted artifacts, Ihan could sense the mana). He was unmistakably a dwarf who screamed, "I'm an adventurer!"
But Ihan noticed something else.
This dwarf... looked strangely familiar.
"Could he be related to Thunderfoot?"
"No, no. Just because I think all dwarves look alike doesn't mean I should assume they're family. That's just plain prejudice."
Tap—
The dwarf walked up and grabbed Ihan by the collar.
Then, with a cheerful voice, he declared:
"You've got potential!"
"..."
He's definitely related to Thunderfoot.