BANG!

David's coiled tail tip suddenly snapped out, striking the helmet of the angrily glowering guard like an unfurling party horn.

Before the astonished gazes of the Elves, the guard's once-shiny helmet dented slightly. His formerly handsome features, his entire face even, rippled like the surface of disturbed water as he spewed blood from his nose. He crashed through the closed oak doors of the Magic Academy and tumbled headfirst into the fountain on the main path just beyond, sending a shower of water high into the air.

"..." The Elves outside the Magic Academy who had just witnessed this scene were instantly stupefied. Then, faces filled with horror, they scurried away, desperate to get clear.

Some Elves who recognized David and Attilicia were full of lament, while some High Elves newly arrived from Eternal Gathering Island were filled with anger and confusion: This was Elven Kingdom territory, the capital of the High Elves, and right in front of their landmark, the Magic Academy! How dared this Dragon commit such a heinous act of contempt against them, the High Elves!?

Yet David not only dared, but he did so brazenly, in broad daylight, right before their eyes.

As David, with Tania on his head and Yolanda, the 'Holy Warrior', began to force his way through the Magic Academy gates, a former Royal Court guard, who considered himself 'justice-hearted', strode purposefully towards them, his veined hand gripping the hilt of his sword:

"Who are you? Do you realize that this is..."

But before he could finish, the tip of a tail pressed against his forehead.

THWACK!

Amid the screams of onlookers, another Elf was sent flying. His heels hit the curbstone with a CRACK! and he tumbled into a blooming flowerbed, startling a flock of birds. He plowed a trench seven or eight meters long through the flowers and toppled a beautifully crafted Magic Street Lamp before finally skidding to a stop.

This was the result of David holding back, as he hadn't intended to kill any Elves—yet.

Such was the overwhelming power of a Dragon. For ordinary mortals to attempt to wrestle with one was far more preposterous than trying to slide tackle a Northeast Tiger.

Their sheer size and muscle density were plain to see. This was why anyone attempting to slay a Dragon first had to prepare a full stock of Elemental Protection Energy Potions, along with a complete set of dragon-slaying treasures.

And these dragon-slaying treasures were, almost without exception, crafted and enchanted using the fangs and claws of young adult Dragons or older as base materials.

Only such weapons could hope to break through a Dragon's almost absurdly tough defenses.

With such a stark and gruesome example right before their eyes, the few Elven warriors outside the Magic Academy who had been preparing to approach David and 'reason' with him wisely chose to vacate the premises swiftly.

If the sky falls, let the tall ones hold it up, they figured. What was a little trouble caused by a Dragon in comparison?

Soon, as David and his party strode through the Magic Academy gates, he reared up on his hind legs. Lifting a claw, he raked it across the Dewensen Magic Academy's Medallion, leaving five deep gouges. Then, before the dumbstruck Elves, he wrenched the entire medallion free. He swung it a couple of times like a mountain Giant, and, finding it to his liking, hefted it onto his shoulder like a stone club.

The Elves immediately understood. This trouble, they thought, is going to be anything but minor.

The conspicuous commotion quickly drew the attention of a faculty professor. He immediately cast a magical Shield on himself and approached with furrowed brows.

This time, however, he didn't even get a chance to utter a question before the Academy Medallion David was brandishing came crashing down on him.

WHAM!

The Elf professor's Shield shattered on impact. He was sent flying like a home-run baseball, smashing through a load-bearing column of the Magic Academy's main building before gliding, with an oddly serene posture, deep into its interior.

After a moment's silence, the previously calm and gentle Dewensen Magic Academy erupted with the shrill screams of female Elves and a tumultuous uproar.

Startled by such a commotion, the Elven students initially thought some idiot in a Magical Creature Summoning class had accidentally summoned a Demon.

Such outrageous acts were not unheard of in the long and eventful history of the Elves, a history already replete with bizarre incidents.

Not only had such things occurred, but there was even an infamous instance where a Demon Lord was summoned before a grand army, resulting in a very public and scandalous display—a feat accomplished by their ancestors, the Drow, also known as the Dark Elves.

However, when the throng of students swarming out of the Magic Academy saw that the cause of the disturbance was not the Demon they had imagined, but a 'Silver Dragon', their terror intensified...

It couldn't be helped. After all, these High Elves, who had once instigated the 'Dragon Madness Disaster', had very guilty consciences.

Even if later textbooks did their best to glorify the strategic intentions behind the creation of the 'Dragon Mad Lock', the memories of massacres that leveled nations and wiped entire regions off the map were still vivid.

A frenzied Metal Dragon—a rational lunatic—was far more terrifying than any chaotic Demon.

"Do you see those instigators?" David asked.

Tania, perched on David's head, craned her little neck, her slitted pupils narrowing as she scanned the surroundings like a cat hunting for mice. Suddenly, her face lit up with excitement and delight as she pointed towards a corridor between two magical instruction buildings:

"Over there, Brother!"

The instant Tania spotted her targets, those students also saw her perched on the Dragon's head. How could they not realize she was there to cause trouble for them? All their composure and elegance vanished instantly, replaced by sheer terror and a strange sense of grievance. Yes, grievance!

Was all this really necessary? They had only offered a bit of advice to some Elves who seemed to have forgotten their 'history'! That was all!

They hadn't done anything else! Did this warrant calling in her 'guardian' directly? Was there no fairness left in the world?!