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She pretended not to notice even when Julius subtly approached her.

‘Once the Blossoming Ceremony is over, they’ll naturally find out everything.’

Evelyn believed Theo would achieve good results, so she deliberately distanced herself from the topic.

She didn’t want to hear any news about him getting hurt and feel anxious over it.

However, one day during the third round of the Blossoming Ceremony, a woman suddenly showed up at the 4th Training Hall, claiming to be Theo’s birth mother.

“I came to offer my thanks.”

“You don’t need to be so thankful for what I’ve done for young master Theo. Honestly, even without me, he would have blossomed in his own time.”

Evelyn’s words were sincere.

It was true that she had helped refine Theo’s swordsmanship, but all she had really done was speed up the process a little.

Eventually, Theo would have made a brilliant name for himself, just as he had now.

However,

“So, this is why.”

Cecilia smiled, a mix of understanding and something else.

“Now I think I know why my son was able to rise.”

“Pardon me for asking, but what do you mean by that?”

“I was just thinking… Perhaps the reason my son shines so brightly now is not because of his swordsmanship or talent, but because of your mindset, Lady Evelyn.”

Cecilia spoke with a bitter smile.

“You’ve probably heard the rumors, but I’m a sinner who has failed as a mother. I couldn’t give my son the proper love he deserved. I was a disgrace of a mother.”

“……”

“But, at some point, my relationship with my son began to improve. It was like magic. Looking back, I wonder if that time was exactly when he met you, Lady Evelyn.”

Evelyn suddenly felt something unseen weighing heavily on her heart.

Salvation.

Cecilia was telling her that she had saved Theo.

Even though, in reality, it was Evelyn herself who had been saved…

“That’s why I wanted to thank you like this.”

“No, I’m just a one-armed swordswoman. You don’t need to go this far—”

As Evelyn tried to stop Cecilia, who had bowed her head in gratitude, suddenly—

Thud!

Cecilia furrowed her brows as if something displeased her and grabbed the sleeve of Evelyn’s left arm.

“No, you mustn’t say it like that.”

“W-What do you mean…?”

Evelyn blinked in confusion, not understanding what was happening.

“My son is someone who will shine even brighter in the future and rise to great heights. Someone who is his teacher should not humble herself like this.”

“…!”

“And… I also don’t understand why someone as radiant and beautiful as you would try to hide yourself.”

Thump!

For the first time, Evelyn felt her heart pound loudly.

“You too, are beautiful.”

Those words left her feeling entranced.

“This won’t do. Do you have some time? I would like you to come with me somewhere.”

“Where to…?”

“Where else would it be? Naturally…”

Cecilia smiled warmly.

“I’ll take you to a place where you can shine even more brilliantly. I, Cecilia, will make sure to show you just how beautiful and magnificent you truly are.”

* * *

Looking back now…

Evelyn realized she had always been preoccupied with hiding herself.

She had been taught that humility was the virtue of a swordsman.

And…

That mindset only grew stronger after she lost her left arm.

So, the path she chose was to run away…

“I hope you realize just how beautiful and dazzling you are…”

That’s what Cecilia had said, as she presented Evelyn with this new left arm.

Whooosh—

Evelyn’s partner, Rangus, soared gracefully through the blue sky, its wings fluttering magnificently.

It seemed to be enjoying the time spent with its rider after such a long while.

Thanks to that, Evelyn was able to release the pent-up frustration and anger that had been silently building inside her for so long.

“…And that’s how I was able to hold the reins again.”

Theo, sitting behind Evelyn, stared blankly at her iron prosthetic arm.

A bitter smile formed on his lips.

‘I should’ve been the one to help her first. This was my mistake.’

He had only thought about receiving help from Evelyn, never once thinking about giving her help in return. As a disciple, he had failed.

At the same time, he felt deeply grateful to Cecilia for providing such assistance.

“So, have all your senses returned?”

Evelyn focused on her left prosthetic hand as she held the reins. Her fingers wiggled slightly.

“No, I’m still clumsy in many ways. But I’m continuing the work of connecting the nerves, and they’ve told me that soon I’ll be able to regain about 80% of the original functionality of my arm.”

There was a hint of a smile in Evelyn’s voice.

It was hope.

“That’s great, really great news.”

“It’s all thanks to Lady Cecilia and Lady Kirsion. Especially Lady Kirsion’s skills, they truly live up to the reputation.”

Although it was supposedly their first time making a prosthetic arm, the master artisan of the Vasque Workshop was unmatched.

…She did grumble about losing too much money because of Theo and his mother, though.

Theo decided to pretend not to hear that.

“Rather than continuing my story… what kind of wyvern do you plan to use for the test?”

Evelyn, feeling embarrassed about going on and on about herself, changed the subject.

Currently, Holcus was with Selperd and Erika was following Arin, each conducting their aptitude tests.

“Well.”

Theo looked down at the ground.

Along the sharp, towering peaks that rose like a giant sword stabbed into the earth, dozens of wyverns were nesting.

‘That’s the White Dragon’s Nest.’

At Ragnar, the wyverns trained by the White Armored Dragon Cavalry were called ‘Flying Dragons’ or ‘White Dragons.’

In other words, all the wyverns there belonged to Ragnar.

But that didn’t mean they were all ‘trained.’

Most of them were wild.

“Which one would be good?”

“Well, they all have different traits depending on the species… Ultimately, young master’s preference is what matters the most. Do you see the ones with the red bands around their necks?”

“Yeah, not just red, but there are blue and black ones too, right?”

“Exactly. Wyverns are generally classified into four major species.”

According to Evelyn’s explanation, the names and characteristics of each of the four species were as follows:

– Optirex, the Monstrous Dragon Species.

Among the various types of wyverns, this one boasted the largest size and was also called the tyrant of the skies.

It could grow up to 15 meters long, and with its strong bite force and claws, it could crush anything it caught in an instant.

Its bronze-colored scales and hide were particularly tough, easily deflecting most ordinary blades.

– Avialai, the Venomous Dragon Species.

It was much smaller, but it had a long, snake-like body and tail. With its fierce nature, it was notoriously difficult to handle.

The venomous sting at the end of its long tail was powerful enough to bring down a bull, and sometimes it even used its tail like a whip.

In times of danger, it could release a purple poisonous mist from its skin.

– Sigia, the Blade Dragon Species.

The only species of wyvern known for its gentle nature, it preferred plants over meat. It had a habit of digging burrows, making its nests underground.

Normally, the wings were used like front legs, but their membrane could be sharpened and used like blades. Occasionally, they would hide underground like assassins and slice through their prey.

– Velociraptor, the Swift Dragon Species.

Among the four species, it was the smallest, never growing larger than 3 meters. Because of this, it had a tendency to move in packs, and it was known for being quite intelligent.

With its rapid speed and the ability to breathe fire, it was called a natural hunter. It also boasted the largest population among the species.

“To distinguish between the dragon species, we also color the bands around their necks differently. The Monstrous Dragon Species has a red band, the Venomous Dragon Species has a black band, the Blade Dragon Species has a blue band, and the Swift Dragon Species has a yellow band.”

Theo nodded.

He already knew that the White Armored Dragon Cavalry organized their squads based on the traits and types of wyverns.

“So, young master’s preference is the most important. Usually, one’s preference is closely related to compatibility, which increases the chances of a good match.”

“My preference, huh.”

Theo narrowed his eyes again as he scanned the wyverns on the ground.

‘Still can’t see it.’

In fact, ever since he arrived at the White Dragon’s Nest, there was a particular wyvern he had been looking for.

‘The Shadow Wyvern. That thing should be around here around this time… Its appearance is so distinct that it should be easy to spot.’

About six years after the onset of the Great War, a major disaster suddenly struck Winterer.

A mutant wyvern attacked the White Dragon’s Nest, wiping out over a hundred wyverns that the White Armored Dragon Cavalry had carefully raised over the years.

Many swordsmen of Winterer set out to hunt down the mutant, but they all failed.

The mutant had a trait of hiding in the shadows, which made it difficult to deal physical damage.

Not only that, but it was extremely intelligent, as vicious as it was cunning, and ended up causing enormous damage to Ragnar.

In the end, on that day eight villages burned and dozens of swordsmen perished.

Ragnar eventually classified the mutant as a second-grade disaster beast and issued an extermination order.

The nickname it earned was Shadow Wyvern—a wicked dragon that hid in the shadows.

‘And it wasn’t until the commander of the White Armored Dragon Cavalry and the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace personally stepped in that they were able to capture it.’

It was so powerful that it required the mobilization of two of the Nine Dragons.

And,

After that, Black Snow began to backtrack to find the source of the Shadow Wyvern to prevent such a disaster from happening again.

In the process, they were able to uncover a few facts.

The first thing they found was that the Shadow Wyvern had, in fact, once escaped from the White Dragon’s Nest.

‘That thick ash-gray hide and scales, and a body even larger than most Monstrous Dragon species… It’s not here. I don’t see it. What on earth happened?’

Theo was searching for the Shadow Wyvern partly because he wanted his chosen partner to be strong,

but mostly, he simply wanted to see it in person at least once.

The second fact they discovered about the Shadow Wyvern was this:

Back when it was still in the White Dragon’s Nest, it had been ostracized by its pack.

‘Am I remembering something wrong? No. That can’t be.’

Theo had been the one who wrote the tracking report at the time, so there was no one who knew the habits of the Shadow Wyvern better than he did.

‘The reason it escaped from the nest was largely because its peculiar appearance made it unable to blend in with the others…!’

Suddenly, something came to mind.

“Evelyn, can we check the outer areas as well?”

“It’s possible, but… if we go too far out, we’ll get close to the Demonic Sea, so we can’t go far.”

“Even so, let’s try.”

Evelyn tilted her head at Theo, who was still undecided, but eventually nodded and gripped the reins tightly.

Partners were usually chosen based on instinct.

Rangus soared even higher, swiftly heading toward the outer edge of the White Dragon’s Nest, and

as they passed several rocky nests below, Theo’s eyes lit up.

‘Found it.’

In the distance,

surrounded by a dozen wyverns, an ash-gray wyvern was snarling and hissing.

Kaaarrrgh!

“Those things again…!”

At that moment, Evelyn’s expression twisted slightly.

She seemed to know the creature well.

“Do you know anything about that ash-gray wyvern?”

At Theo’s casual question, Evelyn nodded heavily.

“It’s the one that’s been ostracized since before I left the White Armored Dragon Cavalry. The unit tried to isolate it several times and even changed its pack… but…”

“It’s been like that all this time, huh.”

Evelyn sighed deeply before continuing.

“It’s a pitiful one. It lost its mother when it was too young to protect itself, and because of its unusual appearance, it’s always been rejected by the pack. It’s had plenty of close calls, nearly dying several times. If not for its natural size and abilities… haah!”

Theo didn’t need to hear the rest to understand what she meant.

However, there was one thing Theo learned for the first time.

“Lost its mother?”

“Yes. It was due to complications during birth. Normally, it would have been impossible for it to be born.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The father of that child… it wasn’t another wyvern. It was a Biffer.”

In an instant, Theo’s eyes widened.

“A Biffer? The first-class disaster beast that lives deep within the Demonic Sea? But how could it mate with a wyvern…? No, they’re not even the same species to begin with.”

A first-class disaster beast is considered akin to a natural disaster, like a typhoon or torrential rain.

If even one were to cross the Great Wall, it would cause immense damage, much like a natural disaster.

The Biffer, among them, is a ghostly creature that lives in the shadows of forested areas, wandering without a fixed form and stealing the lives of living beings.

“I don’t know the details either. I only know that when that child was born, it caused quite a stir within the White Armored Dragon Cavalry.”

Theo quietly gazed at the Shadow Wyvern.

The creature’s head was noticeably larger than the other wyverns, but despite that, its body was covered in wounds from constant abuse by the pack.

Some of the wounds were already healing.

This meant it had been mistreated for a very long time.

‘Still the same.’

That sight hit Theo particularly hard.

It reminded him of himself in his previous life.

Unable to blend in anywhere, always circling around the outskirts, just like this wyvern.

‘…That’s why, back when I was investigating it, I couldn’t help but be drawn to it.’

Gritting his teeth, Theo slowly activated his telekinesis.

‘So this time…’

Swish…

Four Death Beats rose into the air.

‘I’ll help it live a different life.’

– Just as I’m doing now.

“What’s its name?”

Evelyn, who had been about to urge Rangus forward to rescue the Shadow Wyvern, stopped and turned around hurriedly.

Theo’s eyes had darkened, just like when they were at war with the Gathering of the Hidden Dragons.

“…‘Umbra.’ Its name is Umbra.”

It was an ancient word that meant shadow.

“Shadow… That’s a good name.”

“Young master, don’t tell me…”

“Yes. I’m going to take it. I’ll go first.”

There wasn’t even time to ask what he meant by that.

Theo had already leaned to the side and was plummeting toward the ground.

And then,

Pabababak!

Theo began sprinting through the sky at incredible speed,

using the Death Beats as stepping stones.