Starlight Academy, Meeting Room.
The heavy atmosphere did not dissipate after Rhea and Lean left.
Clary’s gaze slowly swept across Sarah, Emma, and Luke, who was standing to the side scratching his head.
“Now, which one of you is going to tell me?”
Clary tapped her fingertips on the table, her tone thick with confusion and disbelief.
“When did that little young master of the Arseid family get so… unusually close with Izay?”
She recalled how Rhea’s eyes were practically glued to Izay when she walked in, and Izay’s subsequent, obviously unnatural reaction and excuse to leave the room.
The connection between the two was definitely not just a typical friendship. It seemed to carry a faint, unmistakable scent of romance.
Most importantly, Izay had lived a “hermit-like” existence for the past six years, almost completely isolated from the world. It should have been impossible for him to have any intersection with Rhea.
The only variable was the recent joint investigation of the Raymond territory.
Her gaze finally landed on Luke, who looked like he wanted to say something but was hesitating. “Luke, you look like you know something. If you have something to say, speak up. Don’t stutter.”
Luke shook his head. “I don’t know anything…”
He always felt like he knew something, but he just couldn’t remember. That feeling of his memory being covered by a veil was extremely uncomfortable, as if a key fragment was hidden deep in his mind, yet he couldn’t grasp it no matter how hard he tried.
At that moment, the always-steady Sarah spoke up. Her tone was calm, carrying the caution of someone who had thought things through.
“Professor Clary, during our time in the Raymond territory, Rhea did indeed show an unusual amount of concern for Izay. Perhaps… a part of it is due to guilt. She might feel the need to make amends for the way her sister, Angelica, frightened Izay six years ago.”
She did not voice the deeper relationship she had perceived.
Given Rhea’s feelings for Izay, it wouldn’t be easily accepted by society. Whether for the sake of her old rival or for her junior’s reputation, it was better not to expose such things.
Emma, being relatively thick-headed, didn’t notice the subtle atmosphere at all. She felt Sarah’s explanation was perfectly reasonable and nodded in agreement.
Instead, her attention drifted toward Professor Isia, who was sitting across from her. She realized with some confusion that since returning from the Raymond territory, she wasn’t as obsessed with her former mentor as she used to be.
“Forget it.” Seeing that she couldn’t get any more out of them, Clary waved her hand and suppressed her doubts for the time being.
Perhaps she was just overthinking it.
She had more pressing matters that were giving her a headache — Ignir’s remains had vanished into thin air. As the guardian entrusted with this task by Master Gerald on his deathbed, she felt a crushing sense of guilt for failing to protect his last wish.
Dio and Swane were also lost in their own thoughts.
Dio’s brow was furrowed as he tried to organize the “memories” in his mind that conflicted with the current reality.
According to the “development” he knew, the news of Ignir’s remains disappearing should have only been revealed after they successfully killed the first Vampire of the “Ten Pillars.”
Why was it happening early?
And why was the news brought back by Rhea Arseid, who was supposed to be “missing” at this point in time?
Rhea’s fate had clearly deviated from its original path. Would she still fall to the Vampires and betray humanity as she did in his “memories”?
There was no way to know.
Meanwhile, inside Swane’s head, the dragon soul Ignir’s nagging was almost non-stop.
‘Swane! What should we do! My remains are gone! How am I supposed to resurrect without my body?’
‘And who is the damn bastard who dared to use my noble scales on lowly creatures like Goblins! I’m furious, I’m truly furious!’
‘However…’ Ignir’s thoughts suddenly took on a hint of confusion. ‘That boy named Lean gives me a strange sense of familiarity. It’s very faint, but it definitely exists…’
Swane was distracted by the noise. It was the first time he realized that the ancient dragon soul residing within him could be so talkative and anxious.
—
In the half a month following the news of Ignir’s missing remains, several noble territories on the imperial border were attacked by monsters calling themselves “Vampires.” Bloody incidents occurred frequently, and the people were in a state of panic.
Among them, the West family and the Betty family — whose geographical locations were adjacent to the ruins of the Raymond territory — suffered particularly heavy losses. They had become the hardest-hit areas of the Vampire rampage.
On this day, Izay clearly felt that the atmosphere within the academy was different. The air was thick with a sense of suppressed excitement and hushed discussions.
“Senior Izay! Big news!” Luke ran up to Izay in a hurry, his face glowing with the excitement of a typical gossip-monger.
“Huh?” Izay looked a bit blank.
“It’s the eldest daughter of the Betty family, Lady Rose! She came to our academy today!” Luke lowered his voice, his tone exaggerated.
Izay became even more confused. “Is there something special about her coming to the academy?”
“The point isn’t why she’s here!” Luke gave him a “how do you still not get it” look. “The point is, this Lady Rose is Junior Swane’s former fiancée! The one who immediately announced the cancellation of their engagement after the Raymond family incident!”
Izay realized who she was. He remembered the “broken engagement” trope from Swane’s standard “protagonist template.”
But what did that have to do with him? He couldn’t wait to stay away from characters like that.
“Oh,” he responded flatly.
Luke was choked up by his overly calm reaction. “Senior, isn’t your reaction… a bit too cold? This is a real-life drama of grievances and hatred!”
Izay said, “So? What does it have to do with me?”
“Did you forget what I taught you? Don’t go looking for trouble!”
One of his “survivalist” principles was to stay far away from any conflict related to the protagonist’s group.
Luke scratched his head and finally remembered the actual reason he was there. “Oh, right. It seems… it does have a bit to do with you. Dean Clary just sent word for you to go to her office immediately!”
The office again?
Alarm bells rang in Izay’s mind, and an ominous feeling arose. Every time he was called to the Dean’s office, it seemed nothing good happened.
With a heart full of apprehension, Izay stepped into the familiar office once again.
As expected, it was crowded.
Clary looked at him, her brow slightly furrowed. “Why is it that every time I call for you, you’re the last one to arrive?”
Izay quickly scanned the room — Sarah, Emma, Dio, and Swane were all there.
He sighed helplessly and shifted the blame immediately. “Professor, it’s really not my fault this time. Luke spent forever gossiping about the lady from the Betty family before he remembered to tell me you wanted to see me.”
Clary didn’t bother to dig deeper and waved her hand.
Just then, the office door was pushed open gently, and a young woman dressed in an elegant gown walked in with a graceful posture. Her features were beautiful and her temperament was dignified. She was the eldest daughter of the Betty family — Rose.
Her appearance caused Swane’s face to darken instantly, and his fists clenched involuntarily.
However, Rose’s gaze only brushed over Swane briefly without pausing. It immediately landed on Dio, and a complex smile appeared on her face. “Dio, it’s been so many years. You’ve… grown up a lot, and you’ve become much stronger.”
Dio’s expression was exceptionally calm, as if he had long expected her arrival and even understood the reason behind it. All these years of near-masochistic cultivation and constant strength-building were for this very moment.
“I know why you’re here.” Dio’s voice was steady and powerful, carrying a finality that brooked no argument. “I will go back with you.”
Rose was clearly taken aback, a flash of surprise in her eyes. “You know about… the family’s situation?”
“The only male of the Betty family,” Dio’s gaze was resolute as he looked directly at Rose. “Defending the family territory is my mission. Even if it costs me my life, I will not hesitate.”
“But…” Rose’s voice trembled slightly. “Do you know that the enemy we are facing this time is no ordinary monster or bandit…”
“I know.” Dio interrupted her, his voice cold. “It’s the Vampires.”
In his mind, fragments of tragic memories from his past life surged forward.
The Vampire army had swept through the empire like a plague. In just six months, the wealthy Olay Empire had turned into a living hell. His family, the Betty family, being the first to resist, had nearly followed the footsteps of the Raymond family, resulting in the extermination of the entire clan.
And he, under the protection of Professor Clary, had struggled to survive for a bit longer before finally dying on the battlefield defending humanity’s last line of defense.
He remembered that after his death, it seemed that Lean from Liyue Academy had somehow mastered the power of the Great Dragon and became the spark of hope for humanity’s survival… But did he succeed in the end?
Where exactly was the source of those Vampires who appeared out of nowhere and seemed to be looking for something?
In his previous life, he had only been lucky enough to obtain the Sword Saint’s inheritance six months before his death. Unfortunately, time was too short, and he died with regrets before he could reach the peak.
Now, fate had given him a second chance. He had put everything into his training just to have enough power to slaughter those bloodthirsty monsters before the family tragedy occurred.
It was just… the direction of this life seemed to have deviated from his memories.
The biggest variable was this extra Fourth Junior Brother — Izay — who seemed ordinary on the surface but was strange in every way.
Thinking of this, Dio’s deep and sharp gaze couldn’t help but turn once again toward Izay, who was standing at the edge of the crowd trying his best to lower his presence. Dio’s eyes were filled with scrutiny and inquiry.
Izay was a bit confused…
They were talking just fine; why was his Second Senior Brother looking at him like that?
And he always felt that his Second Senior Brother had an indescribable sense of strangeness about him. Even though he was always training, he seemed to know a lot of things…
Swane clenched his fists and said, “Brother Dio, I want to go back with you too.”
He had a blood feud with the Vampires that had to be settled!
Ignir said, ‘Boy, are you crazy!’
‘Didn’t I tell you? You are no match for those Vampires!’
Swane replied internally, ‘Do you still want to find your remains and resurrect?’
‘If you do, you have to help me!’
‘You promised me that if the reason the Raymond family was exterminated is related to you, you would help me.’
‘And after the Vampires appeared, your scales were found on Goblins.’
‘Whether it’s your skeleton or the reason for the destruction of the Raymond family, all clues point to the Vampires. How can I investigate if I don’t go?’
Ignir said, ‘I…’
After thinking for a long time, Ignir sighed. ‘I can lend you my power, but the “price” will be quite high.’
By this time, Swane had already made his peace with the possibility of not being able to resurrect his mother. He said, ‘As long as I can slaughter those Vampire bastards, I’m willing to pay it even if it means death.’
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