# Chapter 36: Human, You Are Courting Death!
Theodore, a human, a mage from the Twilight Plains, forty-seven years old, ordinary in appearance, dull in temperament, currently serving as a teacher at Winterfell Academy in the Northern Lands.
The Twilight Plains are located in the southeast of the Empire, bordering the Central Black Forest. There are numerous rivers and swamps there, shrouded year-round in thick water mist, sometimes so dense that even light cannot penetrate, hence the name Twilight Plains. Legend has it that an ancient dragon dwells there, and it is precisely because of that ancient dragon's power that the Twilight Plains are perpetually covered in damp darkness.
As a normal person living in such harsh conditions, Theodore had always dreamed since childhood of leaving this godforsaken place to see the wider, freer world outside.
Perhaps his ancestors took pity on him, for his dream was soon realized—because he was found to have talent for becoming a mage, this brown-haired, dull boy was chosen as a disciple by an imperial mage traveling through various lands, and then, amidst the blessings of family and friends, he left that oppressive land and arrived at the Empire's center, the Imperial Capital, the Three Mountains Holy City.
That period was perhaps the happiest time of his life, not only because he could learn magical spells, but more because he could see this clear world without fog.
But good times never last. Because of the war with the orcs, he and his mentor were conscripted into the army, and then his mentor died on the battlefield.
It was so sudden, yet also the most normal thing in the world... War always claims lives. Theodore thought he had long been prepared, but when it actually happened, he still felt somewhat lost. Someone as weak as himself had managed to survive by the skin of his teeth, while his gentle yet powerful mentor had died in a surprise attack.
The war ended, but a mage apprentice without a mentor, relying on self-study, would at most become a wild mage for life. And Theodore, who had originally only wanted to leave his oppressive hometown, had now truly fallen in love with magic. He couldn't bear the thought of remaining an outsider forever.
So, using what was probably the only decisive judgment of his life, he resolutely sought out his mentor's former comrade-in-arms, the then-leader of the Imperial Mage Corps, Nostradamus, and expressed his wish to continue learning magic.
It was a gamble, but he won. Out of consideration for his departed comrade, the old mage accepted Theodore as an unregistered disciple, teaching him spells like a true mentor.
To repay this debt of gratitude, no matter what Nostradamus wanted to do, Theodore would support him unconditionally. Even this time, when the old mage asked him to give up his position at the Association, leave the comfortable Imperial Capital, and come to the cold, desolate border of the Northern Lands to be an Academy teacher, he agreed without hesitation.
But now, he was somewhat regretful.
"This damn place has weather as bad as my hometown!"
Standing at the entrance of Winterfell Academy, gazing into the distance at the foot of the mountain, Theodore rubbed his hands together, his expression even more gloomy: "No, worse!"
The Extreme North Icefield at the border had an environment even more harsh than the Twilight Plains. Theodore was shocked to discover that even in summer, it occasionally snowed here, with temperatures constantly below freezing. Winterfell Academy was located on the mountainside of Nissier Snow Mountain, and the perceived temperature was even colder than on the ground. Unless he cast an [Environmental Adaptation] spell before going out, he would have to wear three layers of cotton-padded clothes.
Many people from the Twilight Plains described the bone-piercing, damp cold of their hometown's winter as magical damage, and Theodore had always agreed with this sentiment. In his view, the winter temperature in the central Imperial Capital was nothing special, and the Northern Lands couldn't be that much colder—but now, he understood that the biting cold on the snow mountain was true damage, and no amount of clothing could ward it off.
Not far away, sounds of laughter and play came from a small grove near the Academy, where several dozen children were playing.
These children were all wearing only thin apprentice robes, rolling around in the snow and ice without any sign of feeling cold. They were students of Winterfell Academy, taking advantage of their break time to get some fresh air.
"Are the children of the Northern Lands all monsters..."
Theodore subconsciously tightened his robe, shook his head, and muttered to himself.
"Teacher Theodore!"
Suddenly, a youthful voice full of energy came from behind the brown-haired mage. He immediately turned around and saw a boy and a girl with platinum-blonde hair and gray pupils walking quickly toward him from the Academy entrance.
The boy was in front, carrying a large iron box with a silver-gray exterior, engraved with magical patterns that flowed with light. It looked very heavy, but this boy, who wore his hair in a hunter's short braid, lifted it effortlessly. Behind him, the girl with a ponytail carried a similar box, also without any apparent effort.
"Thank you, Ivan, Amira."
Theodore took the two silver boxes from them, used his mental sense to check the contents, nodded, and said gently, "Sorry to trouble you during your break time. What reward would you like?"
"I want..."
The boy named Ivan seemed straightforward in nature. Hearing the brown-haired mage's words, he was about to speak immediately, but the girl behind him decisively kicked him, then grabbed the back of his collar and whispered something.
"Thank you, Teacher Theodore! Helping the teacher with small tasks is only right. But recently, my sister and I have finished reading all the books available to us outside the library, so..."
"You want to borrow books from the inner library, right?"
Before Ivan could stammer out the words his sister had instructed him to say, Theodore smiled and shook his head, then pulled out a note and pen from his robe: "You've been so eager to help me lately—how could I not know what you want? Here."
With a flourish, he signed his name on the note, followed by a line of small characters reading 'Permission granted.' The brown-haired mage handed the slip of paper to the delighted boy and girl, then said softly, "Ivan, Amira, you two siblings are the most diligent of all the students. But occasionally, you need to rest. You can't just read all the time. The most important thing for a mage is to apply knowledge, not just memorize it. You should go out more and put it into practice."
"The books in the inner library are quite profound and difficult. Although I specialize in magical creatures, I also dabble in other subjects. If you have questions you don't understand, feel free to come and ask me."
"Mm, we understand. Thank you, Teacher Theodore!"
Since Amira seemed not to like talking much, all external communication was handled by her somewhat carefree brother Ivan. Having obtained the coveted permission to borrow books from the inner library, both siblings were overjoyed. The brother grinned foolishly, while the sister smiled demurely, very ladylike.
Break time was limited, so the siblings quickly took their leave. Theodore carried the two large metal boxes, watching their retreating figures with a hint of amusement in his eyes, as well as a trace of contemplation.
Ivan and Amira—the most hardworking siblings in all of Winterfell Academy. Amira's talent was far superior to his own; given time, she would surely advance to the Gold Realm, and even the Ultimate Realm was not impossible.
Because of this, all the mage teachers at the Academy treated her with special favor, and she did not disappoint that favor. Whether in academic achievements or practical application, she was undeniably the best in the entire Academy.
As for her brother, Ivan, although his talent couldn't match his sister's, it was still excellent. And hidden beneath his carefree exterior was an unshakable heart.
When encountering problems he didn't understand, Ivan would unhesitatingly ask classmates and teachers. If he couldn't find an answer immediately, he would take the initiative to research texts on his own. Moreover, he had unexpected talent in magical machinery and magical creatures. Theodore even had thoughts of taking him as a disciple.
If not for this, he wouldn't be so lenient with these two children.
"I heard their parents died in last year's mad dragon attack. The entire village was burned to ashes by dragonflame. That's why the Dragon-Slaying Lord was so enraged that he slew the dragon. But what's gone is gone, and it won't come back."
Muttering softly to himself, Theodore said thoughtfully, "Though they seem cheerful on the surface, deep down they're still filled with hatred... Hatred can be a great driving force, but if this emotion is allowed to take root and grow, it will certainly cause problems in the future."
The experienced brown-haired mage could naturally see the little thoughts hidden beneath the siblings' exteriors. Both brother and sister had an extraordinary interest in dragons. Theodore even suspected that the reason these two siblings chose to curry favor with him was because he was a teacher specializing in magical creatures and was currently conducting research on dragons.
But whatever. Theodore didn't care about such things at all. He was even quite pleased, because it meant his abilities were being recognized. And being so clever from a young age, knowing to prepare for future dragon-slaying, these two siblings would surely accomplish great things in the future.
But for now, it was time to work.
Weighing the silver iron boxes in his hands, the brown-haired mage took a deep breath. Then, carrying these two boxes covered in magical runes—which couldn't be transported using teleportation or other spells—he headed toward the ice lake at the foot of the mountain.
As mentioned before, Theodore was a mage who studied magical creatures, commonly known as a biologist. In ancient times, mages of this type were called Contract Mages. Through contracts and self-modification, they could command magical beasts and use spell-like abilities. However, nowadays, self-modification had been classified as forbidden magic by most nations, especially the Church of the Seven Gods. So Contract Mages gradually focused more on contracting and nurturing magical beasts, sharing power and life.
Theodore's mentor was a famous Contract Mage. His lineage had once, several hundred years ago, helped the Diamond Imperial Family establish a contract with a Flame Prison Dragon—the ancestor of the dragon currently serving under Israel·Diamond. The greatest goal of his lineage was to contract with a dragon and become a Dragon Contract Mage.
But how proud were dragons? Would they contract with an ordinary mage? An adult dragon would never obey anyone's commands unless subdued by the strongest humans through force.
Thus, contracting with an adult dragon was almost impossible. After several attempts that nearly got him killed, Theodore gave up on that idea and turned to seeking opportunities to raise a dragon himself.
This should actually be even more impossible than contracting with an adult dragon, because to raise a dragon oneself, one must start from a dragon egg. And dragons' attention to their eggs had reached an insane level. All dragons were solitary creatures who detested sharing territory with their own kind. But to care for dragon eggs more safely, many dragons would still build dragon nests and look after them collectively.
For something to make the unrestrained dragons suppress their nature, dragon eggs had that kind of power. After more than a decade of trying, Theodore despairingly realized that the possibility of him cultivating his magic to become an Ultimate-rank Archmage and then forcibly compelling a dragon into a contract was actually higher than this. Years of arduous training to get close to dragon nests had made him reach the pinnacle in Transformation and Elemental magic, while his original specialty—contracts—had made no progress at all.
Accepting the invitation to become a teacher at Winterfell was actually a sign of Theodore's disillusionment. He no longer held hope for further advancement. After all, his Gold-rank strength was sufficient, and he was a respected professor. Why keep antagonizing dragons?
But it seemed he was favored by luck. One day, the brown-haired mage was shocked to learn that Joshua·van·Radcliffe, the master of Moldavia, the honorary principal of this Academy, and a famous Dragon Slayer, actually had a large collection of dragon eggs! And he had sent these dragon eggs to the Academy as experimental samples!
"What kind of luck is this!"
Years of struggle couldn't compare to a momentary stroke of fortune. Theodore didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he saw the dragon eggs he had dreamed of.
Since Theodore was the only one with deep research on dragons and knowledge of how to care for dragon eggs, Nostradamus immediately appointed him to safeguard the dragon eggs. The brown-haired mage also knew that these dragon eggs didn't actually belong to him, and they might not even hatch into young dragons. So he flexibly applied the secret techniques he had learned from his mentor but rarely used, carefully tending to these dragon eggs with trepidation.
As if Truth were protecting its follower, less than a month later, the dragon eggs showed clear signs of hatching.
Upon discovering this news, Theodore immediately breathed a long sigh of relief—Truth above, his skills hadn't been learned in vain; they were actually useful. If anything went wrong with the dragon eggs, without waiting for Joshua and Nostradamus to punish him, the brown-haired mage would probably take his own life, cleanly ending his uninteresting existence.
The cold of the snow mountain assailed him from all sides, but Theodore's mind became clearer because of it. He wrapped his leather mage robe tighter and cast an Elemental Ward on himself. Immediately, a warm sensation enveloped his body, and the brown-haired mage continued walking toward the snow mountain lake.
In truth, the hatching of dragons—especially dragons meant to be commanded by humans—was a very delicate process.
There were many conditions required for a newborn young dragon to be close to humans, to regard humans as its own kind, and not to identify with its dragon identity. Few people knew how to hatch dragon eggs, and even fewer knew how to make young dragons close to humans. But coincidentally, Theodore knew all of this.
That was why he understood that the time was now urgent.
There were indeed many methods, but most couldn't be completed immediately. Whether it was the gradual brainwashing magic array or the Dragon Contract Treaty, neither could be done overnight. It was already too late to start casting spells on the dragon eggs now to make them identify with humans; that could only be cultivated later.
The brown-haired mage currently had only one choice—to have a dragon that was close to humans care for these young dragons. Influenced by their own kind, the young dragons would naturally imitate and become close to humans as well.
Thank Truth, the lord here, the owner of the dragon eggs, Joshua·van·Radcliffe, happened to be a Dragon Knight. And the Nissier Snow Mountain Lake happened to be the habitat of his dragon.
Black, that dragon's name. Although it seemed to be only a half-dragon, and a fire dragon at that, it was enough. After all, would young dragons care about the attributes of their elder? Theodore just needed guidance; he knew how to raise a dragon.
To this end, he had specifically requested the Academy to send an urgent letter to Joshua. Because he was too excited when writing the letter, his handwriting was messy and his sentence structure chaotic. Theodore somewhat doubted whether the recipient could understand it, but regardless, the message should have been conveyed.
Without waiting for the other party's consent, Theodore prepared to begin his actions. Some dragon eggs could hatch at any moment, and every second of delay was a hidden danger. Even if he would be punished later for acting without authorization, he would gladly accept it.
Walking along the winding icy path of the snow mountain, passing through the dense cold pine forest, Theodore finally arrived at the ice lake at the foot of Nissier Snow Mountain.
The ice lake continuously released a cold magical power. This subtle fluctuation was hard for even Gold-rank mages to notice, but Theodore could sense it. This was his talent, and the reason his mentor had chosen him as a disciple. He could even use this keen perception to communicate mentally with other creatures.
Setting down the two large boxes containing the dragon eggs, the brown-haired mage stretched his limbs. Having been on the battlefield and traversed countless evil mountain ranges in search of dragons and dragon eggs, Theodore was in good physical condition. He could easily carry even these metal boxes covered in magical runes, one in each hand. After resting for a while, he prepared himself.
"Black!"
He called out familiarly to the ice lake, using magic to control his voice so that the sound waves didn't spread outward but transmitted into the water: "It's me, Theodore, the one who usually brings you food. I need to talk to you!"
After speaking, the brown-haired mage didn't call out a second time. He knew the other party had heard his voice. Based on past experience, the other party would appear shortly.
And indeed.
Not far away, above the cold lake water, a large number of bubbles suddenly began to appear. The trajectory of these bubbles quickly moved toward the shore, and a huge black shadow gradually emerged beneath the water, revealing its master's massive form.
As the black shadow approached, Theodore felt the fire elements around him, which had been stagnant due to the cold, begin to rejoice and dance. The consequence was a rapid rise in temperature, making him feel as if he were in a furnace.
The black shadow reached the shore and slowly rose. Amidst surging, boiling water and violently rising white steam, a dragon of immense size emerged from the water.
This was a beast with a long, slender body, full of elegance and dangerous beauty. Its body was covered in thick, pitch-black carapace. On both sides of its body were a pair of wings that seemed not yet fully developed, covered in dangerous bone spikes. Beneath the carapace, golden-red veins like eyes could faintly be seen.
Of course, the most eye-catching feature was the golden crystal embedded in the beast's chest, as dazzling as the sun, releasing incredible heat.
"ROAR!"
—What is it, Theodore? Are you here to give me an extra meal?
Using its dark-golden eyes, Black, who had been swimming in the lake depths and absorbing magic power, looked at the brown-haired mage. This human was very familiar to him; he was the one who usually brought him food and one of the few who could understand his speech. So Black joked with him.
—Last time I had ice shrimp, this time I want cod. Don't try to fob me off with beef or mutton; I'm sick of them!
"No, Black, you just had breakfast not long ago, and it's not the cod fishing season yet. Where would I get a portion for you? ...This time, I have something to ask of you."
Lifting the silver metal boxes in his hands, Theodore said excitedly, "Friend, I'd like to ask you to help hatch these dragon eggs!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the brown-haired mage immediately felt the atmosphere change. Black, who had seemed in a fairly good mood, suddenly fell silent. Theodore quickly noticed this.
Wait, what had he just said?
"Friend, please stop! What I meant was..."
Because he had been too excited earlier, Theodore realized he might have gotten carried away. The brown-haired mage immediately began to explain in panic, but it was clearly too late.
"ROAR!!!!"
The dark-golden dragon eyes suddenly widened. An earth-shaking roar shook the atmosphere. Scorching wind howled from the dragon's mouth, instantly engulfing the brown-haired mage's body.
—Theodore, I never knew you were such a shameless person!!!
As if symbolizing rage, red patterns began to spread across Black's carapace. The light from the core on its chest grew increasingly dazzling, eventually becoming as blinding as the sun. It stomped heavily on the ground, shaking the entire cold pine forest. The half-dragon lowered its head to the brown-haired mage's level, opened its massive mouth, and let out an angry roar.
—I don't even have a mate yet, and now you want me to hatch dragon eggs?! Do you really know what you're saying, you foolish mage?!