Villanelle held Ignis, following the crowd into the Taming Grounds located at the back of the Greenhouse.
Every now and then, people cast glances her way — some were curious, others were filled with fear and wariness — even though Ignis remained submissively curled in her arms.
The open area was constructed from neatly cut, giant gray stones. Tall stone pillars engraved with complex Runes stood around the perimeter, and the ground was covered with thick bedding.
The air was thick with the grainy scent of fodder and the smell of certain herbs used to mask the odor of waste.
At this moment, twenty or thirty students had already gathered in the shadows at the edge of the Taming Grounds. Most were in groups of two or three, leading various kinds of magical creatures beside them.
There were vibrantly feathered Screeching Birds, Echo Lizards whose scales changed color based on the sounds and emotions around them, Stardust Jellyfish kept in transparent water tanks, and someone was even leading a Rockback Beast the size of a calf.
Ignis scanned the dazzling array of magical creatures before him, feeling particularly intrigued.
Next, his gaze shifted toward the center of the crowd, and he momentarily froze.
Leo von Falkenberg stood there, his posture upright, wearing a custom-made taming outfit embroidered with his family crest.
He held a short wand inlaid with small rubies. Several threads of mana shimmering with a faint light extended from the end of the wand, connecting to a collar around the neck of a nearby magical creature.
It was a… young Storm Wyvern.
It was slightly larger than Ignis, its body covered in blue-gray scales and white, lightning-shaped patterns. Its amber slit pupils, which should have been sharp, now appeared somewhat vacant and dull.
It crouched quietly at Leo’s feet, its wings only twitching neurotically every now and then. The dark silver metal collar on its neck occasionally flashed with a piercing light, and disordered mana fluctuations swirled around its body.
Ignis turned his head to look at Villanelle in surprise, his eyes seemingly asking, ‘Did his dragon pass the risk assessment too?’
Villanelle understood his meaning and shook her head, whispering, “He doesn’t need to.”
The Falkenberg Family operated three official wyvern breeding bases recognized by the Empire. Their documentation was complete, and the dragons they produced had official certification regarding their controllability.
The docility of the wyvern Leo was leading was clearly traded for through drugs and magic.
Furthermore, with the influence of the Falkenberg Family, it wasn’t impossible for the academy to turn a blind eye.
Rules always had two faces — one was pedantic and exacting toward her, while the other offered an unobstructed path to people like Leo.
Ignis stared into the hollow eyes of that Storm Wyvern. He could clearly perceive the sluggish flow of mana within its body; it was as if the creature had a magical thrombosis.
Through the external shell, he saw a soul slowly suffocating amidst countless binding threads.
“The essence of the art of dragon training lies in absolute obedience,” Leo explained boastfully to his two lackeys and the surrounding students. “Depending solely on luck and the temporary docility of a beast, like some people do, is simply a pipe dream…”
As he spoke, he gave the short wand a light flick.
The mana threads immediately tightened. The wyvern let out a short, miserable cry and snapped its wings open, adopting a pouncing stance, yet its eyes remained hollow.
Several nearby students backed away in fear.
“See? Absolute command!” A smug curve tilted the corner of Leo’s mouth.
Ignis watched for a moment before withdrawing his gaze. Within him, a surge of discomfort was churning — a dragon’s instinctive empathy for its own kind.
Boring.
In his eyes, that wyvern was no different from those mind-broken heroines in certain stories who were controlled by hypnosis or drugs. It was equally nauseating.
Villanelle, holding him, habitually walked to the edge of the crowd to wait for the Professor.
“Ah… our ‘Special Case Princess’ is here,” Leo’s mocking voice rang out at the right moment. “Hmm, and her submissive pet.”
Villanelle sighed and rolled her eyes.
She held Ignis a little tighter in her arms, her fingers unconsciously brushing over the brand-new metal ring around his neck.
The Suppression Collar installed by Professor Hiram was currently running at a low power, emitting a much softer glow than the wand in Leo’s hand.
“Your Black Dragon looks quite quiet.” Leo walked over slowly, stopping about ten steps away from her. His eyes swept over Ignis in her arms, his gaze contemptuous. “I hope that during class later, it won’t be startled by anything…”
Conrad and Hermann looked at each other, revealing sinister smiles.
Villanelle gave a cold laugh.
“What are you barking about?”
Conrad and Hermann’s expressions immediately turned fierce.
Leo was stunned for half a second. Once he reacted, he laughed out of extreme anger. “Fine, fine, fine. Just you wait…”
“Assemble.”
Professor Hiram walked over at a leisurely pace from a small door on one side of the Taming Grounds. Her voice wasn’t loud, yet it clearly suppressed all the whispering on the field.
Leo’s trio departed. The noble children led their respective magical creatures and gathered toward Hiram, naturally forming a loose circle.
“Today is the first practical lecture: Establishing Basic Connection and Emotional Synchronization.” Professor Hiram didn’t waste words and went straight to the point. “Magical creatures are not tools, nor are they slaves.
“Low-level control techniques and drug injections can only create obedient puppets and plant the seeds of hidden dangers like backlash, rather than stimulating their potential…”
As she spoke, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally brushed past the shimmering wand in Leo’s hand.
Leo’s expression stiffened slightly.
“A true partnership begins with understanding and is solidified through trust,” Hiram continued in an indifferent tone. “You need to perceive your partner’s emotions, guide them, and resonate with their mana fluctuations — to a slight degree.
“In this class, we will not issue any mandatory commands. The only thing you need to do is find the interaction method that makes your partner feel most comfortable and secure, and try to gently ‘touch’ the edge of its mana while its emotions are stable.
“Remember, it is a touch, not an intrusion, and certainly not suppression.”
She paused, her gaze scanning the various types of magical creatures before her.
“This requires patience, focus, and the most important point: set aside your arrogance as masters. Begin now. In one hour, I will check the results one by one.”
The requirements were issued, and the students scattered, each finding an empty area within the grounds.
Villanelle found a relatively quiet corner. With her back against a cold stone pillar, she gently placed Ignis on the ground and then sat cross-legged in front of him.
Not far away, a few Fire Beetles were digging holes in the ground. Villanelle stared at them blankly for a moment.
“The most comfortable and secure way?”
She murmured to herself, her ice-blue eyes appearing somewhat lost.
To her, interacting with Ignis had always seemed to happen naturally.
“Is it like this?”
She reached out a hand and gently scratched the scales just below Ignis’s neck.
According to what she had read in dragon-taming materials, this was the most sensitive area for dragon hatchlings, making it easier to produce feelings of pleasure.
A purring sound came from Ignis’s throat. He lay across Villanelle’s calves and rubbed against her lightly.
Villanelle couldn’t help but smile, her tense shoulders immediately relaxing. She closed her eyes and began to condense her own mana according to the method instructed by Professor Hiram.
A small, weak wisp of energy slowly seeped from her palm, tentatively floating toward Ignis.
Ignis could feel that clear and fragile magical energy approaching.
He actively suppressed the restless, chaotic energy within his body, pushing his mana fluctuations to the lowest possible level. He forced his body to become quiet, allowing Villanelle’s probing mana to touch his scales.
There was no rejection, no resistance. The moment the two forces touched, Villanelle’s body trembled slightly.
She felt a heavy, warm presence filled with majestic vitality, just like pressing her hand gently against a piece of obsidian warmed by the sun.
“It’s a success.” Villanelle opened her eyes, a joyful light shimmering in her pupils.
However, this harmony did not last long.