Free Web NovelChapter 4: Laira the Crimson Dragon
The grand hall fell completely silent. freewebnoveℓ.com
The laughter was gone. So were the mocking whispers. Hundreds of students seated in the stands seemed to hold their breath at the same time, their eyes fixed on the massive screen behind the altar.
[Rarity: Mythic.]
[Data anomaly detected.]
[Unable to continue analysis.]
[Current display limit: Mythic.]
A student sitting near the aisle muttered under his breath, "Mythic..."
The person beside him swallowed hard, his voice turning dry. "Impossible. Across the entire world, only six Blind Boxes have ever produced Mythic-rank items. Only six. Every person who owns one stands at the very peak of humanity."
He stared at Ethan, almost unable to believe what was happening before his eyes.
"How could the seventh person appear right here at Aurora Academy?"
Another student immediately spoke up. "The device must be malfunctioning. It has to be. There is no way a Partner Box that has been despised by everyone for the past eighty years could produce a Mythic-rank creature."
In the area reserved for the Ashford family, Selene abruptly rose to her feet. The composed expression on her face had vanished entirely.
"That is not possible."
Her voice was higher than usual, filled with disbelief and obvious unease.
"There must be something wrong with the measuring device."
Ryan immediately agreed. He stared at the screen, his face stiffening.
"Exactly. The measurement system has been tampered with. Partner Boxes have been regarded as the worst possible choice for the past eighty years. How could one casually produce a Mythic-rank Partner?"
A student sitting nearby hesitated before speaking. "But that energy reaction just now..."
Ryan snapped his head around.
"It was only stronger than normal. That does not prove she is a Mythic-rank creature."
He looked toward Ethan, his voice becoming colder by the second.
"Ethan may have used an interference item before stepping onto the stage. Or perhaps he deliberately manipulated the measurement system."
Selene immediately added, "I demand that the entire altar be inspected again. Ethan should also be searched."
She looked toward the uppermost floor, speaking with a stern expression as though she were genuinely defending the academy’s honor.
"This is Aurora Academy’s public coming-of-age ceremony. We cannot allow someone to deceive everyone through underhanded tricks."
The whispers quickly returned.
"Cheating?"
"Is that even possible?"
"Where would Ethan obtain an item capable of interfering with the academy’s systems?"
"But a Mythic rank really is too unbelievable."
"There are only six people in the world who possess Mythic-rank items. For a seventh to suddenly appear before our eyes... I cannot believe it either."
Hearing the discussions around him, Ryan gradually regained some of his composure. He turned toward Ethan on the stage, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Brother."
"Did you want to prove yourself so badly that you had to resort to tricks?"
"How pitiful."
He slowly stood up, deliberately raising his voice so that the surrounding students could hear him clearly.
"Do you think making the system display the word ’Mythic’ will make everyone forget that you are already two years behind me?"
"A fake will always remain a fake."
"No matter how grand the spectacle is, the truth will not change."
Ethan did not respond.
He merely looked at Ryan with such calmness that it only irritated him further.
On the highest floor of the grand hall, the man in military uniform slowly asked, "Cheating?"
The gray-haired woman frowned slightly.
"To manipulate the academy’s measurement system, he would need at least a Legendary-rank item specialized in data interference."
She glanced at Ethan’s profile displayed on the screen beside her, then shook her head.
"Ethan could not possibly own such a thing."
The uniformed man looked at the pillar of fire still burning inside the barrier.
"Besides, that aura cannot be fabricated."
Principal Cole tapped his black wooden cane against the floor.
"Maintain order."
His voice spread throughout the entire grand hall through an amplification formation. It was only two simple words, yet the pressure of a true powerhouse immediately descended upon the crowd, causing the whispers to fade away.
Selene still refused to sit down.
"Principal Cole, I demand another inspection."
"This concerns the honor of Aurora Academy."
The principal looked at her through the formation-reinforced glass.
"The device will be inspected."
"However, until an official conclusion has been reached, no one is allowed to casually slander a student of this academy."
Selene’s expression stiffened slightly.
Ryan clenched his fists but ultimately said nothing more.
At the center of the stage, the Crimson Dragon girl paid no attention to the surrounding discussions. After walking out of the sea of flames, she slowly looked to the left, then to the right, as though examining an unfamiliar place.
Finally, her gaze stopped on Ethan.
Ethan was taller than most students his age. Yet even while standing in front of her, he was still nearly half a head shorter.
The moment their eyes met, Ethan immediately focused his mind.
Lines of information appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Laira.]
[Race: Crimson Dragon.]
[True Bloodline: Unable to fully analyze.]
[Public Rarity: Mythic.]
[Actual Rarity: SS.]
[Condition: Severely weakened.]
[Additional Condition: Sealed.]
[Warning: Continuing to observe the seal may lead to unknown consequences.]
Ethan immediately deactivated [Eye of Truth].
Another drop of blood flowed from the corner of his left eye and slowly slid down his cheek.
Laira noticed the streak of blood.
Her orange-red eyes narrowed slightly.
Then she walked toward Ethan.
Clack.
The sound of her heels echoed throughout the silent grand hall.
Clack.
With each step, the invisible pressure surrounding her seemed to rise slightly. The black chains wrapped around her wrists and ankles trembled, producing a dry metallic sound.
Clink.
Clink.
Laira stopped in front of Ethan.
The distance between them was so close that he could feel the warm heat radiating from her body. It was not scorching. Instead, it felt like standing beside a fireplace in the middle of winter.
She lowered her head.
Her long crimson hair fell over her shoulders.
Then, under the gazes of hundreds of students and the high-ranking officials watching from the upper floor, Laira reached out and wrapped one arm around Ethan’s waist.
"Laira?"
The moment Ethan spoke, her other hand lifted his chin.
There was no warning.
Laira leaned down and pressed her soft, warm lips against his.
The entire grand hall froze.
There was no technique to speak of. It did not even seem like she truly understood how a kiss was supposed to work. Laira simply held Ethan tightly in her arms and pressed her lips firmly against his, as though she were earnestly completing a mandatory ritual that could not be allowed to fail.
Her body, more than two meters tall, was almost completely pressed against Ethan. A faint fragrance enveloped him.
It did not smell like perfume.
It was more like the scent lingering after a summer rain, mixed with the distinct warmth of a flame.
For a moment, Ethan’s mind went blank.
Not because he had never imagined kissing a girl, but because no one could possibly prepare themselves for a beautiful Crimson Dragon, more than two meters tall and almost unreal in appearance, to suddenly embrace them in the middle of a public ceremony before hundreds of people.
In the stands, a male student opened his mouth. It took several seconds before he managed to produce a sound.
"She..."
"Kissed him?"
The person beside him continued staring at the stage with an almost numb expression.
"I saw it too."
"But why?"
"Did he not just open a Blind Box?"
Another student gripped the armrest of his seat tightly, his expression pained as though he had just lost something incredibly precious.
"Wait."
"I already had to watch Ethan open a Mythic-rank Partner."
"And now I have to watch her kiss him voluntarily?"
"How is this reasonable?"
The person beside him immediately answered, "It is not reasonable."
"It is completely unreasonable."
"But what can you do about it?"
In the Ashford family’s seating area, Ryan’s expression had become extremely ugly. He stared at Ethan and Laira, gripping the armrest so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand became clearly visible.
"It is only a reaction after being released from the box," Ryan said through gritted teeth.
"There is nothing special about it."
No one responded.
However, the gazes of several nearby students had already become strange.
A reaction after being released from the box?
They had never heard of opening a Blind Box requiring a kiss.
On the highest floor, the control room also fell into an unusual silence. The uniformed man still had one hand resting on the control panel. The gray-haired woman, who had been monitoring the energy readings, could not say a single word.
Even Principal Cole frowned slightly.
After a long silence, the uniformed man slowly asked, "Do Partners usually need to do that after being released from their boxes?"
The gray-haired woman continued looking at the screen in front of her.
"No."
"I know they do not."
"Then why are you asking?"
"I merely wanted confirmation."
"There is no need for confirmation."
Below the stage, Laira finally released Ethan. However, the hand resting on his waist did not immediately move away.
She lowered her eyes and lightly licked her soft lips, as though seriously appreciating the lingering aftertaste. The gesture did not seem intentionally seductive. On the contrary, it felt completely natural, as though she had accidentally tasted something more delicious than expected.
Then she smiled.
"Good."
Ethan looked at her.
He remained silent for two seconds before asking, "Why did you kiss me?"
Laira tilted her head slightly. Her expression suggested that she genuinely did not understand the problem.
"Does opening the box not mean that we have formed a bond?"
"It does."
"Then kissing makes the ritual more complete."
She spoke as though it were perfectly natural.
"It also looks more romantic."
Ethan was speechless.
"It was not necessary."
"I know."
"Then why..."
Laira thought for a brief moment before answering honestly, "Because I like it."
She lowered her head slightly, looking at Ethan as her orange-red eyes curved faintly.
"Besides, it did not feel bad."
Ethan looked at the face only inches away from his own.
Long crimson hair.
Fiery eyes.
Features so beautiful that they were almost flawless.
And a mature body still standing extremely close to him.
He could not deny that the kiss had come far too suddenly. He also could not deny that Laira had given him almost no chance to react.
However, Ethan did not truly dislike it either.
After all, the person who had kissed him was a Crimson Dragon so beautiful that she appeared almost unreal. From any perspective, he was not the one who had suffered a loss.
Ethan exhaled softly.
"Next time, at least warn me first."
Laira blinked, then revealed a carefree smile.
"Fine."
She paused for a moment.
"But what if I forget?"
Ethan looked at her.
Laira also looked back at him with a completely innocent expression.
After a long silence, Ethan finally answered, "We will deal with it when that happens."
Laira nodded in satisfaction.
"Good."
She looked at the slightly worn cuffs of Ethan’s uniform, then at the old marks on his shoes. A trace of confusion appeared in her orange-red eyes.
"Are you poor?"
Several instructors standing nearby unconsciously coughed.
Ethan looked at her.
"At the moment, I do not have much money."
Laira thought about it seriously for two seconds.
Then she lightly patted his shoulder.
"It does not matter."
"I will support you."
The atmosphere in the grand hall became strange.
No one knew how they were supposed to react.
Even Ethan paused briefly. However, when he saw the completely serious expression on Laira’s face, he understood that she was not joking.
A Crimson Dragon who had only just emerged from a Blind Box and probably did not even understand how currency worked in this world was naturally declaring that she would financially support him.
The corner of Ethan’s mouth lifted slightly.
"Fine."
Laira was immediately satisfied.
She nodded, then naturally stepped to Ethan’s side as though that position had always belonged to her.
Ryan stared at the scene before him, his expression becoming even uglier.
"She is only a Partner," he said coldly.
"Even if the device is not malfunctioning, a Partner is still only a Partner."
"The stronger the Partner, the more resources they require. The stronger the Partner, the slower their master’s cultivation speed becomes."
Ryan looked at Ethan with a mocking expression.
"Do not celebrate too soon."
"You may have opened a box containing a dragon."
"But if you cannot pass the trial, you will still remain useless."
Ethan turned to look at him.
However, Laira reacted first.
She slowly turned her gaze toward Ryan.
"Are you talking to him?"
Ryan stiffened slightly.
"I am Ryan Ashford."
"Ethan’s younger brother."
He tried to maintain his composure, then raised one finger.
A small red flame appeared above his fingertip.
"I awakened an S-rank fire ability."
"If you truly are a Crimson Dragon, perhaps we can exchange insights on how to control flames in the future."
Laira looked at the flame for two seconds.
Then she gave an honest assessment.
"Very weak."
The flame above Ryan’s fingertip immediately trembled.
Several nearby students hurriedly lowered their heads, trying to suppress their laughter.
Ryan gritted his teeth.
"I have not fully matured yet."
"Oh."
Laira nodded.
She truly did not seem to be mocking him.
That only made her words even more frustrating.
Laira turned back toward Ethan, completely losing interest in Ryan.
"I am hungry."
"I want meat."
"A lot of meat."
Before Ethan could answer, the sound of a notification bell rang throughout the grand hall.
The ceremony host stepped closer while still maintaining a safe distance from Laira.
"Ethan Ashford."
"Congratulations on completing the selection of your first Blind Box."
He paused briefly before continuing in a serious tone.
"However, opening a Blind Box does not mean that you have already become an Awakened."
"Next, you must select a difficulty level and enter the trial space."
The host looked at Laira, then turned back toward Ethan.
"Only after passing the trial and opening your Heaven Gate will you officially step onto the path of cultivation."
Ethan nodded.
"I understand."
The host took a deep breath.
"Then prepare yourself."
