The weather was clear.
Today was the day the Sorcerer Kingdom's celebration began.
The central square was already packed with people. Demihumans and humans crowded together, excitedly discussing and guessing what would happen next.
Neia looked around curiously, her eyes faintly bright.
Among the bustling crowd, she could see many people who stood out.
Some were tall and imposing, some had an extraordinary presence, and some were stern and unsmiling. Without exception, all of them gave off the air of someone powerful.
One man, for example, was so huge that he naturally made people think of a boulder.
His golden hair was shaved very short, his eyes were like those of a predator, his neck was as thick as a woman's thighs, and his arms were as thick as logs.
Most striking of all was the dragon-shaped pattern drawn in blood across his chest, giving off a savage visual impact.
Neia recognized that pattern. It was the totem emblem of the Wyvern Rider Tribe.
The tribe was extremely mysterious. They lived among jagged mountains like rows of sharp fangs, and compared to humans, they seemed closer to Demihumans.
They mainly survived by hunting all kinds of large flying magical beasts, occasionally trading supplies with certain nations.
Because of their deterrent strength, no one dared to set their sights on them.
The reason was simple, just like the tribe's name suggested.
The Wyvern Rider Tribe... truly had dragons!
[Wyverns]
They were close relatives of the Dragon Race, with two scaled legs and a pair of tough wings.
Their tails were strong and powerful, tipped with their deadliest weapon, a venomous stinger. Its poison could kill a creature within seconds.
Adult Wyverns generally possessed strength roughly equal to a Gold-rank Adventurer.
Some exceptional individuals could even rival Mithril-rank or even Mountain Copper-rank Adventurers!
The Wyvern Rider Tribe had tamed a large number of Wyverns, creating a powerful aerial cavalry force that made many nations across the continent wary and unwilling to act rashly.
On top of that, the ancient True Dragon Lord, the [Brightness Dragon Lord], had recently appeared in the Dragon Kingdom.
Since the Wyvern Rider Tribe was also close to the Dragon Kingdom, people could not help suspecting that these so-called Wyverns might actually be the descendants of that True Dragon Lord.
If it were any other True Dragon Lord, that might be overthinking it, but with the Brightness Dragon Lord, it was not necessarily impossible.
After all, according to the Dragon Kingdom's historical records, his reputation... well, it truly was not very good.
Combined with the recent arrival of many of his descendants in the Dragon Kingdom, all wanting to acknowledge their ancestry and return to their roots, it only confirmed the suspicion even more.
Neia could not help silently complaining. Was he not basically a walking cannon?
Just imagining herself catching his attention made her shudder.
She quickly shook her head, throwing those stray thoughts out of her mind, and turned her gaze elsewhere.
Aside from the man from the Wyvern Rider Tribe, Neia also saw three teachers from the Magic Academy.
There was Professor Ilsayas from the magic major, who focused on teaching the basics of the four major magic systems and liked being praised.
There was the Minotaur teacher from the warrior major, who focused on close-combat techniques using magic power and liked having his students call him a sage.
And there was Professor Ninya, also from the magic major, who taught wilderness adventure survival and had once been an Adventurer.
The first two were currently chatting with their arms around each other's shoulders.
Judging from the way the usually stern Professor Ilsayas had the corner of his mouth twitching nonstop, as if he was about to burst into laughter, their relationship was indeed as good as the rumors said.
As for Professor Ninya, who looked about the same age as Neia herself, Neia did not know much about her.
She had only occasionally heard stories about her.
She seemed to be a very gentle woman.
The group nearby laughing and chatting must have been her former Adventurer companions.
And the girl beside her seemed to be her older sister. Neia remembered her name was probably Tuare.
How nice. Everyone looked so happy.
The Sorcerer Kingdom really is a wondrous nation.
Neia sighed inwardly.
Her original reason for pursuing the path of a Paladin had been the justice in her heart, and the Sorcerer Kingdom's ideals undoubtedly matched her own standards for it.
Should she stay and continue studying after graduation...?
As Neia pondered, she continued looking around.
During this, she saw Nemu speaking with her older sister.
She also saw the Dragonoid from before, the one she had crossed paths with after he knocked her over.
He was standing in a corner of the square with his companions, seemingly waiting for the celebration to open like everyone else.
Familiar faces, unfamiliar faces.
People she knew, people she did not.
Neia felt as though she were standing on a stage.
A light breeze passed, lifting a strand of her hair. She seemed to understand something, and a faint smile rose to her lips.
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
Just then, the clock standing in the square rang three times.
The noisy crowd instantly stirred.
The celebration... had begun!
In the area of the square that had been deliberately cleared, a pitch-black Gate suddenly opened atop the high platform.
Accompanied by crisp footsteps, three figures walked out from within.
"Your Majesty!"
In an instant, the entire square erupted with cheers like a tsunami.
Aside from those who still worshipped the Dragon Lord and the outsiders who had come to attend the celebration, most of the Sorcerer Kingdom's residents had faces full of excitement and joy. Their eyes burned with a fervor, as though they were seeing the object of their faith.
Most of them had once been poor commoners or members of weak races.
The respect they had never had before, the Sorcerer Kingdom had given them.
The life they had never had before, the Sorcerer Kingdom had given them.
No more living in fear. No more trembling in uncertainty. No more being bullied and humiliated every day like livestock.
They did not care who controlled the Sorcerer Kingdom.
They only cared whether their living standards had improved, whether they no longer needed to fear for their safety, and whether they could live more comfortably from now on.
Dragonoid or Undead, it did not matter.
As long as they were willing to help them, then without a doubt, they were their gods!
The cheers rose wave after wave, each one louder than the last.
People shouted with all their strength, expressing the emotions deep in their hearts. Their voices mixed together, converging into an enormous Power of Faith.
"Holy crap, this Power of Faith is absurd!"
The Clear Light Dragon Lord stared fixedly at the three figures on the platform, shock flashing through his dragon eyes.
They had harvested such a huge wave of faith without saying a single word.
Good grief. If they actually said something, what would happen then?
"Tsk, these three fellow countrymen of mine really do love making a scene. Still, this feeling... it's been a long time since I felt my blood heat up like this."
The Minotaur Sage shook his head inwardly, but on the outside, he still looked like he was cheering. Though, from the look of it, he was not exactly acting either.
"So this is the Filth that descended this time?"
The Swordmaster Dragon Lord's gaze shifted slightly, and he nodded unconsciously.
Excellent!
An Undead mage who looked like a fragile backliner, a weak-looking Slime, and only that Dragonoid seemed somewhat decent.
But no matter how strong a Dragonoid was, could it really be stronger than a True Dragon Lord?
It looked exactly as Deep Darkness had said. This Filth was not strong on its own and only relied on NPCs joining forces to suppress others with numbers.
This time, the advantage is mine!
Nearby, the Brightness Dragon Lord shook his head at the sight and sighed silently to himself. Those who have never been beaten down by my king really are naive.
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