HTNSA 88🔐

Chapter 88

“Still, be careful. Even during the day, dangerous beasts roam around here.”

The duke gave a gentle smile before walking ahead again.

Seeing that, a sudden thought crossed Felix’s mind.

‘Could it be… Eila knew from the beginning that His Grace the Duke was my father?’

Maybe that was why she intentionally approached him in the first place.

If he had come here alone, acquiring the herb called God’s Footsteps would have been extremely difficult.

He didn’t even know the way well, and the Forest of Shadows, despite it being daytime, was cloaked in darkness and danger. The monsters that appeared here were no joke.

And that wasn’t all. To obtain that herb, one had to be recognized as worthy by the family’s divine beast.

Yet, Eila seemed to have predicted everything. As if she knew Felix would be able to retrieve the herb with ease.

‘Come to think of it, it was Eila who first hinted at the possibility that I might be the Duke’s son.’

Now that things had come this far, Felix could guess that Eila had been moving with conviction for quite some time.

But then he shrugged.

‘Honestly, it doesn’t matter.’

Even if she had known everything and approached him intentionally, it didn’t change anything.

In the end, it was thanks to her that he overcame mana insensitivity and changed his life.

And even without all of that, Eila was a charming person in her own right.

She might appear delicate and timid at first glance, but when it truly mattered, she was resolute and brave.

Not the reckless kind, either—she always knew how to prepare wisely for any situation.

Even while worrying for others, she tried to shoulder everything on her own—something that gave off a sense of nobility.

‘Even if we hadn’t been bound by a contract, once I met her, I would’ve fallen for her anyway.’

That thought brought a faint, bitter smile to his lips.

Now, he was simply curious.

How had she figured out everything?

‘…Maybe the secret Eila is hiding is far greater than I imagined.’

That thought made his chest ache faintly.

Felix let out a long sigh.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Eila, who must be alone at the academy by now.

Was she in danger again, alone?

If only she would tell him the truth, he might be able to help her somehow.

‘I should’ve asked her to come with me to the ducal house.’

Even though every day at House Agenta was filled with joy, being away from Eila made him anxious.

Was she feeling lonely? Or worse—was she involved in something dangerous without his knowledge?

Her absence kept gnawing at him with worry.

“We’ve arrived.”

The Duke’s voice snapped Felix out of his thoughts.

“This is the sacred site of an ancient god. It’s been protected by House Agenta for generations.”

Felix turned his gaze to where the Duke pointed.

There stood massive stones, covered in green moss and vines, as if they had endured for thousands of years.

At the entrance to the ruins was a colossal statue that resembled a god in deep slumber.

At the foot of the statue lay a creature with a coiled tail—almost dragon-like in appearance.

Unlike the ominous landscape so far, the sight was breathtakingly mystical. Felix forgot to even breathe.

“Once you’re inside, place the items I gave you on the altar. And… it’s best if you stay on guard. That dragon isn’t exactly friendly.”

Felix nodded in understanding.

The Duke seemed to have noticed his distraction.

“Yes, I’ll remember that.”

Felix shook his head, trying to push away thoughts of Eila.

“You must go in alone. I’ll be waiting here.”

“I’ll be back.”

Without hesitation, Felix stepped into the ruins.

The Duke silently watched Felix’s back.

Even after his son was swallowed by the darkness, the Duke couldn’t tear his eyes away.

Inside the Ruins

The interior of the ruins was quite dark.

Yet somehow, the faded magical symbols etched into the ancient walls glowed faintly.

Felix relied on their dim light to walk forward.

‘I think I heard that magic doesn’t work here?’

Maybe that was why the atmosphere of the ruins felt so eerie.

The air was damp and cold, and he almost thought he could hear beasts howling in the distance.

‘Come to think of it, I remember hearing that people who wander into these ruins often get killed by beasts.’

That meant real monsters might be trapped inside the ruins somewhere.

That thought sent a chill down his spine, but fortunately, he soon reached the deepest part of the ruins.

Felix held his breath as he looked around.

It was such a vast space that he questioned whether such a chamber could really exist inside a ruin.

Both sides of the long corridor were filled with underground water from an unknown source, and at the end stood a round altar.

Behind it loomed a massive statue in the shape of a dragon, radiating a powerful presence.

‘I feel like it’s staring straight at me.’

A normal person might have frozen in place, overwhelmed by the gaze of the statue.

But Felix gathered his mana, took a deep breath, and approached the altar.

He placed the mithril sword and the pouch of priceless jewels onto it.

As the clinking of metal and gems echoed—

Boom!

A heavy sound split the air, and blue flames suddenly erupted from the altar.

Felix held his breath. The heat radiating from the flames was intense.

As he stared at the flames, he suddenly recalled what the Duke had said before sending him in.

“Don’t worry. Just stay still. The dragon will determine whether or not you’re worthy.”

Felix now understood what he meant.

These flames would have incinerated anyone who wasn’t of House Agenta.

If he hadn’t been deemed worthy, he would’ve burned away without a trace.

The flame flickered, tilting as if to study Felix.

Crackle. Crackle.

As he stood frozen in tension, the flame suddenly shot into the air and spiraled around the statue.

‘Did I pass?’

Felix widened his eyes.

The statue in front of him began to tremble.

Grrrrraaaa…

Stone began to fall from the statue. Cracks appeared, and red scales emerged beneath.

Blue flames danced between the scales, casting a divine glow.

Felix gasped.

As the massive form shook off the dust and stood, the ground trembled violently.

‘It wasn’t a statue.’

The figure behind the altar was a petrified dragon.

Then, its golden eyes locked onto Felix.

‘A red dragon.’

Its towering size was oppressive even from a distance. The blood-red scales gleamed like sharpened blades.

The dragon slowly opened its mouth, exhaling a breath that released mystical blue fire dancing through the air.

‘So this is the power of a dragon…’

The awe-inspiring sight reminded Felix of the dragon egg Eila had hatched.

Would it one day grow to look like this?

As he stood in reverence, the dragon spread its wings.

And then, a deep voice echoed in Felix’s ears.

[I have been waiting.]

The moment he heard that voice, Felix knew he had passed the test.

Though the dragon’s presence was overwhelming, he managed to open his mouth.

“I greet the great Red Dragon.”

A faint glimmer lit up in the Red Dragon’s eyes as it looked upon Felix.