Dragon Raja; Chapter 145: Epilogue (2)

Dragon Raja

By the end, Norton didn’t recognize him anymore. Or perhaps, as the Principal had said, dragons were dragons. Once he had regained his memory, he no longer considered Lu Mingfei a friend.

“He wanted revenge. To protect him, Constantine also gave up chrysalis, which means Constantine can never come back,” the Principal sighed. “We were never sure if dragons felt brotherly love, but it seems they do. That’s one rare similarity between them and humans.”

“I think they were… rather pitiful,” Lu Mingfei said softly.

The Principal stood up, walked behind Lu Mingfei, and patted him on the shoulder. “This is a war between two species. All of us had our positions determined from the very beginning.”

Lu Mingfei nodded, taking one last look at the photo in his hand before placing it back into the envelope and pushing it across the table. He didn’t want to keep this photo, which captured the bright smile of a Dragon King who believed himself to be human. It was a face devoid of any majesty, and even though Lu Mingfei knew he was a dragon, no matter how hard he stared, he couldn’t see it.

“Did we cause too much of a stir in China this time?” Lu Mingfei asked.

The Principal shrugged. “This time it wasn’t too bad. There were no other boats on the river, and the steam obstructed visibility. But with our activities, I can’t be sure how long this secret will remain. I just hope to end this war before such secrets make it to the newspaper headlines.”

“Why keep it a secret? Wouldn’t a full-scale dragon-slaying campaign be great?”

“For thousands of years, the dragon-slaying families have kept these secrets, for complicated reasons. Most importantly, nobody wants to shatter humanity’s understanding of the world,” the Principal said, spreading his hands. “Humans and dragons understand the world very differently. Humans have lived many years believing in their own ideas. If those beliefs are shattered, who knows what might happen? By the way, I have a letter for you, with no return address. Compared to a GPA of 4.0 and an invitation for afternoon tea with the Principal, I think this might make you happier.”

He pulled an envelope from his pocket and placed it in front of Lu Mingfei.

It was a white envelope without a stamp or postmark. The back was sealed with red wax—a very old-fashioned sealing method. On the front, a few delicate handwritten characters read: “To Lu Mingfei, via Principal Anjou.”

Lu Mingfei felt his lips go dry. As he reached out, his hand trembled slightly.

Mingfei,

We received a copy of your transcript. You did well, far better than your father and I did back then.

I wish I could be there right now, sitting by your hospital bed, holding your hand, and asking our new grown-up man for an autograph.

But I can’t. What I’m doing now, we’ve been doing for twenty years, and there’s not much time left. If I leave now, I may not make it back in time. As a mother, I’ve been inadequate, but I hope someday you’ll understand why I did this.

You’ve taken a beautiful first step, and you will grow into a son who makes me proud. I believe you’ll understand us, too.

I carried you for ten long months before giving birth, and during those ten months, and the eighteen years that followed, I imagined you growing up every day.

I planned for us to meet when you turn twenty-two—that is, the year you graduate from Cassell College. Your father and I have been planning for years to attend your graduation ceremony and watch our only son in a cap and gown.

We love you, always.

Mom

Giovanni

P.S. Your dad sat beside me while I wrote this, roasting a rabbit, his hands covered in grease, unable to hold a pen. He dictated a lot of words for me to write to you, but I felt most of them were pointless, so I didn’t include them. Except for one thing he said that I think is worth repeating: “Son, you’re eighteen now… If you insist on finding a girlfriend, I won’t interfere too much…”

Lu Mingfei folded the letter back along its creases and put it in the envelope, trying to find a pocket to tuck it into. But since he couldn’t find a pocket, he slipped it into the bandages on his chest.

“We all exist in the eyes of others,” the Principal said, patting Lu Mingfei on the shoulder. “Someone’s been watching over you all along.”

“Yeah.” Lu Mingfei nodded.

“One last thing,” the Principal said, staring into Lu Mingfei’s eyes. “Cassell College regulations, Chapter 15, Article 4: Participants in missions are not allowed to discuss mission details with each other. Once a mission is complete, all details are sealed in the archives. So, those details you don’t want to tell me… don’t tell anyone else either. Understood?”

Lu Mingfei was startled. “What… details?”

“According to the report, the storm torpedo fired by Caesar killed Dragon King Norton, but we didn’t find his remains. Based on Chen Motong’s account, she was attacked underwater by something suspected to be Dragon King Norton. Whether it was Norton or not, she was indeed severely injured. So I’m curious—if Chen Motong was attacked, why were you unharmed?” the Principal said nonchalantly.

“But I don’t want to ask. Whether there’s something we don’t know or whether you have your own reasons for staying silent,” the Principal added, “I personally trust you, so I won’t ask.”

“Understood.” Lu Mingfei stood up and scratched his head.

As Lu Mingfei walked down the stairs, the Principal took a stack of white papers out of a folder. Each page had something resembling a child’s simple drawing. On the last page, the style suddenly changed—sharp, vivid, lifelike. It depicted two boys, one tall and one short, sitting on a windowsill, with green vines hanging down. They looked off into the distance at a high tower. The taller one wore a school uniform, while the shorter one was dressed in a slightly formal suit and square-toed shoes. All four of their legs dangled outside the window.

“Long time no see,” the Principal said softly as he looked at the drawing.

He took out a lighter, ignited the stack of papers, and watched them slowly turn to ashes in the fireplace.

In Dorm 303 of Sector 1, Finger typed in the headline for the school news website: “S-Rank Discharged, The Mummy Returns.”

The accompanying photo showed Lu Mingfei, covered in bandages, sitting by a window, striking a very dated “V” sign with his fingers.

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