I Alone Breed Dragons

"I believe that will be all, I’ll take the letter to the king for signing. Here’s your copy of the agreement." Stephanie then passed the document to Aria, she read it, then exhaled.

"The rest will be taken to the court for amendment of the laws written." The council was dismissed. Stephanie then stood, followed by Lilnex, who was the first to exit, like she was dying to leave our presence. I walked out just behind her, my purpose of being here already fulfilled.

"Walter, Walter..."

I didn’t bother slowing my steps, didn’t recognize the voice, which meant it was one of the council members wanting to build his connection. Now I was given another title, I felt the atmosphere around me change. Attention I hadn’t asked for. I exited the hall, leaving the rest of the nobles and council behind, who conversed with each other about the aftermath of the meeting, murmurs from their conversation filling the air.

"Walter," another voice called me. I slowed my step, this time recognizing Stephanie’s voice. I turned around as she walked to my side. "Everything has been put in place as you wanted, now my faith is in you, you know. Don’t let me down."

"Your faith in me should be more concrete than that. The Peace Knights will be in good hands."

Even after saying so, I could still witness doubt in her eyes, which was normal, this was all a decision she had taken with uncertainty. Well, for me, I didn’t need her faith, all I needed from her was the peace army, and I got what I wanted.

Either way, she pushed her doubt away and just forced a nod. "Before — I’ll be on my way to the king to get it all finalized."

Just as her footsteps receded from me, another presence joined me where I stood, without needing to check I knew it was Aria.

"Your grace," I said, giving a bow.

"What are you doing." Her serpent eyes burned with barely contained rage as she glared at me. "Why are you trying to make dragons look malicious in front of the council. It truly seems you want this kingdom to be in unrest."

"Don’t blame me, besides, you know yourself, without doing anything there are dragons who aren’t satisfied with the queen’s decision, and one day they might gain enough courage to lash out. Those bandits on our trip are a good example." I left Aria with nothing but her thoughts.

Promptly, the next day, volunteers were gathered together from different villages, including mine, around Gordon Mountains, dressed in a black robe covering every inch of my body, the smooth material of the robe designed with golden thread, my hood shadowed my face as I walked up the podium. Standing before them, they all went silent, attention fixed on me. By my side on the podium, they were dressed in low peasant clothes, nothing immaculate, scruffled, unkept hair, tattered. The chilled air of the mountains whistled through our midst. Along with me was Stephanie, at my right, dressed just as a princess would look, behind her, her knights in shiny gold stood at attention, curious to watch me grant magic to the masses at once. While on my right was Maltie, her tail curled in the air like a signal, in a sultry dress with a thigh-high length which teased the eye, her hand rested on her hip. I stretched my hand to her, she handed me the dagger in her hand.

"Are you sure about this, losing that much blood at once."

If I hadn’t adapted to blood loss, I would have been worried. So I wasn’t.

"You all know why you’re here." I addressed the crowd, my voice carried through the crowd. "You’re here as volunteers to be, to protect the border of peace between the two races. You don’t hold loyalty now to any side, human or dragon, you follow your superior and follow all rules, any disobedience to authority will be far worse than you can imagine." I proceeded with the awakening. I paused for a moment to look at the crowd once more, most looked older than me, already in their early or late 20s.

She placed the dagger on my palm, I sang, off its sheath, revealing its sharp edge, catching the sunlight. I followed the usual procedure, the scar on my palm from giving Randall magic still rested there, I drew the dagger over it, reopening the wound. Maltie... then placed her palm over mine.

With no time to learn blood manipulation magic, this was the best choice.

"Construction magic." Maltie whispered like a spell, veins from her palm spread through the air, transparent, spread throughout the crowd, then pierced into each of them, standing, they tensed up.

"Don’t be," I said. I sighed, grabbed Maltie’s palm, pressed my bleeding palm to hers, then my blood flowed through, thin pipes, around like veins in the air, into the bodies of the volunteers present, pumping into their bodies. The effect was immediate, they gritted their teeth, dropped to the ground with groans, veins swelling around their bodies. I caught Stephanie take a step back from the crowd’s reaction.

"What’s happening, that didn’t happen to us when the queen granted us magic." She turned to me, her stare demanded an answer.

"I’ll grant magic differently, like fireworks." Mana flared on the ground one by one, different colors mixing up, illuminating the environment, each of them adding up as the air drew heavy.

They recovered, getting up from their fleeting pain.

Maltie curled her other hand into a fist, and the veins connecting them with me shrank back, returning into her, my blood drew back to me. Her fingers peeled away from mine.

"It’s done. Now take your oaths."

Weeks passed before the Kingston Magic Academy finally arrived with their information and research.

Present in the Gordon Mountains, I stood at a peak view, overseeing the training. It went by, I had no worry, with Quinette and some other instructors from the border warriors also invited for teaching only, ones Quinette herself trusted. Their rhythmic chant rose each step in the drills, physical, that’s what Quinette had suggested and went for. Not long, while still in my present position, the rumbling of a carriage approached the mountains, I peered into the distance, watching the carriage, the crest it carried — a crown with six stars — it crossed by, towards the base, where it parked. So I came down, the height I was at to attend to them.

She had gotten to them before I did, chattering with a man in a pristine white tunic, a monocle at his eye, clutching some papers to his chest.

"You must be Lord Walter." The man turned to me on arriving at their midst, he adjusted his monocle, studying me. I read his face, even if it was for a brief second, a sense of doubt. "I’m Professor Edward." I reached for a handshake but he didn’t accept, stretched forth my hand in greeting, then dropped it. I was more interested in the research they brought.