Reawakening: Primordial Dragon with Limitless Mana-Chapter 35: Bait(2)

The academy soon returned to its usual routine.

The four named teams were rewarded generously for their bravery.

Team Beta and Delta had rescued the townspeople who were nearly eaten by the drakes. Normally, those dragons stayed away from human borders. But during the battle, it seemed the attackers had purposely lured the beasts toward the city.

Even so, the threat had been dealt with.

For the students who lost their lives, their families were given compensation, and the academy offered its deepest condolences.

No parents came forward to blame the management. Everyone knew that once their children joined this academy—which functioned more like a training ground than a school—each day could be their last.

Still, to show their sorrow, the headmaster asked all students to gather in the common hall.

Naturally, attendance was mandatory.

Even Cedric had to show up, despite wanting nothing more than to stay in his room.

Part of him longed to see Rinne. Only she could calm him now. Her very presence was like a soothing balm to him.

"Hey, you okay?" asked a familiar voice as Cedric walked toward a table.

The blond prince nodded silently.

Taylor looked at him with concern, but he knew that offering comforting words might only make Cedric angrier.

So instead, he asked, "How are things between you and Kayla?"

He hadn’t seen the girl around Cedric lately.

Cedric scoffed. "She’s probably still cradling her broken arm."

Taylor’s eyes widened. "She got hurt? How?"

Cedric didn’t answer. But Taylor understood.

...Cedric had hit her.

This wasn’t new. In the past, he had slapped or shoved her. But this time seemed worse.

"Aren’t you going too far?" Taylor muttered.

Cedric growled, "If you care so much, why don’t you go and nurse that bitch?"

Taylor’s expression darkened. "How can you treat her like that? She betrayed Hades just for you. Was she only useful to you when she was making him jealous?"

Cedric, now clearly annoyed, turned to him and said, "She’s in my room. She won’t say a word even if you force yourself on her. If all you want is to fuck her, stop acting like a savior."

Taylor clenched his jaw.

Without replying, he turned and walked away, not wanting to speak another word to the person Cedric had become.

The blond prince finally felt a bit calmer as he sat down at a spot where he could see the entrance.

His beloved Rinne hadn’t arrived yet. She was probably still brushing her silky hair.

’Haah~ You always look beautiful without even trying,’ Cedric thought, resting his head on his palm while he waited.

Minutes passed. The common hall began to fill.

It was almost dinner time, so most students had already gathered—except for a few who were still recovering from injuries.

But two students, who weren’t injured, still hadn’t shown up.

Cedric’s eyes narrowed.

A heavy feeling settled in his chest.

Neither Rinne nor Hades had arrived.

His fingers tapped impatiently on the table.

More minutes passed, and his patience wore thin.

"Hey, Mia," he called out, walking up to a girl who was close to Rinne, "Have you seen Rinne?" He asked.

Her group turned toward him, and before Mia could answer, another student spoke up.

"I saw her with Hades not long ago. They were near the boys’ dorm."

"...!" Cedric’s eyes widened.

Why was she with Hades? Had he approached her?

Wordlessly, he rushed out of the common hall, ignoring the professor’s voice calling him to stay seated.

Why was she with him?

That man had no good intentions.

Cedric’s heart pounded as he sped through the hallways, his steps growing faster with every thought. He was praying—desperately hoping that what he feared wasn’t true.

Rinne was the one person he couldn’t afford to lose.

Maybe... maybe she had only gone to thank him?

And after that, she returned to her room and fell asleep from exhaustion... right?

He kept repeating these things, trying to hold himself together. He didn’t even realize he was mumbling out loud now.

His breath was short, chest burning, but he didn’t stop—not even for a second—until he reached the floor where Hades lived.

He came to a stop outside the door, chest heaving. He took a deep breath to steady himself, then raised his hand.

Knock.

He waited.

Seconds passed, each one dragging like an eternity—until finally, he heard a faint shuffle from inside.

Click.

The door creaked open, and Cedric was just about to storm in, ready to demand answers—

But then his eyes froze.

His breath caught.

There, standing inside the room, was the woman he dreamed of. The woman he adored.

Rinne.

Her hair was messy, clinging to her flushed cheeks. Beads of sweat glistened on her bare shoulders, and she was wrapped loosely in nothing but a white sheet, carelessly held against her body. The fabric clung to her curves, leaving little to the imagination.

She looked startled—no, shy. Her lips were parted, her breathing shallow. Her voice trembled as she spoke his name.

"C-Cedric..."

In that moment, something inside him shattered.

His mind turned blank.

No words. No thoughts.

Even a fool could see what had happened.

He staggered back a step, his voice cracking as he whispered,

"W-Why... Rinne...?"

She couldn’t meet his eyes.

Her head lowered in shame, fingers gripping the edge of the sheet tighter. But before she could speak, the door swung open a little wider.

And there he was.

Hades.

Bare-chested, his toned body glistening with sweat, trousers slung low on his hips, and that familiar, infuriating smirk plastered across his face.

"Well," he said casually, wrapping an arm around Rinne’s waist, "she wanted to thank me... so I asked for a reward. Right, babe?"

Smack.

His hand landed on her rear with a soft slap, making her gasp and flinch. The sound rang louder in Cedric’s ears than any battle cry.

Rinne turned toward him, her eyes welling with tears.

"I’m sorry, Cedric... I didn’t mean for it to happen this way..."

Cedric stood frozen.

His face—blank.

His breath—gone.

His world—ruined.

H-His Rinne...

His pure, radiant Rinne...

The woman who was supposed to be his—!

"HADES!!"

The ground beneath him shattered as an explosion of force erupted from Cedric’s feet. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of the redhead, his hand clamped around his throat.

With a roar, he slammed Hades back—through the room, through the wall—sending debris flying as they burst into open air.

Cedric raised his punch mid-air and struck Hades right in the face, sending him to the ground like a meteor.

**BOOOOOOM**

The students heard the commotion and rushed out of the common hall.

Hitting the ground, Hades wiped the small trail of blood on his lips, before he smirked.

’It’s finally time.’

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A/N:- Thanks for reading.

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