Chapter 71: The Seal

Ariella was currently sleeping in mid-air.

Not long ago, she had been walking alone through the dark and damp labyrinth of Avelina, trying to find the location of the hidden seal by following the guidance of her jade pendant.

She had actually been looking for an opportunity to make contact with the underground seal for a long time.

There were usually too many variables; if she were detected by Liya or Lin Yue at any random time, she might never have another chance in her life.

It wasn’t until the day the duel between Lin Yue and Charles was set that she decided to use their fight as a distraction to search for the Forbidden Magical Beast.

She hadn’t taken Charles to see Lin Yue out of mere curiosity.

First, she wanted to prove directly to Charles that Lin Yue’s strength came from hard work.

Second, she wanted to use the situation with Charles to tie up Lin Yue’s movements, allowing her to sneak underground today to activate the Forbidden Magical Beast behind everyone’s back.

Although she felt somewhat guilty toward Lin Yue, this matter was too important to her.

No one could be allowed to interfere.

Lin Yue was sometimes far too sensitive; he could predict what she wanted to do or what danger she might be in.

If she made a move under normal circumstances, he would surely notice, and she didn’t want him to know about the anxiety in her heart.

If he discovered it, she might fall into hesitation again.

Making this arrangement was the best way to achieve her goal.

Little did she know that Lin Yue had a god’s-eye view of the world and had been internally urging her to open the dungeon.

Ever since she was kidnapped, she had been wandering in the shadow of her own lack of strength.

‘If I had more power, would I have been kidnapped? Would I have had to watch the people near me be forcibly torn away?’

That day, she had wanted to protect Sephina from being taken, but she had only ended up in a crisis herself and implicated others.

She realized profoundly that as a rare user of magical beast power, if one didn’t want to be bound by the world’s conventions, they had two choices: either retreat to a mountain village and live in isolation from then on, or become so powerful that no one could defeat them.

The people of her village chose the former.

She, however, chose the latter.

This was why she had come to Avelina.

She wanted to become strong, and more importantly, she wanted to try and control the Forbidden Magical Beast buried deep beneath Avelina.

It was a legend passed down in her village, and she hadn’t been sure if it was true until… she found a parchment scroll at home that recorded the location of a secret door within the Avelina Labyrinth.

She had originally intended to experience the daily life of a student first and slowly increase her strength, eventually approaching the Forbidden Magical Beast when she was fully prepared.

But given the current situation, there might be no time left for her to grow.

The anxiety in her heart was slowly pushing her toward a cliff.

Recalling the black-haired youth who always protected her behind his back, her resolve hardened.

‘I can’t just be protected by him. I can protect him too…’

As long as she could successfully subdue the behemoth beneath the ground, it wouldn’t be impossible to hold a place of significance on the entire continent.

It was said that even a Sixth-tier Magus would find it difficult to truly slay it.

Holding the jade pendant and following the guidance of the light, Ariella finally arrived at a place that looked like a secret door.

“Is it here?”

She pressed against the secret door, but it felt as if she had pressed against thin air.

Her entire body passed through, and she tumbled onto the ground.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch…”

She rubbed her head and looked up.

This place was completely different from the labyrinth.

There seemed to be soundproofing magic here, and even the carpets were padded with wool.

There was a faint scent of dust in the air that made her want to yawn.

She stood up and walked toward the end of the passage, only to find that it terminated in a cliff overlooking a void.

Looking down, she could see countless chains and walls covered in magical runes.

Below was a place resembling an altar, with a massive crystal sitting in the center.

Ariella had not seen such a magnificent sight in a long time and couldn’t help but swallow hard.

The jade pendant suddenly emitted a gentle light, enveloping Ariella and causing her to float in the air, seemingly guiding her to release the trapped beast before her.

As Ariella slowly landed, her leather shoes made a clicking sound.

She looked closely and saw that the creature sealed within the crystal wasn’t a Forbidden Magical Beast at all, but rather… a young girl?

Ariella leaned against the crystal in disbelief.

Had the elders in the village been lying?

The girl had her eyes tightly shut, her left hand balled into a fist supporting her cheek.

She looked as if she were in a deep sleep, frozen within the crystal like a sculpture in amber.

With a face like a porcelain doll and long, light-blue hair, she looked identical to Melinda, the maid beside Principal Luzifer.

However, she appeared even younger.

‘What is this…’

“My jade pendant…”

Her pendant began to glow frantically and uncontrollably, even trembling—clear proof of a powerful magical beast’s presence.

But what was going on?

Just as Ariella was lost in confusion, the girl in the crystal slowly opened her eyes.

Her pupils emitted a faint red glow.

“Human…”

A voice with multiple echoes reached Ariella’s ears, and she instantly felt a weight of ten thousand tons pressing down on her body.

She slowly turned her head and found that the girl had already vanished.

In her place was a crystal several times larger than before, and a massive eye right in front of her.

She finally saw the true form of the magical beast.

It was a massive black dragon with many crystals growing on its body.

“It can speak…”

After years of taming countless magical beasts, this was the first time she had ever encountered one that could speak human language.

Even as a magical beast expert, her understanding of the world was being challenged once again.

Seemingly noticing the jade pendant in Ariella’s hand, the magical beast did not make any aggressive moves.

It spoke in a calm tone.

“That object… it has been a long time since I last saw it.”

Clutching the pendant, Ariella asked in disbelief, “You… do you know its origin?”

This was a treasure that had been with her for as long as she could remember. It could precisely control magical beasts, but if one tried to trace its history, its source could not be found.

It was too ancient; no one knew where it came from.

“Once upon a time, I also regarded it as a treasure.”

The jade pendant suddenly drifted from Ariella toward the giant dragon.

Even though the dragon remained unable to move, it could control its surroundings.

It didn’t seem to be purely sealed away.

“How many years have passed… does Avelina still exist?”

The news of the Forbidden Magical Beast being sealed was a secret known to very few people more than twenty years ago.

Most people still had no idea such an existence was suppressed beneath Avelina.

“Are the sisters… doing well?”

“Sisters?”

Ariella was utterly confused.

Could there be other dragons as massive as this one in the world?

“…”

The dragon did not answer, saying instead, “Since you have brought this object before me, I can grant you one condition. However… from now on, this jade pendant belongs to me.”

“Whether you want wealth, power, or knowledge, I can give it all to you.”

“Ah…”

‘That won’t do. I came here to tame you, not to trade. If I give you the pendant, what will I do in the future?’

The dragon saw that she had something on her mind and continued, “I am not fond of suspicion. If there is something you need, simply ask. Trading with humans… is not something I am doing for the first time.”

‘This dragon seems quite easy to talk to. Maybe I should chat with it? Perhaps it will help me…’

“I can’t give you this jade pendant… can we trade for something else?”

Without the ability to tame magical beasts, she would truly become an ordinary mage, and even her self-preservation would be in doubt.

“Then give it to me after you die.”

Its lifespan was nearly infinite.

It knew this item was important to Ariella and was in no hurry.

‘Give it to you after I die? Just how many years has this beast lived?’

“My terms are set. Tell me yours.”

The dragon’s red eyes lowered slightly, carrying a hint of the divinity inherent in ancient beings.

“I…”

Ariella hesitated for a moment before finally making up her mind.

She clenched her fist against her chest and shouted, “I need your power!”

The dragon remained silent, waiting for her next words.

“Since controlling magical beasts makes everyone loathe me, then as long as I am strong enough that no one can defeat me, it won’t matter if I’m hated!”

“I see…”

“You… have come for power.”

The dragon seemed used to it.

Humans sought fame, profit, and power for themselves.

It could sense that this human girl carried a great deal of malice and pain on her shoulders.

‘The fault is not mine, but the world’s’—could it be summarized like that?

“Yes. Well, not entirely…”

The image of Lin Yue suddenly appeared in Ariella’s mind.

“The power I want isn’t for destroying the world, but the ability to protect the people I care about from this cruel world…”

She didn’t want her existence to be a mere charity from some person or some faction.

She absolutely could not allow the things and people she cared about to be torn apart and destroyed so easily.

“So, I absolutely cannot give up…”

“…”

The dragon was silent for a long time and did not reply for a while.

“You are too weak. You are not a Sixth-tier, and your physical body is very fragile. Relying on this jade pendant alone, you cannot use my power.”

Furthermore, its emergence would once again cause panic among human factions, putting immense pressure on the already struggling world essence.

And it was not some “Forbidden Magical Beast.”

“Besides, I have an agreement with the leader of Avelina. I shall not take a single step away until Avelina is destroyed.”

“Is that so…”

Ariella sighed, feeling a bit dejected.

It was already good enough that such a powerful being would listen to her and even consider a trade.

Forcibly breaking the seal would likely only enrage it.

“However… I can help you in another form.”

The dragon left her hanging and closed its eyes, as if sensing something.

“What is this other form?”

Seeing its expression, there seemed to be hope.

She had to try harder!

“Avelina seems to have fallen into a strange state, like a coma.”

“Never mind. Consider this a gift for an old friend…”

Suddenly, the seal began to loosen.

The chains started to vibrate, and cracks appeared in the crystal.

The jade pendant in Ariella’s hand suddenly shot out a light that enveloped her.

“What… is this…”

Before she could understand the situation, she fell directly into a deep sleep.

“…”

She fell into a dream within a dream.

‘Agresta, your descendant really is exactly like you.’

Those emerald-like shining eyes could not belong to anyone else.

‘Her soul is filled with resentment, yet it still carries a hint of radiance. This is quite different from what they said…’

‘Is there some variable?’

In an instant, the blue-haired girl sat on the sealing platform, swinging her legs as she propped up her face and looked at Ariella within the white light.

Her red eyes narrowed slightly.

‘Black hair… brown eyes? Could it be… that you have returned?’