Dragon System: Red Dragon Legacy-Chapter 50: The Final Test-4 (Aftermath)

Estaban’s face twisted in pure horror. As the bodies of Lloyd and Martin disappeared...

"What the fuck...?"

Orion turned toward him.

"No—stay away from me!" Estaban shouted in panic as Orion stepped closer.

"Relax," Orion sighed. "Let me explain, damn it."

"What’s there to explain? You just killed them—cold-blooded!" Estaban snapped.

Orion stopped.

"Let me ask you something. Are they really dead?"

"..."

"No... but still—"

"I killed them while they were unconscious," Orion said calmly. "That way, they didn’t feel the pain of dying."

His eyes darkened.

"Trust me. The feeling of dying isn’t something someone as fragile as them could handle. And if they were here, they’d only slow us down anyway."

Estaban fell silent. After a moment, realization dawned on his face.

"Oh... I see. That’s actually really smart—killing two birds with one stone. I like it."

Orion let out a breath. "Anyway, we’ve been here a long time, but we haven’t run into any other students. What happens if we don’t defeat anyone? Do we still pass?"

"Yes," Estaban replied. "Killing other students gives points that determine your rank within a division, but which division you end up in depends on how long you survive."

"So Lloyd and Martin will pass?"

"Definitely. Based on how long they survived—thanks to you—I’d say they’ll get into Division B for sure," Estaban said.

"Though it doesn’t really matter for them. One wants to be an alchemist, and the other plans to be a scholar. Yesterday’s written exam will matter more to them anyway."

"That’s good to hear." Orion exhaled in relief.

But Estaban was staring at him strangely. He’d held back his questions for too long.

After a moment of hesitation, he asked, "Hey... can I ask you something about earlier?"

Orion had been dreading exactly this.

Orion sighed, "...Go ahead."

Estaban’s eyes lit up.

"First—how? And second—why is your body covered in scales, like a dragon’s?" he blurted out, unable to hide his excitement.

Orion could have lied—especially to Estaban, who was easy to fool. But seeing Estaban’s excitement, an idea popped into Orion’s head.

"It’s because I’m a dragon."

He paused to watch Estaban’s reaction—and saw him frozen like a statue.

"And I think that explains everything," Orion continued.

Estaban blinked.

Then burst out laughing.

"HAHAHAHA—!"

Orion frowned. ’Did he finally lose it?’ He thought.

"I can’t believe it," Estaban said, staring at him. "A real dragon. I’m talking to a real fucking dragon."

"Calm down," Orion said. "You are acting like a crazy person."

"O-okay, okay," Estaban said, trying—and failing—to contain his excitement.

"So... can you transform into your dragon form? Can you show me?"

"This is my true form," Orion said. "I’m a humanoid dragon. I can’t take my full dragon form yet—but I will someday."

"Whoa... I’ve never even heard of something like a humanoid dragon before."

He leaned closer. "So... where did you come from? As far as I know, there are no dragons left on this continent."

Estaban’s eyes lit up again. "Are you from a different continent?"

Orion sighed, feeling overwhelmed by all the questions.

"I don’t know... I don’t remember my childhood at all."

"That’s sad," Estaban said—though his excitement quickly drowned the sympathy.

"So... what’s your goal? What do you plan to do next?"

Orion smirked.

"I plan to take over this entire world."

Orion watched Estaban carefully.

"...What?" Estaban blinked, like he hadn’t heard Orion properly. "You’re serious?"

"Ohhh... I’m one hundred percent serious," Orion replied. "Because I have the means to do it."

"That’s SO COOL!" Estaban exclaimed, no longer doubting Orion after witnessing his display of power.

Then Estaban’s expression shifted. He paused, growing serious, and slowly turned toward Orion.

"Is it... possible for me to join you? I’m guessing you’ll need trustworthy people to reach your goal. That’s why you recruited Lloyd and Martin, right?" He smirked. "So... I’m guessing they have some hidden talent that you, being you, noticed?"

Orion was genuinely surprised that Estaban had managed to deduce all of that. ’Maybe he isn’t that dumb after all.’

"...You’re serious?" Orion asked. "Look, I don’t mind if you join me. But how can I trust you? And, furthermore, you’re a noble in this country—you have responsibilities that tie you here."

"I don’t know how to prove that I’m trustworthy," Estaban admitted. "All I can do is give you my word. And even though I’m a noble, it’s my older brother who will inherit the family. I can do whatever I want, really. And when he takes over, I’ll probably get kicked out anyway."

"You should really think this through. There’s a high chance that we’ll die, and our opponents will be every country, kingdom, and empire in this continent. Not to mention, your own country will try to hunt you down," Orion said.

"I don’t care!" Estaban’s voice rose. "I always wanted to explore the world and live by my own rules. And I think I can achieve that by following you."

He paused. "And dying while conquering the world?"

"Oh yeah—that sounds so fucking awesome and glorious." A wide smile spread across Estaban’s face.

This was going way better than Orion had hoped, thanks to Estaban’s personality.

Orion chuckled.

"Fine. You can be my subordinate. Welcome to the team."

They shook hands.

Then–

The system chimed again.

[Congratulations! You have gained your first subordinate.]

[New System Panel Unlocked: Subordinate Panel]

Orion opened it.

[Subordinates]

[Current Number: 01]

Name: Estaban Askari

Type: —

Rank: C

Loyalty: 60 (Trustworthy)

’This is insanely useful...’ Orion thought. ’It can even show me the trust level of my subordinate.’

[Do you want to check the full capabilities of this panel?]

’I’ll check the rest later. Thanks, system, you are the best.’

"Why are you staring into space?" Estaban asked.

"Nothing." Orion snapped back to reality. "Remember—no one can know about this. Not your parents. Not your sister. Not even your dog."

"I’d die before I say a word," Estaban said seriously.

"So what do I do now?"

"For now, nothing. I’ll contact you when it’s time."

"Copy that!" Estaban said, standing straight.

Orion rolled his eyes.

"Earlier, you said a B-rank monster being here was unnatural?" Orion asked, the thought suddenly coming to him.

Estaban’s eyes narrowed.

"That’s right. This forest only allows C-rank monsters. Even if a B-rank is born, it gets relocated."

"So, do you have any idea why that happened?" Orion asked.

"No. I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that happening. We should inform the teacher when we get back—I’m sure they’ll have some theory," Estaban replied.

"Okay."

Just then, their necklaces buzzed.

[Notice: Only 20 participants remain.]

"Oh damn—we’re top twenty already? Division A guaranteed." Estaban said.

Meanwhile,

At a large camp, five students sat in a circle around a campfire.

It was Ryan’s team. Alex was with him, as usual, and Ryan had the box-shaped artifact placed in front of him.

"What?" Ryan shouted.

"What happened, Young Master Ryan?" Alex asked.

"I lost the monster’s life signal."

"What? You mean the monster is dead? But how? It was a B-rank monster, and not just that—it was close to an A-rank. Who among this year’s participants has enough power to kill it?" Alex was shocked.

"I don’t know!" Ryan shouted. "Damn it... Madam will be pissed."

"Can’t we just summon another one?" Alex asked.

"No. We’re out of mana supply." Ryan clutched his head in frustration.

He had been given a task by the Madam: cause chaos during the entrance exam so the academy would lose credibility. But it looked like he had completely screwed it up, despite the resources the New World Order had given him.

Cold sweat ran down Ryan’s face as he imagined the Madam’s expression when she found out about his failure.