Return to the dragon's den [1]

"Please, take a seat, young hare."

I didn't even care about the nickname anymore, I had already wasted too much energy getting frustrated over it. In retrospect, it had just been a product of feeling inferior because of my physique.

Having already realized my worth, as well as my potential, it didn't matter to me anymore. Or at least not as much... Okay, it still bugs me, but I'm not about to have a mental breakdown over it.

"So, I assume you have been told by Mr. Borr about the situation?"

As per tradition, we were already sipping on some tea as we started conversing.

"He did. I think I have a general idea about what this infers. It seems like I have gotten even more pressure on me now, old man."

He just chuckled at my words, not minding my little banter, "Hohoho, there is no need to feel any pressure Miren. I already know that you will do your best, and that's all I ask for."

'What a cheeky geezer he is. He must be well aware of how the world would look at this situation.'

Instead of continuing to complain, I just took a sip of tea before continuing, "So, what is expected from me now?"

His smile disappeared and his face turned serious, something incredibly rare coming from the dragon, "There will be many things expected from you. Politicians, teachers, and other strong hunters and adventurers will be keeping their eyes on you. But I only expect one thing from you, and that is to answer the questions I'm about to ask honestly and truthfully."

It was unexpected. I did not expect the principal to actually have the need to ask me anything, as it felt like he already knew how everything would play out. No matter, if this was his expectation, I could only rise up to it.

"Okay, what do you want to ask?"

The old man started to drag his fingers through his long, white beard, "I'm going to preface my questions by talking a bit, but do bear with me, young one. First of all, I know about the tendencies you carry during battles. As I have talked about before, it isn't necessarily bad to numb some emotions when your life is on the line, but you are currently walking a tight rope."

He was referencing what I called my Battle Mode, where my mind would automatically get rid of unnecessary sensations like pain and empathy.

"I also know that you have deliberately reinforced the fact that you are dangerous to your classmates, is that right?"

My head nodded as a way of confirming his words.

"That's a shame, really. Then are you now an outcast of the A-class?"

"To a large degree, yes, but not entirely. I still have one person who I would call a friend."

A bit of a smile emerged on his wrinkly face, looking like a grandpa who got to know that their grandchild wasn't a complete loner.

"Good, good. A person can't go through life alone, especially so in this academy. You need people who you can trust. Now, I'll start asking you the questions I want you to answer."

I readied myself, knowing that the questions would most likely not be easy to answer.

"Firstly, do you think you will be able to keep your mental state intact if you have to continue to fight with only the intent to kill?"

My teachings had been based on the fact that my role would be to kill, there was no going back from that now. It was my value and my strength, but it did take a toll on me.

It wasn't something I wanted to get used to, but it wasn't something I could hold hesitation towards. I knew that my mentality had changed a lot since I started to fight with the intent to kill always surging through my very core, but I had not lost myself yet, and I had no plans of doing so in the future.

"My mental state might suffer a blow but I will not lose sight of who I am. I cannot afford to do so."

He just nodded and continued, "Secondly, why do you want to be strong? You should have noticed by now that there are other paths to take, even if you might have felt trapped when you first came here."

Honestly, there were other paths I could take at this point. Maybe I could find a job as an administrator at some company or something along those lines, but it didn't feel realistic. No, it didn't feel right.

That would mean that I had to put mine and Misa's lives in the hands of others when disaster strikes and the demonkind launches their full-out attack.

But was that the full reason I wanted to be strong? Not quite.

"I want to be strong so I can choose how to live my life, and to kill the ones I have to kill before they can harm someone I care about. I want to have enough power to be able to travel the world and meet all kinds of different people. But most of all, I want enough power to do whatever it is I want to do, no matter what."

Once again he nodded in acknowledgment, his warm smile returning. He grabbed his cup of tea and took a sip, making me wait full of suspense for the next question. As he put it down on the table, he opened his mouth and gave me his last question.

"Is it still fun?"

My body shook a bit at his question, it was just too unexpected. Immediately my mind raced back to when he had last asked this question. Back then my answer had been a clear yes, even with all the challenges I knew I would have to face, but what about now?

"I don't think I can say it's fun anymore. There are still moments and times where it is fun, like when I succeeded in creating my skill or when I met Misa, but there were also a lot of times when I felt like giving up."

I let my gaze wander up to the wooden ceiling, trying to find the words I wanted to say at the same time I was speaking,

"This life is so hard. I always have to stay on my toes and rarely do I dare to fully relax, and even people I thought of us as friends turned their back on me. But I still have a lot of things I like here. I like the feeling of controlling my own destiny, the fact that my future depends on my efforts, and that there are no limitations. There are also a few people I truly like here. You, Mike, Sophie, and recently, Lindsey, but it is hard to trust anyone one of you fully. The only one I truly trust right now is Misa, but I think that could change with time."

My gaze wandered down to the friendly grandpa in front of me and I concluded my answer,

"It is not fun, but I think it can be if I work hard enough. I believe that I can be happy here."

The old dragon kept his warm smile, and we sat in silence for a while, just enjoying our tea. It was already clear that he had accepted my answers. After we had finished our cups he stood up, cane in hand, "Now then, go and get some lunch. When you return we will start your training once again and you will show me the progress you have made."

****

[????s Pov]

Several dark figures were sitting at a round table, discussing their plans for the future.

"So, the first strike against the academy failed. I guess that's to be expected when we could only send a single five-star and a couple of four-stars."

"So it seems. It was unlikely to work in the first place, but sacrificing those weaklings doesn't matter anyway."

"What do we do now then? Do we launch a full-out attack instead? Even if we lose a lot, it might be worth it to kill the child of light."

"We can't do that. That old monster of a principal would notice immediately and just the defense system to put the area into a pocket dimension."

"Then what do we do?"

"There are two things. First, we have to make sure that the ritual to awaken our master continues. Secondly, we try to find a situation where the Lightbringer is outside the academy. My spy is still on the inside, after all, it shouldn't be too hard to find another chance."