Wings of Ice and the Mace of Judgment
“Would you mind not staring so much?!”
Many classes were held at the academy. Etiquette and knowledge befitting a dragon, along with the ancient history of the Drango Continent. If one looked only at those aspects, it wouldn’t have been wrong to call it an ordinary educational institution for noble young ladies. But the academy existed for a different reason. While it taught countless fields of study, knowledge, and culture, the subject of Practical Combat was undoubtedly the academy’s crown jewel.
Practical Combat. Training for battle, exactly as the name implied. A subject that seemed quite far removed from education. Ironically, this class was the core major shared by all grades. It made sense, given that the academy had been founded to reseal and completely annihilate the Demon Dragon, Detronos. That was why Practical Combat was naturally the main subject.
The Practical Combat course was quite detailed. It wasn’t mindless repetition of the same drills. Instead, training was tailored to each student’s individual attribute. Customized regimens designed to make optimal use of their unique abilities. Students were classified into roles such as Dealer, Tanker, Healer, or Supporter based on their inherent powers. They trained in stages every day according to those roles—learning to handle their personal equipment and weapons with proficiency. In short, they repeated training matched to their individual traits daily.
Students were only permitted to wear their unique equipment during Practical Combat sessions and patrol duty.
—Click!
Sonya fastened the Frostbite Armlet onto her wrist. It was both her personal gear and a treasured heirloom passed down through the Ice Clan for generations. The Frostbite Armlet assisted and amplified ice-attribute mana control.
—Clank!
Once Sonya finished equipping hers, Eros’s gear was issued next.
‘Huh? That’s Eros’s equipment?!’
Watching the entire issuance process from a step behind, Breeder’s eyes widened in shock.
“Feels nice and heavy after so long… I hate duty, but this sensation is one thing I actually like!”
It was understandable. He had expected something within the predictable range of Cupid’s arrow, but what he got was completely different. Eros held an enormous piece of equipment that had nothing to do with the “Love” attribute.
“Second-year Eros, receiving the Mace of Punishment. All accounted for.”
Eros examined the weapon with a proud expression, her lips curving into a wide smile—the happiest face Breeder had seen from her yet.
‘Mace of Punishment? Is this for real?’
What Eros had received was nothing less than a war hammer. It was far larger and heavier than the sledgehammers the dwarves had been carrying earlier. The striking end even featured a heart-shaped blade, making it both a blunt weapon and a deadly implement. The name “Mace of Punishment” only added to the mismatch. It felt worlds apart from anything related to love. One wrong hit and it would be instant death. It was far too savage to even pretend it was some kind of “Love’s Whip.”
‘Love Dragon, my foot. Maybe she’s actually the Punishment Dragon?’
Breeder shuddered at the thought of the already willful Eros swinging such a weapon around.
Yet the Mace of Punishment was indeed a genuine heirloom and weapon passed down through the Love Clan for generations.
“All right, get moving. You’re already running late!”
Indra shouted after finishing the equipment distribution, urging them to depart before they fell further behind. All he wanted was to wrap things up quickly and suck on some sap.
“Eros? And Teacher Breeder? Are you both ready?”
Sonya turned around after receiving the deployment order and asked if they were prepared.
“I’ve been ready for ages~!”
“Hmm? Should I just follow along like this?”
Unlike Eros’s confident reply, Breeder asked with a puzzled look. He had no idea how patrol duty worked, where they were supposed to start, or how they were meant to proceed.
“Yes, Teacher. Please just follow us. If anything happens, we’ll protect you with everything we have.”
“That’s reassuring. By the way, Miss Sonya?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“How exactly do we move during patrol duty? Surely we’re not walking the entire island on foot…?”
“Ah…! Perfect timing. You can set that worry aside.”
“Pfft-♥ Walking the whole island? The more I look at you, the more you seem like a total idiot. Kukukuk…♥”
“……?”
The two second-year girls reacted differently to Breeder’s question. Eros in particular burst into giggles, finding it endlessly amusing as she shouldered the mace that was as large as her own torso. Her innocent expression made the sight oddly chilling because of the weapon she carried. Breeder felt like his head might get cracked open if he told her to stop laughing.
—Grab…!
While Breeder still wore a confused expression, Sonya approached and took hold of his wrist, her face slightly flushed with embarrassment.
“Huh? Miss Sonya? Why are you suddenly grabbing my arm…?”
—Grab!
Before Breeder could finish asking, Sonya seized Eros’s arm as well.
“Teacher, you dummy. There’s no way we dragons would walk across the island!”
“Ah? Wait, does that mean…?”
“H-Hold on tight! It might get a little bumpy…!!!”
—Fwoooosh…!
Flap!
“Huh? Wh-what?!”
Along with Sonya’s trembling voice, a pair of large pink membranes suddenly extended from her back. They were unmistakably dragon wings—made of bone and membrane—sprouting from behind her torso, each one as large as her body itself.
“W-wings?!”
“C-could you please not stare so much?! I-it’s embarrassing…!!”
Sonya cried out in shame and flapped her wings. She maintained her human form while only manifesting the wings.
—Fwoooosh…!!
A cloud of dust rose around them as a powerful gust pressed against the ground. With Breeder in one hand and Eros in the other, Sonya’s wingbeats were more vigorous than expected—perhaps due to her shyness. After only a few flaps, their bodies began to lift into the air.
“W-we’re really flying…?!”
“Hehe-♪ Teacher’s surprised face is so lame! You look so dumb, kukuk-♡”
“Th-this is my first time, so of course I’d be surprised—”
“Sonya?! If we’re doing this, let’s finish it fast! Full speed ahead~!!”
Eros cut Breeder off and gave the signal to depart.
“Got it. Here we go…!”
“W-wait a second…?!”
—Fwoooooosh……!
With Sonya’s spirited shout, they shot straight into the sky and sliced through the air at high speed.
*
Sonya’s flight was shocking in many ways. He hadn’t expected wings to suddenly appear, nor had he anticipated such incredible speed. And above all…
—Flap, flap…!
‘P-pink…?!’
He hadn’t noticed at first, but something caught his eye between the fluttering hem of Sonya’s skirt in the wind. When he glanced upward, he witnessed a rare (?) sight. Both Sonya and Eros were wearing combat uniforms for patrol duty. While the upper bodies resembled armor, the lower halves remained skirts. Of course, what lay beneath was completely defenseless—hardly what one would expect from proper combat attire. There was truly nothing there.
‘Just look forward… just forward! I can’t look down; it’s too dizzying.’
Anyway, faced with such a heart-pounding view, Breeder could hardly lift his head. On top of that, Eros was sneakily watching him from the side, so he had to be extra careful.
“We’re almost there! I’m going to descend, so get ready!”
Just then, the pink-panties—no, Sonya flapping her wings—called out. As she said, a structure resembling a rampart came into view on the ground below. It looked like the outer wall encircling the island.
Their floating bodies gradually lowered.
—Thud!
Their feet touched the ground sooner than expected. Had they been flying for about ten minutes? Either way, it was his first time having both legs suspended in the air for so long.
—Step, step…!
“I’ll go inside the outpost and make the report. Eros, you check for anything unusual around the outpost.”
The moment they landed, Sonya moved according to protocol. Even though it was her first patrol, she seemed to have memorized the rules well.
“Got it! If any monsters show up, I, Eros, will personally take care of them!”
Eros obeyed without complaint. She must have been itching for action. Swinging the menacing mace fiercely, she headed outside.
“…Ah, and Teacher Breeder, could you keep an eye on Eros so she doesn’t cause trouble? She seems to listen to you more than me.”
Once Eros disappeared toward the outpost, Sonya made a separate request to Breeder, her expression neither smiling nor blank—somewhere in between.
“Sure, I understand. That’s basically why I came along anyway.”
“Thank you very much!”
“More importantly, Miss Sonya?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“My hand… How long are you planning to hold onto it?”
“Huh? H-huh…?!”
“If you let go, I can go follow Miss Eros, right?”
—Squeeze…!
That was right. For some reason, Sonya had been holding Breeder’s hand the entire time—even after landing.
—Whoosh!
“Haaaaah—?! I-I-I-I’m sorry!!! Your hand was so warm that I didn’t even realize…!”
In an instant, Sonya yanked her hand away faster than the light of dawn, her face turning bright red like a flame dragon. Completely unlike her usual cool demeanor, she flailed about in a panic, unable to meet his gaze, and kept rubbing the hand that had been holding his—as if she had burned her fingers on a match.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“Aah, yes…”
Well, he had accidentally seen Sonya’s panties earlier, so maybe they were even now.
“…A-anyway! I’ll finish the patrol report quickly and come back, so please look after Eros!”
“Got it. Then I’ll head over right away—”
Just as he turned to follow Eros…
“Hwaaaaaah—?!”
“…Hmm?”
Suddenly, Eros’s urgent voice rang out from outside the outpost. Had that Zero girl already caused trouble while they were distracted for just a moment?