Chapter 123
Among the headmasters of the Magic Academies, those who were from the nobility of Arkrest Kingdom were offered superior seats according to their station. In addition, the rooms allocated to the students of their academies during the Magic Tournament were also more lavish than that of others.
These rooms were wider and filled with more luxurious furnishings. Moreover, arrangements were made to allow these students to spend their time more comfortably in these rooms. As for Olivier, the headmaster of Galois Magic Academy, she sat at a polished black crystal table as she drank a cup of nectar diluted by fifty times with fresh water from the sacred peak.
It was the night before the final match of the Magic Tournament which would be held the next morning. A Spirit Light Gem, crystallized from the power of the spirits of light, shone radiantly within a lamp in the room, keeping all shreds of darkness from invading the space.
Olivier possessed the looks of intellectual beauty, so ravishing that she could be described as the imagined ideal of elves by the masses. The slightest shadow of fatigue on her face would only be noticed by one keenly observant or well-acquainted with her. Yet, Diadora did not miss this hint of weariness as she sat across from Olivier.
「Fufu, you look pretty worn out, Olivier.」
Unlike Olivier who was sipping on nectar, Diadora had a cup of diluted pale green fluid mixed in with concentrated nutrients used to cultivate barren wastelands. She had come to Olivier’s room to check on her old acquaintance. Each of them held an exquisite cut glass cup in their hands, though an ordinary person would no doubt be gripping a mug filled with alcohol in such a situation.
「I really can’t hide it from you, Diadora.」
Before Diadora, Olivier seemed to have been stripped off her demeanor as the headmaster of a magic academy and confided her thoughts honestly. As the last princess of the Kingdom in Ente Forest and a former priestess of the Ente-Yggdrasil World Tree, the residents of Ente Forest revered her greatly. As a result, there were very few individuals who she could speak with as equals.
「I’ve known you for a long time, and I’m sure I understand you well. I’m certain you were worried before coming to the capital, but it’s even more striking now that you’re here. I thought you weren’t such a sensitive person, but it’s taking a toll on you, isn’t it?」
「Haha, that’s true. I’m more nervous than my first time linking up with Lord Ente… No, that’s not right. In order to allay any guilt, contrition, and further interrogation, I’ve ended up having to talk my way through things. I’m just feeling a little worn out from this.」
After Olivier finished her remark, she gulped down the glass of nectar in her hands and filled her glass once more with the pitcher. Diadora remained silent as she watched Olivier, silently thinking to herself that Olivier was more exasperated than she had expected.
「Hm. Well, it’s clear what others would be keen to find out more about. I don’t know much about the capabilities of others out there, but the matches over the past few days have demonstrated the unusual superiority of Dran and the rest when it comes to their might. The souls of Dran and Lenia are different from others, while Christina isn’t exactly human either. So, it probably isn’t right to compare them with the other students, though Phenia and Nelneshia are exceptionally strong as well. The only one who is probably a match for Phenia and Nelneshia is Eksu, who lost to Dran.」
「Exactly. Lately, Phenia and Nelneshia have been trained by such an opponent, leading to such extraordinary growth. Their current strength is probably appalling on a global scale among those of their age. The fact that Eksu is able to hold his ground against these few makes him a real genius. Lilia must be really fond of him, and he may even obtain the power to summon the Spirit King in the future.」
「Wow, it must be true if you’re the one making this remark. I have to agree. Seems like Dran allowed Eksu to demonstrate his powers with that fog. That would’ve been a spectacle that would go down in history if it had not been dissipated. Others must’ve pestered you about Phenia’s growth, but most of the inquiries are bout Dran’s defeat of Eksu, weren’t they? After all, he’s a new student who transferred to your academy this year and grabbed everyone’s attention. Moreover, he is not of noble birth, unlike Lenia and Christina. After he graduates from the magic academy, it’ll be far easier for him to pledge himself to someone else. Even a hermit like me can imagine what happened.」
Diadora’s comment hit the nail on the head, and Olivier confirmed these speculations.
「Yes, it’s as you’ve said. People have been asking me about my training methods in triggering Phenia’s boost in powers, as well as the nature of Dran’s might. If I were in their shoes, I would be doing the same thing. Though, now that I’m being bombarded with questions, it’s truly exhausting. There’s no way I can offer an explanation. Dran is the reincarnation of the Ancient-Celestial Dragon, Dragon, an existence that is even more superior than the gods Mairahl and Keios. He retains most of his powers and memories, that’s why he’s so powerful. I can’t possibly say this.」
「That’s very true. It’s hard to believe this with Dran being a human, but he’s even more venerated than Lord Yggdrasil. If others find out that Dran is an Ancient-Celestial Dragon, the upper echelons of the kingdom and the various religious institutions would no doubt take action. Moreover, the gods in the heavens who are holding themselves back will definitely speak out too. When that happens, the kingdom will spiral into unprecedented chaos.」
「That’s right. The truth will come to light easily just by asking the gods. Matters might be different if Dran decides to communicate with the gods, though there’ll definitely be a few who inadvertently let slip the truth. If that happens, he only has two possible paths to take. He can either erase the memories of those aware of his identity as an Ancient-Celestial Dragon or live with everyone’s eye on him all the time. However, I do hope that he can use his dragon powers with more restraint in such a public event. He can easily defeat Eksu and Kiruelshu without mustering such might. Now, Merle and the rest have their attention focused entirely on him. She’s probably delighted to have found someone who she can fight with at full force, but those from the palace probably have something else on their minds as they watch Dran so keenly…」
As Diadora watched Olivier reach for her third cup, she raised her cut glass cup to her mouth as well. Clearly, Olivier had pent up her feelings for a long time. Diadora wanted to help relieve some of Olivier’s stress by lending her a listening ear as she shared this drink of camaraderie. Yet, Olivier seemed to be more frustrated than Diadora had imagined.
「By the way, Diadora, you’re doing really well in keeping your composure even after learning that Dran is Dragon. Dran is far superior to your venerated Lord Ente. If I were someone else, I would’ve assumed that you’ll be kneeling at his feet.」
「Heh heh, why are you questioning me now? He’s someone meant to be my partner, no, my husband. I want to be treated equally. Besides, this is what Dran wants. He’ll be upset if I start treating him with such reverence.」
「Well, he’s really an odd man. Though, no ordinary person can treat him as an equal after knowing about his identity, his powers, and his spiritual abilities.」
「You’ll be far more at ease if you’re as liberal as I am. Your personality is torturing you. Do your best, but don’t push yourself too hard. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll definitely do so. The number of people you can ramble to without any thought are really few and far between.」
「Hm, that’s true. You have my thanks, Diadora. To being friends with the spirit of the black rose.」
Olivier exclaimed and raised her glass. Diadora did the same to match Olivier’s toast.
「Well, I’ll… Right. To the perseverance of the bloodline of the ancient forest.」
An indecipherable expression colored Olivier’s face, though Diadora’s chuckle dissipated the displeasure in the air. After letting out a small sigh, both ladies chorused in unison.
「Cheers.」
＊
The long-awaited day of the Magic Tournament’s finals finally arrived. Numerous spectators took their seats as their hearts were bubbling with uncertainty, despair, eagerness, and hope. Many of them were looking forward to the fierce battle between the evenly matched Galois Magic Academy and Ziel Magic Academy. A handful of spectators were even certain that Galois Magic Academy would clinch victory. There was no doubt that Haruto possessed formidable combat abilities. However, the contestants from Galois Magic Academy were too overwhelmingly powerful.
Among the Magic Academies, Galois Magic Academy drew the most attention from the spectators. When it came to the individual contestants, everyone was anticipating the fight between Haruto, last year’s strongest student, and Dran, Galois Magic Academy’s strongest.
Both Dran and Haruto had defeated Eksu, the greatest spirit magic user among the students. The spectators were filled with speculations about who was the stronger party between these two contestants who had triumphed over Eksu.
Among the other contestants were the Great Four from Galois. There was Christina who had not participated in last year’s tournament. She possessed overwhelming might and otherworldly beauty. In addition, there was Lenia who could manipulate Thought Magic better than the Arc Witch, as well as Nelneshia and Phenia who had demonstrated unfathomable growth over the past year. This year, Galois Magic Academy snatched the full attention of the spectators and dominated their discussions.
Lenia, Phenia, Nelneshia, and Christina were all of noble birth, and the only child of their families. It would certainly be hard to scout them or approach them with marriage proposals. On the contrary, Dran was someone who lived in a village at the frontier. Clearly, he was an easy individual to scout through promising terms. Hence, numerous merchants and noble families were interested in recruiting him after he graduated from the Magic Academy.
These folks who assumed Dran was the easiest to handle, were clueless about the truth—Dran was, in fact, someone who needed to be approached with the greatest care; to a certain extent, he might even be the most threatening individual in existence. It was hard to say whether such ignorance was a blessing or a curse for these people.
Dealing with the solicitations of Dran after the Magic Tournament was one of the problems troubling Olivier. Dran had no wish to be stationed far from Bern village and was considering working at Galois’s governor’s office as a wizard or a civil servant. This notion was something that Olivier was aware of.
Dran knew that it was better for him in the long run if he were to enter the royal palace, and Olivier was certain that they would try to scout him as well. However, Dran’s still placed his hometown as a high priority.
Even though Dran understood the rationale and logic behind certain decisions, he tended to be swayed by his emotions. Though, this was understandable. After all, the whirling emotions of the primordial dragon had caused it to split apart and birthed Dran.
For someone without a patron to have demonstrated such domineering power at the Magic Tournament, there was no doubt that tons of people would be eager to scout such a talent. On the other hand, wizard clans might simply desire him for his immense magical powers and talents so that they could produce capable heirs.
However, Dran already had great forces backing him on this earth, ones that were incomparably superior to a human kingdom. They were namely Ryoukichi, who governed the sea facing Arkrest Kingdom, and Ente-Yggdrasil, who was the manifestation of the Ente Forest which was as wide as an entire continent.
In particular, Olivier was well aware of Ente-Yggdrasil’s innocent affection for Dran. Hence, she was forced to be extremely careful about her advice to Arkrest Kingdom about Dran. If they were hostile toward Dran and antagonized Ryoukichi’s Ryuuguu Kingdom, this entire country would be bombarded with tsunamis. Even the inland areas would be flooded and they would suffer from endless thunderstorms that would morph the terrain of this land.
In the case of Ente-Yggdrasil, all the plants and flowers on this earth would follow the will of Yggdrasil, the highest existence to them. The kingdom’s crops, trees, and plants might refuse to grow, or toxins might be released to exterminate the entire kingdom. There was also a chance that crops would refuse to grow and the kingdom would starve to death.
Innocent civilians would be sacrificed in the event of such retaliation. Though, neither Ryoukichi nor Yggdrasil would want to resort to such brutal and vicious methods, and none of these situations were likely to occur. However, in a war against Ryoukichi and Yggdrasil, the kingdom on earth would be destroyed before they could even take up arms to fight.
While Dran was still schooling, Olivier could reject interferences to a certain extent as the headmaster of the Magic Academy. However, she would no longer be able to once Dran graduated. If anything were to happen, she would have to align herself with Ente Forest and face the kingdom rather than stand as a member of Arkrest Kingdom.
Although Dran had already been reincarnated, the appalling reality of his past life as an Ancient-Celestial Dragon and his numerous past acquaintances with the almighty gods of the world continued to have a huge impact on his present life. For better or worse, Olivier was certain that it was impossible for Dran to lead a normal life. Moreover, she also entertained the notion that all Dran could do was keep his dragon powers in check and use them wisely.
In any case, Olivier’s frustrations would continue to plague her for some time.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
Goodbye Dragon Life, Hello Human Life
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 70 hours
Thanks for the chapter.
Alphapolis should stop poking so many holes in the novel: either share it in full or completely erase it; this is more than just frustrating.
Lenia, Phenia, Nelneshia, and Christina were all of noble birth, and the only child of their families.
^-didn’t Christina have half-brothers?