Several hours after taking over Kaeltharion's manor, the estate had become strangely quiet beneath the crimson skies hanging over the Demon Realm Academy. The earlier violence near the entrance no longer remained visible after Noctis used Devour to erase the bodies, and without the corpses scattered around the courtyard, the enormous sovereign estate almost looked peaceful again. The forest surrounding the property absorbed much of the distant noise coming from the Academy districts beyond the walls, leaving only faint traces of activity drifting through the air whenever the wind shifted between the trees. Somewhere far outside the estate, combat exercises still continued across the military sectors while magical formations glowed faintly against the horizon near the research districts, but inside the manor grounds the atmosphere had settled into something bizarrely domestic considering the political implications of what had happened earlier.
A small fire burned near the center courtyard.
Not a grand ceremonial flame.
Not a sovereign bonfire.
Just a small cooking fire surrounded by black stones.
Noctis was asian squatting beside it while holding a long metal skewer over the flame, his sleeves rolled slightly upward while dragonkin meat crackled quietly above the heat. The smell drifting through the courtyard carried traces of bloodline energy still lingering inside the flesh, mixing with smoke and the glaze Rengar continued brushing carefully across several larger cuts resting on a reinforced grill positioned beside the fire.
Rengar crouched nearby with complete seriousness while rotating another slab of meat slowly over the heat. A thick dark glaze coated the surface, dripping gradually into the flames beneath while small bursts of sizzling smoke rose into the air around them.
"You're turning it too fast," Rengar muttered while narrowing his eyes at the skewer Noctis held.
"It's cooking."
"It's drying."
Noctis glanced sideways toward him.
"How are you this invested in dragonkin barbecue?"
Rengar continued brushing sauce over the meat without looking up. "Because dragonkin meat gets ruined if the fat layer cooks unevenly. You need enough heat to crisp the outside while keeping the bloodline essence trapped inside the muscle."
The explanation came with enough confidence that even Emeralda briefly stared at him.
The escorts standing several meters away looked increasingly uncertain about everything happening in front of them.
Hours earlier they watched Noctis forcibly occupy Kaeltharion's sovereign manor after massacring the previous faction members guarding the estate. Now they stood awkwardly near one side of the courtyard while smoke from roasting dragonkin meat drifted through the air and one of the most terrifying individuals they had ever encountered squatted beside a cooking fire like someone relaxing outside a roadside stall.
One escort quietly leaned toward another.
"Isn't he a vampire?"
The second escort kept his eyes forward carefully.
"He is."
"Then why is he cooking dragonkin?"
"I don't know."
The first escort stared at Noctis again.
The image genuinely felt surreal.
Noctis was not behaving remotely like vampire nobility. He was not drinking bloodwine beneath a sovereign canopy while servants attended him. He was not discussing bloodline politics or magical theory. He was squatting beside a tiny fire rotating meat over open flames while Rengar criticized his cooking technique.
Meanwhile Bahamut occupied an enormous section of the estate grounds deeper behind the mansion.
The Primeval Sanguorath had eventually settled near one side of the massive courtyard after emerging earlier, his colossal body partially resting between several ancient trees bordering the property. Even while lying down, Bahamut resembled a living fortress more than a creature. Portions of his black scales reflected crimson light from the sky while dense blood energy drifted naturally around him like heavy mist. Every slow breath carried low vibrations through the surrounding ground.
One of the younger escorts accidentally looked toward Bahamut again before immediately lowering his gaze.
The dragon was horrifying.
Not because Bahamut radiated open hostility.
Because the Primeval Sanguorath existed with complete natural dominance over the surrounding environment.
The estate itself barely looked large enough to contain him comfortably despite being one of the Academy's highest-level sovereign properties.
Rengar lifted another section of meat afterward before inspecting the glaze coating the surface.
"This one's better."
Noctis looked toward it.
"You said that about the last three pieces."
"Because they were."
"You're acting like you've been cooking dragonkin your whole life."
Rengar shrugged slightly.
"Not dragonkin specifically."
That answer created several seconds of silence from the escorts.
Noctis slowly looked toward him.
"I'm not even going to ask."
"Good choice."
The meat continued sizzling over the flames while smoke drifted upward into the courtyard air. Several opened sauce containers rested beside the fire alongside spices, knives, and cooking tools Noctis had casually pulled from his storage space earlier.
Emeralda eventually walked closer while watching Noctis rotate another skewer over the heat.
"You actually planned this."
Noctis looked up briefly.
"The dragonkin from the Arena looked edible."
"That was your first thought during the fight?"
"Not the first thought."
Rengar nodded seriously afterward.
"The first thought was whether the fire breath would affect him."
"That too."
One of the escorts looked physically exhausted listening to the conversation.
Another finally spoke carefully.
"Lord Noctis…"
"Yeah?"
The escort hesitated before continuing.
"Forgive my question, but… do vampires normally eat like this?"
Noctis blinked once before glancing toward the roasting meat.
"I mean… food's food."
The escort looked even more confused afterward.
"But bloodlines—"
"I still drink blood."
Noctis interrupted casually while turning another skewer.
"I'm just not weird about food."
The explanation somehow made the situation feel even stranger.
Rengar pointed at one section of meat afterward.
"That piece is burning."
Noctis immediately adjusted the skewer.
"Right."
Further behind them, Bahamut finally opened one massive crimson eye while observing the cooking area.
"The portions remain too small."
Noctis sighed.
"You said you didn't want any."
"I said I refuse to share such insignificant portions."
Rengar snorted quietly afterward.
"Meaning he wants the entire dragon."
"That would have been preferable."
The escorts looked genuinely overwhelmed now.
Nothing about this situation aligned with normal sovereign behavior.
Kaeltharion's manor had effectively been invaded by a Progenitor Inheritor who now occupied the courtyard cooking dragonkin barbecue beside a lycanthrope while a colossal ancient dragon complained about portion sizes nearby.
The absurdity somehow made the entire situation more disturbing.
Eventually Noctis tore off part of the cooked meat before taking a bite.
He paused briefly while chewing.
Then nodded.
"Okay that's actually good."
Rengar looked immediately satisfied.
"Told you."
The smell of cooked dragonkin meat continued spreading through the courtyard while the atmosphere remained strangely relaxed despite the political disaster quietly forming around the estate.
That calm lasted until movement appeared near the outer entrance of the manor grounds.
Several figures entered through the distant gate cautiously before stopping almost immediately after sensing the atmosphere inside the estate.
Noctis noticed them first but did not react strongly.
Additional members of Kaeltharion's faction.
Probably returning from Academy duties.
There were more of them this time.
And stronger.
Several wore military division insignias while others carried curse department markings integrated into reinforced Academy uniforms. One tall abyssal demon near the center immediately noticed the unusual pressure lingering throughout the manor grounds while another stared toward Bahamut's distant outline partially visible beyond sections of the courtyard.
The group became still.
Something was obviously wrong.
The missing guards alone would have alarmed them immediately.
Then they noticed the smoke.
The cooking fire.
Noctis asian squatting beside it holding roasted meat.
Rengar brushing glaze onto another slab like this was a casual gathering instead of hostile occupation.
The entire scene completely broke their expectations.
One of the returning faction members frowned deeply.
"What…"
Another slowly looked toward the mansion afterward before speaking quietly.
"The gate guards are gone."
A third member narrowed his eyes toward the distant dragon shape partially visible behind the manor.
"What is that?"
The abyssal demon near the center immediately raised one hand subtly toward the others without taking his eyes off the courtyard.
"Do not approach carelessly."
Unlike the earlier faction members, this group understood immediately that something catastrophic had already happened here.
The pressure lingering throughout the estate did not resemble ordinary faction conflict.
It felt wrong.
One of the smarter members quietly stepped backward afterward.
Noctis noticed immediately.
So did Rengar.
Neither stopped him.
The demon disappeared back through the gate silently.
Sending a report to the Academy.
Smart decision honestly.
The remaining faction members slowly advanced farther into the courtyard afterward while keeping formation. Their movements carried significantly more discipline than the previous group, and none of them immediately rushed forward despite the obvious hostility building beneath the surface.
Noctis took another bite of dragonkin meat while watching them approach.
Rengar continued glazing another section calmly.
The contrast made several faction members visibly more uncomfortable.
Eventually the leading abyssal demon spoke.
"Who are you?"
Noctis swallowed first.
"Noctis."
"You are occupying Lord Kaeltharion's estate."
"Currently, yes."
The demon's gaze shifted toward the cooking fire afterward.
"…Are you roasting dragonkin?"
Noctis glanced down briefly.
"Yeah."
Several faction members stared silently.
The abyssal demon looked genuinely uncertain how to process the situation anymore.
Another member stepped forward afterward.
"Where are the guards stationed here earlier?"
Noctis pointed vaguely toward the ground nearby with the skewer.
"Mostly gone."
The answer created immediate tension throughout the group.
Several members began circulating demonic energy subtly beneath their skin while curse formations activated quietly around one of the rear demons.
Meanwhile Noctis simply continued eating.
The abyssal demon's eyes narrowed afterward.
"You killed Kaeltharion's faction members and occupied his manor."
"Technically yes."
"You understand what that means?"
Noctis shrugged slightly.
"Means I live here now."
That answer nearly made one of the faction members lose composure immediately.
"You think this is a joke?"
"No?"
Noctis looked genuinely confused by the accusation.
The abyssal demon studied him carefully afterward.
Then his gaze slowly shifted toward Bahamut again.
The massive dragon still remained mostly obscured behind portions of the manor and surrounding trees, though the visible sections alone already looked unnaturally large.
"…What exactly is behind the mansion?"
Bahamut opened one eye fully afterward.
The pressure spreading quietly through the estate deepened instantly.
Several members of Kaeltharion's faction instinctively stiffened after the pressure shifted across the courtyard. The change itself happened quietly. Bahamut had not moved much yet, and there was no dramatic explosion of aura or overwhelming wave of killing intent flooding the estate. Instead, the atmosphere simply became heavier in a way that made the surrounding air feel denser inside the lungs. The escorts standing near the side of the courtyard immediately lowered their heads further while the faction members near the entrance unconsciously tightened formation without anyone giving orders.
Noctis continued holding the skewer casually over the fire while watching the reactions.
Rengar slowly brushed another layer of glaze across the meat before turning it over the flame.
The sizzling sound somehow made the situation feel even stranger.
The abyssal demon leading the returning faction members kept his eyes fixed toward the massive shape partially visible beyond the mansion grounds. "What exactly is behind the manor?"
Bahamut answered before Noctis could.
"A dragon."
The voice rolled through the courtyard low and deep enough that several nearby windows vibrated faintly. One of the faction members visibly flinched despite trying not to react. Another immediately circulated demonic energy through his arms while staring toward the massive outline behind the estate.
Noctis took another bite of meat afterward.
"He's in a decent mood right now," he said casually. "Probably because the courtyard's big enough."
Rengar nodded seriously while rotating another skewer.
"The previous place would've annoyed him."
The abyssal demon's expression tightened.
"You occupied Lord Kaeltharion's estate with an unknown dragon-class entity."
Bahamut's visible eye narrowed slightly from behind the manor.
"Unknown?"
Noctis pointed the skewer toward the faction members afterward.
"You probably shouldn't call him that."
The atmosphere became increasingly unstable despite nobody attacking yet.
Several faction members quietly spread outward through the courtyard while maintaining distance from Bahamut's partially obscured position. These demons were clearly more experienced than the previous guards. None of them rushed forward emotionally after hearing Kaeltharion's manor had been occupied. Instead, they continued evaluating the situation carefully while waiting for the Academy to respond to the report already sent earlier.
One curse-marked demon near the rear whispered quietly toward the abyssal leader.
"The pressure signature isn't normal."
"I know."
"It feels ancient."
"I know."
Another member stared toward Noctis afterward.
"You think the Academy will allow this?"
Noctis shrugged lightly.
"They assigned me sovereign housing."
"This is not your assigned residence."
"The assigned one was tiny."
The answer somehow made the entire situation more absurd.
One dragonkin among the faction members stared openly at the roasting meat afterward before his eyes widened slightly in recognition.
"…That's dragonkin flesh."
Rengar looked up briefly.
"Good eye."
The dragonkin's face immediately darkened afterward.
"You're eating dragonkin inside Kaeltharion's courtyard?"
Noctis blinked once.
"Well yeah. We already cooked it."
The dragonkin looked moments away from attacking immediately.
The abyssal demon extended one arm subtly to stop him.
"Control yourself."
The dragonkin's claws tightened hard enough to produce cracking sounds from the armored gauntlets covering portions of his hands.
Noctis looked genuinely curious afterward.
"You want some?"
The dragonkin almost exploded from rage.
The escorts standing nearby physically looked away afterward as if distancing themselves from the conversation would somehow protect them from the consequences unfolding.
Rengar quietly pointed at another section of meat.
"That one's ready."
Noctis immediately reached over and picked it up.
Meanwhile the faction members continued growing more tense beneath the increasingly surreal atmosphere filling the estate.
Then Bahamut moved.
Not dramatically.
He simply stood up.
The motion alone caused several nearby trees to shake slightly while enormous black scales gradually emerged farther from behind the mansion. Crimson veins pulsed beneath sections of his armored body while his massive wings unfolded partially behind him, casting enormous shadows across portions of the courtyard and surrounding structures.
The faction members froze.
Even after sensing the pressure earlier, none of them fully understood Bahamut's size until he actually began walking forward from behind the estate.
Each step carried deep vibrations through the courtyard stone.
The dragonkin faction member unconsciously stepped backward.
One of the curse users whispered quietly.
"That's impossible…"
Noctis continued eating while watching Bahamut approach.
The Primeval Sanguorath lowered his massive head slightly afterward while observing the faction members gathered near the entrance.
"You are interrupting the meal."
The abyssal demon's face had gone completely rigid now.
Several faction members began circulating larger amounts of energy instinctively despite understanding they were already far beyond a normal confrontation.
The dragonkin finally lost patience first.
"This territory belongs to Lord Kaeltharion!"
His voice echoed across the courtyard while abyssal flames burst outward around his arms.
Bahamut stared at him silently for a moment.
Then vanished.
The faction members did not even fully comprehend the movement.
Something that enormous should not have accelerated that quickly.
One moment Bahamut stood near the mansion.
The next moment the dragonkin disappeared beneath his jaws.
A wet crunch echoed through the courtyard.
Blood exploded outward across the stone.
The upper half of the dragonkin's body vanished completely inside Bahamut's mouth while the lower half remained standing briefly before collapsing onto the courtyard ground trailing organs and shattered bone.
Several faction members froze from pure shock.
Bahamut swallowed casually afterward.
"…Average."
Then the massacre started properly.
One demon attempted activating a curse formation while retreating backward toward the gate, but Bahamut's claw crossed the distance first. The strike moved so quickly that the faction member barely perceived the motion before his body split apart into four clean sections that scattered across the courtyard in sprays of blood and armor fragments.
Another group tried spreading outward to avoid Bahamut's direct path.
The tail hit them first.
The massive appendage whipped sideways with horrifying speed, slamming through three demons simultaneously and turning them into a collapsing mess of shattered flesh, crushed armor, and broken bone that exploded across the courtyard walls.
The surviving faction members finally reacted fully afterward.
Several launched spells.
Others charged.
None of it mattered.
Bahamut moved through the courtyard with impossible speed for something his size, every motion carrying the overwhelming brutality of an apex predator that simply existed on a higher level than the things surrounding it. One demon disappeared beneath Bahamut's claws before even finishing a spell chant while another lost both legs from the pressure wave of a passing wing strike before being crushed entirely beneath the dragon's rear claws seconds later.
Noctis remained asian squatting beside the fire throughout most of it.
Rengar continued eating calmly nearby while watching the slaughter.
"You overcooked this piece."
"You said that already."
"Because you keep doing it."
The escorts looked psychologically exhausted.
One of them quietly watched Bahamut tear another demon apart near the courtyard entrance before looking back toward Noctis still holding roasted meat beside the tiny cooking fire.
Nothing about this felt real anymore.
A surviving faction member finally managed escaping toward the gate.
Bahamut's eyes shifted toward him.
The dragon lunged again.
The speed alone generated enough force to crack sections of the courtyard beneath his claws while his jaws closed around the fleeing demon completely. Blood sprayed across the gate walls moments later as Bahamut lifted his head and swallowed again.
Silence gradually returned afterward.
Pieces of shattered armor and blood remained scattered across portions of the courtyard while several crushed bodies lay embedded into broken stone near the outer entrance. The smell of cooked meat now mixed with fresh blood and exposed organs beneath the crimson skies overhead.
Bahamut looked down toward the remaining corpses.
"…Still small portions."
Rengar snorted quietly afterward.
"You're impossible to feed."
Noctis took another bite before nodding slightly.
"The glaze actually worked though."
"It obviously worked."
Meanwhile beyond the estate walls, movement had already begun spreading throughout the sovereign residential district.
Because the surviving faction member sent earlier had successfully reached the Academy authorities before the confrontation started.
The Academy response arrived faster than the earlier faction members expected.
Noctis noticed the approaching pressure several minutes before the officials actually reached the manor gates, though the signs became obvious even to the escorts standing inside the courtyard long before that. Movement throughout the sovereign residential district increased steadily beyond the forest surrounding the estate while multiple barrier fluctuations spread quietly across nearby Academy territory. Several formations positioned along the distant roads activated in sequence as military personnel redirected ordinary students away from sections of the district connected to Kaeltharion's manor.
The Academy clearly treated the report seriously.
Honestly, that made sense.
One of Kaeltharion's sovereign estates had effectively gone silent before multiple faction members disappeared shortly afterward. Then an emergency report describing an unknown dragon-class existence occupying the manor reached the administrative combat divisions.
Any competent institution would respond aggressively.
Noctis remained beside the small fire while rotating another section of dragonkin meat over the flames.
Rengar had eventually stopped glazing portions after deciding the remaining cuts were already cooked properly. He now sat casually on one of the courtyard stones while eating directly from a massive slab balanced across one arm. Bloodline-rich juices still dripped occasionally onto the stone beneath him while the escorts remained awkwardly gathered farther away near the edge of the courtyard.
Nobody really knew where they were supposed to stand anymore.
Especially with Bahamut still resting nearby.
The Primeval Sanguorath had settled beside the courtyard again after the massacre ended, though now portions of his enormous body remained clearly visible throughout the estate rather than hidden behind the manor. One claw alone looked large enough to crush an armored carriage flat while the dragon's folded wings extended across large sections of the courtyard stone.
Several crushed corpses still remained near the outer gate.
Noctis had not bothered cleaning those yet.
One escort carefully approached afterward before stopping several meters from the fire.
"Lord Noctis."
"Yeah?"
"The Academy authorities are approaching the estate."
Noctis looked up briefly.
"I figured."
The escort hesitated afterward while glancing toward Bahamut.
"There are… many of them."
Rengar snorted quietly.
"They're nervous."
"They should be," Bahamut answered without opening his eyes.
The escort immediately stopped speaking afterward.
Noctis finally stood from the small fire while stretching slightly. The asian squat position apparently did not bother his body at all despite remaining there for quite a while during the cooking process.
The courtyard itself looked increasingly ridiculous the longer he observed it.
A tiny barbecue fire still crackled near the center stones while dragonkin meat rested across several skewers beside open sauce containers and cooking tools. Meanwhile shattered corpses, blood splatter, broken armor, and claw marks covered large sections near the outer entrance where Bahamut massacred Kaeltharion's returning faction members earlier.
The contrast genuinely felt absurd.
Rengar glanced toward the outer estate afterward.
"They're here."
Multiple figures appeared beyond the gate moments later.
This time the approaching group did not resemble ordinary Academy guards.
Several heavily armored combat personnel entered first while formation specialists spread throughout portions of the outer courtyard perimeter behind them. Academy instructors followed shortly afterward accompanied by military officers, sovereign enforcement personnel, and multiple upper-ranking officials wearing dark crimson Academy coats reinforced through layered enchantments.
Every single person entering the estate stopped after seeing Bahamut properly.
The reaction happened instantly.
Several formation specialists unconsciously halted their spell activation midway while portions of the military escort tightened formation automatically.
Because now they could finally see the dragon completely.
Not partially hidden behind the manor.
Not sensed through pressure alone.
Actually visible.
Bahamut remained resting near the courtyard with his massive body stretched across the stone while crimson veins pulsed beneath black armored scales thicker than fortress walls. The dragon's sheer size dominated enormous sections of the estate naturally, and even while lying still he radiated the kind of ancient predatory pressure that made instinct scream at weaker creatures to flee immediately.
One Academy official quietly whispered afterward.
"…What is that?"
Another answered almost automatically.
"Dragon-class."
"No dragon-class existence should be this large."
The military personnel entering behind them clearly agreed.
Several soldiers had already placed hands near weapons instinctively while the formation specialists quietly prepared defensive arrays around portions of the entrance.
Noctis watched the reaction calmly while picking up another skewer from beside the fire.
Honestly, he thought they were overreacting slightly.
The lead Academy official eventually stepped forward afterward.
An older abyssal demon.
Powerful enough that even the escorts visibly lowered their posture when he entered the courtyard.
His gaze moved across the destroyed bodies near the entrance first.
Then toward Bahamut.
Then finally toward Noctis standing beside the tiny cooking fire holding roasted dragonkin meat.
Several long seconds passed before the official finally spoke.
"…Explain this situation immediately."
Noctis took another bite first.
Then shrugged casually.
"I moved into a better residence."
The answer visibly irritated several officials instantly.
The older abyssal demon's expression hardened afterward while his gaze shifted toward the corpses scattered throughout the courtyard entrance.
"These individuals belonged to Kaeltharion's sovereign faction."
"Yeah."
"You occupied his estate illegally."
"The other place was too small."
One military officer finally stepped forward aggressively afterward.
"This is not a matter for jokes."
Noctis looked toward him calmly.
"I'm not joking."
The officer visibly paused afterward because somehow the answer sounded completely genuine.
Which honestly made everything worse.
Another Academy official pointed toward Bahamut afterward.
"What exactly is that creature?"
Bahamut slowly opened one crimson eye.
The pressure spreading across the courtyard deepened instantly.
Several weaker personnel visibly stiffened.
Noctis looked toward the official afterward.
"That's Bahamut."
"That does not answer the question."
"He's a dragon."
The official looked moments away from losing patience entirely.
The older abyssal demon raised one hand slightly to stop further escalation before studying Noctis carefully again.
"You massacred members of Kaeltharion's faction and occupied sovereign territory without authorization."
Noctis pointed toward the tiny barbecue fire afterward.
"We were eating."
The silence afterward felt painful.
Several Academy personnel genuinely looked unable to process the conversation anymore.
One official stared openly at the skewers beside the fire.
"…Is that dragonkin meat?"
Rengar answered immediately.
"It's actually pretty good."
The official slowly looked toward him afterward.
Then toward the dragonkin corpse pieces still scattered near the gate.
Then back toward the cooking fire.
The Academy group looked increasingly disturbed by the entire situation.
Noctis eventually chuckled quietly afterward before waving one hand dismissively.
"Relax. We're using the manor responsibly."
The gesture visibly angered several military personnel.
One of the enforcement officers stepped forward afterward while abyssal energy circulated around his armor.
"You are in direct violation of sovereign territorial law, Academy political structure, and internal faction authority. You will immediately release control of this estate and submit yourself for formal review."
Noctis looked toward him calmly.
"No."
The answer landed with enough casual certainty that portions of the surrounding pressure shifted immediately afterward.
Several Academy combat personnel activated formations instinctively.
The enforcement officer's expression darkened further.
"You misunderstand your current position."
"No, I think you misunderstand mine."
Before the situation escalated further, Bahamut moved.
Not violently.
Not aggressively.
The Primeval Sanguorath simply rose from where he rested near the courtyard.
The motion alone silenced portions of the Academy personnel instantly.
Bahamut unfolded slowly beside the manor while towering over large sections of the estate. His massive claws pressed against the courtyard stone while crimson energy drifted between sections of black armored scales thicker than defensive fortress gates.
Then the dragon started walking toward the officials.
Each step carried low vibrations through the manor grounds.
Several Academy personnel unconsciously stepped backward despite trying not to react outwardly.
Bahamut eventually stopped near the front courtyard afterward before lowering his enormous head slightly toward the gathered officials.
The dragon's crimson eyes reflected across multiple Academy barriers activating automatically near the entrance.
Then Bahamut spoke calmly.
"Who is interrupting my master's rest time?"
The courtyard froze.
Not dramatically.
Instinctively.
Because the moment Bahamut addressed them directly, every Academy official present immediately understood something catastrophic.
This was not:
a tamed beast,
a summoned creature,
or a controlled dragon-class entity.
Bahamut spoke with full intelligence.
Full authority.
And worse:
the Primeval Sanguorath referred to Noctis as master naturally.
Several officials visibly paled afterward.
One formation specialist quietly stumbled backward before catching himself while portions of the military escort tightened formation fully now.
The older abyssal demon's face had become completely rigid.
"…This situation exceeds standard Academy enforcement jurisdiction."
One officer immediately activated a communication formation afterward.
"We require immediate sovereign reinforcement support inside the residential district."
Another official quickly followed.
"Notify upper Academy authorities. Immediately."
The atmosphere throughout the courtyard shifted entirely now.
Earlier the officials arrived expecting:
a dangerous faction dispute.
Now they realized:
they had walked directly into the territory of something far beyond normal Academy political conflict.
Behind them, more Academy formations activated throughout the surrounding district while distant pressure signatures rapidly approached Kaeltharion's occupied manor from multiple directions.
And throughout the sovereign residential territory beyond the forest walls, countless factions quietly began realizing something enormous was happening inside the Academy.
The communication formations spread quickly throughout the sovereign residential district after the Academy officials requested reinforcement support. Even from inside the manor grounds, the activation of emergency authority channels became visible through fluctuations moving across the distant skyline beyond the forest walls. Crimson formation lines pulsed intermittently above several Academy towers while military transport arrays activated throughout nearby sectors connected to internal enforcement divisions.
Noctis quietly observed the activity while sitting back down near the small fire.
The dragonkin meat had cooled slightly during the conversation.
Rengar noticed immediately.
"You stopped rotating it."
Noctis looked down at the skewers afterward.
"…Right."
The absurdity of the moment physically hurt several Academy officials standing nearby.
One enforcement officer stared openly at Noctis lowering himself back into an asian squat beside the tiny cooking fire while Bahamut loomed over half the courtyard behind him like an ancient catastrophe wearing scales.
The officer genuinely could not understand how this situation reached this point.
Several crushed corpses still remained scattered near the entrance.
Blood covered portions of the courtyard stone.
Academy military personnel maintained combat formations near the gate while emergency communication arrays continued activating across the district.
And meanwhile:
Noctis resumed cooking.
Rengar pointed toward another piece afterward.
"That one's still salvageable."
"You sure?"
"Barely."
One of the younger Academy personnel finally whispered toward a nearby instructor.
"…Is he actually cooking right now?"
The instructor answered without taking his eyes off Bahamut.
"I can see that."
"But why?"
"I do not know."
The older abyssal demon leading the Academy officials slowly exhaled afterward while continuing to observe Bahamut carefully. The official was experienced enough to maintain outward composure despite the pressure crushing down throughout the courtyard, but the subtle tension around his posture still revealed how dangerous he considered the situation now.
"Lord Noctis," he said eventually, speaking much more carefully than earlier. "For the stability of the Academy, I must request that the dragon remain calm while upper authorities arrive."
Bahamut's massive crimson eyes shifted toward him slowly.
"I am calm."
The answer immediately made several surrounding personnel more nervous.
The dragon was not wrong.
Nothing Bahamut had done since the Academy officials arrived resembled aggression by his own standards.
That realization honestly made the situation worse.
Noctis finally turned another skewer over the fire afterward before speaking casually.
"He's pretty relaxed right now actually."
Rengar nodded in agreement.
"If he was irritated, there wouldn't still be walls."
Several Academy personnel visibly looked toward the surrounding manor structures afterward.
One military officer quietly tightened his grip on his weapon.
Another whispered toward the enforcement division nearby.
"This creature exceeds the reports entirely."
"No kidding."
The atmosphere throughout the courtyard remained heavy but strangely restrained. Nobody wanted to attack first anymore.
Because now the Academy personnel understood:
they were standing inside the territory of a being capable of tearing through the entire estate faster than most of them could react.
The corpses near the entrance already proved that clearly enough.
One of the formation specialists quietly activated another scanning array afterward while several magical glyphs spread across the courtyard air. The moment the formation touched Bahamut's aura, the glyphs destabilized instantly before collapsing entirely.
The specialist immediately stepped backward.
"Impossible…"
Another official looked toward him sharply.
"What happened?"
"The pressure density corrupted the scan structure before analysis completed."
The official's face tightened slightly afterward.
Noctis glanced toward them while holding another cooked piece over the fire.
"You should probably stop poking him with random magic."
Bahamut lowered his head slightly afterward.
"The small one is correct."
Several Academy personnel visibly flinched again hearing the dragon refer to Noctis that way so naturally.
Not master.
Not lord.
The small one.
The casual familiarity somehow made the relationship feel even stranger.
The older abyssal demon studied Noctis carefully afterward.
"You entered the Academy accompanied by this entity without prior declaration."
Noctis shrugged lightly.
"No one asked."
"That is not something requiring a request."
"It kinda is."
The official actually failed to answer immediately.
Technically:
Noctis was correct.
The Academy never specifically asked whether he possessed a colossal ancient dragon resting inside sovereign territory.
Mostly because nobody expected that possibility to exist.
Rengar looked toward the Academy group afterward while taking another bite of dragonkin meat.
"You people are making the atmosphere weird."
One enforcement officer visibly twitched hearing that.
"We are currently standing inside an illegally occupied sovereign estate beside a dragon-class existence capable of massacring upper Academy combatants."
Rengar pointed toward the fire casually.
"And yet nobody's tried the food."
The silence afterward became painful again.
Even Bahamut looked mildly interested toward the remaining skewers.
The Primeval Sanguorath's massive nostrils flared slightly while smoke drifted through the courtyard air.
"…The glaze smells acceptable."
Rengar immediately looked offended.
"Acceptable?"
"It remains a small portion."
"That has nothing to do with flavor."
One Academy official quietly rubbed his forehead afterward.
The situation had become so surreal that portions of the original political tension were starting to collapse beneath sheer absurdity.
Noctis eventually stood again while carrying several skewers toward one side of the courtyard stone ledge before setting them down.
"Want one?" he asked casually toward the Academy officials.
Several looked physically alarmed by the question.
The dragonkin meat still visibly carried bloodline energy through portions of the flesh, and considering the corpses near the entrance combined with the earlier massacre, accepting food right now somehow felt more dangerous than refusing.
One younger instructor almost looked tempted briefly before another official elbowed him hard enough to stop the thought immediately.
Noctis shrugged afterward.
"Suit yourselves."
Meanwhile beyond the estate walls, additional pressure signatures approached rapidly through the sovereign district.
The reinforcements arriving this time were significantly stronger.
Even the Academy personnel already inside the courtyard noticed immediately.
Several military officers straightened slightly afterward while the older abyssal demon finally relaxed a fraction for the first time since Bahamut fully revealed himself.
"They're here."
Multiple layered formations activated near the manor entrance moments later before several figures emerged through the gate beneath reinforced barrier arrays.
These individuals were different.
Not standard enforcement personnel.
Not ordinary instructors.
Upper Academy authorities.
Several wore long black coats marked with sovereign authority insignias while others carried pressure dense enough that even portions of the courtyard stone cracked subtly beneath their arrival. One elderly demon with silver horns immediately focused entirely on Bahamut the moment he entered the estate while another vampire woman near the rear quietly narrowed her eyes toward Noctis.
Nobody spoke immediately.
The atmosphere became heavier naturally.
Even Bahamut watched them more carefully now.
The silver-horned demon eventually stepped forward afterward while observing the dragon directly.
"…Primeval-class."
The words caused several lower-ranking Academy personnel nearby to stiffen instantly.
Another authority figure spoke quietly afterward.
"That level of biological pressure should not exist within Academy territory."
Bahamut's eyes narrowed slightly.
"You speak often."
The pressure shifted harder afterward.
Several formations throughout the courtyard activated defensively on instinct alone.
The silver-horned demon immediately raised one hand slightly toward the others before speaking carefully.
"We did not come seeking conflict."
Bahamut remained silent afterward.
Noctis picked up another skewer casually.
"Good. Because we just finished cooking."
The silver-horned demon slowly turned toward him.
For several moments, the older authority simply observed Noctis standing beside the tiny cooking fire beneath the shadow of Bahamut's massive body while Rengar sat nearby still holding dragonkin meat casually like this entire situation was perfectly normal.
Then the authority figure finally asked:
"…Why are you occupying Kaeltharion's manor?"
Noctis answered honestly.
"The other house sucked."