Chapter 79: Let’s Harness the Power of Elder Dragon Magic

At some point, autumn reached its peak.
After a long time, the atmosphere at Zeryon Academy was bustling with a bright mood.

It was the Foundation Day of the Hyserion Empire.
A national holiday and a day of celebration for the empire.
On this day, the royal family personally oversees the festivities, encouraging all citizens to rest and celebrate together.
As such, taking a break today is practically a duty for imperial citizens.

This applies to the students of Zeryon Academy as well.
Even the professors take a leisurely break on this day.
However, the organizers of the Foundation Day festival held at Zeryon Academy, such as teaching assistants and the student council, are a different story altogether.

Teaching assistants run around busily to prepare a party for the students to enjoy.
Even the maids who usually work in the dormitories lend them a hand.

Zeryon Academy is a school dedicated to training heroes who will defend against demonic invasions.
Although they cannot hold an event as grand as the one in the capital, they cannot neglect preparations for the young heroes.

“Ugh, I’m dying here.”
A member of the student council, worn out from running around for tasks, collapsed in exhaustion.

With the chaos of Nikita’s affairs followed by the bombshell that was the Foundation Day, the student council was suffering through an unseasonal hell of endless work.

“Hang in there a bit longer.”
“How does a senior like you endure this??”
“Strength is the power of the nation.”

I answered Midra Penin, a first-year student and the runner-up in martial arts studies, as she groaned.
Then, I resumed my brisk pace.

Every day, I endure the hellish training with Aisha.
Carrying festival supplies is nothing compared to that.

“Hanon, looks like you’re having fun~.”
As I was running with multiple supplies in my arms, I heard a voice ahead.
Looking past the supplies, I saw Sharin standing there.

“Well, want to join in?”
“I’ll stick to doing something more fun.”
So cold and decisive.

“Then go ahead and do that. Just don’t get in the way.”
“Being treated as a hindrance hurts, you know. I came to check on the Elder Dragon’s magical state~.”
That’s an important matter.

I set the supplies down in a corner.
“Take a seat.”

Following Sharin’s suggestion, I leaned against the wall and sat down.
She then used her thumb and forefinger to pull open my right eye.

Sharin’s eyes began to glimmer with the light of Mirinae.
She stared intently into my eye.
I, too, kept my eye wide open.

No matter how many times I see Sharin’s Mirinae, it’s breathtaking.
The sight of a flowing galaxy within her pupils is something that inspires awe every time.

After carefully observing my eye for a while, she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm, it seems your right eye might go blind.”
“…Don’t joke about things like that.”
“I thought it was a pretty funny joke, though~.”

When Sharin says things like that, they never feel like jokes, which makes it scarier.

“You mentioned using the Flame of Destruction, right?”
“Yeah.”
“At that time, the steel-infused skin that absorbed the Flame of Destruction completely encased the remnants of the Elder Dragon like an egg. It seems the dragon’s remnants don’t particularly dislike this and have settled in.”

Somehow, I ended up sealing the remnants of an Elder Dragon within me.

“What are the chances of it running amok?”
“We’ve already taken additional measures recently, so there shouldn’t be any risk for now. It was around the time it would have started going berserk, anyway.”

So that’s why she came to check on me.

Anyway, I’m always indebted to Sharin.
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
“Is it really good, though~?”
“Is there some other problem?”

At my question, Sharin casually pulled out a staff.
She swung it once, and a gentle breeze began to stir.

“Roll up your sleeve.”
Following her words, I rolled up my sleeve, revealing my skin.

“This might sting a bit.”
Sharin cast a spell that transformed into a blade, grazing against my skin.
Since my body had transformed into one imbued with steel skin, it wasn’t easily cut even by her magic.

Perhaps accounting for this, Sharin increased the intensity.

Swish!
This time, my skin was cut, and blood began to seep out.

And then—

Whoosh!
From the wound, pure white frost burst forth, instantly freezing even the breeze Sharin had conjured.

It all happened in an instant.
My eyes widened in shock at the sight.

“This is…”
“Your body is now entirely infused with the remnants of the Elder Dragon. So, whenever you’re injured externally, this happens.”

Sharin squinted her eyes as she observed my skin.

“This, you see~? It’s practically like walking around as a living ice bomb.”

“…If I were to get seriously hurt…”

Sharin smirked, the corners of her lips curling upward.
“The entire area around you would freeze over completely, courtesy of the Elder Dragon’s remnants.”

What an incredibly troublesome situation.
I’ve essentially turned into an ice bomb.

‘Though, in a way, it’s not entirely a bad thing, is it?’
It’s not something I couldn’t put to use if needed.

“Just so you know.”

Sharin began, tapping on my now frost-covered skin,
“If you ‘detonate’ like that, you’ll also end up trapped within the Elder Dragon’s magic.”

That would be a problem.
Having experienced the power of Elder Dragon magic firsthand during the Nikita incident, I knew better than anyone just how dangerous it was.
If that happened, I’d definitely be saying goodbye to this world.

“We’ll need to find a solution.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about one.”

“Sharin, are you a god or something?”
Puffing out her chest and snorting, she struck a triumphant pose.

When I pressed her for an answer, she began to grin mischievously.

“Let’s master the Fire Dragon’s magic.”
And then she said something absolutely outrageous.

“Are you out of your mind? Elder Dragon magic is…”
“Forbidden by the empire~.”

She was right—the empire had classified Elder Dragon magic as forbidden due to its immense danger.
This, of course, meant that researching such magic was strictly prohibited.

“But not in the form of magical engraving.”

Magical engraving.
A type of magic Sharin and I had been researching.

“Hanon, the remnants within you belong to the Ice Dragon~.”
Elder Dragon magic isn’t limited to just one type.

Fire Dragon, Ice Dragon, Earth Dragon, Sky Dragon.
These are the four fundamental types.

The remnants fused with Nikita’s body belong to the Ice Dragon among the Elder Dragons.

“If we engrave Fire Dragon magic as a magical imprint, it might be possible to offset and regulate the Ice Dragon’s remnants inside you~.”

Magical imprints have weaker performance compared to standard magic.
Sharin intended to use this very limitation to her advantage.

By engraving it as a magical imprint, the power of the magic diminishes.
As a result, the likelihood of it becoming uncontrollable decreases significantly.

With the engraved Fire Dragon magic and the Ice Dragon’s remnants in my body counteracting each other,
it would allow me to handle a manageable level of Elder Dragon magic.

“Is something like that even possible?”
“I’m Sharin, remember~?”

This was a proposal from none other than the unrivaled genius and top scholar in magical studies.
Doubting her words seemed utterly pointless.

“More importantly, the remnants of the Elder Dragon inside you are like a ticking time bomb. It’s only a matter of time before it explodes~.”

In other words, the explosion could happen at any moment.
That was Sharin’s warning.

“I think it’s wise to set up at least one more safety measure.”

She had a point—living with a self-destructive bomb inside me was not an option.

As she said this, Sharin gave a mischievous grin.
“Besides, Elder Dragon magic is the same magic that the Sage of Transcendence, Zeryon, mastered. I’m pretty curious about it myself~.”

The founder of Zeryon Academy and the Sage of Transcendence, Zeryon.
As she said, Zeryon was the only one to have ever safely handled Elder Dragon magic.

Sharin has an insatiable thirst for magical knowledge.
It seemed clear that, someday, she wanted to surpass even Zeryon.

“Fine. If that’s the case, I’ll leave it to you.”

Sharin had looked into this for my sake.
Though I could sense her eagerness to experiment hidden behind those eyes—a fact that made me want to flick her forehead—I couldn’t just ignore the Elder Dragon’s remnants inside me.

“Yup. If something happens to you, it’d be troublesome for me too~.”

That was a little touching.

“Right now, Isabel can’t function without you, Hanon.”

Ah, so it’s because of Isabel?
Well, there goes my moment of sentiment.

“Isabelle has become brighter thanks to you.”

Frankly, I still felt uneasy about the current Isabelle.
Before, it was enough for me to be her rival and the object of her anger.
But now that her feelings had grown into a mix of love and hate, I didn’t know how to handle her emotions anymore.

“And besides, I also want you to be safe, Hanon~.”

Sharin said exactly what I’d hoped for, smiling slyly.
What a fox.

I picked up the supplies I had left in the corner.
“Thanks. I’ll make sure to be extra careful not to get hurt for now.”

With that, Sharin waved her hand lazily and walked off.
Truly, her unpredictable and whimsical nature never changes.

The day the Foundation Day festival began.
I resolved to work diligently until then, as I knew I’d become a troublemaker for the student council once the festival started.

* * *

On the day of Hyserion’s Foundation Day.
Iris quietly gazed out the window.

As a regular celebratory day for the empire, the festival always brought excitement to everyone.
But among them…

There was one person who couldn’t share in the excitement.
Someone whose mood darkened particularly on Foundation Day.

That person was the third princess, Iris Hyserion.

The reason for her somber demeanor was simple.
Foundation Day marked the anniversary of her mother’s death.

Her mother had succumbed to Nightmare Syndrome.
A rare illness that even modern healers couldn’t cure.
Iris’s mother had been trapped in her dreams, never to wake again.

It was from that time that Iris herself began having nightmares.

The children, buzzing with excitement for the festival, talked brightly amongst themselves.
Watching them, Iris silently wrapped her arms around herself.
For some reason, today felt unbearably cold.

“Iris, Your Highness.”

At that moment, Iris turned toward the voice calling her.
It was Hania.

“Preparations are complete.”

Today was the day the student council boycott group would act.
The day they would carry out Duke Robliaju’s orders.

The plan was to tarnish the name of the Drapen family.
To disgrace Sylvester, the youngest of the Drapen duchy and president of the student council.

On the glorious Foundation Day, to paint him as an incompetent leader who couldn’t even manage a commotion caused by students.

Iris exhaled, her face showing little delight.

Sylvester was no extraordinary figure.
His character wasn’t perfect, but neither was he particularly vile.
He existed in the gray space between black and white.

If he had one flaw, it was his lack of ambition in life.
Even so, he wasn’t someone who deserved to be made a scapegoat in this manner.

Iris understood the consequences Sylvester might face within the Drapen family after this incident.
If he wasn’t outright disowned, he’d be fortunate.

Still, Iris raised her head, embodying the dignity of a princess.
She had sacrificed countless individuals to reach where she stood now.

Even if those actions were carried out under Duke Robliaju’s orders, the deeds she committed would not disappear.

She was the ultimate villainess.
The third princess who would one day ascend to the throne.

“Begin.”

“Yes.”

As soon as she delivered the command, Hania vanished swiftly.

Iris, who had been watching Hania disappear, turned her gaze back to the window.
Today felt particularly lonely.

Since her mother’s death, Iris had not known the warmth of family.
Around her were only those she used or those who sought to use her.

Aside from Hania, there was no one else.
The loneliness of that truth gnawed at her.

‘Family.’

At that moment, a single person came to Iris’s mind.
A boy with the same black hair and red eyes as hers.
Though their faces differed, they shared many similarities upon closer inspection—a cousin.

A boy who, despite his feigned annoyance, always obliged her requests.

The memory of his warmth lingered vividly in Iris’s mind.