Chapter 134

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Chapter 134: The Sky Cleared

Semiya rested her hand on the hilt of her sword.

Starting a fight here was absolutely not a good idea. If the Dragon Queen’s two maids discovered them, they would end up as easy pickings.

“Henas, engaging in a battle here would harm both of us. I hope you can act rationally.”

“Then just come with me and leave this matter to the Goss Empire. Don’t throw your life away for nothing.”

The fact that Henas dared to summon his light blade here showed that he had confidence in a decisive move. 

However, it would be best if he could persuade Semiya with words, avoiding unnecessary conflict and preserving strength for when they faced the real enemy.

“If I fail and let the Dragon Queen escape from Talos City, can you afford the consequences? If I retreat today, tomorrow countless knights of the Goss Empire will tremble in fear of the Dragon Queen. One day, when she extends her claws toward us, the Goss Empire will end up like the Dia Kingdom, ravaged by dragons. I understand your perspective, Henas, but this is the burden I must bear.”

“Enough. Draw your sword. These so-called missions mean nothing to me. I’m just a passing rogue—a younger brother who cannot stand to see his sister die.”

“You still haven’t answered my first question, Henas. If something goes wrong and the Dragon Queen slips away, who will bear that cost?”

Semiya knew full well that her actions were not just, nor in line with the knightly code. But to her, sacrificing a single city was a small price to pay for humanity’s future and its boundless light.

Henas stared at her with lifeless, fish-like eyes and replied flatly,

“She’ll get away.”

“What?”

“The energy cannon won’t harm those dragons. They have ways to escape.”

“What did you just say?”

Semiya tightened her grip on her sword, glaring sharply at Henas. Why did her brother always have to say such demoralizing things? 

The Apollo High-Energy Ray Cannon was supposed to be their Empire’s ultimate weapon. If it couldn’t even hurt those dragons, what could possibly defeat them?

“No more words, Semiya.”

Henas was done talking. He swung his blade, and the golden sword light cut through the darkness, slashing straight at Semiya.

Startled, Semiya quickly drew her sword to block.

The crossing blades clashed, and the impact sent a brilliant burst of light outward, blasting Semeya back.

Henas raised his right arm high.

The greatsword floated in midair, and behind him, a massive golden suit of armor materialized—a spirit entity standing ten meters tall. The greatsword expanded in length and width in the spirit’s hands.

“Henas, you—!”

Semiya stared at the spirit behind Henas, stunned.

When had her brother reached the Saint level?

“Strike!”

The deep voice issued a command, and the armored figure brought its sword down with overwhelming force. A tidal wave of sword energy surged forward like a crashing sea.

“Argh!!!”

The golden wave engulfed Semiya, its holy light searing her as she raised her sword to block. The blast dragged her along, carving a path of destruction through the buildings behind her. Every structure in the sword’s path was split in two.

Henas leapt, pursuing the wave of energy, and caught up hundreds of meters away where the trail finally ended. Though the collateral damage injured many along the way, the main force of the attack had been absorbed by Semiya, leaving the residual energy non-lethal.

Grabbing Semiya by the neck, Henas slammed her head into the ground with all his might.

Boom!

To ensure Semiya passed out, Henas exerted his full strength. The impact left a massive crater in the ground, with cracks radiating outward like a blooming spider lily.

If not for Semiya’s dragon-like resilience, her skull would have been pulverized by such a blow.

Of course, such a loud commotion inevitably drew attention.

Without wasting a moment, Henas hoisted Semiya onto his back and swiftly left the area.

Shortly after, Flanna arrived, following the trail of destruction left by the battle.

She examined the deep crater in the ground, running her fingers over the central depression shaped suspiciously like a human head.

Looking around cautiously, she muttered to herself,

“Could there be another powerful figure here?”

It seemed Her Majesty’s caution was well justified.

On the other side, Henas, carrying Semiya, had escaped Talos City.

Semiya had held back.

She hadn’t transformed into her dragon form. She knew that if she did, while Henas might not be unable to defeat her outright, it would certainly take him time to subdue her. 

By then, the Dragon Queen’s forces would surely notice their infighting and take advantage of the situation.

She couldn’t let her brother die because of her.

Thus, she chose to comply with Henas.

Henas carried Semiya several kilometers out of Talos City to the Goss Empire’s knight encampment.

The knights stationed outside the camp saw Henas storming in with Semiya on his back and immediately drew their weapons, pointing them at him.

Henas shot them a fierce glare.

“Get Kerbert out here to see me!”

The knights recognized the black-clad, golden-haired man and the woman he carried.

It was none other than the famous Holy Knight siblings.

Before the knights could go fetch their leader, a tall, golden-haired man in a white robe stepped forward to meet them.

“Lord Kerbert!”

The man, Kerbert, nodded slightly and strode toward Henas. Towering over him by a full head, Kerbert loomed imposingly.

“I defeated the Holy Knight.”

The implication was clear: the Holy Knight was no deserter.

“……”

Kerbert said nothing.

Henas shifted Semiya forward, cradling her in his arms. The blonde woman’s head was bleeding profusely, but Semiya had endured far worse—she had once survived a hole through her chest. A mere scalp wound was nothing.

“Take care of your wife.”

Henas handed Semiya over to Kerbert.

This towering man was none other than Semiya’s husband, a high-ranking official in the Goss Empire, the Ninth Seat of the Round Table, and the architect of tonight’s plan to trap the Dragon Queen.

Kerbert accepted Semiya, glancing down at the bloodied woman in his arms. He could more or less guess what had transpired.

He looked at Henas, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

True, Semiya wasn’t the keystone of this operation. However, if she didn’t give her all to assist, he would have to sacrifice even more knights to ensnare the Dragon Queen within the city.

This plan was for her own good, after all. Semiya had already become part dragon, and to let her ascend into legend would be the best conclusion for her.

“All these years, you haven’t changed a bit, Henas.”

“So long as the Empire keeps treating lives like weeds, I will never change.”

“This isn’t treating lives like weeds. It’s a sacrifice—glorious and worthy of being remembered in history.”

“I’ve heard enough of that nonsense to last a lifetime.”

“Then tell me, how would you save humanity? Or would you just stand by and watch as the dragons’ ambitions engulf the Goss Empire?”

Henas snorted coldly.

“If there’s a next time, I’ll stop Semiya again, until she wakes up from her knightly delusion.”

With that, Henas turned and walked away.

He didn’t have a better way to fight the dragons yet, but he could never agree with the Goss Empire’s methods.

He vowed to find a legendary solution—a happily-ever-after ending for all.

Kerbert watched Henas’s retreating figure and muttered softly,

“She’s always been awake.”

Henas paused mid-step, looking up at the starry sky.

He said nothing, then resumed walking.

———————

“Mama, is… is this my little sister?!”

Seeing Naya carry the baby dragon back into the room, Illya exclaimed excitedly.

“Yes,” Naya replied.

“Hipper, look, look! I—”

Illya turned to Hipper beside her, only to remember that Hipper could see nothing. Her excitement instantly deflated, like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her.

“Is it Illya’s sister? She must… be very cute, right?”

Sensing Illya’s emotions, Hipper smiled warmly, trying to soothe her, even though she herself couldn’t see.

“She’s super cute,” Illya replied softly, her voice much lower now.

“Illya, here, let Hipper touch her.”

Naya smiled gently and knelt beside Illya and Hipper’s bedding, holding her youngest daughter close.

“I’ll do it! Hipper, give me your hand.”

Illya grabbed Hipper’s wrist, guiding her hand to touch her baby sister’s body.

The faintly rough texture startled Hipper.

“Th-this is dragon scales?”

“Yep! Dragon hatchlings are born in dragon form. They only gain the ability to transform as they grow older,” Naya explained.

“I see… sorry about that.”

“It’s fine.”

In truth, Naya’s feelings were complex.

Having grown up with the understanding that humans are born in human form, it was strange to now have a daughter in dragon form. Though she felt a slight sense of unease, it was utterly eclipsed by the deep maternal love she felt.

More than anything, she was overjoyed and excited about her daughter’s birth.

“But it’s so soft! I’ve never felt dragon scales this soft before. She must be such an adorable little dragonling!”

The texture was firmer than modeling clay but softer than fish scales.

“They’re like that when they’re just born,” Naya explained.

“She feels… kind of big.”

“Not really, about the size of a human baby.”

After getting a sense of the dragon hatchling’s size and shape, Hipper released her hand and turned toward Naya, guided by the sound of her voice.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty. As the princess of the Dia Kingdom, I offer my blessings to the Dragon Empire on the birth of a new princess.”

Naya chuckled lightly.

“Oh, Hipper, there’s no need to be so formal with me! I’d much rather you offer your blessings as Illya’s friend.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Naya. In that case… as Illya’s friend, I wish you heartfelt congratulations on the birth of your daughter.”

“That’s more like it.”

Although still somewhat formal, it was a step in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Illya chimed in to explain things to Hipper.

“Hipper, you don’t know what color my sister is, do you? She’s silver, just like Mama! And, um, her scales have red edges, and her horns are red too. Can you picture it?”

“Yes, I can imagine it clearly.”

“Hehe… that’s great! If you can picture it, then I don’t need to describe anything else. You already felt most of it.”

Seeing the smile on Hipper’s face, Illya beamed as well. She turned to Naya.

 “Mama, can I hold my sister?”

“Of course, but be careful.”

Naya carefully placed the hatchling in Illya’s arms, only letting go after ensuring Illya had a secure hold. However, she kept her hands close, ready to intervene if needed.

Illya gazed down at the little silver dragon in her arms, its tiny eyes closed as if asleep. Her heart swelled with sweetness, as if it had been coated in honey and wrapped in cotton candy.

“Mama, what’s my sister’s name? Have you decided yet?”

She had noticed her mother pondering the name for days.

“Yes, I have.”

“What is it?”

“Isanara. Your sister has two souls, so we’ll need to split the name later. For now, Isanara will be their shared name.”

“Oh… that sounds complicated.”

Naya’s expression shifted.

“If it’s too complicated, give her back to me.”

“No, Mama, I didn’t mean it that way! I just… I meant it’s interesting, that’s all! Having two souls is so cool!”

Illya quickly tried to salvage her blunder.

Why did her Mama seem even more sensitive than before the baby was born?

“You’ve held her long enough. It’s time to give her back.”

“Aw… just a little longer, please?”

“I think that’s enough.”

Naya gently took her youngest daughter from Illya’s arms. Illya, afraid of hurting her sister, didn’t resist and could only watch as the little bundle was taken away.

Hipper listened to their exchange, imagining the scene.

She could almost picture the expressions of the mother and daughter, both utterly enamored with the newborn dragonling.

How wonderful…

How heartwarming.

Hipper felt a twinge of envy.

Hipper was overwhelmed with envy.

She couldn’t help, but wonder about the circumstances of her own birth. 

How had her mother felt when welcoming her into the world?

Did she see her as merely a “vessel”? Or had she truly regarded her as her daughter?

It must have been the latter…

Hipper clung to that belief. She had no choice but to trust in it.

“Mother’s back~”

Iris’s cheerful voice accompanied the sound of the door opening. 

Naya turned to see the familiar figure in red, followed by a human and a fox.

“Mmm.”

“Should we leave now, or wait until dawn?”

“Let’s wait. Flanna and Bella need to check the city first, and there’s an anti-flight barrier in the sky. Flying out now isn’t an option.”

“Alright.”

“Congratulations on the addition of a new princess to your nation, Your Majesty, and Your Grace the Queen.”

After Naya and Iris’s brief conversation, Romina and Baiyu, the human and the fox, offered their blessings as well.

“Thank you all,” Naya replied, a shy smile spreading across her face. 

She couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious.

It seemed as if her child had been born under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Everyone knew that this little silver dragon hatchling had emerged from the explosion of a silver supernova.

From the moment Isanara was born, her brilliance illuminated the earth, admired by all. It was as if her destiny had been set to be extraordinary.

Seeing the birth of the new Dragon God, Romina finally understood.

The energy contained within that silver radiance was already altering her own body.

However, Baiyu didn’t seem to undergo any change.

Despite her outward display of warmth and sincerity in congratulating Naya, Baiyu felt a faint sense of crisis growing within her.

Iris’s ambitions were now as clear as day, impossible to hide.

It was no wonder Iris had previously dismissed the idea of forming an alliance with the fox clan.

Her aim had never been cooperation. It was a conquest.

After a short rest in the room, the two children began to grow drowsy.

Suddenly, the night sky outside the window burst with light once more.

Iris walked over to the window and looked up.

The star-filled night sky was slowly tearing open, revealing a massive rift.

Romina and Baiyu leaned against the sides of the window, observing as well.

The sky was an unnatural sight, as if the entire firmament had been an illusion. Darkness was being torn apart, and a blazing sun burst through, shattering the night.

“What on earth is that…”

Standing behind Iris, Naya held her youngest daughter tightly, staring at the sky in stunned silence.

“What’s happening? Let me see! Let me see!”

Illya’s voice rose in frustration as she struggled to see over the group crowding the window.

Too short to catch a glimpse, she could only stamp her feet in frustration, squinting against the brightness flooding in.

It looked like the sky had cleared.

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