Chapter 164 - Wolf Girl, Athena, and My Dragon Wife

  Nathan Evenhart:

  I had a long versation with Adrihna and Headmistress Victoria about how I should duct myself, and I received a list of prohibitions, including even how well I perform on exams. It seems that student performance is evaluated aed to the authorities of the realms, allowing them to monitor promising future mage knights. I have to remain invisible, which means I 't stand out as either too skilled or too poor.

  In terms of my performance, I was already aware of the o hold back. My aunt and mother had forbidden Chloe and me from fully dispying our skills. Officially, we're just from an agricultural duchy, and our bat knowledge should stay limited in the eyes of outsiders. Yet, as a high noble, I’m supposed to excel. In short, I have to be the worst among the best.

  Each duchy’s operations are rgely shaped by its primary activities, which directly influehe nature of its armed forces. For instahe Evenhart Duchy primarily focuses on agriculture, meaning that most of its popution prises on farmers. While it does maintain its own army, the focus of its defense and security forces is more on proteg agricultural resources and maintaining order than on advanced military training or bat teology.

  There are nifit differences. For example, as my duchy is a former kingdom, certain positions are preserved. A t in my duchy holds that title within our territory, but their power dynamics shift if they’re a t of the Kingdom. The kingdom has its own ainers who operate in the capital, which is their owory, and there are also hey’ve pced within other duchies. In this way, the royal family has created a bance of power, allowing them to stay informed about what happens across the duchies through these nobles.

  As a high-ranking noble of an agricultural duchy, it would naturally be unusual for me to have advanced military training. Even though we have our own armies, each duchy has its own “strength,” and ours is rooted in fieldwork and farming.

  Oher hand, militarized duchies specialize in warfare, boasting rge, well-trained armies and a signifit number of magical soldiers. These duchies i heavily in rigorous military training, cutting-edge bat teology, and develop military strategies in direct partnership with the kingdom's army.

  The retionship between Evenhart Duchy and the kingdom primarily revolves around trade and food supply, while the military duchies are deeply involved in high-level military operations. They actively participate in strategic meetings and tribute signifit military strength to the kingdom.

  The kingdom itself holds an even higher position of military power, with an army that rides winged horses, making it the stro military for the ti.

  Over the years, I’ve learned a lot, especially about the military roles assigo the duchies. This society relies on talented mages who hold positions of power. Many nobles don’t bother much with swordsmanship because, if they’re in the Emitter category, they prefer to focus on le lethal spells. As a result, many swordsmanship, fog solely on magice it awakens in them.

  Even though nobles do receive some military training, it doesn't pare to what’s taught in the Royal Capital’s army. Nobles from families serving the royal family are raised as knights from a young age, and this is why the royal army is stronger pared to others. Those who awaken to Matain the position of ‘Knight,’ distinguishing them as mage soldiers with advaraining in swordsmanship.

  That doesn't mean anything to me. Even with Beatrix, I never felt pressured. Although her main on is that scythe called the 'Death Dancer.' I know she wasn't fighting seriously, but her was I. I wonder what it would be like if we both fought each other at full strength?

  The Evenhart Legacy operates simirly, training a few allied families to be excellent warriors, yet our abilities must remain hidden to avoid drawing attention. That’s why they prefer to maintain the image of a rural duchy focused on agriculture. If I—a supposed heir of an agricultural duchy—demonstrated exceptional talent in swordsmanship, it would raise too many eyebrows. We’ve been instructed to maintain an average profile among high nobles.

  At this academy, each student is evaluated on a military basis, automatically gaining the position of ‘Recruit Knight’ upon graduation. Every student here, after pleting five years, is automatically enlisted in their kingdom’s army, sometimes even graduating with that position. A recruit knight earns 25 gold s per month. A age could spend years trying to be reized in the army, hoping one day to be selected for knight training. But here, you graduate with this rank in five years.

  This is the level of preparation this academy provides. A recruit knight is merely the basic force of the royal mage army, but our kingdom monitors student performance over the years, scouting for alent. Some nobles want a career in the royal army and start extra training during this period to stand out, avoiding the recruit knight rank when they graduate.

  This is why getting into this academy is so petitive. In addition to top-notch education, it allows you to skip years of steps in the royal army, graduating with a prestigious job lined up.

  I'm back at my apartment, having to eat lunch ter than usual because I was stuck listening to Adrihna and the headmistress outline all the dos and don’ts.

  I’ll listen to and follow their advice—after all, the headmistress is risking her life to help me.

  I opehe door to my room and sighed.

  “These five years are going to be plicated…” I said, throwing myself onto the bed.

  I looked around for the little gray panther, but she had disappeared.

  She’s probably off having lunch or wandering around somewhere.

  I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to clear my mind. There was so much to think about, so maions as to process. For the first time, I began to truly uand all the warnings, the stant admonitions about our iions with other nobles outside our duchy. I really lomatic p, trapped at the interse of two noble bloodlines, unknowingly vioting ws I hadn’t even knowed.

  A low growl interrupted my thoughts, pulling me back to the present.

  Cyl? You show up now when I’m trying to sleep… I thought. But as I turned my head, I saw someone else sitting on the floor, watg me ily.

  “Thyra?!” I was genuinely surprised.

  “Thyra is here!” she announced, immediately leaping onto the bed with the agility of a predator.

  Before I could react, Thyra had settled on top of me, pinning me under her weight. Her proximity was startling as she leaned closer, leaving only a sliver of space between us.

  “Thyra saw things during the fight…” she murmured, trag a cwed finger along my face.

  “What are you doing, Thyra? You’re not supposed to be here.” My words came out in a mix of surprise and disfort.

  She only smiled, ign my question. “Thyra now lives with Syvis in the dormitory.”

  Moving even closer over me, almost lying on top of my body, she increased the pressure, making any attempt to escape nearly impossible. I felt her chest pressing against me, and her hips... well, they were right on a ‘plicated’ spot. We were in an aosition, and any movement I made could shift certain parts of me that every guy my age would lose trol over if things moved too much like that.

  “Thyra saw everything in the fight,” she repeated, her breath warm on my face. “You’re strong, and Thyra saw you taking that final atta purpose.”

  I tried to pull away, turn my head, but she held me tight, and every attempt to move only increased the tact.

  “Taking the atta purpose? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  Her eyes shoh a fierce curiosity. “Thyra has quick eyes, access some parts of her beast form. You threw yourself into that elf girl’s final atta purpose.”

  “Could we maybe move out of this… unfortable position and talk about it?” I suggested, trying tain some trol.

  Instead of giving me space, she adjusted herself even closer, ing her legs around mine, effectively trapping me. I could feel her tail shifting as her legs locked me further into pce.

  “This is a dominance position Thyra does with her fight partners. If you want out, you’ll have to push me off,” she teased, poking my face repeatedly with her finger.

  “Stop poking my face,” I grumbled, trying to pull away.

  “Your face draws Thyra’s attention.”

  I sighed, trying to stay calm. “If the little panther cub sees us like this, she’s going to se. Sorry, but I have to do this.”

  She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. “What do you mean, sorry?”

  'Bzzzt!'

  “Ahh!” She leaped back, moving away. “Did you shock me?” she asked, a pyful smile spreading across her face. “Hahaha, Thyra is excited to fight.”

  “No fighting. I just want to sleep,” I replied, notig her wolf ears droop a little, as if my reje had dampened her spirits.

  She looked around, cheg to see if we were truly alone, and then leaned in, whispering, “Did you know that Thyra has a pn for the future?”

  “No. How would I know about your pn?”

  She leapt again but only repositioned herself beside me on the bed this time. “Thyra wants to fight the lion queen one day… to the death.”

  What? Is she pnning a coup or something?

  “I think that's a pretty plex pn, and you probably wouldn’t know what to do afterward to manage a kingdom,” I replied.

  She moved closer, her eyes gleaming with determination. “Thyra would make fifty pups to celebrate.”

  “W-WHAT?! Fifty pups? That’s… a lot,” I stammered.

  “Thyra would rebuild the Bck Wolf tribe and bee the alpha wolf. With Thyra in charge, no wolf cub would ever be hunted again.”

  She stood up and headed for the door, casting o look my way with that same fierce gleam in her eyes.

  “It all starts with Thyra defeating the warrior elf girl!” she decred before disappearing down the hallway.

  I let out a long sigh, staring at the ceiling aing the silence soothe the whirlwind she’d left behind. I waited a few mio make sure she was really gohen got up and checked every er of my apartment, even uhe other beds, just to be certain.

  “She’s gone,” I muttered, mostly to myself, before log the door carefully. Ba my room, I also made sure the door was locked before throwing myself bato the bed.

  “Icarus, even I’m surprised. Are you sure there’s no one else hiding under your bed?” The familiar voice of Athena chimed beside me, and there she was, lying down and watg me with that enigmatic smile.

  “Leave me alone. I’ve had a long day full of information that’s making my head spin. I o pn my steps.”

  She moved closer, pg a hand on my chest.

  “Don’t touch me, you maniac,” I snapped, swatting her hand away.

  “It’s been years since I’ve touched anyone, you know? I just want to remember what it feels like to feel something real,” she said.

  I rolled my eyes and turned away, trying to ignore her. But before I could rex, I felt her presence even closer.

  She leaned in close to my ear, whispering in a sultry tone, “Now that you’re fifteen, how about climbing the steps to adulthood?”

  I grabbed a pillow and threw it at her, irritated. “Get lost, you ghost!”

  I closed my eyes, willio disappear, and when I opehem again, she was gone, leaving behind the f sileny room.

  I just want to sleep! First, it was a wolf girl, now a crazy goddess—what’s ?

  Knock, knock.

  I sighed at the sound of the door and got up to open it.

  As soon as I ope, there was a little panther cub oher side, who immediately trotted into my room.

  “Where have you been?” I asked Cyl, shutting the door behind her.

  “I went to find Chloe to get lunch since you didn’t e back. I used the other room’s window to get in and out. After eating, I wandered around a bit,” she replied nontly.

  Is that how Thyra got in? I must’ve left the door unlocked, and she must’ve snu while I was out.

  I y down on my bed again, hoping to sleep. I o rest my mind; I had so much to process.

  I closed my eyes, letting sleep take over, but then the panther cub jumped onto me.

  ‘Sniff’. She pressed her o my stomach, sniffing ily.

  ‘Sniiiif!’ She took a deep inhale and then moved closer to my face.

  “You smell like a woman!”

  I just wao sleep…

  "Let’s talk, Nate! Don’t close your eyes and ignore me. I want to find out who this shameless woman is who's been rubbing herself all over my husband," she decred, fshing her little cws.

  I sighed, realizing I had no escape. “I swear, it’s not what you’re thinking…” I murmured, half-defeated.