The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 62

The Elder Drake was only a few steps away from the potato field!

It was drooling in anticipation.

Gulp!

Swallowing the saliva filling its mouth, the creature took a large step forward. As the potato field came into view and it lowered its head toward the crops—

“Hey, you damn beast!”

Amon charged with all his might, swinging the adamantium sword. It struck the Elder Drake’s back.

BOOOOM!

A deafening noise rang out as fragments of the Elder Drake’s scales shot into the air. Shock filled the Elder Drake’s eyes.

Grrr…!?

Could it be…that my scales are broken? No, impossible.

Since becoming an Elder Drake after enduring countless years, its scales had never once been broken.

Shock gave way to rage.

ROOOOAR!

Though the tantalizing delicacy of the potatoes was within reach, fury over its broken scales overcame its hunger.

Turning its head sharply, the Elder Drake saw Amon standing defiantly before it.

“Whew…”

Massaging his sore shoulders from the heavy swing, Amon spoke coldly.

“You bastard, did you really think you could just eat the sprouting potatoes?”

Grrrrr…

“You’ve really picked the wrong day to mess with me.”

Amon growled, pointing his sword at the Elder Drake.

“I’ll turn you into fertilizer for the field.”

Enough fertilizer to last for years!

As Amon’s eyes gleamed fiercely and he advanced toward the beast—

“Amon, wait a moment.”

“…Elder?”

Caselag, the old dragon who had landed on the ground, spoke.

“Let’s let it go this time.”

“What? What are you saying, Elder?”

Amon retorted angrily.

“How can you tell me to let go of the creature that nearly destroyed our village’s potato field?”

“Boy, it’s just trying to survive like everyone else.”

“We’re trying to survive too—that’s why we grow potatoes.”

Amon’s family didn’t grow potatoes for fun. The villagers’ lives depended on it.

“Hmm…that’s true.”

“So please don’t stop me.”

But Caselag didn’t back down.

“Let it go this once, for my sake. I even gave you that sword, didn’t I?”

“But—”

“I’ll make sure it never comes here again.”

“…”

Amon bit his lip hard.

He wanted nothing more than to destroy the enemy of potatoes—the potato massacrer—right there and then.

But Caselag is an important guest of our territory.

No, not just one of the guests—practically the only guest.

Besides, he’s a dragon.

That last point mattered the most.

Though old and somewhat docile-looking, he was still a dragon.

Realizing he’d already asserted himself enough with a few arguments, Amon decided to yield.

“If you insist, Elder… I’ll let it go.”

“Hahaha, thank you, lad.”

As Caselag approached the Elder Drake, it shrank back, letting out a low whimper.

Grrr…

“You rascal, what’s all this trouble? Leave at once and never return here. Understood?”

Though Caselag spoke gently, the Elder Drake stomped its feet and growled in protest.

Grooowl!

“Oh? You dare talk back? Perhaps a lesson will help you learn!”

At Caselag’s scolding, the Elder Drake lowered its head and began trudging away.

Once the beast disappeared beyond the village’s edge, Caselag let out a deep sigh.

“Phew, forgive it this one time. It has its own circumstances.”

Looking wistfully in the direction the Elder Drake had gone, Caselag shook his head.

Seeing this, Amon narrowed his eyes.

“Circumstances? What kind of circumstances does a monster have?”

But when Caselag glanced over with a sorrowful expression, Amon forced a crooked smile and asked sarcastically:

“What circumstances?”

As if waiting for the question, Caselag began to speak.

The fact that he had been waiting was obvious.

“Drakes are an ancient race that once rivaled us dragons but fell behind in the competition and were driven to extinction. Though they’ve lost their intellect and become mere monsters, their proud past as our equals remains unchanged.”

The story was unexpectedly long.

‘The Elder loves to drag on with his tales.’

Though Amon wanted to yawn, he stifled it and listened.

“And that one, in particular, lost its mother when it was young. I found it crying pitifully after losing its mother. I didn’t exactly raise it, but I kept an eye on it.”

“…I see.”

“It must have recognized me as it grew up because it’s quite attached to me. Moreover, it recently evolved from an ordinary Drake into an Elder Drake. I couldn’t bear to let it die by your hands. I’ve grown fond of it…like a stray that’s hard to hate.”

Hearing Caselag mumble with a mix of affection and pity, Amon’s eyebrows twitched.

“…Wait a moment.”

“Hmm?”

“You said it recently evolved into an Elder Drake?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Amon realized why he hadn’t seen the Elder Drake for a while—it had been evolving.

“And you’re saying it’s been following you around?”

“Indeed. Even though it’s grown up, it still does that.”

Now that he thought about it, the last time the Elder Drake attacked, Caselag had been in the territory. The same was true this time.

‘So this entire mess is because of that old dragon!’

But what could he do? Dragons were the apex of the world.

If the Elder Drake had ravaged the territory and left, the dragons would have thought, Oh well, humans just died, and shrugged it off.

The only reason Caselag mediated was his fondness for this particular human territory and the Elder Drake.

Realizing this, Amon’s cheeks trembled.

“I see. I’ve just remembered my childhood dream.”

Clutching the adamantium sword tightly, Amon resolved:

‘Yes, I wanted to be a Dragon Slayer.’

Oh, the grand dreams of youth!

Yet, oblivious to Amon’s thoughts, Caselag chuckled as he noticed Amon gripping the sword firmly.

“Hahaha! You seem to like the gift. And why not? It’s an excellent weapon.”

“…”

“It was forged by countless dwarves through painstaking effort.”

“…Dwarves?”

Though Amon had no illusions about elves, he had immense respect for dwarves.

His anger melted away like snow.

“Ahem! I’ll use it gratefully.”

“Good, good.”

At least the potato field was safe this time, and the Elder Drake likely wouldn’t return.

‘A dwarven-forged adamantium sword…I’d better not complain and risk having to return it.’

As Amon smiled inwardly, his mood lifted.

“Hm, by the way, Amon.”

“Yes?”

“Are you still working as a teacher at the academy?”

“The academy’s lifeline is quite tenacious, so yes, I am still working there.”

“Well then…”

Caselag cleared his throat and spoke.

“As you know, I have numerous kin.”

‘I don’t know.’

But Amon nodded vaguely.

Considering how long dragons live, who knows how many eggs he’s hatched over the years?

“Right.”

“And recently, there’s been one I’ve been keeping an eye on. A young member of the Amaranth bloodline. Even at such a young age, the child is remarkably clever with great potential for the future.”

“…Excuse me?”

At this point, Amon could easily guess where Caselag was going with this.

Still working at the academy? And now, mentioning a promising young one?

“Wait a moment, Elder. Don’t tell me…”

“Yes.”

Caselag nodded and said.

“Amonis Academy is said to be one of the finest educational institutions with a proud history in the human empire. Even for a dragon who has lived countless years, the academy’s history spanning thousands of years is not something to take lightly.”

“…”

“So, I’d like to entrust that child to the academy.”

Amon shut his eyes tightly.

“…Elder?”

“What is it?”

“That place is a human academy.”

“It’s not exclusively for humans, is it? The principal is an elf, after all.”

Come to think of it, that made sense.

“And as long as the child assumes a human form, there shouldn’t be much trouble. Suppressing their aura will suffice.”

“But…”

Amon had a hunch.

‘The academy, already a chaotic gathering of unruly humans…’

And now, adding a dragon?

‘It’s only a matter of time before tensions rise. Even a young dragon could easily obliterate the academy…’

As his thoughts reached that point, Amon realized something.

‘Come to think of it, this might not be so bad.’

Nodding readily, Amon said.

“The academy would be delighted to welcome a dragon’s enrollment.”

“Hahaha, I like how straightforward you are.”

“But there’s one thing.”

Glancing at Caselag cautiously, Amon spoke.

“Well, to enroll, there’s something called a tuition fee…”

“Tuition? You mean human currency.”

“That’s correct.”

“Hmm. Unfortunately, I don’t have a habit of hoarding human gold coins.”

Caselag tilted his head thoughtfully, then snapped his fingers.

-Thud!

A gold nugget, the size of a human head, appeared out of thin air and slammed into the ground!

Seeing it, Amon’s jaw dropped as Caselag tilted his head and asked.

“Will this suffice?”

It more than suffices.

But managing to keep a straight face, Amon cleared his throat and replied.

“Ahem! Well, this should just barely cover it.”

“Barely, you say?”

Caselag snapped his fingers again, and two more gold nuggets, each the size of an orc’s head, appeared and embedded themselves into the ground.

“This should be enough, right?”

“Of course!!”

Frantically gathering the gold nuggets, Amon’s smile stretched to his temples.

“I’ll personally take responsibility for preparing the enrollment process!”

“Hahaha, good.”

“It’s currently summer vacation, so feel free to come by later when it’s convenient!”

“Understood. When the time comes, I’ll send the child to the academy.”

“Yes, Elder!”

Having driven off the Elder Drake and hosted Caselag, who had become an unexpected benefactor, the Drake Territory erupted into a grand festival.

Late that night, in his father, Baron Kaim’s study, Amon was reviewing the territory’s finances with a satisfied smile.

Although their current financial state was dire, today’s gains were substantial.

‘An adamantium sword, three massive gold nuggets, and even fragments of the Elder Drake’s broken scales.’

The gifted adamantium sword couldn’t be sold immediately, so he planned to use it for now and sell it later when the time was right.

‘The gold nuggets can be liquidated right away, and while the Elder Drake’s scales aren’t in pristine condition, they’ll still fetch a high price.’

The Elder Drake, who had troubled the territory for so long, had effectively left behind a treasure trove. It was truly a silver lining.

Grinning broadly, Amon drew a bold line through the financial ledger.

‘Finally, a surplus! Our territory finally has some real assets!’

As his mood soared, Amon chuckled to himself.

-Knock, knock.

A sudden knock startled Amon.

‘…Who could it be?’

It wasn’t exactly a good look to be caught reviewing finances in his father’s study, so he hurriedly stood up.

“…Ami?”

“You’re here, after all.”

His adorable little sister, Ami, whom he found unbearably cute, appeared, making Amon collapse back into his chair in exasperation.

“What is it? Why aren’t you asleep at this hour?”

“And what about you, big brother? What are you doing in Dad’s study?”

Normally, he would’ve snapped, “Mind your business,” or “Why do you care?” But thanks to the territory’s improved circumstances, Amon was in an unusually good mood.

“Just checking something real quick. But what about you? Why are you up this late?”

“Well… the thing is.”

Ami hesitated, glancing around nervously, and then spoke.

“I want to enroll in your academy.”

Amon’s good mood plummeted instantly.