So students cried tears of joy, others of sorrow, while Zaroth stood frozen, struggling to believe what had just happened.
'This doesn't make any sense! It's not like I told them I have a dragon at my disposal. They know I'm not so kind of rich noble—so why the hell did they put in A-Class?'
'Zaroth, this is the third ti you've asked the sa question—'
"Attention, everyone!" a man in a red robe called out, stepping forward to address the students and interrupting Zaroth and Luna's conversation.
"To everyone who passed the test, please co here to receive your bracelet!"
After waiting half an hour in line, Zaroth was handed a golden bracelet with a red gem embedded in it.
"This bracelet will be the device teachers use to contact you, Mister Zaroth," said the person handing out the bracelets.
Zaroth wasn't sure how to use it, so he shafully stole a glance at the other students. It seed to activate by rotating the gem 90 degrees. When he did, a hologram appeared before him.
It displayed three sections:
-----
Identity:
Na: Zaroth
Age: 18
Class: A
-----
'How do they know my age?' he wondered. He had never disclosed that information. Was it just a guess? Or did they have so way of finding out everyone's age?
The second section was labeled Schedule, likely containing the classes he would take from now on. The last section was called ssages.
"Hm?" Zaroth noticed a red dot on the ssages section. 'Have I already received one? so soon?'
Opening it, he read:
-----
Sender: Chairwoman Elysia
Once you see this ssage, report to my office imdiately—Room 13/13. Failure to show up will result in severe sanctions.
-----
"What kind of ss have I gotten myself into now?" he muttered under his breath as he entered the colossal building known as the academy.
*****
'13/13… So does that an the thirteenth floor, thirteenth room?' Zaroth asked. He had never been inside a building this large and struggled to navigate the floors.
'Zaroth… I'm a dragon. Do you really think I have a clue how humans live?' Luna responded imdiately.
"Well, sure, the building is big, but how hard can it be to find a single room?" he muttered under his breath.
Half an hour later, he was finally standing in front of the door.
'Idiot! What kind of idiot designed this building?! Why are there stairs that don't lead to the top floor? Why are so sections accessible only through specific doorways?!'
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he knocked on the beautifully decorated door.
"Co in," a stern voice responded imdiately, as if waiting for him.
Zaroth steeled his resolve and entered.
'Rember, Luna said she wouldn't be able to defeat the Chairwoman, so I better behave.'
Upon entering, Zaroth saw Elysia seated in a chair, a cup of coffee in her hand. Now that he wasnt under the stress of the exam, he could take a closer look at her.
She appeared to be in her early thirties, wearing dark clothes that matched the color of her hair and pupils, which highlighted her pale, flawless skin. The fabric of her outfit seed tight around her chest, and while Zaroth might have been tempted to steal a glance, he found himself captivated by her eyes instead.
"Hello again," Zaroth said with a polite smile as he approached Elysia's desk.
"You can sit," she said, gesturing to the chair across from her. He complied, sitting down as instructed.
She didn't seem in any hurry, sipping her coffee leisurely until she suddenly locked eyes with Zaroth.
"You must be wondering why you were assigned to A-Class," she began firmly.
Zaroth didn't dare interrupt and simply t her gaze.
"In short, I judged you to have sufficient strength."
"I'm honored you have such a high opinion of , but what led you to believe I was worthy of studying with the elites? After all, I only have a single wolf as a summon."
Upon hearing his question, Elysia set her coffee down and smiled, resting her chin on her hands. Zaroth felt like prey about to be devoured by a predator.
'Zaroth, this is bad!' Luna cried out in his mind. Without changing his expression, he asked her,
'What is it?'
'I didn't sense it before, but this woman… she can tell when soone is lying!'
Despite Zaroth's efforts to remain calm, his face lost color.
'So you're telling she knows I lied about not having a second beast?!'
'Listen, you ha—'
"Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" Elysia's voice interrupted Luna.
"The second beast under your possession... is it Rare?"
Not daring to answer, he simply stared into her eyes.
"Not answering, huh? Well, it's surprising you figured it out so quickly..."
'Zaroth!' Luna's voice ca again. 'When she asks if it's Epic, twitch your eye a little as if she's correct! We can't let her know you have a Mythic creature!'
"Is it Epic?"
As instructed, Zaroth made his eye twitch slightly, as if affirming her guess.
Seeing his reaction, Elysia's eyes widened briefly, but her smile grew broader as she continued.
"Is it Legendary?"
Zaroth didn't move, trying to appear as calm as possible.
"Is it Mythic?"
Zaroth tried to appear as calm as possible, despite panicking inside.
After a mont of observation, Elysia leaned back in her chair, seemingly deep in thought.
*****
'So… he either has a beast of the Epic class… or the Mythic class,' Elysia thought.
Her heart raced faster. She had suspected sothing from the mont she first saw him, but this… this was far beyond her expectations.
'If it's the forr, he would be an invaluable ally to help achieve my goals…'
Her smile widened even more, though it was hidden behind her hand.
'And if it's the latter… if he truly commands a Mythic beast… then he has the potential to shift the world's power dynamics in any way he sees fit.'
'In other words… I must have him at any cost!'
Finishing her thoughts, Elysia looked back at Zaroth, who was clearly having a minor panic attack.
With a pleasant smile, devoid of hostility, she spoke:
"Mister Zaroth, I have an offer. Would you happen to be interested?"
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