188. Mother of Fire (4)
#188
“…Please welcome everyone. “This is Navardose.”
Kratir said. There was no immediate cheering. In the silence that lasted for a long time a murmur began to spread.
“Are you really the mother of fire? “Really?”
“You’re lying… that can’t be possible. “The principal must have been pranking me.”
“The magic circle just now was too much for that to be true…!”
Her students could not believe that she was Navarre. But Kratir’s words were too bold to be lies. The world’s most powerful people often become the butt of jokes but only in private.
More than anything they remembered the giant dragon’s head that tore through the magic circle and appeared. The mana storm was so strong that it seemed as if it would sweep away even the soul. The woman who was looking at the main square in confusion opened her mouth.
【It is made in Navarre. Nice to meet you all.】
“…!”
At that moment doubt disappeared from people’s minds. It was a voice that could never be uttered by mortal vocal cords.
Silence fell again. But it was silence puffed up like a balloon about to burst. Soon the shouts that erupted shook Phileon.
****
“Then let me introduce you to your seniors who will be closest to you at the academy.”
“Wow! Welcome freshmen!”
“If you’re a martial arts major please join the armor fighting club!”
The entrance ceremony went smoothly. The students who realized that Navardose had no hostility soon regained the innocence typical of boys and girls.
Despite the unexpected situation Kratir managed to control the situation and lead the event. Of course whenever he had some free time he turned to Navarre and asked how she was doing.
“Thank you for your hard work coming here from Adren. “Are you comfortable in your seat?”
She seemed more like a friendly cafeteria worker than the principal of Phileon Academy. Well who wouldn’t do that in front of the Mother of Fire? Navarro I nodded her head.
【It’s okay. Don’t worry about it and just proceed.】
Kratir expressed his gratitude and went to the podium again. A speech with cliché but very good content followed. Ronan was still staring at Navardose. The fact that she disappeared for a moment and then reappeared bothered her.
She said ‘It looks like something happened.’
Although she had won just a little her exhaustion was noticeable. There were small scratches on the surface of her horns that had grown on either side of her head that were not visible last night.
Itar Gand’s worried gaze at her mother more than anything else at her proved that something was wrong with her. It seemed like it might somehow have something to do with the ‘offensive’ thing she had been talking about the night before.
She asked ‘Is there a being or force opposing Navarre? whoever?’
She kept thinking but couldn’t come up with an answer. Finally Ronan decided to ask her later and lowered his gaze slightly from her face. No matter how many times he saw her the scenery was so amazing that Ronan found himself muttering.
“…I wish I had a dragon mother too.”
“hmm? “What did you say just now?”
“It’s nothing.”
Ronan shook her head. His eyes were fixed on Navardose’s chest. Even though I was wrapped in a robe I thought the curves were unusual but it was just like that.
‘Itargand you bastard.’
Butterfly Rose and Marya were also great but those were at a level where I couldn’t speak properly. Should we say that it is a gap that arises from racial differences? Has a pocket containing flame developed?
If the person sitting next to him wasn’t the emperor ruling the empire he would have jumped out of his seat and given a standing ovation. If the dress had been a little more cut out it would have been impossible to stand up. At that time the emperor who was smoothing his chin opened his mouth.
“okay. “I am amazed every time I see Jim.”
The emperor hesitated. He spoke in a tone of great sympathy. His gaze which we met for a moment was asking for tacit consent. I believe that what you and I are seeing right now is the same.
‘This guy ate it too.’
Ronan laughed. The two people nodded solemnly and looked at Navardose again. Ronan opened his mouth.
“Of course I was talking about the size of mana.”
“Of course. “I can’t imagine anything else.”
“It’s something else. “For example?”
“…Oh look over there. “It seems like it’s almost the end but I guess they’re going to do something else.”
The Emperor quietly ignoring Ronan’s words stretched out his index finger and pointed at Kratir. Indeed he was preparing something big.
“Enough of this boring speech…let’s get into the order everyone expects right?”
The students cheered. I felt like I knew what was going to happen. The moment Kratir gestured the entire plaza began to wriggle and move. The ground fell and rose again and again. Soon the flat square was reshaped into a huge circular arena. Kratir said.
“Then we will proceed with a ‘brief greeting’ which is a tradition at Phileon Academy. “All freshmen and sophomores in the nominated martial arts department please come forward.”
Ten students each from freshmen and sophomores walked forward. Twenty students lined up facing each other in the middle of the arena. Itargand stood on the far left of the new student procession. Ronan shrugged his eyebrows.
“oh. Were you a senior?”
“I heard that that handsome young man is Navardose’s son is that correct?”
“that’s right. “Nothing should happen.”
Ronan nodded his head. Itargand entered Phileon through the same procedures as other new students. He took the entrance exam and conducted an interview.
He changed his polymorph form to look younger and took on the pseudonym Ir. Everyone is going to call me that anyway so why did I get so upset last night?
In any case Itargand’s origins were kept completely secret so most people did not know that he was a red dragon and the son of Navardose. However he received attention in his own way due to the fact that he was the head of the martial arts department and his handsome appearance.
Her aristocratic platinum hair was blowing in the wind. The charm that emanated from his body was in no way inferior to that of Schlieffen or Erzébet. Murmurs could be heard from all over the audience.
“Isn’t that the guy who took out those wings before? Is he your brother?”
“I don’t know. “He was handsome.”
“They said they pressed down on the test magic engineer with force but where did such a monster come from…”
The overall evaluation was excellent. Every time such words were said the corners of Navardose’s mouth rose slightly. Several times she looked back at Ronan with a triumphant look on her face and he had to hint at her opinion by her periodic awkward smiles that she had such a wonderful son.
Suddenly a memory from three years ago flashed through my mind. I stood exactly there and dealt with ten people at the same time. To reassure my worried sister. It felt quite new to think that she was sitting where Iril was sitting at the time.
‘You’ll have to do it right.’
Ronan looked down at Itargand. The hard look on his face was quite different from his usual arrogant and confident attitude. I could see the nervousness here too.
“I feel somewhat uneasy….”
It wasn’t hard to guess why. Navardose was staring at Itargand with sparkling eyes pretending not to care. If there weren’t so many people gathered around it seemed like they would have put both hands together and raised them to their mouths to cheer for his son.
‘Wow. It’s burdensome.’
Ronan clicked his tongue. If he were Itar Gand he would vomit on the spot. Then Itar Gand and all but one of his second year students descended from the arena. It seemed that the sparring opponent had been decided.
The second-year representative was a young man who seemed extremely disobedient. His hair was black and he was only holding a sword in his hand which reminded him of his past self. The moment I saw the portrait I felt an indescribable feeling of anxiety.
‘It looks like you really don’t listen… No you shouldn’t be prejudiced.’
Ronan shook his head to dispel his preconceptions. Okay I’m not Rin. You shouldn’t judge people by what they look like.
I was in the middle of repeating that. Hehe! The young man who spat on the floor pointed the tip of his sword at Itar Gand and shouted.
“Haha are you the valedictorian of the freshman class? “It looks smooth!”
“Yes.”
“It seems like there’s something great going on. “If you look at your face you look as weak as a dandelion seed.”
ah. Fuck.
For a moment Ronan’s face hardened. The emperor sitting next to him sighed. While drinking water the sound of Asher coughing violently could be heard up to here.
“Keeek! KEEEK!”
They looked back at Navardose without any question of who should go first. The Mother of Fire was looking at her son with an unchanging expression on her face. The eyebrows seemed to have narrowed slightly but it still seemed okay.
Provoking the dragon wasn’t a very good idea. Ronan was in the middle of praying for them to stop doing this anymore.
“My name is Tyber Patizan! “Didn’t her mother teach her how to use her name before a duel?”
Ronan gritted his teeth. Itargand frowned upon hearing the word mother.
“…say.”
“name! “I don’t know who came up with it but the name is also strange.”
The bastard named Tyber twirled his sword and laughed. Kratyr was looking at Navardose with an expression that made him want to burst into tears at any moment.
“Do you know this? Flight 787 was the last time a freshman beat a senior in a simple greeting in the martial arts department. Ronan the senior I respect the most took on ten people at once and won.”
“So what are you saying?”
“I’m saying don’t expect such a miracle to happen to you. “Principal let the match begin!”
Tyber shouted looking back at Kratir. Regardless of the intention the atmosphere in the arena heated up thanks to his bold provocation.
“…That’s how it should be. “Then let’s start with the first greeting.”
Kratyr closed his eyes tightly and opened his mouth. Quang! At the same time Tyber’s new model shot forward. Exclamations erupted from all over the audience. Even to Ronan it was a fairly sharp charge.
‘There was reason for confidence.’
His skills were so great that for a moment his crazy behavior was forgotten. It was clear that it was the result of countless efforts built on the rock of talent.
But unfortunately the opponent was not very good. It was the moment when Tyber who had reached Ir’s sight unleashed a slash. Ir who was quietly watching him lightly swung the sword he was holding. Quaaaang! Tyber was thrown back and landed against the wall on the other side of the arena.
“Wow!”
A spiderweb-shaped crack appeared where Tyber collided. It was a sight that could only be seen at a sword festival. Ir glared at him and growled lowly.
“How dare you insult your mother?”
“Now wait a minute!”
Tyber who had managed not to faint shouted in a terrified voice. He was practically pinned against the wall and could not move. Itargand swung his sword in the air without anyone having a chance to say anything. Quaaaaa! Waves of fire along Geomro poured down onto the ground.
“Kwaaaaaak! “Help me!!”
Tyber let out a scream of despair. The red dragon’s flames burning all things were rushing towards him. Ronan got up from his seat.
“That idiot!”
In the end the situation I was worried about happened. I warned him so much to control his strength but it didn’t seem to work. Ronan whose leg strength was strengthened with mana leapt like a spring. fault! He landed blocking Tyber’s path and shouted in an irritated voice.
“Bow!”
“Senior Ronan?!”
Ronan tugged at the hilt of his sword. La Mancha red as blood was pulled out. Time stretched out as he concentrated his mind. In a world where even the sound of the heart was stagnant the only thing moving normally was Ronan and his sword. Hundreds of white lines were drawn on the waves of flame.
“That’s…!”
“Me Navardose?”
At that moment Navardose stood up. The pupils that used to mimic humans were narrowed vertically.
The identity of the déjà vu that had been wandering around in her mind since last night surfaced. Now that I look at her her face resembles a stereotype so why didn’t I recognize her at once? A mesmerized voice came out between her parted lips.
“okay. “Is that your son?”
