Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Naming Ceremony (4)
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Evelyn didn’t bother joining in when the members of the fourth training ground buzzed about Theo’s scores.
Even when Julius dropped by slyly, she pretended not to notice.
‘The results will come out naturally after the Awakening Ceremony anyway.’
She kept her distance precisely because she believed Theo would post excellent scores.
No need to worry herself over rumors of an injury.
But then, one day during the third Awakening Ceremony,
a woman who revealed herself as Theo’s birth mother showed up out of the blue at the fourth training ground.
“I came to offer my thanks.”
“You don’t need to thank me like this for what I did for Young Master Theo. Honestly, I think he would have blossomed his talent regardless.”
Evelyn meant every word.
She had indeed corrected his swordsmanship, but that had merely hastened things a little.
In the end, Theo would have made his name known just as brilliantly.
But,
“So that’s why.”
Cecilia gave a knowing smile, ambiguous yet clear.
“Now I understand why your son was able to rise like he did.”
“If I may ask—what do you mean…?”
“It just occurred to me that your son shines so brightly not because of swordsmanship or talent, but thanks to your mindset.”
Cecilia continued with a wry smile.
“You’ve probably heard the rumors, but I’m a sinner of a mother who failed to act like one all this time. A pathetic mother who couldn’t give her son proper love.”
“……”
“But at some point, our relationship started improving. It was like magic. And… looking back now, it seems that was right around when your son met you.”
Evelyn felt something invisible pressing down on her heart.
Salvation.
Cecilia was saying that she had saved Theo like that.
Even though she herself was the one who had truly been saved…
“That’s why I wanted to thank you.”
“No, please. I’m just a one-armed swordsman. You don’t need to go this far…!”
As Evelyn tried to stop Cecilia, who bowed politely,
Grab!
Cecilia suddenly frowned in dissatisfaction and seized the sleeve of Evelyn’s left arm.
“No. You can’t say it like that.”
“What…?”
Evelyn blinked in confusion.
“Your son will rise to even greater heights, shining more brilliantly. His master can’t humble herself like this.”
“……!”
“And… I can’t understand why someone as beautifully radiant as you insists on hiding herself.”
Thump!
For the first time, Evelyn felt her heart pound hard.
You’re beautiful too.
Those words enchanted her mind.
“No, this won’t do. Do you have time? I’d like you to come somewhere with me.”
“Where…?”
“Where else? Obviously.”
Cecilia smiled brightly.
“A place that’ll make you shine even more brilliantly. I, Cecilia, will show you exactly how beautiful and splendid you are.”
* * *
Thinking back on it now,
Evelyn had always been too busy hiding herself.
She had learned that humility was a swordsman’s greatest virtue.
And,
that mindset had only worsened after she lost her arm.
So she had chosen to run away…
‘I hope you realize how beautifully and splendidly you shine.’
And Cecilia had gifted her this new left arm.
Whoosh—
Evelyn’s partner, ‘Langus,’ flapped its wings spectacularly, soaring freely through the blue sky.
It seemed to relish this long-overdue time with its rider.
Thanks to that, Evelyn could finally vent all the pent-up frustration and resentment she hadn’t even realized was building in her chest.
“…And that’s how I ended up gripping the reins again like this.”
Theo, riding behind Evelyn, stared blankly at her iron prosthetic.
A bitter smile crossed his lips.
‘I should have taken care of her first. This is my mistake.’
He had only thought about receiving help from her, never about giving it. As a disciple, he was a failure.
At the same time, he was immensely grateful to Cecilia for stepping in like this.
“So, have you regained all the sensation?”
Evelyn focused on her left prosthetic gripping the reins.
Her fingers twitched slightly.
“No, it’s still clumsy in many ways. But they said that as they continue connecting the nerves, I should recover up to 80% of my original arm’s function soon.”
A hint of laughter colored Evelyn’s voice.
Hope.
“I’m glad. Really glad.”
“It’s all thanks to Lady Cecilia and Master Kirson. Especially Master Kirson—his skills live up to the hype.”
Even though it was his first time making a prosthetic, the artificer from Basque Workshop was unmatched.
…Though he had grumbled about how much gold he’d blown through because of Theo and his mother.
Theo decided to play ignorant on that front.
“Anyway, enough about me… What wyvern are you planning to test with?”
Evelyn changed the subject, embarrassed at rambling on about herself.
Currently, Holkus had gone off with Selphard, and Erica with Arin, each conducting their aptitude tests.
“Hmm.”
Theo peered down at the ground.
Along the jagged, towering peaks that looked like giant swords thrust upside down into the earth, dozens of wyverns nested.
‘That’s the White Dragon’s Nest.’
In Ragnar, wyverns trained by the White Dragon Knights were called ‘flying dragons’ or ‘White Dragons.’
Meaning, all those wyverns down there belonged to Ragnar.
But that didn’t mean they were all ‘trained.’
Most were wild.
“Which one looks good?”
“Well, they all have different traits by species… Ultimately, it comes down to your preference, Young Master. See the ones with red bands around their necks?”
“Yeah. Not just red—there are blue and black ones too?”
“Exactly. Wyverns are broadly divided into four species.”
According to Evelyn’s explanation, the four species’ names and traits were as follows.
-Monster Dragon type: Optirex.
The largest among wyvern species, known as tyrants of the sky.
They grow up to 15 meters, with powerful jaws and claws that crush anything they grab in one go.
Their green-tinted scales and hide are so tough that ordinary blades bounce right off.
-Poison Dragon type: Abiralai.
Smaller in size but boast snake-like elongated bodies and tails. Fiercely temperamental and notoriously hard to handle.
The venomous stinger at the end of their long tail packs enough poison to drop a bull, and they sometimes whip it like a lash.
In crises, they can spray purple venomous mist from their hides.
-Blade Dragon type: Sigia.
The only docile species among wyverns, preferring vegetation over meat. They dig burrows, nesting underground.
They use their wings like forelegs normally, but sharpen the membranes into blades for slicing prey from ambush, like assassins.
-Speed Dragon type: Velociraptor.
The smallest of the four, never exceeding 3 meters even fully grown. They hunt in packs and are highly intelligent.
With blistering speed and fire-breathing, they’re called natural-born hunters. They also boast the highest numbers.
“They use different colored bands around the neck to distinguish species: red for Monster Dragon, black for Poison Dragon, blue for Blade Dragon, yellow for Speed Dragon.”
Theo nodded.
He was well aware that the White Dragon Knights formed squads based on wyvern traits and species.
“So your preference matters most. It often ties directly into compatibility, raising the aptitude odds.”
“My preference, huh.”
Theo scanned the wyverns on the ground again, narrowing his eyes.
‘Still no sign.’
Truth be told, ever since arriving in the White Dragon’s Nest area, Theo had been searching for a specific individual.
‘Shadow Evil Dragon. It should be around here by now… Its unique look makes it easy to spot.’
About six years into the Great War, a massive disaster struck Winterer out of nowhere.
A mutant wyvern raided the White Dragon’s Nest, slaughtering the hundred or so wyverns the White Dragon Knights had painstakingly raised.
Many of Winterer’s swordsmen mobilized to hunt the mutant but failed.
It could hide in shadows, limiting physical damage,
and its savage ferocity matched its high intelligence, inflicting massive damage on Ragnar instead.
That day, eight villages burned, and dozens of swordsmen fell.
Ragnar classified the mutant as a Rank 2 disaster beast and issued an extermination order.
Its nickname then: [Shadow Evil Dragon].
Meaning a wicked dragon that lurks in shadows.
‘And only after the White Dragon Knights’ Captain and the Plum Palace Lord stepped in personally did they finally take it down.’
It was so strong that two of the Nine Dragons had to be deployed.
And,
Black Snow had initiated a backtrace to find the Shadow Evil Dragon’s origin, to prevent repeat incidents.
In the process, they uncovered several facts.
The first: the Shadow Evil Dragon was actually a wyvern that had escaped the White Dragon’s Nest long ago.
‘Dark gray-white hide and scales, body larger than most Monster Dragons… Nope. Not there. What happened?’
Theo sought the Shadow Evil Dragon partly wishing for a strong partner,
but mostly because he wanted to see the real thing at least once.
The second fact they’d uncovered about it:
Back in its Nest days, it had been ostracized by the herd.
‘Am I misremembering? No, impossible.’
Theo himself had written the pursuit report back then, so no one knew its habits better.
‘It escaped the Nest largely because its unusual appearance kept it from fitting in…!’
Something clicked in his mind.
“Evelyn, can you check the outer areas too?”
“It’s possible, but… We can’t go too far out or we’ll hit the Demon Sea.”
“Please.”
Evelyn tilted her head at Theo’s hesitation but gripped the reins with an “Understood.”
Partners were usually chosen on instinct anyway.
In the end, Langus soared higher, swiftly heading to the fringes of the White Dragon’s Nest territory.
After several rocky nests flashed by below, Theo’s eyes lit up.
‘Found it.’
Far off.
A gray-white wyvern, surrounded by over a dozen others, snarled viciously.
Kraaaak!
“Those guys again…!”
Evelyn’s expression soured slightly.
She clearly knew the creature well.
“You know that gray-white wyvern?”
At Theo’s casual question, Evelyn nodded gravely.
“It’s been bullied since before I left the White Dragon Knights. The unit tried isolating it several times, switching herds… but…”
“It’s always been like that, huh.”
Evelyn let out a deep sigh before continuing.
“Poor thing. It lost its mother too young, and its odd looks got it rejected by the herd. Nearly died plenty of times. If not for its natural size and strength… Ha!”
Theo could guess the rest without hearing it.
But one fact was new to him.
“It lost its mother?”
“Yes. Died in difficult labor. It shouldn’t have even been born.”
“What do you mean?”
“Its father… wasn’t another wyvern. It was a Vyper.”
Theo’s eyes widened.
“A Vyper? That’s a Rank 1 disaster beast from the Demon Sea’s depths! How could it… with a wyvern? And aren’t they different species?”
Rank 1 disaster beasts were treated like typhoons or floods.
Even one breaching the Great Wall caused catastrophic damage.
Vypers were ghostly shadow-dwellers in forest zones, formless phantoms that stole lives from the living.
“I don’t know the details. Just that its birth was a huge issue in the White Dragon Knights.”
Theo gazed quietly at the Shadow Evil Dragon.
Its head was a couple sizes larger than the others, but it was covered in wounds everywhere—proof it was no match for the herd.
Some were even still healing.
Meaning it had endured abuse for a very long time.
‘Same as ever.’
The sight struck deep in Theo’s chest.
Like looking at his past life self.
Circling the fringes, unable to fit in anywhere—his own reflection.
‘…Even during the investigation, I felt inexplicably drawn to it for that reason.’
Theo gritted his teeth and slowly activated his psychokinesis.
‘So.’
Shh—
Four Deathbits floated into the air.
‘This time, I’ll give it a different life.’
-Like I did.
“What’s that one’s name?”
Evelyn, about to spur Langus to rescue it, whipped her head back.
Theo’s eyes had darkened deeply.
Like when he’d waged war on the Dragon Society.
“…‘Umbra.’ Umbra.”
An ancient word for shadow.
“Shadow… Nice name.”
“Young Master, no way?”
“Yeah. That one. I’m going first.”
Before she could ask how,
Theo was already tilting sideways, plummeting toward the ground.
And,
Vwoom!
Theo shot across the sky at blinding speed.
Using the Deathbits as stepping stones.