Dark Dragon: The Summoned Hero Is A Villain

Chapter 271: Second Semester

The week passed in uneasy calm.

The capital, though scarred, had begun to breathe again. The great bells had tolled for King Cillian’s funeral, their mournful echo rolling across Camelot for three long days.

The streets were filled with black banners and silent crowds. When the ceremony ended, the lockdown was lifted, and for the first time since the dragon’s fall, the city stirred with movement again.

The crown’s proclamation had followed soon after. The truth had been released.

The king’s final battle had been fought alongside hybrids, and the official decree called them heroes of Camelot.

It declared that hybrids were not cursed or diseased, but "blessed with strength beyond mortal men."

The words had sent a small uproar through the nobility but had brought relief to the people.

Now, far from the capital’s mourning towers, life at the Royal Academy of Magic was returning.

Carriages lined the academy gates, bearing students in their dark uniforms.

The once empty courtyards filled again with chatter and laughter. The air buzzed with greetings and friends catching up with each other.

Inside the cafeteria, the noise was louder than it had been in weeks.

Noah sat near the window with his lunch, and around him, groups of students filled the tables, voices rising and falling in bursts.

Across the room, a group of returning gold-tier students were reenacting the scene of the funeral for those of their friends that hadn’t had the privilege of attending.

Others discussed rumors from the capital. Who survived, who didn’t, and who had secretly been a hybrid all along.

Noah listened, not really part of any conversation. He chewed absently, his mind elsewhere.

He didn’t notice the commotion at first, but the sudden hush, followed by murmurs rippling through the hall was pretty hard to miss. Heads turned towards the entrance.

He looked up.

A figure in a black coat was walking through the cafeteria doors.

White hair framed his face, and though he had a faintest grin on his face, his eyes, green and bright, drew every gaze like a magnet.

Arlo Kael.

Noah blinked. The blindfold was gone. For the first time, he saw the color of Arlo’s eyes, and they were striking.

They were a vivid emerald, clear enough to reflect the world around them. They caught light in a way that seemed almost unnatural, glowing faintly even in the sunlit room.

Students whispered as he passed. This was the first time they were all seeing his eyes. Not to mention, everybody knew he had been there that day.

The grandson of the principal, survivor of the dragon attack, and heir to one of the noble families of Camelot.

He crossed the hall, heading straight for Noah’s table.

Noah watched him approach. There was something different about him. It wasn’t just the absence of the blindfold, or the longer hair, but in the way he held himself.

Arlo reached the table, pulled out a chair, and sat opposite him without a word.

For a few moments, neither spoke. The noise of the cafeteria faded, replaced by the soft clatter of plates and the whisper of curious onlookers.

Then Noah broke the silence. "So," he said, his tone calm but filled with curiosity, "are you the new Lord Kael now?"

Arlo’s mouth twitched in what might’ve been a smile. "Not yet," he said. "Not until I graduate. For now, my grandfather’s holding the seat."

He leaned back in the chair, exhaling softly. "Your curiosity on politics can wait. I’ve got something more important."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

Arlo studied him for a long second before saying quietly, "The Lady in Dark."

Noah set his fork down, saying nothing.

"You told me about her because you wanted to hunt her too, didn’t you?" Arlo asked, his tone light but his eyes observant.

Noah considered, then gave a small nod. "I did."

There was no use lying. He already knew what Arlo’s eyes could do.

Arlo smiled. "Good. Then let’s make it official."

He extended a hand across the table. "You want her dead. I want her dead too. We can help each other."

Noah tilted his head slightly, studying him.

The light caught the green in Arlo’s eyes. Eyes that seemed to see straight through him. There was fire there, focused and dangerous.

Noah smiled slowly and reached out, clasping Arlo’s hand. "All right," he said. "Partners, then."

They shook firmly.

A few students nearby whispered, watching. Two of the academy’s most infamous first years had just made an alliance on something.

When they let go, Noah leaned back. "So," he asked, "what have you found so far about her?"

Arlo’s expression darkened slightly. "Not here," he said. "Too many ears. Let’s go somewhere quieter."

Noah nodded. "My dorm room?"

"That’ll do."

They stood, leaving the plates behind. As they stepped out of the cafeteria, the noise returned in full force, though Noah could still feel dozens of curious eyes following them.

The sun was bright outside, its warmth spilling across the stone paths that cut through the campus.

Students filled every walkway, some hauling luggage, and others laughing, shouting, or sparring.

As they walked, Noah noticed a few unfamiliar faces. Older students, their uniforms neatly pressed.

He nodded towards one group of them, who stood near the practice fields, watching the younger students with amused expressions. "I don’t recognize them," he said.

"They’re third years," Arlo explained. "They spend their first semester at the front lines, fighting in real campaigns. Then they come back here to finish their last term before graduation."

"So they’ve seen battle."

"Plenty," Arlo said. "They know how to kill and how to survive. The academy gives them a few months to recover and finish their research before sending them back out into the world as full Mages."

Noah nodded, glancing again at the third year students. They held themselves differently.

As they turned down the main path towards the gold-tier dormitory, the crowd thinned.

Students waved to Arlo as they passed. He returned the greetings with polite nods, though his focus remained forward.

They were halfway up the steps leading to the dorm when a loud voice filled the air.

"Hey, Arlo!"