“You’re telling me that, by tomorrow, a human intends to rule the Pyra Empire?” The old man’s voice was low and dangerous, a visible aura of fury radiating from him, crackling in the air like a storm on the verge of breaking.
Both Aria and Celestia flinched, feeling the oppressive weight of his aura, they thought in unison, ‘Damn, his strength is leagues above the other Generals. This could get messy.’
Sensing their shift in posture, the old man took a deep breath and eased his energy, allowing the tension to dissipate. “Calm yourselves. I won’t kill either of you.” His tone was almost amused. “You’ve already taken down four of Generals—that itself earns you a degree of respect. And approaching me without a shred of fear?” He inclined his head slightly. “That deserves admiration as well. So, relax.”
With a clap of his hands, two maids entered the room. They immediately spotted the intruders, they readied themself, their muscles tensing as they awaited instructions. But the old man raised a calming hand, “Tea,” he said simply. The maids exchanged brief glances but moved efficiently to prepare tea, without question.
He turned back to his visitors, “You see, it’s not as though I bear any inherent grudge against humans, elves, or whatever other race you two might be,” he said, quirking a brow.
“But this empire belongs to the Dragon Tribe. Only dragons have the right to rule. If you think that by killing our Emperor you’ll have us bowing our heads in submission…” His eyes glinted dangerously. “You’re gravely mistaken. We’ll never bow to anyone who isn’t one of our own!”
Celestia and Aria exchanged a brief look, silently communicating before Aria raised an eyebrow, “So, should we take that as a ‘no’?” She moved her hand, about to summon her weapon when—
“Hmm? Did I say that?” The old man’s face broke into a smirk. “You misunderstand.” He paused to accept the cup of tea handed to him by one of the maids, taking a moment to inhale the steam before continuing, “I live here peacefully. I don’t care who sits on the throne, as long as they don’t meddle with me or my soldiers. I have no interest in a coup d’état; I’m not hungry for power like the rest of you.”
Celestia frowned, pressing him, “So, is that a ‘yes,’ then?”
The old man chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound, “And if I say no… you’ll kill me, won’t you?”
Without missing a beat, both Celestia and Aria replied in unison, “Yes.”
The old man laughed heartily. “You two are quite in sync.”
Aria’s lips twitched with irritation, while Celestia remained stoic, waiting.
He took a leisurely sip of his tea, eyes twinkling. “What would happen to my soldiers, then?”
Aria responded bluntly, “We’ll kill them too.”
Celestia added calmly, “Only if they interfere. We’ll be in and out as soon as we’re done.”
“Hmm… I see.” The old man nodded slowly, thoughtfully, “If I side with you, I betray my Empire. But if I resist, I invite conflict… quite the dilemma,” he mused, tapping his fingers on the armrest.
He knew he could take down these two but something tells him they were hiding something and since they able to kill four generals, he didn’t believe it would a simple assassination…
Celestia and Aria watched him, silently debating whether to press him further or allow him to ponder. But before they could act, he looked up, his expression resolute.
“Fine. I won’t interfere.” He raised a hand, surprising them both, “I’ll stay neutral. Whether you kill him or he survives, it’s no concern of mine. I won’t lift a finger to help or hinder you… unless the Dragon Emperor himself orders me to intervene.”
Celestia narrowed her eyes, “So you won’t protect your so-called ‘Lizard Emperor’?”
The old man let out a dry, mirthless laugh, saying nothing more.
Celestia and Aria shared a look of mutual understanding before Celestia produced a rolled-up contract from her coat, handing it over, “In that case, we’ll need your formal agreement.”
The old man took the contract, unrolling it slowly and reading each line with meticulous care. As he reached the end, he looked up and asked, “How many others have allied themselves with you?”
“…”
“No one?” His expression shifted to one of genuine surprise, “Are they truly that loyal to the Dragon Emperor? This… surprises me.”
Aria let out a dry chuckle. “No, they’re not loyal to him. They merely thought they could use us. So… we eliminated them.” Her lips curved into a half-smile.
The old man raised an eyebrow, an expression of mild respect crossing his face before he dipped his quill and signed the contract with a flourish.
As he finished signing, Celestia suddenly asked, “By any chance, do you know of the Crimsonclaw household… or who was behind their massacre?”
The old man paused, his quill hovering just above the ink. A shadow flickered across his face as he met her gaze, “The Crimsonclaws, hmm…?”
…
…..
Meanwhile, back in Aqualina’s chamber…
“~Ha~ha~ha…” Aqualina panted heavily, her face flushed a deep red. Her entire body was slick with sweat, and she felt a strange, warm power radiating within her womb—a powerful sensation flooding her senses, making her feel dazed and… energized.
As she lay sprawled against Aether’s chest, she murmured, “I still can’t believe levelling up works like this…” She stared at her status with a slight smirk; her level had soared to 50 after just a few rounds.
What happened to working hard? Slaying monsters? Collecting Arcane Crystals to level up?
None of it mattered.
All she had to do was… raid his dragon and Vola…. She Levelled up!!
If anyone knew, they’d be horrified by how simple it was!
Aether chuckled and brushed a strand of hair from her face, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Care for another round?” he teased, a mischievous glint in his eye. As he pushed his hips, his saft that was already inside her went even deeper, making her entire body quiver.
Aqualina gasped, blushing deeply, “N-No! I’ll end up fainting if we keep going like this!”
But then, after a pause, she whispered with a soft, hungry smile, “Give me an hour~” She leaned in, pressing her lips to his in a lingering kiss before studying him with curious eyes.
“Hmm?” Aether arched an eyebrow. “What’s with that look?”
“You look… different.” She squinted slightly, as though trying to solve a puzzle. “I can’t quite put my finger on it, but you seem more… mature. Stronger somehow. Did something happen?”
Aether’s smile turned reflective, “A lot has happened,” he replied, thinking over the past few days. “But enough about me. What’s been going on here?”
Aqualina nodded, filling him in on recent events, though she was equally curious about his mysterious ventures. She knew better than to push, though—he would tell her in his own time.
But then, Aether’s brows knitted in concern. “Lia?”
“Yes,” Aqualina said with a sigh. “The day you left, she came to me, frantic, claiming you’d been kidnapped by the Dragon Emperor and needed help. I wanted to believe her, but I trusted you had your reasons for being with the Emperor. Still…” Her expression grew serious. “Ever since that day, she’s been missing.”
Aether blinked, ‘Fuck!!’
…..
…
The next morning…
Everyone was gathered and ready to depart the castle grounds.
“Vesperine, are you alright?” Kai asked gently, noting the troubled look on her face.
“N-nothing, I just felt dizzy” she mumbled, her gaze shifting uneasily to Leon, who looked equally uneasy. His face was pale, his eyes shadowed by guilt. ‘What did I do?’ he thought, horrified, ‘Fuck Did I… force myself on her?’
“Come on, everyone, into the carriages!” The Principal called out, gesturing for the students to board one by one. As they settled in, she counted each name aloud. “Aqualina, Selene, Aria… Kai, Leon…” She paused, frowning slightly. “Where’s Lia?”
Just as Selene opened her mouth to answer, but then,
“I’m so sorry! I overslept!”
Lia suddenly appeared, looking flustered and breathless.
The Principal nodded with a slight sigh of relief. “Glad you made it.”
“What about Victor?” Kira’s voice cut in as she looked around, noticing his absence.
The Principal shrugged dismissively. “He said he had a headache,” she replied, securing the door to the carriage just as Kira seemed poised to protest…. And with that, the carriage rose, borne aloft by the powerful wings of their dragon escort.
