24. The Ancient Fire Dragon
While Buffeg was feeling down, the church was rejoicing.
“This is the Fire Dragon Scroll!! With this, we can rise to the top of the hierarchy!!”
Dancing around, the Pope held up the forbidden scroll with both hands as if it was a sacred relic, while Mara watched with a huge grin.
“Now, all that’s left is to summon a fire dragon and release it into the royal capital!! I’ll quell the rampaging fire dragon!!”
“Indeed!! We must strike while the iron is hot!! Let’s start right away!!”
They didn’t even stop for a second to think about what they were doing.
As a matter of course, there was no way they could start right away. Leaving the Pope’s private chamber, they went to the cathedral, where Mara placed her hand above the forbidden scroll. The Archbishop and the Pope watched with bated breath.
As the heroine, she could remove the seal without using magic.
In an instant, a fierce gale erupted.
The gigantic body of the dragon, clad in flames, appeared in front of them. Its jaw was wide open, where serrated teeth protruded. Both its teeth and five claws gleamed sharply.
“Are you the one who disturbed my slumber?”
A low, rumbling voice.
The Pope and the others were frightened, but Mara, who had the knowledge of the game, recited the in-game dialogue.
“O, Ancient Dragon, please lend me your strength.”
She said, pretending to be an innocent maiden.
But then, something occurred to her.
‘Wait… The dragon is docile when summoned by the saint. The dragon will only go berserk if it’s summoned by Eleonora, leading to an incident at the royal capital. …Now that I’ve summoned it, there’s no going back. Let’s keep going.’ (Mara)
While Mara ransacked her brain, the fire dragon was carefully gauging her.
The fire dragon boasted a godly amount of magical power and numerous skills, one of which was [Appraisal]. Using that skill, the dragon checked the target’s status and title.
When the fire dragon laid his eyes on Mara, his initial thought was. ‘She seems to have an awful personality.’ If he had trusted his gut instinct, he’d have been spared from all the trouble. However, through the [Appraisal] skill, he confirmed that the woman was indeed the saint.
“Hoo, a saint? If so, you’re worthy of being my master. Let’s make a contract.”
Utterly deceived, the fire dragon engraved the contract seal on the back of Mara’s hand.
By the way, had Eleonora summoned the fire dragon, it’d have denounced her. ‘As if I would serve such a wicked being!! You’ve overstepped your boundaries, human!!” And went on a rampage.
However, since Mara was the saint, the fire dragon wouldn’t go berserk.
“You’re a wonderful saint, Mara. Now, no matter what anyone says, you’re the saint. Let’s make your presence known to the entire country—no, the entire continent!”
The Pope praised Mara, but he was just aiming to strengthen the papacy.
‘Fufufu. Using this opportunity, I shall turn Llahendia into the Holy Empire of Celcius, with me as its first emperor! I’ll go down in history as the great emperor!!’ (The Pope)
The Pope grinned, envisioning a rosy future. Meanwhile, Mara had her own agenda.
‘I’ll use the Pope to become the queen of Llahendia! Lydian is cool, but he’s unlikely to submit to me. It’s a shame, but I’ll get rid of him and marry my bias!!’ (Mara)
She was also smirking.
The Pope immediately held a military council with the commander of the Holy Knights, finalizing the details of the coup d’état. Morale was high because a fire dragon was at Mara’s behest.
Normally, it’d take several years to stage a coup d’état. However, they decided to launch an attack on the royal palace without making any preparations. After all, with the help of the fire dragon, everything would be over in no time.
“The time is nigh!! Now is our chance!! In the name of Goddess Leticia, we shall attack the royal palace!!”
“Yeaaaaaaaah!!!”
Rallied by the presence of the fire dragon, the Holy Knights screamed.
The Holy Knights were lined up on the main street in front of the Pope’s palace. A fire dragon flew overhead, accompanying the marching Holy Knights. On its back was Mara, who’d been given [Heat Resistance] buff by the fire dragon. She looked down on the royal capital as if she was an empress.
“What is that…!?”
“Is it the Demon King…!?”
The sudden appearance of the fire dragon and the invasion of the Holy Knights plunged the royal capital into chaos. The captain of the Order of Knights dispatched the knights to stop the coup. He also went to the throne room to evacuate the king.
“Your Majesty!! A terrifying monster is marching towards the royal castle!! Please, Your Majesty and all the senior retainers, evacuate immediately!! We, the Order of Knights, will stop it even if it costs us our lives!!”
The loyal man, the knight captain, was determined to risk his life.
However, the king, Xanagan, remained calm.
“Your loyalty really touches my heart, but it’s unnecessary. Arrange for the civil engineers and constructors.”
The knight captain and his subordinates were taken aback at the unexpected remark.
Even the Prime Minister and the ministers of each prefecture were visibly nonchalant about it.
“Your Majesty!! You mustn’t waste any second to evacuate!! Please refrain from saying things that make no sense!!”
Said one of the ministers, trembling.
The anxiety inevitably infected those within his surroundings.
“Your Majesty! Look at that! It’s a fire dragon! To dispel the seal and enslave a dragon—it can’t be the work of a human!? What if some people defected to their side!?”
“We have to hurry!! If we don’t do something quickly, they’ll make away with our goods!!”
The subjects were panicking. Even then, the earth was rumbling. Both the chandeliers and candelabras were shaking. Some of them yelled, “I can’t possibly remain here!!” And fled from the hall.
Of course, the senior vassals stayed behind.
“They certainly lost their composure quickly.”
“I can understand if they’re worried about the people, but to worry about their possessions… Unbeknownst to them, they’d revealed their true nature.”
Xanagan smiled bitterly.
At the same time, there were those who stepped forward.
“Your Majesty. This humble servant shall serve you until the bitter end!! Please give me an order!!”
Out of loyalty, they reigned their fear. Xanagan’s heart was touched by the sincerity in their eyes.
‘I ended up involving such pure beings… I have to hurry and take charge of the situation.’ (Xanagan)
“Ahem. You’re truly the definition of loyal subjects. Could you tell me your names?”
Xanagan got down from his throne and went around asking each person their names. Some shed tears, while others crumbled on the floor and burst out crying.
If an outsider were to see that scene, they’d be moved to tears by the scene. Prepared to die, the king and his vassals swore loyalty to each other.
However, various ministers were restless.
‘Such sincere words…! It deeply touches me… Since when did I become such a rotten adult?’
‘Anyway, we should go back on track. Even so, I never thought that the Fire Dragon Scroll that His Highness Lydian used as a threat would appear at such a timing.’
‘Those who ran away were probably afraid of the fire dragon and joined the Pope’s side. Unbeknownst to them, compared to His Highness Lydian, that fire dragon is nothing.’
The ministers of various prefectures looked out at the royal capital from the large windows and waited with mixed feelings for their prince’s success.
***
Unaware that such an exchange had taken place in the royal palace, the army of the Church of the Goddess marched on in high spirits.
“With the blessing of Goddess Leticia, we will attack the royal castle!! We have the fire dragon on our side!!”
Outside the window, the Holy Knights were shouting a battle cry.
Although ordinary citizens were confined to their homes, the cries of the children, along with the hysterical screams of women still echoed.
“Look, everyone! The royal castle is right in front of us!! Abolish the flag of Llahendia!! Let’s raise the flag of the Church of the Goddess!!”
Upon seeing that the enemy’s main camp was just a few steps away, the Holy Knights were confident of their victory. Now that they’d treaded that far, the chance of defeat was very low.
“Hahahahaha!! Now I’m the ruler of this kingdom!!”
The Pope envisioned himself seizing power.
“I’m about to reach the ending of the game!! Wait for me, my Dargal!!”
Mara envisioned a world where she was the main character.
As the two majestically made their way towards the palace, a figure appeared in front of them.
It was none other than Lydian.
Since he’d just returned from the academy, Lydian was still clad in uniform. He simply stared at the Pope, seemingly in trouble.
At the same time, the nobles who’d fled the royal palace rushed towards the Pope.
“Your Excellency the Pope!! We’re on your side!! We swear allegiance to you!!”
“As a proof, we’ll offer His Hi—we’ll offer Lydian’s head to you!!”
They screamed on top of their lungs.
Sitting on top of the palanquin, the Pope smiled contentedly. Mara also sneered at Lydian.
However, in the next moment, she screamed.
“Kyaaaaaaa!!!! I’m falling down—!!”
For some reason, the fire dragon began to descend rapidly, and Mara was almost thrown off. She somehow managed to stay safe by clinging to the horns on the fire dragon’s back, but as it spun around, Mara tumbled down.
She was saved because she fell on a feeding trough.
“W-what the heck is going on… Why did the fire dragon submit to you!? Why is it exposing its belly to you!?”
Mara’s cry was understandable.
After all, the mighty fire dragon was sticking out its belly like a spoiled dog and making a cute ‘Kii—kii—’ sound while staring at Lydian.
…It was a stark contrast from its dignified appearance from earlier.
The Pope, the Holy Knights, and the traitorous nobles were flabbergasted, their eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Again, it was understandable. The sight of such a godly being submitting to a mere human was just too shocking.
Meanwhile, the fire dragon merely followed his instincts. He could instantly tell that Lydian was stronger.
The fire dragon tried to use [Appraisal] on Lydian, but no numbers showed up.
[Appraisal] couldn’t be used on someone stronger than you. In other words, Lydian’s magical power surpassed even that of a fire dragon.
Lydian stared gently at the fire dragon who tried to flatter him.
“Good boy. I like honest children like you.”
“Thank you so much—! I’ll follow you forever—!”
…Not only did the fire dragon’s manner of speech change, his voice also became high-pitched.
The spoiled dragon purred and snuggled up to Lydian, who in turn also smiled and stroked him.
Certainly, the sight of a handsome youth and a dragon was very picturesque, but the Pope and the others were utterly gobsmacked.
After pampering the fire dragon, Lydian turned to the Pope and the others.
“Well, now that I have obtained a new pet, I’ll have to feed it. Are you a carnivore?”
The fire dragon beamed at Lydian.
“When it comes to food, I’ll absolutely eat anything!!”
“I see, that’s great. Well then, eat your fill.”
From the flow of the conversation, it was obvious who Lydian was referring to.
The nobles blanched. After all, not only did they loudly announce their defection, they even swore to take Lydian’s head.
“Please forgive me! Please, have mercy!”
One after another, the nobles fell to their knees and apologized. It was a chorus of kneeling and apologizing.
“I’m truly sorry for my mistake!! Please forgive me!! I’ll never do it again!!”
Even the Pope was prostrating himself and begging for mercy.
Mara cried out from inside the feeding trough. She was so haughty because she was the heroine of the game. After all, only she, the saint, could defeat the Demon King.
…However, to awaken her power, she’d have to engage in a passionate kiss with the crown prince.
But now, everything that could go wrong went wrong.
At last, it dawned on Mara that this world wasn’t just a game. She, too, desperately begged for her life.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!! I’m sorry for doing whatever I wanted until now!! I apologize, so please forgive me!!!!”
“No can do. If everything can be resolved with an apology, why the need for a fire dragon? I heard those knights screaming, ‘The end of the Kingdom of Llahendia! The dawn of the holy empire!’ If you raise a rebellion, of course you’ll be executed. All right, my new pet. Eat, but be careful not to dirty my capital.”
Lydian spoke while gently caressing the bridge of the fire dragon’s nose.
At those words, the fire dragon’s sweet attitude underwent a drastic change. Fiercely glaring at the Pope and the others, the fire dragon opened his jaw and took a deep breath—
“—Please stop!!”
A woman’s voice echoed.
When Lydian and the Pope turned at the direction of the voice, they saw a beautiful woman standing there, her hair fluttering.
She was in such a hurry that she was panting, her shoulders moving up and down.
The woman was covered in sweat, while her elegant dress was caked in dust and mud. Nevertheless, her gorgeous posture suggested that she was a woman of considerable social standing.
“Your Highness! Please stop. If you do that, Lady Eleonora’s merciful heart will shatter! For Lady Eleonora’s sake, please quell your anger!!”
It was none other than Adelaide.
Adelaide, whose part of daily routine was holding a party to appreciate Eleonora at the townhouse, heard the commotion. She went around with her escort knights, helping the injured.
Filled with righteous indignation, she denounced Mara and the Pope of the Goddess, but was admonished by Charmia, a participant.
“Calm down, Adelaide. Didn’t Lady Eleonora show mercy to people like me and you? She taught us to ‘hate the sin, not the sinner.’ Are you going to trample on her wish!?”
After being scolded, Adelaide rushed to save Mara and the Pope.
By the way, Eleonora was dragged by Berthold and Theselius to inspect a rural village (out of their good intention). Currently, she was in the middle of plucking the grass, drenched in sweat.
If Eleonora had been on the scene, she’d laugh at the fate of Mara and the others. ‘Ohohohoho!! Serves you right!!’
However, the ‘Eleonora’ that Adelaide believed in wouldn’t say such a thing.
Thus, Adelaide tearfully appealed to Lydian about Eleonora’s kindness (unreal).
“Your Highness!! Please stop!! Think of Lady Eleonora!!”
Usually, Lydian wouldn’t pay the words of others any heed, but since she was Eleonora’s subject, it was a different story. Lydian, who doted on Eleonora, wanted to protect her world. Not out of the goodness of his heart, but because he was just extreme like that.
“You’re right. I don’t want to sadden Eleonora. It can’t be helped. I’ll heed your advice.”
Smiling wryly, Lydian curtly replied. Lydian also thought of Eleonora as a compassionate figure. His standards were broken, after all. However, because he didn’t reveal much, the conversation between Lydian and Adelaide meshed well.
“Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince!”
Lydian smiled gently at Adelaide, who lifted the hem of her dress and gracefully curtseyed.
Then, he called out to the fire dragon, who was ready for battle.
“Leave them be. I’ll feed you aplenty later, so don’t worry.”
“If Master says so!”
The fire dragon answered, wagging his tail.
The Pope and Mara were humbled. Soon, their tears of relief and regret overflowed like a waterfall.
“M-my sincerest apologies!!! I, Garmalpen, shall never forget the mercy of His Highness Lydian and Lady Eleonora!! I will rename the Holy Palace of the Goddess into the Palace of Holy Virgin Eleonora!! I shall pass down the compassion of Lady Eleonora to the future generations!!”
Although that comment could only be considered as harassment, that was probably the most regretful Garmalpen had ever been in his whole life. After all, it took a lot to get a fanatic to change his faith.
Next, it was Mara’s turn.
“I’m sorry for being so full of myself!! The title of saint is wasted on me!! Lady Eleonora is the true saint!!”
Mara bowed her head, sinking into the feeding trough. The Holy Knights also did the same.
While weeping, they apologized and thanked both Lydian and Eleonora.
Lydian’s expression was as gracious as an angel’s. If their words were false, he’d sooner just unleash the fire dragon upon them. However, when he saw them trembling with fear and worshiping Eleonora, he decided against it.
“All right, that’s wonderful. Maintain that attitude, and I won’t torment you further. Always remember that you’re indebted to Eleonora.”
Everyone bowed down at Lydian’s words.
Adelaide smiled wholeheartedly.
All’s well that ends well, but the fact that Lydian had enslaved a fire dragon shocked the entire nation. The people of Llahendia were convinced that their crown prince was an abomination.
Translator’s Note:
Moral: trust your guts, folks!
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