Abandoned in the mountains, I was adopted by a lizard ~I mastered magic and surpassed my parents, but I didn't know they were legendary ancient dragons~ - Chapter 62

Chapter 62   New Business Outsourcing

When I returned to the waiting room… I found two contrasting groups.

“What… what’s up with that kid…?”

“I knew he wasn’t just some ordinary guy after seeing what happened to our Licht, but… what was that dragon that appeared for a moment?”

Licht’s friends and the friends of another competitor were in shock, their eyes wide, murmuring among themselves.

Meanwhile…

“Well, this is how it was going to turn out.”

“I didn’t expect him to finish it off in dragon form, though.”

“Yeah, I’ve always wanted to see that transformation! It’s surprising how quickly he can switch forms…”

Ian, Jasmine, and Cecilia seemed relatively unfazed. Cecilia, having seen the dragon for the first time, was a bit more excited.

“…Oh, Hadar, good job.”

Ian merely gave me a casual wave when he spotted me.

“It went smoothly, right?”

“Not exactly. That girl is the type to keep attacking fiercely until the end. If I hadn’t realized the key was to sap her fighting spirit rather than just dealing damage, it would have been a tough battle.”

“So, the dragon form was just for show then,” Jasmine said, looking satisfied with her conclusion.

Well, in my case, my combat ability doesn’t change much between forms…

By the way, I wonder if anyone used the broadcasting magic tool I made.

“Did no one use the broadcasting magic tool to watch?”

“The intensity was too much for me. I started watching with it, but… when the opponent used her first special move, the sheer impact was so overwhelming I felt faint.”

When I asked, Jasmine shook her head as she answered.

Ah, so it was too intense in that way. Well, if that’s the case, there’s no need to watch from my perspective. …Now that I think about it, I didn’t explain how to switch the magic tool from “Mode 1.” Anyway, for those at the event, viewing from another perspective wasn’t necessary.

“You’re talking about the Meteor Tackle, right? Was it really that impressive?”

“You didn’t feel anything because you’re Hadar, but for an ordinary person, facing a move like that is terrifying…”

Is that how it is? Speaking of which, I wonder how Francois fared with the broadcasting magic tool.

I decided to contact Francois by sending wind magic and sound magic to a nearby aerial reconnaissance device.

“Francois, how was the match?”

“It was sooo boring~. It was nothing like what I heard, totally dull~.”

When I asked Francois, the response was the complete opposite of Jasmine’s.

Well, that’s how it goes with Francois. She was really looking forward to it, so I feel a bit bad for disappointing her…

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention… the ‘prodigy’ was actually based on what I heard from others, not my own evaluation.”

“Oh, so that’s what it was! I’m glad I didn’t go to the venue then!”

After explaining, Francois seemed to understand. Well, I’ve checked in, so that’s that.

I ended the communication via wind and sound magic.

Now, I have some free time until the awards ceremony. I’ll just rest in the waiting room until it’s time.

◇

…But.

When the scheduled time for the award ceremony came, there was still no announcement from the broadcast booth.

What’s going on? Is there some kind of trouble?

As I wondered about this, the door to the waiting room opened, and a man entered. I think he’s our vice-principal.

The man, looking troubled, spoke up.

“Hadar, I’m sorry, but we have a bit of a situation. Could you come with me?”

What on earth is this about?

“What happened?”

“Well, the principal of Metro Capital Magic Academy is causing a fuss about the outcome of the tournament. He’s insisting, ‘It’s a violation to let a dragon pretend to be a student and participate!’ We need your help to prove that you are indeed a student of our academy. Can you assist us?”

It sounded like an extremely troublesome situation. What kind of absurdity is this…?

“I’ve tried to argue that ‘there’s no way we could make a natural dragon participate in the tournament,’ but he just won’t listen… Sigh…”

The vice-principal seemed quite troubled. I suppose I’ll have to try and convince him myself. Not sure how successful I’ll be, though.

“I’ll give it a shot.”

I replied and followed the vice-principal to where the principal of Metro Capital Magic Academy was.

When we arrived, a man, presumably the principal, spoke to me in an overly respectful manner.

“Ah, nice to meet you, Dragon. Why have you graced this trivial tournament with your presence today?”

This must be the principal of Metro Capital Magic Academy. This is going to be a tough one.

“I’m not a dragon. I’m an official student of Zelgius Royal Magic Academy. Please take a look at this.”

I said, pulling out a certificate of enrollment from my storage magic. I had an extra copy for submitting to future internships. It’s equipped with anti-forgery measures, so I hope he won’t claim it’s fake.

“So, could you please stop making these baseless claims about invalid matches?”

Handing over the certificate, I emphasized my point.

After examining the document for a while, the principal of Metro Capital Magic Academy finally spoke.

“Surely you jest. For a dragon, bypassing human anti-forgery measures would be a trivial task. Why go to such lengths to support Zelgius Royal Magic Academy?”

…This is hopeless.

Isn’t it common knowledge that humans have superior magical control compared to dragons?

For a moment, I felt stumped. But then, an idea struck me.

…Yes, this could be the breakthrough.

If I can get a real dragon to prove that I’m human, that should do the trick.

I resumed my wind and sound magic communication with Francois. First, I made this request.

“Francois, could you transform into your dragon form for a moment?”

“Sure thing!… Done!”

Once Francois had transformed, I projected a hologram of her dragon form.

“What is this…?”

The principal of Metro Capital was fixated on the hologram.

“For reference, this is a genuine dragon from the Inferno Continent. Now, let me ask her a simple question.”

I then asked Francois,

“Francois, the principal here is insisting that I’m a dragon. Could you say something to address that?”

In an irritated tone, Francois responded,

“What nonsense is this principal spouting? There’s no way a dragon could exhibit the extraordinary level of magical control that Aniki has!”

Her voice was perfectly transmitted and played back.

How’s that?

When I looked over, the principal of Metro Capital was pale and trembling.

“You mentioned that this being is a ‘dragon from the Inferno Continent,’ correct?”

Pointing a shaking finger at the hologram, the principal asked.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then… have I, perhaps, made an enemy of a dragon from the Inferno Continent…?”

…Well, I don’t think it’s gone that far…

As I pondered, tilting my head in thought, the principal started nodding to himself and muttered,

“I… I shall concede the victory of this match to Zelgius Royal Magic Academy. M-my life is precious after all…”

Oh no no no, “my life is precious”? I didn’t do this to threaten anyone, not even by a fraction!

How did it come to this?

Well, anyway, I suppose this matter is settled now.

“Well then, let’s confirm that the main match of this event was not invalidated.”

“Uh, yes.”

Finally, with our vice-principal emphasizing the point, the persuasion ended.

Afterward… after a sufficient time had passed, the awards ceremony began.

All the players, including myself, gathered on the field, and cheers erupted from the audience seats.

Since comprehensive treatment couldn’t be given right then and there, except to me and Aphrodite, who still looked utterly worn out, I decided to apply Area Absolute Heal just in case.

At that moment, seeing Licht healed, Aphrodite shot him a resentful look.

…I mean, isn’t holding a grudge over a testicular attack a bit too much?

As I was thinking about that, an announcement came from the broadcasting booth.

“With the victory in this tournament, the Zelgius Royal Magic Academy will be presented with the trophy. Additionally, Player Hadar will be awarded the Most Valuable Player medal!”

With those words, several staff members came out and held up a huge trophy, while one of them came over to me to present the medal.

This is much appreciated.

As for the medal, I can easily show it during an interview when they ask, “Tell us about something you’ve dedicated yourself to during your student days.”

Once the awards ceremony concluded, we moved directly into the closing ceremony, marking the end of the tournament.

After chatting with Ian and the others for a while after the tournament ended… once again, the door to the waiting room opened, and a different man entered.

He introduced himself like this.

“I am Amido, head of personnel for the Kingdom Knights.”

Oh, is this what they call a “personnel alumni who came to watch”?

“I have a request for you today. Even if it’s alongside your studies… could you serve as a tactical and technical advisor for our elite unit? The magic-enhancing potion has increased our unit’s maximum magic capacity, but we haven’t yet established the optimal tactics to fully utilize that capacity. It feels like a huge waste, so I really want to enlist your help.”

Wow, this could actually lead to my next job.

There were various troublesome things, but I can now feel good about participating in this tournament.

“Understood. I’ll give it a try.”

I have no real combat experience, so I’m not sure if I can really come up with effective tactics… but I’ve read numerous books written by ancient famous military strategists, so I might be able to contribute in some way.

“If I take on this task, will it give me an advantage in future selections?”

I’ll ask the crucial question just in case.

To which Amido, head of personnel, replied,

“Of course. Depending on the situation, I’ll even try to get you onto the special selection route for the military strategist role.”

The special selection route for military strategists, huh?

The Knights don’t have a great work-life balance image, but if that’s the case, the situation could change… maybe.