Chapter 125: Dean Carlos
"Killing an A-grade dragon is quite an achievement, Sir Chaz Avaron."
Chaz Avaron stood before a group of Frontier Academy teachers led by the academy’s dean, Carlos.
The words sounded like praise, yet there was none in Carlos’ voice. Chaz understood why without needing an explanation.
The dean was furious.
The battle against the dragon had dragged on for days while Frontier Academy’s first-year students were caught in the middle of it, all without the academy receiving a single warning beforehand. Ironically, the only reason they had learned of the situation at all was that a member of the Avaron Clan had sent them a tip, though Chaz himself knew nothing about it.
"It was an unexpected attack," Chaz replied calmly.
He knew better than to challenge Frontier Academy. Although he had reached A-grade, he had only recently stepped into it. While the Avaron Clan ranked among the strongest clans in the Elfine Kingdom, the academy stood on equal footing.
More importantly, the man standing before him was far more dangerous than most powerhouses in the kingdom.
"Even so..." Carlos said, his expression remaining calm despite the coldness in his voice. "I heard a rather different story about that dragon."
Silence settled between the two powerhouses, and the Enhancers behind them instinctively grew tense.
Chaz had brought what remained of his clan’s special squad, barely more than half of the force that he had. Carlos, on the other hand, had arrived with the academy’s twenty strongest teachers, although everyone present knew he alone would have been enough to face the entire special squad.
There was much Carlos wished to say, but he restrained himself.
He had already heard every account from the surviving students, and although each story differed in its details, one particular fact had stood out among the chaos.
"I feel obliged to offer you a piece of advice, as a senior."
Carlos turned around but did not take a single step.
"Cher Avaron is now a student of Frontier Academy. Keep that in mind next time."
Without waiting for a response, he walked away. Chaz’s eyes narrowed as the meaning behind those words settled in.
The warning was not about what had already happened. It was about what might happen in the future.
’You have no idea how precious Cher is to all of humanity.’
His fists slowly clenched.
His daughter’s gift was, without question, humanity’s greatest hope of truly thriving in Eldrune. Yet he also understood that the gift itself did not belong exclusively to the Avaron Clan.
Anyone powerful enough to seize it could gain the same opportunity and perhaps accomplish humanity’s greatest dream, breaking through to S-grade.
"Did that clan secure the dragon’s corpse?"
Chaz looked toward his subordinates, and the answer they gave earned a faint nod of satisfaction.
Had it been entirely his decision, he would have preferred to wipe that squad out. Even so, allowing them to take the corpse of a poisonous dragon was a fitting consolation.
After giving a few final orders, Chaz boarded his shuttle. The Black Falcon slowly ascended into the sky, cruising steadily above the devastated mine.
There was nothing left for him to fight. The monster tide had been crushed, and the task of reclaiming the mining territory had been left to the remaining members of his clan.
His thoughts drifted elsewhere, to Cher.
’She attracted far more attention than I wanted.’
What made Carlos truly terrifying was not his strength; it was his mind.
His ability to connect seemingly unrelated clues, uncover hidden truths, and recognise opportunities invisible to everyone else had long since become legendary. Many powerful clans sought his assistance before venturing into the wilderness, trusting him to uncover hidden treasures and detect dangers long before anyone else noticed them.
Chaz had no doubt Carlos had already pieced together what Cher gained in this adventure.
’He must have realised she played a role in killing the dragon.’
He remained silent for a long moment before letting out a bitter laugh.
’Even I, her father, who stood closer to the truth than anyone else... still have no idea what she did to obtain the dragon’s blood.’
It felt strange that Carlos, a man who hadn’t witnessed a single moment of the dragon battle, seemed to know more about what had happened than Chaz himself.
Yet Chaz didn’t doubt it for a second.
’That means he knows Cher obtained the dragon blood.’
’That will make things more troublesome.’
Originally, Chaz had intended to use his clan’s influence by rallying the higher-year Avaron students. With enough pressure, Cher would have little choice but to come to him willingly.
His plan had already taken shape, and at its centre stood Silas.
Among everything that had happened during the expedition, Silas was the only new variable in Cher’s life. Chaz couldn’t believe an orphan with neither status nor backing had become so important to his daughter.
After all, he knew better than anyone how deeply traumatised she was by men.
’If I can’t make a move myself... then someone else can dirty their hands for me.’
His thoughts shifted to Cameron.
Fortunately, Cameron had been among the senior students dispatched to assist the expedition, so arranging a meeting with him wouldn’t attract anyone’s attention.
***
"Silas Ashborne... what an interesting young man."
Far above the mine, another special shuttle cut through the sky.
Unlike the Black Falcon, this one belonged to Carlos. The Silver Arrow was renowned throughout Eldrune for its exceptional speed and formidable defences. Even B-grade monsters struggled to leave a scratch on its hull, making it one of the academy’s most valuable assets.
Inside his private chamber, Carlos calmly reviewed a thick dossier on Silas.
The file was unusually detailed, containing records that reached all the way back to the orphanage where he had been raised.
Everything about the boy felt... unusual.
Silas had no connection to the Ashborne Clan, and no one knew where he had truly come from.
’He arrived with nothing but a slip of paper bearing his name...’
Carlos frowned.
Most orphans received their names from the orphanage itself. Silas, however, had been left in a basket with a handwritten name tag beside him.
’There was also a necklace left with him... but where did it go?’
The more Carlos read, the stranger the story became.
Leaving behind both a name and a valuable necklace wasn’t something an ordinary family would do.
He searched through the documents again, hoping to find a description or even a sketch of the necklace, but there was nothing.
Only a single line caught his attention.
[The necklace appeared valuable and was stolen a few days after the child’s arrival.]
Carlos tapped the report thoughtfully.
’A valuable necklace means valuable materials.’
’And in Eldrune, unless you belong to a prestigious clan, acquiring such materials is nearly impossible.’
His eyes narrowed. Something about Silas refused to make sense.
After reading the orphanage records more than ten times without uncovering anything useful, Carlos finally moved on to the mission reports.
’A dragon again... The Ashborne name truly attracts them.’
Dozens of testimonies painted an almost unbelievable story. Students claimed they had seen Silas fighting the dragon, clashing with the Dark Hunters, and even escaping the mine’s own troops.
’Surviving all of that is remarkable...’
’Yet something is still missing.’
Carlos continued comparing the surviving students’ statements. Nearly every team had already been questioned. Only three remained untouched: Silas, Leopard, and Rachel.
’Dragon blood...’
After half an hour of careful review, Carlos finally reached this conclusion. Everything pointed toward the same answer.
According to the testimonies, Silas and his teammates had been presented with multiple opportunities to flee to safety, yet they had repeatedly chosen to return.
There was only one prize worth risking their lives for again and again.
’They acquired the dragon blood.’
A faint smile appeared on Carlos’ face.
’That means five first-year students are about to become C-Enhancers.
’How many years has it been since something like this happened at Frontier Academy?’
Rather than worried, Carlos felt genuinely excited. He immediately began reviewing the profiles of Silas’ teammates.
Cher’s file was unnecessary. He already knew her history better than most. The same was true for Lara. When he reached Darius, however, his expression changed.
’Eccentric...’
’Known as a bad omen.’
’Accused of betraying his friends.’
’Countless strange incidents throughout childhood.’
’Parents believed he was possessed and even subjected him to an exorcism.’
Carlos frowned.
The reports were so chaotic and contradictory that they resembled rumours more than official records. Curious, he opened several recordings his teachers gathered from different shuttles.
The footage showed Darius fighting alongside his teammates without the slightest hint of anything sinister.
’An interesting child...’
Carlos decided to investigate the boy further. Fortunately, Darius belonged to the Graves Clan, which meant obtaining additional records wouldn’t be difficult.
Finally, he opened the profile of the last member of the team, Alfred. For the first time in a very long while, Carlos’ eyes widened.
’Oh...?’
’Now this... is unexpected.’