“Ugh. He’s especially out of control this time.”

“Let’s all be understanding. It’s a unicorn.”

The students active as members of the Jousting Club first put some distance between themselves and Professor Bendozol’s fit.

The spells he had fired in every direction turned into gargoyles when they struck rocks and wood fiends when they struck trees.

Professor Bendozol, who could wield the magic of various schools with tremendous force, was that much more troublesome and threatening as an opponent.

GRRRRR…

Of course, Einroguard students were not the sort to get scared of gargoyles or wood fiends and run away.

“Professor. This won’t make the unicorn love you. Please leave it to us!”

“You already summoned monsters. Why not just play with those?”

“Shut up!”

Professor Bendozol barked furiously, face flushed red from the blood rushing to it.

Those arrogant, greedy students always drove Professor Bendozol into a rage.

To begin with, the very act of making such beautiful creatures labor at one’s whim was an act of arrogance.

People could pull wagons themselves, and people could plow fields themselves too, couldn’t they?

And for jousting, there was even less to say. Humans could just transform themselves and go out. To think these people wanted to bring in a unicorn instead.

“It doesn’t matter if the unicorn hates me. I’ll make absolutely sure none of you ever get close to it!”

“Professor, you’re committing tyranny right now. For all you know, the unicorn might want us.”

At the student’s words, the unicorn firmly shook its head.

The Jousting Club members felt a little embarrassed at the sight, but, true to seasoned Einroguard mages, they did not retreat.

“It’s only acting like that because it hasn’t known us for long.”

“That’s right! Once we get closer, might it not change its mind?”

“If you pests don’t leave, I’ll turn every last one of you into grubs and throw you into the Einroguard desert!”

While the tense standoff between professor and club members continued, new students appeared in the back.

They were second-year students who had decided to join a club this year.

“……”

“…Th-this is a little different from what I imagined?”

The second-years whispered to one another in shock at the scene unfolding before them.

The Jousting Club they had imagined was a little different.

Rare Imperial animals secured in the club-owned stables.

Club members bound together by sportsmanship and equipped with excellent horsemanship.

After fierce matches against equally refined rivals, fresh sweat running down their bodies.

And prize money.

“???”

“What prize money?”

“…Don’t they get prize money?”

Lee Han was slightly flustered by his friends’ reactions.

He had definitely heard that the Einroguard Jousting Club received prize money from matches against Jousting Clubs from other regions.

“Ah. That? Wardanaz, what does that matter? What matters is honor.”

“That’s right. That’s right.”

“Have you all gone mad?”

But even at Lee Han’s words, the friends did not waver.

Club activities were certainly also a means of securing research funds for students, but pure passion for jousting had blinded his friends.

“In the first place, if it’s the Jousting Club, it seems like this is how they’d have to secure animals. Otherwise, where would they get mounts?”

It seemed as if a rider’s horsemanship and mounted combat skill would be the most important things in jousting, but in truth, even more important than that was preparing the mount itself.

If you rode out on a skinny pony while the other side rode out on a behemoth, then no matter how great your technique was, winning would be impossible.

“A-an auction house, maybe… or raising them on a ranch…”

“If Einroguard had gold to spend on that, it would probably use it on research.”

While they were talking like that, a familiar upperclassman came running over. It was Perse, a fourth-year from Blue Dragon Tower.

“Sorry about this after you all came to look over the club! It would be better to head back today. Professor is more stubborn than expected.”

“What’s going on?”

“A unicorn appeared at Einroguard, and Professor Bendozol is insisting on monopolizing it all by himself.”

Perse sighed and shook head.

Then, suddenly realizing something, Perse cried out.

“Ah. You lot don’t know Professor Bendozol, do you? He wasn’t here last year.”

“Yes. What kind of person is Professor Bendozol?”

“Professor Bendozol is… hmm… someone who cares a great deal for animals.”

“……”

Unlike his friends, Lee Han had already met Professor Bendozol during winter break, and he wore a complicated expression.

Of course, it was true that Professor Bendozol cared a great deal for animals, but Lee Han was not sure that description really told the truth.

At that rate, even the Skull Principal would become “someone very concerned about the Empire.”

“Isn’t Professor Bendozol attacking students over there?”

“Be quiet! That’s just a slight misunderstanding.”

Perse snapped because the juniors had hit the mark too directly.

Even if Professor Bendozol was one of the biggest obstacles to the Jousting Club, it was too early to openly curse Bendozol in front of juniors.

“Don’t be like that, Upperclassman Perse. The juniors should know what they need to know too.”

A third-year from White Tiger Tower, Hormasi, stopped Perse.

A dark elf, Hormasi was tall and gave off a nimble, agile air.

Even though coat, cloak, and long skirt were wound all over the body, a lithe and dynamic energy could still be felt from head to toe.

Picking up the riding whip hanging at the side of that long skirt, Hormasi tapped it twice against a palm and looked at the juniors.

“Nice to meet you, juniors. Welcome to the Jousting Club. I’m Hormasi.”

“Hello, Upperclassman!”

When one of the White Tiger Tower students shouted that out, Hormasi nodded with a rather satisfied expression.

“There are a lot of students from the same tower here. In truth, the two towers that send the most people into the Jousting Club are White Tiger Tower and Blue Dragon Tower. What goal brought you into the Jousting Club?”

“Honorable victory and…”

“…Friendship and competition…”

“Trophies…”

As the juniors each gave their reasons, Hormasi kept nodding and murmuring agreement.

“Prize money…”

“Right. Each of you probably has goals that are similar, but also a little different. Wait. Who just said prize money?”

Hormasi paused for a moment at the unusual answer, then soon continued speaking. It was not particularly important.

“Do you know what you have to do to achieve those goals?”

“We have to go out to matches and win!”

“Ah. Good. Very good. But before that, there’s something else you have to do first. To go out to matches, you first have to earn recognition inside the club, right? How do you think you earn that recognition?”

“Do we have to win practice matches?”

“…That’s good too, but better than that is showing your ability. Now then. You see Professor Bendozol and the unicorn over there, right? If there’s any junior here who can bring the unicorn over while avoiding Professor Bendozol’s eyes, I’ll send that junior into a match even if I have to give up my own right to participate.”

“!!!”

“Hormasi!”

Perse glared at the White Tiger Tower upperclassman with an angry face.

“How long has it even been since these juniors joined the club, and you’re already telling them to do something like that?!”

“Then let me ask in return, Upperclassman Perse. Just how much are we supposed to coddle new juniors? It’s not like they’re first-years. They’re second-years.”

Hormasi answered in an indifferent voice.

An excellent striker, Hormasi had little interest in raising juniors or showing them consideration.

What was wanted were juniors who would surge up at the side, crush opposing players, subdue rare Imperial creatures, and drag them back into the club. There was no need for bumbling fools.

Pointing the whip at Professor Bendozol, the dark elf upperclassman said,

“You heard me just now, right? I’m not forcing you. Whether you seize the glory yourselves or stand here doing nothing is up to you.”

“I’m telling you, facing Professor Bendozol in that state and bringing back the unicorn is dangerous!”

“At Einroguard, even breathing is dangerous, Upperclassman. If you start arguing every little thing one by one, there’s nothing you’ll ever be able to do. Juniors, think it over carefully. If you miss this chance today, you might not meet a unicorn again until you graduate.”

“…!”

At those words, the second-year students all hardened their resolve.

Wasn’t life at Einroguard high risk, high return to begin with?

“Let’s go!”

“I’ll be the one chosen!”

“Yeah, yeah! That’s how you’re supposed to charge in! Go on!”

Hormasi burst into laughter and clapped.

But the students who had charged out so spiritedly abruptly stopped moving before they had gone very far.

“?”

As Hormasi looked puzzled, the students shouted,

“Th-the unicorn is coming this way!”

“…?!”

*****

“No one will approach!”

With a fierce cry, Professor Bendozol yanked out one Jousting Club student who had been swimming through the ground and sent that student flying.

The professor turned around and shouted behind.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure those vulgar, greedy beasts don’t so much as get near you!”

NEIGH!

The unicorn, which had been watching the mages fight with a look of utter boredom, suddenly raised head.

Professor Bendozol was so delighted by the unicorn’s reaction that the feet nearly left the ground.

“Are you worrying about me? There’s no need. Stopping a few worms like th—”

Before the sentence was even finished, the unicorn moved. It kicked off the ground, blinked several times through short-range teleportation, and slipped out of the battle.

Then it dashed toward where the second-year students were.

“The unicorn is coming this way!! The unicorn is coming this way!!!”

“Th-the unicorn chose me! The unicorn chose me!”

“Why would the unicorn choose you?”

“I suffered ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) at Einroguard. The unicorn recognized that sacrifice and devotion!”

…Then shouldn’t the whole student body be chosen?

The student who had nearly found the friend’s words convincing for a moment quickly came to senses.

It had certainly been suffering, but it did not seem likely that a unicorn would choose someone for that reason.

From the back, Hormasi’s face went cold and stiff.

“Everyone, fall back!”

A unicorn that had started moving like that was extremely dangerous.

There was no way it had come running over with the intention of arbitrarily choosing students who had done nothing, so this was clearly hostile behavior.

Perse seemed to have sensed that too and shouted for the juniors to fall back first.

“Something is strange. Everyone, move aside!”

“Are you trying to steal the unicorn from us right now?!”

“……”

“……”

Hormasi and Perse looked at the juniors as if they were pathetic.

Then again, failing to understand and ignoring good advice from an upperclassman was one of a junior’s privileges.

“Ah. Sure. Do whatever you want! Try catching it, then!”

“Hormasi. If you can’t stop them, at least don’t make it worse!”

“As if stopping them would work.”

With a sneer, Hormasi pulled out a wand.

Even offering the juniors one warning had been a tremendous act of generosity. Normally, such a thing would never have happened.

Now Hormasi would stop the unicorn personally and earn recognition.

FLASH!

The unicorn jumped through space once more, shook off the mages, arrived in front of one second-year student, knocked that student over, and lowered horn.

“Unicorn, get ba—!”

“Easy. Easy.”

“?”

Perse, who had been about to attack the unicorn, was startled by the junior’s voice.

It was a completely calm voice, without even a trace of panic or fear.

As Lee Han peeled off the unicorn that was clinging to his sleeve with its teeth, he said,

“I get that you’re glad to see me, but stop knocking me over. It hurts.”

The unicorn licked his hand as if apologizing.

The Jousting Club upperclassmen, who had arrived late, widened eyes at the sight.

“Co-could it be… was that a unicorn you were raising?”

Lee Han knew it was an absurdly stupid question, but seeing what was happening in front of them, the upperclassman had blurted it out without thinking.

“It isn’t. Last time—”

“Attack that bastard!!”

Professor Bendozol, who had arrived last of all, pointed at Lee Han with bloodshot eyes.

The Jousting Club students asked back, looking unable to understand.

“Why should we attack him?”

“Shouldn’t you be praising him? He tamed a unicorn even you couldn’t tame, Professor.”

“That bastard stole the unicorn from me!”

“Ah…!”

The upperclassmen nodded as if they understood.

Then, completely ignoring Professor Bendozol, they spoke to Lee Han.

“Junior. Just how did you get the unicorn to—”

“Hey! Don’t ignore me!”