Reincarnated Dragon Goes to the Academy!

Chapter 193 : The Prelude to War (6)

Aellas's condition was not good.

"Move aside."

A holy relic was held in the hand of Abel, who had approached Aellas.

'The god of healing?'

As Abel brought the holy relic to Aellas's heart, Aellas's complexion visibly improved.

"Are you okay? Where on earth have you been?"

Aellas, who had heard that Aman was dead, had been engulfed in shock and had run out.

"Hah... hah..."

Aellas, who had wiped the blood from her mouth, let out a rough breath.

"Don't press her, Abel. You have to give her time to catch her breath."

Abel, who had nodded his head at Lucas's words, tidied up Aellas's disheveled hair with magic.

"Praiyan is alive."

"Is that really true?"

Praiyan, who they had thought was dead, was one of the Silver clan. She was a dragon who had been close to Aellas, but she was alive.

"Praiyan's aura had definitely disappeared...!"

Hasel muttered as if he couldn't believe it. Since he was of the same Silver clan, it was unlikely that he had been mistaken.

Dragons could share their aura, albeit very faintly, with their own clan.

Therefore, they could tell who had died.

"Are you sure?"

At that, Aellas nodded her head.

"Praiyan is trapped. Her soul is still intact."

"Trapped?"

"So... she's trapped... there's no other way to explain it other than that she's trapped. A whirlpool... she was trapped in a whirlpool."

Everyone had a puzzled expression. A whirlpool? How could she be trapped in it?

"It was a black whirlpool. It seemed like the whirlpool was suppressing Praiyan's aura. And..."

Aellas, who had frowned as if the mere thought was painful, swallowed her words for a moment.

"It seemed like they were extracting something from Praiyan. It was the first time I had seen it, so... I don't know how to explain this..."

Aellas also seemed confused.

"Trapped... and they're extracting something...? What on earth does this mean?"

Leadis said, tilting his head.

"Then how did you end up like that, Aellas?"

"I was trying to save Praiyan, but I was swept away by the whirlpool..."

Everyone looked back and forth between Lucas and Hasel with serious expressions.

"So where is Praiyan now?"

Lucas asked.

"Next to the city-state of Lodrata."

"Next to the city-state of Lodrata? There's nothing next to Lodrata."

Abel asked back at Aellas's answer.

As she had said, Lodrata was a large island. And there were no small islands around it, and the sea area was also rough.

"Yes. Praiyan is on the sea."

Hasel's brow furrowed fiercely.

"I will go."

Lucas, who had seen Hasel's expression, stepped forward first.

"No. I will go."

"I understand that you are more concerned because she is of the same Silver clan. But don't forget, Hasel. The Lord right now is you."

"..."

Lucas searched his subspace, took out a bracelet, and handed it to Hasel.

"What would happen if there was no leader in a situation like this?"

It was the Commander's Bracelet, one of the relics of Astal, the god of war.

The Commander's Bracelet was a holy relic that had the effect of a wide-area buff and the effect of dispersing the enemy's attention.

In fact, it was something that the dragons did not need much, but the meaning it held might be needed now.

"It would be good for you to have it."

Hasel's lips, who had received it, were firmly closed.

"The commander of this place is you, Hasel."

"Yes. I understand."

Lucas, who had heard the approximate coordinates from Aellas, immediately teleported and disappeared.

***

There was nothing.

The black waves that swayed on the sea, where there was not even a common island, were threatening, and the moonlight that broke whenever the waves rose high was gloomy.

'Is that it?'

Lucas's gaze, who was holding his body floating in the middle of the sea with magic, turned to the place where an unusual aura was felt.

A black space seen between the high waves. Even the moonlight did not reach there.

As he got a little closer to it, he saw a swirling black whirlpool.

"Keuk..."

He couldn't get any closer. As he got closer to a certain distance, just tilting his body a little brought on tremendous pain.

He felt his mind going blank and as if he were losing his sense of self.

He had no idea what it was made of. He felt the aura of a holy relic or an artifact, and he also felt pure mana along with demonic energy.

But he couldn't feel Praiyan's aura at all.

'As Aellas said, her aura is hidden.'

The silver scales that were faintly visible in the whirlpool. If it weren't for that, he wouldn't even have known that Praiyan was there.

Lucas moved forward little by little, wrapping his whole body in a protection spell.

"Keuk..."

But as he got closer to the whirlpool, he felt his mental barrier gradually weakening.

'This won't do. I'll lose my mind at this rate.'

Lucas, who felt that he could not go any further, looked around. He thought that if he looked carefully, he might be able to find something that was making up the whirlpool.

How many minutes had passed since he had spread his search magic and had been examining the area around the whirlpool?

"...?!"

Something sparkling in the place where the moonlight reached caught his eye.

It was a little far from the whirlpool. The sparkling silver light whenever the waves rose high and the water surface was dented.

Lucas, who had caught his breath and had gathered his mind, wrapped his body in a protection spell once more.

'I'll go in one go.'

He planned to snatch that object before he was swallowed by the whirlpool.

After taking a deep breath.

-Paaat!

Lucas, who had teleported in front of the object in one go, reached out his hand.

Just as his hand touched the object, barely holding on to his fading consciousness.

-Paaaat!

A large force burst out from the object and pushed Lucas away.

'No...!'

Lucas's body was thrown out of the water and rose high.

'I can't be swallowed by the whirlpool.'

His flying body was heading towards the whirlpool.

-Paaat!

Lucas, who had barely caught his consciousness just before he reached the whirlpool, teleported.

"Hah... hah..."

His soaked body was as heavy as a waterlogged cotton ball.

'That is...'

Just before his hand touched the object, Lucas had seen it. What the object was. It was definitely something he knew.

'Where did I see it...'

His head was still hazy, perhaps due to the influence of the whirlpool.

The more he tried to remember, the more he felt that the truth was getting farther away.

'I should go home.'

He had a bad feeling. As if something had happened in Sitata, Lucas, who had shaken his head vigorously and had gathered his mind, teleported and disappeared.

***

The area around the Count's estate was quiet. There was no sign of anyone in the square or anywhere else.

Lucas, who had entered the Count's estate, headed straight for the basement.

The protection spell that Aman and Hasel had cast together was still sturdy, and there was no sign of anyone having invaded.

As he opened the door to the basement, the luminous stones embedded in the wall shone brightly.

At the damp aura emanating from the basement, Lucas's steps quickened.

"Ruki!"

Pola's voice, which was heard as soon as he opened another door.

"Hah..."

And with that, a sense of peace came over him in an instant. The pounding of his heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, calmed down.

"Where have you been?"

"Oh my, my son!"

Cibie hugged Lucas tightly.

"Son!!"

His mother, Blain, ran over and hugged Lucas tightly, and then began to examine his body here and there.

"Are you hurt anywhere? Do you know how worried your mother was?"

"Right. Why on earth did you come now!"

"I told you I would be safe."

Pola glanced at the couple. It seemed that the children had explained Lucas's absence well.

"I'm fine. Is everyone okay?"

Lucas looked around. Thanks to the well-made underground space, it was quite comfortable, but it was true that it was more inconvenient than the mansion.

"Of course. We are all fine."

The servants and the other people also seemed to be fine.

"But when did you make this basement? Without me knowing."

Cibie asked.

"Right. You've made so many rooms. When did you put in all the furniture?"

Pola also nodded her head.

"I made it with Ally-nim. Ah, but what about the residents of the territory?"

"They are also all fine. I've sent knights to keep checking, so you don't have to worry too much."

He had given all the underground space, which had been renovated from the mine next to the Count's estate, to the residents of the territory, and he had even finished guiding the residents of the territory to move there in case of an emergency before the incident had occurred.

"It was really amazing, Lucas. I have a lot to learn from you. To renovate a mine... it could be called an underground city."

"Ally-nim did it all."

"Ally-nim is a really versatile person. I also want to cultivate my territory with her someday."

Skir let out a cry of admiration.

Seeing that the children's expressions were somewhat uncomfortable, it seemed that they were holding back all the things they wanted to ask Lucas.

'A dragon died in front of them.'

The children had all watched Aman die in front of them. And since they had also heard all the things Aman had said to him, they must have had many questions.

But they were just rolling their eyes, holding back all their curiosity.

Lucas met the children's eyes.

And he slowly moved his gaze and looked at his father and mother.

He felt that he had to. The thought that it might be the last time suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Son. Are you really okay? Have you, have you eaten?"

His heart ached at Blain's worried and warm words.

"Yes. I'm fine."

"Oh dear, my son's face has become half its size. I don't know what you're doing, but your body comes first."

Cibie gently patted Lucas's shoulder.

"Right. It's important to help others, but you shouldn't forget that you are the most precious person to us."

"Your mother is right. You shouldn't forget that you are a son who is more precious than my life."

He felt as if tears would gush out.

'Right. I am a son who is more precious than their lives to them.'

His life, which he had considered a trivial life that could be thrown away at any time, was the same as someone else's life.

"Are you very tired?"

Blain gently stroked Lucas's face.

Lucas's head slowly nodded.

He was tired. He was so tired.

"Oh dear... my son. Come here."

Blain opened her arms and hugged Lucas tightly.

"If you're tired, you can quit and rest anytime. You don't have to struggle as if you're carrying all the burdens. No one will blame you."

As Blain's hand slowly stroked his back, a single tear finally flowed down.

"My son. My good son..."

Since he had to be strong, he couldn't confide in anyone.

He couldn't complain that he was tired. He thought it was right to correct all the mistakes he had made in his past life.

In fact, he had regretted it several times.

If he hadn't revealed his identity to Aman, could he have lived a more normal life? If he had accepted Taras's proposal, would he have been a little more comfortable?

No matter how many times he thought about it, whenever his mind was filled with useless questions, Lucas shook off all his idle thoughts and gathered his mind.

That he had to do it. That it was something he had to do.

'I have to do it.'

Even now, when he wanted to give up everything, he had to.

"It's okay. I can do it."

Lucas smiled sadly.

"Because it's something I have to do."

It was when he was getting out of Blain's embrace that Hasel's voice was heard in his head.

[Lord! You have to come right now.]

It was time to leave again.

[End of Chapter]