Chapter 1026: Act 198 – The Treasure of the Dragon Clan?
Princess Grifian and Antinna walked through the corridor where light and shadow intertwined, soft light streaming through the spacious white arched windows, casting windowpane patterns on the ground, with particles of light and dust hanging in the air.
“Your Highness, there have been some unusual movements in the royal faction recently.”
Antinna suddenly said softly. For a moment, she stood in the bright light, the golden buttons on her formal attire sparkling in the sunlight, but soon she stepped into the shadows, her eyes shining with a deep light in the darkness.
Princess Grifian paused for a moment and then continued forward, her voice cold and calm: “They can no longer restrain themselves. How much time do we have left?”
“Your Highness, the ministers are quite dissatisfied with your excessive trust in the Lord. They have also expressed criticism regarding your decision to send Prince Haruze to Cruz. The Lord’s involvement in the internal war of the Empire has long been the subject of domestic speculation, and with this latest incident, it’s likely the ministers will no longer be able to tolerate it.”
Antinna hesitated for a moment. “In fact, some not-so-good rumors have already begun to circulate outside…”
Princess Grifian stopped again, and Antinna followed suit. They stood beside a window, the light and shadow separating perfectly across the upper body of Her Highness. Her soft silver hair shimmered charmingly under the sunlight, and a sea-blue gemstone on her dress reflected the disdain on her face.
“Rumors? Are they saying that those two dog men conspired to murder the Young Prince, thereby usurping the throne?”
After saying this, Princess Grifian felt a bit coarse, her face turning red; her skin looked almost transparent under the bright light, the blush extending down her neck: “How could I not know the vile thoughts in their hearts?”
Antinna was taken aback, admiring the beauty of the princess in her heart.
“Your Highness…”
“Antinna, the crux of the problem lies in the struggle for power,” Princess Grifian replied lightly. “So no matter where your Lord is or what he does, it is all the same; there will be no difference. Except for Lord Overwell, the royal faction is unreliable—”
Antinna fell silent, knowing the other party’s words were indeed correct.
“Then we should prepare ahead of time, Your Highness.”
Princess Grifian nodded slightly and continued walking while saying, “Antinna, you should return to Valhalla.”
“But Your Highness, the Lord instructed me to protect you.”
Princess Grifian turned to look at the earnest Antinna with a smile: “Antinna, among the two of us, who is stronger?”
Antinna was taken aback.
As they passed between two arched windows, their graceful figures vanished into the shadows beyond the strong light, leaving only the sound of their footsteps.
Before Antinna could speak, Princess Grifian continued: “Antinna, Mister Brendel kept you by my side because I can’t trust anyone else, and you and Lord Overwell are the only trustworthy ones near me. I plan to send Lord Overwell to Lantonrand to persuade the Duke of Lantonrand, so Valhalla can only be entrusted to you, especially since it is also the territory of your Lord.”
Antinna’s expression was shrouded in gloom in the shadows; she knew the Duke of Lantonrand had just decided to pass down the duke title to his eldest grandson, making this the perfect opportunity.
But—
“Your Highness, it’s too dangerous for you to stay alone in Rendener.”
“But I still have Miss Freya with me; she will protect me well.”
“But Your Highness, you plan to send Freya to Karasu,” Antinna replied, refusing to be swayed, frowning. “Your Highness, don’t think I don’t know about this!”
“Antinna, is this how you usually speak to Mister Brendel?” Princess Grifian chuckled. “You are the first serious aide I’ve met, but thank you nonetheless.”
Antinna’s face flushed, and she replied displeased, “Your Highness, don’t change the subject.”
Ahead, it became bright again.
Princess Grifian gazed at the golden leaves outside the white window, each leaf hinting at the impending desolate season: “You can rest assured; I am very safe here. No matter how much the royal faction dares not take action against me, it can’t be predicted for you. Besides, I must stay; Erluin cannot be thrown into chaos. If I leave this place today, by tomorrow, this kingdom will fall back into internal turmoil. Do you understand?”
Antinna fell silent, watching the slender back of the princess and gently sighed.
“Your Highness, please seek help from the Lord.”
“Mister Brendel understands our predicament; he will find a way. I believe in him,” Princess Grifian replied with a smile.
…
“Lady Mistral, thank you very much for your assistance.”
“You are too kind,” Lady Mistral said as she shed her human disguise revealing her original form as a silver dragon. She slightly curved her neck, looking at Brendel with her mercury-like eyes, and responded with a ‘smile’: “Failing to keep a watch on the three rebellious dragons was a mess caused by us dragons, which has caused you humans no small loss. Fortunately, with your assistance, I was able to notify my clan immediately.”
She sighed softly, her dragon beauty displaying an air of elegance as if she could evoke sympathy in anyone who saw her: “It’s a pity that the Queen of Dragons has escaped. Now we will have to stay among mortals for a while to search for her whereabouts.”
The mountain wind howled, seeming to become wilder in this season. The nearby mountains and fields were full of the long stretches of the Evergreen Path system, surrounded by a hint of bleakness, suggesting that late summer was ending, and autumn’s chill had already swept in from the outer lands. In many places, the mountains and forests had turned a striking red.
The valley remained somber and gloomy, the remnants of a battle lingering in the air; countless bodies, broken armor, and flags lay scattered, narrating the great conflict that had transpired here. A black dragon’s corpse lay across the valley, and the brutal battle that erupted nearby had completely altered the contour of several surrounding mountains. Not to mention the soldiers from Toquinin and Jotungrund, where thousands of dragon beast corpses were piled up at the valley’s bottom, while the Gold-maned Lionmen had long since perished.
Aside from a small number of soldiers from Toquinin who had fled, almost all the forces of the Hallowed Temple of Earth had perished here. The troglodytes of Jotungrund had escaped relatively quickly, but their elite troops suffered severe losses, leaving behind numbers that were negligible, even raising doubts about their unwillingness to return to the surface.
In summary, this was a rare and complete victory, one that could be said to have completely shattered the allied forces of these two foreign races.
Although Brendel knew that there might still be troops from Anziluwa and Anzeruta, as well as Jotungrund and Toquinin, the battle had been enough to terrify them. It was uncertain whether they would still have the courage to advance north afterward. As for whether the White Lion Guard should march south, Brendel felt it unnecessary to assist Rainwright in reclaiming territory.
He silently looked toward the valley. The battle had in fact exceeded his expectations; initially, he only aimed to deal a blow to the allied forces of Jotungrund and Toquinin, but he had not anticipated it would end in a total annihilation.
A strong wind blew in the sky, ruffling the bare branches of the trees atop the mountain. Brendel had to hold down his windbreaker, and he looked up to see massive shadows descending from the sky. Those were several giant dragons of different colors, spreading their wings and swirling above Brendel’s head, almost blocking out the sun.
These dragons were the greatest contributors to changing the course of the war.
Brendel tilted his head, silently gazing at the dragon group, neither side speaking first.
There were seven giant dragons in total flying in the sky, and Brendel recognized only the red dragon in the center, which unusually had two heads. It was known to be a legend of the dragon clan—Flame, this deformed dragon was among the strongest of its kind, and it was one of the longest-living triple-headed dragons. It was said that it was born before the era of chaos, when the Minren ruled the land, and it had participated in the Saints’ War, even serving as one of the commanders at the time.
“They are thanking you,” Mistral explained. “You have done them a great favor.”
Brendel withdrew his gaze, looking curiously at Lady Mistral: “You dragons and the Bud aren’t really involved in mortal affairs, and ordinary people often think you are aloof from the world, but it seems it wasn’t your intention to behave this way—”
“Could three rebellious dragons have such a significant impact on you?”
“That question is difficult for me to answer,” Mistral shook her head, “but I can tell you that our hands-off approach to worldly matters is indeed bound by a sacred vow.”
Brendel’s curiosity was piqued. What kind of vow could bind dragons and the equally powerful Bud?
Yet, if this vow were indeed so fearsome, it seemed that the Bud and dragons were not completely uninvolved in mortal affairs. For instance, this time they showed great flexibility rather than rigidly adhering to their vow.
It seemed Mistral could see his thoughts, and she spoke: “This time, the Bud and we acted out of necessity.”
“Mm?”
“Everything happening now is a continuation of mistakes made decades ago. To speak of it, we owe your grandfather quite a debt of gratitude.” Lady Mistral recounted. “Our intervention in helping you win this war serves, on one hand, to punish those three rebellious dragons, but on the other hand, it is also to repay your grandfather’s kindness.”
“However, the Queen of Dragons made mistakes, which, in fact, is also related to what you saw years ago on the final battlefield.” Brendel suddenly challenged her view.
Mistral looked at him: “I cannot say that.”
Brendel suddenly noticed a silver dragon flying lower in the sky. This dragon appeared somewhat similar to Mistral, but was more robust, with several glittering silver whiskers hanging from its long dragon head.
“That’s my sister,” Mistral explained. “She is thanking you for saving me.”
Brendel shook his head: “To be honest, I can’t say I saved you. At that time, you and Lady Mistral were just allied with each other, and after all, I had little power to defend myself in front of those three giant dragons.”
“But nonetheless,” the silver dragon lady smiled, “the fact remains that you saved my life, and we dragons are ever grateful.”
For some reason, those words caused Brendel to suddenly recall a small figure.
He felt a wave of nostalgia and couldn’t help but ask, “Lady Mistral, do you know a golden dragon?”
“Golden dragon?” Mistral paused slightly. “Golden and silver dragons are high-ranking dragons, and there are very few of us among the dragons. We should be quite familiar with each other.”
“Her name is Alorze.”
“Oh, her,” Lady Mistral displayed a somewhat peculiar expression. “It seems she cheated during the adulthood ceremony and was confined as a punishment.”
“That rascal has already escaped,” a voice suddenly spoke from the sky, and it was Mistral’s sister, who nodded to Brendel: “The Fiery Golden One is furious about this. Little guy, if you see her, it’s best to steer clear. Right now, she is quite the troublemaker.”
Upon hearing this news, Brendel broke into a cold sweat. He had an instinct that the young female dragon would definitely come looking for him.
Of course, her coming to find him was not a problem.
The problem was, according to Mistral’s sister’s words, she was now a ticking time bomb; who knew whether the golden dragon would vent her anger on him, and he could only pray that the little witch wouldn’t find him.
—At least before this series of troubles was resolved.
Mistral seemed to sense his worry and reminded him, “Don’t forget, the Elven Queen also owes you a favor. The Wild Elf royal family possesses a legendary treasure called the Dragon’s Avoidance Pearl, which is said to allow its user to completely disappear within the perception range of giant dragons. This pearl is one of the boons from Dragon King Bahamut, fully known as the Trace of the Green Wilds, bestowed by Bahamut; it is one of the two great dragon king relics alongside the Crimson Blessing. This treasure holds little significance for the wild elves; they have a good relationship with the dragon clan and don’t need it. Since you saved her daughter, why not ask her to lend it to you?”
Brendel was momentarily taken aback, unable to resist glancing in the other direction, where a small sprite with her dragon false companion was trailing behind a tall elven beauty, looking utterly dejected—behind her followed a whole squad of wild elf guards, with dozens of howling archers. This was indeed the royal guard of the Wild Elf Court, and the one in front was the current Elven Queen, who had arrived with the dragons, naturally to retrieve the long-lost princess of the wild elves.
It seemed that when they were detected by Erlandta, the Sage Lord had already informed this queen of the sprite’s whereabouts.
“Is that alright?” Brendel looked at the crying sprite who was reluctant to part with QiYala and was very curious about how these two had become friends. He inquired of Mistral.
The silver dragon lady nodded, “She will definitely agree. That item holds little significance for wild elves. She can see the relationship between you and the dragon clan, and even for the sake of that, she will lend it to you.”
“Also,” Mistral winked at him, “You saved my life and helped us so much. Don’t forget to ask Flame for a treasure. If I guess correctly, if you don’t ask, they definitely won’t give it to you voluntarily. You know, we dragons have always been very stingy in that regard.”
Brendel couldn’t help but look up at the silver dragon lady with curiosity: “But Lady Mistral, you seem to be an exception.”
“That’s because I don’t have to pay,” Lady Mistral replied cunningly. “Do you understand? Opportunities must not be missed.”
The treasures of the dragon clan; upon hearing this phrase, Brendel’s heart stirred slightly.
