09. Magic Appraisal (3)

After she was done appraising baby Drax, an expression of utter surprise was glaringly reflecting off the dragon queen's face, and it was so clear that even Freya noticed it.

Unsure if this expression on the face of her spirit companion was good or bad, the elf queen couldn't help but get worried as it concerned their son's potential and future in Nethria.

"Freya…" the dragon queen's mouth parted as she slowly called out to the elf queen.

"What is it, Alucard?" the elf queen impatiently burst out.

"What is it?! Tell me!"

Alucard looked at her and stayed mute for a few seconds before finally speaking.

"This child…" she said, seeming to test Freya's patience with her words as the elf queen stared into her draconic soul from where she stood with Drax in her arms.

She couldn't help but feel anxious with every second that Alucard wasted to deliver the news to her.

"What happened?!"

"This child's magic power is not even that of an Astellar or 1-Star Ranked Sorcerer."

"What do you mean?! So he has no talent for mana?!" Freya barked, already thinking the worst.

She looked at Drax briefly, her face solemn because having no talent for mana for someone whom she was sure the Celestial Realm would soon place tabs on, Freya felt pity for the sleeping Drax.

If that was the case, then his situation would be progressively worse as time goes on. Such was the cruelty of their world and Drax would have a more bitter life since he was the child created from the dragon and elf queens.

She was nearly sobbing as she imagined the terrible life he would live in Nethria.

To have no talent for magic was the worst for an elf, much more a noble elf like them.

It was even better to be weak in magic manipulation than to not be able to at all.

Alucard exhaled and shook her head, wondering what the hell made Freya so sad when she was yet to divulge any of her findings.

"Calm down, Freya. It's not that," she said. "His magic power is almost that of a 3-Star Ranked Sorcerer."

"What?!" the elf queen blurted out, followed by a reflexive gulp as she turned her eyes to her baby, gapping at him with slight shock.

Of course, she was a noble elf and not just any random noble elf, Freya Vanya van Elenor was the queen of the elven kingdom of Avalonia.

She was the queen of Avalonia and her son, Drax, was the prince of Avalonia.

She also had her status marked as the strongest elf in the Living World.

That was why she was disappointed and sad when she thought that her baby had no talent for magic.

But now that she had gotten the accurate assessment from the dragon queen, she couldn't help but be surprised.

She expected Drax would have a talent for magic and grow to become a strong elf but she did not expect such a thing at this rate.

"A 3-Star Sorcerer?!" she reemphasized as if wanting the dragon queen to check for corrections.

However, Alucard nodded her head even more confidently.

"Yes, Freya. His magic power is almost at that level and he is not even a month old yet."

"He… heh," Freya instinctively chuckled as her soft lips spread into a smile of pride.

She looked like the proud mother that she was.

To nearly stand toe to toe with a 3-Star Ranked Sorcerer was certainly something worthy of note.

Alucard watched Freya play with the baby in her arms, all smiles and rosy about the news.

However, the dragon queen couldn't help but consider the possible reason for such.

'Could it be that our combined legacies, which he inherited, boosted an already innate talent for magic?' she thought, squinting her green eyes as she stared more into nothingness.

'Hmm. Most certainly. It has to be. My dragon legacy and the legacy of the elf queen are no jokes. But if he was already very compatible with magic, it would make sense.

'Most children of the world are born manaless and when appraised, the majority are at the Astellar Rank. The few out of the vast number who are talented or considered geniuses are appraised and valued at the rank of a 1-Star Ranked Sorcerer at best but to be close to becoming a 3-Star Sorcerer as a baby?

'Hahaha! We really outdid ourselves this time. The realms won't rest if the word of his potential gets out there. Now, I'm even more interested in seeing how you will turn out, little one.'

"I told you, Alucard. Bleh! I told you that our baby will become the strongest, even stronger than me," Freya playfully mocked her companion, blowing a raspberry at her as she stuck her tongue out.

Alucard's lips curled up into a smile as she bobbed her head, acknowledging the elf queen's prediction as true.

"So what's next, Freya?" she asked.

The elf queen paused as if brooding on the question but this did not last beyond a second.

"What do you mean what's next?"

Alucard rose from her lotus position, dusting her palms as she walked towards the mother and baby.

The dragon queen was impressed with Drax's talent and held him in higher esteem now.

She stroked the sleeping baby's cheeks, keeping her eyes on him for a while as she smiled.

Freya kept quiet as she saw this happen, not wanting to interrupt the connection that was growing between the baby and his dragon mother.

The elf queen was happy to see Alucard feel the way she did towards the child.

It made her glad that the dragon queen seemed to have started to care, even if just a little more, for their baby.

After she was done basking in the enchantment of Drax's baby face, Alucard shifted her attention to Freya.

"You know the other realms won't just sit back and watch," she said. "Every one of them would want to keep this little one on their side in preparation for that day."

Freya immediately shifted her arms, pulling Drax away from Alucard's reach as if the latter wanted to steal her baby. Nonetheless, she had only acted out how she felt about what Alucard just said.

"No one, Alucard… no one will take him away from me! Not even the World Council. Nobody!"

Alucard smiled. "I understand how you feel, Freya. But we have to be ready for whenever the time comes."

The dragon queen started to walk away. "We both know that only the strongest decides what fate is in this world. As much as we both wish to protect him, a time will come when he will have to stand up for himself against the world."

Alucard stopped, pausing her words as she gave the elf queen a sidelong glance.

Her eyes burned with resolve, so much that it was reflected in the elf queen's eyes as well.

"We must make sure that he can stand on his own when that happens. Otherwise…"