“This confirms it.”

The Black Dragon lowered the report he had been reading and spoke in a stern voice.

‘Why does he keep showing up here and bothering me?’

Julius frowned.

Ever since the Black Dragon had come to discuss the recent mission, he’d been dropping by Julius’s office nearly every day. And most of the time, the topic was more about Theo than about Ed or Troyban.

Julius was growing increasingly wary because the Black Dragon’s interest in Theo was becoming blatantly obvious.

Even now, he suspected that the report in the Black Dragon’s hand was more of an observational diary on Theo than a mission report.

And, sure enough—

“Theo is truly a perfect fit for our Black Snow.”

“Are you out of your mind, human?”

“If you read this report, you’ll be left speechless.”

Ignoring Julius’s irritation, the Black Dragon handed him the urgent report that Clébé had submitted.

… Despite an unexpected confrontation with a Holy Demon Church Blood Priest, Theo showed remarkable composure, subduing the enemy single-handedly… based on limited clues, he proposed an attack on the Ceres Company headquarters… demonstrated a deep understanding of Black Snow’s operations… additional approval is required for this…

… All three examiners unanimously agreed to promote Theo Ragnar to a practical examiner…

“This report is way too long. Filled with pompous formalities, as always. Give me the short version.”

“The Blood Priest showed up.”

At that, Julius’s eyes darkened.

This sinister group had been troubling Ragnar for a long time, throwing the empire and the continent into chaos. He had a deep personal grudge against them.

“Are you telling me that the Director of the Central Intelligence Bureau has been working with the Holy Demon Church?”

The Black Dragon remained silent.

Julius’s brow furrowed even more deeply.

“So, you already knew?”

“…”

“And you let it go on, hoping to catch them red-handed. Who’s the real snake here?”

“I didn’t know,” the Black Dragon said, shaking his head slightly. “I only sensed something hidden in the shadows, and the Holy Demon Church was merely one possibility.”

This was classified information he had kept to himself, not even shared with Clébé.

It was all still too uncertain to reach any definitive conclusions—until now.

“Anyway, what does this have to do with Theo?”

“Three Blood Priests appeared, and Theo took down one of them alone.”

Julius’s stern expression instantly softened.

He beamed with pride.

“Our youngest. Causing a commotion as soon as he joins us. Do you know why he can do this? It’s because I taught him swordsmanship. He is, without a doubt, a perfect fit for our White Armored Dragon Corps.”

He intentionally emphasized “White Armored Dragon Corps” with exaggerated enunciation.

The Black Dragon ignored him, continuing, “He deduced that the Ceres Company was behind the orders given to the Snake’s Season, and he suggested an immediate strike. His judgment, decisiveness, and mission performance are all impeccable. By rights, we should transfer him to Black Snow.”

“Like hell you will.”

Julius scoffed, tossing a report he had received from Evelyn onto his desk.

“Enough nonsense. Take a look at this. The Director of Intelligence will finally stop spouting such nonsense after reading it.”

… He’s already integrated Thermal Potential into his swordsmanship… His aura is expected to blossom soon… He possesses a profound understanding of wyverns…

“Hurrying to the Ceres Company’s headquarters, right? And do you know how they’re getting there? We had a creature called Umbra in our stables—a shadow wyvern twice the size of an average wyvern. Theo managed to tame it and is riding it with none other than the esteemed Black Snow and Plum Blossom Palace examiners.”

“So?”

“This demonstrates his aptitude for rapid maneuvers, his proficiency in aerial tactics, and his skills as a wyvern partner. His talents and fate are deeply aligned with the White Armored Dragon Corps!”

*Bang!*

Julius slammed his palm down on the desk and shot to his feet, shouting.

“Not to mention, he joined the White Armored Dragon Corps on his own, rejecting all other offers. So why do you keep hovering around him?”

“What? Trivial?”

Through his mask, one eye twitched.

“Of course it’s trivial! What else would you call it?”

“Are you looking to die?”

“Go ahead, give it a try!”

Julius ripped his collar open, leaning forward in challenge.

Annoyed, the Black Dragon turned his head sharply.

“Maybe I should just issue an order transferring him from the White Armored Dragon Corps to Black Snow…”

He muttered this aloud, intentionally making sure Julius could hear.

“You wouldn’t dare! And calling you ‘brother’ is clearly wasted on you!”

“This isn’t a private setting. Mind your language, Captain of the White Armored Dragon Corps.”

“Oh? Then maybe our high-and-mighty Director of Intelligence should use honorifics as well? As far as I know, we’re equal in rank.”

“…”

“Oh? No response?”

“The Intelligence and Black Snow divisions operate independently from other departments, so such protocol doesn’t apply.”

“How conveniently shameless.”

*Hah!*

Julius sighed deeply, staring at the unreadable white mask.

“Let’s set aside the formalities. Why do you keep hovering around Theo? Even that brat Osar jokes about taking Theo as his son just to get under my skin.”

Since gaining his title, Julius rarely spoke to the Black Dragon informally, but truthfully, he shared a closer bond with the Black Dragon than anyone else in Ragnar.

In fact, they had once sworn brotherhood.

Julius was one of the few who knew the Black Dragon’s “true” identity.

Kyle, the Black Dragon, Julius, and the Plum Blossom Palace Lord—these four knew each other’s hearts all too well.

Too well.

However,

“You know one thing, but not the other, little brother,” the Black Dragon said, crossing his arms with a smirk.

“What don’t I know?”

“If an older brother likes something his younger brother has, he takes it.”

“You son of a…!”

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

With a laugh at Julius’s contorted face, the Black Dragon vanished from the office.

*Whoosh!*

Once again, he had only stirred up trouble and then fled.

“Argh! Damn humans, so infuriating!”

Julius gripped his temples, writhing in frustration.

---

Meanwhile, Theo and his companions were speeding toward the Ceres Company headquarters, riding on the backs of Umbra and Rangus (Evelyn’s wyvern partner).

In this mission, speed and timing were crucial, leaving no room for error.

Still, Theo had time for a brief review.

The intense heat emanating from him had already settled down.

“…Just what did you do?” Clébé asked, staring at Theo with bewilderment from behind.

Theo had mastered the Thermal Potential technique, immediately unleashing heat, then controlling it with a thunderous attribute, and now he had even learned to contain it within his mana.

Specifically, he was using his mana to trap the heat, which allowed him to conserve energy by reducing wasteful output.

No more suffering from excessive body heat.

For even a Ragnar, blessed with a powerful physique, this seemed almost like cheating.

“Hard to say,” Theo replied with a smile, sidestepping the full explanation.

After all, he couldn’t exactly reveal that he had learned from the Blood Priest’s methods.

‘Maximizing mana density was indeed the key.’

This was how the Blood Light Harmony technique worked. It absorbed divine power through brain pathways, blending it with mana, compressing it under immense pressure, and continuously circulating it within the body.

While Theo couldn’t replicate the exact process unique to the Holy Demon Church’s divine power, he could leverage a similar trait, [Spirituality], to increase mana’s viscosity and thus its density.

As a result,

The heat generated was contained within his mana, and its flow became faster and more efficient.

‘If I refine this further, I could create a decent breathing technique and energy control method.’

Theo intended to explore this idea in the coming days.

Of course, for his companions watching nearby, this was nothing short of astounding.

‘Was the head of the family like this in his youth? The Director must have seen something like this.’

‘The Palace Lord’s decision was right. Theo Ragnar will make history for Plum Blossom Palace.’

Clébé and Hazel were now certain that they needed to bring Theo fully into their fold.

‘I’m sure the Black Dragon and the Sword Dragon are envious. I wish I could see their faces…’

Evelyn couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret for not seeing Julius, who was probably tearing at his temples in frustration by now.

*Click!*

Just then—

*Flap—*

A black bird soared above Theo and his party.

A mystical raven, bred by Black Snow for emergency communication.

Clébé reached out, taking the message from the raven, and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“What’s so amusing?”

Theo asked, watching Clébé burn the message with mana.

“The Ceres Company appears to be up to something interesting.”

“Interesting?” Theo and his companions shared a puzzled look.

---

The Ceres Company.

For a century, this organization had grown under Ragnar’s protection into the leading merchant company in the North. And its master had one clear ambition:

To elevate the company beyond mere merchants and establish themselves as a formal noble family.

To reach the status of a prestigious household, equal to the Six Snow Clans!

Their collaboration with the Central Intelligence Bureau—and their servitude to Ed Troyban—stemmed

 from this desire.

“But it’s still not enough. To become a noble family… we lack history. We lack strength.”

Quadrak Ceres muttered under his breath, rolling two walnuts in his right hand.

“Having our company raided by a mere terrorist… This is the harsh reality we face. We need even more power.”

The recent hostage crisis had been a significant shock.

And it only fueled his ambition to turn the Ceres Company into a true military force.

“This marriage alliance must succeed at all costs.”

*Thud!*

Quadrak’s sharp gaze shifted to the document on his desk.

A chart displayed the relationships between various individuals and forces.

At the center stood Ed Troyban, with “Kyle” and “Ragnar” positioned as opposing forces above him.

Two branches extended behind Ed, one connecting to “Troyban” and the other to “Holy Demon Church.”

Both were daggers pointed at Ragnar’s heart—the primary backers supporting Ed Troyban.

The “Ceres Company” was a branch extending from Ed Troyban’s right, categorized under “Dragon Society.”

And the Ceres Company had one unique trait.

It was connected to one of the “Six Snow Clans” associated with Ragnar.

The Bacchus family.

Their banner bore the image of a bull, symbolizing boldness and strength among the Six Snow Clans.

However, a question mark hovered above the branch connecting the Ceres Company to the Bacchus family.

*Tap.*

*Tap…*

Quadrak tapped his finger over that question mark, mumbling to himself.

“This marriage alliance must succeed. With that, we’ll devour them. Not only will we rise as a noble family on par with the Six Snow Clans, but we may even replace Ragnar.”

Quadrak had already made up his mind to turn his back on Ragnar.

Betraying Ragnar was a dangerous game, considering their zero-tolerance policy for traitors.

But, as a shrewd merchant, Quadrak had calculated the risks.

‘Troyban alone rivals Ragnar in power. With the Holy Demon Church behind them, along with various other factions ready to carve up the North, upheaval is inevitable. And if my company can ride that wave… Furthermore,’

Quadrak’s eyes flashed with cold determination.

‘There’s also *him* behind all of this. He’s the true overlord of the North. This is a game we can’t lose.’

Quadrak shivered, remembering his first encounter with *him*.

The mental shock from that encounter still lingered vividly in his mind.

How could anyone defy *him*…?

Just as he was deep in thought—

“Master, the young lord of the Bacchus family has arrived.”

“Is it that time already? Very well. I’ll be out shortly.”

At the voice from beyond the door, Quadrak turned over the relationship chart and rose from his seat.

‘The time draws near. Soon, the Ceres Company will emerge as the Ceres family!’