"We've arrived. This is the location for our collaborative outdoor test."
Mevis landed gracefully at the forest entrance, her powerful wings sending a final gust of wind through the grass. Leon jumped down from the dragon's back, carefully holding the two young dragon girls in his arms before setting them gently on the ground. As soon as they were clear, the massive black dragon was enveloped in a shimmering light, transforming back into Mevis's human form.
"Wow, that was fast!" Helena exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement. "Such a long journey, and we made it in just two hours! You're almost as fast as the Silver Dragon Queen!"
Mevis smiled, a gentle expression that didn't quite reach her observant eyes, and ruffled Helena's hair. "Don't overpraise me, Helena. I'm nowhere near the Silver Dragon Queen's speed. Now," she clapped her hands together, her tone shifting to one of instruction, "let's go over the objectives and rules for this test."
Turning to face the group, she began her explanation.
"This test has two main objectives." She raised one finger.
"First, find the hidden St. Heath's token in this forest. It's a bracelet bearing the academy's dragon totem emblem."
Raising a second finger, she continued,
"Second, purify a contaminated water source within the forest to make the downstream river flow clean again."
After lowering her hand, she added a note of caution, "While these objectives may sound simple, the forest is full of hidden dangers and puzzles. Of course, none are as extreme as what you faced with Adam in the Demonic Moonlit Forest. The academy has taken every precaution to ensure the safety of all students and guardians."
Even though the incident with the Warhammer Dragon King had long passed, the academy remained hyper-vigilant. Another catastrophe on their watch would irreparably damage St. Heath's hard-won reputation.
"Additionally," Mevis added, "you have only eleven hours to complete both objectives. I will grade Noah based on your team's results. If you aim for full marks, Noah, you'll need to give it your all, as this test's score will significantly influence your next monthly evaluation."
Finally, she concluded, "This test simulates real-world scenarios, so Noah, as the student, you will be in charge of forming and leading the action plan."
Noah nodded after a brief moment of thought, her expression serious. "Since time is tight and we have two objectives, the most efficient method is to split into two groups: one to find the token and the other to purify the water source."
Mevis nodded approvingly, her slender waist and long legs adding an air of effortless elegance as she tilted her head and smiled. "A sound strategic decision. How shall we divide the teams?"
"We'll draw lots. It's the fairest way," Noah replied decisively.
"Alright, let me prepare the slips," Mevis said, retrieving a small notepad and a pen from her backpack. She walked to a flat, moss-covered stone nearby and began writing, her back to the group.
Leon, observing from the side, realized the cleverness of this test design. Beyond simply encouraging family involvement and teamwork, the two distinct objectives forced the group to split their resources. By including a teacher, a student, a peer, and a guardian, the academy ensured that all parties had to actively participate and cooperate, leaving no room for anyone to take a shortcut.
Years ago, when a particularly cheeky student had suggested, "Teacher, why don't you just handle one objective while we relax over here?" it had resulted in a glaring "0" on their final evaluation—a legendary story that still served as a warning.
After a short while, Mevis returned with four identical, neatly folded slips of paper.
"Alright, Noah, Helena, and I will draw first," she announced, holding out the slips in her palm.
"Yay!" Helena eagerly grabbed a slip, unfolding it as she chanted, "Please let me be with Noah, please let me be with Noah..." She paused, reading the word, then pouted. "I got 'token.' Noah, what about you?"
Noah opened her slip and a small smile touched her lips. "Token."
"Great! We're together! We'll definitely get full marks this time!" Helena cheered, hugging Noah tightly and nuzzling her cheek with unrestrained joy.
Noah turned to the remaining two adults. "Then we'll leave the water purification to you, Dad and Teacher Mevis."
"No problem! Leave it to us!" Leon declared with confident bravado, thumping his chest.
Satisfied with the arrangement, Noah and Helena held hands and, after a final wave, ran off into the dense foliage of the forest, their voices quickly fading.
Mevis pocketed the two remaining slips and turned to Leon. "Shall we go, So*.., Leon?"
"Sure," Leon replied, his internal senses tingling at the near-miss. Inwardly, he was pleased with the outcome. This pairing gave him the perfect opportunity to observe Mevis closely and without distraction, away from Noah's keen observation.
They began walking side by side, albeit separated by the narrow, gurgling stream that marked the beginning of their path. Leon focused on the surrounding terrain, consulting the map, while Mevis walked silently on the opposite bank. They moved in a bubble of quiet, exchanging only necessary words about direction, but the silence was broken when Mevis suddenly asked, her voice cutting clearly across the water,
"Leon, where did you say I was from?"
Leon froze for a mere fraction of a second, his steps faltering almost imperceptibly before he resumed his pace, pretending to study the map with intense interest. "Did I? I must have misremembered. Where did you say you were from, Teacher Mevis?"
Mevis's own steps hitched for a breath before she smoothly adjusted her rhythm. She glanced at Leon across the stream, her gaze calm and unreadable as still water. "I don't believe I've ever told you that, Leon."
Leon gave a slight, noncommittal smile. "Maybe I got it confused with someone else."
"I'm from the Black Moon Dragon Clan," she said after a deliberate pause. "The clan was disbanded years ago, scattered and dissolved due to the great war."
"Black Moon Dragon Clan..." Leon murmured, the name matching the information Rossweise's investigation had unearthed. His sudden question had been a deliberate probe, a test of her reaction, and her cautious, measured response was impeccably authentic. Yet, it felt too rehearsed.
Still, the possibility lingered: Was Mevis truly just a survivor of a lost clan, or was this a carefully constructed identity? Could the unsettling familiarity that he, Rossweise, and even Isha felt simply be a bizarre coincidence?
"Coincidence? That'd be too convenient," Leon muttered under his breath, shaking his head slightly as he forced himself to refocus on the map in his hands.
After they had walked for another twenty minutes in silence, Leon abruptly stopped and turned to face Mevis across the stream. "Teacher, can I see the other two slips? The ones we didn't draw."
Mevis halted as well, the space between them suddenly charged. Their gazes locked across the flowing water. Her calm, dark eyes met his probing stare, an almost tangible tension stretching between them.
"Why do you want to check them now?" Mevis asked, her tone dropping a degree, losing its previous casualness.
"I just... can't help but wonder," Leon replied, shrugging with a feigned casualness that belied his intensity. "I saw you pocket them earlier."
After a moment's pause that felt much longer, Mevis gave a slow nod. "Alright." She reached into her pocket and tossed the two folded slips across the stream. Leon caught them deftly, his eyes never leaving hers as he unfolded them. Both slips clearly read "water source."
A wave of foolish embarrassment washed over him. "Was I just overthinking it...?" Leon muttered, feeling a mix of relief and profound awkwardness.
"Dissatisfied with the results, Prince Leon?" Mevis teased, a faint, knowing smirk playing on her lips.
Leon chuckled sheepishly, the sound echoing slightly in the quiet forest. "No, no. It's fine. Let's keep going." He tossed the slips back to her.
Mevis caught them and smirked faintly, crossing her arms. "Shall we continue, then?"
Leon nodded, adjusting his mindset and turning to resume the search for the water source. Mevis fell into step a few paces behind him, her movements silent and sure.
As they walked, Mevis reached into her other pocket and retrieved two different slips of paper. These, unlike the ones Leon had just inspected, both clearly read "token."
Watching Leon's broad back as he led the way, a faint, enigmatic smile curled her lips, a flash of deep, complicated emotion in her eyes that was gone as quickly as it appeared.
Sparks of dark, subtle electricity danced across her palm, reducing the incriminating slips to fine ash that drifted silently onto the forest floor, leaving no trace of her manipulation.