Chapter Twenty-Five: The Legend of the Dragons (Part 2)
“Teacher.” Someone raised their hand with a question, “I read a storybook that talked about the Age of the Gods, where a group of hero knights battled the evil dragon Nidhogg, enduring countless hardships, and ultimately severed Nidhogg’s head… Are those stories, and the dragons in them, real?”
“Just sit down.”
After the student’s query, the elder stood on the stone platform, pressed his hand down to signal for everyone to settle, cleared his throat, scanned the classroom, and started his tale.
“I believe many of you have read various biographies or heard all sorts of folklore about heroes slaying dragons. Generally, these stories all sing praises of the heroes of the Age of the Gods, celebrating their indomitable spirit and heralding the dawn… In those dark times, when foreign invaders spread havoc and bones lay exposed in the wilderness, many human heroes emerged. Some of what you read in storybooks is indeed fictional, while some are based on the fables surrounding the real-life heroes of that era.”
The elder stepped down from the stone platform and began to wander around, continuing, “That question from the student was quite insightful. In fact, it’s a hot topic among many scholars of life these days. When it comes to legends and recorded dragons like Nidhogg, Fafnir, the Apocalypse Red Dragon, and even the widely circulated touching love story ‘Cort’s Lover’, featuring the Dragon Maiden Melusine… If you argue about their truth or falsehood, neither side can provide solid proof.”
“You can’t just say they are mere legends that aren’t real. At the very least, powerful dragons like Nidhogg and Fafnir have been explicitly recorded in the revelations of the Holy Church. To the people of the Age of the Gods, these dragons were terrifying disasters, akin to the Abyss, possibly even worse…”
As he spoke, the elder slowly walked around the classroom, the aged but robust voice echoing near and far.
“According to Revelation chapter twelve, one day, the dragons flew in from stormy clouds, flapping their wings and stirring up apocalyptic winds. Wherever they went, humanity suffered greatly — our brave ancestors rose up to resist. Countless heroic hearts, fueled by fierce rage, surged forth under the mournful songs of battle, throwing their lives into the fray, raising their blades against the dragons, but it was all in vain. Our towns and villages were decimated, tens of thousands of our ancient brethren burned, torn apart, or swallowed whole…”
“That was a prolonged and brutal war for human survival, where countless warriors fell in that fearless conflict. Towns were ruined beyond counting, the burned landscape turned to mountains of charred bones, but the fierce resistance of our ancestors stood strong. They placed their lives on the battlefield, erecting defenses with flesh and bl**d… Yet all of this was as fragile as paper against the powerful dragons, utterly meaningless.”
The elder paused for a moment.
“Even later on, when humans gained the favor of God Danalcis and received blessings from the Goddess of Sin, with angels sent by the gods fighting alongside us… Even so, those dragons remained a calamity to us, until the great deities banished them entirely…”
As he spoke, his tone grew fervent.
“These… they aren’t just stories, but rather humanity’s most tragic epic, a pain we can never forget and must never forget. There are so many heroic soldiers worthy of our remembrance, so many immortal spirits who fought to protect their homelands, fearless in the face of d*ath! Their sacrifice deserves to be etched in our hearts forever. Without their resistance, we wouldn’t have the stable and prosperous lives we lead today. It’s precisely because of that, the legends of countless heroes have been passed down from a thousand years ago to today…”
I sat at my desk, resting my chin on my hand, picturing the elder’s words in my mind.
A sunless land charred by wildfires, lightning streaking across the sky, countless bloodied soldiers charging with swords, rage-filled cries tearing through the heavens. But then, a massive dragon descended, its outstretched wings darkening the sky, breath of searing fire erupting from its mouth, igniting whole battalions of soldiers who fell screaming. The dragon swept through the battlefield, its tail and claws wreaking havoc, bodies flying and being torn apart, bl**d drenching the city and the battlefield, as winged angels bathed in golden light descended to the earth… It resembled a scene from a fantasy film.
Yet that image only lingered in my mind for a few seconds before I thought of the back of the fluffy white dragon.
It had brought me to the village before leaving, its gaze seemingly lingering, disappearing into the vast forest.
“Something feels off…” I murmured softly.
“What feels off?”
Suddenly, someone replied beside me.
I jumped a little and turned to see Beiyard’s grinning face.
I frowned. “When did you sit down?”
“While you were seriously listening,” he said, pointing to the back door of the classroom. “I slipped in from there; I overslept.”
Only then did I notice his hair was a bit disheveled and his eyes showed signs of fatigue, as if he hadn’t fully woken up. His school uniform was wrinkled and one of the buttons on his shirt was mismatched, clearly rushed to get here.
But that was none of my business.
“Oh.”
I responded indifferently, then ignored him and continued to listen to the class.
“Sure, the epic of our ancestors is indeed shocking, but my class isn’t meant for recounting these grand histories…”
The elder’s tone slowed, and his previous fervor calmed as he shifted the focus back to the lesson.
“Personally, I would rather you believe that those noble tales recounted in books were genuine events. Even if they weren’t, they may have some resemblance to truth. However, as a scholar, my purpose here today is to impart knowledge to you…”
“Knowledge demands a precise ability to judge things, to see a living creature and first recognize it, to boldly speculate and carefully seek verification, draw conclusions, and prove those conclusions… only then can it be acknowledged. Scholarly debate should be grounded in reality for it to be truth; anything unverified is merely rumor, self-speculation based on some foundation. Speculation is not to be trusted.”
“And currently, of the countless versions of folklore circulating in the public, I think not much remains that is substantial. For example, the Dragon Maiden Melusine I just mentioned, I don’t know if you’ve heard that story, but to me, the phrase ‘the hybrid of fairy and dragon’ is ridiculous—a union between different species birthing offspring is impossible, especially with a dragon… But you can’t say all those chronicles are false, because none of us has actually seen any of those events.”
Crackle, crackle, crackle…
Huh?
Was that the sound of a paper bag opening?
My ears perked up, and my mind buzzed; I couldn’t help but turn again to see Beiyard holding… oh, it’s cream puffs.
“Want some?” he asked.
I sniffed. “Yes.”
I secretly snatched one from under my desk, glancing around to make sure no one was watching, then quickly took a bite.
The sweet cream melted in my mouth, and I couldn’t help but smile, my eyes squinting with delight.
Delicious…
Over the past few days, I had grown accustomed to Beiyard always bringing my favorite snacks. It wasn’t until I noticed him that morning that I realized we were actually in the same elective class.
During the first few days, he would always sit next to me in class, and after class, we would walk back together to the shores of Lake Silan, sometimes even sharing meals in the cafeteria—people who witnessed it often shot us weird, even jealous looks, but I didn’t care, and Beiyard didn’t either. I thought of him as an excellent shield; having him around certainly avoided many more annoying individuals trying to chat me up.
It was no coincidence—definitely not a coincidence—Beiyard always brought my favorite treats, like donuts, cakes, and every time I saw him, he’d share some with me. At first, I rejected him; how could I just take what he offered without some pretense? I needed to refuse at least a bit before accepting… But after a few days, I got used to it and stopped being polite, after all, he wasn’t short on cash.
Now, in my eyes, Beiyard had become a mobile food storage bag.
As I thought about it, I shoved the half-eaten cream puff into my mouth, straightened my back to sit like a proper student, and chewed slowly.
The elder continued, “As a learned scholar, what I can tell you is that only those records that have been validated, those detailed in Revelation, like the dragon slain by Knight George with the Holy Lance, and the dragon torn apart by the miracle of Saint Margaret…”
…Hmm?
The names of those two dragons…
“These two dreadful dragons were both killed by the disciples favored by the Goddess of Sin, and their remains are still displayed in the exhibition hall of the Holy City, preserved for a thousand years. The heroes who slew the dragons, the Holy Church named their honor after them, passing those names down through hundreds of years, now belonging to the most devout male and female disciples of the church, or in this case, Cardinal Saint George and Saint Margaret. Even years later, though both Lords have returned to the embrace of the divine, their names will continue to be passed down.”
Oh…
So, Margaret’s name isn’t really her name… You can’t really say that; the name given by the church is also a name, just not the one she was born with. I didn’t expect such a backstory…
I swallowed the cream puff and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.
The elder paused again.
“Of course, that’s not the focus of today’s lesson. Now, please turn to page forty-six of your books…”
As soon as he finished that sentence, the classroom erupted with the rustling of pages. I hurried to open my copy of The Wonderful Creatures and found page forty-six… It was a drawing, seemingly of a dragon, yet not quite resembling the traditional concept of a Western dragon. Compared to dragons, it looked more like a snake, fearsome and sinister, with one, two, three, four… several heads, each with different appearances, different numbers and shapes of horns, and they seemed to wear… crowns?
What is this…
I pondered while biting my nails.
Meanwhile, the elder’s voice continued filtering into my ears.
