A few days later, as the rescheduled promotion exams approached, Leon and Rossweise accompanied Noah back to St. Heath Academy. However, due to Rossweise's pregnancy, she couldn't stay in her dragon form for long, so their loyal scout, Shirley, came along to assist.
After several hours of flight, the family reached the gates of the academy.
Instead of hurrying to her classroom, Noah went to the playground of the young dragon division, looking for someone.
Soon, she spotted her younger sisters among a group of little dragonlings. Waving her hand, she called out their names.
"Muwen! Aurora!"
The two little dragon girls were busy chasing dragonflies.
Muwen said, "Dragonfly legs must taste crispy and crunchy!"
Aurora replied, "We're noble dragons! Dragons don't eat dragonflies!"
Muwen thought about it for a moment and then countered, "But if I roast them first, they'll taste better."
Aurora couldn't argue with that logic, so she joined her second sister in catching "food."
Hearing Noah's voice, Muwen's antenna-like cowlick perked up instantly, locking onto her sister's direction with precision.
"It's Big Sister! Big Sister!"
"Dragonflies can't possibly smell as nice as Big Sister!"
Muwen dashed toward Noah and expertly leapt into her arms.
"Big Sister, have you been busy with exams these past few days? I haven't seen you at all, and I missed you so much!"
Muwen clung to Noah's arm, rubbing her soft cheek against it affectionately.
To avoid alarming the younger students, the academy had temporarily sealed off information about the incident in the Demonic Muwen Forest. Muwen had no idea what Noah had gone through recently.
Luckily, Noah had recovered quickly. Otherwise, if her sisters had returned home for the weekend and found her there too, they would have undoubtedly bombarded her with endless questions.
"Yeah, I've been super busy preparing for the big competition. I didn't have time to come out and play," Noah explained, gently patting Muwen's head before deftly changing the subject.
"Oh, by the way, Mom and Dad came to see us too! They're over there."
Muwen's eyes sparkled. "Mom and Dad are here? Yay~"
Waving her hand, Muwen sprinted off to greet them. Leon and Rossweise stood in the distance, waving back at her with warm smiles.
Amidst this harmonious scene, Noah caught sight of a familiar tuft of pink hair in the distance.
Noah froze for a moment.
"Aurora... don't tell me..."
Her youngest sister approached with her usual sharp, perceptive look.
"Big Sis, have your injuries healed already?" Aurora asked bluntly, tilting her head in a way that showed she wasn't easily fooled.
Noah's heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure and feigned ignorance.
"Injuries? What injuries? I'm perfectly fine!"
She didn't want her sisters to know about what she and Helena had endured in the Demonic Moon Forest.
Just as their father never shared bad news with them, Noah felt she had a responsibility as the eldest sister to shield her siblings from worry.
Aurora leaned in closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially.
"Don't try to fool me, Big Sis. My intel network spans every corner of the academy. It wasn't hard to find out."
Noah's eyes widened. "What intel...? What exactly do you know?"
Aurora smirked proudly.
"Of course, I know the exact day we'll get a holiday this semester."
Noah let out a sigh of relief and couldn't help but smile.
"That's so... you, Aurora."
Aurora's information network wasn't built for personal gain or showing off, as it often was with other students who created similar networks. Her reason was far simpler.
"I just like having fun and finding interesting tidbits. It's not my fault there are unexpected benefits," Aurora said nonchalantly.
"That's... surprisingly in character for you, you little rascal," Noah said, pinching Aurora's cheek affectionately. Then, in a more serious tone, she added, "Don't tell Muwen about any of this. I don't want her to worry."
"Got it, Big Sis~" Aurora replied cheerfully, her sharp mind hidden beneath her playful demeanor.
Leon and Rossweise soon walked over, with Leon carrying Muwen in his arms. Aurora quickly ran to Rossweise, who bent down to scoop her up and nuzzle her cheek.
"Did you miss Mommy?"
"Yes~" Aurora chirped, planting a kiss on Rossweise's cheek before turning to Leon.
"When did Daddy come back?"
Leon had spent the past few months chasing Shadow's trail in the Empire. Rossweise had told the children he was on a secret mission for the dragon kings.
"Not long ago. Why? Did you miss me?" Leon asked teasingly.
Aurora nodded. "Of course!"
"Who do you miss more, Daddy or Mommy?" Leon pressed.
Aurora sighed internally. He's been obsessed with this question since I was in the egg, hasn't he?
With a practiced answer, Aurora replied, "I miss Daddy and Mommy equally!"
Rossweise grinned triumphantly. "See? I win. She gave me a kiss earlier."
"That doesn't mean anything!" Leon retorted playfully.
Aurora: ...
.
.
.
The promotion exams were about to begin.
In the academy's massive training arena, dozens of black-armored figures stood ready, waiting for the students to enter. Among them, Leon—hidden in one of the suits—kept his presence low-key.
"I haven't seen lightning magic as strong as his in ages, nor have I encountered anyone like him in a long time."
"Why so sentimental, brother? Cheer up! At least the war between humans and dragons is over."
"True enough. By the way, what's your exam number this time?"
"3365. What about yours?"
"3456—sequential numbers!"
"Tch, lucky you."
"Hey, man, your armor looks brand new! You've kept it in great shape."
"..."
Silence.
"Pfft, acting all aloof, huh? Come on, don't be so cold. Relax! All we have to do is play around with the kids for a bit and call it a day~"
"Mm."
"What's your number?"
The aloof one in the pristine, nearly brand-new armor looked down at his chestplate and replied in a low voice,
"9527."
"Nice! That's a unique number."
9527 shrugged, showing little interest.
"Oi, oi, big guy!"
At that moment, a dragon teacher with a slight accent walked over, tapping on 9527's chestplate. The crisp sound echoed as the teacher's voice rang out,
"I heard you're a fan of good armor!"
The face beneath 9527's helmet tightened, and he instinctively took a step back.
.
.
.
Could it be that they've noticed something suspicious...?
"Big guy! Your armor..."
"It's broken, broken, broken, broken!"
"Your armor... isn't as flashy as mine!"
[Leon : Because it's real MF! The real black-armored warrior is standing in front of you!]