The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 376

As the wounds of Leviathan healed, another uproar erupted at the Academy.

Suddenly, there appeared not one, but five gigantic dragons.

Each one was a formidable beast capable of toppling a heavily fortified stronghold, so the sight of five of them gathering was enough to make anyone scream and flee.

However, the students were not running away from the dragons; instead, they were congregating around them.

The reason was simple.

All five dragons were trapped in enclosures, like wild beasts at a zoo.

“What kind of illusion magic is this?”

“Whoa… this feels so real.”

After classes ended, the students marveled at the dragons visible from the main building.

Dragons trapped in enclosures seemed surreal, but five dragons caged in five different enclosures was even more unbelievable.

They thought these were some kind of illusion magic created by someone.

The presence of wizards from the magic tower, constantly adjusting something nearby, only reinforced that belief.

<Rumble...!!>

“Get away, you inferior beings!!”

Naturally, the creatures behind the bars were real dragons, and having been reduced to a spectacle, they roared at the students, but a silence spell had already been cast on their cages, leaving the students unable to hear anything.

Strangely, the quietness made the students think even more that this was an illusion.

“Ugh… the barrier isn’t even fully restored yet… how could this happen…”

The principal, having finished a conversation with his mentor, gaped at the massive metal enclosures that had suddenly appeared in the open area.

Though he had managed to respond well, the sight of five dragons gathering and the students provocatively teasing them within their cages was enough to give the principal a stress-induced heart attack.

“You told them to come home?”

“Does that mean we can’t see them anymore?”

Among the gathered students were River and Amy too.

When I told them the dragons came to take Gemma, it seemed like they understood the situation that way.

“They’re not going back. They’re just going to see if that horse is real or not. Let’s hope nothing happens.”

With talk of going to the Dragon Lord’s nest, everyone was quite worried.

“I’ve never seen the Dragon Lord up close; I might see it this time.”

“The fastest way is to go check it out for ourselves. And the mentor isn’t going with you; there’s something else they want me to ask.”

“Me?”

It seemed the mentor thought they were going along with him.

Not knowing what might happen inside, having the mentor along would indeed be comforting, but unfortunately, there was something more urgent.

“Mentor, please protect the Academy. With so many dragons coming together, there could be more lurking nearby.”

“That’s true. You won’t be long, right?”

“Yes.”

After five had shown up, assuming there wouldn’t be more was a foolish thing to do.

Since it was imperative to prevent the tragedy of one dragon appearing and releasing the five already captured, they needed to maintain control.

The service provided by the Magic Tower only ensured the dragons remained locked up in their cages.

They must prevent the outside from breaking in or anything of the sort.

It would be unacceptable for the main base to be raided while they were away.

“You… don’t secretly hope someone would invade, do you?”

“Of course not.”

“If Hoenheim helped, surely resizing them would’ve been possible. Isn’t making a dramatic show of it meant to provoke something lurking nearby?”

Each dragon was massive, and together they created a structure as large as a castle.

If they had asked Hoenheim, it would have definitely been possible to shrink both those helpless dragons and the entire structure at once.

That idea wasn’t a total miss either.

“Well, I’m off then.”

“I’ll quickly check if it’s true or not and come right back, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Just don’t overdo it.”

As I prepared to leave, Amy expressed her deep concern for my departure.

There was no need for all the fuss.

I was just going to confirm some facts and return right away.

With a light-hearted mindset as if going for a stroll, I grabbed Gemma’s hand and leaped toward the Dragon Lord’s nest in one bound.

…

…

…

The Dragon Lord’s nest, where Gemma had spent most of her life, was built upon a sanctuary passed down through generations of Gold Dragons.

Though the legendary Gold Dragon’s nest was a tale only among mortals, it was certainly a place that existed somewhere on this planet, known to be unreachable by anyone but dragons.

Only those allowed by the Dragon Lord could set foot in such a sanctuary.

If one were to express just how few knew the location of this sanctuary, it’s exceedingly rare even among dragons; lesser-known individuals among them would not get an invitation from the Lord and wouldn’t even step foot on its threshold.

Among mortals, only a Master or those who had achieved notable accomplishments could receive an invitation to the Lord.

For instance, among the Five Kingdoms Alliance, no kings received invitations, but only Duke Oseong, the sole Master of the Alliance, could meet the Dragon Lord in private.

It was said that among elves, the most closely related race to dragons, only the Chairperson of the Council and the Grand Warrior of the Forest could receive invitations.

Due to its secretive nature, when one meets the Dragon Lord, they reach their presence in a single teleportation, leaving them clueless about the journey itself.

Whether this was other space or truly a location existing on this planet made it perplexing, but for me, that was sufficient.

“Ha.”

As I arrived, the coordinates of the sanctuary I remembered shifted the scenery in an instant.

I was definitely standing under a wide-open sky, yet it transformed into a massive palace.

“Wow… I really have arrived at the sanctuary.”

Seeing it was real made me realize I had been a bit doubtful.

“At least I made it to the entrance properly.”

“Directly arriving before the Lord is quite rude, you know.”

While entering without permission isn’t polite, since my daughter had returned, they might just let this one slide.

I decided to take in the sight of the Dragon Lord’s nest after a long time.

“It’s been years, but it’s still the same.”

The Dragon Lord’s nest exuded a very unique atmosphere.

At first glance, everything seemed designed with the average 16m dragons in mind, but upon closer inspection, it clearly catered to smaller beings around 1.6m tall as well.

Naturally, the thoughtful Gold Dragons didn’t create this for mortals visiting; it was for their own enjoyment while polymorphed and having fun.

For instance, there were massive corridors wide enough for two gigantic dragons to walk side by side, with separate corridors on either side that were around four lanes wide for human-sized individuals to safely navigate.

“Are there other dragons working here?”

“Yes, there are dragons assisting your father. But since we didn’t come in through the main door, they probably haven’t noticed us yet.”

The last time I visited, two elegant green dragons had come out to guide me.

Perhaps I should wait for them.

I barged in haphazardly, but following some procedure to meet the Lord would likely avoid unnecessary complications later.

After a brief wait, I sensed a formidable aura approaching from beyond the hallway.

[Is it that weird sensory thing again? There shouldn’t be any invited guests today; who on Earth has arrived?]

[You asked me to train to become exceedingly sensitive. I’m saying someone really has come.]

[If it’s just picking up some tiny ant this time, I won’t spare them… Oh, lady?]

[Smaraq! Jade!]

As soon as the two green dragons revealed themselves beyond the corridor, Gemma’s body glowed and she instantly reverted to her original form as a Gold Dragon before dashing toward them.

As a massive dragon dashed down the corridor without care, it felt as if an earthquake had struck.

——————————

In the innermost part of the nest, the bedroom of the Dragon Lord, Lux Aurum.

The small commotion at the entrance could still be heard in this room.

[It seems Lady Gemma has returned.]

Filled with the faint fragrance of smoke, one dragon remarked, but there was no reply.

A white dragon, clearly not the owner of the room, sighed softly.

[…I was mistaken. You’re still not conscious.]

The Dragon Lord was deep in slumber.