Grimera

The girl on Hestia's back who couldn't contain her giddiness, deliberately kicked Hestia's chair leg a couple of times. She did it softly at first but when Hestia didn't respond, she became bolder and kicked it hard.

The chair made a skidding noise on the floor, grating on everyone's ears.

Hestia was jolted by the act and her penmanship turned askew. She sighed and turned to the girl, "If you have something to say, you can ask me nicely. No need to kick my chair."

The girl was stunned, this always nasty desk mate hers should have been angry at her for kicking her chair. Did Hestia perhaps eat something wrong for breakfast?

"I'm sorry. Uh, I can't seem to remember how to solve the problem on the board. It's over there by the door. Can you help me?" the girl said, her hand gripping her pen tightly from too much anticipation.

The Hestia of the past wouldn't even bother with this girl but she is the new Hestia now. She turned her eyes to the board and in the process caught the people standing by the door.

Cain and Elspeth.

Hestia wanted to laugh. Now she knew why the girl at her back, kicked her chair so hard, and why she looked too excited for a person who's asking for a favor.

She took a quick glance at the two people still standing by the door and unto the onlookers.

This scene never happened in the past because Hestia would have been in the garden after Valeria mentioned that both the Crown Prince and Elspeth are in there enjoying their time together.

She caused a huge uproar and was sent to the principal's office where the Crown Prince would petition for her to be expelled from the academy, giving the principal a big headache. She was then sent home and days later she received a letter of expulsion. She never stepped a foot on Aldenine Academy ever again.

That is what happened in the past. But Hestia didn't follow the script so here she was in unknown territory. How should she deal with this?

Hestia racked her brain but no conclusive answers came up. In the end, she could only sigh and turn to the woman at her back. She looked at her indifferently, "It wasn't a question. It's an announcement that all students must attend the academy's foundation ball on the twenty-eighth of this month."

The girl blinked at her, "Really? Maybe you've seen wrong. You can look again. It's beside the door."

Hestia didn't bother with the girl anymore and continued to take notes, ignoring the eager crowd on the process.

Let's also ignore the couple by the door.

Hestia took out a book below her desk and was about to read it when a burst of raw energy hit her body. Like an army of ants, it invaded her skin raising goosebumps all over. Such immense raw power was released out of nowhere.

What the-!

Suddenly a sharp cry coming from the sky above shook the whole building.

The piercing roar was so loud, the students had to cover their ears. The walls shudders and cracks on the glass window started to appear so they hastily back away from the windows in case it would shatter.

Cain protected Elspeth with his body, the lackeys he put on her followed suit. Caging the girl and the prince. Out of the corner of his eyes, Cain saw the other girl still sitting calmly on her desk when everyone else has their backs plastered to the wall opposite the windows.

He could only see her profile view but the wonder, astonishment, and fascination, as she looks up, eyes wide, to the sky, is evident. While everyone is quaking in their boots, she didn't even show any trace of fear seeing a massive creature of unknown origin.

A touch of something foreign passed through Cain's chest as he observes the figure sitting alone, abandoned, with no one to protect her. He shook his head, why should he care for an evil woman like her? She doesn't deserve an ounce of his sympathy, he thought. And with that belief, another layer of frost covered Cain's deep blue eyes.

"What was that?!"

"What's happening?!"

"Look! On the sky." One student pointed to the sky and something big is flying above circling the academy.

"Is that… a Grimera?"

"Grimera?!"

"If it's a Grimera then the one flying it came from Luduca, the nation of beast tamers."

"Idiot! Do you think our empire would allow a Grimera to enter our land so casually? Do you know what Grimera's stand for? They are a sign of impending war for the Luducans."

The students trembled in fear.

"War?!"

"Oh, heavens. Are we going to war?!"

"Bunch of fools. Look at it, a Grimera's usual color is black with a tinge of red or gold. That one up there is green all over. Last time I heard there are only two remaining Grimeras on Luduca. They are holy beasts and are quite protected by the Luduca empire. Do you think Luduca would spare exhausting one of their precious baby in extinguishing a small nation like ours? They could easily do that by just sending a bunch of their beast tamers and their high-level beasts."

The students sigh in relief.

"Then if it's not a Grimera then what is it?"

"And where did it came from?"

"A summoned beast," Hestia said.

Everyone turned to Hestia. This girl whose head is only filled with crown prince this, crown prince that, is saying it's a summoned beast? How laughable.

"Is it really a summoned beast?" Someone had already doubted Hestia's words.

"Maybe that's a high-level beast from Luduca."

The one who had been analyzing the situation from the very beginning spoke up again, "If it's a summoned beast then that beast came from Harion on the west, the Kingdom of wizards. Only rank five and above could summon a magical beast and judging from the size of that thing, it consumes quite a lot of mana. Only a rank six or seven wizard can expend such vast mana to summon that kind of beast."

"Look there, it landed on the track field. Other classes are already there. Let's go and see!"

The whole class ran downstairs to see the beast and its master. Hestia was also among them.

Truth be told, she's curious and wanted to confirm something. The surge of power she felt a while ago was so familiar. At one time through her incarnations, she had felt that same kind of power flowing in her veins.

Was it a burst of mana?

Hestia had never encountered this kind of thing in her original life nor was she sensitive to mana around her. She was human after all. Though she was informed that her mother's side of the family, their ancestors, have wizard's blood on their veins but Hestia was so far from the hierarchy that the wizard's blood in her might have been diluted into nothing.

The only way to confirm her prior assumption is to get close and personal.

Though the noble young ladies of the Aldenine Academy wanted nothing but to run freely and reach the track field in record time, etiquette and decorum that has been pounded unto them since they could learn how to walk prevented the whole class from doing so. Instead, they could only watch their step and sigh bitterly.

When they reached the field it was already swarmed by students but because of its massive size, the beast's form could still be seen.

Hestia was taken aback. This… doesn't it look like a dragon?

In one of the worlds Hestia had reincarnated, there are tales of fantastic magical beasts called the dragon. Though they only exist on tales and adventure stories it was rather popular in that plane.

A dragon's form had been depicted in so many ways and with so many interpretations. The things that make this beast stand out among its peers are the green metallic shine of its scales, the thick horn at the center of its forehead, and its piercing red eyes staring at them.

The green beast towered over the humans. As if it deemed them lowly, the beast lifted its snout higher in a lofty manner.

The students marveled at its immense size. Since the beast did not hurt anyone they considered it to be harmless and stepped closer some more.

When the beast saw how close the puny humans are, it issued a roar and opened its massive wings. Everyone scattered about, scared out of their wits. Who said it was harmless?!

"Safrid." Came a baritone voice.

The dragon stopped its rampage and settled down after hearing the reprimand on his Master's voice. It bowed its head slightly but the frosty look it shot to the student made the latter tremble in fear.

That one look could be interpreted as, 'how dare you lot got me into trouble with Master, just you wait, I will crush you all to death.'