Chapter 346: Chapter 226: Dragon Hunt Festival (Part 2)
Before the Drow, his face filled with delighted surprise, could finish his effusive thanks, David had already beaten his wings again and soared into the sky. Only then did he have the chance to admonish Tania, who was clinging tightly to his dragon horn, lost in thought.
"Next time, don’t cast ’Ice Storm’ above my head. It makes my head ache."
"...Understood. It won’t happen again; I’ll use fire instead." Tania immediately made a face, not caring whether her elder brother, whose eyes were literally above the clouds, could see her expression, or if his famed worldliness was truly so encompassing.
Fire it is then, David thought. He couldn’t be bothered to fuss over dignity, especially since his head was bare anyway. As long as his little sister was happy on her outing, that was all that mattered.
「Three days later, in Elvis, the Royal Capital of Luwalden.」
In the most heavily guarded Royal Court, unfavorable reports fell like snowflakes, piling incessantly on the shoulders of Klinsmann, the young king.
"Your Majesty, Klein County has erupted in rebellion once again. The Lord of Klein requests military support to suppress it."
"Your Majesty, the seven northern territories are still suffering from a severe snowstorm; we need to reallocate food supplies for disaster relief."
"Your Majesty..."
Such news had been constant since his ascension to the throne three years ago. To be precise, after three years of his tireless governance, where days blurred into nights, the situation had begun to show some improvement.
Luwalden had been chaotic for too long. The Royal Court’s control was too weak, compounded by consecutive years of disasters and incessant uprisings. Many lords were disobedient, and available resources were extremely limited. Dealing with such incidents, therefore, often meant robbing Peter to pay Paul, leaving more remote areas to fend for themselves.
Nevertheless, his diligent efforts had drawn a number of political factions and even lords to his side. If things continued this way, he was confident that with another ten years, he could reverse the decline and gradually revitalize Luwalden.
However, the world’s affairs often do not go as one desires.
The Elven Kingdom to the north was no longer content with its secluded corner and harbored ambitions to expand southward. Religious sects from the southern nations of Central Earth had been proselytizing within Luwalden’s borders for years, continually eroding its ancestral faith. To the west, Court Mages reported that the remnant of a fallen Divine Realm, the ’Beastman Continent,’ was drifting visibly towards the Granyel Continent, destined to eventually make landfall.
Within the kingdom, the mineral-rich Pablo Territory, though corrupted and controlled by Drow, was unfortunately well-managed by its Matriarch. In a grim comparison with other blighted lordships, hers consistently fared better, prompting inhabitants to migrate there with their families. As a result, the Pablo Territory grew like a tumor, siphoning Luwalden’s strength.
Now, even the Port of Wallens—the Royal Court’s most vital eastern source of tax revenue and finance—had been occupied by Chromatic Dragons, placing the kingdom in grave peril.
For Luwalden, this was an indispensable stronghold. If tax revenue were significantly cut, it would mean his new policies would be plunged into the Abyss, doomed beyond recovery.
To reclaim this vital port from the dragons’ clutches, Klinsmann, on the advice of his ministers, gritted his teeth and issued a directive that betrayed his ancestors: to ’lease’ the Ogleet Territory, bordering the High Elf Kingdom to the north, to the High Elves in exchange for financial support. This would secure enough funds to recruit a ’Dragon Pursuit Army’ and simultaneously alleviate pressure from the north.
But just as the influx of Gold Coins began to attract numerous unaffiliated warriors from the nations of Central Earth, a series of equally devastating reports arrived.
"Your Majesty, an envoy from the High Elves reports that four of their Pegasus Knights have gone missing while on a mission at the Ogleet border. They demand an explanation from us and our cooperation in finding the missing Elves."
The young king could no longer remain composed. Suppressing his humiliation, he took a deep breath and asked, "Well, have we discovered who was responsible?"
The ministers all denied knowledge. One replied, "The scene had been magically tampered with; even the Elves’ divination spells yielded only blurred images."
Another Noble spoke up. "Three days before the incident, someone witnessed the ’Dragon Mage’ Tania personally seeing off her six Chromatic Dragons as they departed to patrol the area around the Port of Wallens. Could they be responsible?"
Hearing this dreadful news, everyone held their breath. King Klinsmann’s chest tightened, and he quickly pressed, "Have you tracked their movements?"
Six colossal dragons! More than half of them young adults. They were like a sword of Damocles hanging over every city-state, threatening annihilation at any moment. Perhaps only the well-fortified Royal Capital, teeming with experts, felt marginally safer now.
"No. They can hide above the clouds, making it very difficult for mortals to detect their whereabouts."
At this point, a less informed noble questioned the news’s veracity. "As far as I know, it’s only been a week since that Dragon Mage and her dragons seized the Port of Wallens. Sending out six huge dragons to patrol their new territory already? Aren’t they afraid the port’s inhabitants will revolt and flee?"
The atmosphere in the Royal Court grew noticeably heavier. Eventually, the noble who had spoken earlier explained, "No one has revolted. When Dragon Mage Tania saw off the six Dragon Knights, the Port of Wallens was peaceful. In fact, over five thousand residents accompanied the Dragon Mage to give them a send-off as they began their patrol of the domain."
"This is impossible!" This information, completely defying common sense, seemed to shatter the human nobles’ worldview in an instant.
"Moreover, after seizing the Port of Wallens, the Dragon Mage didn’t order her dragons to engage in a bloodbath or plunder. Instead, she began a large-scale recruitment of the populace to construct Dragon Nests and underground tunnels."
The noble paused under the disbelieving stares of the assembly, then sighed. "And they provide ample food..."
This brief statement struck all the nobles in the Royal Court like a slap in the face. This was because, especially at this time of year, not a single lord could guarantee they could—or would be willing to—undertake such an extravagant, food-consuming endeavor.
But could these truly be the same Chromatic Dragons they remembered as rapacious tyrants, prone to slaughter and plunder? Could they be Metal Dragons disguised in the hides of Chromatic Dragons?
Finally, King Klinsmann, seated on his throne, rubbed his temples and sighed, "Another Naferutali."
The nobles certainly understood the king’s insinuation: these were, after all, outsiders. The more ’enlightened’ they appeared, the more lethal the threat to the precarious Luwalden!
Seeing the nobles’ loyalty wavering again, King Klinsmann forced himself to rally, looking around at them with a strained smile. "All the more reason we must steadfastly execute our ’Dragon Pursuit Plan.’ Luwalden cannot afford another ’Count Pablo.’"
He then dismissively waved his hand near his forehead and said, "Go."
"Your Majesty, the entrance ceremony for the ’Dragon Hunting Ceremony’ is about to begin."
The so-called Dragon Hunting Ceremony was a clever plan devised by Klinsmann. The recruits were all unaffiliated warriors from various nations of Central Earth, many from common mercenary groups. Aside from a few truly formidable experts who were difficult to entice, many self-proclaimed ’powerful’ individuals were more talk than substance. Therefore, he had ordered his men to capture numerous Dracoliches and dragon-beasts that typically ravaged the various territories. This would essentially be a series of exhibition matches. If a small team could single-handedly slay a Dracolich or a dragon-beast, they would at least qualify for selection. Otherwise, countless Gold Coins would be wasted on useless recruits. Such spectacles would also boost morale in the Royal Capital. The ticket revenue alone was expected to recoup a significant portion of the funds spent on the plan.
"You may leave now. I will ’rest a while’ and then come," King Klinsmann ordered.
The attendant understood the king’s meaning perfectly.
Shortly after, a large troupe of dancers entered, ’timidly’ awaiting the king’s pleasure. For the past three years, this had been his only way to alleviate some of the crushing pressure.
Today, however, for some unknown reason, the young king kept growling as he switched ’spell targets,’ yet he couldn’t perform as usual, unable to satisfy even ten women in succession.
After a long while, he dismissed the terrified dancers. Klinsmann sat alone on the edge of his bed, and for the first time when truly alone, a sense of ’vulnerability’ and collapse washed over him.
Because he suddenly realized... he could no longer get it up.