Reawakening: Primordial Dragon with Limitless Mana
Chapter 37: Reason

Chapter 37: Reason

A few days passed.

The fight between Hades and Cedric was still the talk of the academy.

It had been intense—something no one would forget anytime soon.

Lately, people had started giving Hades strange looks.

Of course, they didn’t know the full story. To them, it looked like Hades had slept with the girl Cedric liked and then killed him.

His reputation had already been poor among the students. But after this, it hit rock bottom.

Not that he cared. Their opinions meant nothing to him.

Besides, after what happened with Rudolph—and the fact that he came so close to losing his entire team—Hades knew that death would’ve been a fair punishment.

{Ding!}

{You have completed today’s quest.}

{Status:

Strength: 63

Speed: 57

Endurance: 59

MP: 1200 / 1200

HP: 150/150}

Hades sighed as he sat down on the log and stared at the screen.

He had recently unlocked two skills apart from Gaze.

{Skills:

Gaze: Lvl 1

Featherless Flight: Lvl 1

Emperor’s Roar: Lvl 1}

The system had confirmed it—he had unlocked two new skills during his fight with Cedric.

Featherless Flight allowed him to remain airborne for about three minutes.

And Emperor’s Roar—the skill he had used just before killing Cedric—was a devastating cry powerful enough to shatter ice pillars and dull the senses of anyone who heard it.

Both skills drained his mana continuously. But with his magical capacity growing at an incredible pace, he wasn’t too worried.

What really concerned him... was his presence.

During the battle with the late prince, Hades had released his draconic aura.

The academy had sensors for that sort of thing. But he wasn’t sure if they had picked it up.

And if they had—why hadn’t anyone from the management come to confront him yet?

"Now that everything’s calmed down, the suspicion will only grow," he thought grimly.

He was still lost in thought when a soft voice broke through his worries.

"Why are you so stressed?" she asked, as gentle fingers began to massage his shoulder.

Hades leaned into her touch and murmured, "Rinne...I was thinking about you."

The Saintess giggled as she asked, "And what exactly were you thinking?"

"Tell me about yourself. Your past. Why did you choose to become a dragon hunter?"

He needed to understand her more before deciding whether he could open up about himself.

He did trust her—but not when it came to that part of him.

She wanted to become a dragon hunter.

And finding out that one of her closest friends was a dragon...

That wouldn’t be easy for anyone.

Rinne fell silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"I was inspired by someone to join the academy and become a dragon hunter," she said quietly.

Hades tilted his head slightly. "So... no personal grudge? No painful encounter with dragons that made you hate them?"

She turned to look at him. "You undoubtedly hold a story," she said, gently sitting beside him.

Hades smiled—but it was a bitter, sorrowful one.

"There was a friend I had when I was a kid. She was like a balm to my soul. Always waiting for me under the tree with that tiny bag of hers—carrying medical supplies and a few cookies."

He chuckled faintly.

"At first, I tried to push her away. I was... a strange kid. I didn’t play. I didn’t smile. I only trained. But she stuck around, no matter how cold I acted. She even slapped me once—for threatening her to leave me alone."

Rinne let out a soft smile. "You seem to have cared for her deeply."

Hades nodded slowly. "I did. More than I ever admitted."

His voice grew heavier.

"But... an incident took her away from me. I trained so hard, every single day. But when it mattered most... I was powerless. I could do nothing but watch her burn to death, right in front of me."

His fist clenched tightly, veins rising on the back of his hand.

He couldn’t forgive himself.

She had died saving him. She could’ve run. She should’ve run. Maybe he would’ve survived on his own. But the thought of losing him must’ve been too much.

She turned back... shoved him against the wall...

And shielded him with her body from the dragon’s breath.

He saw it all—her final breath, her charred figure crumpling to the ground.

And the last words that still haunted him... echoed endlessly in the back of his mind.

"M-Maybe... in the next life... s-smile at me more..."

Hades shook his head and looked at Rinne.

Tears were silently trailing down her cheeks as she stared at the ground, lost in thought.

"Hey, now," he said softly. "Don’t start crying... or I’ll feel guilty for telling you all this."

Rinne let out a quiet smile through her tears. "She must’ve meant a lot to you... to bring tears to your eyes, Hades."

She reached out and gently wiped the tear that had gathered at the corner of his eye.

Hades gave a helpless smile. "What can I say? She was the only one who ever understood me—without needing an explanation. And she never left, no matter how hard I pushed her away. If not for her... I might not even be here."

Rinne smiled warmly at him, her gaze soft and tender.

Hades stretched slightly and stood up. "Well... let’s head back. I’m starving."

Rinne gave a small nod, brushing her hair behind her ear as she rose beside him.

Together, they began walking, the silence between them now comforting.

What Hades didn’t notice... was the patch of scorched grass where Rinne’s tears had fallen.

It stirred.

The blackened blades shimmered faintly—then, slowly, green shoots pushed through the ash.

Life returned to the burnt surface.

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- I mean, it should be pretty obvious to you guys now. Thanks for reading.