The next day after completing his class and visiting the training hall, Arthur left the academy and reached near the market and waited for Selene to arrive. He does not know when she will come to pick him up so he waited there as he pursed through the wares of the merchants to see if they have anything interesting.

Arthur roamed the streets of Brightwater, arms in his pockets as his eyes flicked from stall to stall, scanning the cluttered tables full of charms, trinkets, and suspiciously glowing herbs. The late afternoon sun filtered through the rooftops, casting the market square in golden warmth. It was crowded, noisy, and smelled faintly of roasted meat and old parchment.

He’d been walking through the market for nearly half an hour now. But nothing had caught his attention.

‘You’d think with all this magic floating around, someone would at least be selling a decent mana artifact,’ he thought, raising an eyebrow at a particularly crooked merchant trying to sell a “fireproof cloak” already half-singed at the hem.

Arthur sighed and turned to leave towards the orphanage.

Just as he did, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder.

He turned around, his instinct flaring… but seeing who it was, he relaxed.

Selene stood there, her hands behind her back, her dark purple hair fluttering gently in the wind. She was dressed in something casual today, slim dark pants, a sleeveless top that contrasted her hairs, and her ever-present confidence smile.

“Hey,” Arthur greeted casually.

“Let’s go,” she replied simply.

Without another word, they slipped into a quiet alley nearby. Arthur had barely taken two steps in when he felt her fingers brush his shoulder. Instantly, the world around him blurred.

With a soft pop of displaced air, they vanished from Brightwater City.

…

When the world solidified again, they were standing in the middle of a lush garden. The air was clearer here, fresh with a hint of mountain breeze. Arthur turned slowly, eyes widening.

The mansion before him was massive. Sleek, polished glass windows reflected the sun’s glow. Its structure was a seamless blend of modern architecture and classical elegance. Marble steps led up to broad doors, and vines of purple flowers crawled up carved stone columns.

‘Did we just time travel back to Earth in the twenty-first century?’ Arthur mulled jokingly, seeing the modern mansion.

She gestured for him to follow and led him through a path flanked by silver-leaved trees. Inside, the mansion was even more grand, walls adorned with tapestries woven from soft silk, paintings of dragons mid-flight, and chandeliers floating unaided, glowing with soft magical light.

They entered a massive lounge that looked more like a luxury penthouse suite than a living room. And sitting at the center of it all, legs crossed and an open book resting beside him, was a man who looked like he had just stepped off a fashion runway.

He looked maybe thirty, give or take. Jet-black hair swept back loosely. His relaxed posture didn’t exude any power, and even after using ‘Analyze’ on him all he got was that he was a normal person… but that made Arthur more alert.

Selene brightened at the sight of him. “Grandpa! I’ve brought him.”

Arthur gave a polite nod. ‘This is her grandfather? He doesn’t look a day older than her older brother, let alone a grandparent.’

Still, Arthur kept his composure. As you cannot judge a person’s age with their outer appearance in this world. People have ways to live longer here.

The man looked up and smiled. “So, you’re Arthur.”

“That’s me,” Arthur replied, voice steady.

“Sit. No need to stand there.”

Arthur sat opposite him on the plush couch as Selene took the seat beside her grandfather.

“I heard you built my granddaughter a castle,” the man asked directly, his voice casual.

Arthur blinked, he was confused as to why he was interested in that but he replied nonetheless. “Uhh… yes, I did.”

The man smiled. “You know… according to the old traditions here, that’s considered a marriage proposal you gave to my granddaughter.”

Arthur’s brain froze. His expression blanked out as the words processed in his head.

‘Wait. What?!’

He turned his head mechanically towards Selene. She was blushing and half-glaring at her grandfather.

“What? Don’t look at me like that,” she huffed. “How would I know that the dragon royal family  still followed those outdated traditions?”

Arthur was still catching up when he mumbled, “Wait, you’re a… dragon?”

The man laughed. “She didn’t tell you yet?” He then leaned back. “Selene is the princess of one of the royal dragon clans of this continent.”

Arthur blinked again. ‘A marriage proposal to a dragon princess. Right, totally normal. I’ll wake up now, right?’

He never thought he would get so many surprises coming here, first he somehow gave a marriage proposal to a girl he had known for just a few days, then he came to know that the person he unknowingly proposed to is a dragon princess.

“So…” the man’s voice turned colder. “Are you going to marry my granddaughter?” With his piercing gaze placed on Arthur.

Arthur opened his mouth, but swallowed back his words.

He can’t even feel any kind of power from the man, it’s like he is just a normal human without any powers. 

‘This man is either extremely dangerous or he is just a person without powers, which is unlikely,’ Arthur thought. 

Arthur sighed and was going to reject it, as first of all he never knew he proposed to someone, and even though Selene was extremely beautiful, in fact she is the most beautiful woman he had come across in his life. Still marrying someone just because of their looks was not something Arthur would do.

Arthur tried to speak again. “Look, I didn’t mean…”

“Grandpa!” Selene cut in, cheeks flushed. “You’re scaring him!”

The man seeing his granddaughter’s expression let out a hearty laugh, the tension in the room easing. “Alright, alright. I was just teasing the boy.” But then his eyes sharpened again. “That said… the royal family might not see it that way.”

Arthur’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

The man continued. “They would of course not allow a human to marry their princess. But for now you should not have to worry, my wife has handled the situation for now. But there are always other ways for them to figure out it was you who made the castle, so you should expect trouble in the future.” 

Arthur felt weird that just making a castle could land him in this much trouble, but he did not worry and thought of the situation, where dragons are coming for his life and he comes out stronger from it. Arthur chuckled under his breath, the irony of it hitting him.

Selene’s grandfather studied him for a moment longer, then gave a small grin. “You’re taking this rather well.”

Arthur leaned back slightly. “Well it does not matter, I can take anything they throw at me.”

Selene’s eyes twinkled with something unreadable as she looked towards Arthur, admiration maybe or something else. Her grandfather raised a brow.

“Hm. I believe you.” Then, his tone shifted. “Your body… I can feel that your physiology is quite special, even weirder than a dragon, so you might just come out stronger from this.”

Arthur tensed. “You can sense that?”

“I’ve seen many things in my long life, boy.”

Arthur was surprised that Selene’s grandfather could feel that his physique was different from others, but seeing the man not explaining any further he also didn’t say anything.

Selene, now curious, turned to her grandfather. “Wait, what do you mean? Arthur’s not entirely human?”

The man smiled mysteriously and shrugged. “It’s not my place to reveal someone else’s secret.”

Selene pouted and turned to Arthur, and seeing his reluctant expression she huffed, “Humph whatever. It’s not like I wanted to know anyway.”

Arthur sighed. Her tone said one thing, but her expression said she was dying of curiosity.

He thought for a moment that tellingSelene about his ability would not cause him any problem and from the looks of it, Selene’s grandfather had already figured out about his powers so he said, “My body can adapt to extreme conditions. The more damage I take… the stronger I get.”

Selene’s eyes widened, “That’s insane!!” then she looked at her grandpa, “Is that even possible grandpa?” 

The man nodded and said, “In this world anything is possible.” 

Selene thought for a moment and nodded, “It’s just like you, even while being human you are stronger than a dragon in the same realm, which was thought to be impossible before.” 

Arthur now came to a realization why the man, while being Selene’s grandfather, seems to be cordial with him, if even the whole dragon royal family would come after his head if they knew about him building Selena a castle. It seems he himself was a human and had married a dragon, and was not worried about the dragon royal family’s traditions.

Hearing his granddaughter’s words the man just gave a smile.

Just then, there was a soft knock at the double doors, followed by the smooth creak of them opening. A woman in a sleek black-and-silver uniform entered with a gentle bow.

“Lord, the lunch is ready,” she said with practiced grace.

Selene’s grandfather waved his hand with a casual flick. “Perfect timing.” Then he turned his attention to Arthur. “Come, let’s eat. Talking about dragon clans and surprise marriage proposals works up an appetite.”

Then the trio made their way to a long dining room that extended along a sunlit corridor. Massive glass walls on one side offered a panoramic view of the valley below, lush green hills that stretched endlessly, dotted with trees and the occasional drifting wyvern in the sky.

Arthur let out a sigh of amazement. “You’ve got a serious view here.”

The man gave a proud smile. “Of course, because it was built by yours truly.”

The dining room was set elegantly but without too much flair. A long darkwood table sat in the center, with only three seats prepared, one for each of them. Silver platters lined with steaming dishes covered the table, roasted mana beast meat glazed in crimson herb sauce, sautéed vegetables with blue sprouts etc.

Arthur picked up a fork and dug in. To his amazement, it tasted divine. Rich, flavorful, and not too heavy. He was halfway through his second helping of what he assumed was some kind of mana-boar meat when the man across from him spoke again.

“So, Arthur,” Selene’s grandfather said, sipping from a crystal glass. “How about a test after this?”

Arthur blinked. “A test?”

The man smiled, leaning back slightly in his chair. “Let me see how strong you really are.”

“You want to fight me?” he asked, wiping his mouth with a cloth napkin.

“Fight’s a strong word,” the man said nonchalantly. “Think of it more like… a performance review. I want to see how much spine my granddaughter’s suitor has.”

Arthur nearly choked on his drink, and Selenelet let out an amused chuckle from the side.

“Not a suitor,” he muttered, glaring sideways at Selene.

Selene, unfazed, just smirked and stabbed a piece of glowing fruit with her fork. “You should run now while you still can.”

Arthur confidently smiled and leaned back in his seat. “Nah. I think I’ll stay.”

The air in the room lightened. Even Selene’s grandfather cracked a wide grin.

Selene shook her head with a chuckle. “Just don’t break anything. Grandpa remodeled this place last year.”

“No promises,” Arthur said, while setting his glass down. “But don’t hold back while fighting with me.”

“Don’t worry,” Selene’s grandfather said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I won’t go that easy on you.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes.

Now that was a threat he could feel in his bones.

***

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