Chapter 48: So you still care about me after all!

Three days later, Starlight Magic Academy, Central Courtyard assessment waiting area.

Lynn sat on a chair in the waiting area and let out a deep yawn.

“You didn’t stay up all night, did you?”

Sophie looked at the dark circles under Lynn’s eyes, her curiosity piqued.

Last night, before she went to bed, she had seen Lynn buried in a magic book, studying intently.

When she woke up, he was still sitting at the desk.

Judging by his appearance, he either woke up incredibly early or hadn’t slept at all.

Now, it was clearly the latter.

“Is the pressure too much? You couldn’t sleep?”

Lynn shook his head.

“It’s not exactly the pressure…”

Before he could finish, Sophie reached into her small shoulder bag and pulled out a bottle of pink potion.

She poured it into her palms, rubbed them together, and began to massage Lynn’s temples.

As the potion took effect, a warm current flowed from his temples through his entire body.

The fatigue that had accumulated over several days seemed to vanish instantly.

“How is it? Do you feel better?”

Sophie asked with a smile.

“Mm… Much better, actually.”

A rare, relaxed smile appeared on Lynn’s face.

Over the last three days, Lynn had exhausted a massive amount of energy.

He had reached a point of exhaustion so extreme that it felt like a strange sort of clarity.

To raise his rank as quickly as possible and expand his mana pool, he had ground through the Recall Trial countless times.

Finally, on the day before the assessment, he successfully reached the rank of 3rd-tier Mage.

Now, Lynn finally possessed a large enough mana pool that even when facing the strengthened Sage’s projection in the Recall Trial, he had a chance to kill it through long-range attrition.

However, as he reached the 3rd-tier, the experience required for the next rank had increased exponentially.

In other words, unless he encountered another powerful enemy, he could no longer rely on repeated trials to brute-force his rank higher.

Coupled with the two “Blue Excellence” [Chess Piece: Silence] he had crafted last night, Lynn had essentially completed every preparation he could.

“Phew…”

Lynn let out a long breath.

Next, he had to find a way during this assessment to identify the mole planted in the academy by the Abyssal Cult.

“The assessment is about to begin. All examinees, please prepare yourselves.”

As the announcement echoed through the speakers, Lynn stood up slowly and stretched, shaking off the last remnants of his exhaustion.

“I’m heading in.”

“Right, see you later!”

Sophie sat with her hands gripping the edge of the chair, swinging her pale legs as she nodded with a smile.

….

Lynn walked through the long corridor, and soon, a massive mechanical door appeared before him.

He seemed to be the first one there, as the surroundings were empty.

“You’re quite early, Lynn.”

Vice-Principal Rogers’ voice suddenly sounded behind him.

His face still wore that trademark, unnervingly calm smile.

Lynn nodded.

“The sooner we start, the sooner it’s over.”

Upon hearing this, the corners of Rogers’ mouth curled upward into a grotesque, eerie arc.

“Yes, the sooner we start, the sooner it’s over.”

As he spoke, a black magic circle slowly manifested in his hand.

Under the influence of the circle, the sound of heavy gears grinding echoed around the mechanical door, and the tightly sealed entrance began to open.

But in the next instant, as the magic circle fully formed, an energy so dense it was almost physical surged from nowhere.

It transformed into a viscous black liquid, binding Lynn tightly and rendering him immobile.

An uncomfortable chill and a sense of corruption seeped into Lynn’s body through his pores.

‘This is!’ Lynn’s pupils constricted.

He struggled to look back, only to realize that the person standing behind him was no longer Vice-Principal Rogers.

The black robe, the white mask, and that sludge-like, thick energy…

It was clearly the Sage!

‘Dammit, when did he sneak in?’

“Lynn,” the Sage’s voice said, a jarring mix of hoarse and high-pitched tones, “to make me go to such trouble, you are truly the first.”

The mouth outlined in blood on that pale mask curved slightly.

“However… it ends here.”

The moment he finished speaking, the door swung fully open.

“I hope you have fun in Sleeping Dragon Valley.”

A moment later, the mechanical door closed again.

Lynn’s figure had already vanished from the spot.

Soon after, the Sage’s body twitched several times before shifting back into the appearance of Vice-Principal Rogers.

He stood quietly by the door, his signature smile still in place.

It was as if everything that had just happened had never occurred at all.

…

When Lynn’s consciousness returned to his body, he felt a metallic, sweet taste in his mouth, followed by a sharp pain that quickly flooded his mind.

He slowly opened his eyes and found himself inside a cave.

A warmth radiated from beside him, and the flickering firelight cast his shadow against the wall.

He turned his head and saw Ayan sitting next to him, her small fist clenched tightly.

As crimson blood dripped into Lynn’s mouth, the intense pain began to subside, and his strength gradually returned.

“This is…”

“Don’t talk. Drink more.”

Ayan made a shushing gesture.

Despite her words, Lynn could clearly see that as the blood flowed, Ayan’s face grew visibly weaker and pale.

At the same time, his own energy and injuries were recovering at an unprecedented rate, fully restored in a matter of moments.

Lynn immediately realized what was happening.

He sat up abruptly and grabbed Ayan’s small hand.

“Eh?” Ayan blinked, her heart skipping a beat as she felt the warmth from his grip on her wrist.

“Let—let go of me, you idiot,” Ayan stammered.

She tried to pull her hand away, but Lynn held on firmly.

Seeing she couldn’t break free, she eventually gave up.

“Don’t move.”

Lynn immediately tore a piece of cloth from his uniform and wrapped it tightly around Ayan’s wound.

This girl had actually used her remaining Dragon King’s blood on him!

“You’re absolutely insane. If you completely exhaust the Dragon King’s blood, you’ll vanish from this world because you won’t be able to maintain your form!”

Lynn frowned, his tone carrying a severity Ayan had never seen before.

“Oh? Is that concern I hear?”

Seeing Lynn focused on bandaging her, a mischievous smirk played on Ayan’s lips.

“I suppose so.”

“Aww… so you do have a caring side?”

Ayan propped her chin up with her other hand.

The firelight reflected off Lynn’s profile, making him look somewhat heroic.

Her eyes were full of amusement as she watched him.

“I’m not a cold-blooded animal like you dragons,” Lynn muttered, tying the bandage into a bow.

“My blood isn’t cold,” Ayan puffed out her cheeks.

“But this bow is actually quite pretty. Which girl taught you that?”

Lynn couldn’t tell if it was his imagination, but he sensed a hint of jealousy in her tone.

“I’m self-taught,” Lynn said honestly.

“Good enough.”

Ayan nodded with satisfaction.

“This should do for the bandage.”

Lynn looked at the cute bow on Ayan’s hand and felt quite satisfied himself.

“Don’t ever do that again.”

“I refuse.”

Ayan tilted her head up proudly, looking at Lynn with a triumphant expression.

“At most, you’ll just have to take care of me for the rest of your life. I permit it.”

Lynn felt helpless.

“You’re always dreaming.”

“Heh… but when you tricked me into signing that contract, you sounded much sweeter than you do now.”

Ayan continued, “You should know, once you signed that contract, you became responsible for me for life. If you dare abandon me, the gods will strike you down with divine punishment, you know?”

Looking at the somewhat punchable smirk on Ayan’s face, Lynn felt a sudden surge of irritation.

His fist clenched.

An arrogant brat like this really needed a good spanking!

Actually, forget it.

Since she saved his life, he would let it slide this time.

“How long will it take to get back to Starlight Magic Academy?”

Lynn steered the conversation back to the task at hand.

Although he didn’t know how the Sage had infiltrated the academy, the fact that the Sage hadn’t revealed himself publicly suggested he still had lingering fears—or perhaps the one who had infiltrated was just another projection.

Regardless, as long as he could return to the academy, there was still hope to turn things around!

He just had to get back in time!

“If we fly, it would probably take about two days,” Ayan said after thinking for a moment.

“Can we go any faster?” Lynn asked anxiously.

“Please, this is the front line where your people and the dragons are fighting. It’s incredibly far from your royal capital. How could it be fast?”

Ayan sighed.

“Besides…” She paused, looking toward the cave entrance.

“I think you should focus on how to survive first.”

As Ayan finished her sentence, a weak dragon’s roar echoed outside the cave.

This was followed by the heavy, thumping sound of armor treading on the ground.

A moment later, a tall soldier clad in heavy armor stumbled into the depths of the cave, leaning against the wall for support.

The moment their eyes met, the soldier drew a sword and pressed the massive blade against Lynn’s throat.

The surface of the greatsword was covered in a layer of pitch-black scales that shimmered in the firelight.

“A human… Why is a human here?”

Sensing the overwhelming killing intent, Lynn’s brow furrowed.

The newcomer was no ordinary dragon soldier.

Judging by the massive black tail behind him—identical to Ayan’s—this was likely a Black Dragon General.