Shut Up, Malevolent Dragon! I Don’t Want to Have Any More Children With You

“We’ve arrived. This is the location for our collaborative outdoor test.”
Mevis landed gracefully at the forest entrance. Leon jumped down from the dragon’s back, holding the two young dragon girls in his arms. As soon as they touched the ground, the black dragon was enveloped in light, transforming into Mevis’s human form.
“Wow, that was fast!” Helena exclaimed. “Such a long journey, and we made it in just two hours! You’re almost as fast as the Silver Dragon Queen!”

Mevis smiled, gently ruffling Helena’s hair. “Don’t overpraise me, Helena. I’m nowhere near the Silver Dragon Queen’s speed. Now, let’s go over the objectives and rules for this test.”
Clapping her hands, Mevis turned to face the group and began her explanation.
“This test has two main objectives.” She raised one finger.
“First, find the hidden St. Heath’s token in this forest. It’s a bracelet bearing the academy’s dragon totem emblem.”

Raising a second finger, she continued,
“Second, purify a water source within the forest to make the downstream river flow clean again.”
After lowering her hand, she added, “While these objectives may sound simple, the forest is full of hidden dangers. Of course, none are as extreme as what you faced with Adamran. The academy has taken every precaution to ensure the safety of all students and guardians.”
Even though the incident with Adamran in the Moonlit Forest had long passed, the academy remained vigilant. Another catastrophe would irreparably damage St. Heath’s reputation.

“Additionally,” Mevis added, “you have only eleven hours to complete both objectives. I will grade Noa based on your results. If you aim for full marks, Noa, you’ll need to give it your all, as this test’s score will influence your next monthly evaluation.”
Finally, she concluded, “This test simulates real-world scenarios, so Noa, as the student, you will be in charge of forming the action plan.”
Noa nodded after a brief moment of thought. “Since time is tight and we have two objectives, we should split into two groups: one to find the token and the other to purify the water source.”

Mevis nodded approvingly, her slender waist and long legs adding an air of elegance as she tilted her head and smiled. “Good plan. How shall we divide the teams?”
“We’ll draw lots,” Noa replied.
“Alright, let me prepare the slips,” Mevis said, retrieving paper and a pen from her backpack. She walked to a flat stone nearby and began writing.

Leon, observing from the side, realized the cleverness of this test design. Beyond encouraging family involvement and teamwork, the two objectives required splitting the group. By including a teacher, a student, a peer, and a guardian, the academy ensured that all parties had to actively participate without shortcuts.
Years ago, when a student cheekily suggested, “Teacher, you take one group while we play around,” it had resulted in a glaring “0” on their final evaluation.
After a short while, Mevis returned with four folded slips of paper.

“Alright, Noa, Helena, and I will draw first,” she announced.
“Yay!” Helena eagerly grabbed a slip, unfolding it as she chanted, “Please let me be with Noa, please let me be with Noa…” She paused, then pouted. “I got ‘token.’ Noa, what about you?”
Noa opened her slip and smiled. “Token.”
“Great! We’ll definitely get full marks this time!” Helena cheered, hugging Noa and nuzzling her cheek.

Noa turned to Mevis and Leon. “We’ll leave the water purification to you, Dad and Teacher Mevis.”
“No problem! Leave it to us!” Leon declared confidently.
Satisfied, Noa and Helena held hands and ran off into the forest.

Mevis pocketed the remaining two slips and turned to Leon. “Shall we go, Leon?”
“Sure,” Leon replied, inwardly pleased with the outcome. This pairing gave him more time to observe Mevis and her behavior without Noa nearby.
Walking side by side, albeit separated by a narrow stream, Leon focused on the surroundings while Mevis walked on the opposite bank. They only exchanged words when necessary, but the silence was broken when Mevis suddenly asked,
“Leon, where did you say I was ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) from?”

Leon froze momentarily but quickly resumed his pace, pretending to study the map. “Did I? I must have misremembered. Where are you from, Teacher Mevis?”
Mevis’s steps faltered for a fraction of a second before she adjusted her rhythm. She glanced at Leon across the stream, her gaze calm and unreadable. “I don’t believe I’ve told you that, Leon.”
Leon gave a slight smile. “Maybe I got it wrong.”

“I’m from the Black Moon Dragon Clan,” she said after a pause. “The clan was disbanded years ago due to war.”
“Black Moon Dragon Clan…” Leon murmured, matching the information Rosvisser had uncovered. His sudden question was a test, but Mevis’s cautious response left little room for doubt.
Still, the possibility lingered: Was Mevis truly a survivor, or was this carefully constructed authenticity? Could the unsettling familiarity Leon, Rosvisser, and Isha felt simply be a coincidence?

“Coincidence? That’d be too convenient,” Leon muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he refocused on the map.
After a while, Leon abruptly stopped and turned to Mevis. “Teacher, can I see the other two slips?”
Mevis halted as well, their gazes locking across the stream. Her calm black eyes met his probing stare, an almost imperceptible tension between them.

“Why do you want to check them now?” Mevis asked, her tone dropping slightly.
“I just… can’t help but wonder,” Leon replied, shrugging. “I saw you pocket them earlier.”
After a moment’s pause, Mevis nodded. “Alright.” She reached into her pocket and tossed the slips across the stream. Leon caught them, unfolding them to reveal… both slips said “water source.”

“Was I overthinking it…?” Leon muttered, feeling a mix of relief and awkwardness.
“Dissatisfied with the results, Prince Leon?” Mevis teased.
Leon chuckled sheepishly. “No, no. Let’s keep going.”

Mevis smirked faintly, crossing her arms. “Shall we continue, then?”
Leon nodded, adjusting his mindset and resuming the search. Mevis followed a few steps behind.
As they walked, Mevis reached into her other pocket and retrieved two more slips. These, unlike the ones Leon saw, both read “token.”

Watching Leon’s back, a faint, enigmatic smile curled her lips.
Sparks of electricity danced across her palm, reducing the slips to ash before they fell to the forest floor.