Chapter 148 - Important Request

As the delicious meal continued, Hei returned to the previous matter. There was something that interested him, but he hadn't asked yet.

"Before, that Feng Gengxin called the sand-haired young man as the imperial prince. Is that really what I think?"

Mareo, who at the moment had a free mouth, replied, "Yes. The only ones called by that name are the direct children of the Sun Emperor, meaning, he is one of the candidates as future emperor."

"I see. I didn't think the emperor's son would join the academy. It may seem strange, but can you explain better the situation of the Imperial Family and the Eight Big Families?" Hei asked curiously.

Noticing the strange reaction of Haruno and Mareo, Leon hastened to explain, "You must know that both Hei and Lian aren't from here. They come from the islands of the Forgotten Ocean. "

Upon hearing this, Haruno and Mareo were visibly surprised. They didn't think anyone from the islands had been selected as suitable. After all, it was something that had never happened before. Quickly, however, they returned to their normal state, and Mareo, who had more knowledge on the subject, replied.

"It's a little tricky to explain, but I'll try to do my best. If there are parts that aren't clear to you, tell me, and I will explain them again. "

Thus began the explanation of the Imperial Family and the Eight Big Families.

The Imperial Family was also known as the Long Family, that was the family surname. They were said to be descendants of the Hero, and it was true, although their ancestors were the brothers and sisters of the Hero rather than the Hero himself. The man revered as a God and who had saved humanity had no direct descendants. As a result, his White Dragon Bloodline wasn't preserved.

The Imperial Family was divided into five branches with five dragon-type bloodlines but of different elemental law:

- Red Dragon Bloodline, Fire Law;

- Blue Dragon Bloodline, Water Law;

- Green Dragon Bloodline, Wind Law;

- Blue Dragon Bloodline, Lightning Law;

- Yellow Dragon Bloodline, Earth Law.

Each of these branches could be considered a family in its own right. The First Sun Emperor, Dragon One, had collected all martial artists with dragon-type bloodlines and founded the Imperial Family. By procreating children with the daughters of the family heads of all five families, Dragon One had created a system that would later become the one used for the choice of the future emperor.

Each new Sun Emperor would be given five of the most talented and beautiful women, one for each of the five branches. The children created by this union would have been called Imperial Princes or Princesses and would have been candidates to be the next emperor. Usually, there would have been a test for the candidates to pass, but if one of the emperor's children showed clearly superior skills to the other candidates, it was possible to go directly to the choice.

As far as the Eight Big Families were concerned, these were the following:

- Que Family, Vermilion Bird Bloodline, Fire Law;

- Hu Family, White Tiger Bloodline, Metal Law;

- Xuan Family, Black Turtle Bloodline, Water Law;

- Lin Family, Kirin's Bloodline, Lightning Law;

- Rukh Family, Roc Bloodline, Wind Law;

- Feng Family, Phoenix Bloodline, Fire Law;

- She Family, Ba Serpent Bloodline, Poison Law;

- Mu Family, Penghou Bloodline, Wood Law.

These were the Eight Big Families that helped the Imperial Family rule the continent's territories, as well as the main force against the Moon Empire. Listening to the various names of families, their bloodlines, and their elemental laws, Hei's heart accelerated. His mother's stories about each of those magnificent specimens echoed within him. But when it came to the turn of the She Family, a murderous chill crept into his heart. The image of his mother fighting until she exhausted all her strength was still etched in his pupils.

'Calm down. It's not even the fault of the She Family what happened. After all, the householder had been manipulated by the One Hiding Behind the Curtains. They aren't my enemy.'

Nobody seemed to perceive the change in Hei's mood. No one except Lian, Ye, and Xing who had gone through the same nightmare at the Crossroad Lake. However, all four were soon brought back to reality by Mareo's voice.

"And this closes the summary on the Imperial Family and the Eight Big Families. However, there is an important detail I have to mention - you must never mention the name of the Black Dragon Bloodline, especially before members of the Imperial Family."

Hearing this, Lian asked in surprise, "Why? Is it a family with a dragon-type bloodline that has been destroyed?"

At Lian's question, Mareo sighed and replied, "No, I wish it was that. In a sense, it is destroyed, but that's not the point. If the White Dragon Bloodline and its Light Law are what distinguish the Hero, then the Black Dragon Bloodline and its Darkness Law are what distinguishes the then Demon Emperor. According to ancient texts, humans had managed to grab the monopoly of dragon-type bloodlines. But unexpectedly, the son of the previous' Demon Emperor managed to get the rare Black Dragon Bloodline. Like the White Dragon Bloodline, that of the Black Dragon is unique. Fortunately, however, as for the Hero, the Demon Emperor left no direct heirs, thus not transmitting that bloodline.

Nowadays, the Hero is considered as the figure to which all of us humans must inspire. Many idealize him as a god and dislike what led to his defeat - the Snake of Darkness and the Demon Emperor. So never mention that particular bloodline. Also, I advise you to always pay attention to where your spirit beasts are, especially your Ye. Although it is absolutely impossible, some fanatics may think it is connected to the Serpent of Darkness."

Feeling drawn into the matter, Ye raised her head and uncovered her fangs as if she wanted to say 'they just have to try and I'll bite them to their death.' Xing did the same too, and the meaning she conveyed was more or less the same. Hei looked deeply at his little sisters before caressing both of them and reassuring them. The two little divine beasts resumed chewing the spaghetti.

"Thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind. "

Just as Hei finished speaking, suddenly there was a sound of hurried footsteps outside and then a series of violent blows to the door. A female voice rang loudly, "Haruno! Mareo! Open up! Quickly!"

"Oh no, it's her. With the presence of Hei and the others, it didn't occur to me that she would certainly come."

With a grim face on his face, Haruno got up from the sofa and went to open the door. But before he could do it, the door itself flew off its hinges and ended up on him. Totally taken aback, Haruno fell to the ground with the door above him.

"It takes you time to open a stupid door. I came immediately after hearing about the accident in the canteen, but you didn't send me a message. What bad friends!"

The female voice belonged to a tall woman with a little accentuated breast, which wasn't helped by the male dress she was wearing. She had long red hair, more fuchsia than pure red, and light brown eyes. She had a beautiful face, and her body was slender and well proportioned. However, it did not inspire even the slightest trace of feminine grace, giving more the feeling of having to deal with a man.

"Lilian, why did you run so suddenly leaving me behind?"

From outside the now broken door, another graceful female voice was heard. If the first woman didn't have even the slightest trace of grace, the second that arrived shortly afterward was instead the total opposite. A slender figure with a height of 1.60 meters and a very abundant chest. She was wearing a purple ribbon that tied her hair into a ponytail. Her hair had the same purple hue while her eyes were blue, although not as intense as Lian's.

"It is you who are slow, Mia. I told you to hurry up first."

The woman named Lillian realized just now that Haruno was on the ground with the door above him. Incidentally, she had stood above the door, meaning above the same Haruno as well.

"Haruno, what are you doing down there? Have you taken a liking for new hobbies?"

"Lilian, I think you should get out of there, or Haruno can't get up." The woman called Mia slowly pushed Lilian's back so that she moved from above the door, and the poor Haruno could get up.

"Damn it, stupid woman! What do you think to do by breaking through someone else's room door and entering without an invitation?" raged Haruno against Lilian. His face was tight, but Hei noticed that it wasn't a real anger.

"Eh? And this is how you welcome a friend of yours who came as soon as she heard about your accident? Poor me, I had already imagined the scene - you in tears and me who come and have a good drink all together while you do my nails and hair. After that, I would go to that asshole of the Feng Family and let him know that you shouldn't mess around with a woman's gay friend."

Each word of Lilian was accompanied by rather colorful facial and body movements. It was like a hurricane inside a person. Mia, on the other hand, was calmer and tried to calm Lilian and avoid that she could destroy something else.

"I already told you that we aren't all like that... how many times do I have to say you say that? Bah, your conception about us gays is equally wrong, but for some reason, I can't get pissed at you."

As if it had happened before, Haruno gave in to Lilian's ways and went to fix the door. Fortunately for him, Leon stood up to help him since he was a blacksmith. That action, therefore, left a vacant seat on the sofa near Hei. Lilian immediately dashed over and pulled Mia by the hand, who was forced to sit on the knees of that impetuous woman.

"Do you want anything to drink? Lilian, Mia?"

"Hahaha, bring out some alcohol. The more, the better."

"Ah, yes, thank you. Simple tea will be more than enough."

Mareo also seemed quite familiar with the two women and stood up to a kitchen cupboard for drinks. Meanwhile, Lilian turned to Hei and Lian, although she lingered for a moment on Ye and Xing, who were continuing to eat regardless of the noise.

"So you are the ones who helped my friends Haruno and Mareo. I thank you for having helped them. My name is Lilian, and I am a lesbian. She is Mia, my partner, and my future wife!"

"Lilian! Why do you say these things so suddenly?"

Mia flushed utterly on her face. It was red as a tomato. From her attitude, however, she didn't seem embarrassed that Lilian had said they were a lesbian couple, but rather because she said they would get married. It was a decision they had recently decided and hadn't told anyone. Yet Lilian was saying all this so openly in front of the presence of people they didn't know.

Lilian's eyes lingered vigorously on Hei's. The impetuous young woman brought her face close to Hei's until there were only a few centimeters to separate them. Lian watched alongside Hei but didn't appear willing to act. As a woman, she could instinctively sense if anyone had a particular interest in Hei, but Lilian wasn't that case.

"Nice to meet you, Lilian. The same goes for you, Mia. My name is Hei, while she is Lian. The one at the door over there is Leon."

Lilian continued to stare at Hei in that position, not at all heedless of the response she had just received. "Do you understand what I told you? I am a lesbian, and I intend to marry a woman. Don't you have any reaction against it? "

At Lilian's question, Hei didn't know how to answer. He honestly didn't understand if he should have some kind of particular reaction. But then he thought about the matter in the canteen and hurried to say the words suitable for such a revelation.

"Congratulations. I hope you can get married soon and be happy forever. "

At Hei's response, Mareo burst out laughing as he served a glass of tequila for Lilian and a glass of cold tea for Mia. However, Lilian ignored the alcohol she had ordered and continued to stare Hei in the eye. Mia instead smiled, thanking Mareo, and then replied to Hei. "Nice to meet all of you, Hei, Lian, and Leon. Thanks for the good wishes, Hei, but it's still early in reality. We haven't decided anything, not even the date."

Meanwhile, Lilian had finally moved her gaze from Hei but was watching Ye and Xing intensely. The two little divine beasts, feeling observed, stopped eating, and looked with curiosity at the newly arrived woman. They couldn't understand why they were being looked at that way. As a precaution, they left the table and went up Hei's leg, stopping on his knees.

"Are these spirit beasts yours?"

"Yes, they are mine. Why?"

"And do you love your spirit beasts?"

At Lilian's question, Hei was surprised. It was the first time someone had asked him such a question, especially considering that it was a human being who was asking him. After a few moments of initial amazement, Hei looked down at Ye and Xing and stroked them gently. His gaze was full of love for that little spider and little snake that colored his life with joy.

"Yes. I care for them more than my own life."

That was Hei's answer. His dark browns, despite their almost black color, had a brightness that intensely shone when you looked him in the eyes. This reaction was impossible to obtain normally. Only when it came to his family, Hei would have shown such passion.

"Hahaha, I told myself that making an attempt wasn't a bad idea but who would have said that the results would be so amazing. You said your name is Hei, right? I have a favor to ask you. It's a really important request."

Mia, being Lilian's partner, understood her intentions quickly and lowered her head towards Hei, "Please listen to us. It is significant for both of us. In the whole academy, only you can perhaps help us."

Hei was stunned to hear this. Even Mareo, who knew the two young women lovers seemed surprised, especially about Lilian. It was the first time he had seen her so serious as if she was desperate in a certain sense. Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Mareo intervened in their rescue.

"I also ask you to listen to them Hei, I don't know what it is, but they are good people. I know it is rude to ask you this when we have already disturbed you so much, but please forgive my brazenness."