CH 299.

It didn’t take long for the people in the capital to realize that the Dragon with her fair and righteous aura was not a creature capable of causing harm.

“The title of the Imperial Guard is crying in shame, you cowards.”

But separate from the Dragon’s righteous aura, the knights’ felt a great deal of shame for freezing up and being unable to react properly in front of such a dragon. Even Marquis Reinhardt, who was rebuking the knights of the Imperial Guard, was at the point of biting his lips from his sense of shame. 

“From today onwards, all knights except for the workers will go into special training. There will be no vacation, no off-duty, and no excuses.”

The knights of the Central Knights’ Order were in the same situation. They carved today’s experiences into their bones as they strengthened their resolve, determined to never allow their will to weaken ever again. 

“Huu, looks a bit different from the mural.”

“But it’s still similar.”

Only the mages had completely forgotten the fear that had gripped them a little while ago as they stared at Edda with outright curiosity in their eyes. 

[You dare…]

Of course, Edda wasn’t very pleased with their staring and shoo-ed them away by slightly narrowing her eyes and glaring at them. 

Ophelia exclaimed in admiration when she saw that the majesty(?) of the dragon managed to chase away the mages who were usually willing to inject poison into their bodies or jumped into the fire for the sake of their research.

“Is that the Dragon you were talking about, Grand Duke?”

“Shh. She is wiser than any human being and has strong self-esteem. She might get angry if you say ‘that’ or whatnot.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok warned Ophelia as he told her that Edda wasn’t just a large monster. But rather than paying attention to his warning, Opehlia noticed something else, something ridiculous.

“She?”

Until a moment ago, Ophelia had been unbelievably soft and gentle, but now, her expression turned cold.

“She is the Queen of Dragons.”

As if he realized something was wrong, Kim Seon-Hyeok confessed right away.

“The Queen of the Dragon race…”

Fortunately, Ophelia didn’t comment further on this. But when her chilly expression continued to remain on her face, he trembled at the unknown feeling of ominousness.

[Is she the mortal companion you spoke of?]

He should have been used to Edda speaking in his head, but when he suddenly heard her voice in his head, he groaned. He was groaning because unlike usual, Edda had emphasized the word ‘mortal.’

“Um. The meaning is a bit different from yours, but…”

Edda’s eyes narrowed when he started making excuses unintentionally.

[There is no need to panic. The time granted to her is limited and fleeting. If I close my eyes for a moment, your time with her will be over.]

Edda was telling him that she had the patience to wait while he bore the title of Companion to a human monarch.

But contrary to Edda’s expectations, Ophelia’s time with him wasn’t fleeting. 

Kim Seon-Hyeok wanted Ophelia’s curse of a short life to be lifted, so he had obtained the precious Eternal Flower from the previous King of Spirits. 

And the Eternal Flower’s effect didn’t stop at simply lifting the curse of short life. 

“Now, Your Imperial Majesty will enjoy the same lifespan as a fairy.”

Just like the Qeishas who enjoyed the blessing of longevity under the protection of the Mother Tree, the Spirit King’s protection was passed on to her.

[Is this something you intended?]

It was only natural for Edda to express her anger when she, as a supreme Dragon, had decided to endure the shame of sharing her companion for a while. 

Kim Seon-Hyeok’s ordeal wasn’t over.

Before he could properly congratulate Ophelia for finally lifting the curse of a short life and fully blossoming as a talented monarch of the Adenstein’s bloodline, he faced another problem. 

[So this time, it’s a fairy. I thought you were slow coming to me, but I see that’s because you were busy.]

Edda learned of the existence of another companion(?) after seeing Najima, who had participated in the ceremony. 

“That isn’t fair. That’s a completely different issue.”

Kim Seon-Hyeok complained that it was unfair. While his will and emotions were shared with Ophelia, it was a completely one-sided relationship in Najima’s case.

However, he had felt a bit uneasy with even that, so he had basically cut off all communication with her. So the Dragon’s anger towards him seemed unfair. 

“Majestic Dragon, while it is true that I have given my soul to him, I am not so shameless as to dare to share a piece of his soul. So please, let go of your anger.”

While he just felt Edda’s anger was unjustified, Najima shook in the face of her anger. There was a hint of concern that Dragon might harm her clan when they had barely managed to settle down. 

[I hope you do not forget your current thoughts.]

Fortunately, Edda didn’t lash out at Najima anymore. Apparently, she felt the image of a supreme Dragon attacking a weak fairy wasn’t a pleasing one. 

It was a fortunate thing for Kim Seon-Hyeok since he had been watching the situation, prepared to intervene at any moment.

[The oath of companionship is to share each other’s souls and to share an origin. If you were to overuse the title of companion, then even my soul and power will be torn to pieces in the end, so make sure you take my words seriously.]

Of course, her meaning was different, but as soon as he heard the Dragon’s words, he somehow remembered another person’s words - ‘you shall never take a mistress.’

***

Ophelia, who absorbed the Eternal Flower, was full of energy to a surprising degree and full of talent. She did not hesitate to develop and grow the talents and abilities accumulated in the Adenstein bloodline that she had personally suppressed because of her short-living curse.

She became a great monarch, a mage, and a knight. 

Of course, all her other talents fell short of her skills as a monarch who built the Empire, but it was still a remarkable thing for a single human to have risen to such a level in so many different fields. 

“The glory that Victor should have enjoyed…”

Instead of rejoicing in her own achievements, Ophelia was more concerned about the future of her child who still hadn’t been able to escape the curse of short-life. 

But her concerns were in vain. 

[The short-life curse that she originally possessed has not been passed on to your descendants as the blood of the dragon has passed on to your descendants as well.]

The overflowing vitality of his father’s Dragonian Knight had passed onto Victorius and diluted the curse that had been engraved in the Adenstein’s bloodline.

Ophelia had never felt happier before. She had never put down the dignity of the monarch of the Empire before, but now, she forgot about it as she took on the role of a mother purely rejoicing the fact that her child had escaped the curse.

“Ophelia.”

She had been smiling brightly, but at Kim Seon-Hyeok’s soft voice, her expression stiffened in an instant.

“Haa.”

He hadn’t even said anything, but seeing how his wife’s expression had turned stony already, Kim Seon-Hyeok couldn’t speak the words that were about to escape through his lips. 

But he couldn’t delay things any longer. 

Right now in the East, the entire region that was Griffindor was being devastated by the Behemoth rampaging while confusion and chaos were reaching their peak because of the resurrection of the ancient monsters throughout the continent. 

Moreover, if he looked beyond the East, towards the Central and the Western regions, the situation was even worse.

‘Signs of the Demon King’s arrival in the West have been discovered.’

He had risked his life and barely destroyed the Demon King, but there were signs of its existence again. He was eternally regretting that he hadn’t been able to finish the Fragment of Chaos. 

‘The frequency of the barrier’s Waves is increasing exponentially.’

Not long after the Warrior and the expeditionary force had gone beyond the barrier to destroy the Fragment of Chaos that had appeared in the Holy Kingdom, demons and demonic beasts had suddenly started to flood out of the barrier. It was clear that something had happened on the other side of the barrier.

And that wasn’t all.

‘A giant blue-furred wolf appeared in the North.’

Even in the northern part of the continent, a region that he hadn’t paid much attention to, unusual signs began appearing. First, rumors started spreading that a giant blue-furred wolf had appeared, and then, he heard news that the Northern nomads who hadn’t followed Darum were uniting and preparing for war.

[This is just the beginning.]

Upon hearing the news of the blue wolf’s appearance, Edda spoke in a rather heavy voice. 

[Since the clown drunk on divinity dances like a puppet, and the violent wolf that ruled the northern wasteland sings loudly, all those between the light and darkness will return and walk on this world.]

The Transcendental beings, who had been pushed out of the boundaries of this world after the war against Chaos, were appearing one by one back in the world.

[It had once been theirs, but now that their glory had disappeared, they will do anything to regain it.]

This was a situation that had already been predicted from the time the Fragments of Chaos appeared in the world.

Now, the continent was like a battlefield where Transcendental beings, not humans, were using evil tools for their own profit and divinity.

If the Empire wanted a stable position in all this, then a number of problems had to be resolved before it became too late. 

“Go.”

After seeing his expression, Ophelia remained silent for a long time before speaking. 

“Go and do what you must.”

Her expression had become calm again. She pushed on his back.

“I have no doubt that everything you do will bring the Empire more glory.”

When he didn’t take a step forward, Ophelia shoved at his back once more. 

“I also believe that with your devotion and sacrifice, my enemies, as well as Victor and the Empire’s enemies will not dare to turn their heads towards the Empire in the future.”

She went on to tell him to fight for her and Victor.

“I will definitely make it happen.”

He must’ve finally made a decision because after hesitating for a long time, he replied. 

“If at any time, anything happens, I’ll fly back immediately. So please stay safe.”

“Go and do everything you must, then return. When you finally come back, I hope you can keep your promise to never leave again.”

Even in their last moments, the Empress of the Empire tried to see off her husband as his monarch rather than an ordinary woman. 

“But don’t take too long.”

However, it seemed like she couldn’t contain her feelings until the end because she ended up saying that one last sentence.

“I won’t be late.”

It was a promise he had broken many times, but Kim Seon-Hyeok assured her several times he would definitely keep his promise this time. 

The next day, Kim Seon-Hyeok left the Imperial Capital with Edda before sunrise. 

His first target was the Behemoth, an ancient monster that was devastating Griffindor, a country guarded by the Knights of the Sky.

[The Behemoth is a monster born from the excessive gluttony of a mountain king; it is a guardian created by the Earth to protect itself from the mountain king.]

The monster that had been called the disaster of the earth in the past was also the original sin that must be dealt with in order to completely liberate Goldrake.

[The sin of gluttony committed by the mountain king will only be forgiven after returning Behemoth to the earth.]