“How would Ponlig even know about that?” I-han protested, glaring at Professor Thunderstep with suspicion.

He wondered if the professor was just teasing him. How could a griffon possibly know he had ridden a pegasus?

“Of course, it would know. Don’t underestimate a griffon’s sense of smell; it’s not just any sense. Especially when it comes to a species like a pegasus,” the professor replied dismissively, as if I-han’s question was absurd.

Just as a pegasus could sense honor and integrity in a person, a griffon could detect whether its master had been near another mount. If it was some creature griffons deemed inferior, like a horse or a wyvern, it might ignore it, but a pegasus, a creature it actively disliked…

“What would happen then?” I-han asked.

“Well, either the pegasus dies, or the griffon does. You… well, you might be fine,” the professor said with a shrug.

I-han looked at the pegasus in silence.

Its snow-white coat, soft wings, and gentle, knowing gaze made it seem as if it understood I-han’s worth, urging him to come closer.

“…Is there really no way?” he pleaded.

“If there were, I’d tell you. Why do you insist on this, anyway? Being chosen by a griffon is incredibly rare!”

“But wasn’t it you who paired me with the griffon in the first place?”

“Be grateful for it! Now, go get Ponlig,” the professor retorted, unmoved.

Grumbling, I-han turned and headed back to fetch Ponlig, as the pegasus let out a mournful neigh, as if asking why he was leaving.

“…”

The sound made I-han pause, but the baby basilisk in his sleeve hissed defensively at the pegasus.

“Hey, cut it out,” I-han scolded the basilisk, which responded with an innocent look, feigning ignorance.

---

When I-han returned with Ponlig, a few of his friends had already bonded with the pegasi. Ponlig, however, looked at the pegasi with undisguised disgust.

“Isn’t that a bit harsh?” I-han asked, watching Ponlig stomp mud at the pegasi, hitting Gainando’s unsuspecting head with a splat.

“Who did that?! Angra, was it you, you rat?!”

“Good guess! Yes, I took your cake. Perhaps that’ll teach you not to brag about it for a whole week!”

“What? I’m talking about mud!”

While his friends squabbled, I-han glanced at Ponlig, who continued growling at the pegasi, looking ready to pounce at any moment.

‘Well,’ I-han thought. 

It was rare for him to encounter a creature that didn’t respond with fear, intimidation, or submission. Here was a noble being that respected the honor of his actions. How often did one meet a creature like that?

Ponlig narrowed his eyes at I-han, as if sensing his interest in the pegasus.

“Look at those pegasi! They’re so scrawny, probably can’t even carry a rider,” I-han said with a smile.

Ponlig’s expression brightened, and he nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, in comparison, you’re truly the king of the skies. There’s no comparison to a pegasus.”

Ponlig nodded so quickly that a breeze stirred around them.

“Fine, you’re the best.”

“Oh, Wardanaz,” Professor Thunderstep called out. “Ponlig might frighten the pegasi, so take him around that way.”

“…”

I-han felt a sting at the professor’s honest remark.

‘A bit too blunt, don’t you think?’

“Look, I’m flying!” Nilia’s voice rang out as she soared into the sky.

Having bonded with her pegasus the quickest, she was the first to take flight. Professor Thunderstep called out instructions.

“Stay calm and sit up straight! Don’t show fear! Pegasi aren’t wild, but they’ll lose respect if they sense you’re scared. Show that you’re worthy of riding it!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

“Follow the flagged path in the sky! If you make it back without falling, you pass!”

Nilia looked at the flags marking the path and the light trails stretching into the sky, noting that the path eventually dipped close to the ground over a mud swamp.

She cast a nervous glance at her pegasus, wondering if this dignified creature would trust her enough to cross the swamp.

“Hey! Hey! Get a grip! That’s not the path!” she suddenly heard.

Nilia’s tension broke when she saw a familiar friend struggling with a beast that had the body of a lion and the head of an eagle.

I-han was scolding his griffon, tapping it on the head with his staff.

“Stop glaring at the pegasus! Follow the path! Quit growling—she’s my friend! Just stick to the path!”

‘Good luck,’ Nilia thought, realizing how lucky she was.

“Thank you… truly.”

-?

The pegasus snorted contentedly, pleased at its dark elf rider’s gratitude. Truly, it had chosen a kind-hearted master.

---

Professor Thunderstep’s test became the talk of the academy for some time afterward.

Students from all houses excitedly discussed the pegasi.

“I’m telling you, that pegasus clearly liked me more! Didn’t you see it turn its head when Dulac approached?”

“It turned away because it was tired, obviously! Stop making things up!”

“Is there any way to keep a pegasus as a pet? They were amazing!”

“I heard of a knight who actually went into the mountains and brought back a pegasus foal.”

“Oh… so it’s possible?”

“Hold on, are we even allowed to do that?”

“No, actually. While he was out for a bit, his quarters were destroyed, and the pegasus disappeared.”

“Wow…”

Seeing I-han nearby, the students from the White Tiger Tower turned to him, hoping he’d have an answer as the top student of their year.

“Wardanaz, any ideas? Is there no way we could keep a pegasus?”

“Maybe we could go catch one together during winter break?”

With a deadpan expression, I-han replied, “I have a griffon.”

“But having both would be nice, wouldn’t it?”

“I’ve heard a griffon will bite its master if it smells a pegasus on them.”

“…”

“…”

The White Tiger students looked horrified.

They knew griffons were notoriously fierce, but they hadn’t realized it went that far.

“Griffons are aggressive, for sure.”

“But aren’t they cool too? Is there any way to get a griffon?”

“It’s harder than getting a pegasus. If you brought a griffon foal back, your place wouldn’t just get destroyed—it’d be a bloodbath.”

“Even so, griffons are worth it. I knew a knight who couldn’t stop praising them.”

“What? He had a griffon?”

“No, he lost an arm to one in battle.”

As his friends kept asking about griffons, Dergieu leaned in and whispered to I-han.

“Don’t let it bother you, I-han. They don’t understand how challenging griffons can be.”

“Don’t worry, Dergieu. I was already focused on the next test,” I-han replied.

Hearing this, Dergieu looked relieved.

With Professor Engeldel’s exam approaching later that evening, I-han’s readiness was a good sign.

“Yes, though I had to stop Ponlig from lunging at the pegasi. Still, it doesn’t bother me at all.”

“…”

“…”

‘Clearly, it bothers him a lot…’ Dergieu and Giselle thought, exchanging glances.

I-han’s struggle with Professor Thunderstep’s test had indeed been unique.

Usually obedient, his griffon had shown an unusual animosity toward the pegasi, growling at them continuously.

Even when I-han tried to discipline it by pulling its leash or tapping it with his staff, the griffon stubbornly glared at the pegasi.

“Hey, Wardanaz. Forget about the last test. Focus on the next one,” Moradi advised.

“You’re right, Moradi. How embarrassing,” I-han admitted.

In the end, he had no reason to dwell on a finished test.

Though the image of the pegasus still lingered in his mind…

“You’ve set up the mountain huts, right?”

“Yes, in three locations. We split the food and hid it there.”

“I set up two more, just in case.”

I-han and his friends exchanged knowing looks.

Professor Engeldel’s final exam traditionally involved spending a night outdoors in the frigid mountains, surviving with only their wits. But to the seasoned Einroguard students, the test had a slightly different interpretation.

“Hide as many supplies in the mountains as possible without getting caught!”

Of course, Professor Engeldel had never actually said that, but I-han and his friends understood it intuitively.

“Still no word on where we’ll start?”

“Nope. The professor’s kept all hints to himself.”

“No matter where we start, let’s find the direction and move quickly. Here’s a recent map of the mountain range. Some parts are missing, but what’s there will help.”

“Thanks…” Giselle began, squinting at the unfamiliar handwriting on the map.

The words were scribbled in what looked like a giant’s messy scrawl.

“Eastern Cave,”

“Mighty! Come here, close by!”

‘Where did you even get this?’ she

 wondered.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

“...?”

“Oh no, not them again…”

Seeing a group of apprentice knights from the Order of the White Birch approaching, the Einroguard students grimaced.

Every time outsiders came to help with an exam, it had never ended well.

Besides, the students had already prepared extensively for the test; a sudden change would just disrupt their plans.

“Professor, why are the knights here?”

“Do the knights have too much free time? Why are they always at Einroguard? Are they looking to learn magic?”

The White Tiger students’ comments caused the apprentices to blush.

“Hey, we came to help you!”

“How could you say that after we greeted each other last time?”

“???”

The students were caught off guard.

“Help us?”

“Let me explain.”

Professor Engeldel tapped his sword on the ground to get everyone’s attention.

“I figured it would be wise to add some extra support since the students will be scattered across the mountain range.”

“We could just form groups ourselves!”  

“Wardanaz! Join us! What? You will? Perfect!”  

Ignoring the White Tiger students’ protests, Professor Engeldel continued.

“When you go out into the world, there will be many occasions to work with others. For a mage, it’s rare to travel alone.”

‘I wish Professor Voladi would hear this,’ I-han thought to himself.

If only Professor Voladi shared this sentiment…

“As mages, you must learn to cooperate with others. That’s all.”

Professor Engeldel was not one to change his mind once he set a rule, so the students muttered as they eyed the apprentices.

The apprentices, in turn, wore mischievous smiles.

“...We’re actually just trying to keep you from suffering too much.”

“Get lost!”

“Oh, come on, Engel! Didn’t we train together in the dorms over break?”

“Forget it; I don’t know you!”

Luckily, I-han, Giselle, and Dergieu managed to keep quiet, so the apprentices greeted them warmly instead of glaring.

“Choi! Fancy seeing you again.”

“Good to see you, Moradi. Heard you and Wardanaz took down some anti-mages? Are you going to recommend him to your family’s knight order?”

‘Hah, like that would happen. Recommending someone from the Wardanaz family to a knight’s order?’

“Are you insane?” Giselle muttered out loud, accidentally voicing her true thoughts.

“Hey, keep it to yourself,” I-han whispered to her.