The Strongest Student of the Weakest Academy - Chapter 412

Capítulo 412: The Beginning Of The End [LXXIV]

“….”

Aestrea slowly averted his gaze from the two deadly stares that threatened to pierce his body.

“…I’m sorry?”

The silence that followed was stupidly heavy.

“You’re sorry?” Kael’s eye twitched violently.

“YOU’RE SORRY?”

“Aestrea. Do you have any idea how long we’ve been waiting?” Tyrian cracked his knuckles, his smile thin and terrifyingly polite.

“…Ten hours?” Aestrea answered carefully.

“TRY AGAIN,” Kael snapped at him directly.

“TEN HOURS AND SEVENTEEN MINUTES.”

“We even counted!” Tyrian nodded solemnly.

Aestrea swallowed.

“…You counted.”

“We had nothing else to do,” Kael growled. “Because SOMEONE vanished off the face of the world right before a scheduled trip.”

“We woke up early,” Tyrian added calmly. “Packed everything. Double-checked supplies. Stood right here like responsible adults.”

Kael jabbed a finger at Aestrea’s chest.

“I MISSED BREAKFAST.”

“…That does sound serious,” Aestrea muttered.

“DON’T YOU ‘THAT DOES SOUND SERIOUS’ ME,” Kael shouted. “You know what happens when I miss breakfast?!”

“You become unbearable,” Tyrian stated flatly.

“I BECOME FERAL.”

“Okay, okay. I admit I lost track of time,” Aestrea raised both hands slightly.

“Lost track of time… doing what, exactly?” Tyrian’s eyes narrowed, staring deeply into his eyes, searching for any signs that he would be lying.

Aestrea quickly tried to come up with something, but ended up blurting out…

“Stuff…”

“Stuff?” Kael leaned in.

“Yes.”

“What kind of stuff?” Tyrian pressed.

“…Personal stuff.”

“Oh?” Kael’s lips curled into a slow, dangerous grin.

“Very interesting…” Tyrian tilted his head.

Aestrea felt sweat trickle down his spine.

“I overslept,” he blurted.

Kael stared at him.

Tyrian stared harder.

“…You overslept,” Tyrian repeated.

“Yes.”

“For ten hours.”

“…It was a very deep sleep,” Aestrea replied weakly.

“Kael. Don’t.” Tyrian closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Oh, I’m doing it! I BET it wasn’t sleep.”

Aestrea flinched.

“Let me guess. Dorm room. Door closed. ‘Do Not Disturb’ aura active,” Kael crossed his arms.

“…Lunara…” Tyrian opened one eye.

Aestrea didn’t react to his words.

“Mhm…” Tyrian observed his reaction.

The silence this time was deafening.

“…I can’t confirm or deny anything,” Aestrea spoke after a long pause.

“YOU!!!” Kael made a strangled noise.

He grabbed Aestrea by the shoulders and shook him violently.

“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT WE WENT THROUGH?!”

“He does not.” Tyrian sighed deeply.

“We were bored out of our MINDS,” Kael continued. “At hour three, I tried to entertain myself by counting how many times Tyrian blinked.”

“It was sixty-seven times in ten minutes,” Tyrian added-

“He was wrong.”

“I WAS NOT WRONG,” Kael snapped.

“YOU BLINKED EXTRA.”

Aestrea blinked.

“…I can make it up to you?”

Kael slowly stopped shaking him.

“…Go on.”

“I’ll cover all expenses for the trip,” Aestrea said.

Tyrian raised an eyebrow.

“Everything?”

“Yes.”

Kael’s grip loosened.

“…Including snacks?”

“Yes.”

“Premium snacks?” Kael pressed.

“Yes.”

Kael released him instantly and turned away.

“I forgive you.”

“DON’T FORGIVE HIM SO FAST!!!” Tyrian snapped.

“I’m a simple man,” Kael shrugged.

“This happens again, and I’m telling Lunara you have more than fifteen wives back in those lower realms!” Tyrian looked back at Aestrea, his eyes sharpening slighly.

Aestrea’s face twitched at his words.

It wasn’t the exact number… but it was close to the number of supposed lovers he has.

“Alright, alright,” Aestrea sighed, rubbing his temple. “Let’s just go to the teleportation gate before you start listing random names.”

“Too late. I’ve already imagined half of them,” Kael snorted.

They made their way toward the center of the city, where a small circular altar stood embedded in the marble plaza.

Five guards surrounded it, each wearing a ceremonial armor etched with spatial runes, with their spears planted in the ground.

As soon as the trio approached, one of the guards turned, his gaze briefly scanning them before landing on the Academy emblems stitched onto their uniforms.

He nodded lightly.

“Destination?” the guard asked.

“Dragonborn City,” Kael answered without hesitation.

The guard’s eyebrow lifted slightly, but he didn’t question it. Instead, he turned his head toward the others.

“Prepare the gate.”

At his command, Kael, Tyrian, and Aestrea stepped onto the center of the altar.

The five guards moved in unison, stretching their hands forward as divine sigils ignited beneath their palms.

Fwooooom!

A gentle yet overwhelming current of divinity flowed into the altar, causing the engraved runes to glow and the stone beneath their feet to tremble faintly.

The air warped.

Swish…!

A warm, spiraling wind wrapped around their bodies, lifting their clothes and forcing all three of them to shut their eyes instinctively.

And when they opened them again, they were no longer in the academy city.

Before them stretched Dragonborn City.

“Wow…”

Aestrea was quite shocked.

Massive, layered structures of crimson stone and obsidian rose high into the sky, their rooftops shaped like dragon scales and wings.

Broad streets paved with polished black marble reflected the sunlight, while streams of molten-red energy flowed through transparent channels carved into the ground, pulsing like veins.

At the very heart of the city stood an awe-inspiring monument.

A colossal red dragon statue, its body coiled majestically around a giant sword embedded vertically into the plaza.

The blade alone was taller than most towers, its surface etched with ancient draconic runes, while the dragon’s wings were spread wide as if shielding it.

The dragon’s eyes glowed faintly, giving the unnerving impression that it was watching every newcomer.

Waterfalls poured from elevated platforms around the statue, crashing into circular basins below, filling the air with mist that shimmered like embers under the sunlight.

Wyverns and lesser dragons soared overhead, their roars echoing faintly as airborne transport platforms floated between towers.

“…Damn,” Kael muttered, his eyes roaming over the city once more.

“Every time I come here, it still feels unreal.”

“You’ve been here before?” Tyrian asked, genuine surprise appearing on his face as he turned toward him.

Kael shot him a look as he’d just asked the stupidest question imaginable.

“Well, duh,” Kael scoffed. “I’m the one who recommended this place in the first place. Why wouldn’t I have been here before? Freakin’ dumbass.”

Tyrian’s brow twitched.

“…Do you want to fucking die?” he snapped.

“Ah, like you have the ability to kill me! Go on! DO IT!” Kael grinned immediately, clearly delighted.

The air between them visibly tensed as Tyrian’s mana flared just slightly, his hand already inching toward his weapon.

Before it could escalate, Aestrea decided to intervene.

“Enough.”

He didn’t raise his voice, but that alone was enough to make both of them pause.

Kael clicked his tongue and looked away.

Tyrian let out a sharp breath and crossed his arms.

Aestrea glanced at the two idiots in front of him, then sighed softly.

“So,” he said, changing the subject without effort.

“Where are we going first?”

Kael’s head snapped back toward him instantly, his eyes lighting up like a child who’d just been handed permission to misbehave.

“The hot springs,” he answered without a single second of hesitation.

“Directly?” Tyrian blinked.

“Yes,” Kael said firmly. ”

I need to relax. Desperately.”

He shot Aestrea a look filled with accusation and suffering.

“After someone made us wait ten whole damn hours.”

Aestrea turned his head away, pretending very hard not to hear that. It isn’t his fault that Christina is so damn hot.

“…You’re still on about that?” Tyrian muttered.

“Yes,” Kael replied flatly.

“My soul aged.”

“…Fine. Hot springs, it is.” Aestrea rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“YES!!!” Kael pumped his fist victoriously.

They didn’t waste any time.

Kael practically took the lead, marching down the wide marble streets of Dragonborn City with far too much enthusiasm for someone who’d been “emotionally damaged” ten hours ago.

The streets were alive, vendors shouting, dragonkin strolling casually alongside humans, the distant roar of an actual dragon echoing somewhere above the spires.

Warm air carried the faint scent of minerals and steam, unmistakable even from several streets away.

“That smell,” Kael said, inhaling deeply.

“Sulfur. Minerals. Relaxation.”

“You sound disturbingly knowledgeable about this,” Tyrian muttered.

“I have priorities,” Kael replied proudly. “Unlike some people who disappear for half a day and leave their friends to rot.”

Aestrea ignored that with professional skill.

The hot springs complex eventually came into view, carved directly into a massive obsidian cliff at the edge of the city.

Water cascaded down in layered falls, steaming as it pooled into enormous natural basins.

Dragon-shaped stone carvings lined the terraces, their open maws pouring endlessly flowing water into the springs below.

Runes glowed faintly along the stone paths, regulating temperature and purity.

“…Alright,” Tyrian admitted quietly.

“This is impressive.”

“Told you,” Kael grinned.

They passed through the entrance gate, where a bored-looking dragonkin attendant waved them through after a quick glance at their academy emblems.

The moment they stepped inside, the temperature rose noticeably, warmth sinking straight into their bones.

Aestrea exhaled slowly.

“…I can see the appeal.”

Kael looked back at him with mock offense. “You mean to tell me you doubted me?”

“Yes.”

“Betrayal!” Kael gasped dramatically.

They reached the changing area, separated by tall stone walls and privacy barriers. Steam drifted lazily through the air, blurring the edges of everything.

“Rules are simple,” Kael said, already loosening his clothes. “No fighting. No killing. No traumatically divine incidents.”

Tyrian shot Aestrea a look.

“That last one’s for you.”

“I haven’t done anything,” Aestrea replied calmly.

“Yet…”

Moments later, they stepped into the main spring.

The water was perfect!

Hot, but not overwhelming, infused with mana that gently soothed muscles and eased tension.

Aestrea lowered himself into the spring with a quiet breath, the warmth instantly melting away the strain he hadn’t even realized he was carrying.

“…Wow,” Kael muttered as he submerged up to his shoulders.

“I can feel my lifespan returning.”

Tyrian sank in beside him, resting his arms along the stone edge.

“…I hate how right you were about this.”

“Say it louder,” Kael smirked triumphantly.

“No.”