VBNWDW - Chapter 61
Chapter 61
Repelling the enemy did not mark the end of the battle. The subsequent cleanup of the battlefield, the reconstruction of the city walls, and the tallying and treatment of casualties were all matters of the utmost importance.
The slightest oversight in any of these areas could trigger a host of problems, large and small. Thus, even the experienced Duke Ander found herself completely overwhelmed, forced to hastily arrange for the queen and her retinue to stay at her own residence before rushing off to manage the chaos.
Given the circumstances, Metis was not bothered by the duke’s neglect. She had her own affairs to attend to—for instance, dealing with the mage who had been tied up on the road.
The whole affair was rather farcical. The mage was from one of the Council families. Since becoming one of the Gifted and displaying exceptional talent, he had been showered with resources and protection by his family. This time, he had been sent out for the sake of gaining experience, with two intermediate mages assigned specifically to protect him.
But no one had expected him to lose his nerve before even reaching the battlefield. He first tried to delay by feigning illness, then set his sights on Metis. He deliberately approached the royal carriage and attacked her, feigning an assassination attempt by an outsider.
According to his confession, he believed that if Her Majesty the Queen were injured, a small contingent of the army would surely be left behind to care for her. He could then volunteer for that duty and avoid the war altogether.
He never imagined that the moment he neared the carriage, he would run into Metis and the dragon returning from their training. The next second, he was knocked unconscious by the dragon and tossed into the carriage.
Immediately after, a messenger from Nia City arrived at a gallop, urgently reporting that the Atl army was attacking relentlessly through the night and that Nia City was on the verge of collapse.
Seizing what they saw as a rare opportunity, Metis and the dragon used an iron-fisted approach to suppress any of the Gifted who tried to complain, ordering the entire army to break camp that very night and march to Nia City’s aid.
When they were still a hundred miles away, the group noticed the disturbance in the sky. Finding the army’s pace too slow, the dragon and Metis broke away from the main force and rushed ahead, leading to the scene that had unfolded during the day.
Night had now fallen, but Nia City remained brightly lit. Servants bustled back and forth within the ducal manor, all busy attending to the Gifted who had arrived from Anthelia.
In one room, several mages were crowded together, their expressions a mixture of irritation and anxiety. The sounds of their arguments occasionally drifted outside.
“Niles was a coward who obstructed the army’s advance. What does that have to do with us? If your Loren family wants to save him, then go save him yourselves! Why are you dragging us into this?”
A mage across the table slammed his hand down and shot back, “The Council families are one body! Isn’t it only right that we help each other?”
Another person on the side laughed mockingly. “That doesn’t mean we should help a deserter. Besides, shouldn’t our biggest concern be the fact that Her Majesty the Queen has suddenly become one of the Gifted and can command a dragon?”
The room fell silent. Every face was grave. Regardless of whether they had belonged to the Council families before, by choosing to join and accept their resources, they had to consider the families’ interests.
Previously, the queen’s power was weak, usurped by the Council families and the Temple of Light. They had all been beneficiaries of that arrangement.
Once the fervor of the day’s battle dissipated, all that remained was apprehension and calculation.
“I’ve already sent Phoebe back. She’s a junior wind mage. Using wind elements to speed her journey, she should be able to make it back by tomorrow night and deliver the news to the dukes.”
Hearing this, the others breathed a small sigh of relief, confident that the dukes would make the appropriate decisions. Yet they couldn’t help but wonder: would a queen with a dragon on her side still be the puppet she once was?
The lamplight flickered, mirroring the uncertainty in their hearts. Unable to find an answer, they could only steer the conversation back to Niles, the would-be deserter.
Meanwhile, the knights were discussing the very same matter.
Just as the Atl Kingdom worshipped the God of War, the Roy Kingdom was united in its faith in the God of Light. Temples of Light were established throughout the land and granted immense authority.
The Temple of Light itself was divided into two factions. One consisted of the Head and the Light Mages, who primarily managed the Temple’s affairs, participated in state decisions, and oversaw the awakening of the populace.
The other faction was composed of the Elders and the Holy Knights, responsible for protecting the nation and the Temple. Compared to the pure mages, they were physically stronger and more skilled in combat. Perennially clad in silver armor, mounted on horseback with lances in hand, they were figures of admiration for every child in the Roy Kingdom—the very ideal they aspired to become.
“Didn’t the Head perform the awakening ceremony for Her Majesty and confirm that she couldn’t communicate with the elements—that she was just an ordinary person?” someone muttered in confusion.
Another person, equally bewildered, added, “Everyone knows that. The late king willfully insisted on marrying a common woman, tainting the royal bloodline and making it impossible for the queen to awaken… The Head was merciful; he even risked performing the awakening ceremony for Her Majesty three times. Only after it failed every time did he give up.”
This was a matter of great significance, known only to a few family heads and the Head of the Temple. The ordinary members were simply baffled, unable to understand why the ancient awakening ceremony had suddenly gone awry.
“Someone has already been sent back to inform the Head,” said the highest-ranking knight among them, his brow tightly furrowed. “Our mission now is to protect the queen. For the time being, do not concern yourselves with anything else.”
“What about the deserter?”
“That is a matter for the Council families.”
Although the Temple and the Council had cooperated for a long time, they were ultimately two separate entities. Compared to the Council families, who could usurp the throne at any moment, the Temple was bound by more constraints and had a greater need for the royal family’s existence. Her Majesty the Queen could be a puppet, but she had to remain alive.
Before they set out, the Head had privately instructed him that protecting the queen was their primary mission.
The group talked for a while longer before dispersing.
In another room, the queen and the dragon at the center of all this discussion appeared far more relaxed.
Steam warmed the room. Her Majesty the Queen, who had charged onto the battlefield with a blade in hand, so decisive in her slaughter, was now dressed in a white gown. Her loosely draped hair was still slightly damp, soaking the thin fabric. With downcast eyes tinged with a faint blush, she gazed helplessly at the table.
Upon the exquisitely carved wooden table sat a basin of hot water. A palm-sized black dragon was soaking inside, eyes narrowed in enjoyment of Her Majesty’s scrubbing service.
Although dragons could manipulate the elements to clean themselves at will, who could possibly refuse a soak in hot water while being scrubbed across every scale with a specially made boar-bristle brush?
The little black dragon rolled over, revealing a belly still covered in inky scales, and said with satisfied mumbling, “Metis, scrub a little more right here.”
Its tail swished in the water, creating ripples, while its claws rested casually in front of it in a lazy, relaxed posture.
At its words, Her Majesty moved the brush to the black dragon’s belly, applying pressure as she scrubbed down along the scales. There was no need to worry about using too much force; a dragon’s body could easily withstand a full-force attack from a Advanced Mage, let alone a mere bristle brush. In fact, the harder she scrubbed, the happier it was.
At the same time, Metis summoned a flame to maintain the water’s temperature. This display of multitasking showed no sign of disorder, a testament to her great progress in recent days.
The dragon lazily raised an eyelid, then cooperatively lifted a claw and mumbled, “You should be considered a junior mage by now, right?”
Metis nodded absently. With a thought, the flame detached from her hand and began to circle the iron basin on its own. She then took hold of the dragon’s claw and lifted it.
The mage ranks on the Chryse Continent were divided into eight levels: Apprentice Mage, Junior Mage, Intermediate Mage, Advanced Mage, Great Mage, Magister, Great Magister, and Saint Magister.
Initially, these ranks corresponded to those of magical beasts; for example, a first-tier magical beast was equivalent to a human Apprentice Mage. However, due to the inherent physical strength and inherited talents of beasts, a first-tier magical beast was slightly stronger than an Apprentice Mage.
But from the Great Mage level onward, the advantage of magical beasts gradually diminished. The magical skills humans could control were more powerful and flexible. A Great Magister could even contend with a ninth-tier magical beast, while the legendary god-tier was beyond the knowledge of mortals.
Seeing Metis’s growing dexterity, the dragon nodded, though it felt no surprise.
She possessed excellent talent to begin with; it had merely been delayed. Later, she had used the Dragon Clan’s treasured recipes to temper her body, absorbing a great number of third-tier fire magic cores until she had practically become a being of pure fire element. Coupled with the dragon’s tutelage, her progress was naturally swift.
“The tail, the tail!”
After her belly was scrubbed, the little black dragon lifted its tail. It hugged its tail with its two small claws, its gilded eyes filled with expectation. “The tail needs scrubbing too.”
A hint of a smile flashed in Metis’s pale gray-blue eyes. She dutifully moved the brush to its tail and asked, “Would you like a bit of fragrance oil?”
It was a potion refined by the elves, who worshipped the God of Nature, using a special method. When used during bathing, it not only cleaned the body more thoroughly but also left a long-lasting floral scent, making it highly popular among the nobility.
The little black dragon’s eyes lit up. “What scents are there?” it asked immediately.
“Osmanthus, rose, jasmine…” Metis counted the stock in her ring.
“Osmanthus!” the black dragon answered at once. It lay flat, floating on the water’s surface to make it easier for Metis to scrub, and complained, “There’s just too much dust and debris from those humans!”
Although it had been in mid-air, the dust kicked up by the mages’ formations had been swept everywhere by the tornado, and some had inevitably clung to its body. This was why it had suddenly demanded a bath.
A faint osmanthus fragrance filled the air. The little black dragon lifted a hind leg and instructed earnestly, “You need to scrub here more. I stepped in blood earlier.”
Its drawn-out tone sounded rather pitiful, and it stared at Metis with wide eyes, as if trying to be cute.
Metis squeezed its paw reassuringly and began to scrub with even greater care.
Fortunately, a palm-sized black dragon wasn’t difficult to wash. After a short while, Metis changed the water again, then finally lifted the drowsy dragon out. She wrapped it in a white cloth, drying the water from its body.
The black dragon good-naturedly let her fuss over it, lying on the queen’s lap. From time to time, her long golden hair would brush against its cheek, creating a ticklish sensation.
Metis, focused on drying it carefully, didn’t notice. The dragon tried to hold it in, but couldn’t suppress a sneeze.
“Metis… your hair is too long…” the little black dragon said with an embarrassed laugh, tugging at the end of a strand.
Metis’s movements slowed slightly. “I suppose it is. I’ll have it cut a bit shorter in a couple of days?”
“No! Your hair is so golden and beautiful. Don’t cut it,” the little black dragon said willfully. It loved all things shiny, even its partner’s hair.
Metis had no objection. She nodded. “Then I won’t.”
The black dragon expressed its satisfaction, hooking a claw around the strand of hair and swinging it. Just then, a knock came from the door.
The movements of both human and dragon froze abruptly.
“Your Majesty, it is I, Talia Ander,” the person announced respectfully.
The little black dragon, which had been lying on its back, suddenly flipped over and looked toward the door.
Metis frowned. She had a faint sense that the dragon was unusually interested in Talia. For instance, when they had been discussing strategy earlier, it had insisted that Metis focus on the Ander family. And today on the city wall, it had glanced at Talia several times.
Metis subconsciously covered the black dragon with the white cloth before speaking. “Please, come in.”
Regardless of her current suspicions, the Ander family was an ally she had to win over.
The ten Council families in Anthelia had cooperated for many years. Barring a special opportunity, it would be extremely difficult to break them apart. The other two families, though they held military power, had been driven to the border. Their relationships with the other families had grown distant, and their strength had been whittled away by one war after another, leaving their lineages thin.
The Ander family at least still had several dozen members. The Gael family, on the other hand, had been reduced to letting a young girl inherit the title. Because of this, the two families had an excellent relationship, very much in the spirit of huddling together for warmth.
Metis couldn’t seize power within Anthelia, so she had turned her sights outward. By winning over these two families, she could also enhance her own reputation, so that when the common people thought of the royal family, they wouldn’t only think of the contract with the dragon.
This was why they had been so deliberately high-profile during the day.
Even with this plan in mind, as the other woman entered the room, Metis couldn’t help but raise her eyes and study her.
She was likely in her late twenties, with black hair and blue eyes, her features sharp and defined. Though exhausted from a long day of toil, she had still changed into clean clothes before coming, and her back was as straight as a bamboo stalk.
She took a few steps forward, then knelt on one knee in a salute.
Metis spoke accordingly. “Please, sit, Duke. You have worked hard today.”
Only then did Talia sit, her gaze subconsciously sweeping toward the queen. She saw the little black dragon resting its head on the table. She pressed her lips together, pretended not to have seen it, and said, “It was merely my duty. I must thank Your Majesty for arriving in time. Without Your Majesty and…”
She paused, awkwardly searching for a word. “…and Lord Black Dragon’s rescue, I might not have had the opportunity to work hard at all.”
Metis simply smiled, then abruptly changed the subject. “On our way here, a mage from one of the Council families lost his courage and attempted to ambush me to avoid going to the front line.”
Talia’s expression turned cold. This concerned her life and the lives of everyone in Nia City. How could she not be angry?
“Fortunately, I sensed it beforehand and had him tied up. That’s why the rescue wasn’t delayed,” Metis said quickly, before continuing, “He is currently being held in the ducal manor. In your opinion, Duke, how should he be dealt with?”
Talia was no fool; she understood the queen’s unspoken meaning. Metis had already shown her sincerity by revealing her strength and risking offending the Council families to save Nia City. Now, it was Talia’s turn to provide a suitable demonstration of her own sincerity.
She fell silent for a moment, her eyes lowered to the complex patterns on the tabletop. Although she had gritted her teeth and made her decision during the day, she couldn’t help but doubt the queen now. After all, the royal family had been a puppet of the Council for centuries. Could things really change now?
But the Ander family truly couldn’t hold on for much longer. A few more attacks from the Atl Kingdom, and they might end up like the Gaels, or even worse, with no one left at all.
The little black dragon on the queen’s lap shook its head. It was the one dragon who knew exactly what Talia was thinking right now.
In the original plot, Metis had not yet earned the dragon’s friendship. She had to travel with the army alone, so the mage’s plan had naturally succeeded. The army’s advance was delayed, Nia City was breached, and the entire Ander family was slaughtered, with only Talia managing to escape thanks to an ancestral sixth-tier scroll.
None of this was Metis’s fault. Even after being injured, she had pushed herself to order the army to continue advancing, only to be besieged by the Atl forces remaining in Nia City. If the contract dragon hadn’t torn through space to save her when she was on the brink of death, she likely would have died there.
But to shirk responsibility, the Council families had spread the rumor that the army failed to arrive in time because the queen was injured and had lost her nerve.
Consequently, Talia, who had fled to another country and was secretly working to grow stronger, came to see Metis as her enemy, which led to the later rebellion.
But now, everything had changed. The dragon blinked its gilded eyes and, under Metis’s gentle stroking, grew drowsy.
Talia finally spoke. “Your Majesty, when I was young, my grandfather often told me stories of Anthelia’s prosperity. In its busiest times, the streets were filled with vendors, and eight out of ten people were among the Gifted.”
She looked up, her gaze fixed on Metis, and asked, “Do you think the Ander family will ever be able to see such a sight again?”
She was asking Metis for a promise.
Her Majesty the Queen smiled. Her pale gray-blue eyes were like the sacred, crystal-clear waters of Lantis Lake, instilling a sense of calm in anyone who looked into them.
Her voice was not loud, soft even, yet it carried a convincing weight. She said, “The palace wine cellar holds many fine vintages, their flavors truly rare.”
“If the Duke would not be offended, I hope that one day, I might stand with you on the city walls, to watch Anthelia’s prosperity and share a fine vintage together.”
Talia stared at her for a long time before finally letting out a breath. A sudden smile broke across her face. “This man delayed military orders and deliberately postponed the rescue. According to the law, he can be executed.”
Her tone was light, as if she weren’t speaking of a human life. She was well aware that the order she had just given would completely sever the Ander family from the Council’s camp and place them in opposition.
Her tone shifted again as she added, “By the way, Your Majesty, do you know why the Atl Kingdom suddenly attacked Nia City?”
Metis’s expression grew serious. “Why?” she asked immediately.
“Because the Council families were secretly excavating a mine…”
The full moon hung high in the sky, and the night grew deeper. Nia City, having finally repelled its invaders, was filled with the sounds of snoring. The broken walls and shattered blades, the mountains of corpses and rivers of blood outside the city, were all shrouded in darkness, waiting to be dealt with on the morrow.
In the ducal manor, the lights in a few rooms burned through the entire night, filled with the ceaseless sound of conversation that only died down as the sky began to pale.
Meanwhile, the messenger finally reached Anthelia. The news he carried shocked the Council families and drained the color from the face of the Temple’s Head, who spent a sleepless night waiting for morning, when he hastily summoned the Council heads for a long, secret meeting.
At this moment, most people in the Roy Kingdom were still unaware that the balance of power, which had been maintained for centuries, was finally about to shift. The Roy Kingdom was on the verge of a great transformation. They woke up and went to work as usual, just as they had countless times before, as if nothing had changed.
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