Mildian Academy

When the furious Gilkunis arrived, he froze in midair at the sight of Sordil flying wildly through the sky and the black figure clinging desperately to Sordil's scales. The moment Sordil spotted Gilkunis, he immediately rushed over, tightly hugged Gilkunis's palm, and tearfully poured out his grievances. With dark lines practically forming across his forehead, Gilkunis plucked the black figure off Sordil's back. No matter how clever Sordil is, he's still a newborn child. He needs more training.

Once the black figure had been pulled away, Sordil finally saw what he looked like: short black hair, yellow skin, ragged clothes, and a childish face brimming with contempt and hatred. His large eyes were fixed firmly on Sordil.

"Human boy, why did you attack my son for no reason?" Gilkunis asked the Little One in his hand, his tone unfriendly.

"Hmph! Not a single dragon is any good. Do I need a reason to kill you?" the black-haired youth replied with a face full of disdain.

"Oh? It seems my kin harmed you before, so you want to hunt dragons for revenge, is that it?" Gilkunis asked in a complicated tone. After all, many dragons on the Western Continent did indeed treat hunting humans as entertainment, provoking humanity's hatred. He just had not expected Sordil to suffer such an undeserved misfortune today.

"That's right. It's just a pity I failed to kill this dragon!" The black-haired youth stared hatefully at the unharmed Sordil.

"Of course you failed. Even without magic, a dragon's sturdy scales are not something humans can easily damage. There have been fools like you before, and they were all killed without even leaving a corpse behind. But I won't interfere in whether you live or die. Sordil will decide for himself whether to take your life." Gilkunis calmly stated the youth's fate.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you! But I don't intend to forgive you either, so I've decided to punish you by making you accompany me to Mildian Magic Academy and receive Uncle Hissell's instruction. I'll turn you into the most polite person there is!" Sordil stared sternly at the black-haired youth, like a teacher reprimanding a student who had made a mistake.

"What?... What did you say?... You won't kill me, and you're even going to find someone to teach me magic?" Zeref had already prepared himself to embrace death, only for that dragon to tell him that not only would he not kill him, he would even find someone to teach him magic. Zeref wondered whether there was something wrong with his ears, or whether this was all an illusion.

"You heard right, and I didn't misspeak! I'm going to find someone to teach you magic, then help you resurrect your family so they can apologize and make amends for your rude behavior today!" Sordil said as he stared at the youth before him. In truth, Sordil had recognized Zeref the moment Gilkunis placed him in front of him, which was why he had proposed such a punishment. If it had been anyone else, they would have died countless times over by now.

But Zeref knew none of this. He merely thought he had encountered an anomaly among dragons—a dragon with a broad mind who respected humans and understood the value of life. Unknowingly, Zeref's impression of dragons began to change. What had once been a belief that all dragons were arrogant, cruel, and self-righteous gradually became an understanding that dragons, too, could be good or bad. The way Zeref looked at Sordil changed from contempt and hatred to respect and friendliness. At the very least, Zeref truly could not bear to kill someone broad-minded enough to spare a person who had tried to kill him, even if he was a dragon Zeref hated.

Sordil's treatment of Zeref worried Gilkunis slightly. If Sordil remained this innocent, he might suffer even greater harm in the future. However, he had said that he would not decide Zeref's life or death for Sordil. It seemed he would have to find a time to give Sordil a proper warning.

Naturally, Sordil had no idea what the other dragon and human were thinking. Still, he felt that heaven had truly helped him this time. Just when he had been worrying about how to survive the war, it had delivered Zeref right to his side. Not only did Zeref now owe him his life, but Sordil had directly risen to become Zeref's owner. Sordil felt as though he had gone from a million oppressed peasants to prosperity overnight. But when he turned back and saw Zeref's current state, Sordil instantly realized he had celebrated too soon. Zeref was still four hundred years away from meeting his expectations! Sigh! The revolution has yet to succeed; comrades must continue striving.

Thus, the two dragons and one human once again set out for Mildian Magic Academy. Along the way, the three divided the work between them, turning the dull journey of study into a food-making workshop. Their relationship improved further as a result. Happy times were always short-lived. Just as the three were becoming deeply engrossed in developing new dishes, a white city appeared in their view.

Sordil brought Gilkunis and Zeref to the small hill from last time, crushed the communication tool Hissell had given him before, and the three quietly waited where they were for Hissell to arrive. About fifteen minutes later, the white-bearded old man finally arrived. When he saw Gilkunis and Zeref, surprise and confusion flashed through his eyes.

"Uncle Hissell, Old man Hadessta had something urgent come up and couldn't come. This is Old man Gilkunis. He came here with me in Old man Hadessta's place and is responsible for protecting me." Sordil stepped forward and pointed at Gilkunis, then pointed at Zeref and continued, "This is a new friend I met on the road. His name is Zeref. He plans to take Mildian Magic Academy's entrance test, so he came with me!"

"Alright, I understand. I'll arrange his test for him. I'll prepare accommodations for you first, then take you to the academy." Hissell replied. The moment he saw Gilkunis, the old man guessed that his old friend had probably failed to escape that beating and was now recovering from his injuries at home.

"There's no need, Uncle Hissell! Before coming here, Old man Gilkunis already dug a cave in a nearby canyon for us to live in. At our speed, it only takes five or six minutes to get back from here, so there's no need to prepare lodgings," Sordil persuaded him.

"Alright then, let's head to the academy now!" Hissell said cheerfully after hearing Sordil's words.

"You two go ahead. I won't be coming along. I need to go back and hunt for dinner, so I'll be leaving first," Gilkunis said, stating his plans after hearing Hissell. The four then parted ways. Sordil and Zeref followed Hissell to Mildian Magic Academy, while Gilkunis returned to their dwelling.

Sordil carried Zeref on his back as he flew into the sky, while Hissell used magic to float in the air and lead the two onward. About three or four minutes later, buildings resembling Athenian temples appeared before them. Exquisite stone palaces, broad and level plazas, beautiful fountains, and several buildings of unknown purpose together formed this magic academy that stood proudly above the continent, silently telling the world of humanity's wisdom and glorious civilization.