Half an hour later.
Raimond stood before the heavy black oak doors of the administrative building.
His mage robe was riddled with large holes, and the cuffs, once embroidered with gold thread, were now shredded. That was the result of tanking a water cannon to protect the students' retreat.
But Raimond couldn't afford to feel bad about the robe that had cost him three months' salary; his mind was filled with today's experience at the lake and that dragon that completely refused to follow any conventional logic.
"...!"
The middle-aged man took a deep breath and pushed open the doors.
The meeting room was thick with smoke.
People were packed along both sides of the long table, all of them powerful figures within the academy. It was rare for these old fogies to gather so completely, yet today every one of them wore a grim expression, making the atmosphere even more oppressive than the night outside.
"Raimond, you're back."
Seated at the head was the Chairman, a white-bearded old man holding a crystal ball. The old man didn't look at Raimond, instead staring at the urgent battle report that had just been delivered to the table.
"Take a seat and explain. Why did a simple field combat lesson turn into this? Twelve noble students are heavily injured, two are in a coma... and even you, a Gold Rank instructor, came back stripped down to your underwear?"
The muscles in Raimond's face twitched.
"Chairman, I wasn't stripped to my underwear, I just..."
"Shut up!"
A School Board Member nearby slammed the table, making the teacups jump.
"Is that the point? The point is that the Young Miss of the Hurst family almost died in that muddy pond! If something happened to her, who would provide the academy's funding next year? You? Selling you to the arena wouldn't be enough to pay for it!"
Raimond didn't dare talk back, silently walking to the end of the long table and pulling out a chair to sit.
"Speak," the Chairman said, stopping the crystal ball in his hand. "Is the... questionable content written in this report what you saw with your own eyes?"
Raimond looked up, his eyes bloodshot.
"It's all true."
"True?" The board member sneered, picking up the report.
"Look at what you wrote...! 'The target dragon possesses a Rock-type Forbidden Spell exceeding the 5th-Circle range'? 'Capable of triggering local weather changes'?"
"Raimond, you're a mage too. That's the Legendary Forbidden Spell, [Sandstorm]! You're saying it was released by a Young Dragon? Who is it? The illegitimate son of Mother Earth?"
"I saw it with my own eyes!" Raimond argued. "Under that Young Dragon's influence, all the water on the lakeshore was drained, wild sand filled the sky dozens of meters high, and even the torrential rain was swallowed... I couldn't even stand steadily in that Domain, and my mana perception was completely useless! If that's not a Forbidden Spell, then what is?"
The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.
Several directors exchanged glances, their expressions somewhat subtle.
"Fine, even if we assume it was the one who cast it." The Chairman tapped the table, signaling everyone to be quiet. "Continue. The report says—before the Sandstorm began, that dragon... saved Miss Hurst?"
"Yes." Raimond nodded, picking up a glass of cold water and gulping it down. "At that time, the monster tide was out of control, and the Guardian of the Lake Heart went berserk. Miss Hurst was separated from the team and besieged by monsters when that dragon saved her and carried her away."
"Carried her?" The board member's eyes widened, his expression like he was looking at a lunatic. "Carried her how?"
"It was... a princess carry."
"You're saying a dragon used those two big claws to hold a little human girl? In a princess carry?"
Raimond opened his mouth. Although it sounded absurd, he could only nod: "...Yes."
"Pfft."
A younger instructor in the corner couldn't hold back a laugh and quickly lowered his head to drink water to hide it.
"And then?" the Chairman asked with a frown.
"Then it settled Miss Hurst in a safe place, engaged in a fierce battle with the Guardian of the Lake Heart, and ultimately defeated it with a Fire-type Forbidden Spell."
"It is truly strong."
Raimond's voice was a bit dry as the image of that miniature sun exploding over the lake flashed through his mind.
"The power of that fire-type magic definitely exceeded the 6th-Circle, perhaps even approaching the 7th-Circle. I feel... that was no longer simple magic, but more like the power of some kind of rule."
"Enough!"
A tall, thin mage sitting on the left interrupted impatiently. "Raimond, we don't want to hear you spin tales. I think you were scared out of your wits and had hallucinations?"
"That's not all." Raimond ignored the reactions around him and continued, "Not just me, all the students saw it... that dragon! A red crystal crown grew on its head, and its entire body turned into crystal!"
"[Resonance Transformation]." A tall, thin old mage who hadn't spoken until now suddenly spoke up. He was the academy's expert specializing in ancient magic.
Everyone looked at him.
"That is a technology from the Lost Era that can temporarily change elemental affinity, allowing a creature to reach a state close to the 'elemental Origin'." The tall, thin old mage looked up, his eyes fanatical. "You said it had crown-shaped crystals on its head? Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"
"Absolutely impossible."
"Incredible..." the old mage muttered to himself. "If this is true, then the research value of this dragon is probably higher than all the resources in Rock Submerge Lake."
"Alright, put the academic discussion aside for now," the Chairman interrupted him.
"Raimond, since it's so strong, how did you all survive? The last section of the report says... 'Robbery'? What does that mean?"
Raimond's heart suddenly tightened. The hardest part to explain had come.
As a Gold Rank mage, he was a person of standing in this circle. When he used to brag, he'd talk about how he once soloed an orc warrior or toyed with an ogre. Now, whenever people mentioned Raimond, their first reaction would be, 'Oh, that unlucky guy who got mugged by a Young Dragon.'
"It's... exactly what it sounds like." Raimond lowered his head, his expression strained.
"Speak up!" the board member roared.
"Robbery!!!" Raimond couldn't take it anymore. "That's what it shouted! In the Continental Common Tongue, no less! Its pronunciation was more standard than anyone here!"
Silence fell over the meeting room.
Several Elders looked at each other, their expressions incredibly vivid. After all, this matter was indeed a bit abstract.
"...Robbery?" The Chairman doubted if something was wrong with his ears. "The dragon's original words?"
"Robbery," Raimond continued his narration. "It took all of our Storage Rings, Magic Items, and gold crystal coins, and didn't even spare the pocket change of the students."
"It... attacked you?"
"No." Raimond shook his head. "It told us to get lost after taking the stuff. It even warned us not to talk about it."
The board member couldn't hold it in: "Raimond, are you saying a Young Dragon with the strength to insta-kill an Overlord went to all that trouble to save you just to rob you of your scrap metal? What was it after? Is it that desperate for cash?"
"I don't know!" Raimond clutched his hair, somewhat breaking down. "I think it's ridiculous too, but that's what it did! It even gave Miss Hurst special treatment, tossing her to a little Silver Dragon nearby! Oh right, there was also a little Silver Dragon there, responsible for cheering on the side and counting the loot!"
The atmosphere in the meeting room became strange.
Everyone looked at one another. This story was so abstract, even including details like a little Silver Dragon cheering, that it actually didn't sound made up. Because a normal person couldn't invent such a psychotic dragon.
The Chairman tapped the table, suppressing the murmurs.
"Let's set this matter aside for a moment." His expression turned serious. "Regardless of whether that dragon is crazy or not, the combat power it displayed is real. If Rock Submerge Lake truly becomes its territory, it will be a massive threat to humanity."
Just then, the meeting room door was suddenly opened by magic.
A white magic owl flew in hurriedly, a sealed letter tube in its beak and its feathers in disarray.
"Urgent report! Urgent report from the border!"
The magic owl's voice was shrill as it presented the tube to the Chairman. "The highest-level warning from the scouts of the Northern Border Defense Line!"
The Chairman opened the tube and pulled out the parchment inside. With just one glance, his hand froze. His previously calm expression turned pale.
"Chairman?" the board member asked tentatively. "What happened?"
The Chairman slammed the parchment onto the table, his voice trembling: "The Dragon Spine Mountain Range... has come alive."
"What?"
"Scout reports indicate large-scale high-level dragon activity. Not only are Sub-dragon herds migrating, but there are also... Dragon Might fluctuations from True Dragons leaving their nests." The Chairman took a deep breath. "The Imperial Court, which has been silent for five hundred years, is beginning to awaken."
At this moment, no one cared about Raimond's report anymore.
Everyone's mind buzzed.
The True Dragon Imperial Court was on the move.
What did this mean? War? Invasion? Or destruction?
The reason the Lordaeron Empire had been stable for centuries was that the giant dragons in the north had been in deep slumber. Now that they were awake and coming out for a stroll, for human nations, this was simply the prelude to a dragon calamity.
Although the first Emperor had signed a peace treaty with the Golden Dragon Clan to become the first Dragon Magic User...
But... that was a very long time ago.
God knows if the other party would still honor the promise now.
Only one thought remained in everyone's mind.
—Is this continent about to start a war again?