VBNWDW - Chapter 83
Chapter 83
After a night had passed, Metis once again received a black dragon that had fallen into a deep slumber. Thankfully, the creature knew to shrink itself, allowing Her Majesty the Queen to carry it in her arms.
And so, a month and a half flew by. By the time the dragon awoke, it was already in a familiar place.
The Queen's bedroom.
It opened its eyes, a little dazed, and surveyed the not-so-large room, unable to tell if it was a dream or reality. After all, its memory was still stuck on being in the bucket with Metis.
At the thought of her, the dragon couldn't help but narrow its eyes, a look of satisfaction appearing on its face. Then, it subconsciously began to search for a certain someone.
"No need to look. Your Little Queen just arrived in the royal capital and is busy accepting the adoration of the nobles and commoners."
The long-absent voice of the System appeared. The cold voice had an inexplicably smug tone, causing the dragon's face to harden instantly.
But the entity, seemingly unaware of how much it annoyed the dragon, spoke again. "Stop glaring. I'm not in front of you. What's the use of glaring at the air? Don't you want to know what your Little Queen did while you were unconscious?"
Hearing this, the little black dragon finally showed a hint of amiability. It casually flopped onto the bed and said lazily, "What did she do?"
The System didn't mind and said directly, "She led troops to the palace of the Atl Kingdom, forced them to sign a ten-year peace treaty, demanded they not initiate any attacks during this period, and made them compensate for all the expenses of this expedition. Impressive, right?"
The dragon raised an eyebrow, finally showing a trace of astonishment.
The System sneered. "Let me give you the details."
"She used that gold mine as military funding, led an army of one hundred and fifty thousand directly across the border, and set up camp a hundred meters outside their border city. Under the cover of night, they lit fires and cooked. After the soldiers had eaten their fill, she led the attack directly. She took a city that very night and completely locked down the news."
The little black dragon lay on the soft bed, its tail swaying, lost in thought.
It hadn't expected Metis to be so bold. But on second thought, it wasn't entirely impossible. The Atl Kingdom had always looked down on the Roy Kingdom. For hundreds of years, all friction had been instigated by Atl, with Roy only ever defending, never counter-attacking.
Over time, they had grown complacent. And after their last defeat, the Roy army hadn't pursued them. This time, they were even colluding with factions within Roy, so their king was busy punishing the collaborating families and demanding compensation, naturally neglecting his defenses even more.
He had never imagined that Her Majesty the Queen would completely disregard the Council's orders and charge straight over.
"And then?" the dragon asked proactively.
"Then she emptied the city's granaries, using a strategy of living off the land, and took several cities in a row before the Atl Kingdom finally scrambled to react."
"Didn't their Gifted intervene?" The dragon seized on the questionable point. They only had the Gifted from the Council families, and most of them had been injured in Nia City. How could they have the strength to fight an entire country?
"Have you forgotten the scrolls you gave her? Dozens of sixth-tier scrolls. If you lined them up at the royal capital's gate, you could blast the city flat. Not to mention the hostages she captured along the way."
The System clicked its tongue. "The Great Mages who were injured and sent away, the commander who escaped, the disciples of great families sent out for training—your Little Queen didn't let a single one go. She tied them up like grasshoppers and paraded them at the front."
"The King of Atl's face was so dark."
The System's description was so vivid that the dragon could clearly picture the scene as it quirked its lips.
"And then?"
"Then your Little Queen signed the treaty with them, released the hostages, and returned in glory," the System said with a laugh, its voice tinged with mockery.
It continued, "I told you not to let her grow unchecked. Now she no longer needs to rely on you to fight her way to the Atl Kingdom's capital. Can you guess what she's thinking now? What will temporarily satisfy her ambition?"
"Oh," the dragon replied nonchalantly.
The System, perhaps feeling its threat wasn't potent enough, added, "If the mission fails, you will die."
"And if it succeeds?"
The System trotted out its usual spiel.
The dragon gave another lazy reply, rolling over on the pillow, looking completely unconcerned.
The System snorted coldly and, faced with the stubborn creature, chose to disappear.
Meanwhile, in the same council hall, Metis sat at the head of the table. The little knight and two generals stood beside her, while Duke Ander sat at the very end. The rest of the attendees were the same as before.
The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. The cheers of the commoners outside were impossible to suppress. Ever since the news had spread, Anthelia City had been plunged into a carnival-like celebration, as if hundreds of years of pent-up frustration were being released all at once.
But the people inside the room could barely force a smile, finding it difficult to even feign happiness.
The Head of the Temple's expression was extremely cold. In this expedition, their Temple had suffered the greatest losses. A hundred Holy Knights were a formidable force anywhere, yet they had died for no reason, with not a single one left.
He didn't believe for a second that there wasn't something more to it, so he was now prepared to interrogate Metis and the others.
Across from him, Patriarch Naist's expression was normal, but his tightly clasped hands betrayed his nervousness.
He was the one who had offered the gold mine as a condition for the Atl Kingdom to dispatch troops.
Although he had outwardly agreed with the decision, he knew in his heart how dangerous it was to let the Little Queen gradually gain power. So, since they couldn't stop her, they might as well let the Atl Kingdom do it.
But he never expected to shoot himself in the foot. Not only was Metis not held up in Nia City, she had launched a fierce counter-attack on the Atl Kingdom!
A chill ran down his spine, and he secretly resented the Maple Family. Why hadn't they explained sooner that they weren't colluding with the Queen? Now it was too late. They had been tricked into a pit by the young tigress and their entire family had been wiped out.
He had no intention of reflecting on his own actions, only feeling that it was everyone else's fault.
"Since everyone is here, then…" The Queen's words were cut off before she could finish.
"Your Majesty, I wish to know why so many of my Holy Knights perished!" the Head of the Temple spoke first.
Metis raised an eyebrow slightly. A month of battle had made her more mature and steady, like an unsheathed sword glinting with a sharp light.
Patriarch Naist, who was beside him, also said, "The Maple Family was sent to guard the border, and their family was annihilated within a few days. Your Majesty ought to give us an explanation for this! Otherwise, who would dare to send their entire family to Nia City?"
The two of them stared intently at Metis, cooperating with a tacit understanding despite not having planned it beforehand.
Metis showed no signs of panic, offering a smile that held no warmth. "An explanation? Do I need to state what the two of you have done?"
The two men's eyes shifted, and they inexplicably fell silent.
A thin layer of ice coated her pale blue-gray eyes as she quietly regarded them. She spoke again, "A three-way conflict leads to mutual destruction. If you all insist on pursuing this, then this Queen will hash it out with everyone properly."
Her tone shifted. "If we drop it now, then we will let the past be the past. This Queen will not hold it against you."
As her words fell, the crowd was stunned, not expecting Metis to say such a thing.
But she leaned back calmly against her chair and said faintly, "Is there any point in a group of people fighting back and forth? If this continues, the Roy Kingdom will inevitably suffer a heavy blow, and our strength will be greatly diminished."
She raised her eyes, looking at the jackals and tigers she had perceived them to be in her youth, a hint of mockery in her expression. "When I led my troops to the royal capital of the Atl Kingdom, I saw what their city was like. It is already ten times stronger than Roy. If they weren't wary of the scrolls in my hand, they would have driven us back long ago."
"My lords… you tell me, if we let them continue to develop like this, when will the Roy Kingdom fall?"
"Instead of getting tangled up over this small piece of land, why not set our sights on the entire plain?"
Metis took a deep breath, finally able to say the words she hadn't dared to speak to Yueqing on the city wall. "I no longer want to fight with all of you over a trivial amount of power."
"From now on, the Roy Kingdom will be as it was before, with decisions made through consultation among the three parties. I will lead the army to expand our territory, and you will be responsible for governing from behind."
This was Metis's concession. She could have continued to wear down the Temple and the Council families, slowly chipping away at their power.
But she was growing impatient. It was only when she was leading troops to conquer city after city that Metis realized how much time she had wasted by holding back and being patient.
The hand resting casually on the table twitched. The ambition suppressed deep in her heart was surging out uncontrollably, scratching at her and keeping her awake at night.
"If no one has anything to say, I will take that as your agreement."
Metis paid no mind to the people who were frozen in shock, swiftly making arrangements. "The spoils of this campaign have been tallied. Tomorrow, they will be distributed to the soldiers who followed me according to their merits, and the rest will go into the national treasury."
"Ogechi and Dion have rendered meritorious service in leading the troops and are appointed as Great Generals. The army of the Roy Kingdom will be temporarily under their command."
"Mo Wen and Talia are temporarily appointed as Generals, and will follow Ogechi and Dion to assist in managing the army."
"If there are no objections, this is how it will be for now. There seems to be some unusual movement on the border guarded by the Gael Family. After the army has rested for a while, we will lead troops to investigate."
Only Metis's voice echoed in the vast hall. The expressions on everyone's faces ranged from surprise to shock, or they simply remained silent.
She ignored them all, making decisions with the swiftness of a sharp knife cutting through tangled hemp.
Then she stood up and added, "If anyone is dissatisfied and wants to tear up this agreement, then we can continue to wear each other down and see who has the last laugh."
If the dragon had seen this, it would surely have commented on how domineering the Little Queen was, unilaterally declaring this to be everyone's agreement when no one had even consented.
But it wouldn't have scolded her. It probably would have praised Her Majesty the Queen a few times.
With that, Metis turned and walked away. Ogechi and the others followed closely behind, and the group left the council hall directly.
Unbeknownst to them, this Little Queen had already cultivated a power base loyal only to her, right under their noses.
As the footsteps faded, the people inside looked at each other with grim faces.
This situation had completely deviated from their expectations. Metis's words, one after another, had left them stunned where they stood.
Everyone subconsciously looked toward Patriarch Naist. The Head of the Temple remained silent.
The red sun slanted westward. The light from outside couldn't reach the interior, making it appear dim and cool. The shadows on the floor gradually melted into the darkness.
Patriarch Naist finally spoke. "Are you sure it's gone?"
Someone answered in a low voice, "It hasn't appeared for over a month. When she attacked Kangning City, she was besieged by several mages and could only escape by using scrolls."
Patriarch Naist asked again, "Is everything ready?"
"It's ready."
He curled his lips into a smirk and looked across the room. "Head of the Temple, what do you think?"
That man slowly nodded, a flash of resolve in his eyes.
The Little Queen's supposed concession was, in reality, cutting into the flesh and blood of every faction. The things they had done, one by one, weighed heavily on their minds. Even they themselves found it hard to forgive their own actions.
How could they possibly believe Metis's promise to let bygones be bygones? Once the Little Queen completely secured her throne, who knew what would happen.
Night fell.
Dark clouds gathered and a strong wind began to blow. Perhaps because it was late autumn, the weather had grown colder these past two days, looking as if it was about to rain.
In the room, the dragon was acting shamelessly with Metis.
"How can you blame me for this! It was your subordinate who brought the roasted lamb, and it was you who personally cut it and fed it to me. Could I refuse to give you face?"
The palm-sized black dragon rolled from one side of the table to the other, wishing it could write the word "innocent" on its face.
"It was in front of your subordinate! If I had said I wouldn't eat, wouldn't you have lost face?"
Metis watched her antics with a smile and asked rhetorically, "So it's my fault?"
"Whose fault could it be but yours?" The dragon shot up, placing its paws on its hips and saying fiercely, "It's your fault. It has nothing to do with this dragon."
Metis, who was eating her dinner, reached out and poked the dragon's belly, mercilessly exposing the truth. "It's clearly because you're a lightweight. That little bit of alcohol wouldn't even get a three-year-old drunk, yet you slept for a month."
"Nonsense!" The little black dragon, suddenly feeling guilty, quickly raised its voice. "I ate half a lamb, I'm not like them!"
"Yes, yes, half a roasted lamb. Was there even half a cup of alcohol left on it?" Metis humored it, taking a bite of the roasted meat the kitchen had sent over. She didn't know if the Council families had experienced a pang of conscience, but she was actually being served roasted magical beast meat now.
"At least two cups of strong liquor," a certain dragon argued.
Its eyes darted around, and it remembered the main point, grinning slyly. "I don't care. It's your fault, so you have to compensate me."
"Oh? How should I compensate you?" Metis asked with a half-smile.
The little black dragon immediately broke into a wide, mischievous grin. Its tail wagged back and forth as it pondered what it should ask for to get the best deal.
The warm yellow light filled the room. Metis looked down at it, her long golden hair spilling over her shoulders. The shadows of the woman and the dragon stretched out, then overlapped into one…
—Thud!
The person who had been sitting there properly suddenly fell to the floor. The little black dragon panicked for a second, and in the next, Yueqing appeared and caught the person in her arms.
"Metis! Metis!" Her voice was panicked and fearful as she quickly released her mental power to check on her.
In just those few seconds, Metis's face had turned pale and dark, her lips a shade of purple.
The dragon's hands and feet turned ice-cold with fear. Looking at the Tree of Genes, she saw a black, poisonous gas spreading rapidly from the roots upwards. In an instant, it had corroded and covered the trunk.
"Metis!"
Cold sweat dripped from Yueqing's brow. Her lips moved, the surrounding elements twisted, and a warm light instantly descended. Unfortunately, the poison was too terrible; even a sixth-tier spell could only slightly delay its progress.
Just as Yueqing was about to continue, she sensed a strange power emanating from Metis's lower abdomen, working with her to slow the poison.
She froze abruptly, murmuring, "This… this is a child…"
Her palms were drenched in sweat. With no time to think, she cast several more light magic spells.
Whoever had administered the poison must have been acting with absolute resolve. If Yueqing hadn't been right there, Metis would likely have breathed her last in the next second. But even so, Metis's condition was extremely critical.
The table and chair crashed to the floor, scattering the remaining food across the ground. The milky-white soup flowed into the distance as the rain began to pour down with a roar.
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