Erza arrived at the royal library; the path was clear, and the guards saluted and let her pass upon seeing her.
This royal library was shockingly large. The first floor alone was bigger than the entire Fairy Tail Guild, and there were ten floors in total.
The overwhelming variety of books made Erza dizzy, but fortunately, there were signs to guide her. After half an hour, she finally found the history of the Dragnof Kingdom.
The Dragnof Kingdom originated five hundred years ago. Because King Aeon saved Belserion the Sage Dragon, the kingdom received the protection of dragons, remaining stable and harmonious—a kingdom where humans and dragons lived in peace... Due to the invasion of Western Dragons, the era of the Human-Dragon War began. Many nations were destroyed, and Belserion the Sage Dragon was severely wounded and on the verge of death.
In that moment of peril, the second monarch, Irene, used Enchantment Magic to bestow Dragon Power upon Mages, creating Dragon Slaying Magic.
After the Sage Dragon's death, Irene changed her name to Irene Belserion and became the Mother of Dragon Slayer Mages. As Dragon Slaying Magic spread, the number of Dragon Slayer Mages exploded, allowing the human race to launch a counteroffensive... In the Human-Dragon War, humans were at a severe disadvantage. During the crisis, the Dragon Slayer Mage Acnologia appeared out of nowhere, hunting dragons with a frenzy. He slaughtered not only the dragon race but even human kingdoms. Both sides suffered heavy losses, but since his primary targets were dragons, humanity gained a chance to breathe... Acnologia and Irene met and fell in love; he became the Great General of the Dragnof Kingdom, leading the kingdom's Ten Major Dragon Slaying Squads to hunt dragons... The Era of the Kingdom Alliance began. Under Acnologia's leadership, the human race launched a counterattack against the Evil Dragons led by Osta, the King of Red Dragons, eventually succeeding in killing him... Because Acnologia was always fighting on the front lines, the kingdom's rear was ambushed by Evil Dragons and suffered unprecedented damage. Seven major kingdoms were destroyed, and the alliance collapsed... In the year X377, Acnologia returned from the front lines, and the little princess Erza was born. After Queen Irene Belserion sent the little princess away, she disbanded the Dragnof Kingdom and began the final decisive battle against the Evil Dragons... In the year X379, Acnologia and Irene Belserion joined forces to slaughter all the Evil Dragons, completely ending the era of war for humanity.
In X385, the human race entered a period of redevelopment, and the Number One Dragon Slayer General rebuilt the Dragnof Kingdom... "Four hundred years ago, Irene, Acnologia, Erza..."
"A coincidence?"
Erza gently closed the book, her expression complicated and hard to read. Perhaps she already knew the answer.
Just then, the library doors were pushed open, and the Number Eleven General rushed in. Seeing the book in her hand, he cursed inwardly, having forgotten about this place.
He hadn't expected Erza to be so sharp. Why did she come to the library?
Had something made the princess sense that something was amiss?
"You..."
Just as the Number Eleven General was about to speak, he was interrupted by Erza raising her hand.
Erza's cold gaze swept over him. Number Eleven lowered his head guiltily, not daring to meet her eyes.
She said flatly, "I will slay the Evil Dragons!"
Hearing this, Number Eleven opened his mouth but said nothing in the end, only letting out a helpless sigh.
Number One Dragon Slayer General, the plan has changed... Two days passed in a flash.
The familiar alarm rang out through the Dragnof Royal City once again, and all the city's citizens went into hiding.
This time, the kingdom's soldiers did not mobilize. Only Erza stepped out alone, holding her longsword and pointing it at the Purple Evil Dragon.
Without a word of nonsense, her figure flickered, and she instantly unleashed thousands of strikes, enveloping the Evil Dragon in endless sword light.
However, it was all useless. The Purple Evil Dragon spread its wings, and a gale swept through, instantly blowing Erza a thousand meters away.
He looked at the closed royal city. Number Eleven hadn't sent any troops to attack. He was slightly puzzled—what was going on?
The Purple Evil Dragon's voice was full of mockery. "This kingdom actually let you face me alone. What reason do you have to keep fighting? Your companions didn't even come to help you?"
Erza's expression remained cold. "Defeat me first, then I'll tell you!"
"Requip! Heavens Wheel Armor!"
Magic circles expanded around her as she requipped into armor covered in blades. Hundreds, even thousands of blades gathered in the sky. With a wave of Erza's hand, the sky full of swords instantly enveloped the Purple Evil Dragon.
"It's all useless!"
The Purple Evil Dragon released its magic power, and venom formed a storm around it, corroding all the incoming swords to nothing.
He suddenly swung his massive tail, instantly sending Erza flying and smashing her into the ground.
Without a moment's pause, Erza quickly crawled out of the dirt and sneered, "Why has your attack become weaker? Is it because your previous injuries haven't healed?"
The Purple Evil Dragon laughed loudly, his voice booming like thunder. "I was just playing with you, and yet you developed such a delusion. In that case, I'll send you to hell!"
"Requip: Dragon Knight!"
Magic circles opened around Erza, and with a flash of red light, the massive Dragon Knight appeared, its terrifying magic power sweeping in all directions.
"This little toy again. Today, I'll tear it apart!"
The Purple Evil Dragon roared and lunged forward. His terrifying body collided with the Dragon Knight. He bit down on its arm and slammed it violently to the ground.
He stepped on the Dragon Knight's body and said fiercely, "Today, I will destroy this completely!"
Erza didn't move this time. She only said flatly, "This is a gift from my father and mother. Do you really dare to destroy it?"
At these words, the Purple Evil Dragon's body stiffened. He suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. We're enemies in the middle of a fierce battle—is it appropriate for you to say something like that?
I'm about to kill you, why should I care who your father and mother are?
The Purple Evil Dragon said coldly, "Are you begging for mercy? If you do, perhaps I'll spare your life!"
"Rise!"
Suddenly, Erza let out a roar. The Dragon Knight's ultimate power erupted as it lunged upward, grabbing the Evil Dragon's legs with both hands and flipping him over.
She stepped on the Purple Evil Dragon's abdomen and pointed the giant sword at his chest, sneering, "This is your weakness, isn't it? As long as I pierce this wound with my sword, I can penetrate your heart. You'll be dead for sure!"
The Purple Evil Dragon struggled desperately but couldn't get up, as if he were being suppressed with absolute force. He looked furious. "I didn't expect this little toy to have such strength. I am a dragon! How could a mere minor injury be fatal? Even if I let you stab me, you couldn't kill me!"
Hearing this, Erza instantly flew into a rage and kicked him hard. "Number One Dragon Slayer General, do you really want to die?!"
"Putting on this play to make me the hero who saves the kingdom in the eyes of the people—you're just going to die so easily? Making me carry this inexplicable guilt and become the King of Dragunov?"
"You bastard, have you even considered my feelings? Have you ever asked for my opinion?!"
"Have you ever asked for the opinion of the kingdom's people?!"
Watching Erza exit the Dragon Knight and roar at the top of her lungs, the Purple Evil Dragon fell silent. His body slowly shrank, turning into a man wearing armor.
"Princess, so you already knew!"
Erza's expression was cold. "What, are you still going to forcibly keep me here?"
"I wouldn't dare!"
The Number One Dragon Slayer General knelt on one knee, his face full of bitterness. He whispered, "Princess, I have waited for you for four hundred years. Every moment, I hoped you would take charge of the kingdom."
"But I learned of your feelings for the Fairy Tail Guild and knew you couldn't bear to leave it, so I resorted to this desperate measure."
Erza snorted. "It certainly was a poor move!"
The Number One Dragon Slayer General smiled bitterly. "My apologies, Princess."
A longsword condensed in his hand, and he held it up with both hands. "For my act of insubordination, please punish me, Princess—even if it costs me my life!"
"Hah..."
Erza curled her lip and snatched the longsword. A red magic circle expanded, and she stored it in her weapon vault.
The sword was actually quite good, and it even had a Dragon Slaying attribute.
Seeing his humble manner, her anger dissipated. She said, "Get up. Tell me, exactly how much did you plan?"
The Number One Dragon Slayer General did not dare to hesitate. She was the princess, and he was a subject. Since they had recognized each other, he would never dare to deceive her.
Soon, he began to spill everything, recounting his plan.
First, he had Number Eleven spread the prophecy. By having the princess kill the Evil Dragon, people would believe she was the hero of the prophecy, thus eliminating any rejection from the citizens.
Second, he created an image of the royal city as prosperous and beautiful, with united, kind, and harmonious citizens, to increase the princess's affinity for and recognition of the kingdom.
Third, after his death, faced with a kingdom with no one in charge, the princess's kindness would surely prevent her from standing idly by. Combined with the citizens' acceptance and the support of influential generals like Number Eleven, the princess could be legitimately pushed onto the throne.
The first and third steps had been executed perfectly, but the third step failed at the last moment, and he didn't know where the problem had occurred.
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