Ch.118Now It’s Time to Be Subdued. (2)

The Imperial Palace was bustling with vitality, unlike a few months ago.

In the center of the ballroom, a princess with brilliant golden hair was twirling around.

On either side of the princess stood two beautiful people, like guards.

They had no titles, and weren’t even from noble families. Yet no one present dared to disrespect them.

Dozens of nobles felt an intimidating presence from them that was entirely inhuman. Just being in the same space felt like standing before a ferocious monster with its jaws wide open.

Eryas and Carthian.

The princess introduced them as great mages who had been living in seclusion deep in the forest.

“She says she was rescued by these mages while being kidnapped by the Red Dragon Lord…”

The First Prince let out a mocking laugh.

“Are we supposed to believe this?”

“…I suppose it doesn’t matter whether we believe it or not.”

The Second Prince, who had already fallen far behind in the succession race, shook his head in lamentation.

The First Prince asked:

“What about what I asked for?”

“They’re definitely great mages. At minimum, they’re at the level of former Golden Tower Masters.”

“…It’s like they’re desperate to reveal they’re dragons.”

“Couldn’t they really be secluded mages?”

“If they were, they’d be weaker than a Golden Tower Master.”

Of course, they could truly be secluded masters, but the probability was close to impossible.

Their youth and beauty comparable to Aria’s could be accepted with extreme generosity.

But this thrilling pressure could only be explained if they were dragons.

They knew because they had met Golden Tower Masters before.

They had felt pressure then, but at least they hadn’t felt like mice before cats.

Aria made no particular response to the princes’ words. She merely savored her wine.

– Aria. Your bloodline seems to have noticed our identity.

Eryas’s voice echoed in her head.

– It doesn’t matter. That was the intention.

If she had wanted to hide their identities, she wouldn’t have invited them to this gathering in the first place.

The year-end event where all nobles of the empire gathered.

What happened at today’s banquet would spread throughout the empire within a day.

She had deliberately made the banquet more grand in case Olivia might appear, but it seemed she wouldn’t fall for such a basic trap.

“Let’s go.”

“…Already?”

“There’s nothing more to gain by staying.”

Eryas licked his lips while looking at the mountain of wine bottles.

“When the great war breaks out, we won’t even be able to find things like these…”

“…Dragons truly have no dignity. This is why baseborn Red ones are—”

“Is that why you were panting and groveling before Olivia?”

“Shut up. I’ll tear that cursed mouth of yours right here… Never mind. Talking with dung-brained fools only hurts me.”

An intense aura flared between the two. Even in polymorphed state, it wasn’t an energy ordinary people could withstand. Just as the nobles were about to collapse foaming at the mouth—

“Enough.”

Aria’s voice resonated throughout the entire space. One word. That was enough.

Befitting someone with imperial blood, she had the charisma to command everyone’s attention.

“If either of you intend to act as you please, return to where you came from immediately. You are in the presence of the Emperor.”

“But we—”

“Carthian. Take Eryas out. He seems to have had too much to drink.”

“Is that an order?”

“It is an order.”

“Hehe. If that’s the case.”

A pure white snowstorm enveloped Eryas’s body.

In an instant, both figures vanished.

The nobles at the ball stared blankly at Aria.

“I apologize for the disturbance. I will take my leave now. I hope everyone enjoys their evening.”

She bowed politely and left the banquet hall.

The next moment, the princess’s shadow writhed and spat out a message. It was the Master of Dark.

[Was it necessary to provoke Eryas?]

“If Eryas had taken it as provocation, he wouldn’t have left so obediently.”

All dragons develop minor mental defects due to their long lifespans. And the defect that Reds develop is the inability to control their anger.

While other dragons consider battle a nuisance, this is precisely why only Reds are called madmen.

Ferocious, Crazed, Evil, Demonic… These negative titles don’t follow them for nothing.

Eryas was also once called the Demon Dragon thousands of years ago.

The fact that he could mingle with humans even this much was due to Olivia’s influence.

“So, what’s the matter? Sending messages through shadows like this.”

[I have a few things to relay.]

Aria tensed slightly. Whenever the Master of Dark spoke in this tone, it had never been good news.

[First, I found documents related to the Abyss. The Great Demons each rule one of the four directions, while the Demon Lord directly manages the center. As for documents about the Demon God… I haven’t found any yet.]

“…I didn’t expect them not to be in the Holy Kingdom either.”

Aria’s expression changed at the mention of the Demon God.

Even Great Demons were strong enough to require two Returnees to handle, so she couldn’t gauge how powerful the Demon God might be.

The reason Aria hadn’t paid much attention to the Great Demons was because they hadn’t shown any notable activity in her previous life.

Thinking about it, Olivia had always been present wherever Great Demons appeared.

[And, I’ve discovered Olivia’s location.]

“What? How did you…”

She had been holding these meaningless banquets because there was no way to find Olivia if she was hiding thoroughly. But if they knew her location, there was no need for such pointless actions.

[It’s the Devilhunter’s ability. He can locate Olivia once a day.]

Aria’s eyes narrowed.

“Why didn’t you use it from the beginning?”

[He can only use it on targets he has hit with an arrow at least once.]

“…So, where is she now?”

The Master of Dark spoke in a strange voice.

[Olivia is currently in the Great Forest of Euran.]

*****

It was quite some time before Olivia, who had been staring at the mark on the back of her hand, finally spoke.

“…Olivia, can you tell me what that is?”

In response to Kiel’s question, Olivia silently raised mana in her opposite hand.

Then she created a cutting wind, slicing off the marked skin as thinly as if filleting it.

But the mark remained in place.

Olivia clicked her tongue and said:

“It’s something like a tracking spell. Though it’s not magic, so it can’t be removed.”

“A tracking spell?”

“Wait here. I need to entrust the kids to someone.”

Olivia disappeared somewhere without listening to Kiel’s next words.

“…This is taking a while.”

It had clearly been noon when they arrived in the north, but now dusk was falling. Kiel crouched down, fidgeting with his greatsword.

‘Entrust the kids?’

Kiel searched through his memories, but no matter how much he thought about it, there was no one around Olivia who could be called a child.

At most, it might be the Saintess of the Holy Kingdom…

But she couldn’t have formed a friendship with the Saintess without remembering her past life.

So who on earth…

“Sorry, it took a while to persuade them.”

A voice drained of energy.

From the looks of it, she seemed to have received a scolding from someone.

“Do you have a nanny?”

“A nanny? Oh… the kids I just mentioned? I have disciples I’m raising. I asked someone I know to look after them.”

Olivia looked back and stuck out her tongue.

“Persuading wasn’t easy.”

How many times is this now, it’s clearly dangerous, where are you going again…

It took several hours of coaxing and pleading to finally convince Melina.

Olivia stretched and said:

“…Anyway, let’s go. To the damn Great Forest.”

“Alright.”

An uncertain response.

Though he said that, Kiel’s eyes held an indecipherable emotion.

Olivia knew what that emotion was.

Euran was where Kiel and Olivia first met.

It must be a place with deep meaning for Kiel.

That was probably why he had come all the way to the north.

Of course, this didn’t apply to Olivia.

‘Kiel is the important one for this operation anyway.’

Kiel had already recovered the level of skill he had in the annihilation timeline. At this level, he could certainly escape with a “captured Olivia.”

‘And I’ve also taken out Melina insurance.’

The Returnees would definitely come to Euran.

There was a flash of light, and in an instant, both figures disappeared.

Tssssss!

A moment later, a completely different landscape unfolded before them. Trees reaching to the sky, ominous wind sounds from all directions…

[Entering the Wood Realm, Euran.]

Kiel spoke with a grinding tone.

“…Something seems to have happened.”

The swirling fallen leaves transformed in an instant into the form of a massive living being.