REFDL 39

The plan was executed.

From the Second Prince’s perspective, it was a perfect success.

From Emperor Denos’s perspective, it was a clumsy failure.

Originally, they had agreed to kill him, but the Second Prince spared the duke.

Upon hearing the news, Emperor Denos grabbed the back of his head.

But he could do nothing against the Second Prince, who had voluntarily stepped down immediately after the plan’s execution.

He found some solace in the fact that the duke had been rendered completely incapable of recovery……

Half a year later.

Duke Irelion returned to the front lines as if nothing had happened.

With tattoos etched into five places on his body.

And Valita heard the entire story from the demon connected to his sacrificed left leg.

He woke up the next day and lived exactly as he always had.

He stretched and showed his hopeless leg to the physician. Pushed out of the succession race due to his disability, he diligently attended his new classes. He tended to his fief. He won the people’s favor. And so, beneath the surface, he accomplished everything.

“……”

Just as the Emperor had done, he paid the demon a price, emptying the Emperor and Crown Prince of their essence.

Then he hunted down the dark mage who had led the Emperor down the path of dark magic, severed his limbs, and burned him alive.

He did not ascend the throne. There was no need.

He was already the Emperor of Denos.

And as Emperor, he had strived for his nation’s prosperity and peace.

His obsession with dragons was both part of that effort and its core.

“……”

He firmly identified dragons as the sole reason Denos was being pushed back by Firmus.

‘That’s just the truth.’

So Valita made a choice.

For Denos… no, for himself, he temporarily set aside his pride.

He abandoned the orthodox method and chose a trick.

It was infusing demonic energy into a vessel.

The slight ‘prank’ he’d attempted on the Kremlis but stopped was also this.

Saying it like this made it sound dangerous, but because the dragon was such a unique creature, the first attempt wouldn’t yield much benefit.

Considering he was a Kremlis, it probably would have ended with just a few days of nightmares.

…Well, it would be a lie to say he didn’t hope the Kremlis might rampage, injure those around him, and though unlikely, that he’d be killed as a result.

Anyway, after repeatedly injecting demonic energy, the only ones he barely managed to beguile were Knum and Batu.

…Meaning that even after doing that, taming Knum and Batu was the limit.

The demon in his left leg chuckled, mocking Valita.

That was when the bastard extended his hand. The demon claimed he could offer some assistance.

The treacherous deal he proposed was surprisingly reasonable. The price was also fair.

There was no reason not to. Valita accepted.

He dreamed of commanding all ground-dwelling, aquatic, winged species, and even a Kremlis. This was shortly before the Forest Village incident erupted.

‘But then.’

This side succeeded in taming a Kremlis using the ‘orthodox’ method.

Seeing the smug emperor’s face made his barely settled stomach churn.

He was on the verge of developing an absurd sense of victimhood, as if his own Kremlis had been stolen.

‘…No. It’s not a sense of victimhood.’

If he had met that Kremlis first. Then he would have been his.

Yes. This wasn’t a sense of victimhood, it was clear and undeniable loss. Firmus had stolen what was his.

‘Then, I must take him back.’

Valita had been filled with rage over the Kremlis when crossing the strait, but he couldn’t even remember that now.

“……”

He’d been overcomplicating things, but perhaps it was simpler than he thought.

Valita’s mind froze in an instant.

The moment the gargoyle statue fell toward his head. That moment when he faced death vividly for the first time.

A body larger than a carriage.

Beautiful wings spread wide to block the stone fragment.

The long neck was elegant, and the face looking down exuded majesty.

Proud and arrogant.

The title”king of dragons” couldn’t have been more fitting.

The emotion Valita felt then was beyond words. In fact, attempting to describe it with clumsy language felt like an insult to its very existence.

His greed boiled over, threatening to spill from his throat at any moment.

So, the conclusion is this.

Valita had fallen for the Kremlis dragon named Yuram.

“…Ha ha!”

Finally.

Realizing his state objectively, Valita couldn’t hold back his laughter. The mask shattered, revealing his true face.

Buy he couldn’t contain it.

Ah.

‘I want him.’

Of course, someday he would have him.

‘But right now, it’s difficult…’

Valita’s gaze shifted to the side. He sensed Kaelus’s attention had been drawn his way since he burst out laughing.

He smiled.

‘Since I can’t do what I originally planned.’

Wouldn’t doing something else restore the balance?

This was an era of temple decline and waning divine influence. Whatever he did, the chances of being caught were low.

* * *

I realized.

“Good heavens. Just look at those beautiful scales!”

“And those majestic eyes! What about those fierce claws!”

“I hear a Kremlis grows to nearly four times the size of a Pensilta. I can’t wait to see how magnificent he will be when fully grown.”

That I was born for the stage.

Praise and flattery poured in from all sides. All my worries in the Sea of Trees had been pointless.

These people thought I was an ‘imprinted’ dragon.

My current size was roughly that of a one-month-old kitten.

The Emperor was constantly stroking my head and back. (Calm down)

……Those factors played a role.

Anyway, the feeling of being welcomed by people wasn’t bad.

It’s not just not bad!

It was thrilling.

I might get addicted.

It felt similar to competing in a tournament. More precisely, it felt like standing on the podium with medals strung around my neck..

Bullying. Transfer. Conflict. ……Accident.

In the end, I quit swimming, and I only felt that sensation once. But precisely because of that, I couldn’t forget it. Who would’ve thought I’d feel it again here, like this.

I lifted my head even higher.

Like a living natural monument who knew its own worth, I moved proudly across the Emperor’s shoulders and hands.

The nobles couldn’t help but gasp in admiration each time. Some elderly nobles even wept.

That was a bit creepy…….

I continued my antics for a while longer.

…Huh?

Kya?!

I sensed that same unpleasant, ominous aura I’d encountered in the greenhouse.

I turned my head around. It wasn’t my eyes, but my senses that found him first.

As expected.

The source was the Fourth Prince standing at the second-floor balcony.

Grrrrr.

Looking at him made my throat tighten.

It felt like gum stuck to the sole of my shoe. Then add a stone fragment, crunching underfoot with every step, even through the rubber sole.

So much so that the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I might vomit.

It was that kind of feeling.

“Hm? It seems the Kremlis has suddenly gotten into a bad mood……”

“He might just be tired. As you can see, he’s still quite young.”

The Emperor, casually cracking jokes, tapped my thigh lightly with his index finger.

Behave. Please.

“……”

I apologized in advance.

Unfortunately, it seems that won’t be possible. The energy that started from Valita was fired at Kaelus, who was standing at the opposite railing!

Kyaaah?!

The energy struck Kaelus directly.

He didn’t seem to feel a thing. Instead, seeing me suddenly jump around like a drugged rat, he raised his eyebrows.

But.

“……?!”

The effect was immediate.

His previously emotionless, dark gray pupils rapidly dilated. He clamped a hand over his mouth, as if holding nausea, or suppressing something else. Leaning forward, he staggered, gripping the railing.

I can’t speak.

At first, I didn’t understand.

But experiencing it myself, I get why I was told not to. At least not today.

I got too excited.

The concept the Emperor devised: present me as Julan’s incarnation for the Founding Festival.

For that, I had to exist solely as the Emperor’s accessory.

But because the nobles got overly excited, the Emperor is about to become my personal stand.

…I bear some responsibility for that.

I showed off too much…

I flaunted it too much, carried away by the attention.

I regretted it.

Anyway, imagine speaking in this situation.

It’d be confirmed I’m Julan’s incarnation. Before it happened, I might have thought, ‘No, they wouldn’t go that far. They’re all reasonable people,’ but no.

These people outsourced their reason to past glory.

Seeing how they act, it wouldn’t be strange if they worshipped me like a god.

I’m sweating bullets

The conclusion is that I must convey my will without stating it.

Yeah.

There’s no answer.

Then the only option I have is…

Kyaa.

…Close my eyes tight and abandon social decorum and human dignity!