Muriel stood at the cave's entrance, gazing into the forest before her. Soon enough, the four adventurers caught up with her, finding her standing still, her eyes fixed forward. Fixis, upon seeing her, immediately tried to sneak away, but Muriel quickly turned to face them. Her expression was no longer one of disdain or annoyance but a soft, almost tearful smile. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

“I’m not crying. It’s just the sunlight after 500 years. It hurts my eyes. And you, little cat-ears, trying to run away already? Don’t you know fleeing from a dragon is invitation for death?” Muriel’s face shifted from a smile to a bored look as she eyed Fixis attempting to sneak off.

“Ah! I-I wasn't really trying to escape, Lady Muriel, honest nya!” Fixis stammered, startled by Muriel’s attention, and slowly turned back.

“Hmm… You four, I may not remember names well, but I never forget a face. This is where we part ways.”

“Was that, a threat?” Elwyn slowly turns ask her friends, her voice weary as she looked at Muriel.

“Let’s hope we meet again, Lady Muriel.” Ed said, waving a small farewell.

“Ah, better if we never cross paths again. Fare thee well.”

With a final smirk, Muriel spread her wings, stretched a little, and then soared into the sky, disappearing from sight. The four of them watched the direction she flew, filled with curiosity.

Philip sensed a shift in magical energy behind them and turned to see the cave they had just exited had vanished, as if it had never existed.

“Uh… everyone, the cave is gone.” Philip said, staring at the now-empty space.

“What? Were we hallucinating? Ye- Yeah How could there have been a demon lord sleeping in a cave? Right?” Elwyn looked back with Philip, Ed, and Fixis, trying to force a smile.

“But these gold nya… it’s real.” Fixis said, feeling the weight of the gold in her backpack, turning to Elwyn.

“Maybe the cave existed just so we can wake the demon lord.” Ed mused, still unsure if they had been under an illusion.

“May Syra have mercy on us for releasing a six-hundred-year-old demon lord…”

High above, nearly six kilometres from the ground, Muriel soared at the same altitude as the high clouds, feeling the wind on her skin for the first time in 500 years. She was headed straight for the capital of Kingdom of Alderia. From her height, she could see the vast mountain range to the north and the bay of Alderia to the south. Driven by the desire to see her sister, Muriel flew at four times the speed of sound.

"Ah... the air up here is as refreshing as ever. After visiting Chiaki, should I bathe in the lake or play on the snowy mountains? Maybe I'll go hunting, I could go for a roasted cow…. or ten."

“Can’t wait to see Chiaki! We should go on an adventure. What should I talk to her about?”

“Oh, there’s the capital, What’s the name… Lumina, Yes! That's the name! Time to slow down and descend.”

As she flew, Muriel mused about what she would do next and what she would say to Chiaki. Soon, she spotted Lumina, the capital of Kingdom of Alderia, and began to slow down, angling her wings to descend.

From her vantage point, Lumina lay on a peninsula nearly an island itself, surrounded by white stone walls with vast city inside. To the west stood a grand magic academy on a hill, opposite a castle connected by a stone path, with a large statue of five figures in the center.

Muriel, our little troublemaking dragon, headed straight for the academy, landing unseen in its forest. However, her wings got tangled in the trees, leaving her stuck mid-air.

“Ugh... this is troublesome. Okay then.” Muriel thought for a moment, sighed, and made her wings and tail disappear, causing her to fall to the ground.

“Oof! How is it that falling from the sky doesn't hurt but falling from a tree does?!”

“At least landing in the forest is good. No one from the academy will see me here. But wandering around in this princess outfit isn't right, so!”

Muriel, after falling from the tree, muttered softly while rubbing her sore backside. She looked around before causing black liquid to flow from her, transforming her black regal princess outfit into the old academy uniform she once wore. Unlike the white or brown uniforms of the other students, hers was black and have no shoes.

"Alright, let's go find that tin can maid," Muriel said, getting up and brushing the dirt off her clothes before walking out of the forest.

"I wonder if the potato field we planted is still there... probably not, it's been 500 years."

Muriel walked with her hands behind her back, leaving the forest and heading into the school's garden, following the pathways. As she walked, many students turned to look at her, drawn by her long black hair that reached her knees, her black uniform, and the slightly haughty expression on her face as if she owned the place.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Is that a new student? Joining in the middle of the year like this?"

"Look at that, wearing a black uniform like that, is she a special class student?"

"No idea. There's no special class with black uniforms."

"That student is cute. Never seen her before..."

"Should I tell these idiots that my hearing is so good I can hear every word?" Muriel muttered to herself with a displeased expression as she continued down the path.

"Hey! You there! I’ve never seen you before. Who are you, and where do you come from? Are you a mid-term transfer student?"

"Still not moving out of the way? What, are you some country bumpkin who doesn't know Lady Thalia?"

"A girl with long black hair like that, can't you cut it? You look like a slum kid who doesn’t know how to groom herself."

"And why aren’t you wearing shoes? Or is it that your father can’t afford to buy you any?"

As Muriel walk by a group of five girls, all dressed in white uniforms and taller than Muriel, blocked her path. They seemed to be on their way to the school garden but had the misfortune of encountering Muriel. Their words, filled with derision, made Muriel slowly raise her head to glare at Thalia with utter contempt.

"Fumiko said... don’t kill... don’t kill..."

"What are you mumbling about, huh-"

Annoyed by the gossip behind her back and now further antagonized by the group, Muriel felt a surge of anger. Her initial impulse was to transform into her dragon form and paint the hallway red with their blood. However, she recalled Fumiko's words—the only friend she considered herself to have—urging her not to kill everything so needlessly. She took a deep breath, calming herself.

"The FUCK you said to me, huh?" Muriel snarled, punching Thalia in the stomach, causing her to collapse to the ground. Not stopping there, Muriel pounced on her, straddling on her chest, grabbing her by the collar, and repeatedly punching her face without any regard for her high status.

"Come on, fight back! Can’t you, you pathetic wretch?"

"Wait—I just—"

"Lady Thalia! Aren’t you afraid of anything at all?" one of Thalia's lackeys shouted.

"You’re ruining Lady Thalia’s face!" another cried out.

Thalia’s four friends tried to restrain Muriel, grabbing at her arms, but their efforts were futile. Muriel easily shrugged them off, her strength far surpassing theirs.

"What, is that all you’ve got? Still have the nerve to talk big?"

Muriel, after smashing Thalia's nose and jaw, leaving her face bloodied and her mouth broken, lifted Thalia by the collar, bringing her close. She stared at her with disdain. Thalia, now unable to speak due to her injuries, could only look at Muriel in terror, her eyes filled with tears and blood.

“Are you afraid?"

“Yor faf sor?”

Muriel asked, leaning in closer and spoken in ancient dialect. Thalia, trembling and unable to understand Muriel's words, remained silent. Her entire body shook with fear, but Muriel's expression of disgust slowly morphed into a sinister smile. revealing her sharp, double-layered teeth as thick, white saliva dripped from her mouth. The combination of her hunger and Thalia's delicious fear made it almost impossible for Muriel to resist devouring her right there.

"What are you doing?!" A male teacher, having heard the cries of Thalia's lackeys, ran to the scene. Seeing Muriel grinning down at the battered Thalia, he shouted immediately.

"Ah, you're lucky, Thalia. A teacher has come to save you," Muriel said, releasing Thalia's collar and letting her head thump against the ground. She then stood up and turned to face the teacher.

"Do you understand the severity of this violent behavior? Such extreme assault warrants expulsion!" the teacher reprimanded.

"Expel me then! I graduated before you were even born! Waaaaaaaaaaahahahaaaaaa!" Muriel laughed maniacally.

"What nonsense are you spouting, student!?"

"I'm skipping the formalities and heading straight to Headmistress Melania's office!" Muriel declared, charging at the teacher and knocking him to the ground. She then sprinted down the corridors of the magic school.

"Hey, stop right there!" the teacher shouted, giving chase.

"I know these halls like the back of my hand. Catching me is impossible!"

Muriel taunted over her shoulder as she ran, seemingly without direction. However, her mind, familiar with over two hundred secret routes within the entire school, guided her toward the headmaster's office. Eventually, she managed to lose the male teacher chasing her within the labyrinth of the school.

“Ha! What an idiot, he’s lost me. Alright, the path should be around here... and then... a left turn here.” Muriel navigated the hallways of the magic school mostly from memory. When she turned left, she found herself facing a wall.

“Am I lost? No, I remember there's a secret path here that leads to Melania’s office.” Muriel tapped the bricks of the wall, realizing that there was indeed a hidden passage behind it.

“There’s really a way through. Hmm... I could just break it down, but would that make this part of the building collapse? I'd rather not find out.” She pondered for a moment, staring at the wall. Suddenly, letters appeared on the bricks, forming the words: [Enter the access word].

“A secret code? Hmm, What could Melania have set as the code, Wait a minute…”

“……”

“Hiro?”

Muriel stared at the wall, deep in thought. Her dragon brain was trying to recall a possible answer. She suddenly remembered a name. Names from another world were often more difficult for the locals to pronounce. She decided to try her father’s name. After Muriel said her father’s name to the wall, the bricks began to part, revealing a spiral stone staircase leading upward.

“It actually worked.” Muriel was surprised that the code to access the secret passage leading to Melenia’s office was her father’s name. However, she quickly dismissed her surprise, considering that Hiro was friends with Melania. She began ascending the staircase, and the bricks reformed into a wall behind her, hiding the passage once again.

“Come to think of it, I haven't seen Chiaki since the chase began. I can’t sense her magic either, Maybe she’s not here. I’ll ask Melania when I see her.”

...

“Ah, there she is, hard at work.”

After walking for a while in complete darkness, Muriel could navigate without stumbling thanks to her having dark vision. At the end of the passage, there was a small peephole through the bricks, allowing her to see inside the headmaster’s office. Melania was busy writing documents, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings but then she had a feeling she was being watched, so she looked around the room. When she turned to her right, the bricks slowly opened to reveal the secret passage. Muriel, smiling, was standing there.

“Hey, did ya miss me, ya undead mage?”