Inside the cave, the light was dim and the surroundings quiet.
A young girl knelt on the ground with her hands clasped together, maintaining a solemn posture of prayer.
On any ordinary day, her heart would have been filled with piety and reverence.
Today, however, was different. An unpleasant feeling called anxiety was spreading through her heart like creeping vines.
Half a day had already passed.
Over those long hours, the situation in the Roble Holy Kingdom seemed to have been pushed by an invisible hand, steadily deteriorating into something ever more desperate.
Although Neia remained inside the cave, the enormous rift outside was still expanding, allowing her to make a rough guess at just how grim the situation beyond must have become.
As for what the ordinary people of the Roble Holy Kingdom were going through now, Neia had no way of knowing.
Yet merely imagining the hardships and dangers they might be facing was enough to make her kind heart ache.
Fortunately, at least for now, both she and her parents were safe.
Whenever she thought of that, Neia silently thanked the heavens for watching over them.
After all, in such turbulent and uncertain times, simply being able to remain together safely as a family was something incredibly precious.
Neia knew just how fortunate she was.
Under the protection of the White Dragon Lord, those so-called Chaos Beasts seemed pitifully weak, unable to withstand even a single blow.
[The Dragon Lord possesses terrifying power capable of shattering the heavens and earth. He could effortlessly destroy an entire nation.]
Neia had once been somewhat doubtful of that rumor.
After all, such an outrageous claim was difficult to believe completely.
But not long ago, after witnessing the White Dragon Lord's astonishing power with her own eyes, every trace of doubt in her heart had vanished.
If anything, she was beginning to think that the previous descriptions of a Dragon Lord's power had actually been too conservative.
With nothing more than a swing of his dragon claws, the solid earth split apart like fragile paper, leaving behind terrifying ravines so deep that their bottoms could not be seen.
With nothing more than a single Breath Attack, everything caught in its path, whether hard stone or living creatures, was frozen into ice sculptures in the blink of an eye, utterly incapable of resisting.
He could even reshape the surrounding environment at will.
The area within ten kilometers of the cave entrance was a perfect example.
It had originally been the mildly cool season of early autumn, yet with a single thought, the entire region had been transformed into a bitterly cold winter world.
Howling winds swept up snow that blotted out the sky, forming a vast white storm that raged mercilessly in every direction.
Any living creature reckless enough to approach the area would be assaulted indiscriminately by bone-chilling winds and violent snowstorms.
They were clearly in a life-or-death crisis, yet the atmosphere here was so relaxed that it was almost unbelievable.
For the first time, Neia truly experienced just how overwhelming the power of the strong could be.
At the same time, she was stunned that someone this powerful would willingly protect a seemingly ordinary...
Well, not entirely ordinary. She had to admit that her senpai was pretty handsome.
Still, this was strange, wasn't it?
A Dragon Lord protecting a student?
This guy definitely had some terrifying hidden identity. That much was obvious.
Thinking this, Neia quietly turned her head.
Not far away, the White Dragon Lord, who always carried himself with imposing dignity in front of everyone else, now looked like a completely different person.
He had lowered himself respectfully before her senpai, standing before him with a humble and almost devout attitude.
How should she describe it?
If she had to use a term she had learned at the Magic Academy, perhaps he could be called a "suck-up."
A mighty Dragon Lord was now acting like a puppy wagging its tail for attention, shamelessly trying to please a mere teenager.
"Hehe, Your Highness, please rest assured!"
"My meager strength may not amount to much, but even if it costs me my life, I will protect you no matter what!"
The White Dragon Lord wore an ingratiating smile as he openly proclaimed his supposed unwavering loyalty.
He knew perfectly well that many people were watching him.
That was exactly what he wanted.
What good was an image?
It could not make him stronger, nor could it help him climb higher.
If so, why bother caring about something so meaningless?
Within Nazarick, perhaps he was merely a minor Dragon Lord loyally serving the Supreme One.
But once he stepped outside, whether into the Sorcerer Kingdom or the wider world beyond, who would dare address him as anything less than "Dragon Lord-sama" with the utmost respect?
His reputation was his own property.
He could use it however he pleased!
He!
The White Dragon Lord!
Would climb higher, step by step, step by step, step by step!
The Platinum Dragon Lord, Brightness Dragon Lord, Vampiric Dragon Lord, and all the other True Dragon Lords were nothing but a bunch of old fossils who relied on their age and seniority in his eyes.
The White Dragon Lord scoffed at them.
Just you wait!
One day, I'll trample every last one of you beneath my feet and make you watch my mood before you dare act!
"Haha! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"
At the thought, the White Dragon Lord burst into gleeful laughter.
Just then, a voice interrupted him.
"...Wipe the drool off your mouth."
The White Dragon Lord snapped back to his senses and only then realized that he had gotten somewhat carried away.
He hurriedly raised one of his sharp claws and wiped away the drool running from the corner of his mouth.
Then he immediately resumed his respectful posture, as though the wildly arrogant creature from moments ago had been someone else entirely.
[This guy is hopeless.]
Naraku shook his head.
The thought that his safety now depended on this fellow somehow made him feel rather uneasy.
"I'll be counting on you from here. Once we're rescued, I'll make sure you get the credit. You can ask for one wish. As long as it isn't too unreasonable, I can put in a request for you."
Unreliable as he might look, Naraku had no other choice.
The situation was urgent, and for now, he could only place his hopes on the White Dragon Lord.
At the very least, this fellow's loyalty and strength could be trusted.
His gaze casually swept across the enormous pile of Chaos Stones beside him, stacked so high that it resembled a small hill, and he nodded.
Whatever else one might say about him, he certainly knew how to please the right people.
"Don't just sit there staring, Neia. Come over and chat with us!"
Naraku shifted his gaze toward the girl who had been watching them the entire time and waved to her with a friendly smile.
Although circumstances had forced him to reveal his identity, their friendship had not disappeared.
No matter what happened, he did not want some invisible barrier to suddenly form between them.
That would be troublesome for him.
With a practiced movement, he pulled a bottle of Coca-Cola from the storage item he carried and glanced toward the White Dragon Lord beside him.
Their eyes met, and they immediately understood one another.
The White Dragon Lord nodded knowingly and cooperatively breathed out a gentle stream of cold air.
The chill quickly condensed in midair, forming two crystal-clear goblets made entirely of ice, which he respectfully presented.
Neia, who had been watching from some distance away, hesitated for a moment after seeing this.
In the end, however, she slowly rose to her feet and walked over.
She had been holding back countless questions and wanted answers to all of them.
This seemed like the perfect opportunity to get everything cleared up at once.
Hmm.
It definitely had nothing to do with being thirsty and wanting some ice-cold Coke!
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the cave.
"Hey, stupid ox! We can't just sit around like this forever, can we? What are we supposed to do?"
Beside the campfire, the Gigant Basilisk lay curled up and fast asleep, as though everything happening outside had absolutely nothing to do with it.
The Clear Light Dragon Lord leaned against the Gigant Basilisk's soft belly, unease showing in his eyes.
For some reason, an ominous feeling had been lingering in his heart and simply would not go away.
This sudden disaster had completely disrupted their original plans.
Just like when they had witnessed that little mountain of Dragon Meat back in the Sorcerer Kingdom, only one thought remained buried in his subconscious now.
He wanted to get away from this place as quickly as possible.
Yet in the face of the Clear Light Dragon Lord's anxiety, the Minotaur Sage merely continued tending the campfire in front of him at an unhurried pace, replying without even lifting his head.
"What else can we do? Don't tell me you seriously want to charge outside and fight those monsters to the death. Don't be stupid! At least we have a Dragon Lord protecting us here. Compared to whatever's waiting outside, this place is already safe."
"So all we can do right now is wait. Be patient. Look, the Dragon Lord himself isn't worried, so why are you panicking?"
After saying that, the Minotaur Sage sighed helplessly.
In truth, his own mood was just as terrible.
He had originally planned to come out and enjoy himself for a while. Who could have imagined he would run into something this unlucky?
But things had already reached this point.
Complaining would accomplish nothing. Only by keeping calm did they have any chance of finding a way out.
With the Roble Holy Kingdom in its current condition, it was truly isolated and without outside support.
Fortunately, he had been decisive enough earlier.
While everyone else was panicking and had no idea what to do, he had followed the White Dragon Lord and his group without hesitation, fleeing that dangerous place alongside them.
Now, with the White Dragon Lord and his companions holding the front, he could at least remain safely hidden in the rear for the time being.
Come to think of it, it would be a lie to say he was not curious about the identity of the human boy the White Dragon Lord was protecting.
But the Minotaur Sage understood perfectly well that curiosity killed the cat.
So he decided to continue keeping a low profile and maintaining his disguise. Under no circumstances would he take the initiative to involve himself in the matter, not even a little.
Besides, judging by the current situation, his compatriots from the Sorcerer Kingdom would definitely come.
All he had to do was wait.
"I don't want to just sit here and wait to die."
"Stupid Ox, what if I told you I had a way to lea..."
The Clear Light Dragon Lord stopped himself halfway through.
He hesitated for quite some time before ultimately swallowing the rest of his words.
"What?"
"Nothing. Don't think too much about it. Just remember, staying alive is the most important thing."
"If things really reach the point where our lives are at stake... don't worry. I'll find a way."
The Minotaur Sage glanced at the Clear Light Dragon Lord beside him and spoke in his deep, muffled voice.
"Hmph! I should be the one saying that!"
The Clear Light Dragon Lord pursed his lips and retorted indignantly.
"Do you seriously have no idea what you're capable of?"
The Minotaur Sage mocked him without the slightest restraint.
"Show me some respect! I'm much stronger than you think!"
"Haha, what a coincidence. I think the exact same thing about myself!"
The two looked at each other.
Then, as if by mutual understanding, they both broke into smiles.
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