A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale

Side Story 52: The Return of The Empress.

[“They fled,”] Melloxtressa stated as she raised her long, towering neck, looking over Aureolis city without any issues. Yet, her eyes and skills couldn’t detect any hint of the demonkin princes nor their followers any longer.

The ancient dragon let out a deep sigh in her mind before looking up at the sky, staring at the unmarred, starry night sky, looking as if a giant skeletal hand hadn’t just emerged from it. Her efforts to repel the skeleton, preventing it from harming her daughter, was mildly successful, as she had no idea how long Hestia’s solar energy barrier would have lasted if she hadn’t intervened.

Sadly, due to this distraction, she allowed the Princes of Sin to escape before she could make them pay for what they did to her daughter. Her pride as a mother and dragon was damaged, yet she wasn’t willing to fly off and go search for them, securely planting her feet on the ground while holding onto her daughter as if her life depended on it.

Swift as the winds, the Prince of Pride’s quick escape has allowed him to keep his life. She would not waste her time to hunt him down; instead, she caressed the icicle prison her daughter was currently in. About the size of her chest, she raised her frozen daughter up, cradling her like a mother would a newborn.

The ancient silver dragon felt more rejuvenated than ever. She felt better than the day she became a rank SS, married her husband, or when she found out her daughter hatched and was alive. Seeing Hestia’s, no, Hikari’s memories and then hearing them sing a lullaby to her was what caused her slumbering soul to awaken, before the cries of her daughter fully broke her sleep.

“Empress.”

Interrupting her thoughts, the ancient dragon looked down at the tiny figures below her, so small a single finger could crush them like an ant. Aside from Saori, Fargryneill, Shaytierus, and Bethlieranha, at least, but to the elder dragon even those four looked fragile like porcelain dolls.

Midirn bowed, tugging his tail between his legs to show respect. “No fatalities, but severe injuries were inflicted on the two saurians. Kushlek’zar and Farron will survive, as the former managed to apply first aid with his healing spell.”

[“How are Krim-Slak and Grazlahta?”] Melloxtressa asked, confounding Midirn, as he hadn’t expected her to worry this much for non-dragonkin. He was more baffled that she would remember their names, as from his experience most true dragons wouldn’t give most humanoids a place in their memories.

“Saintess Fleindia and a few elven surgeons are currently looking into their injuries; they will most likely survive, but the alchemists stated they might remain unconscious for at least a week. Their organs were ruptured, so even if the operations were successful, they will require a good amount of rest to fully recover,” Midirn replied. “If we had Princess Hestia, it wouldn’t have been an issue, but we cannot ask any more from her.”

The black dragonewt stared at his frozen princess, protected by her mother’s unmeltable ice. He then looked at his armor and the state of his body, grimacing at how terrible his appearance must be.

The operation had worked out, right up until the encounter with the Prince of Pride, where everything would have derailed if the Prince of Pride had been a bit more proactive in killing Hestia. His appearance alone was enough to turn around the entire raid, especially considering the presence of the massive silence barrier keeping everybody from entering or exiting.

Which begged the question, “Why?” Why didn’t he kill Hestia? Why did he wait until the very last second to rescue the Prince of Envy, when the key to opening the hidden chamber was available to them all this time? It didn’t make sense.

[“Assure those children have the best possible treatment. I will pay it from my own treasure mount, if I have to,”] Melloxtressa woke Midirn up from his thoughts.

“Y-yes, your majesty …” Midirn answered, slightly perturbed.

Noticing this, Melloxtressa addressed her subordinant’s concerns, prompting Midirn to explain his thoughts up until now. He explained how he learned from Kushlek’zar that the two had dueled the Prince of Pride, buying enough time for Hestia to cast her [Sun, Consume All] and [Quartz Regen]. While it was true that the young dragoness’s white flames forced the Prince on the defensive, it still irked Midirn.

His group had likewise fought the Prince and he knew all too well how ruthless the demon could be, as the moment they caught up to him while chasing Muraina, he immediately took down Krim-Slak and Grazlahta before they could deploy their [Auracoil] runes, breaking their armor and ripping their innards into bits.

Not to mention, the moment the Prince met Hestia, he could have unleashed an Original Sin ability and even a Territory. There were numerous ways he could have killed Hestia.

Melloxtressa gave it a thought before settling on the only idea that could explain this weird behavior. [“… I believe his goal wasn’t only rescuing the Prince of Envy, but the destruction of all of you.”]

“Us?”

[“To break my daughter’s will to fight, or at least, make her more susceptible to being influenced. The difference between killing her and simply angering her would be that I would be apathetic about your deaths, if I am to be frank,”] Melloxtressa replied, although not surprising to Midirn. [“My only worry is Hestia and, at best, Saori and Yorshka. Shaytierus, Bethlieranha, and Tasianna are important in their own way, but they aren’t ‘blood.’ Saori consumed Hestia’s blood, making her a lesser dragonkin of her bloodline, while Yorshka is from my clan. I would grieve for them, but their deaths wouldn’t send me into a rage.”]

“If Princess Hestia were to die, you would lose your rational side.”

Melloxtressa nodded. [“Eltharion would have to kill me to stop my rampage. I would sink Bole’Taria if my daughter were to die, yet it wouldn’t be the same if she were to be heartbroken from her lost friends and allies. Instead, I would have to be the one to stop Hestia from doing anything ridiculous, given my daughter’s past as a human.”]

To a being who had lived over 3000 years, the life of other races were usually too fleeting for her to take notice. How many allies and friends had she lost in her long life, and how many of them did she truly call a friend? Most of Melloxtressa’s life was spent on becoming a rank SS, after all, and that naturally made her less affected by death.

She could only worry about her immediate family and retainers, those she knew would stay beside her in the centuries to come. Even now, she was sure once this night was over, she wouldn’t give this “young,” black dragonewt any interest. She would forget his name and face until they next met. In fact, she was making an effort to remember those amongst Aurora purely to satisfy her daughter, to fulfill her wish to be a good mother.

Midirn stroked his chin. “That would explain Princess Hestia’s survival, yet it doesn’t explain why the Prince of Envy wasn’t extracted beforehand. He didn’t have to stay inside the basement.”

Melloxtressa couldn’t grant him an answer, as she wasn’t fully updated on the entire raid. As such, Midirn had to conclude that he must question Cardinal Vicar Marius for any clues.

Although the raid was a success at the end of the day, some questions hadn’t been answered, leaving Midirn anxious of the future. Without information, one couldn’t predict the enemy’s next steps. It was clear the Princes of Sin had a different plan, so what could it be?

Knowing that speculating further would only be a waste of her time, Midirn left Melloxtressa and wished her well on her way home. Once he left, Midirn quickly rejoined Kuornig, Marius, Rudigan, and Yorshka to speak about the matter, relaying everything Melloxtressa had told him to them. Once done, everybody looked over to the weary Marius, prompting him to speak.

“There is no reason to hide it any longer. First, I would like to apologize for everything that led up to this point. I know I cannot make up for all my mistakes, but yet, I am thankful that my diary made it to you safely,” the old cardinal bowed, deeper than a noble should have. “I … honestly did not expect to survive tonight, knowing the young princess’s fiery personality.”

“The same applies to me, Marius,” Kuronig replied. “I looked away from your crimes because of my friendship and oath to you, so I am similarly at fault for everything. I doomed Aureolis to such a fate, while spitting on the honor and legacy of my fellow holy knights. Goddess Aurena and God Yeostar must be furious.”

Kuornig then looked to his left, witnessing the former Holy Capital of Aurena’s church in ruins. The three walls protecting the farm, lower city, and basilica were reduced to rubble or frozen in place from Melloxtressa’s magic, allowing him to peer at the destruction from outside the city.

This grand fortress managed to survive over 2000 years of strife, even warding off a possible siege from the elven and dwarven armies during the War for the Faefolk. Its impenetrable barriers had kept legions of monsters and demonkin away over the years, but now all of them had fallen. Yes, while its true that Hestia was the reason for the barrier falling, it still didn’t excuse the fact she had to do so in order to save the city in the first place.

What would his ancestors say? What were the gods thinking? Kuornig and Marius both grimaced as this city of wonders might have closed its final chapter. Trapped inside the unmelting ice of the sixth dragon empress, the city would only become livable if she allowed it.

“Both of you know death is too easy of a way out, correct?” Yorshka interrupted the two old men in their self-loathing. “The hardest part is always what arises from the ashes of such an event. The empire will not stay silent, nor the demonkin. Redeem yourself. Work with us.”

Marius shook his head. “I am unsure. You understand why I did what I had to do. My family; I had to—”

Midirn interrupted him. “If Princess Hestia’s arrangement with the Yanderu continues as planned, then there is hope. Believe in that for now and answer my inquiries. Why didn’t the princes rescue Envy earlier?”

“I … I apologize. Yes, the reason for that is that the princes hadn’t appeared before I lost the key,” Marius stated, confusing everybody. “When you first entered the city, I had only received orders from the sin heir of envy before the sin heir of wrath appeared with a small elite group of demonkin soldiers. Those two were the only demonkin commanders around until the day before.”

“Then why didn’t the Warbringer do anything?” Yorshka asked.

“He couldn’t. Even if he had the key, the sin heir of envy would have stopped him.”

“That ‘Yaldabaoth’ ability?” Rudigan grumbled, despite not being fully aware of all the details as his part of this raid was to fight.

Marius nodded. “Correct, Master Dwarf. Yaldabaoth is as threatening to the sin heirs and Princes of Sins, as they are to us. Reinhart—Rein’Yond—was equally as wary of his fellow demonkin as he was of us.”

“That was why they executed the other envy demonkin once the sin heir of envy was dead. Out of revenge, or simple to show they disapproved of the sin heir,” Midirn added. “Although, Saori and Kushlek’zar mentioned how the pride prince tried to save the sin heir when he was about to die, so it still doesn’t make sense.”

“Camaraderie,” Kuornig mumbled. “Marius’s diary said it all—the demonkin suffered through years of agony for their plans, and in such a situation, attachment can be created as one fights back-to-back. Of course, unless we question the Prince of Pride directly, we can only guess at whatever his motivations might be. Empress Melloxtressa’s reasoning was sound, but that is all it is, only an assumption, even if it is the best possible one.”

“I agree. The Prince of Envy wasn’t an evil, self-indulging fiend. I believed he genuinely cared for his country right up until his mind broke, so maybe we can assume the same might apply to his fellow princes.” Marius sighed. “Yet, maybe we were still fortunate the Princes of Sin arrived late. Luckily, you came early and made your preparations in a timely manner. I hadn’t planned for Champion Hestia to steal the key with [Providence’s Will], but it was good that she did. The Prince of Pride was quite furious when he heard about it.”

Luck was equally as important to winning a war.

Agreeing with this one fact, the group decided to stop talking about it and instead drew their attention to the other veteran member of this raid—Muraina. The ranger general of Saelarial had a minor role similar to Rudigan and Farron, as they were the last second reinforcements in case of issues, but she was still one of the people who managed to contend against the Prince of Pride.

“Chasing her mark,” Yorshka answered. “Frightening, no? The Prince of Pride was able to hold his own against all of us, yet that elf still wants to fight him. All alone this time, as well. Are we sure we aren’t chasing after her?”

“With the state of our stamina?” Midirn countered. “Don’t be foolish. I understand Muraina is your friend, but you cannot continue fighting tonight. If she wants to go on this suicidal charge, let her. She is older than the both of us and it is in her right to do so, especially if you consider how these demonkin will continue being our enemies. The threat of war isn’t over despite this operation, so taking at least one of their extra lives down would be for the best.”

“War?” Kuornig and Marius asked, prompting Rudigan to answer them.

“Seems like I’m not the only one to not know the full context of everything. Ankor-Nazta, Saelariel, and Loatryx are readying for an impending war once Artorias announces that they will secede from the empire.” Seeing the two humans grimace, the dwarven Champion continued. “This operation was meant to alleviate that threat, but the war hungry folk amongst the dwarves and elves will most likely push their agenda. Without Princess Hestia promoting her more peaceful stance, the days before us will probably be turbulent.”

“The elves will spread their influence,” Midirn sighed. “Without Princess Hestia’s protection, that one foxian will most likely suffer.”

“Reajaen,” Yorshka replied. “Hopefully she managed to resolve all her business. Once tonight is over, I can already guess Saelarian rangers will extradite her to be judged … The same will most likely apply to you, Vicar Marius. I can imagine the Saelari Church of Aurena will not look upon you so favoribly for being an accomplish to tarnishing the Light Goddess’s name.”

“I deserve such punishment,” Marius stated, fully accepting this truth. “As long as my family will remain safe, I will even accept for my soul to not be reincarnated. The Folschreck Empire … it’s days are over, and it is my fault.”

Yet, despite the somber atmosphere, Kuornig grabbed his old friend’s shoulder, shaking it while nodding his head. He then patted him on the back before standing up.

“If that is your fate, then I will accompany you till the end, my friend. I also have a right to ask for penance, but that’s it. Penance. Death is no penance, it is release. Fight, do not ask for your salvation just yet when your role is still usable for the upcoming days, Marius,” Kuornig said before turning to Yorshka. He took off the medal attached to his breastplate, prompting Yorshka to stand up and salute him. “Yorshka, the Knights of Aurena as an order is crumbling before me, but men and women who truly believe in our cause to defend our faith still live on. Their faith was betrayed and they were broken down by our enemies. Karlst, Falamm, Kirstine … Royce … and let us not forget Elrick, wherever he is. They will need guidance, a person to speak to as they decide their future.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“The Hand of Heavens—our predecessor—began like any other fledgling knight order. They were small and only consisted of Goddess Erithia, God Yeostar, and Goddess Andira, yet they managed to rise in renown and power as their achievements spread throughout the land. The Knights of Aurena were created to replace them, with the Hands eventually becoming the Empire’s royal knights, yet here we are. Corrupted, ruined, and splintered apart. Aureolis’s knights hold no power or influence now.”

“Yes, Commander.”

“We are at our weakest now. Soon, the demonkin will assure our reputation will be forever tarnished, while they raise their ‘Knights of Aurena’ into their ideal image. It will be an uphill battle to rebuild everything, and this isn’t even mentioning the possibility of a war between humans where the next Knight-Commander must rally the order to fight against those they swore to protect.”

Yorshka remained quiet.

“Yorshka Sirris Nordor, do you understand the weight this medal will soon place on your shoulders? Will you still accept it in hopes of bringing the order back into a place our ancestors will be proud of?”

“… Are you asking this as my former Knight-Commander, or as an old friend and fellow dragoon squire?”

Kuornig smiled. “Hehe, will you do all of this for a friend? Don’t you think it’s too much?”

Yorshka smirked and looked over to Midirn. “You already made me drill the squires and knights even when you were my commander. Nothing will change there except that I will have to make the decisions now. I might not act like one, but I am quite ambitious, especially when my husband doesn’t have to work so hard to keep our daughter happy.”

“Then, with my authority as the Knight-Commander of the Knights of Aurena, I, Kuornig von Schicksal, relinquish my title as the Knight-Commander and announce Yorshka Sirris Nordor as my successor. May the Goddess watch over you, Knight-Commander Yorshka! May your blade smite the enemies of the Goddess of Light!”

“I accept!” Yorshka kneeled as Kuornig knighted her with his sword before placing the emblem of the Knight-Commander on her chest. With honor granted, the nelly-inaugurated Knight-Commander stood up and offered a handshake to Midirn. “Then, as my first decree, I will request aid from the Dragoon order of Loatryx in a joint companionship. Let us erase the enemies of Goddess Aurena and God Kargryxmor together!”

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Midirn smirked and accepted it, roughly squeezing Yorshka’s hand. “I, Midirn Rango Kargryxmor, accepted this proposal as my father’s and Knight-Commander’s representative. Let it be known, Loatryx will defend Aureolis and the Knights of Aurena!”

Kuornig let out a sigh of relief as his transfer of power was finalized. Seeing Yorshka immediately ask for help from Midirn was what he expected when he appointed his former subordinate as his successor, fully believing the order required outside help to survive in the coming years. A clean slate, with a Knight-Commander enthusiastic about training and growth—the correct personality to rebuild the order.

Stabilizing Aureolis will be an arduous task for the months and years to come, and simply announcing a new Knight-Commander will not fully remove the feelings of dissatisfaction others will have towards the knighthood. The inhabitants of Aureolis, the priests, and also the very knights will require a full explanation of the situation, one that will inevitably cause more strife.

The Commander’s words were a warning to Yorshka, but also a reminder that the future of this country will also require relying on Fleindia. Saintess Fleindia was the one Marius had announced as the only “worthy” blessed. Since it was agreed upon to reveal the truth of the fake pope to stop a possible war with the Empire, it was guaranteed that Marius’s position would be ruined with it, whether the Shakaie-Narn Alliance revealed his role in everything or not.

With the world knowing that the demonkin had replaced the fake pope and that all but two cardinals had died in tonight’s battle, the once unified Church of Aurena was at risk of being splintered. A schism between the eastern Church of Aurena in the Empire, and the western one that was about to be absorbed into the Saelarien Church of Aurena.

Aureolis would soon no longer be considered the “Holy Capital” any longer, forcing the faithful to choose sides. Priests, holy knights, and blessed will have their hands forced, one way or the other. Even if Fleindia were able to calm Aureolis down, it was likely the Empire would denounce her with this newest situation, as the demonkin still controlled the former leader of Aurena’s blessed—the holy radiant, Leamerx.

Naturally, this was all speculation for now, but the veterans here had much to talk about, especially once they all returned to the subspace. Meanwhile, another group was discussing a different topic, completely ignoring the political and religious situation of a friend. Aurora had to say goodbye to their leader.

“So, you are leaving with her?” Saori, back in her wolfkin form, asked Melloxtressa with the rest of her party. Although she knew this was Hestia’s plan all along, it still pained her to see the outcome of it.

[“That was the deal,”] Melloxtressa answered, coldly, although her eyes betrayed her sympathy for Aurora’s situation. [“I would only allow my child to roam this world so long as she can prove to me that she is strong enough to survive its perils. I was woken from my hibernation for a favor when I wasn’t indebted to her, which means she must oblige my demands. Do not worry, it is only four years, no, soon three years. Three years until my daughter becomes five and may return here.”]

“A lot may happen during that time, your majesty,” Ellaine replied, groaning a bit as she drank a dragorade to weaken the effects of arcane corruption on her body. “Hestia is our friend, so being separated from her for that long will be painful.”

“Aye, not to mention, you said she won’t be able to visit us, right?” Grimnir said, causing Melloxtressa to nod.

Unless a Kargryxian dragon became a juvenile at the age of five, it was forbidden for them to leave Miononbolax. They may roam the Empire of Kargryx and the dragonewt city of Loatryx on the continent, but they may not leave it.

While Aurora had the power of [Room] for them to meet each other from afar, the subspace still counted as being away from Miononbolax. “It depends on Eltharion’s mood,” Melloxtressa replied, but even she knew her husband was strict when it came to the rules. Hestia would be able to meet and greet her friends while outside the portal, but she couldn’t enter the subspace herself.

Even if Hestia were able to enter it, Hestia couldn’t teleport people over to Miononbolax due to the massive traveling fee. The distance between Altrust and Miononbolax was gigantic as the two continents were separated by sea, meaning the mana cost would be life-threatening, even for a dragon. The only way to arrive in Miononbolax was to travel there naturally.

Sadly, not all of them could go.

[“Are you sure you cannot come with us?”] Melloxtressa asked, almost in a pleading manner. She didn’t want her daughter to be lonely.

Saori smiled sadly. “A three year vacation would be nice after all that we went through … but I do not think it will be that easy for all of us to ignore the situation here. Ellaine’s family, for example, is one of the things holding us here, after all. Not to mention, without anyone from Aurora around, everything Hestia wanted to achieve with the Shakaie-Narn alliance will fall apart. As Aurora’s vice-leader, that responsibility will fall onto me.”

“And she will need help with it,” Grimnir spoke up. “Not to mention, she can’t be the only one to take care of those brats. Gotta stay behind and keep them equipped, can’t force them to enter the subspace every single time. I’m Aurora’s defender, my job is to stand in the front for them.”

By “brats,” Grimnir was talking about Saori’s students. Tatsuya, Kyouya, and the others knew what would happen once the raid was over, yet all of them decided it was more important for them to stay on the mainland.

Going to Miononbolax would mean a stronger, better continent to train on, but it would also mean being isolated from everything going on in Altrust. While they could visit Hestia at any time if they went, the students of Shiroko High had decided the only way to help Aurora and Hestia was to use their presence to push their role in the world forward. Allies were just as useful as personal strength, and the same could be said of the reputation of Aurora.

Aurora, due to their encounter luck, hadn’t been able to travel much through Peolynca, meaning their party’s adventurer rank wasn’t as high as it should be. It was only rank B due to the average member’s rank, despite everybody being strong enough to be considered a rank A. During the time Hestia was gone, this had to be rectified. At least, that was what the students believed was the best thing they could do in this situation.

Saori, Ellaine, Grimnir, and the students had decided to stay behind in Altrust, leaving only a few left to make their choice.

“I can’t come back,” Fargryneill said. “But I will rush to rank A. I already told Hestia this, but I will make it back before our siblings try to attempt to drag her into their problems, and after killing the Prince of Envy? I think I can do that.”

[“How long?”] Melloxtressa asked.

The kirin princess grimaced, scratching her head. “With Hestia’s titles, it should be faster, but unlike Miononbolax, there just aren’t that many strong monsters around. I’ll have to go dungeon hunting again, aiming for their bosses. Hmm, I’ll try to aim for a year and a half.”

[“I can’t guarantee her hibernation will last that long …”] Melloxtressa sighed. [“But I guess it would be for the best for her to experience our family dynamic without biases first. She will have to confront Kahalameet and Wendriosa anyways, not to mention the other dragon rulers. Well, she is my daughter, so she probably won’t have any issues with them.”]

“Oooh, she’s going to cause more than just a little trouble, Empress,” Fargryneill burst in laughter as she thought of the many young whelpling and fledgling about to aim their attention at their newest “threat.” It was simply dragon culture.

Saori and the others couldn’t really understand what the two were talking about, but all knew for a fact Hestia’s bad luck would follow her even into a new continent. Hopefully, it wouldn’t remain with the rest of Aurora.

While the majority had decided to stay behind, there were three who went over to Melloxtressa’s side.

“We will go,” Tasianna bowed before embracing the rest of Aurora in goodbye. “We cannot allow my lady to be lonely, so allow us, Miss Saori.”

[“She will stay safe with us, even in the coldest reaches of Empress Melloxtressa’s home. Rest assured!”] Bethlieranha spread her white wings, flapping them up and down with pride.

On the other hand, her twin brother, Shayatierus, simply bowed. [“It is our duty.”]

Saori nodded, satisfied with this arrangement. However, they weren’t done just yet. Saori turned around, locking eyes with the newest member of Aurora—Vifi. She did not say anything, simply waiting for the demonkin to answer.

Annoyed by this, Vifi shook her head. “Saori, let me make it clear, I am a soldier and my duty is to follow orders. My task is also to protect Hestia, but in this situation where the commander of our party is unconscious and unable to make a decision, you have the authority now. I await your order.”

Perturbed by her behavior, Saori stroked her chin for a moment before she began talking, “Then, I want you to go with Hestia.”

“Are you sure you will not need my strength? Honestly, I’m surprised you actually trust me with this duty.”

“Grimnir believed in you first, and then Hestia brought you in. I have my grievances with you, but that does not mean I forgot how we shared a talk and drank together. Aurora began as a simple party of friends that, unfortunately, had to be involved with the gods. Hestia is a bit idealistic, as you know, so I personally try to approach things differently sometimes for the sake of our options,” Saori explained. “If I was being completely rational, I would not let you go, because you are still a demonkin. However, once Hestia wakes up, she will probably start suffering through all of her issues that cropped up due to this raid, and I need people around her for when that happens. Tasianna and the wyverns are forever loyal to her and their place is with her, yet you don’t have anything that holds you on Altrust. Your orders will be to protect Hestia and give her your emotional support. Do you understand?”

“Yes, ma’am. Orders received.”

“Also, don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten the donut deal. Hehe, I will have it ready on your next visit to the subspace, okay?”

“Haha, now that’s what I like to hear!” Vifi smiled before she stiffened her body and gave a demonkin salute to everybody. “Then, I will be off. Stay safe.”

Aurora was once again split.

With their decisions concluded, Melloxtressa ordered Tasianna, the wyverns, and Vifi to mount on her back for the flight, explaining that she planned on hurrying back to Miononbolax. Hearing this, the wyverns instantly froze up, grimacing in pain as they remembered the last flight on the ancient dragon’s back. Seeing this, Tasianna couldn’t help but remember “Hestia Airlines.” Would the mother fly as badly as her daughter?

Gulping, Tasianna took her seat on the colossal dragon’s back, holding onto one of the scales there. A single one was larger and probably heavier than the fairy was, even in her elven form. Ice then formed on everybody’s arms and legs while a wind barrier appeared around them, a safety precaution.

Once everybody said their last goodbyes, Melloxtressa took flight with her daughter pressed against her chest. Despite those remaining moving far away from her, Melloxtressa’s massive wings caused such a wind force that it blew everybody off their feet and uprooted a couple of nearby trees. With a final [“Apologies,”] she blasted into the sky, quickly making it to the clouds.

[“Can all of you see it?”] Melloxtressa pointed at the scene right below her.

Ignoring the frozen capital, it was a grandiose night view as the moon shined down, illuminating a portion of the country. There wasn’t anything wrong with the four passengers, but Melloxtressa detected some rustling trees in the distance, believing them to be the fleeing demonkin.

This smell is definitely from demonkin… and elf? Is an elf chasing them? I guess I can leave this matter to Saelariel.

Deciding to ignore the issue, Melloxtressa wings then pounded the air, causing her to accelerate. With four more beats, her flight had reached the speed of an Earthen jet plane, allowing her to quickly make her way out of the country.

Instead of west, she flew south following the mana signatures left behind by the sudden appearance of that skeleton hand. Naturally, for a dragon that lived during the age of the Origin God’s Descent, Melloxtressa knew full well what she saw wasn’t some illusion. It was a god, an Edjurl god, or at least an archdemon of theirs. She had planned to interrogate Klea on the matter, but she believed it was more prudent to inspect the mess herself.

After all, her dragon breath had prevented the invader from harming her daughter, but her intervention caused the demonic lightning to stray from its path. Meaning, that foreign energy now lingered in somewhere within Peolynca.

[“By the gods!”] Tasianna exclaimed as she spotted two large, purple crevasse below her, decorating the lands of Peolynca like scars. [“E-Empress, Vifi just asked me if those—”]

[“The Edjurl god’s ‘gift’ to our world, children. The original scars left behind on our world in ages past were healed by the Origin Gods, but the lingering power left behind will continue to pollute this world. Dungeons were originally created to control and purify this energy, to transform it into mana, as an overabundant of it is more harmful than good. Nowadays, dungeons act as controls to stop mana from going on a rampage; however, it seems they will have to resume their ancient duty.”]

[“Wouldn’t that be good?”] Shay asked. [“More dungeons mean the humans in this area will flourish.”]

[“A very naive idea, Shayatierus,”] Melloxtressa replied, causing the wyvern to feel embarrassed. [“While normally you would be correct, this energy is stronger than pure mana and the method for a dungeon to puriful or control this energy is to create monsters through them, and the stronger the intensity, the stronger the monster. The dungeons that are about to appear will be rank B, at the very least, and they will be spawning all right next to each other.”]

Melloxtressa then continued her flight, moving east to Elyonda where she found another purple scar. As she continued, the dragon managed to find four more, resulting in six scars left behind by the skeleton hand, yet all of these merely tiny scratches in comparison to the last, seventh one. Located in the northern borders of the Empire, this scar was as deep as a gorge and long and wide enough to be considered a canyon.

Luckily, it landed on an open prairie, leaving human casualties low to non-existent, but the damage this scar caused was more impactful than deaths. A massive earthquake was rumbling through this area as the sundered land continued to vibrate under the new strain of all the new power, with a seismic level strong enough that Melloxtressa could only close her eyes to.

[“Expect Altrust to be divided into two in the future,”] she stated, surprising both Tasianna and Vifi. [“The energy is seeping deep into our world’s core. The Origin Gods will handle it, but expect the energy outburst to leave behind a stronger earthquake than this one. Haaa, maybe a pilgrimage in 400 years will pique my interest.”]

Contrary to Melloxtressa’s lackadaisical attitude, Vifi absorbed all these sights, memorizing each one. This was the power of the Edjurl gods? Bole’Taria’s government kept announcing how a world with them would be to the demonkin’s favor, but Vifi could only wrinkle her brows in disgust. This was what awaited them?

Were the Edjurl gods any better than the Origin Gods? Both left cataclysmic issues behind, with the Twin-Elemental Lake in Bole’Taria and now these giant scars. Each appeared when a “Divine Taboo” was broken, and to Vifi, this thought only brought back her repressed memories of her time spent in that lake.

It was the same place that gave Vifi her strength, but thinking about how she had to suffer through it only made her want to cry. She couldn’t look or think about the repercussion these scars will leave on the world without gaining a headache.

Marsven protect us … from the gods.

With a loud sigh, Melloxtressa memorized the sight of these scars and turned northwest, warning her four passengers to be prepared. She flew higher into the sky until her wings wouldn’t cause a hurricane to happen and prepared two green magic circles—[Wind Blast]. Pointing her head forward, Melloxtressa raised her wings up and cast the spells, causing her to shoot forward, breaking the sonic barrier around her.

Through the lands, above the mountains, and over the sea, it only took Melloxtressa a couple of minutes of beating her wings to finally make it past all those obstacles. She stopped herself mid-flight with [Tailwind] and [Aerokinesis], and hardened her body with her diamond dust to prevent any damage from inertia.

The force caused the clouds around her to blow her, revealing a sight Tasianna and Vifi were instantly mesmerized by. Just a moment ago, Aureolis was completely shrouded in darkness with only the light of the moon guiding people, yet, it was suddenly so bright here. In fact, Vifi could even see the sun appearing on the horizon—it was dawn.

[“The world is a sphere,”] Melloxtressa announced. [“While it is in the middle of the night in Aureolis, it is morning in Aelozonia. While the most eastern parts of Folschreck are experiencing the afternoon, Miononbolax will soon witness the rising sun. The world turns around our sun, you see, so this is why this exists. I might be a void-touched, but I haven’t learned how to stop time yet, ahaha. In fact, if I flew fast enough, I could make a full rotation around our world!”]

Incredible! Tasianna and Vifi expressed this for different reasons. Tasianna already knew the world was a sphere due to the many books she read, but she never really understood what it meant, while to Vifi? To her, the world also felt like it only really existed when it was before her eyes. She never really expanded her world view to more than what she had to deal with, as she never needed such knowledge.

This childish wonder made her unable to look away. The morning light reflected off the snow-scaped mountains and fields of the land before her, blinding her for a moment before a strong hail storm covered it up. Now, instead of glaring light, the light reflection caused the falling hail to dazzle like gems.

Melloxtressa peered into the storm and flew up, showing that a relentless hail storm was preventing entry into the continent.

[“Miononbolax is split into two portions. The southern parts where the royal family and the original Loatryx is located, and a northern island. It is technically large enough to count as its own continent, but since Kargryxmor conquered it, the land of the ice dragons is part of Miononbolax now. Too bothersome to change things now that he’s gone, though,”] Melloxtressa explained with the tone of a local guide. Some enthusiasm was sprinkled here and there, like a mother introducing her daughter’s friends to their home country.

The ancient dragon then spread her wings and let out a small growl, causing the hail storm to subside immediately. In the next second, movement could be seen at the nearby mountains before loud dragon roars replaced the swirling storm. Like thunderous cannons, their combined voices shook the mountain range, causing avalanches to fall and cover the winter wonderland in their wake.

Smiling at this welcome, Melloxtressa looked down at her daughter, carefully whispering, [“This is your home, Hestia. My birth place. It is a bit chilly, but I will make sure you will get used to it.”] With a brightened heart, she took her first wingbeat after returning home from a short adventure.

Seeing this, the dragonkin stopped their cries, leaving the echo to act as the trumpets to celebrate the triumphant return of their true ruler. The dragons then took to the air, following behind Melloxtressa as she returned to her nest at the very center of this island continent, where she could see the silhouette of three dragons, with one of them being far larger than the others.

Melloxtressa was approximately 227m (745 ft) long from head to tail, while Hestia was 1861cm (61 ft). In comparison, the average size of the assembled dragonkin were around 3800cm (125 ft), yet the three silhouettes were larger than that. Two of them were around 9700cm (319 ft), while the one in the middle was 147m (486 ft) long and as wide as Melloxtressa’s torso.

An abnormal bipedal dragon—this was the current Dragon Ruler of Ice. This was her replacement. This was her regent.

[“Alextraxus,”] Melloxtressa heralded, causing the flight of dragons behind her to swoop towards the ground while the three before her flew into the sky.

Spreading their wings out and letting snow rain around Melloxtressa’s nest, the dragons landed on the mountain tops and unleashed their dragon breaths in a spiral, creating a colorful twister of white, blue, and green. Fitting for ice dragons, the breath froze into an ice sculpture that looked as if it was made out of the most bewitching, polished gems you could buy.

Melloxtressa chuckled as she saw this dramatic display before she released her mana, causing the sculpture to melt onto the mountain top like molten cheese. Seconds past before all the snow covering her nest was replaced by the gem-like ice, making it sparkle under the sunlight like a mountain of diamonds.

Dragons, after all, loved valuables. Although she could probably make her own mountain of diamond-like ice, she didn’t wish to leave her family home and instead covered it up in a layer of it. It didn’t matter if it was “fake,” to Melloxtressa, the beauty of such a creation was enough to enrapture her eyes.

[“Empress of the Ice, true ruler of all ice dragons!”] a man spoke for the three bowing dragons. [“Alextraxus, your faithful retainer, welcomes you back home.”]

[“I am home,”] she answered, granting everybody to raise her heads, where they saw Melloxtressa raise the icicle ball she was holding all this time, suddenly noticing a crimson being imprisoned in it. [“Greet my daughter, Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor. Remember your princess, dragons of the Frozen Nest. Remember the eighth child of your Dragon Emperor, Eltharion!”]

“Krooooooagh!” All adult dragons roared simultaneously, loyal and faithful to their true ruler. None dared ignore her command, as the icy sting of her aura taught them enough of the cost of treason now.

[“Alextraxus!”] Melloxtressa commanded, prompting the largest dragon amongst them to approach them. The current Dragon Ruler of Ice, the only other rank S ice dragon currently living in “Frozen Nest.” [“My daughter will require much care once she awakens from her hibernation. Call for my dragonewt clan and have them bring over competent masons and carpenters. I will have a comfortable nest for my child built. Also, call for an elven mana surgeon, my daughter will need inspection.”]

[“By your order, Empress!”] Alextraxus roared, ordering all the dragons around Melloxtressa to leave for the day as they executed her orders.

With her orders given, Melloxtressa swiftly returned to her diamond-covered nest and released Tasianna, Vifi, and the twins, before control the temperature within her home to a barely warm enough state for all of them. As Tasianna and the twins were ice elementally-aligned, the bitter cold didn’t sap their strength, but it was a different story for Vifi, who had been more used to the searing warmth of the Bole’Taria and the Evide Great Desert.

Once Vifi received some thicker layered clothes from the subspace, Melloxtressa smiled as she laid her daughter on a frozen throne in the form of a large cup. Here, her father and mother had laid her brother’s and her egg to hatch, and Melloxtressa did the same to Hestia’s when she was still unhatched. Although she knew she wouldn’t be able to return to those days, she still left Hestia there to rest.

[“Everybody, there will be a long wait until my daughter awakens, so let us turn my nest into a home all of you will enjoy, yes?”] Melloxtressa said to the jubilation of all those around her.

And yet, the day, it’s almost done ♫

It’s time to go to bed ♫

How brave, you are, my perfect girl ♫

How much I love you, dear ♫

… Enjoy your sleep, my precious ruby. Mom will wait for you, even until the end of time.

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