Heh?!
Considering herself fairly well-informed, Princess Shia of the Fres Kingdom was now uncontrollably taking a sharp intake of breath due to what was happening before her.
How is this possible?! That appearance! Those pure white scales, that golden radiance—no matter how you look at it! It's exactly the same as the tyrant Catania recorded in history!
But how could this be! She should have died over nine hundred years ago!
No! Calm down, Shia, calm down! How can you be certain that this creature is who you think they are?
As the Dragon King, tyrant Catania probably found many male dragons to serve as her playthings. Having a child that looks very similar to herself would be completely normal!
No! None of this matters anymore! What's important is...
She actually extended her... tail toward me?
This should be a very intimate gesture among dragons, right? Why would she do this to me?
Could it be! Could it be that! She's taken a fancy to me!
That's right! It must be like this! As members of the dragon race whose desires can never be satisfied, this is perfectly normal for them—falling in love with everyone they meet, making promises of a world for two with their husband one second, then going off to have affairs the next! That's just what they're like!
Shia looked at the tail tip positioned right in front of her, hesitating whether to take hold of it.
If I take it, wouldn't that mean I'm agreeing? Then she should save me, right!
But in that case... I would be equivalent to...
No, the answer is already obvious.
I absolutely refuse to be captured by this damn person to become some kind of wife, and I don't want to see the kingdom destroyed by my own hands!
Resolutely determined, Shia grasped Lily's tail.
With the tail's support, Shia slowly steadied herself and stood up, though she still felt immense pressure.
"Hey."
Who? She's calling me?!
Shia swallowed and prepared herself to speak with this female dragon.
"Tell me, how much time has passed now?"
Her voice! So cold! Is she really the Dragon King?! That arrogance! That attitude of seeming to regard everything around her as insignificant!
"Excuse me, what do you mean?"
"I'm asking you, how much time has passed since that war?"
That war? Could she be referring to that war that once destroyed half the continent?!
Legend tells of a long war that spread across the entire continent between Dragon King Catania and the ancestor of the blood clan, Blood Demon Azicat.
In that fierce battle, dragons were just the most common type among countless cannon fodder, and many blood clan members with regenerative abilities were killed until not even ash remained.
If she's referring to that war...
"It's been... about a thousand years have passed."
"A thousand years, that really is... quite distant."
Distant? What does she mean? It can't be—she can't really be that tyrant Catania! There used to be other immortal beings to keep her in check, which barely maintained her last trace of mercy. If she's awakened now! Then she has no opponents! The entire continent can only prostrate at her feet!
"You grabbed my tail, so you should know what that means, right?"
"I... I know! I will... become your property..."
Each of Shia's words seemed to be torn from between her teeth, extremely difficult.
"But... but! I beseech you! Great Dragon King Catania, Your Majesty! Please save my country!"
"Tch! What a joke! How could someone who died almost a thousand years ago come back to life! I don't care who you are! Don't think you can interfere with my plans!"
The silver-haired woman's pupils shifted slightly, looking toward the assassin who had just recovered from his shock.
"It's just a dragon! You guys all look the same! Don't think you can scare me! What Dragon King! Bah! The current Dragon King is still acting like a dog under the Empire's feet! Even if you really are that Catania or whatever, so what!"
This is bad! He's right—even the current Dragon King has already been tamed by the Empire. Even if the former tyrant came, what could she do!
"You."
The silver-haired woman said only one word—cold, simple, and direct. She had no expression, like a cold-blooded creature executing commands.
"—are very brave."
Boom!
What?! What happened?!
Accompanied by a collision sound, the black-clothed man who had just been shouting instantly lost his head, transformed into a bloodstain splattered on the stone wall behind him like a swatted mosquito.
Shia couldn't understand what had happened before her eyes at all. She only knew that the silver-haired woman in front of her had raised her hand at some point and was now slowly lowering it in front of her, really just like swatting a mosquito—utterly insignificant.
What is... this?!
Shia couldn't believe it. That person who had slaughtered their entire royal family, forcing the knight captain to sacrifice his life to cover her retreat, that man who attempted to covet everything in the kingdom.
Just died like that?
His arrogant, confident words seemed to still echo in Shia's ears.
And this bottomless power made Shia even more certain of the identity of the person before her.
"He made me feel somewhat... displeased."
Dis... pleased...
Although it was just a few simple words, Shia heard obvious coldness in them.
"What's your name?"
"Shi-! Shia!"
"Shia Fres, correct?"
She! How does she know my full name!
Catania lowered her hand and walked toward Shia as if strolling through her own garden.
Shia gritted her teeth to resist the urge to retreat.
"Yes! Yes! How did you know!"
"As far as I know, there's only one human kingdom around here—the Fres Kingdom. I just happened to guess correctly. Tell me, what conflict occurred between the Empire he mentioned and your people?"
"Calling it a conflict... it's really just about interests. The Vilg Empire wants to occupy our kingdom. They've already killed my entire family, and now... only I remain."
"So your country already exists in name only, is that right?"
"No! No! Absolutely not! As long as I'm still here!"
"You mean to say that because you're still here, the country still exists, is that it?"
Shia suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness. She felt as if she had been submerged in the deepest seawater, not even having the courage to speak a single word.
She widened her golden pupils. Rather than saying she still had the courage to meet this Dragon King's gaze, it would be more accurate to say she no longer had the courage to move a single step—otherwise, she would have run long ago.
"You're afraid? Heh, relax. Would I really kill you? You should know that everything about you humans appears to me as nothing more than child's play. Let's go."
"Go... where?"
"To your kingdom."