Chapter 145: War of Dragons
Floran Liclair was a veteran knight who had fought during the War of Dragons. Now, in his later years, he had become a professor at the Arcane Academy, teaching the subject History of the Arcane Age.
Once he had written the topic on the board, he began in a deep, husky tone.
"Dragons are considered the exalted beings, surpassing every other race in both intelligence and physical prowess. However, what makes them truly superior is their immense mana reserves. Even the weakest among them possesses more mana than a Six Ring Mage. Recent studies have also revealed that they were the first creatures to learn the use of magic, which is why they are also known as the Children of Magic.
To this day, Dragon Magic remains too complicated and mysterious to be comprehended by the human mind."
Even with over two hundred students present, the classroom was pin-drop silent. The students listened with intrigue and excitement as they learned information that could only be found on the higher floors of the Arcane Archives, every eye fixed upon Floran’s elderly face.
"What would happen if these Children of Magic decided to invade human territory?" Floran continued in a calm tone as he took his seat on the wooden chair placed before the whiteboard. He was the only professor allowed to remain seated during lectures due to his old age. "If someone had asked this question fifty years ago, the answer would have been... humans would lose after putting up only mild resistance. But now, we would be able to put up a strong resistance and might even slay a few of them. However, in an all-out war, we would still... lose."
The students looked at one another with furrowed brows, their murmurs filling the room.
"Silence!" Floran said in a louder tone, instantly quieting the class before continuing. "I’m aware of what you’re thinking. With the Five Heroes on our side, how could we still lose?"
He voiced the question everyone had before they could interrupt the lecture to ask it.
"You will have your answer by the end of this lecture," he said before continuing. "Thirty years ago, the Argentum Continent was invaded by the dragons. It was a sudden assault with no prior warning. By the time humans had gathered their forces, several cities had already been reduced to ruins, and hundreds of thousands had perished. The land was left scorched beneath the unstoppable breath of the dragons.
Humans sent every person capable of wielding a sword into battle against these apex predators, yet we continued losing more of our lands and people. If not for the Elves, Dwarves, and even Vampires joining forces with humanity to stand against the dragons’ brutality, we would have lost within the very first year of the war. Together, the four races managed to resist them for five years. However, our casualties continued to mount while the dragons suffered little more than superficial injuries. They were about to reach the Duchy of Silva, the only territory separating them from the capital city, when the Four Heroes, personally trained by the Principal of the Arcane Academy, were sent onto the battlefield.
Bram Vordrek, the Master Craftsman from the Land of Dwarves,
Filavandral, the Seven Star Archer Knight from the Elven Forest,
Carmilla Vesper, the noble vampire of the Sanguine Flame Art, and
Lucas Cendral, the Seven Ring Flame Mage at that time."
A ripple of excited gasps spread through the lecture hall at the mention of the four legendary figures whose names had been engraved into the history of Argentum.
’Duchy of Silva? Does that mean Noah is a noble from the ducal family?’Vlad gasped inwardly. ’Damn, his status must be as high as Sera’s. A cracked noble boy. No wonder everyone avoids him.’
Allowing the weight of the Four Heroes’ names to settle over the classroom, Floran continued.
"The appearance of these figures changed the course of the war. For the first time in five years, a dragon was slain, forcing the others to retreat from the Duchy of Silva. The one who killed the dragon was Filavandral, earning the title of the First Dragon Slayer."
"That’s the Elven King for you!" a boy exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement.
All eyes turned toward him. Some laughed, some looked annoyed, while others shook their heads in secondhand embarrassment.
"I... I’m sorry," he muttered, shrinking into his seat in embarrassment.
Floran let out a sigh and shook his head. Had he been a few years younger, he would have certainly punished the boy for disturbing the lecture. He was too old to waste his energy now.
Ignoring the interruption, he continued, "After the appearance of the Four Heroes, the intensity of the war only increased. However, humans were no longer the only ones suffering losses. More dragons began to fall, and their bodies proved to be invaluable treasures for humanity. Their scales were forged into weapons, their flesh into armor, while their blood, bones, and organs were used to create high-ranked elixirs."
Floran’s tone turned grim, his eyes narrowing as he continued. "However, killing even a single dragon required the combined efforts of all four heroes. If multiple dragons attacked different fronts, the Four Heroes were forced to split up, trapping them in a battle of attrition. Unlike humans, who needed time and elixirs to restore their mana, dragons could absorb mana directly from their surroundings, allowing them to quickly recover their strength. It was a truly broken ability that no race other than dragons could use."
’Is he talking about the Art of Dragon Breathing?’ Vlad murmured, his eyebrow rising at the familiar technique. ’Does this mean no human besides me has ever learned it? Just how powerful the Legacy System truly is that it can bend even the laws of magic?’
The thought crossed Vlad’s mind, but he shook it away, deciding to focus on the lecture, which was becoming increasingly exciting.
"The Four Heroes, the only ones capable of standing against the dragons, gradually began to lose ground as the war dragged on for another four years. Then, during the Battle of Starveil Duchy, Carmilla Vesper suffered a mortal wound. She was forced to withdraw from the battlefield, shattering the fragile balance humanity had maintained for the past four years.
Instead of laying waste to the now undefended Starveil Duchy, the dragons stationed there regrouped with the others battling the remaining three heroes, intending to eliminate these pillars of humanity in a single decisive strike.
The overwhelming number of dragons proved too much for the exhausted heroes. They stood on the brink of death. Humanity was about to fall.
But then... he arrived."
Vlad’s lips curled into a grin, his eyes blazing with excitement as Floran declared,
"The Legendary Knight."