Chapter 47
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Fallen Dragons
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Silia's question left Eirana at a loss for words.
Demon Dragon.
It was a dragon, after all.
To be precise, it was a dragon that dwelled not in the Middle Realm, but in the Demon Realm.
Their basic form and power were the same as those of Middle Realm dragons.
It had to be that way, since Demon Dragons were originally dragons who had lived in the Middle Realm.
Eirana gazed silently at Silia, her expression turning puzzled.
"I do know of them, but..."
It was as if she were asking what the problem was.
"Do you also know about the origins of Demon Dragons?"
Eirana nodded at Silia's question.
Originally, dragons were born as guardians to protect the Middle Realm.
And dragons naturally came to recognize their duty as such guardians.
Demon Dragons were those who had abandoned that duty and headed to the Demon Realm—fallen dragons.
"But why bring up Demon Dragons all of a sudden?"
Eirana asked, puzzled, unable to grasp Silia's intent. Silia replied,
"Fundamentally, Demon Dragons are those who have cast aside a dragon's pride and duty."
A long, long lifespan and immense power.
To other races in the Middle Realm, dragons seemed to lack for nothing.
But dragons did not rule the Middle Realm.
In fact, though some dragons formed close bonds with other races out of amusement, they did not greatly sway the course of history.
They might appear to dominate vast territories around their lairs, but in truth, most of those lands were areas untouched by other races—and even then, they were quite small compared to the domains held by others.
The laws established by dragon society imposed more restrictions than one might imagine.
Eirana stroked her chin, recalling the words of the Dragon Lord from the Adult Dragon Ceremony.
Then she looked at Silia.
'Indeed.'
Eirana had known about Demon Dragons, but she hadn't understood why they fell.
Now, however, it made sense.
Living for such vast stretches of time, dragons inevitably craved new stimuli.
They sought it through play.
They could live the lives they desired, but those were ultimately just dreams.
And dreams always came to an end.
The things they built during their play had to be relinquished eventually, with no further involvement allowed afterward.
That was one of dragon society's laws.
Play was a dream, yet that didn't mean they felt no attachment to those lives.
The greater the accomplishments, the greater the emptiness of watching them crumble.
It must have been heartbreaking to have them within reach yet be unable to grasp them.
To dragons, it was both a rule and a matter of course.
Take Silia, for example.
The one being Elencan had brought back from his dream into reality—his one and only.
Elencan must have felt more than mere dreamlike affection for his daughter Silia to accept her as his true child.
But to other dragons, she was nothing more than a fragment of a dream.
Elencan's kin would never acknowledge her as one of their own.
Not even his blood relatives.
To have something precious denied as an illusion.
Even if it was natural in dragon society, surely some would harbor resentment.
And some would rebel outright against that reality.
Those were the fallen dragons—Demon Dragons.
As Eirana came to understand the birth of Demon Dragons, a question arose in her mind.
She had no inkling why Silia had brought the topic up.
"What's the connection between that Demon King and Demon Dragons?"
"The Demon King is a being who lives an even more monotonous existence than dragons."
One of the rulers dominating the vast lands of the Demon Realm.
His position was rarely threatened.
Demons were inherently belligerent, battle-loving folk.
For them, a monotonous life brought immense stress.
"That's why they tend to develop obsessive fixations on even the slightest novelty. That Demon King said, 'I've changed my mind. I have to take her.'"
Eirana frowned, recalling the situation, but listened intently to Silia.
"Demons Dragons are dragons who have fallen, but not all fall by their own will. Some lose their pride unintentionally."
Eirana's eye twitched.
'A promise.'
To be exact, an oath sworn on a dragon's origin—the Dragon Word.
Violators had their minds shattered, turning into Mad Dragons.
"Mad Dragons come from one of two things."
"Subjugation or Demon Dragon."
Eirana finished Silia's words.
Silia nodded.
"I'm not planning to make any promises, so it doesn't concern me."
Nor did she intend to become a Demon Dragon of her own accord.
Demon Dragons and Mad Dragons were extreme rarities to begin with.
They occurred once every few thousand years, if at all.
With dragons already few in number, such incidents were exceedingly rare.
"I know. I might be worrying too much. Still, that Demon King's interest is real. That's why I wanted to warn you to be careful."
Silia said with a bright smile.
At that moment, the sword spirits who had been listening quietly reacted.
Silver Fang aside, it was unusual for Black Fang to poke at Eirana's temper too.
Eirana stomped on Silver Fang at her feet with her left foot, grabbed Black Fang by the scruff where he sat on the desk with her right hand, and growled.
Silia covered her mouth and let out a clear laugh at the sight.
'Yeah, I'm probably overthinking it.'
The journey proceeded smoothly.
After spending the first night in Viscount Cobern's territory, they immediately used a warp gate to reach a domain near the Parkro Duchy.
Warp gates were convenient, but their construction and maintenance costs were enormous.
They also required ley lines rich in mana, so they couldn't be built just anywhere money was invested.
Of course, for dragons, that wasn't an issue.
The warp gates in dragon lairs were remarkably simple.
That's why Eirana looked amazed at the gate adorned with mana-infused stones and intricate rune magic circles.
It was flashy at first glance, but to her eyes, it was the pinnacle of inefficiency.
Using the warp gate, they arrived in a territory near Parkro Duchy and set off right away.
The Parkro Duchy, far from the capital, spanned a fifth of Adea Kingdom's land—an expansive domain.
Even reaching Heln, the city with the ducal castle, took several days, so the carriage journey continued.
But a small change occurred during the trip.
It was Benea.
Instigated by Lea, she had begun openly wary of Eirana from that day on.
Whenever Winsor visited the carriage for Lea now and then, Benea would glare at the ever-present Eirana.
Of course, her outward demeanor was that of a gentle noble lady, but Eirana wasn't so oblivious as to miss the malice.
'Still, for her to be so blatant all of a sudden, there must be a reason.'
Eirana glanced at Benea, who sat beside Winsor chatting amiably, then narrowed her eyes slightly at Lea sitting next to her.
Lea flinched the moment their eyes met.
'As I thought, something's up.'
Eirana clicked her tongue inwardly but had no intention of punishing her.
Benea had only been glaring so far, showing no signs of actual harm, so Eirana decided to ignore it for now.
After several more days of travel, they finally arrived at Heln, home to Parkro Castle.
The ancient fortress, rivaling the Adea palace in scale, bustled with preparations for the duke's upcoming sixtieth birthday.
Numerous nobles were also visiting to celebrate the duke's birthday.
All the nobles who had heard Winsor was coming had gathered at the castle gates to receive the crown prince.
As Winsor stepped down from the carriage, the nobles bowed in unison.
Winsor waved them off with a hand.
Once the royals disembarked, the nobles approached for a proper welcome.
'What an odd scene.'
Eirana murmured to herself.
The nobles here fell into three main groups.
First, those clustered around Crown Prince Winsor.
Second, those forming a faction around Second Prince Cloberro.
Third, those gathering around Duke Delron Parkro and Princess Lea.
It was a clear snapshot of the power dynamics in Adea Kingdom.
Crown Prince faction, Grand Duke faction, neutrals.
Eirana stepped back a pace from the scene.
Her striking appearance drew many gazes.
Ross and Silia approached her.
"Quite the chaos, isn't it?"
"Don't you need to attend to the crown prince?"
Ross shrugged leisurely at Eirana's puzzled question.
"He won't be thrown off by my absence in that crowd."
He said that, but it was probably just laziness to get caught up in the hassle.
As Eirana thought that, Ross asked Silia,
"By the way, are you planning to meet Duke Parkro this time?"
As someone who knew the details of Silia's connection to Adea Kingdom, Ross found it curious.
"Why do you ask?"
Ross folded his arms at Silia's question.
"One word from you could simplify this messy power struggle."
"......"
"This isn't me being biased toward the crown prince faction. Cloberro isn't king material. Neither is the grand duke."
If it were a typical game, Ross would have enjoyed watching Winsor overwhelm the grand duke faction from the sidelines.
But now was different.
Knowing Demon King Kerdik might be plotting something in this country, Ross had no desire to let the chaotic power structure drag on.
Gazing silently at Winsor, Ross shifted his eyes to Cloberro.
Same blood, but different talents.
As a king or a power broker, Cloberro was incompetent.
To Ross, he was the type to rot a nation from within.
His abilities were fine for assisting as the number two, but not for leading.
"He lacks the vessel for kingship—you know that best."
Better to end this early.
That was Ross's thinking.
Silia glanced between Winsor and Cloberro, a bitter smile on her lips.
She understood Ross perfectly.
"It's not for me to step in."
Silia drew the line.
"I see."
Ross let out a light sigh but didn't press.
Then, clapping his hands lightly to lighten the mood,
"Alright, shall we sort this out?"
With that, Ross headed toward Winsor.
Watching his back, Silia asked,
"What do you think, Eirana?"
"About what?"
"Do you think, like Ross says, that I should tidy up this situation?"
"......"
Eirana tilted her head at Silia's question.
Both Silia and Ross had lived lives nearly ten times longer than hers.
They were far more experienced, wise, and insightful.
It was odd for such a one to ask her opinion, but Eirana answered earnestly.
"Well, that guy definitely doesn't seem fit to be king."
She didn't know much about the second prince personally, but the rumors and circumstances made it obvious.
The fact that his faction was called the grand duke faction rather than the second prince faction spoke volumes about his incompetence.
The grand duke lacked the qualifications compared to the current king, which was why he hadn't ascended.
And the Winsor Eirana had seen suited the throne.
The answer might already be set.
Silia had the influence to hasten that outcome.
Yet choosing to observe was akin to neglect.
But.
"You have your reasons, don't you?"
Simply handing over the answer wasn't always right.
That was the insight Silia had gained from watching over Adea Kingdom for so long.
Silia blinked, then smiled brightly at Eirana's words.
"Thank you."
Eirana scratched her head.