Chapter 146: The Five heroes
"Clad in heavy golden armor from head to toe, wielding a massive greatsword in his hand, he descended from the sky atop a Dark Unicorn with broad black wings," Floran revealed, his tone rising with excitement as he imagined the legendary figure. "With a single swing of his blade, he beheaded the three dragons that were about to kill the three heroes. ’Turn back, Dragons. Enough blood has already been shed.’ Those were the first words he spoke as he dismounted from his steed."
Vlad felt goosebumps spread across his skin at Floran’s words. Not just him, every student present shared the same feeling, their mouths hanging open in astonishment.
"The dragons took his words as mockery and launched an all-out assault against him. That day, he fought against a hundred dragons, each one as powerful as a Seven Ring Mage. When the battle ended, a mountain of ninety-nine dragon corpses lay beneath him, with the Legendary Knight standing atop them. He deliberately spared the last dragon, sending it back as a warning to its kin."
Floran rose from his seat and began pacing before the lecture hall as he continued, "No one ever saw his face. No one knew his real name. No one knew where he had come from. Together with the other Four Heroes, he marched into the dragons’ territory and, within a single year, brought the War of Dragons to an end. To this day, humanity does not know whether the war ended because of a deal struck between both sides or because the overwhelming might of the Legendary Knight forced the dragons to retreat to their homeland."
He settled back into his chair and released a sigh.
"This is all for today’s lecture. I will now take your questions."
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire class shot their hands into the air, their eyes brimming with barely contained curiosity.
Floran could only sigh at their enthusiasm. He realized it was going to be a long and exhausting question session.
He randomly picked one of the students.
"What was the reason behind the dragons’ invasion? If they truly are beings who surpass even humans in intelligence, as you claimed, then they must have had a justified reason for their attack," a boy asked, his tone laced with arrogance. How could mere beasts be more intelligent than humans?
"They never once conversed with humans," Floran revealed. "They considered us beneath them, unworthy of a proper conversation. There are rumors that they revealed the reason to the Five Heroes, but as a professor of history who believes only in recorded facts, I cannot say for certain."
The boy sat back down with a dissatisfied expression. Floran shook his head, recognizing the arrogance born of ignorance on the boy’s face, but chose not to entertain it any further. Instead, he selected the next student.
A girl rose from her desk and asked in a respectful tone,
"I have heard that the Principal of this academy is a Primordial Dragon and also the master of the Four Heroes. What was her standing during the war?"
"The fact that she taught the Four Heroes the skills needed to slay dragons tells us enough about where she stood," Floran replied.
"Then why did she not fight personally if she truly stood with humanity? Surely, with her strength, we wouldn’t have suffered so many losses," the girl countered.
"Would you fight against your own kind if humans suddenly decided to invade the territory of another race for no apparent reason?"
The question answered itself.
"She was the one most affected by the War of Dragons. Hated by her own kind for teaching magic to humans and feared by the very humans she had guided for many years, she has no place to belong, neither in the dragons’ territory nor among humans. This academy is the only home she has."
His words left a deep impression on Vlad. The petty principal he had been planning to get revenge on was, in truth, a lonely, abandoned dragon. He was certain that if anything were to happen to her, neither side would stand up for her. It was a truly pitiful fate.
’Maybe I should bring her some treats the next time I meet her,’ he murmured inwardly. ’I wonder what dragons like.’
Once the girl settled down, Floran pointed at Max, who had been holding his hand up for quite some time, eager to ask a question.
"Good morning, Sir," Max greeted with a bow as he rose from his desk. "At the beginning of the lecture, you said that if the dragons invade us again, we will lose. But from everything you’ve told us so far, it doesn’t seem like we can actually lose. Could you elaborate on the reason now?"
"Hmm, I was waiting for this question," Floran chuckled, running a hand through his grey beard. "Because we no longer possess the same strength we had during the War of Dragons. Although Lord Cendral became an Eight Ring Archmage by the end of the war, increasing his prowess severalfold, his strength alone cannot fill the void left by the two heroes. A few years after the war ended, Carmella Vesper passed away, unable to recover from the injuries she had sustained during the war."
"Oh, right," Max murmured as he settled back into his seat.
Vlad immediately followed, raising his hand high.
"Yes, Vlad."
"Sir, you said that only three of the five heroes remain. Which other hero is gone?"
The students began chuckling, wearing mocking grins at Vlad’s question.
"That is a very common fact, Vlad," Floran sighed. "The other missing hero is the main reason humanity cannot defeat the dragons as of now. The Legendary Knight, as I mentioned before, mysteriously vanished as soon as the war ended."
"Sir, but he only appeared during times of crisis," Vlad countered curiously. "Couldn’t it be possible that he might appear again if humanity faces another crisis?"
Floran shook his head, letting out a long sigh. "This information is not known to many people. A few years after the war ended, the four heroes revealed that the Legendary Knight would not appear again. Some believe that he retired, while others claim that he also suffered a mortal wound during his battle against the Primordial Dragon, the leader of the Dragon race that invaded our territories, which eventually led to his unfortunate death. But again, these are merely rumours that I, as the Professor of History, will not believe without factual proof. Whatever the reason may be, according to the statement of the four heroes, the Legendary Knight is gone."