Dragon System: Red Dragon Legacy-Chapter 53: Tension In The Academy

After dodging Lilian’s questions, Orion called a carriage and headed toward the Merchant Guild.

He was quite nervous because he had no idea whether his business would meet his expectations.

As soon as he entered the Merchant Guild, he was welcomed by Cindy’s big, bright smile.

She was waving at him from a table.

"Hi there, Cindy. How are you doing?" Orion asked as he sat on the chair opposite her at the table.

"Oh, I’m doing more than fine. And thanks to your ideas, the shop is doing great as well."

Orion felt a little relieved hearing that.

"Really? So... how much did we make?"

"Well, it’s only been four days since we opened the shop, but we’ve already made twenty gold coins in pure profit."

Orion was pleasantly surprised. "That’s really good."

"Yes... But we still have a problem. The demand for our products has become incredibly high. People protest every time we run out. We need to upgrade our workshop and hire more alchemists," she said in a serious tone.

Orion’s expression turned thoughtful. "Okay then, just use the profit to do it. What’s the problem?"

Cindy gave a wary smile. "You see, the part of the market where our shop is located belongs to the Revenet Corporation, and they’re refusing to sell any more plots unless they meet the owner."

"Well, can’t you just say you’re the owner?"

Cindy shook her head. "I tried, but they wouldn’t believe me. I think they somehow acquired information about you."

Orion sighed. "Great... fine, I’ll talk to them. But why can’t we just move the shop elsewhere?"

"We want to stay in the marketplace, and every other plot there is already occupied. The only remaining ones belong to the Revenet Corp."

"Ahhh... damn fuckers."

’And what the hell do they want with me, anyway?’ he thought

As if reading Orion’s mind, Cindy spoke, "Don’t worry. They just want to verify who they’re selling their land to."

’Yeah... only if I could believe that.’

As Orion continued his conversation with Cindy, back at the academy, in the headmistress’s office—

The headmistress was clutching her head in worry. Pirelli and Rachel were also present.

"How the hell did a B-rank monster get into the dimension? I thought the array prevented any B-rank monster from staying there!" The headmistress shouted in frustration.

"We don’t know... and are we even sure it was a B-rank monster?" Pirelli said. "How can we trust what that eccentric boy of Askari said? Defeating a B-rank monster by themselves—I’m not sure even two B-rank heroes could manage that, let alone some C-rank kids."

The headmistress leaned back in her chair. "I wish they were lying. I checked their lockets myself, and the records didn’t lie. They really fought a B-rank monster—but not just any B-rank monster. It was peak B-rank."

She paused.

"What’s even more frightening is that, according to the Askari kid, it was that boy—Orion—who defeated the monster all by himself."

Everyone’s eyes widened.

"Peak B-rank?"

"...He defeated it alone?"

"How?"

Rachel and Pirelli began murmuring.

"I knew something was strange," the headmistress continued. "My husband has been keeping an eye on him since the first time he entered the capital. Apparently, he was raised by an old master in seclusion..."

She shook her head. "But enough about that. Let’s plan our next move."

She walked toward the window.

"How are things? Are people still asking questions?"

"Things have calmed down a little, but people are still asking," Rachel replied quietly.

The headmistress sighed. "And the election for the next principal is about to begin in a couple of days. What are Count Norris’s chances of winning?"

Count Norris was a candidate for the principal post at the academy, but he had lost the position to Evelyn three times in a row.

This time, however, things were different. For some reason, many nobles had begun backing him, giving him a solid chance of winning.

"He’ll gain some momentum after this incident," Pirelli said, "but I don’t think it’s a big enough blow for us. He won’t gain too much advantage." He paused, then continued, "However, any more slips on our part could cost us the election."

Then Rachel spoke up, concern clear in her voice. "Don’t you find it strange that a B-rank monster appeared in the testing dimension—something that hasn’t happened in a thousand years—and it happened right before the election?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Everyone understood what she was implying.

"I see," Pirelli said. "But how could someone bring a B-rank monster through the portal without us noticing?"

The headmistress grew thoughtful. "I’ve heard rumors from my husband that Count Norris may be affiliated with the New World Order. And we all know how powerful they are. Perhaps they helped him."

"Do you want me to investigate?" Pirelli asked.

"Yes. And what about the boy, Orion?" She paused. "To be honest, I’m wary of him. We need to keep a close eye on him. What was his result?"

"He placed in the top twenty. He was very close to the top ten, but for some reason, he returned early."

The headmistress smiled. "Cheeky. I think he’s deliberately avoiding the S Division. He clearly has something he wants to hide."

"But the question is, what exactly is he trying to hide?" she muttered to herself.

Then she spoke up again. "Can we still place him IN the S division?"

Rachel quickly shook her head. "That wouldn’t be a good idea. We’re already facing criticism, and enrolling a boy who didn’t place in the top ten on the test into the S Division—where all the high nobles gather—would be catastrophic."

The headmistress nodded, already forming other plans to keep Orion under close watch.

Meanwhile, after talking with Cindy a little more, Orion left the Merchant Guild and decided to walk around the capital for a while.

Orion was walking through a tourist area of the capital. He sat beside a large lake where people of all kinds had gathered.

Couples.

Parents with their children.

For a moment, Orion felt at peace.

But it didn’t last long.

"Orion?" a female voice called from behind.

He turned around.

It was Sofia.

Orion was surprised to see Sofia of all people here. This wasn’t exactly a spot where nobles usually hung out.

"Oh... Sofia? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just nearby, and then I spotted you, so I thought I’d come say hi," she replied. "By the way, are you here on business?"

"Not really. I just finished my business. And now I’m just strolling around and getting familiar with the capital," he shrugged.

"That’s perfect!" She clapped her hands together. "Do you want me to tag along? I can be your guide," she said, clearly excited.

Although Orion had originally wanted to be alone, having a beautiful girl like Sofia accompany him didn’t sound bad at all.

Still, he wasn’t entirely sure that meeting Sofia here was just a coincidence. He remembered the look in her eyes when she had learned that he was living together with Lilian.

He quickly pushed the thought out of his mind. After all, he had only met Sofia once. Even if that encounter had been fiery, it wasn’t nearly enough to make her fall in love with him.

Or so he hoped.