Biron was anything but patient. He stared at the blue-haired girl who was about to summon her creatures. She, however, seemed undisturbed, even when some students began to stir due to her lack of a partner.
Many started whispering, but some already knew the reason, including Mirelia.
"Don't ask me. You'll see soon…" she warned him, even before Biron had the chance to open his mouth.
What happened next shocked him. Selka Drayne suddenly summoned two creatures—something no one else in class could do. It was actually Biron's first time seeing someone pull that off. The teacher had told them such feats were possible, but no one had really believed him.
As for Biron, he'd thought it far too rare for someone like him to achieve. That, and it was simply too costly. To sustain even one creature, he had to request extra aether just to recharge his wand. As for Selka, she was wealthy—probably had an unlimited supply of crystals to support her summons.
"Say, Mirelia, have you ever—"
"Yes, and nothing happened," she cut him off before he could finish. "It's either kill my monster and hope the next one's the right one—which it won't be—or just summon another of the same type."
She shrugged, clearly frustrated.
"I guess… well, I hope that makes her weaker at least. She should be too distracted with one to fight properly with the other, right?"
Biron began thinking of countermeasures, but the creatures Selka summoned told him otherwise.
One was a spider made entirely of ice, its legs like icicles that tapped sharply against the floor.
The other was a small bird whose call distorted the air around it. Each chirp sent out rippling waves that looked anything but harmless.
"Sound and ice—two strong elements for offense," Mirelia muttered, her gaze lingering on the blue-haired girl with a trace of envy.
"I guess we can still counter her, right? I mean, fire should work against ice?"
Biron was already planning his next move.
"Will you just quiet down and watch?"
He took a breath and did as Mirelia said, observing the fight unfold. The blue-haired girl's Selka opponents weren't weak. One of them was a large ant-like creature, about the size of a shoe, but its small size was anything but harmless. As soon as it was summoned, its partner handed it a brick to demonstrate its power. The ant tore it clean in half within seconds.
Its companion seemed to be just a shadow at first—or so everyone thought. The shadow mirrored its summoner and didn't move until it was called into the field. Then it shifted, morphing into a black slime about the size of a basketball.
"Those two aren't pushovers," Mirelia whispered. "They'll be hard for us to beat if she loses."
The fight began. The bird darted toward the ant, trying to find an opening to strike. Meanwhile, the spider started weaving what looked like ordinary webs, thin and nearly invisible. Biron initially thought it was ridiculous to fight with threads like that.
Then he realized what the spider was really doing.
It wasn't just weaving—it was braiding the strands together with incredible speed, forming what looked like a rope. At first, Biron assumed it was just for defense, until the spider lashed it down like a whip, striking the ground where the shadowy slime was trying to creep in.
The shadow recoiled, then moved faster, surging forward to attack. But just as it reached the spider, it got caught in another set of threads.
"But… isn't it just ice?" Biron asked—until he noticed something strange.
The shadow wasn't just stuck. It was trembling from the cold that even it could feel.
"Well, of course. That spider has Subzero ability it is one of the strongest ice starters. The only way to fight it is from long range," Mirelia said, sounding unimpressed. "I guess I expected too much from her opponents. This one will be over in a few seconds."
Her bored tone made the tension Biron felt for the match quickly fade.
Just as she predicted, the battle ended soon after. The ant couldn't withstand the bird's sound waves and pecking from its strong beak, and the shadow never managed to enter the spider's range—it was held off long enough for the bird to land the finishing blow.
"Well, they didn't have a ranged fighter. What did you expect…" Biron muttered with a sigh.
He watched the next few fights. They were interesting at first, but he began to notice that something was off—most spectators weren't even paying attention.
Those who were used to watching summoner battles barely bothered to look.
"What can you expect? Everyone here's an amateur. These weak creatures won't put on an exciting show," Mirelia said. "Now get ready. We're up next—and you already know who we're going to fight."
Biron nodded. Their strategy was already in place—he just needed to play his part.
"I guess that means I only have one option, then. Just make sure you don't take too long with the bird," he said as he readied his staff and stepped into the combat arena.
He glanced at Mirelia, who wore a smug smile, clearly directing her attitude at Selka.
"I hope you remember what you did this morning," Mirelia said. "Call this payback."
Biron scratched the back of his neck, unsure if provoking their opponent right away was the smartest idea.
"Prove me wrong, then," Selka replied coolly. "All I see is someone barking because their family didn't want them."
"Mirelia, let's just enter the stage. I really want to finish this… before it gets worse."
Biron tried to pulled her toward the battlefield to start summoning their creatures, but Mirelia looked like she was ready to personally strike Selka instead.
"Well, will you three just hurry up?" the teacher called out. "We have one more fight after this. For every second you make me wait, I'll deduct three points from this exam."
All three immediately straightened and got into position. Mirelia was the first to summon her creature, which looked just as eager to fight as she was. Biron followed a bit slower, while Selka's ice spider and sound bird were already out at the same time, waiting.