Chapter 79
From time immemorial, dragons had been symbols of overwhelming strength. The dragonkin, said to have reached the pinnacle of all living creatures, possessed bodies harder than steel and extraordinary magical prowess, earning them the title of continental overlords with influence that terrified the world.
But after largely vanishing during the mythic era's war between gods and demons, they had become little more than figments of imagination.
And then there was the Auros family, descendants mingled with dragon blood. For generations, they produced mighty warriors, their veins carrying faint traces of dragon blood. Very rarely, mutants would awaken the true power of dragons.
Though countless ages had passed, diluting that blood to near-transparency, the demigod dragonkin who occasionally emerged always left indelible marks on human history as legendary heroes.
But at some point, those special genes ceased manifesting in the family. Amid great expectations, the Auros house crumbled from a lineage destined to seize the world into quiet guardians of the North.
Then Prazia was born, heralding the revival of House Auros.
...Boring.
Prazia, having effortlessly hurled her burly opponent out of the ring for another victory by default, couldn't hide her profound disappointment at failing to find a worthy rival yet again.
Having awakened her dragon blood in childhood, she possessed strength far beyond her peers, meaning she'd never experienced a true fight. What need was there for words when sheer overwhelming power decided everything?
Her family saw it as a chance to reclaim heroic glory, heaping massive expectations on her. The knights either bowed to her talent or envied it—no one genuinely sought to surpass her.
With faint hopes of encountering a new powerhouse who might best her, she'd enrolled at the academy, but even there, no one could match her.
Instead, students and professors exalted her as the strongest, showering praise on her swordsmanship and fisticuffs without critique or pointers, stunting her growth.
"Waaaaaaah!!"
Shut up.
She shot an irritated glare at the cheering crowd celebrating her win, turned on her heel, and exited the stage.
"...?"
Then, sensing a peculiar gaze, she turned and spotted a familiar face in the stands.
The guy who showed me the way earlier. But why...?
She felt the man who'd helped her when she was lost staring at her, an odd emotion radiating from his expression.
Tension... and annoyance?
She was used to rivalry, jealousy, despair—plenty stemmed from the inferiority complex her power gap induced.
But annoyance? After witnessing that fight? What kind of person felt annoyed by her?
Interesting...
For a moment, a faint ripple stirred in Prazia's stoic heart at this unprecedented emotion.
"Prazia... I thought the name rang a bell. I remember seeing it on the entry forms for participants from other academies."
"Someone memorable enough to stick in Your Highness's mind must be incredible."
"Indeed. She's the top student at Bellum Academy in the Fried Kingdom to our empire's north—rumored to be the strongest across all years."
Bellum Academy rivaled our Amor Academy. Claiming the overall top spot there meant she was no joke.
"What's unique is the dragon blood running through her veins."
"Dragons? They actually exist?"
"Of course, it's been ages since dragonkin vanished from the world, so skepticism is fair. But records confirm their existence. I've heard tales of exceptional talents born in her house before, though everyone thought the bloodline had died out after centuries. Apparently not..."
That recent bout confirmed it wasn't mere rumor. Watching her slender frame fling that giant brute made the dragon blood palpable.
No wonder... that aura leaking from her earlier felt anything but ordinary.
Why such a powerhouse was wandering lost in someone else's school was secondary.
At this rate, Prazia's victory in the Martial Festival was a foregone conclusion. And if she challenged me to a match? A woman with dragon power, no less?
It's bad enough already—this'll just make things noisier!
As an Aura Lord, I couldn't half-ass it. And even if I won, people would push marriage talks, babbling about strong heirs from an Aura Lord and half-dragon union.
"Brother? You okay? You've looked uncomfortable since earlier."
"Ah, it's nothing."
With Prazia and Polo likely headed to the finals, I was trapped in a dilemma: skip the finals and abandon my best friend Polo's fight, or watch and get roped into a match with the champion Prazia.
"Hey, Mars! Eyes on my match—cheer loud! Zone out and you're dead!"
"Huh? Oh, yeah! Got it!"
After morning matches ended and we grabbed lunch together, my worries persisted until the magic division bouts began in the afternoon.
Snapping out of it at Polo's shout, I realized our proud princess was up next, her tension plain despite her bold words.
Yeah. I'll think about it later. It'll work out somehow.
I shoved the issue onto future me and focused on cheering for our princess, whose nerves showed through her bravado.
"Sub-Cult Leader."
"What is it?"
Mist, secretary to the Heaven God Cult's sub-leader, approached him discreetly.
"The humans Lillia captured have fully chimera-ized. No major issues in the process, but..."
"Speak."
"Yes. We're not getting the output we wanted. Fine as basic troops, but the poor quality means it'll take ages to achieve results."
The prisoners Lillia brought yesterday had all become chimeras in their lab. No pity for lifelong villains, but if they couldn't even earn their keep, that was another story. They needed monsters worth five soldiers each, not one measly fighter.
"What then...?"
"Sub-Cult Leader, perhaps it's time to procure that."
"That? Ah... 'that,' you mean."
He grasped it instantly from the vague reference.
"I've considered it long, but they're mighty beings—control is tricky. Innately magic-resistant, common mind spells won't brainwash them easily."
"As if you've seen them firsthand."
"Curious?"
"No, sir."
Mindful of her role as his aide, Mist quelled further curiosity and bowed silently.
"We delayed dragon control due to that issue, but you have a solution now?"
"Yes. Our new drug should bypass even top-tier mental barriers."
"...Good. Fetch Gula."
At his order, a rotund man stuffed with flesh lumbered in.
"Munch munch... You called, burp!"
"Yes, Gula. A new mission. Can you handle it?"
"Just feed me~ Buhee!"
Gula of gluttony. Money, honor—food alone moved him. His bloated form seemed comical, but in the Heaven God Cult, only the dead knew his true terror.
"Fortunate, then. Since it's a mission for new delicacies."
"Hurp!! Really...?!!"
He gulped his meat hastily, eyes sparkling like a baby's at a new toy.
"Fetch the duke's daughter with dragon blood from the empire's academy."
"D-d-d-dragon!!"
Gula's buried eyes bulged at "dragon." To this epicurean glutton, the mythic beast tantalized like an exotic spice.
"Capture her alive. Succeed, and... you can have an arm or so."
"Buheeet!! A promise!!"
Gula bounded off gleefully, licking his lips with his unnaturally thick tongue, lost in rapturous fantasies.
"Dragon blood... I wonder what it tastes like~ So cu~rious. Hehe."