The cicadas of noon, accompanied by heatwaves, rushed into the corridor, and the marble pillars refracted dazzling white light under the scorching sun.
Mil walked out of the classroom, his gaze piercing through the cloister to where the young man of the Dragon Royal Family—Fafner—stood sideways opposite him, looking up askance at him.
The girls behind him were standing in a circle, and he didn't know what they were so excited about?
Mil frowned. Since he walked out of the classroom and through the corridor, Fafner seemed to have maintained that pose the entire time;
Even though he could feel the coolness in the shade of a tree by moving just five meters to the side, he insisted on facing the scorching heat, motionless like a statue.
The sun baked his face, and his fair skin showed a faint blush;
He still had his school uniform draped over his shoulder, one hand in his pocket, and the other resting casually on the hilt of the sword at his waist;
The dragon bone sword at his waist swayed slightly with his movements, and the dragon heart embedded in the hilt emitted a chilling aura in the sunlight.
Mil raised his hand to shield his eyes from the sun, walked forward, and asked, "Are you looking for me?"
The other party was silent for a moment, then sneered, "Hmph...Mil, are you not ashamed of your filthy and evil heart?"
His voice was still light and thin. Mil was shocked. Had his identity been seen through? He shook his head, "No."
"In that case, there's nothing more to say. As the second in line to the throne of the Stryjoan Royal Family, I challenge you!"
As he spoke, Fafner lightly pushed the sword guard with his thumb, and the sound of the blade unsheathing was crisp and clear.
The girls behind the young man immediately stirred, and a series of excited cheers erupted...
Mil suspected that Fafner might have a squint; he always talked to people like this, staring at their crotch?
So far, only his thumb and mouth had moved...
However, the little thing was quite delicate, with jade-white skin that was even softer than a girl's, and eyelashes that cast butterfly-wing-shaped shadows on his eyelids;
He had an oval face, without a hint of the masculinity of a 16-year-old boy, and his shoulders were very narrow, looking as if he hadn't fully grown yet.
Had even his Adam's apple not grown out yet?
It's just...yesterday, a single Wind Demon Barrier could hard-control him for the duration of a song. And with that level, he still dares to challenge?
That's quite a challenging spirit...
Mil nodded and said, "Okay, what if you lose? Will you give me your dragon heart?"
He said this playfully; the dragon heart was indeed a treasure, but he certainly wouldn't give it, as it would cost him his life.
Fafner was silent for a long time, holding it in for a while before finally blurting out, "Heh...are you sure you want to gamble with your life? I'll give you one more chance to rephrase."
"Let's gamble on this."
Mil immediately nodded, and Fafner fell into a long silence again;
Mil even felt as if he was talking to an AI, and the other party needed deep thought...
After a long while, Fafner finally bit the bullet and said, "If I win, you must stop all your heinous acts and give Miss Alice her freedom!"
"Huh?"
Before Mil could react, Fafner continued, "If I lose, anything but the dragon heart is fine!"
"No, what exactly did Alice tell you?"
"I'll tell you if you win!"
When Fafner lifted his chin, veins bulged in his neck, and his porcelain-white skin showed a faint pink. He spoke with great excitement, seemingly hoping Mil would use this as the wager.
Unfortunately, Mil was not foolish. He shook his head and said, "No need, I'll ask her myself! If I win, you'll...wear women's clothes for a week?"
"Ex-except for the dragon heart and women's clothes!"
"Buddy, you're 16! If you're going to issue a challenge, don't be such a wimp, saying this and that won't work. Why should I accept your challenge?"
Mil was getting impatient, and Fafner seemed to have triggered a stress response, suddenly turning around, lifting the back of his uniform, and indignantly saying, "Who are you calling a wimp? I...a week is too long, three days at most!"
"Heh...it's just wearing a wig and a skirt, and you're still bargaining and dragging your feet. I won't bother."
Mil sneered, his eyes full of sarcasm and pity, shook his head in disappointment, and turned to leave.
At this moment, Fafner finally steeled himself and shouted through gritted teeth, "A week it is!"
When the wager was finally settled, Mil glanced at his slender fingers, which were clenched white, as he turned around.
"When?"
"This afternoon, at the Magic Knight Duel Arena!"
Fafner's eyes gleamed with determination, while Mil waved his hand and walked towards the classroom for his next class.
In the Elemental Transmutation class, as soon as Mil sat down, Lilith cast a playful gaze at him:
"The Dragon Race's magical and combat talents are not to be underestimated, especially since he is a prince. Don't say I didn't warn you, the sword in his hand can shatter Black Magic."
Mil frowned and clicked his tongue, "Tsk... I should have bet on his sword. Can I enhance myself with Black Magic?"
"You can, but if you win by brute force, it will arouse suspicion. As for that sword, in its normal state, you probably can't even lift it?"
Her rose-colored lips curved into a mocking arc, and the gilded quill spun into a blur between her fingers.
Hearing this, Mil was somewhat surprised. The sword Fafner wore at his waist looked only three fingers wide;
After thinking for a while, he smiled and said, "Hmm, then I know what to do..."
Lilith frowned, as if she guessed something?
Sure enough, as soon as class was over, Mil rushed to the potion shop to prepare "Fimbul Tremor";
This wasn't the first time he had prepared it; he had also used this potion when assassinating First Prince Otto.
Mil was intimately familiar with the Dragon Race's background.
A long time ago, the Dragon Race were originally natives of the Abyss and the most powerful beings on the entire continent;
Later, after hundreds of years of war, they slowly separated from the Abyss, and only then did the Saint Dragon emerge, even once holding a divine seat.
And now, the entire Saint Dragon Kingdom has been completely controlled by a magical society called "Mistletoe Arrow";
And the leader of "Mistletoe Arrow"—the Twilight Fool—is a complete madman. He will stop at nothing for fun, even if it means mocking the gods.
This brings us to the fact that the game producer of "Dark Souls II" believed that if the Dragon Race were a separate race, their troop types would be too singular;
Thus, the entire Saint Dragon Kingdom was arranged into a tragic and lamentable story;
After being torn apart, the wandering Dragon Race were distributed among other races, serving as foreign soldiers.
As for this Fafner, Mil didn't have much of an impression, but he had quite a few good things on him?
If he could trick him out of all his possessions, and then find an opportunity to get his dragon heart...
It might, to some extent, reverse his current awkward situation.
After preparing the magic potion, Mil found Lilith again:
"Do me a favor..."
Mil's disguise skill was still too low, making it easy for Fafner's guards to discover him.
Lilith could guess what Mil wanted to say, and she twirled her hair around her finger twice:
"I can't always help you for free, can I?"
"Speak."
But for Lilith, there was indeed nothing she wanted from Mil. Instead, she smiled playfully and said, "Hmm...do two hundred push-ups for me to watch."
"Why are you so boring?"
Mil was speechless, but then again, the price was indeed not high...
So, after performing two hundred push-ups again, he handed the magic potion to Lilith;
Lilith then infiltrated the restaurant where Fafner was having lunch, using a precise dosage.
However, what was interesting was that as Lilith left, she caught a glimpse of the "Mistletoe Arrow" symbol on the chest of a maid by Fafner's side...