Constantine's appearance at St. Heath Academy caused quite a stir. For one, he was the legendary Crimson Flame Dragon King—an iconic figure who had made his way into children's educational books and historical records, despite being resurrected twice. His presence still commanded respect and awe. Secondly, his reputation for waging small-scale skirmishes across territories before attacking the Silver Dragon Clan left many wary of him.
However, it wouldn't be fair to call Constantine a "god of civil war." Internal conflict, territorial struggles, and clashes were common among dragons. But seeing him on campus naturally sparked intense discussions among the gathered dragons.
"I heard that at one of the Dragon Kings' secret meetings, old Alres was openly hostile toward Constantine."
"Yeah, I heard that too, and our clan's Dragon King even stationed forces to monitor the Crimson Flame territory. What's going on?"
"But if Constantine is standing here now, that must mean the surveillance is over."
"Then why is he at the academy? I haven't heard of any spies from the Crimson Flame Clan."
"Maybe he's here to get some perks for his clan members on campus?"
"Do you think the Crimson Flame Dragon King would concern himself with such things?"
Despite the lively discussions, no one dared approach Constantine. The lack of chaos was largely due to St. Heath Academy's reputation as a neutral ground, akin to Sky City. If anyone, including Constantine, caused trouble here, they would quickly go from "hero of the dragons" to "public enemy of the dragons."
The task of greeting Constantine fell to a highly experienced dean. Yet even so, the dean was visibly sweating as he faced the Crimson Flame Dragon King.
Observing the scene from a distance, Leon raised an eyebrow and remarked, "Could he be here to enroll his daughter? Maybe she's ready for school?"
Rossweise shook her head slightly, "Didn't you say his daughter was only recently born and is still sealed in crystal? Even a talented young dragon wouldn't be ready for school at such a young age."
"True."
"Even Noah, as gifted as she is, only started school at one and a half."
No matter how exceptional Constantine's offspring might be, it was impossible for a baby dragon to start school straight out of the crystal.
"Then why is he here?" Leon wondered aloud. "I think I understand now why the vice principal didn't come to greet us today."
Rossweise glanced at Leon with curiosity. "Why's that?"
Leon tilted his head toward Constantine. "They have a more difficult guest to deal with."
Looking over, Rossweise saw the vice principal, Willson, taking over for the sweat-drenched dean to personally welcome Constantine. She couldn't help but chuckle, "Turns out Constantine is acting as a buffer for us."
Leaning back on the bench, Leon stretched with a content sigh, "The greatness of Constantine speaks for itself."
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"Helena!"
"Noah-chan~!"
After several weeks apart, the two friends ran toward each other with open arms.
In the sunlight, amidst the crowd, the two little dragons were just about to embrace—until a little tuft of hair suddenly sprang up between them.
Muwen, eyes closed and hands folded across her chest, had inserted herself right between her sister and her friend.
Noah blinked. "Muwen? Weren't you just sleeping? How did you get here?"
"I... I didn't notice Muwen's movement at all... so fast." Helena's surprise mirrored Noah's.
Only Little Light saw through it all. "Big Sis, Helena, that was the once-in-a-lifetime flash step of the Melkvey family!"
Noah turned slowly to her younger sister, speaking in a serious tone, "But Dad always shows up just in time, and he seems to use flash steps more than once."
"That's just a figure of speech, Big Sis."
"Alright, got it."
Returning her gaze to Muwen, Noah sighed inwardly. She had hoped to greet Helena while Muwen was still napping, knowing her younger sister might get jealous and follow.
But even she hadn't expected Muwen's "sister radar" to be so finely tuned—before she and Helena had barely exchanged hellos, Muwen had already flashed in between them.
If she could put this energy into her training, how great would that be, Noah thought.
"I woke up and found you weren't there, so I came looking," Muwen said firmly, her hair tuft bobbing along with her nodding.
"Alright, well, now that you're here..." Noah drew out her words, hooking Muwen's interest and making her turn eagerly to her sister.
Noah chuckled, spreading her arms wide and pulling Muwen into a tight hug.
"Eep! Sis—!"
Helena, who'd been best friends with Noah for over a year, understood the gesture immediately and joined in, wrapping her arms around Muwen as well.
"Heeey, Helena—nngh!" Muwen, caught off guard, found herself sandwiched between her sister and her friend.
One side carried the familiar scent of her sister, and the other had the Sea Dragon Clan's distinctive cool aroma.
Little Light's bright eyes sparkled as she clapped in delight at the scene. Turns out the one clinging to the carrot wasn't Big Sis—it was Second Sis!
Watching this wholesome display right at the start of the semester, Little Light was certain this school term would be nothing short of amazing.
Finally, after being double-squeezed, Muwen resurfaced, and Little Light rushed over to steady her dazed sister.
"How was it, Second Sis?" Little Light asked with a giggle.
Still a bit dizzy, Muwen shook her head to clear it, then thought for a moment before replying, "One side felt hard, the other soft."
The "hard side" was Noah's; the "soft side" was Helena's.
"Hard? Soft? Why would that be?" Little Light echoed Noah's curiosity.
All three little dragons turned their heads toward Helena.
Startled, Helena laughed, a bit embarrassed. "Well, that's something you'll understand when you're older."
Noah and her sisters exchanged glances, accepting that it was an age-related mystery they'd discover in time.
"Come on, I saw a snack stand over there. Let's grab some treats!" Helena suggested.
"Yes!"
Hand in hand, the girls skipped off to shop.
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Meanwhile, Leon slipped away from the crowd and walked into the school building, not to look for a teacher, but to go up to the rooftop.
The rooftop was quiet and empty, with only a few students sometimes sitting there for lunch during school hours.
Leaning against the railing, Leon looked out over the bustling campus. In one corner of the academy square, Rossweise was chatting with Claudia, who had also come to see her. Leon's gaze then shifted to where the vice principal and Constantine were standing.
Old Willson, despite his reputation for enthusiastically supporting ships and love stories, was handling the serious business of engaging with Constantine quite professionally. He maintained a respectful, neutral demeanor, calmly interacting with the Crimson Flame Dragon King.
And perhaps Constantine was in a good mood today, for his expression was calm, and his tone even friendly.
Just then, Constantine looked up, catching sight of Leon on the rooftop. The two exchanged glances, and Leon, unbothered, crossed his arms and waited.
After wrapping up his conversation with the vice principal, Constantine made his way toward the building.
A few minutes later, steady footsteps sounded behind Leon. Without turning around, Leon continued to gaze over the campus.
"Don't crowd up here with me. Besides my wife's clan, I don't want anyone knowing we're... old acquaintances."
"I'll say it again, Leon—we are not friends."
"Alright, alright, whatever you say."
Leon had his own way of dealing with the typical stubbornness of Dragon Kings.
When Rossweise's ears flushed pink, Leon would reply, "Yes, yes, you're absolutely right."
And when Constantine narrowed his eyes, Leon would say, "You're just saying that to save face."
"So, how's the Ghost Lotus working? How's Heifi?" Leon asked, bringing up the subject nearest to Constantine's heart.
Constantine nodded. "She's recovering, slowly but surely, with the clan's healers aiding her."
Hearing that the little one was okay, Leon felt a quiet relief, though he hid it well, simply saying, "Good to hear."
After a pause, Leon added, "So, are you here to enroll Heifi?"
"She was only two months old when she was injured, barely able to speak a few words. School is out of the question."
"True enough."
"Then why'd you ask?"
"Can't a guy ask? I did have a hand in helping her recover, you know. I deserve at least a third of the credit."
Constantine snorted, "I'm here to help clan members who had to leave catch up on their enrollment procedures, and to coordinate with Vice Principal Willson so they don't encounter trouble later on."
The Crimson Flame Clan had undergone significant changes, both internally and in its relations with the outside world, which had affected its standing among the dragons.
"Understood. Have you sorted everything out?"
"Not yet. I still need to meet with Principal Olette later."
"Why didn't you go straight to him, then?"
Constantine paused, giving Leon a hard stare.
Leon blinked, pointing at himself. "Don't tell me you're putting the principal on hold just to chat with me?"
"Hmph. Consider it an honor, human."
Leon smirked, mocking back, "A real—honor—human."
"You really are insufferable. How has the Silver Dragon Queen tolerated you all these years?"
Leon shrugged, "Love grows with the kids—when they're around, it's hard to stay mad."
"..."
Constantine sighed, still unable to fathom how he'd been outwitted by this fool years ago.
"Oh, speaking of which, there's something... personal I wanted to ask." Constantine hesitated, an unusual sight.
Leon raised an eyebrow, "What's that?"
"Do you and your wife plan to have any more children?"
"..."
Leon tensed, lowering his hands. "Why do you ask?"
He wondered if Constantine intended to discuss parenting tactics.
But then, Constantine revealed his uniquely direct thinking.
"If you do, hurry up. I'd like for Hefei to start school at the same time as your next child."
"Uh... why?"
With the utmost seriousness, Constantine replied, "I'm going to defeat you, so my child must defeat yours, too. It's bound to happen."
Leon: "..."
This is definitely the kind of thing only a battle-crazed dragon like you would think of.