Lords besieging cities and seizing land was common enough, but an Ancient Dragon? That hadn't happened in years. The townsfolk were terrified out of their wits. Even the Carian Knights stood stunned. Five minutes of battle left half the town in ruins. By the time the knights arrived, Lansseax was already a speck on the horizon.
"Flight privileges make for poor sportsmanship."
Throne slammed his blade home. The entire fight boiled down to one word: baffling. The dragon woman appeared without warning, spouted nonsense, and fought without real intent to kill. But the battle was unavoidable.
Using a pseudonym would've been one thing. Here, he wore Carian colors—Ranni's honor at stake. Letting the challenge slide would've shamed her.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Allen and the other knights landed beside him in quick succession. Starlight shimmered as Miriam materialized at his shoulder.
They stared at the horizon, exchanging glances. Allen broke first.
"Throne, how in the hells did you piss off an Ancient Dragon? They've been extinct for ages."
"I'd love to know. Wait—no, I think I do. The creature's attitude was just… off."
Throne spread his hands. That was the heart of it. Lansseax had no purpose.
No allegiance to the Two Fingers. No bloodlust. Just… trolling. Damn it, that's why he was so furious. You could reason with a troll, but as a powerhouse? Being treated as a joke stung.
"This isn't over. Since when do Ancient Dragons just drop out of the sky?"
He didn't know about Oritis' letter. Just cursed his luck—monsters crawling out of every shadow. Throne glared upward.
"Adula! Why the hell didn't you give chase?"
The Glintstone Dragon circled overhead. A roar echoed down.
"What'd she say?"
"Adula says she's not suicidal. One clash with an Ancient Dragon would've ended her." Allen's voice trembled with suppressed laughter.
Useless, the lot of them. Letting prey escape right under their noses. Throne kicked a pebble hard enough to crack stone.
Cooler heads prevailed. Maybe it wasn't so bad. The dragonkin were potential allies, and Lansseax's lack of killing intent left room for negotiation.
More importantly, an Ancient Dragon tangling with Caria would muddy the waters. The Two Fingers might misread the situation, obscuring Ranni's true plans. He squinted southeast—Lansseax's flight path. Not north toward her Altus Plateau lair, but the opposite direction.
Caelid? Greyoll? Just passing through and stumbled onto him by chance?
Throne's fingers twitched.
"Dismissed. Tighten patrols. Snag any spies sniffing around. I'll brief Her Highness."
Terrible luck. His first moment of peace in weeks, ruined.
......
After everyone dispersed, Throne looked at Melina and happened to catch the torn fabric at her collarbone—pale skin glaring against the dark cloth.
"You really ought to change that outfit."
"Whose fault is that?" Melina yanked the fabric up, but the hem split further, baring her thigh.
Unable to cover both the top and bottom at the same time, Melina, the blockhead, didn't know what to do.
"Here, take this and wrap it around yourself." Throne gentlemanly took out a cloak and wrapped it around the young girl.
"Thanks—no, wait, this was your doing in the first place."
"Stubborn? Then give the cloak back."
The two returned to the Raya Lucaria Academy.
Clearly due to the Ancient Dragon's influence, the security here was much tighter. Climbing up and down, just as Throne was envying the Tarnished's 'Site of Grace fast travel' for the Nth time, he ran into Ranni in the Debate Parlor. To tell the truth, Throne was very surprised. This Princess was a super homebody who would normally never step out of her room.
He was just about to speak when Ranni raised her hand to interrupt him.
"Do not say anything that would shame me. Report directly: Why did an Ancient Dragon appear in the town?"
Ranni sat directly on the podium of the Debate Parlor.
"She must have sensed my presence."
Ranni knew Throne's background and couldn't help but raise her eyebrows: "There are no Ancient Dragons in Liurnia. Is the aura released by your dragon power that strong?"
"Not necessarily. I tested it with Adula; it's about a hundred meters. Ancient Dragons are of a higher rank, so it shouldn't exceed a thousand meters."
Throne paced back and forth like an orator.
"According to my guess, this Lansseax must have been passing through Liurnia and then sensed my presence. Otherwise, a single Glintstone Dragon would not have been enough to make her come specifically."
Ranni thought for a moment and nodded gently: "That should be correct. What do you guess she wants to do?"
"Go to Caelid. The emergence of Caria is a form of encouragement; all the losers will also start to take action." Throne answered with certainty.
Caria was not just a butterfly flapping its wings; it was a dragon stirring up the wind and clouds. This represented the first old power that had once been conquered by the Golden Order to step back onto the stage. The history of The Lands Between had been messed up beyond recognition by Throne, and now logical reasoning was far superior to foresight.
"Caelid? Hmm, that is possible. The dragons have been fighting Radahn, so the dragon race must be about to make a move."
Ranni was very clever and immediately agreed with Throne's words, then her eyes became complex.
"So, are you going to set off?"
This tacit understanding made Throne smile immediately, and he said: "You are truly clever."
"No flattery allowed!"
"Ahem, well, you are right, I do need to set off."
Throne coughed lightly, recovering his serious state: "For the past few days, I have been wandering, not knowing where to go next. Finding my teacher requires concrete news, and exploring caves and catacombs is not what I should be doing."
Throne had been waiting for an opportunity during this time. At his level, map-licking was a complete waste of time.
Except for places like the Lake of Rot, what secret realm required his personal intervention? What monster could not be killed by a group of Carian tough guys? Being an adventurer could spice up life, but it was not his main job. Every trip he made had to twist the history of The Lands Between.
"I plan to go to Caelid. Not only is the dragon race a powerful force, but Radahn is also the biggest destabilizing factor. Moreover, the Radahn Festival is about to begin, and I need to go and see this old friend."
Throne stood straight. He had seen the news about the Radahn Festival on the notice board in Mistwood, and counting the time, it was about right.
The dragons, the Redmane Army, the Mohgwyn Dynasty—there was plenty of room for maneuver in that area.
Ranni nodded gently, agreeing with Throne's judgment: "But the dragon race is arrogant; it is very difficult to unite them."
"Simple, just beat them until it hurts." Throne snapped his fingers lightly. He actually had a hidden concern in his heart.
The battle of Aeonia had been changed by him, but Malenia had eventually bloomed, even if only for a short while, which was enough to affect many things. This concerned the position of the Haligtree Army, so he had to be cautious. For this reason, in the letter he left for Alexander back then, there was a specific clause about it.
"Easy for you to say, but leave a few days later." Ranni smiled.
There was no sense of command in her words, but rather a hint of a request.
"Does Your Highness have anything else?"
Of course I do. I've stayed up for a few days, and the gift isn't ready yet. Ranni thought this in her heart, but put on a serious face, pointing at the cloaked Melina: "First, she is your person. What kind of appearance is this? It is unseemly. I have notified the Demi-Human Queen, and the tailors under her will help."
What do you mean my person? Throne was about to speak, but Melina had already stepped forward: "Lunar Princess, there is no need to trouble yourself with this."
"Hmph, but you are following Throne, and Throne is the face of Caria. It will make people think he is a frivolous person."
"Even if he is frivolous, what does that have to do with you?"
"He is my knight, how does it not involve me!"
"Alright, alright, just let the demi-humans help."
Throne quickly stood between the two. How long had it been? Ranni and Melina would start bickering after just a few words.
That's more like it. Ranni nodded with satisfaction; as expected, Throne was still on her side.
"Then what is the second thing?" Throne asked again.
The Princess's expression froze suddenly, and she lowered her head, letting the brim of her hat cover her face. Her voice carried shame, annoyance, and resentment.
"The Night Maiden of the Nox is arriving. You talked nonsense in front of her, and you still want to run away!?"
......
Is this the legendary Raya Lucaria Academy? Two figures, tightly wrapped in cloaks, walked on the stairs, observing their surroundings with great interest. The damage from that night's battle was not too severe, and the Raya Lucaria Academy remained vast and solemn, like an architectural miracle.
Not only that, but inside the academy, there were not only fearsome mages but also fully armored Carian soldiers walking around. Fingercreepers or puppet soldiers were hidden in the shadows of the walls; any enemy would have to pay a bloody price. The buildings were towering, and traps were dense.
This massive structure was undoubtedly the center of Liurnia, even more magnificent than Nokstella, and the combat power of the two sides was incomparable. Annelina looked at Moongrum, who was leading the way in front. This silent knight alone was comparable only to a Dragonkin Soldier, and at the pinnacle of this academy, there was a true demigod sitting in command.
Coupled with that defensive barrier, this place was even more solid than Stormveil.
"Sister, it seems Caria has truly revived."
Alia leaned over quietly. She had seen Miriam passing by and felt that the other party was even more powerful than the magic professors she had met.
"Mhm, the Erdtree has not made any reaction until now because it is wary of this power."
The Night Maiden did not think that the justification for reclaiming the academy made sense. No matter how high-sounding the reasoning was, it was all bullshit without the backing of power. But this was not a good thing for the Nox.
The gap in strength between the two sides was too large, and the Eternal City could only serve as a vassal, which was hard for those whose ancestors had once been wealthy to accept.
Fortunately, there was no one left who could stop me from making decisions. She quietly clenched her fists. She also had a grand ideal in her heart to realize, and the Nox were already extremely weak.
She needed a powerful ally, and for that, she did not care about past glory.
Stepping onto the suspended stairs, passing through the courtyard guarded by the Bloodhound Knight, and then boarding the lift, Moongrum finally stopped in front of the door to the Grand Library. The knight did not say a word from beginning to end.
He placed his hand on the door, and with a creak, the huge and heavy wooden door opened to both sides. The visitors from Nokstella held their breath, their orange eyes slightly narrowing due to the bright light. When they saw the things inside, their hearts began to pound.
Gorgeous glintstone lamps, neat bookshelves, and in the middle, a figure floating in the air.
"Queen of the Full Moon Rennala, she is actually still here." Annelina cried out.
Rennala had not appeared for so many years, and she had thought she was already dead. Now it seemed that the other party was still powerful, just having some kind of problem. Their strength needed to be re-evaluated.
If they had the Queen of the Full Moon and the Lunar Princess, Caria would be enough to crush most forces. After all, no lord possessed the combat power of more than two demigods.
For a moment of distraction, she turned her attention back to the other side.
On the inner side of the Grand Library, there was a high-backed chair, and a slightly petite figure was sitting on it, with a Carian Knight standing solemnly beside the chair. Oh, and there was a maid not far away.
The Lunar Princess and her consort? Even without the Queen of the Full Moon, they would be enough to occupy a place in The Lands Between.
"Please, the two of you."
The knight reminded.
"Excuse the intrusion."
She quickly walked into the Grand Library with her sister and performed an ancient etiquette: "Annelina, the High Night Maiden of Nokstella, greets the noble Princess and..."
The Night Maiden paused, thinking to herself that this person had taken the academy single-handedly and established supreme merit, so that 'consort-to-be' should probably be dropped.
She bowed again: "The powerful Consort."
Throne looked sideways immediately, seeing Ranni's hand tremble for a moment. But this was a very formal diplomatic occasion; any rudeness would shame the entire Caria. At this time, being tsundere didn't seem to respect the atmosphere very much.
So Ranni quickly steadied her mind, calmly and coldly nodding in greeting: "Please forgive me for meeting you in this appearance."
She skipped this topic directly. There was no way, it was too troublesome to explain, so she just endured it.
"You are too kind."
Annelina quickly returned the greeting.
In fact, she was very happy that Ranni was so candid, and she couldn't help but be filled with good feelings. The Lunar Princess is truly powerful and majestic, and her grasp of propriety is excellent, like a born ruler. Strength is not the only factor in becoming a king, just like Godrick, whose strength is already quite good, yet he suffers from contempt and cold looks.
Annelina was quite observant and immediately let her sister present the gift. It was a small, exquisite black box, with the surface inlaid with luxurious purple gems. Throne took it, really wanting to see what was inside, but he didn't dare to joke on such an occasion, so he had to put it aside and then continued to stand there, feeling uncomfortable all over.
Such an occasion was really uncomfortable for an executioner. Ranni, however, was used to it. That feeling was completely different from when she was with Throne—peaceful, majestic, yet maintaining a distance. She raised her hand.
"Thank you, please have a seat."
As the words fell, no one moved. Throne pursed his lips at Melina, who was standing there foolishly.
Melina gritted her teeth as she adjusted the black-and-white dress—hand-stitched by the Demi-Human Queen, elegant yet allowing full freedom of movement.
Why me?
Throne's glare burned into her, unspoken command clear: If not you, then who?
She exhaled sharply. Fine. I'll play along. Even Melina, stubborn as she was, recognized this wasn't the time for defiance.
She snatched a stool, slammed it down, and turned away without a word. Annelina murmured thanks, puzzled by the maid's hostility. But then—this was the same woman who'd stood against the Baleful Shadow. Perhaps surliness came with power.
To be able to have such a powerhouse as a maid, Caria was in...
The Lunar Princess's voice cut through the hall, regal and resonant.
Melina stiffened.
The game had begun.