The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 122

Clip-clop.

The heavy carriage horses drew to a halt. The familiar press of inertia settled as the carriage stopped.

"We've arrived at the academy, lady."

In front of the carriage, Linda, having already placed the mounting step, stood ready.

Click. The carriage door opened. A tall figure in an exquisite white gown and a shorter one in a black dress emerged. Their small hands were already joined, fingers laced together.

Beside the step, Linda, dressed in the immaculate uniform of a head butler, stood perfectly straight. Seeing her lady emerge, she raised her right hand. A slender, pale hand rested lightly upon it.

Thea descended the step, retrieved her hand, and continued toward the academy grounds. The white dress was all elegance and nobility; the black, a delicate little darlings style.

The once-ugly duckling had truly become a swan. As the two walked the academy paths, they invariably drew a constellation of gazes.

Thea was long accustomed to the attention. Her clear, dark eyes shifted to the right. She had specifically chosen a low-cut, black gauze gown for Isolde today. From this angle, she could just see the girl's delicate collarbone.

She eats so much every day, so why does she still look so small? Thea's gaze lingered on that collarbone for a few seconds before moving up. Isolde's head was bowed, her eyes fixed on the path as if she might find a dropped coin. She's still not used to this.

"Isolde."

"Hm? What is it?"

She looked up. Her face was adorable and slightly rounded, dominated by a pair of golden, seemingly gentle and clear, eyes.

But Thea knew that softness was an illusion. Perhaps Isolde herself didn't realize how resolute—how special—those golden eyes were. From the very first day they met, the first time Thea had met that gaze, an interesting theory had begun to form.

It was still just a theory, unproven. But Thea had a strong feeling she was right. She might have stumbled upon a true treasure.

Her dark eyes turned back to the path ahead. "Have you found a sparring partner for today?"

"No... I feel like everyone's been avoiding me lately."

A small smile touched Thea's lips. "Well then, you and I will be a pair today."

"Oh! Okay." Isolde brightened. "We haven't actually sparred before, have we?"

"You'd best be careful, then. My partner had an advancement recently."

"I trust Leona!"

"Such blind faith is a weakness."

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"It's not blind faith!" Isolde retorted. "It's trust in my partner!"

A genuine smile spread across her face. She looked adorable, her earlier nervousness completely gone.

...

Today's lesson was combat practice. The class was being held, as usual, in the bamboo grove. By the time they arrived, the rest of their cohort and their instructor, Ms. Solana, were already there.

"Good morning, Ms. Solana." Isolde walked up and gave a polite curtsy.

Solana looked at the girl, whom she almost didn't recognize. It made her happy to see Isolde thriving.

Solana nodded briefly. "Prepare for the lesson."

"Yes, Ms. Solana."

Thea caught Ms. Solana's eye, and the two exchanged a brief, understanding nod. She then gently guided Isolde into the assembled line of students. With their arrival, everyone was present.

"All right, now that everyone is here," Solana announced. "Today's lesson is sparring. You may choose your own partners." She added, more as a formality, "Just remember the rules of engagement."

"Yes, Ms. Solana!" the students replied, the female voices almost drowning out the male ones.

"Good. You may begin."

Solana nodded in satisfaction. She was constantly thankful she'd passed the selection to get this post. Splendor Academy was a dream. Truly one of the Empire's finest noble academys. Her old friends in other institutions were always complaining about their rowdy, misbehaving students, always fighting and causing trouble. Her students were professionals.

...

The two girls faced each other. Thea raised her right hand, and the summoning mark on her skin began to glow with a soft blue light.

"Ready, Isolde?"

"Yes."

Isolde nodded, and her golden eyes hardened, their gentle light transforming into a steely glare. The innocent rabbit was gone, replaced by... a predator. A palpable, unique pressure began to radiate from her. Thea watched those golden eyes, noting that Isolde herself seemed completely unaware of the change.

Isolde raised her right hand, palm open. Orange, fire-elemental mana flared, coalescing on the ground into a summoning circle. A red figure began to rise from within it.

It had a powerful, sturdy body and two sets of sharp talons. Its back was covered in thick, overlapping plates of red-and-black barbed scales, and its broad tail was heavily armored with black spikes. This was Leona, the Scalehide. Her appearance had changed drastically. She had undergone an advancement.

Thea's dark eyes narrowed. An advancement?

Isolde herself blinked, stunned. "Leona... you've had an advancement?"

[Yes... Master.] The reply echoed in her mind. It was true.

But if she's advanced, we can't spar! Isolde thought in a panic. A high-tier creature could accidentally kill an intermediate-tier magical beast.

She looked up at Thea. "I'm sorry. It looks like Leona... she's had an advancement?" Her voice was small, not proud, but almost apologetic.

Thea watched her. The pressure was gone again, the predatory edge vanishing. It only triggers when she's about to fight. A small smile played on Thea's lips. "It's fine. My partner is high-tier as well. This just makes it a fair match."

"What? Your partner also had an advancement?"

Thea didn't answer. She simply poured mana into the sigil on her hand. A blue portal, constructed entirely of mana, tore open in the air.

"Rooooar!"

With a deafening cry, a massive black shape burst from the light. The creature landed and immediately shoved its enormous, serpentine head against Thea's chest, nudging her affectionately.

It was a wyvern, easily twenty-five feet from snout to tail. Its belly was protected by thick, apricot-colored scales, and its back was a fine black hide. It lacked forelegs, standing on two powerful hind limbs. Its wings were thin but vast, and its long, coiling tail was covered in a mix of black and apricot-colored barbs.

Fed on a steady diet of magic crystals, the wyvern's power had skyrocketed. It had broken into the high-tier ranks in less than two years. In that time, Thea had also maxed out her bond with the creature, a fact made obvious by its current, demanding display.

Thea's slender hand rested on the black, serpentine head, stroking it gently. The wyvern closed its eyes in bliss.

"Shall we continue?" Thea asked, her voice calm.

"Of course!"

Across the field, Isolde's golden eyes turned to steel. The pressure slammed back into place.

High above, unseen in the bamboo canopy, a black-clad figure crouched on a stalk, seemingly weightless. The figure produced a small notebook and a quill, flipping it open to a clean page.

[Final Phase]