Chapter 15: Go! If even a dog won’t go, I’ll go!

“Don’t you think this is a great opportunity?”

“To enter the Academy of Magic — in these two or three years, the things you will see and learn will be far more than what you would learn starting out as a novice adventurer outside.”

“Of course, the choice belongs to you.”

“If you make up your mind, come find me at my Mage Tower. I will take you to Cantreia Academy and help you complete the enrollment process.”

“…If you decide not to go, that’s fine too. Just pretend none of this ever happened. The admission letter — whether you throw it away or burn it — it doesn’t matter.”

“The choice is entirely yours.”

…

“Sal, my child?”

“Oh… oh! Yes, Mother.”

With the weak yet overwhelmingly majestic dragon’s voice echoing above, Sal — now in his small golden dragon form — snapped back to reality and continued treating the wounds on the Dragon Mother’s back.

Because the Dragon Mother deeply loathed humans, even though anyone could see that using her human form would make wound treatment easier, she still stubbornly insisted on staying in her true form to receive Sal’s care.

Fortunately, pureblood dragons recover incredibly fast. Sal estimated this was the last time he needed to apply the medicine — by tomorrow morning, these wounds that hadn’t fully scabbed yet should be nearly restored.

Even without medicinal help, such wounds could heal quickly. But without disinfecting first, infection could lead to complications that wouldn’t be so easy to fix.

So, just to be safe, the Dragon Mother allowed Sal to disinfect the wounds.

During this moment, she used the chance to ask her child how exactly he managed to rescue that traitor Yuyan from the human mage’s hands.

Yes… claiming the Dragon Mother didn’t hate Yuyan would be a lie. After all, Yuyan not only cheated — but cheated with a human. A male human at that.

But if Yuyan had fallen into human hands, the consequences could have spread to them, and possibly to other hidden pureblood dragon remnants…

When it came to major matters, the Dragon Mother could still see clearly.

“You told me that human mage didn’t ask for any compensation, and simply released Yuyan?”

Sal nodded.

“Hmph.”

This small reaction immediately made the Dragon Mother snort coldly, her tone sharpening with hostility.

“You are still too naive, child… Humans cannot be trusted. And human mages — their words cannot even be trusted half a syllable!”

Why? Because in the Dragon Mother’s view, mages who use spells rely too much on cleverness and scheming.

Spell incantation, potion crafting, magic research…

The more a mage uses their brain, the more complicated their mind becomes — far more than warriors, knights, berserkers…

Those professions fight straightforwardly. No need for excessive calculation.

All they have to do is apply the strikes they practiced on wooden dummies directly to their enemies with maximum effect.

Swordsmen and paladins stand in front and take damage. Meanwhile, the mages behind must consider countless details and contingencies.

And because they think too much — they inevitably play mind games.

This was the root of the Dragon Mother’s distrust and disgust toward human mages.

But Sal was not thinking about any of that now.

His hands continued applying medicine — but his mind had already flown to the wooden admission letter hidden in the pocket of his human-form clothing.

Should he go… or not?

To be honest — Sal was tempted.

But when he thought about his mother still injured, and that if he left, she would once again be alone…

He couldn’t bear it.

On one hand — the family he was lucky to have in this world.
On the other — the chance to see more, learn more, grow more — the future he dreamed of.

Which should he choose?

Lost in thought, Sal went quiet again — and the Dragon Mother noticed. She spoke again.

This time, she had clearly sensed something unusual.

And, naturally, she blamed the human mage.

“Did that human say something to mislead you, child? If so, just nod.”

Sal finished applying the last of the medicine, then flapped his wings and flew to face her.

He nodded.

Then — after only a brief pause — he shook his head.

What did that mean?

The Dragon Mother, being the Dragon Mother, with her lifetime of experience and maternal intuition, understood immediately.

“He… offered you something, didn’t he?”

After fifteen years together, she knew her child well.
Sal was calm, rational, and not easily swayed.
For him to be so unsettled…

That meant the human mage offered something Sal could not easily refuse.

Sal’s gaze flickered with panic — and that alone confirmed everything.

“Speak, child.”

The Dragon Mother softened her expression, speaking gently.

“I am your mother. Tell me what he asked of you — or what he offered you.”

“I will not blame you. I will understand you, guide you, and support you.”

But there was one sentence she did not say — the condition that determined her support:

(As long as it doesn’t require you to go to human society…)

But what she could not predict was — the thing Sal was struggling with was exactly whether to leave her and go to a human academy.

However, the moment she would learn this was not far off at all.

Hearing her words, Sal looked into her golden, towering figure — the source of all his warmth and safety.

In that moment — Sal’s heart cleared.

What admission letter?
What academy?

He had a family here. If he simply left — what would become of his affection? His loyalty? His filial piety?

No amount of glory outside could compare with his own warm nest.
No storm outside could replace his mother’s embrace.

So — forget Cantreia. Forget their offer.
He would never leave—

“Mother! I… I want to go to school! To Cantreia!”

Go!
If even a dog won’t go — I’ll go!

I’m going to the Magic Academy!