Dragon System: Red Dragon Legacy-Chapter 45: Preparing For The Final Test

"Wait, Esteban Askari... are you Sofia’s brother?" Lilian asked.

"Yes!" Esteban shouted excitedly.

’What? This guy is Sofia’s brother?’

Orion looked at Esteban in disbelief. Sofia seemed so sharp and intelligent, while this guy was... well, dumber than a rock.

’Now that I think about it, they do look similar. And both of them are pretty eccentric,’ Orion thought.

As if summoned by their thoughts, Sofia arrived.

"Well, well. Everyone seems to be here," Sofia said from behind, catching them all by surprise. "You’ve found yourself a tough crowd to hang out with, Esti."

"Stop calling me Esti! That’s such an ugly nickname!" Esteban shouted. "Instead, you can call me East from now on."

"East?" Sofia blinked in confusion.

"Yeah. I gave him that nickname, and he seems to like it," Orion said before Esteban could argue.

"Oh? Hello, Mr. Orion. You and my brother seem to have become friends," she said with a smile.

"That’s great news for me," she muttered in a low voice as a menacing smile flashed across her face.

Thankfully, no one noticed any of it. But even though Orion didn’t hear her, he still felt a bad chill down his spine.

"Well, it was great catching up, but I think we should get going," Lilian said to Orion hurriedly. She clearly didn’t want to stay around Sofia anymore.

"What? But I just got here," Sofia complained.

"Don’t worry. We’ll hang out some other time," Orion replied.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

He then turned to Esteban and extended his hand for a handshake. "See you later, man."

Esteban shook his hand. "Yeah, man. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow."

After hearing a little more of Sofia’s whining, Lilian and Orion started walking toward the gate, where their carriage was waiting.

As they walked away, Orion couldn’t help but ask, "Hey, Lilian... what do you know about the Askaris?"

"Not much," Lilian replied. "They’re a count family with major influence in the south. They’re well known for their contributions to magic technology. I’ve also heard Count Askari is a fair ruler and treats his people well. But why do you ask?"

"Well, now that I know two of them, I figured it’d be good to learn a bit more," Orion shrugged.

"Oh," Lilian muttered. Then she changed the subject. "Anyway, are you excited or nervous about tomorrow’s test?"

"I don’t know," Orion said. "By the way, I asked East about it. He said we’ll be paired with four other people and fight against other groups."

"He’s only half right," Lilian said. "You’ll be paired with others, yes—but calling them teammates would be wrong. This isn’t a team test. Everyone is on their own, so even the people you’re paired with will be your competition."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "On the battlefield, you can help, betray... or even kill the people you’re paired with. In the end, what matters is how long you survive—not your group."

"I see," Orion said calmly. "Well, no point overthinking it now. I’ll deal with it tomorrow."

With that, he and Lilian got into the carriage and headed home.

Back at the academy, Sofia and Esteban were heading toward the gate as well.

"So, you and Orion are friends now?" Sofia asked casually.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Good. Now listen carefully," she said, her eyes turning sharp. "You’ll tell me everything you learn about him—his likes, dislikes, habits. Understand?"

"What? Why would I do that? He’s my friend," Esteban protested. "And why do you even want to know? Are you in love or something?"

At those words, Sofia blushed deeply. Against her tanned skin, the color stood out in a strikingly charming way. Any boy who saw her like this would surely have a nosebleed.

"You don’t need to know. Just do as I say," she snapped.

"No. I won’t," Esteban refused. "I won’t help you spy on someone."

She didn’t seem bothered by Esteban’s refusal—after all, she still had plenty of cards up her sleeve.

"You see... I met Princess Felicity today, and we got along well. I think we’re becoming friends, and—"

"I’ll do it!" Esteban cut in instantly. "But in exchange, I want information about Princess Felicity."

"Deal," Sofia said without hesitation.

Back in the capital, as soon as they reached Lilian’s house, Orion immediately began preparing for the next test.

He had gathered a large number of magic stones—some he collected himself, others were given to him by Lilian.

Looking at the pile, Orion sighed. They look so repulsive.

Still, he swallowed them one by one. He couldn’t complain—it was currently the most efficient way for Orion to become stronger.

For tomorrow’s exam, he couldn’t use anything except his Beast Tamer class, as he wanted to keep his other classes hidden.

He had asked Lilian if he could bring Axl and Max along to help him with the test tomorrow, but her answer was a firm no.

Even so, Orion believed he could handle most of the students. Even if he didn’t get into the highest division, he didn’t care. He didn’t want to enter the S Division anyway—if he got accepted there, the powerful people would watch him even more closely than they already did.

Orion wasn’t stupid. He knew the king had surely sent people to spy on him after hearing that he could consume magic stones raw. They had almost certainly seen his fight with the assassins and reported it to the king.

He didn’t mind, though; if anything, it was just an extra layer of security.

That night, sleep refused to come. His mind kept replaying thoughts of the test, wondering what it would be like.

"Orion! Orion! Wake up—we’re late!" Orion woke up to Lilian shouting, as usual.

"Oh shit!" Orion jumped up, quickly got ready, grabbed breakfast, and rushed out with her toward the academy.

Today, the academy gates were far less crowded. Most applicants hadn’t even passed the evaluation, leaving only about two thousand remaining.

And thousands more would be eliminated today.

A guard greeted Lilian and escorted them to the gathering hall. This time, nobles and commoners shared the same space.

As soon as Orion stepped inside, his eyes widened.

The hall was as grand as the king’s throne room, only hundreds of times larger. And, instead of a throne, a massive, extravagant stage had been set up where the teachers were gathered.

"How much do you think it cost to build this place?" Orion asked.

"It was built during the Golden Age of this continent, after the Demon Queen’s defeat," Lilian replied. "Back then, money wasn’t really an issue."

Suddenly, the crowd grew restless, parting to form a path.

Soon, it became clear why.

From the crowd, three figures stepped forward—the prince and the two princesses of the kingdom.

The prince had bluish hair, a tall frame, and a handsome face, standing about as tall as Orion. One of the princesses had pink hair, a medium build, and a cheerful expression. The other was a brunette, with sharp eyes and an unapproachable presence.

Orion realized the pink-haired princess must be Princess Julia when she waved at Lilian as they passed.

Soon, they arrived at the stage where the teachers stood, and Lilian was called forward as well.

When everything settled down, the headmistress raised a sound-amplifying artifact.

"Hello, dear students. I hope you’re prepared for what comes next. I know you’ve all been waiting to see the portal—so here it is."

Excitement rippled through the hall. Orion frowned, confused.

Then the curtain behind the stage parted.

A swirling black-and-blue portal emerged, just like something straight out of a video game.

Orion’s eyes widened.

"What the actual hell..."