Saint Heath Academy, Principal’s Office.

“The Magic Eye has now been sealed in the underground restricted chamber beneath the academy,” Claudia said. “There are dedicated guards watching it, and the chamber key has been split into two.”

She produced two keys. One was handed to Principal Wilson behind the desk, while the other remained with her.

“Principal Wilson and I will each keep one key. That way, the chamber can only be opened if both of us are present.”

After putting the keys away, Claudia leaned against the edge of the desk, folded her arms, and continued:

“Next, the academy will conduct a series of studies on the Magic Eye, including attempting to extract from its memories a method to seal or defeat Atos.”

The blue-haired woman sighed lightly.

“It’s just that the Magic Eye has existed for far too long. It’s something completely unfamiliar to us. This is bound to take a great deal of time.”

At the mention of memory and time, the first person Leon thought of was Aurora.

After a moment’s thought, Leon suggested:

“If this involves memory-related magic, my third daughter should be able to help. She independently developed a full system of Memory Reversion magic. She can move freely through the memories of the subject.”

Claudia nodded.

“Aurora’s abilities are beyond doubt. But given the current situation, any research involving the Magic Eye—even the smallest probing tests—must be conducted step by step. Until we are absolutely certain which procedures are safe, we will not allow Aurora to participate.”

She steadied herself and added firmly:

“This line of thinking is correct.”

Previously, no one across the entire continent of Samael had ever researched the Magic Eye. No one knew how complex it truly was. Ordinary magic might not even function on it—and could instead trigger lethal backlash.

“It’s like a time bomb from another world. Even if it looks the same as an ordinary bomb on the outside, if no one understands the internal structure and tries to cut the fuse…”

So just as Claudia said, everything had to be tested gradually. Before safety was confirmed, Aurora would not be allowed anywhere near it.

“However,” Claudia continued, “if possible, please discuss this with Aurora after you return. Ask her to teach the academy researchers how to use her memory-entry magic. That way, we can ensure her safety while also improving our research efficiency.”

“We will talk to her once we’re back,” Leon replied.

Rosvisser nodded. “Alright.”

“Then thank you very much.”

After a brief pause, Principal Wilson broke into a pleased smile again.

“This really is the model family in my eyes. Every single daughter is a genius among geniuses!”

The corner of Leon’s eye twitched. He could already guess what the old man was about to say next.

“If that’s the case, why not have a few more? It would strengthen the Silver Dragon Clan and be of tremendous importance to the entire dragon race!”

The reason Wilson was known as the ultimate matchmaker was precisely because he could ship couples anytime, anywhere, from any angle.

Fortunately, Leon and Rosvisser were already used to it and smoothly brushed the topic aside.

“Leon, Rosvisser, what are your plans next?” Claudia asked.

After thinking for a moment, Leon replied:

“I want to make a trip to the forest where the relics of Mevis were stored before. Maybe we can find some clues related to Mevis.”

Mevis, the God of Wisdom—the only Primordial Deity on the continent of Samael who had yet to appear.

Or rather, the only one Leon and the others had never encountered, directly or indirectly.

Even Zeus had left traces. Leon’s group had communicated with the Golden Thunder Clan and gathered the five elemental cores.

Mevis had once bestowed wisdom, free will, and unique souls upon all living beings.

There were rumors that Mevis had died to mortal greed, their remaining power divided among relics.

Yet in Valhalla, the resting place of fallen gods, there was no sign of Mevis.

Which meant there was only one possibility:

Mevis was not dead.

They were still alive somewhere on the continent of Samael.

With the crisis of the Magic Eye temporarily resolved, Leon’s next priority was to search for Mevis—or for a surviving lineage connected to them.

After all, to stand against Atos, divine relics alone were not enough. The power of a Primordial Deity was indispensable.

“Alright. I wish you all smooth travels,” Claudia said.

“And the same to you,” Leon replied.

…

…

Life in the Adult Dragon Division turned out to be somewhat different from what Noa had imagined.

She had thought that once she joined, there would be endless missions and people constantly in need of rescue.

After all, the reason Saint Heath Academy—long known for its absolute neutrality—maintained such prestige among the dragon clans was largely thanks to the Adult Dragon Division.

“One day, this clan runs into trouble—don’t worry, the Adult Dragon Division is here.
The next day, another clan rebels—don’t panic, the Adult Dragon Division will suppress it again.”

Of course, not every issue required the division’s intervention. It always depended on the situation.

Still, Noa found her current life… a bit boring.

Ever since the “Rescue Yuna’s Team” mission, the newcomers of their batch hadn’t received a single difficult assignment.

Most of their tasks were trivial matters.

Including, but not limited to:

Cleaning the streets of Sky City;
Visiting elderly people who lived alone;
Delivering books bound in dragon scales;
Spreading “warmth meant just for children”;
Promoting “persistence for tomorrow”;
And keeping the dormitories spotless, because Principal Wilson might drop by for inspections at any time.

Aside from these largely meaningless missions, Noa and the others spent most of their days meditating and training at the Adult Dragon Division’s base, simply to keep from growing rusty.

That afternoon after lunch, Helena noticed that Noa seemed down and took the initiative to ask:

“What’s wrong, Noa? You haven’t looked very happy these past couple of days.”

Noa blinked and hurriedly forced a smile.

“It’s nothing. I’m not unhappy.”

“Oh please. You might fool others, but not me. Out with it—who made you upset?”

Noa knew that in front of her close friend, she was as transparent as if she weren’t wearing clothes at all. She stopped dodging the issue.

“It’s just… being here every day feels really boring. It was better back in the Youth Dragon Division. At least back then, I learned something new every day.”

Helena immediately grasped her unspoken thoughts.

Teaching was one thing. Finding suitable opponents was another.

But looking at the current trainees, there really wasn’t anyone who could exchange even a few moves with her.

After thinking it over, Helena stood up and took Noa by the wrist.

“Come on. I’ll show you something.”

“What is it? Slow down.”

They climbed all the way to the top floor of the training facility, where a massive recording stone monument stood.

Displayed on it was a ranking list.

Every active member of the Adult Dragon Division was listed by name, each followed by a string of numerical points.

“Helena, what is this?” Noa asked.

She scanned the hundreds of names and eventually found her own near the lower portion of the list.

“This is the Adult Dragon Division’s points ranking,” Helena explained. “The more missions you complete, the more points you earn, and the higher your ranking.”

Noa blinked. “So… what’s it for?”

“Of course it has a purpose!”

Helena said excitedly.

“The academy gathers members of different races to carry out missions, so it’s impossible for there to be no benefits at all. Each term, the academy distributes rewards based on this ranking. The higher you rank, the greater the rewards. There’s even a chance to receive an honorary medal personally awarded by the principal.”

After hearing this, Noa nodded thoughtfully.

She wasn’t particularly interested in material rewards. Given her family background—and her “all-powerful, daughter-obsessed father”—even if Noa said she wanted the stars in the sky, her own family would probably ride meteors through the night to fetch them for her.

What truly caught her interest was that honorary medal.

Like her father, Noa valued honor and prestige far more than material gain.

Things no amount of money or reward could ever replace.

“Hm…” Noa frowned in thought.

Helena smiled. “Well? Doesn’t it sound interesting?”

Noa shook her head and complained:

“This kind of ranking feels like something out of the novels Aurora reads… ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ If they want to reward outstanding students, wouldn’t it be better to record achievements privately? Why put it all out in the open?”

Helena scratched her forehead in confusion.

“Uh… what do you mean?”

Noa laughed.

“For excellent students, a ranking like this showcases their strength and glory. But for those who perform a bit worse, isn’t this basically public execution?”

Helena was momentarily at a loss.

“Maybe it’s meant to encourage competition among students…”

“Competition?”

Noa mulled over the word, her gaze unconsciously landing on a name a few lines above hers.

Tucker.

Her brows knit slightly.

She remembered Tucker mentioning that he was a specially recruited member of the Adult Dragon Division and had already completed many missions.

Yet Noa was still a newcomer, with only a handful of missions under her belt—and her ranking was already close to his.

Noa wasn’t a naïve fool. She could clearly see Tucker’s jealousy and ambition, even a hint of excessive arrogance.

And during the mission to rescue Yuna’s team, she had unintentionally crossed paths with him and formed a bit of bad blood…

“I really hope the thing I’m most worried about doesn’t happen,” she sighed inwardly.

She had joined the Adult Dragon Division to hone herself—not to get entangled with people who obsessed over petty comparisons, and certainly not to become the subject of such gossip.

Shaking her head to clear away the cluttered thoughts, Noa asked:

“So why did you bring me here?”

“Didn’t you say life’s been boring lately? Then work on raising your points,” Helena said cheerfully.

Noa froze. “What does being bored have to do with raising points?”

“Of course it does. The higher your points, the higher the difficulty of the missions you’re allowed to take.”

Helena explained:

“Right now, we’ve only just joined the Adult Dragon Division. Aside from the sudden incident with Yuna, with our current points we can only take those small, low-level missions. That’s why you feel bored.So if you want a bigger challenge, you need enough points first. And the only way to earn points is by continuously taking missions—including the ones you think are meaningless. Do you understand now, Noa?”

Realization dawned on Noa.

“So that’s how it works… I actually didn’t know.”

“That’s because you were too busy complaining about how boring life was,” Helena said bluntly.

Noa scratched her head sheepishly.

“Hehe~”

“Now you get it.”

Helena smiled.

“So next time you do those small missions, you won’t feel they’re meaningless anymore, right?”

Noa nodded vigorously. “I won’t.”

“Good~”

After understanding the mission system of the Adult Dragon Division, Noa finally relaxed.

At least it meant she hadn’t been wasting her time with those small tasks.

With renewed motivation, the curly-haired girl straightened up, full of confidence.

Then she grabbed her best friend and went to water the flowers kept by the Academic Affairs Director.

A task reportedly worth a full three points.

Well. Only two hundred more rounds of watering, and she’d be eligible for the next tier of missions.