Dragon System: Red Dragon Legacy-Chapter 36: All Eyes On Orion.

In the palace, the king sat upon his throne as two men clad in black bowed deeply before him. They were the king’s eyes and ears—shadows tasked with monitoring Orion.

"So, you are here," the king said calmly. "I assume you have news about that boy?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," one of the men replied. "We do indeed have information. First, we would like to confirm that your hunch was correct... that boy is quite strange."

The king’s eyes narrowed. "Oh? In what way?"

"His class and skills, Your Majesty... he was recently attacked by a group of assassins, and he used abilities that we couldn’t comprehend. Every time he was cornered, he vanished and reappeared elsewhere."

"Could it be extraordinary speed?" the king asked.

"No, Your Majesty," the man said firmly. "It was far too fast. It appeared to be teleportation. Even the strongest assassins cannot move at such speed."

"I see. Is that all?" the king asked.

"No, Your Majesty. There is more. When he was attacked and on the verge of death, he activated some kind of skill or artifact—we are unsure which. It caused a massive explosion, destroying the entire area. The power was comparable to an A-rank spell."

The king stiffened. A teenager wielding such firepower was unheard of—even the heroes hadn’t possessed such strength at that age.

"Troublesome..." the king muttered. "We must be extremely cautious when approaching him. We can’t let anyone else snatch him right from under our noses."

"But, Your Majesty, that is not all," one of the men interrupted.

The king frowned. "There’s more?"

"Yes. The explosion also affected the boy himself. His body was burned so severely that even S-rank healers should not have been able to save him. And yet... he survived."

"How?" the king demanded.

"One of his beast companions gave him a strange flower. After he consumed it, he had fully recovered within minutes."

The king dropped his royal composure after hearing all this information.

"...I can’t catch a break," he groaned. "First, the damned New World Order and their schemes—and now this child. Gods, give me strength."

The two black-robed men exchanged glances.

"There is one final matter, Your Majesty," one of them said quietly. "We believe the attackers were assassins belonging to one of the New World Order’s branch organizations."

The king sighed heavily. "And you suspect the assassination was ordered by Ryan. You believe he couldn’t stomach seeing that boy getting close to Lilian, is that right?"

Their silence confirmed the king’s suspicion.

"The Armstrong family has been acting strangely as of late," the king said, his expression darkening. "I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already switched sides."

The king’s gaze darkened even further.

"Deploy more spies. Watch the Armstrongs closely."

The men bowed and vanished into the shadows.

The king leaned back, closing his eyes, trying hard not to think about all the trouble surrounding him.

Elsewhere in the Capital

Within a darkened chamber, a woman sat upon a grand sofa. Her face was concealed by a veil, yet her presence was commanding.

The chamber was crowded with all manner of people. At the center, a man knelt before her.

Baldwin. The same man Ryan had tasked with killing Orion.

"Baldwin," she said, her voice sultry yet venomous, "I’ve received a report that your men failed a task—to kill a teenage boy. Is that correct?"

Baldwin felt cold sweat run down his back. He knew the consequences of angering her would be far worse than death.

"Yes, Madam," he said quickly. "I deeply apologize. The person in charge of that task has just recently recovered, and according to him, the boy possesses strange powers he had never seen or heard of before."

"Oh?" she murmured. "You have my attention. Explain everything."

Baldwin recounted all that Blud had told him.

"...Interesting," the woman said softly. Then she laughed.

"Hahaha... very interesting."

Her sudden laughter confused everyone in the room.

"Baldwin," she said at last, "send men to observe that boy. Learn his strengths, his weaknesses, his likes, and dislikes. I want him in my organization."

"Yes, Madam," Baldwin said immediately. "I will not fail you."

"Good. And bring that blud person before me as soon as possible."

"Yes, madam."

Elsewhere, Orion and Lilian continued their shopping date. They eventually came across a quiet park and sat together on a bench.

After a few minutes of silence, Orion spoke.

"How about we tell each other a little about ourselves?"

Lilian smiled. "That’s a good idea. I’ve known you for days, but I hardly know anything about you."

"You go first," Orion said.

She shot him a glare. "Why do I have to go first?"

"Ladies first," Orion replied with a grin.

"Tch... you’re so annoying," she muttered with a sigh. "Alright, fine. You already know I’m a commoner. I lived with my parents until they were killed in a monster attack when I was eight."

She paused, her eyes clouded with sadness.

Orion stayed silent. He didn’t try to sympathize—he didn’t know what it felt like to lose a loved one, and he never wanted to experience that feeling.

"I was raised in an orphanage in Silverstone County. One day, when the queen visited the orphanage, she noticed me and recognized my talent. And... now I’m here."

She looked at him. "Now, your turn."

After hearing something so personal, Orion couldn’t bring himself to lie—though he still chose to be vague.

"I don’t really know which country I’m from," he said. "My parents traveled a lot when I was young."

It was partly true—when his parents were just starting their careers, they moved around constantly. And naturally, Orion had to move with them.

"They’re very loving and supportive," he continued. "I hope they’re doing well."

"Wait," Lilian interrupted. "You don’t meet your parents anymore?"

"I can’t," Orion replied quietly. "I know where they are... but I can’t reach them."

"Oh..." Lilian said softly. "I’m sorry." She didn’t fully understand what Orion meant, but she could still sympathize with him.

Orion forced a smile. "Let’s change the topic and talk about something lighter. What about your hobbies?"

"Hmmm... I never really had much time for fun. But I guess I like reading... and..." She thought hard but couldn’t come up with anything else.

Orion laughed gently. "You don’t have to think so hard. You’ve got plenty of time to enjoy life."

She felt warmth in his words.

"I like reading too; it’s my favorite hobby as well," Orion continued. "But I’m really into sports too. Do you have any kind of sports here?"

"Yes," Lilian nodded. "Ring fights, horse races, hand-to-hand combat."

’Of course, everything is about fighting,’ Orion thought.

"What kind of sports do you like?" she asked.

Orion told her about Earth’s sports—football, volleyball, hockey, and more. Lilian listened with fascination. She didn’t understand why people would enjoy activities that didn’t make them stronger and were so obviously gimmicky, but she also admitted that they sounded... fun.

She was surprised by how much she enjoyed her time with him. Around Orion, she didn’t feel the need to impress anyone.

She could just be herself.

And without realizing it, she was beginning to see Orion in a completely different way—not just as a friend.