Despite a bit of amotion, the dragon hearts were eventually absorbed by Ca, Elisha, and Iris.


    Fortunately, Fafnir’sb was spacious and quiet enough, making it ideal for concentration.


    Watching the three settle down with afortable distance between each other, I shrugged.


    “Shall we step out for a bit, Professor Iona?”


    “Yes, yes. It’s not like anyone else wille here, so we don’t really need to stay on guard!”


    “Ah, we just have other things to take care of ourselves.”


    “What is it, what is it? Don’t tell me it’s something naughty?!”


    “Why does everything lead to that conclusion… Huh? Well, I guess it is kind of naughty.”


    “…”


    As I confirmed, Iona blinked her blood-red eyes, apparently not expecting that it was true. Just a passing thought, was it?


    I chuckled awkwardly and continued.


    “I told you, right? I’ll let you drink my blood in my dragonized state. I’ve only recently learned how to use it, so I don’t know how it works or how I’ll change.”


    “Oh?”


    Only then did Iona nod as if she understood.


    It’s practically a given that when you gain something new, you test it right away. That way, I could assess how far I could go and how well I could fight.


    It wasmon sense back in the gaming days, but now, with the system support allowing me to act as I imagine, it’s be even more important.


    Moving as I imagined meant my limitations were also set by my imagination.


    There’s nothing more foolish than struggling alone without utilizing my full potential.


    Having sparred with me numerous times, Iona, who was aware of my innate sense simr to absolute perception, agreed.


    “Yeah, yeah. That’s certainly an important thing. Alright, a light spar, then?”


    “Rather than sparring, just help me push myself to the limit.”


    “Same thing!”


    “…”


    A foreboding feeling crept up, but there was no other option.


    <hr>


    “Urgh.”


    “Oh. Are you finally done, Brother?”


    While I was busy sparring with Iona, and the other three were busy absorbing the dragon hearts, Helena had no choice but to quietly observe from the corner. ?


    As soon as the spar ended, her face brightened up, and she trotted over.


    “Ugh…”


    “Brother…?”


    The problem was that I didn’t have the energy left to respond to Helena, who must’ve been bored alone.


    Watching me make strange, zombie-like sounds, Helena tilted her head in confusion.


    Seeing my state, Iona, surprisingly looking even more refreshed than before, exined on my behalf.


    “First things first. Can you heal him? The side effects seem a bit more severe than expected.”


    “Oh! Just a moment, Brother. I’ll heal you right away.”


    Holding her medallion, Helena recited a prayer in a small but clear voice.


    Not long after, a bright light burst forth and enveloped my body.


    <em>Shing.</em>


    With each wave of light absorbed, my physical state visibly improved. But while I could now speak properly, I was still far from fully recovered.


    Sighing deeply, Helena held my hand, looking at me with concern.


    “Brother? Although I briefly spoke with the Righteous Radiance and Lady ra, I kept my eyes on you. You weren’t this exhausted just a while ago… What on earth happened?”


    “Well… It’s nothing major.”


    Saying so, I gently released her hand. For some reason, Helena looked hurt, but I didn’t have the energy to worry about that.


    I was busy rubbing my face against the starting point of her sacred healing on her palm to receive direct recovery.


    <em>Swish, swish.</em>


    “Hic!”


    Ignoring Helena’s hup, I continued rubbing. I even guided her hand to my chest, where my heart was.


    <em>Phew…</em> finally feeling alive.


    It’s like how an air conditioner cools the whole room but feels colder if you’re standing directly in front of it.


    Sacred healing magic also seems more effective when received through direct contact rather than at a distance.


    Taking a light breath, I finally looked up.


    And what I saw was Helena, her face flushed red, swallowing nervously.


    “Huh? What’s wrong, Helena? Are you unwell? We’re heading to the Imperial Pce soon, so you can’t afford to be sick…”


    Out of concern, I ced my hand on Helena’s forehead.


    “Huh?!”


    “You’re a bit warm. Seems like you might have a fever…”


    Since I was a total novice in this area, I couldn’t be certain, so I tilted my head in confusion for a moment.


    Watching us from behind, Iona snorted as if dumbfounded.


    “Yandel, any more of that, and Helena might have a heart attack, so maybe give her an exnation already!”


    “Huh? Well, alright…”


    Answering reluctantly, I withdrew my hand from Helena’s forehead. Since I’d mostly recovered, I released her hand too.


    “Oh…”


    Helena made a faint sound and fidgeted with her fingers, looking wistful. I went on to exin.


    “Let’s see. I mentioned it wasn’t a big deal, right? It’s true. It wasn’t anything serious; just a bit of recoil.”


    “…R-recoil, you say?”


    “Yes, recoil.”


    Activating it was simpler than expected. I only needed to think about it and desire it.


    The effect was good, too. Just as stated in the status window, all my abilities had increased significantly, and the growth was remarkable.


    Well, there were some side effects, but that much was something I had to ept.


    In any case, I continued sparring with Iona in my dragonized state, testing how far I could push myself before the “frenzy reaction” penalty would kick in.


    It was just as I was about to release the dragonization.


    I suddenly realized I’d never used Blood Force, a physical enhancement spell, in this strengthened state, so I decided to give it a try…


    “It was no joke. Since Blood Force is a type of blood magic, it continuously consumes blood. So far, I’ve managed to bnce it out with blessings or potions.”


    Until now, that’s how I maintained bnce. Moreover, with the Blessing of the Sun God recently bing the Sun God’s Favor, the recovery rate increased significantly.


    So, I tried it onest time without much thought.


    “It felt like my whole body was either boiling or about to explode. Anyway, I got the sense that my body couldn’t withstand the amplified power.”


    “That’s… quite something.”


    “It’s probably due to ack of mastery or my body’s basic performance being insufficient. Don’t worry. I have a gut feeling that with continued practice, it’ll improve. Right now, I just got temporarily exhausted; I’m not actually hurt anywhere, right?”


    “If you say so, that’s a relief. But please don’t overdo it. There are more people than you think who depend on you, Brother, just as I do.”


    “I’ll keep that in mind.”


    I nodded at Helena, who was giving me a serious look.


    Perhaps the warm atmosphere between Helena and me didn’t sit well with someone else.


    Iona, who had been silently watching, suddenly grinned and clung to my back.


    “Hey, hey. Yandel. Don’t you have anything to say to me?”


    “Huh?”


    Something to say to her? I hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did I suddenly feel anxious?


    Noticing my nervousness, Iona giggled and whispered the answer into my ear.


    “I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not it! I mean… I want you to ask me how I feel, too.”


    “Oh.”


    Of course, I’d seen up close how much Iona enjoyed biting into my dragonized neck, but since she asked so directly, I decided to humor her.


    “…Did you like it?”


    “Yeah. So much that I want to do it every day.”


    “…”


    That sounded oddly suggestive.


    “I’m not just saying that. Really, for someone like me, regr blood barely registers anymore, you know? But this time, just a few sips gave me an intense reaction!”


    “Wow… That much?”


    Iona wasn’t just talking about a power boost.


    It meant that her status as a vampire had reacted. Things like the purity and dominance of the blood, you know?


    Even though she hadn’t created n members, she was already at a levelparable to a Lord, so would she grow even stronger here?


    It’s hard to imagine what might happen. In H&A, there was no status higher than Lord.


    Anyway, after receiving Helena’s healing and having a brief discussion with Iona about using dragonization and blood-drinking intervals…


    Just as the healing was finishing up, the three who had absorbed the dragon hearts began toe out one by one.


    Their aura had noticeably changed, a fitting reward for the dragon heart. Smiling contentedly, I asked Iona.


    “You remember the coordinates here, right?”


    “Don’t worry, don’t worry. I’ve taken proper notes so we can return anytime without needing to pass through a portal.”


    “Though considering it’s already been raided by those cultist scum once, we probably won’t need toe back… but you never know.”


    I took onest look around Fafnir’sir.


    Everything started here.


    Fafnir’s final obsession, Hero and Academy, and my life as Yandel all trace back to this ce.


    Maybe someday, if I defeat all the Evil Gods and purge the cultists.


    Then, returning here wouldn’t be a bad idea.


    Over the ruined scenery, the grandeur of its prime that I’d once seen in my memories seemed to ovep.


    It vanished like a mirage when I blinked.


    Shaking my head, I turned back to Iona.


    “Let’s head out now.”


    Iona nodded silently.


    Momentster, dark crimson magic red up, and a familiar wave of nausea swept over us.


    It was magic, not from a dragon but from a person.