Chapter 62:

Chapter 62:

Chapter 62: Opening an Era

Ascal arrived at work in a daze, haunted by a peculiar dream.

Who was that white dragon appearing at the end?

Upon opening the door to his office, Ascal was confronted with an ominous sight.

You mustnt come this way, Lord Ascal!

Lia, pale as a ghost, was blocking something. It was the first time Ascal had seen her so panicked, her fear palpable.

Ascal stopped in his tracks.

Lia, a future swordmaster and Arcmage, scared? Could it be that a hero has finally come to assassinate us?

No point in running from an assassin of that caliber.

Better chances of survival if he joined forces with Lia.

I was once praised by my father Arthur for my talent. Perhaps its time to showcase the swordsmanship skills Ive kept hidden.

Ascal reached for the ceremonial sword that was a staple accessory for high-ranking officials of the empire.

The Debrue Magic Swordsmanship, Debrues Third Form.

The First Form...

Bark!

A dogs bark echoed.

A puppy, sized somewhere between a small and medium dog, was padding around the office.

It resembled a Pomeranian.

Lia, trembling, managed to say,

You couldnt possibly lay a hand on Lord Ascal.

Whats the matter, Lia?

Bark!

Eek!

Ascal approached the white puppy.

Hand.

The puppy placed its paw in Ascals hand.

Good.

-Pant, pant.

Are you a lost dog? How did you get in here?

No matter how unassuming it may seem, its still one of the empires critical facilities, the Evaluation Department. Only someone with the force of the dwarf that broke in before could breach the security with ease.

Ascal glanced at Lia.

Lia, still pale, had her hands clasped together in a defensive stance.

It then occurred to him, even Yulia, near perfection, had one weakness.

Her fear of dogs.

Ever since being chased and bitten by a dog in her youth, she developed cynophobia. Knowing this, the rebels would often depict dogs on their flags and decorations.

If youre afraid of the dog, why dont you step outside for a moment? Ill send it out and call you back in.

No, if by some chance Lord Ascal were to get bitten, it could lead to illness. Ill take it outside. Eek!

The white puppy dashed through Lias legs.

Lia collapsed to the ground.

-Jump.

The white puppy made a beeline for an orb placed on a shelf in the office.

-Jump!

But it was too short to reach.

Do you want to play with that? Shall I get it down for you?

Perhaps it wanted to play ball.

As soon as Ascal touched the orb.

- No.

A familiar voice reached Ascal.

It was Cloud Dragon. But this time, the direction of the voice was slightly different.

-Hiss.

It was a snake, a pale one at that.

- Its me.

Why in that form?

- Do you have any idea how much power it takes to manifest? This is more taxing than summoning a bolt of lightning.

So why?

- Thats a White Dragon, the guardian deity of the Kingdom of Kelli. And that orb youve brought here is the Dragon Pearl, the source of the White Dragons power.

When bombarded with an overwhelming amount of information all at once, the human brain can seize up. Ascal watched, orb in hand, as the white puppy playfully jumped around.Thats the White Dragon? Not a Pomeranian?

- The White Dragon was once a worthy opponent for me...

Lost in thought, the snake was picked up barehanded by Lia.

Where did this snake come from? Ill take care of it.

Despite her fear of dogs, she had no hesitation in grabbing a snake with her bare hands. Isnt it usually the other way around?

- Please, save me.

Cloud Dragon pleaded plainly.

Hold on. Wait. This snake is my pet. Ive recently taken up snake-keeping as a hobby.

And what happened to Paris after he awarded the apple to the most beautiful goddess? He was struck by a poisoned arrow, suffered terribly, and died a miserable death.

Reflecting on this, Ascal thought.

If he were Paris, with the golden apple...

...

This orb is now yours, Bernstein.

No, I dont want it. Take it, please.

...

His attempt to offload it failed.

Returning home to ponder, Ascal laid down on his bed, exhausted, and placed the orb on the bedside table.

Seros, his pet, leaped up to greet him.

Perhaps it was the tonic it had, but Seros seemed much larger than before and appeared to understand him better...

Ha. Do you want the orb?

It was meant as a joke.

Seros flicked out its tongue and gobbled up the orb.

Then Seros began to change. Its scales turned transparent like glass, shimmering beautifully. Seross, in its new form, hopped onto Ascals shoulder.

And nuzzled Ascals face.

Ticklish, you little rascal.

****

- It doesnt matter.

Cloud Dragon was surprisingly calm upon hearing that the frog had eaten the orb.

- Instead, use the frogs droppings as fertilizer for the divine tree. It might not even take a hundred years, perhaps much less.

Following Cloud Dragons advice, Seros droppings were used as fertilizer for the tree, which had doubled in size by the next day.

The branches stretched out, creating a cool shade. It seemed to occasionally fan a breeze like a handheld fan.

- The divine tree acknowledges you as its master, or perhaps, as a parent.

Thats quite the responsibility.

- Take good care of it. Once the divine tree fully matures, it will...

Cloud Dragons words became inaudible, as if filtered out.

- Oh dear, am I revealing too much? I cant ignore it, even with my limited power.****The next day.

A young girl with white hair entered the office.

She had an air of mystique about her.

Give me more to eat.

From the voice, it was clear it was the White Dragon.

Feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, Ascal pulled out a generous amount of cookies. The girl nibbled away at the cookies.

You used my orb as food, didnt you?

...It seems so.

Its fine. The Divine Tree is gradually restoring my strength. I should recover in about a hundred years. But Ill need to stay around here.

These dragons have a different concept of time. A hundred years, as if its just someones name?

Besides, arent you curious? Why do all these strange things happen only to you, why do things turn out differently than intended?

Ascal looked at the White Dragon.

Why?

The White Dragon was about to speak.

First, among the people around you...

Stop.

Ascal cut her off.

I dont want to hear it. If something is hidden, there must be a reason for it. I dont want to know by force. If you want to tell me, youll do so on your own.

It was the sharp intuition honed from years in public service.

Are you listening to know whats going to happen?

Sometimes, ignorance is bliss.

I see.

The White Dragon said, almost enviously.

If only I had someone like you around me.

It seemed like a strange misunderstanding.

****

Someone was eavesdropping outside Ascals office.

Initially, they intended to enter boldly, but missed the timing and it seemed like a serious secret conversation was taking place.

Minister-nim... someday I must tell...

Sushia bit her lip, pondered for a moment, and then turned to leave.

****

I dont want to hear it. If theres something hidden, there must be a reason. I dont want to force it. If they want to talk, they will.

And there was one more person.

...Lord Ascal.

Yulia bowed her head and sat quietly in front of the office door, for quite a long time.

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