The Fiery Crown Cycle: A Dragon's Rebirth

Chapter 35

All eyes were fixed on the magic circle.

Only Isolde, standing at its center, kept her eyes closed, the final words of the chant echoing in her mind.

The orange light intensified, gathering into a single, brilliant mass.

Such a powerful mana fluctuation, Solana thought, her brow furrowing. It's at least intermediate-tier.

For a summoner, calling forth a beast of a much higher rank was not always a good thing. They were difficult to tame. Especially for a girl like Isolde… Solana's eyes swept over her student. She's clean. Not a single magical artifact on her.

A sliver of worry entered Solana's gaze. It was possible Isolde would be completely unable to control this beast.

The orange mana coalesced into a throbbing, ten-yard-long cocoon of light. A large one, then.

Without any warning, the mana dissipated. The magical beast within was revealed.

Four powerful, scaled legs were planted firmly on the ground. Its body was long and sleek, with a tail that ended in a wicked, sickle-like blade. The cold light glinting from its edge left no doubt as to its sharpness. Its neck was long, its head broad, and its twin red, slitted pupils were filled with an icy indifference. A hide of thick, crimson scales covered its entire body.

Those scales. There was no mistaking them. It was a Scalehide. A magical beast so ferocious it was known to cannibalize its own kind.

This is trouble. Scalehides were notoriously arrogant.

But Solana wasn't worried about the beast attacking Isolde. A summon could not harm its summoner. That was the covenant between the Divine and the Fourth Crown.

The Scalehide turned its great head, scanning its surroundings before its gaze finally landed on the human standing before it. As the summoned, it could feel the link connecting it to this human.

This human…

The beast's red pupils constricted violently. It took a single, stumbling step backward.

Her summons had been answered. Wonderful.

With a rising sense of anticipation, Isolde opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was an enormous head covered in fine, red scales. It looks a bit rough. A bit ugly. And… very fierce.

She instinctively took a step back. Wait, calm down. Calm down. The summon won't attack its master. In that moment, Isolde remembered Ms. Solana's lessons. She forced herself to be calm and, mustering her courage, properly appraised her new partner.

Its red scales were coarse and thick. Its claws looked incredibly sharp. Its massive head was menacing, and its red eyes were just as intimidating. Looking at her new partner, only one thought remained in Isolde's mind.

It's so fierce! Can I really get along with it? A new worry took root in her heart. No, I have to… I should at least try. Yes, I'll try.

Gathering her courage once more, Isolde slowly raised her hand toward the unknown creature.

“Um… hello?”

Seeing the human raise her hand, a flicker of conflict crossed the Scalehide's eyes. It remained motionless. Isolde held her pose. After a full minute passed in silence, the Scalehide closed its eyes.

In the next second, it lifted a claw and took a step forward. Its enormous head came to a rest directly underneath the back of Isolde's hand.

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The sudden movement startled her. She had been about to offer a handshake. Why was it… Is it asking for affection?

It looks so fierce, but it's actually this well-behaved? In that instant, her fear of her new partner faded considerably. She turned her hand over and began to gently stroke the great, scaly head. The texture was a little rough. Just like my own hands, she thought. The idea gave her a renewed sense of kinship with the creature.

Feeling the touch on its head, the Scalehide's body trembled, but it quickly regained its composure.

It submitted? That's not right. That's very not right. Solana had never seen a Scalehide submit so readily. Such a thing should be impossible for a human to achieve, barring the divine favor of the Fourth Crown herself.

Could Isolde be one of the Favored? No, if she were, the Fourth Church would have come for her long ago. The more she thought, the more complicated the puzzle became.

Isolde is so lucky! That magical beast is beautiful! That powerful body, those sharp claws, that elegant, sickle-like tail! It's a perfect combination of beauty and power! Thea's eyes burned with an intense, covetous fire. She couldn't look away.

I don't know what kind of magical beast that is, but judging by its appearance, it must be a good one. And… it submitted to Isolde immediately! I have to find a way to get close to the former little wallflower. This was the shared thought of all ten students. But the opportunity… they had been waiting for over a month, and the little wallflower had given them no chance to connect. Every day after class, she either left immediately or was called away by Ms. Solana.

“Isolde.”

Hearing Ms. Solana's voice, Isolde looked up. Her teacher was standing right in front of her.

“Ms. Solana?”

“Do you know why your summon submitted to you so readily?” Solana asked, unable to contain her curiosity. Hearing the question, the other students pricked up their ears. This was the question on all their minds.

Isolde was confused. What is Ms. Solana talking about? What submission?

Seeing the completely baffled look on the little girl's face, Solana remembered. She skips class so often. She's missed many of the less critical lessons.

“When a summon willingly allows its summoner to place a hand on its head, it is a sign of complete and total surrender,” Solana explained.

“Ah?” Hearing this, Isolde was even more confused. It was showing submission? But why? Why would it submit to me?

Seeing her student grow even more bewildered, her wide, round eyes forgetting to blink, Solana realized the truth. She has no idea.

“You could try asking it,” she suggested. A summoner could communicate with their summon telepathically.

“Okay, Ms. Solana. I'll try.”

“Good.”

Isolde looked down at the docile magical beast before her. It doesn't seem so fierce anymore. In fact, it's almost… cute. She lifted her small hand and placed it on the massive head.

She closed her eyes. Orange mana began to glow.

[Um… can you hear me?]

[Ma…ster…] a halting, reverberating chorus replied, its gender impossible to discern.

It had responded.

[Why did you choose to submit to me?]

[Mas…ter… on… body… has… terri…fy…ing… au…ra…]

Isolde was completely lost. A terrifying aura? On me?

[On my body?]

[Yes.]

Isolde was speechless. She had no idea what it was talking about. If I can't figure it out, I'll just have to ask Ms. Solana.

[It's nice to meet you. My name is Isolde. What's yours?]

[Have… no… name…]

[Can I give you one, then?]

[Yes.]

Hearing its consent, Isolde began to think. What would be a good name? But before that…

[By the way, are you male or female?]

[Female.]

A girl.

[How about… Leona?]

[...]

[Yes.] This time, there was a slight fluctuation of emotion in its voice.

[Okay. Let's get along well from now on, Leona.]

[Yes.]

Having gotten her reply, Isolde broke the mental link and opened her eyes. She looked at Ms. Solana.

“Leona says I have a ‘terrifying aura' on me. Ms. Solana, do you know what that means?”

A terrifying aura. It must be something only magical beasts could sense. And if there was any entity that could leave such an aura on Isolde, there was only one possibility. Her first, mysterious summon. Bloodline suppression.

For a Scalehide—a beast destined for seven-star growth—to feel such terror, the other summon had to possess a legendary bloodline at the very least—this little girl was truly a lucky one.

A smile blossomed on Solana's face. She looked at the small girl before her and said, “It must be from the contract with your partner. Isolde, you are incredibly fortunate.”

“Work hard. Strive to earn your partner's full recognition. If you do, you will become the greatest of summoners.”

It was the first time anyone had ever praised her like that. A blush crept up Isolde's small cheeks.

“Mm!” she nodded vigorously. “I will, Ms. Solana!”

I will definitely earn my partner's approval!