Shut Up, Malevolent Dragon! I Don’t Want to Have Any More Children With You

Vol 8. Chapter 14: A Good Draw — Why Call It a Good Draw?

South-central Samael Continent, Biyun Valley.

The outdoor combat assessment for the Hatchling Division of Saint Heath Academy, newly reopened, was being held here—

Strictly speaking, it was a joint assessment. And the partner was...

“The Blazing Sun Clan?”

At the entrance of Biyun Valley, after listening to Claudia’s brief explanation, Muse, Hefei, and the other little hatchlings couldn’t help but feel curious.

“Vice Principal, Vice Principal! The Blazing Sun Clan isn’t part of dragonkind, right? Is this our first time working together with a race that’s not dragons?”

“Summer vacation’s coming up, I thought the Academy would reuse the same exam format as Senior Noa’s year for their division promotion test.”

“I’ve never even heard of this Blazing Sun Clan before. Could it be they’re our new allies?”

...

The children buzzed with chatter. Muse and Hefei exchanged a smile, but didn’t join the discussion.

At home, she had occasionally overheard her parents mention the Blazing Sun Clan. And every time, her father wore a troubled look. But today the Academy was holding a joint assessment with them.

“Could it be that in Father’s stories, the dangerous parts had turned for the better? Or... was it for some other reason?”

“Alright, quiet down, children.”

Claudia’s voice broke Muse’s train of thought. She looked up and listened as Claudia continued:

“The Blazing Sun Clan is one of the most ancient races on the Samael Continent. We cannot call them our allies, but our ties with them are close. To bring about this assessment, both we dragons and the Blazing Sun Clan put in great effort. I hope all of you will give your utmost in this joint test, even if you don’t get the results you wished for. Now, my assistant, Samantha, will explain the rules of this joint assessment.”

As she spoke, Claudia glanced to the side where Samantha gave a small nod. Samantha quickly stepped forward, taking Claudia’s place.

Claudia moved aside. Leon had been waiting here for some time already. While Samantha explained the rules, Claudia leaned toward Leon and murmured:

“To think up such a way to ease the tension between us and the Blazing Sun Clan—that was your effort.”

Leon smiled:

“Though the Blazing Sun aren’t very warm toward the descendants of the other primeval deities, after repeated talks I found they aren’t impossible to communicate with. The current City Lord of the Blazing Sun, Fuyuan—his temperament may be harsh, but great matters such as alliance with dragonkind aren’t decided by him alone. Fortunately, in the end we secured this chance for a joint assessment, and many high-ranking figures within the Blazing Sun also support it.”

Claudia nodded thoughtfully. After a moment of reflection, she said:

“This idea of yours is indeed icing on the cake. It lets us learn more about the Blazing Sun, while also solving the Academy’s problem of restarting the assessment.”

She sighed, crossed her arms, and went on:

“You don’t know how much of a headache I’ve had ever since the last test went so far off script—negotiating the next exam with the Academy, while at the same time contacting the clans about the Demon Sword fragments. You’ve helped me again this time, Leon.”

“It’s only right, Vice Principal,” Leon replied.

“And I only suggested the idea. In these past months it was still the Academy that negotiated with the Blazing Sun, and that finally brought about this joint test. Credit goes to you as well.”

Claudia smiled, then smoothly changed the subject:

“Are those mysterious noble guests of yours ready? Once Samantha finishes explaining the rules, we’ll begin.”

“Yes.”

With that, Leon turned and walked toward the camp tents. Claudia’s eyes went back to Samantha, who was addressing the children.

“The core focus of this assessment is—point cards.”

Samantha pulled several cards from the pouch at her side.

“Scattered throughout Biyun Valley are point cards like these. There are five grades of cards, each worth different points: three, five, seven, ten, and fifteen. You will obtain these cards by completing certain tasks, unexpected battles with enemies, future exploration, and various other methods. There is no point limit. When the assessment ends, the Academy will rank you based on how many points you hold.”

The rules were easy to understand, and sounded simpler than last time’s item collection test in the Redstone Forest. The more ways there were to earn points, the more choices the children would have.