Deserted Island Attack (1)

The control room aboard the vessel supervising the deserted island survival event.

—Ssshhk.

Aris crossed her legs as she watched Ian through her personal screen.

“How caring he is.”

The screen showed Ian tending to Sophia’s skinned knee.

‘He’s being extremely careful with her wound.’

Ian’s expression as he treated Sophia was nothing but serious.

He was completely focused, as if determined not to leave even the faintest scar.

Every step, from disinfecting to applying ointment and wrapping the bandage, was meticulous and quick.

At the same time, it was so gentle and delicate that it was clear he was being considerate of Sophia.

Except when disinfecting, Sophia hadn’t let out so much as a whimper of pain.

She just nibbled on the raspberries Ian had picked and hummed a little tune.

It looked as if the pain had vanished quickly, and she was in a good mood.

‘She must be incredibly precious to him?’

Even at a glance, Ian cherished Sophia deeply.

‘Just what is their relationship?’

She had already found out through some background investigation that Sophia had been a maid working for the Greysel family.

But the relationship between Sophia and Ian didn’t look like that of a maid and young master.

It was certain there was something more between the two than what appeared on the surface.

‘Not a romantic relationship… I don’t think.’

At first, aris had wondered if they were dating, but the reports from informants assigned to Ian said the two had not been seen doing something as simple as kissing—nothing that lovers would typically do.

‘Friends… but somehow, that doesn’t seem quite right either.’

They were too close to be just friends.

The only thing they lacked was the physical affection typical of lovers; outwardly, they looked just like a couple.

When they rested in the annex, it was common for them to give each other lap pillows, and sometimes Sophia would get into Ian’s bed, and they would sleep together.

If a boy and a girl were close enough to share a bed, could they be just friends? That was nonsense.

‘Then… are they actually in a relationship but have made some vow of chastity to restrain themselves until adulthood?’

If that was the case, that was some phenomenal willpower and self-control.

At such an age, when they should be full of curiosity about the opposite sex, living together, even sharing a bed, and yet not even kissing?

Even Aris, who as a Grandmaster had a will stronger than steel, clicked her tongue at that patience.

‘Well… seems there’s no way to know for sure right now.’

How did Sophia win Ian’s heart?

It was a question that intrigued her, but there simply wasn’t enough information at the moment.

But the truth that Ian cherished Sophia immensely was clear enough.

‘Sophia. I’ll remember this. And… if necessary, use it.’

If it became necessary to move Ian by force, Sophia would be a good card to play.

‘But… I mustn’t go too far with that trick.’

If Sophia were harmed improperly, Ian would certainly seek revenge, regardless of who the opponent was.

Hadn’t he, without hesitation, gouged out both eyes of Hector, the legitimate heir of the Goldhound family, number one in the Heavenly Seal ranking?

Ian would never forgive anyone who harmed those precious to him.

Even Aris herself, a direct descendant of Hisperion, would be no exception, should she cross the line.

‘I don’t want to make Ian an enemy.’

Of course, even if, by some chance, she ended up hostile to Ian, she could just kidnap and brainwash him to solve things easily, but Aris didn’t want to taint Ian that way.

Brainwashing required a process that destroyed the mind, inevitably degrading cognitive skills, reasoning ability, and concentration.

Ian was too valuable to simply ruin so carelessly.

Aris wanted to have Ian, filled with infinite potential, in that pure state.

‘Anyway… he keeps showing me new sides. Ian Greysel.’

Aris raised the corners of her lips in satisfaction and licked her lips.

Until now, she had only seen Ian tear and break people; she’d thought his talents lay solely in fighting, but to think he could also so expertly tend to someone else’s wounds.

‘He’s quicker and more skilled than most healers.’

There wasn’t the slightest clumsiness in the process of disinfecting, ointment application, and bandaging.

‘Really, a fascinating person.’

Aris recalled the previous memory.

When Ian fought Dellen.

The way he instantly healed a gash in his own torso with a bizarre regenerative power.

‘Even though he has such regenerative power… did he still learn herbalism and first aid?’

It should’ve been unnecessary knowledge for Ian.

With such an immense regenerative ability, any ordinary wound could be healed in no time.

‘And it doesn’t even seem shallow knowledge.’

Ian found disinfectant, ointment, and bandages all in under three minutes on-site, using herbs not even taught at the Sword Dragon Hall.

‘Also, I didn’t know those broad leaves could be used as a bandage until now.’

Aris was a swordswoman herself, with her share of missions and battle experience.

She’d been injured and had to perform makeshift first aid in the field multiple times, but she’d never seen anyone treat wounds as quickly and neatly as Ian.

‘On the surface, he’s the very image of a fourteen-year-old boy.’

But when examining his capabilities one by one, he far surpassed most veterans.

Even in swordsmanship, Ian had already demonstrated overwhelming skill over Swordmaster Dellen.

Not only Yuria, who was praised as the greatest talent of the current era, but even Ragnar, called the greatest swordsman of all time, hadn’t stood equal to a Swordmaster at fourteen.

‘But Ian overwhelmed her.’

Moreover, what Ian showed wasn’t just swordsmanship.

When exacting revenge on Hector’s gang, Ian didn’t act like a fourteen-year-old at all.

‘No ordinary fourteen-year-old could calmly gouge out a person’s eyes.’

No matter how innately cruel, the same would be true.

If he’d had a sadistic inclination, Ian would’ve shown barely contained excitement in the pleasure of cruelty.

Children with such tendencies usually did.

But Ian didn’t get excited at all.

‘At that age, an ordinary fourteen-year-old couldn’t easily kill even a single goblin.’

Ian tore and broke those men without the slightest hesitation.

‘Regardless of appearances… if you only look at his actions…’

A fourteen-year-old boy? Nonsense.

Judging from Ian’s actions, he was already a fully developed elite swordsman, completed through thorough training and experience.

‘But Ian isn’t a mere swordsman.’

When Ian fought Dellen.

He showed a bizarre regenerative power, instantly healing a wound that had split his torso.

Not only that, but he had quickly fired off shield magic without chant, and even seized Dellen’s Flostilla, displaying a shocking ability to use Sword Spirit Release far more skillfully.

‘With this much evidence… Anyone but a fool would realize.’

Ian wasn’t an ordinary fourteen-year-old boy.

And.

Maybe…

Not even an ordinary human.

‘The more I see him…’

And the more she thought about it,

The more credible the theory became that Ian’s boyish appearance was just a shell.

His swordsmanship, level, character, magic, abilities, knowledge, and skills.

How could all that be explained away as mere talent?

‘Then…’

If he’s not human, what is he?

‘There are many possibilities.’

There are plenty of beings in this world with human form, but not human nature.

Dragons that changed shape with Polymorph, mixing among humans and enjoying their company for amusement.

Vampires who deceived and preyed upon people by assuming beautiful forms.

Ancient wraiths and demons constantly looking for opportunities to possess ever-stronger human bodies.

And there could be more special cases besides those.

‘And among them, the highest probability is…’

Probably a dragon.

‘If Ian were a vampire, he’d have a strong scent of blood. If he were a wraith, there would be a deathly aura; if a demon, a sense of wickedness.’

But Ian had no scent of blood, nor had she sensed any evil aura.

Which meant the most likely was a dragon.

A dragon’s transformation was akin to authority; no matter how keen your sense for magic power, it was nearly impossible to detect the transformation.

Even for a Grandmaster like Aris, spotting a dragon’s Polymorph was challenging.

So, if that being who so perfectly took on a boy’s form was something other than human, the odds of him being a dragon were highest.

And if Ian was a dragon Polymorphed into human form, everything made sense.

The level of aura that overwhelmed Yuria, who was hailed as the greatest talent of the era.

Swordsmanship that overwhelmed the Swordmaster Dellen at the age of fourteen.

Shield magic fired without chant.

Instant healing of a lethal chest wound.

Knowledge of herbalism and skilled first aid.

A calm temperament and bold cruelty.

Every skill, every bit of knowledge, every ounce of seasoned experience Ian showed.

If Ian’s core was that of a dragon aged over a hundred years, all of it was easily explained.

‘Honestly, if not this, I can’t think of any other possibility.’

And if Ian really was a dragon.

‘Most likely, he’s a hatchling.’

A hatchling.

A young dragon, not even five hundred years old.

‘Because he struggled against Dellen in their fight.’

If he were a mature dragon over a thousand years old, he could have subdued Dellen much more easily.

And had he been such, he would have immediately noticed Aris’s presence, watching him from afar.

But back then, Ian hadn’t noticed her at all, even at the end.

And when they met in front of Kartai City’s warp gate, he’d looked utterly flustered.

So, if Ian was a dragon, the odds were very high he was just a young hatchling.

‘If so, that’s truly desirable.’

Aris’s heart surged with excitement.

If Ian really was a hatchling, there would be immense satisfaction and reward in taming him.

Perhaps it would be an opportunity to mix dragon blood into this prestigious Heavenly Sword lineage.

If tamed properly, she could make a pact with the dragon and turn him into a guardian dragon who would protect the Heavenly Sword family until the end of his ten-millennia lifespan.

‘However… if Ian is truly a dragon…’

Why did he come to our family?

That was what she needed to learn first, to make taming him easier.

Did he come to satisfy his curiosity for knowledge? Or just for fun?

Or maybe he came to fulfill some mission.

Did her father know Ian’s true identity?

Why did he choose to disguise himself as the eldest son of the Greysel family?

“Hmm…”

Aris bit her lip and sank into deep thought.

‘There’s still nothing I can definitively conclude.’

She lacked information.

And it wasn’t even certain that Ian was a dragon.

‘The evidence is somewhat insufficient.’

If Ian were really a dragon, wouldn’t the Demon Cult have made a move by now?

Demon Cult.

Official title: the Cult of Great Sin.

A nationwide bandit organization and pseudo-religion that engaged in terror and pillage.

Their true purpose was unclear, but what was certain was their blind collection of magic power.

Elixirs, spirits, heroes.

Anything with immense magic power became a target of the Demon Cult.

And dragons were literally the embodiment and origin of magic power.

So, the Demon Cult’s dragon hunts had been infamous for centuries.

They possessed technology to find reclusive dragons and power to hunt even strong ones.

For them, dragons were the highest-priority targets and the tastiest delicacy.

‘If Ian were a dragon, the Demon Cult would’ve surfaced at least once.’

They’d never let a solo hatchling wander about alone.

Even if Ian hid his appearance and identity perfectly, the Cult could sniff out hiding dragons and hunt them down.

And recently, with the Heavenly Sword Lord absent from the Heavenly Sword Palace, there had been more than enough chances to attack Ian.

Yet, the Demon Cult had never appeared, not even once.

Therefore, she couldn’t be certain Ian was a dragon just yet.

‘I’ll keep more possibilities open and keep watching.’

Just as Aris pondered the next challenge to assign to Ian—

“S-Sword Dragon Hall Master!!”

An instructor pointed at the magic screen and yelled.

“I-In the testing arena! There’s a demonic energy reaction! H-Hah! A red barrier is spreading!!”

“… What?”

Aris stared at the screen the instructor pointed to, eyes wide.

The screen displayed the entire island.

From the blue sky above, a magical shield formed of demonic energy was quickly descending and enveloping the deserted island.

“Th-The Demon Cult…!?”

The sudden intrusion of the Demon Cult.

At that moment, the last crucial puzzle piece snapped into place in Aris’s hypothesis about Ian’s true nature.

————-= Clacky’s Corner ————-=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

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