Harem Of Eternal Yandere Beasts: My Legendary Wives

Chapter 58: The Crimson Arrival

The journey to the Imperial Academy took three grueling days, and Orion managed to learn two very important things along the way. First, the empire was vastly larger than any map in the Ashbourne library suggested. Second, Luna was becoming increasingly, deeply suspicious of every single female within a hundred-meter radius of their carriage.

The second discovery was, by far, the more exhausting of the two.

"She’s looking at you," Luna muttered, her eyes narrowed into sharp slits as she peered through the carriage window.

Orion glanced outside at the muddy roadside. A local merchant was setting up a wooden crate. "She is literally just selling apples, Luna."

"That’s exactly what she wants you to think. It’s a classic infiltration strategy."

"She’s at least sixty years old."

"Vigilance knows no age, Orion."

Orion decided to look back down at his notes. Experience had taught him that certain battles with Luna couldn’t be won; they could only be survived until she got distracted by food.

By the second afternoon, the academy convoy had grown to nearly thirty carriages, picking up regional groups at every major crossroads. It was a moving ecosystem of the empire’s future elite: haughty young nobles from wealthy duchies, stiff-backed military candidates, quiet commoner scholarship recipients, and eccentric beast tamers.

Orion spent most of the trip observing them from the periphery. People tended to reveal a surprising amount of information when they thought no one important was watching. One minor lord spent hours loudly boasting about his Silver-Rank contracted beast to anyone who would listen. Another practically begged for duels at every rest stop. A pair of twins spent every waking moment bickering over mana theory, while a silver-haired girl sat in the corner of her transport, entirely detached, reading books and ignoring the world. Orion memorized all of them. Information was currency, especially when stepping into unfamiliar, competitive territory.

The second night brought a violent, heavy downpour that transformed the dirt roads into rivers of thick mud. While most of the students huddled inside their dry carriages, Orion stepped out into the storm, seeking the shelter of a massive oak tree overlooking the edge of the camp.

He closed his eyes, allowing his Night Domain to expand quietly through the dark. Beneath the shadow of his coat, Mist drifted out into the rain. The little fox had become remarkably efficient; every muffled footstep, every whispered conversation, and every sudden fluctuation of mana across the camp bled directly into Orion’s awareness. His Combat Instinct hummed in the background, processing the incoming data and slowly, meticulously refining his senses.

Then, the familiar cold blue light of the interface flashed across his vision.

◈ MYTHIC SUMMONING SYSTEM ◈

Environmental Assessment Complete.

Academy Entry Probability: 99.8%

Threat Index Increased.

Recommended Growth Action Available.

Would Host Like To Review Elite Summon Options?

[ YES ] / [ NO ]

◈ ◈ ◈

Orion’s eyes narrowed. The timing was entirely too convenient. He currently possessed five hundred and one points of Mythic Energy—exactly enough for another Elite Summon. The System had remained dead silent for weeks, and now it was suddenly nudging him to spend his savings.

"The old bastard is planning something," Orion muttered aloud.

Luna materialized from the shadows beside the tree trunk, wringing out the hem of her sleeve. "He always is. What’s he offering?"

Orion tapped [ YES ], and the interface expanded into three distinct windows.

◈ ELITE SUMMON OPTIONS ◈

• Option One: Storm Gryphon (Aerial Combat / Reconnaissance) — 500 ME

• Option Two: Void Serpent (Ambush / Assassination) — 500 ME

• Option Three: Crimson Dragon Maiden (Area Control / Heavy Combat / Independent Command) — 500 ME

Compatibility Rating: EXCEPTIONAL

Warning: Summon Personality Classified As Extreme.

◈ ◈ ◈

Orion froze, his eyes locking onto the final option. Even Mist paused her scouting, turning her head back toward him.

"Extreme?" Luna read over his shoulder, her voice dropping an octave. "Oh no. That’s a terrible word."

"That’s the part that concerns you?" Orion asked.

"Have you seen our track record? If the System thinks she’s extreme, I’m going to end up looking like the normal, well-adjusted one in this group."

Orion ignored the jab, analyzing the entry. Crimson Dragon Maiden. Area control, heavy combat, independent command. It was the exact strategic gap he needed to fill. He had stealth and agility, but he lacked sustained, long-range battlefield presence—someone who could hold a line on their own. The match was almost too perfect, which, knowing his luck, meant it was bound to come with massive, potentially catastrophic complications. But that EXCEPTIONAL compatibility tag was rare. The System didn’t throw that word around lightly.

The thunder rolled heavily across the valley, shaking the leaves above them. Orion stared at the prompt. Five hundred Mythic Energy represented months of accumulation and survival. It wasn’t a choice to make on a whim.

But then he thought of the academy. The unknown factions, the rivals his grandfather had warned him about, and the hidden dangers of the capital. Growth favored the prepared, and preparation favored raw power.

Luna let out a dramatic, exaggerated sigh. "I already know exactly what you’re going to do."

Orion didn’t look away from the blue light. "Do you?"

"Yes. You’re going to completely ignore the massive, glowing red warning label and press the button anyway."

Orion didn’t deny it. He reached out and selected the third option.

◈ ELITE SUMMON ACQUISITION CONFIRMED ◈

500 Mythic Energy Consumed. Summoning Sequence Initiated.

Please Stand By. This Is Probably Fine.

◈ ◈ ◈

"The System definitely added that last sentence just to mess with me," Orion grumbled.

Before Luna could answer, the ambient temperature plummeted, then instantly skyrocketed. The air grew stiflingly hot. A massive surge of crimson mana erupted from the muddy ground beneath Orion’s feet, drawing a violent geometric formation that hissed as it instantly evaporated the falling rain. The light was blinding, casting long, sharp shadows through the entire forest. Far off in the camp, several alert wardens and students jolted awake, but Orion could barely focus on them.

An ancient, chest-rattling roar tore through the night sky.

A colossal crimson dragon pushed its way through the tearing portal, its golden eyes burning like twin suns through the steam. Massive, leathery wings unfolded, snapping against the storm as its scales glowed with the heat of a forge. For one breathless second, the terrifying creature filled Orion’s entire field of view.

Then, the dragon dissolved into a column of swirling, liquid fire. The flames condensed, rapidly shrinking and reshaping until a tall woman stepped out of the dissipating heat.

She possessed long, crimson hair that flowed like molten copper, sharp golden eyes, and a pair of curved black horns protruding from her temples. She wore a striking black-and-red battle dress embroidered with heavy draconic scales. The sheer density of her mana radiated off her effortlessly, heavy and suffocating.

The woman surveyed her surroundings, her gaze sweeping over the wet trees, the distant camp, and finally settling on Orion. Everything else seemed to fade into the background. She stared at him for three long, silent seconds.

Luna slowly took two steps backward into the brush. "Aaaaand here we go."

The dragon maiden approached, her boots clicking softly against the scorched earth. She stopped directly in front of Orion, promptly dropped to one knee, and placed a closed fist tightly over her heart.

"My King," she spoke, her voice smooth but carrying a resonant, dangerous undertone.

Orion blinked. Luna let out a low groan.

The woman raised her head, her burning golden eyes filled with an intense, unblinking devotion. "I have searched the fabric of existence for you for twelve thousand years. At last... My King has returned."

Orion stared down at her, completely speechless, just as a final, mocking notification popped up right in front of his face.

◈ ELITE SUMMON SUCCESSFUL ◈

Name: Ignisia

Title: Crimson Dragon Empress

Rank: Elite

Threat Level: Extremely High

Yandere Classification: Catastrophic

Good Luck. You’re Going To Need It.

◈ ◈ ◈

Orion looked from the text to the kneeling dragon empress, then back to the text.

Luna reached out, patting his shoulder with deep, theatrical sympathy. "Congratulations on the new teammate."

"I really don’t like your tone right now."

"You shouldn’t," Luna whispered.

As Ignisia offered Orion a slow, brilliant, and entirely unsettling smile, the dark forest suddenly felt much more dangerous than the academy ahead.