Would the Duke of Alfheim really send his own son into the Miasma Forest for an off-campus excursion if this were truly a warning from the Church?
This question immediately came to Belial's mind.
Inside the castle, the teachers were still occupied with counting the students and escorting the injured ones to the infirmary.
Outside, the Celestials, arriving late, subdued the dragon and took it away. Soon after, a paladin from the Church of Light arrived, likely to provide an explanation to Gulveig as to why a Church-owned dragon had suddenly attacked the school.
Regardless of the real reason, Belial knew that the Church's explanation would inevitably be summed up in one word—"accident. "
She had little interest in the matter and was about to check on Lilith's class when Miller intercepted her, dragging her off to assist the infirmary staff.
The infirmary was bustling. When the dragon attacked, the younger students had been in the middle of an outdoor lesson. Being too young to respond appropriately, they had scattered in panic, making it difficult for their teachers to protect them all. As a result, many students suffered minor injuries—eyes stung by airborne sand, heads knocked by falling debris.
Fortunately, none of the injuries were serious, but the sheer number of patients left the infirmary staff overwhelmed.
Chris, whom Belial had rescued from the tree, was among them. As a dragon, his body was naturally resilient—falling stones and sharp branches had done little more than glance off his tough skin. His greatest affliction was the lingering fear from being crushed under the sheer pressure of an elder dragon's unrestrained aura. For an adolescent dragon, such an experience was utterly devastating. Now, he sat there, listless, his usual energy nowhere to be seen.
Belial was assigned the simple task of applying medicine to the wounded students. Most of the younger ones obeyed her readily, and even those who were afraid of the pain and initially resisted would eventually be coaxed into compliance by their braver peers.
"They really like you, " one of the infirmary teachers remarked, handing Belial a cup of hot cocoa once they were done.
Belial merely smiled, neither confirming nor denying the statement.
Just then, a trainee teacher hurried in, reporting that a window on the second floor had shattered during the dragon's assault.
The infirmary teacher frowned. "Is Samuel all right? "
The second floor housed the patient wards. The only person who had been staying there before the attack was Samuel—the same unfortunate student who, only days ago, had been injured during preparations for the off-campus excursion to the Miasma Forest and later suffered another misfortune when a falling student landed on him in the stairwell.
Now, he had been struck again—this time, by flying shards of glass.
The trainee sighed. "He cut his arm, but he treated it himself. He didn't want to bother us since we were busy with the students, so he never said anything. "
The infirmary teacher could only shake their head. "I've never seen someone with such terrible luck. "
Belial, listening quietly, suddenly remembered—hadn't she promised Gulveig that she would apologize to that walking disaster?
She took a slow sip of her hot cocoa, pretending she had forgotten all about it.
At dinner, Belial left the infirmary and went to the castle's main hall to check on Lilith and Abyss. She found Lilith, but there was no sign of Abyss.
Midway through the meal, Gulveig stood to deliver a speech regarding the afternoon's attack. She repeated the paladin's explanation—that the Church of Light had merely lost control of their dragon while passing nearby, resulting in an unfortunate accident.
Then, she praised the teachers for their swift organization and commended the students who had assisted. Her solemn yet encouraging words lifted the spirits of the students, the rousing applause gradually dispelling the lingering fear and unease in the hall.
Once the speech ended and the meal resumed, Belial turned to Miller. "Will the off-campus excursion still proceed as planned? "
"I asked the headmistress, " Miller replied. "She said the departure will be delayed by one day. Any students who originally signed up may withdraw their application if they choose. "
"So the decision's already been made? "
"Yeah. They'll announce it to the students tomorrow. "
Belial said nothing more. She suspected that under his father's orders, Frey would soon withdraw from the excursion.
Dinner tasted bland that evening. Afterward, Belial returned to her office, organizing the materials she had borrowed from the school's restricted section while waiting for Abyss to arrive.
Since acquiring her office, Abyss had spent every night there with her. She assumed tonight would be no different. Yet, as the hours passed and midnight came and went, he never appeared.
Belial tossed her pen onto the desk and rose, heading for bed.
If he wasn't coming, so be it.
She changed into her nightclothes, lay down, and had just begun to drift off when she faintly heard a knock at the door.
Letting it continue for a while, she finally dragged herself out of bed, threw on a coat, and opened the door. Standing outside was one of the infirmary teachers.
"…Something wrong? " she asked, voice laced with drowsiness.
"Apologies, " the teacher said, looking both helpless and guilty. "I wouldn't have come if I had any other choice. "
They quickly explained the situation—Chris was staying overnight for observation but was completely unable to sleep. His parents had been contacted, but Dragon Island was too far away. In the meantime, they needed to find a way to calm him down.
"And you're coming to me for this? " Belial raised a brow.
"We've tried everything else, " the teacher admitted. "Nothing worked. But just now, he asked if you could come and talk to him. From what we gathered, you were the one who brought him back this afternoon. He seems to have formed a sense of trust in you. "
Belial hesitated, caught between shutting the door and going back to sleep or extending some goodwill to a frightened dragonling.
Eventually, she sighed. "Let me change. "
After a quick change of clothes, she followed the teacher to the infirmary.
"He's in there, " they said, leading her to one of the patient rooms.
It was a double-occupancy room, but since Chris was the only student staying overnight, he had it to himself.
As Belial pushed the door open, she found him sitting on the bed. Unlike earlier in the day, he no longer maintained his full human form—his neck was covered in crimson scales, small wings peeked out from his back, and a thick tail curled over his lap.
Hearing the door creak, he flinched. But when he turned and saw who it was, his eyes brightened instantly.
"Teacher! "
Belial hummed in acknowledgment and took a seat by his bedside. "What do you want to talk about? "
Chris glanced toward the door, making sure the teacher had left before lowering his voice. "Teacher… are you a dragon? "
Belial shook her head. "No. "
Ever trusting, Chris accepted her answer. "Oh. Then I must've been mistaken. "
"When I was stuck in the tree, I thought I felt another dragon's aura. Then you showed up, so I assumed it was you. "
"It was just your imagination. "
"…Maybe. " Chris lowered his head, fidgeting with the scales on his tail.
Belial let the silence linger until he finally spoke again. "Teacher… if my dragon core ever shatters, will I become like that? "
He had learned about coreless dragons earlier that evening. The explanation had been well-meaning, intended to help his peers distinguish between mindless beasts and sentient dragons like him. But instead of reassurance, the knowledge had left him deeply unsettled.
Belial ruffled his hair. "As long as you're here, you're safe. "
Chris looked up. "And after I leave? "
"This school exists to teach you how to protect yourself. When the time comes, you'll know how. "
"What if I can't? "
Most teachers would have soothed him, told him to get a good night's sleep, that everything would be fine in the morning.
Belial considered simply putting him to sleep with a spell.
But instead, she said, "Then find a way to hold onto your sanity. "
Chris perked up. "Even without a core, a dragon can stay rational? "
Belial leaned on one hand. "Of course. Your core isn't your mind. Dragons don't go mad because they lose their cores. They go mad because of pain. "
Chris blinked. "Pain? "
Belial tapped her temple. "Pain that starts here and spreads everywhere. But if you can endure it, keep your reason intact, you'll still be you. You just won't be able to take on human form anymore. "
Chris hesitated. "Really? "
Belial raised a hand. "I swear it. "
A light shimmered around her fingers, the binding force of an oath.
Chris believed her completely.
She didn't tell him that no dragon had ever survived such agony unbroken.
When he finally drifted into sleep, Belial stood and turned to leave.
But as she moved, her gaze flicked to the window—where, in the darkness beyond, a familiar golden glow caught her eye.
She stilled.
Then, stepping out of the room, she turned to the infirmary teacher. After answering their questions about Chris, she asked, "Which room is Samuel in? "