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Duke Argenta wore a gentle smile before walking ahead again.
Watching him, a question suddenly arose.
‘Did Ayla… know from the start that Duke Argenta was my father?’
Was that why she deliberately approached him?
If he had come here alone, it would have been very difficult to obtain the Herb of Divine Steps.
He wouldn’t know the way well, and the Dark Forest had a very dark and dangerous atmosphere, even in broad daylight. The level of Monsters that appeared was extraordinary.
And that wasn’t all. To obtain the herb, he had to be recognized by the Noble house's Divine Beast.
But Ayla seemed to have grasped all of this, anticipating that Felix would be able to bring the herb with ease.
‘Come to think of it, it was Ayla who hinted at the possibility that Duke Argenta might be his son.’
Now that things had come this far, Felix could guess that Ayla had been acting on some conviction for a long time.
But he soon shrugged.
‘It doesn’t really matter.’
Even if Ayla knew everything and approached him, nothing would change.
As a result, it was thanks to her that he overcame Mana insensitivity and his life changed.
And in fact, even excluding that element, Ayla was a charming person enough.
At first glance, she seemed weak and timid, but in important moments, she was strong and brave.
She didn’t rush in without a plan but always knew how to prepare for situations wisely.
The way she worried about others while trying to bear all the burdens alone even felt somewhat noble.
‘Even if we weren’t bound by a contract, I would have ended up liking her once I got to know her.’
Thinking that, a bitter smile naturally formed.
Now, he was just curious.
How did she know all these facts?
‘…Maybe the secret Ayla is hiding is beyond my imagination.’
Thinking that, a corner of his heart ached without him realizing it.
Felix soon let out a deep sigh.
He was very worried about Ayla, who would be alone at the academy at this time.
What if she was in a dangerous situation again while alone?
If she told him the truth, he could help her in any way possible.
‘I should have asked her to come to the Argenta Noble house with me.’
Every day spent at the Argenta Noble house was happy, but with Ayla not in front of him, he felt uneasy.
Was she lonely, or was she secretly doing something dangerous without him knowing?
With her not in front of him, his worries wouldn’t go away.
“We’ve arrived.”
At Duke Argenta’s words, Felix came to his senses.
“This place is the ruins of an ancient god. The Argenta Noble house has been protecting it for generations.”
Felix turned his gaze to where Duke Argenta was pointing.
There, he saw massive stones covered in blue vines and moss, as if they had withstood thousands of years.
At the entrance of the ruins, there was a huge statue, depicting the face of a god in deep sleep.
At the foot of the statue, something that looked like a Dragon was lying down, its tail wrapped around itself.
Unlike the gloomy scenery so far, the sight was quite mysterious, and Felix even forgot to breathe.
“When you enter the ruins, offer the items I gave you on the altar. Oh, and you should be nervous from now on. The Dragon isn’t very nice.”
Felix nodded as if he understood.
The Duke seemed to have noticed that he was distracted by something else.
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
Felix shook his head and barely shook off his thoughts about Ayla.
“You have to go in here alone. I’ll be waiting.”
“I’ll be back.”
Felix stepped into the ruins without hesitation.
Duke Argenta stood still and stared intently at Felix’s back.
Soon, his son’s figure was completely swallowed by the darkness, but the Duke still couldn’t take his eyes off him for a while.
The inside of the ruins was quite dark.
However, as if some Magic was cast on the old stone walls, unknown patterns glowed faintly.
Felix moved his steps relying on the light.
‘I heard you can’t use Magic here.’
Perhaps that was why a strange atmosphere lingered throughout the ruins.
The air was humid and cold, and he even had the illusion of hearing the cries of Monsters from somewhere.
‘Come to think of it, people who accidentally stepped into the ruins were often killed by Monsters.’
If so, there might actually be Monsters trapped somewhere in the ruins.
Thinking that, goosebumps rose on his spine, but fortunately, he soon reached the deepest part of the ruins.
Felix held his breath for a moment at the sight that unfolded before his eyes.
A huge cavity came into view, so large that he wondered if such a wide space could exist inside the ruins.
On both sides of the long path, groundwater flowed from somewhere, and at the end of the path, there was a round altar.
And behind it, a huge statue in the shape of a Dragon exuded its presence.
‘It feels like it’s staring at me.’
If he were an ordinary person, he might have been overwhelmed by the statue’s gaze and frozen in place.
But Felix drew up Mana, took a deep breath, and slowly approached the altar.
Then, he placed the mithril sword in his hand and the bag containing expensive jewels on it.
The moment the clanging sound and metallic sound echoed.
Thud-!
With a heavy reverberation that seemed to cut through the space, a blue flame blazed on the altar.
Felix held his breath. The heat felt from the flame was unusual.
While watching it, he suddenly remembered what Duke Argenta had said before coming here.
“Don’t worry, you just have to stay still. The Dragon will judge whether you are qualified or not.”
He immediately realized what he meant.
If it wasn’t someone from the Argenta Noble house, this flame would have burned the target in an instant.
If he didn’t have enough qualifications, he would have burned without leaving even ashes.
The flame flickered as if tilting its head at Felix.
Crackle. Crackle.
While he was stiff with tension, the flame soared into the air as if it were alive and wrapped around the statue.
‘Did I pass?’
Felix widened his eyes.
Suddenly, the statue in front of him began to shake slowly.
Kuooh.
At the same time, the stone of the statue fell off. As the stone material cracked, red scales gradually appeared.
The blue flames flowing between the scales emitted a light so bright that it seemed sacred at first glance.
Felix swallowed his breath.
The moment the huge figure shook off the dust and rose, a strong vibration swept through, shaking the floor.
‘It wasn’t a statue.’
The statue placed behind the altar was a Dragon that had been petrified.
Soon after, the Dragon’s yellow eyes turned to Felix.
‘A Red Dragon.’
The huge size was intimidating at a glance. The blood-red scales were like well-honed blades.
As the Dragon slowly opened its mouth and exhaled, hot and mysterious blue flames danced in the air.
‘So Dragons were such great beings.’
As he admired the sight, he suddenly remembered the Dragon egg that Ayla had hatched.
Would it also look like that when it grew up?
At that moment, when he was swept away by a slight sense of awe, the Dragon spread its wings wide.
At the same time, a low voice flowed into Felix’s ear.
[I have been waiting.]
The moment he heard those words, Felix sensed that he had passed the test.
It wasn’t easy because he was suppressed by the Dragon’s momentum, but he managed to open his mouth with difficulty.
“I greet the great Red Dragon.”
Then, a strange light flickered in the Red Dragon’s eyes as it looked at Felix.
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