A Dragon's Curiosity

“Why have you come here?”

Finding it beneath himself to entertain an unscheduled visitor, the young man picked up a pen and composed a letter.

As long as he had no appointment on his timetable, interruption of his work was rarely valuable enough to be profitable.

Nevertheless, exceptions to the rule did exist.

Stepping forward nervously, the receptionist put the information in her hand on the desk and hastily stepped back, afraid to overstep her station.

“Please take a look at these two profiles, Ser. Two newcomers came to register for the arena today and I found something unusual during their background check.”

Afraid of being scolded for wasting his time, the receptionist spilled her matter of concern without embellishments or exaggeration.

She only hoped that Martin Desford showed some interest in her findings, or her career in the arena may very well end soon.

The young master took the documents in hand and glanced at them once over before putting them on a pile on his desk, before he resumed writing his own file.

Although he did not look too interested, Martin did not send her away either, giving the receptionist a small thread of hope.

Gathering all of her bravery, she ignored the silence this time and spoke up first.

“Ser, during the routine background check, I noticed an irregularity and that is why I came directly to you with the file.

So far we have not found out the names of the two youths, but their guardian was too powerful for our instruments to measure.

Nevertheless, based on context and the initial investigation, they are likely students from the [Royal Academy] to have such cultivation levels at a young age.”

As long as the young master was interested in them, the receptionist would climb the ranks along them.

Anything that could draw a big crowd, increase the betting stakes or otherwise benefit the arena was a worthwhile affair to the families managing the entire operation, and it was her chance to rise from being a receptionist to a better position.

“It’s not the first time that students from the academy have come to participate in the arena league for spending money or training.

Surely you have more information to disturb my work than that, right?”

As a Desford, the young man did not have to raise his voice to convey his irritation.

She trembled at the thought of earning the ire of the heir, but managed to pull through and gather herself.

“You are correct, Ser, there are often students from the academy participating in the arena league.

But there is more to the situation that meets the eye!

It’s normal for powerful students to emerge, but the academy turn just started and they are too young to be in the higher turns.

This is highly unusual and according to the records in the reception area, has only happened very rarely in the past.”

Perhaps her insistence convinced the young master, as he picked up the file for a second time and skimmed the contents instead of simply glancing over them.

Although quite a few of the contestants in the Arena League had higher cultivation, they really were not quite as young as the elf and the human teenager described in the files.

Given that none of the famous newcomers in Thurgau matched their description, it was also unlikely that they had a big background, either from powerful adventurer parents or the high social strata in the capital.

If any of the young masters from famous families or powerful associations wished to sign up for the arena, it would not be a common receptionist's chance to welcome them and handle their matters.

All in all, Martin Desford agreed that there was something unusual about the information in the file and that it was correct to turn to him for further instructions.

“What’s your name?”

There had been no need for the young master to learn about a common receptionist’s name, but now things were different.

Given that the arena could gain one or two young genius fighters, the profits were bound to increase greatly, affecting the share of profit the Desford family obtained.

This made it worthwhile for Martin to invest some of his time.

“Ser, my name is Elinor. Do you have any instructions for me?”

The receptionist never even dreamed of mentioning her name to a bigshot like Martin Desford, and did not expect that he would remember it either.

Nevertheless, her heart nearly burst from the excitement, seeing that the young heir finally paid attention to the information she brought to his attention.

Given that no accidents occurred, her promotion was now only a matter of time.

“As far as I remember, there have been similar situations in the past, although one of them in particular stands out to me.

Strong masters sometimes bring their disciples to the arena to gain real fighting experience, which fits somewhat with the information on hand.

In regards to the [Royal Academy], they sometimes hired powerful adventurers to train their students, although none of those I know match the description of the guardian here.

If the two young ones can catch the attention of a master though, there is bound to be something different about them.

Take some of the funds and start a proper investigation and pay close attention if the two return in the future.

That’s all.”

Despite his young appearance, Martin Desford had handled the daily operations of the arena for quite some time now and acquired an accurate judgement for talents and irregularities.

Not many crooks tried to cheat the arena, and the few attempts were prevented once the staff spotted any irregularities.

Fortunately, oddities did not always mean that shady business was afoot.

As much as this situation was a chance for Elinor the receptionist to climb to a higher position within the arena, it was simultaneously a chance for the arena as a whole to grow their business.

Now it only depended on the elven girl and the young human male to return and participate in their games.

“Make sure you grasp this chance well. There are no second chances here.”

Elinor’s heart pounded quickly as she left the room, she had thought that her eagerness to climb ahead was beneath the notice of the young master, but he gave her a warning right before she left.

Fearful and excited at the same time, the receptionist hurried back and prepared to gather more information first.

Conducting a formal investigation was not in the job scope of her current standing, but rather the privilege of the managers.

Naturally, managers also enjoyed far more resources and influence, which was why she dreamed of becoming one.

While the arena began to work their gears and started their operations, Nisha returned to the Dharnas estate in the noble district.

As a whole, she found the arena fairly interesting and decided to definitely return there in the future.

Nonetheless, the dragon had to find and practice a suitable combat style for herself first, otherwise it would be a waste to train with random weapons only to abandon them later on.

The regular warrior classes at the academy had a multitude of training weapons of all kinds; she had to try out more of them to find the best fit.

Right before the elf entered the compound, she greeted the guard on duty and prepared to enter the main building.

“Please wait a moment, Lady Nisha.”

Uncharacteristically, the guard prevented her from entering the gate, although he still sounded respectful and friendly.

The young mistress of the house made it a point to always greet the guards and remember their names, treating them well and not like servants compared to the other noble estates around.

Together with Henry, who similarly paid respect to them, all of the employees held great respect for the Dharnas family overall.

“What is it?”

Rather than getting angry and demanding to be let inside, Nisha only wondered what happened to make the guard barr her entry.

Relieved that he was not blamed, the guard hurriedly explained.

“Guests from the temple have arrived and the Master passed down an order, no one can get inside or leave the estate grounds before seeing the priests.

Please wait a moment, young mistress, they have just arrived and are both in the main building currently.

I have sent notice that we need one of them, so please bear with it for a moment.”

Guessing what this was about, Nisha decided to wait until one of the priests made their way down and chatted with the guard to pass the time.

Not long afterwards, a man clad in a red accentuated robe exited the main building and made his way over to the gate, neither fast nor flow.

Once he came closer, the girl spotted that he was an older man with grey hair bordering on white and kind lines from smiling often etched on his face.

Hiding his hands in the opposite sleeves, his posture was straight and his pace measured all the way until he reached the guard and the young elf.

“Blessings to you, and thank you for your patience.

As an old-timer, my speed is not quite as good as before, please excuse me for that.”

Despite having never met the priest, his deep voice and amiable air managed to disarm the wariness of a first meeting effortlessly.

Pulling his hands out of the sleeves, the old man signed the seven pointed star on his chest first and then continued to speak.

“I know you want to go inside, so I won’t keep you too long. Let me perform a quick ritual, then you can be on your way.”

Folding his fingers together, the priest gathered his mind and then recited a spell.

“Oh origin of fire, I beseech thee.

Grant me the power to drive away the darkness and all that hides in the dark.

By the covenant between your holy presence and me as the vessel, I ask for your grace.

Cleanse!”

While his words resonated through the entrance gate, a surge of fire elemental mana coalesced around the elderly man and formed the core of a spell above his clasped hands.

Once the incantation reached the end and the priest shouted the last word to activate it, the model for a spell formed from pure fire mana and activated right away.

Bright red light flooded the area and every object within range of the sheen became bathed in fire mana.

Nisha enjoyed the sudden supply of elemental energy, one of her main elements happened to be fire.

The spell attempted to burrow into her personal protection and since it was not a harmful effect, her body did not reject the additional energy and let itself be affected.

Once the [Cleanse] took effect on her, the spell searched for foreign influences and illnesses, yet the dragon was entirely healthy.

Unable to find anything, the spell fizzled out and the mana was absorbed by the elf.

The guard next to her had a similar experience too as he smiled softly and closed his eyes in contentment, warmed by the soft glow of the prayer and the nourishing of fire mana.

Meanwhile, the core of mana holding the spell construct burned itself, diminishing in size until it fell apart entirely.

Feeling that the effect of the ritual ended, the old priest sighed and slumped over for a second, drained from performing the prayer.

Thankfully, he caught himself rather quickly and took a big breath before straightening his back out.

“It’s all good now, you can enter without worry. Let me rest for a moment and I will go back to the meeting.”

“Thank you for the effort, father. Can I ask for your name?”

Nisha had a hunch that it was related to the [Blackroot Plague], but she decided to wait for an explanation later on.

Since the priest was in a meeting, the Marshall was likely at home and receiving them.

“It’s Father Andrews, and it’s no trouble at all. I just did what I should do.”

Signalling with his hands that he would rest for a while longer, the old man gestured for her to go ahead first.