Others Summon Dragons, I Summon Legendary Knights Chapter 1: The Hero’s Trash Son

"Good morning, everyone," declared a man whose curly brown hair fell to his shoulders, round glasses positioned perfectly on his sharp nose. Clutching a book, he marched boldly into the classroom.

"Morning, Mr. Edwin."

As Godfrey stepped in right behind a girl his age, he heard the chorus of greetings from his future classmates. Her golden-white locks were pulled into a smooth ponytail that sparkled softly under the fluorescent glow.

"Today, two transfer students are joining our class," Edwin proclaimed in a cheerful, teasing voice. "Your sophomore year is bound to get a lot more exciting, since both are already... quite famous."

Godfrey’s grip on his backpack strap tightened slightly without notice. His deep blue eyes flicked toward the girl standing just half a meter away. Her skin was like fine porcelain, her golden-orange eyes wide, and her lips shone subtly—likely from high-end gloss.

"Why don’t you two introduce yourselves?" Edwin’s warm voice rang out from the front.

"I’m Isolde Pendragon."

’Pendragon!’ Godfrey’s eyes widened sharply. He wasn’t the only one; faces across the room changed in an instant. Whispers spread like gusts over parched fields, yet the dominant reaction was pure awe gleaming in the sophomores’ gazes.

Everyone knew the Pendragons—a legendary summoner family renowned for producing dragon summoners generation after generation.

Godfrey cleared his throat while catching Isolde’s sideways look, her slender eyebrow arching in mild curiosity.

"Good morning, everyone. I’m Godfrey Daniels, and I hope we can all—"

"You’re the hero’s trash!" Dale burst out, the boy with a buzzed haircut clutching his desk like he’d discovered hidden gold.

"Daniels, from Amazon, right?" A boy with snow-white hair and an angelic face propped lazily on his hand raised an eyebrow.

Godfrey managed a faint smile. "Yes."

"It’s the trash," Snow murmured with a casual shrug, gaze wandering to the window. Laughter rippled across the room—some girls hiding it behind hands, others letting it out freely.

"Godfrey is a human being, just like you. You don’t call people trash." Edwin scolded sternly, though Godfrey understood the truth. Words held no power here. This was Manhattan Summoners High, among the world’s elite schools. Its pupils were heirs to fortunes, honors, and timeless bloodlines. They weren’t merely learning; they were being shaped to rule the future.

’Aren’t I just like them?’ he reflected with bitterness.

Poverty had never touched his life. His father was a celebrated war hero who once stopped a massive orc army of a hundred thousand, standing firm until his last moments. Beneath that immense glory, the world demanded Godfrey match it. Yet he hadn’t awakened.

Awakening young, before any ritual, marked exceptional talent. His father’s grand shadow turned Godfrey’s lack into deep shame. To others, he stained a hero’s reputation.

"Go on, sit down. Class is about to begin." Edwin spoke softly.

Godfrey watched Isolde, the famed Pendragon ice princess, as she moved. She had awakened at the astonishing age of one—a story that once captivated the globe. He’d heard echoes of it growing up, filled with wonder.

Shaking off the weight in his chest, he took a seat toward the rear. Predictably, Isolde picked the window seats. Snow sat right ahead of her.

"Godfrey," Edwin summoned abruptly. "You’ll join the freshmen for their awakening ceremony tomorrow morning."

The stifled chuckles from his classmates rang clear. Lips quivered holding back laughs, eyes sparkled with scorn. Godfrey nodded silently. He was accustomed to it by now.

He once envisioned epic feats: summoning a mighty creature, rising as an academy star with steadfast companions and admiring glances from beautiful girls drawn like moths to light.

Looking back now, that vision seemed downright ridiculous.

"Now then," Edwin’s tone rose, snapping Godfrey from his reverie. "We all know the first Summoner, Adam." He opened his notebook on the podium. "And his summon?"

Silence fell over the class at once.

"The Prisoner of the Golden Headband, better known as the Monkey King. A King-tier summon, famed for his cunning mind and peerless combat skills. A creature who could copy and replicate any foe’s abilities." Edwin paused, allowing the significance to settle. "But he disappeared... into a white dungeon gate. That leads to today’s lesson: what are dungeon gates, their characteristics, and why they’ve persisted for over a hundred years?"

Hands flew up eagerly, students keen to flaunt their expertise.

Godfrey zoned out entirely. His eyes wandered to the view outside the window, fluffy white clouds floating idly by, rays of sunlight cascading over the rooftops. That sufficed for him.

The break time hit. Godfrey stood up, spotting Dale marching his way with Orwen and Cecil at his sides.

Dale's frown shifted into a fake grin as he pivoted toward Isolde instead. "I’m Dale," he said, offering his hand.

Isolde swept by him without a look. Quiet hung after she departed, shattered by Dale's biting chuckle. He whirled around, now confronting Godfrey.

"Don’t you feel like trash?" Dale sneered. "Your father threw his life away against those orcs because your mother was about to give birth to you. That day, we lost a diamond and got garbage instead."

'Keep fooling yourself with that,' Godfrey mused inwardly, strolling past with hands tucked in his pockets. He refused to bite. Not at Dale, among the academy's top sophomores, and especially not after Isolde's obvious snub.

Yet as he advanced through the corridor, an arm looped around his neck. Godfrey glanced over: green hair, piercing eyes, wiry frame. If Dale embodied a bull, this fellow was a sly wolf.

"Heh. Look at him, already terrified," the plain-looking youth taunted, closing in beside him. Godfrey's annoyance morphed into wariness at the sight of Snow lurking behind them. Evidently, these two served as his underlings.

Isolde stood beyond reach. Godfrey, conversely, made an easy target.

"Heard your father’s summon was the Gold Eater Colossus," the green-haired Siegfried remarked with a sly wink. "Bet it piled gold mountains on your family. Care to treat us after classes?"

"Leave him," Snow’s voice sliced through like frost.

The pair of lackeys stumbled in confusion until Snow thrust his leg out, spotlighting the undone lace on his shoe.

"The son of a war hero tying the shoes of his classmate," Siegfried mocked with a snicker, pushing Godfrey his way. "Fitting, right? A nudge about your proper place."

"You’ve got hands, don’t you?" Godfrey replied tonelessly. "Or do you just want the entire school to learn you can't lace your own shoes?"

Snow's eyes tightened. A subtle, ghostly gleam sparked in his pupils.

The instant after, Godfrey teetered atop the cafeteria balcony's rail on the third floor, gusts yanking at his garments, the distant ground gaping below.

A clutch on his jacket alone held him back from hurtling down that immense drop!

"He–he jumped?!"

"What in the world, did you see that?"

"Creep just climbed the rail on his own!"

A storm of shouts poured into Godfrey’s ears, cluing him in that Snow had unleashed his beast’s power on him!

....

A/N: Hope you're digging this novel's kickoff. Show some love by adding it to your library and tossing a power stone or two. Thanks!