Chapter 351
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 351
Chapter Title: I Will Affirm You
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Over his long life,
Rimon had experienced many things.
Among them were events so shocking they bordered on the unbelievable.
Just the fact that Rose had assaulted Hasneti, steeling herself for all-out war, was enough to leave his head ringing like he'd been struck with an iron mace.
But at this moment,
compared to the shock of what Rose had just said, that was nothing.
"......You mean I was right?"
"Yes."
"Even about stopping the Seven Dragon Society?"
"That's correct."
Her voice was gentle,
but her answer carried no hesitation.
It conveyed her unwavering resolve.
That made it so utterly like Rose.
And yet, it was all the more unbelievable, hitting him harder than the time a sword saint's fist had cracked his skull.
Rimon pushed himself up with his upper body
and rubbed his dry face with both hands.
"Don't do this, Countess."
The shock was so profound that
even his shamelessness, which he never forgot even in the direst situations, had vanished.
His fingers trailed down his face, revealing raw, heavy emotions worn by time.
In a voice like rusted iron, Rimon said,
"Don't do something you'll regret just to pity an old man like me."
He'd only permitted it because there were no alternatives.
He still couldn't acknowledge the Seven Dragon Society's conviction to restore a dragon-dominated world.
Even so, Rimon had no choice but to tell Rose,
not to betray her beliefs for his sake.
"You know those words don't just affect you alone, right?"
Those beliefs weren't hers alone.
Generations of Blue Dragon Princesses,
countless Blue Dragon clansmen,
had staked their lives defending and passing them down—even charging headlong at Sword Masters in their madness.
For Rose, of all people, to deny it now would be to reject the entirety of the Blue Dragon clan's pride and sacrifices.
Not just other clans,
but even her own might brand their princess a traitor, and no one would bat an eye.
She had to know that.
Yet Rose didn't take back her words.
She simply wore her faint smile, as always.
"I'm not saying this out of pity for you, or to win your favor."
Even after denying her lifelong convictions herself,
her eyes remained as clear and serene as a lake, without a trace of doubt, as she gazed at Rimon.
Rose continued,
"Setting aside my personal feelings, as a princess of the Seven Dragon Society, I truly believe—and hope—that you were right."
"You hope I was right?"
"Yes."
Her voice was too calm for mere sympathy.
She voiced the vague truth he'd sensed but refused to acknowledge until now.
"If you'd truly sought to be humanity's savior, the Seven Dragon Society would have been wiped out long ago."
In the Heroes Age of old,
if Rimon had chosen to actively intervene in the world,
he would've massacred the Seven Dragon Society before stopping world wars or saving lives, she claimed.
Rimon didn't deny Rose's quiet observation, laced with her subtle smile.
As master of the Sword Tower, having raised seven Sword Masters, he wielded that much influence back then.
"So as a princess of the Seven Dragon Society—who survived thanks to those very convictions—I'm telling you that you were right."
"What about me slaughtering your ancestors and thwarting the society's plans time and again?"
"That too."
"What do you mean?"
"It means our Seven Dragon Society's convictions were flawed from the start."
The second shock wasn't as intense as the first.
But it was enough to make Rimon finally lower his hands from his face and turn to look at Rose.
"......Countess, have you lost your mind?"
"No, I'm perfectly sane."
With a voice so calm it was almost comical given the absurdity, Rose continued softly,
"Until coming here, I believed the world ruled by our progenitors was the true utopia."
As the Blue Dragon clan's princess......
No, as a member of the Seven Dragon Society, it was only natural to think so.
It was their faith, their lifelong aspiration.
"But now I know better."
"Know what?"
"That the utopia our progenitors would create is no different from Africa today."
Other clansmen would have a fit if they heard.
Comparing their ideal world to the most chaotic hellhole on earth was practically an insult.
But Rose pressed on without hesitation.
"A world ruled by our progenitors is one where everything is dominated by raw power."
In the distant, hazy past,
the seven dragons that emerged in the Silver Age, ruled by gods, proved their supremacy by devouring the gods' incarnations.
Amid the chaos of religious wars, it was salvation in itself.
But in the end, they'd conquered the world through overwhelming might and violence.
"Reverting to the Bronze Age means creating an era where humans are mere slaves or limbs of dragons."
Above all, in the dragon-ruled age,
what mattered to the Seven Dragon Society's elite wasn't character or ability.
Only how pure their dragon blood was and how well they wielded psionics.
In other words, pure humans without a drop of dragon blood, unable to wield psionics, could never rise to rule.
Just like whites discriminated against by skin color in Africa today.
"At least to me, that world holds no value worth sacrificing everything for."
As a countess of the British Empire,
and as a corporate chairwoman,
with her clan's support, able to dispense charity to the struggling at will, she hadn't realized it.
But now, as a lone individual in an unknown land, building and ruling a nation from the ground up, she understood.
How horrific a world was where limits were set by
skin color,
bloodlines and connections,
or environment and power alone—
regardless of talent or effort.
"And yet, the reason our Seven Dragon Society clung to that era as utopia was probably one thing."
The society's members were capable.
Many must have realized this truth.
Yet no one had ever challenged the ideal—Rose pinpointed why easily.
"Because we were the privileged class in that era."
From the start, the Seven Dragon Society had ruled the world by venerating dragons in the Bronze Age.
So their dreamed-of dragon-ruled world wasn't about equality or abundance for all.
It meant an era where inheriting dragon blood and pledging loyalty made one elite.
"In the end, our Seven Dragon Society was just ghosts chasing lost power."
Some might have purely worshipped the dragons.
Many believed their return would bring true utopia.
But Rose, who bore even diluted dragon blood, knew better.
Even if the seven dragons revived, they could devour gods and rule the world—but not create universal happiness.
Only the Seven Dragon Society's kin could live in prosperity and joy.
"You knew that, which is why you opposed us."
"......"
"So don't deny your life's worth."
Just stopping the Seven Dragon Society—blinded by a futile past, plotting world upheaval—gave centuries of value to Rimon's life.
He stared at Rose for a long while as she spoke without a hint of doubt.
Then, unbidden, his mouth opened.
"You've...... already fallen."
"Yes."
She, who should have believed in the society's ideals more than anyone—the most rigid Blue Dragon princess among the seven.
By denying those ideals,
abandoning her convictions,
negating her own purpose—
yet Rose smiled faintly all the same.
"But it doesn't matter."
From the moment she'd stayed silent knowing he possessed Dragon Psionics......
No, from when she'd learned his identity but chose to see him as a benefactor instead of drawing her sword—
accepting the inevitable outcome,
she concluded softly,
"Even if everyone condemns me, I will affirm you."
Everyone else,
even Rimon himself might doubt it.
But she alone would believe he was right.
Rimon gazed at Rose as she declared it without hesitation, then finally sighed and spoke.
"......That's too much."
"Is it?"
"If you say that, Countess, I can't just ignore it."
Rimon gave a wry smile.
Anyone else, maybe.
But hearing this from Rose—who'd personally acknowledged his fitness to rule the world—
even he, questioning his own path, had to reconsider seeking new answers.
"Still, one thing."
Her trust was like poison to him, now resolved to amass wealth and power to intervene.
Yet her gaze was so earnest,
her words so warm.
Rimon averted his eyes and muttered,
"Thanks, Countess."
Perhaps embarrassed to say it at his age,
his usually brazen face flushed slightly as he scratched his cheek.
Rose watched him quietly for a moment before speaking.
"Did my words help you at all?"
"Yeah."
"Then, may I ask a small favor?"
"Huh?"
His bafflement at the unexpected request lasted only an instant.
Rimon nodded soon enough.
She'd assaulted Hasneti to bring him here, dooming her to likely war with the Red Dragon clan.
Of course she'd seek his aid.
"Sure, anything I can do......"
Whatever the request, just say it.
He'd answered without thinking, then blinked.
Rose knelt on one knee before him, her face suddenly too close.
Before he could grasp what it meant.
Smooth.
A soft sensation touched him.
Like a butterfly alighting on flower petals.
Light and warm.
Lingering briefly on his lips before departing, leaving warmth behind.
Rimon stared blankly at Rose's face right before his nose and asked,
"......What does this mean, Countess?"
"That I'm using my qualification."
"Qualification?"
"Didn't you say it yourself just now? That I have the right to become your bride."
So unexpected,
as he gaped at her serene smile, Rimon stammered in disbelief moments later,
"You mean you're using that qualification now, so......"
"Yes, exactly."
"......But that qualification was originally for claiming after gathering the society's shares?"
"Have you forgotten? I'm originally neutral."
Whether Charlotte,
Li Chingwei,
or anyone—as long as they secured majority shares, she'd side with them as their bride.
So what harm in advancing the inevitable a bit?
With her pure, innocent face beaming a clean smile, spouting nonsense, Rimon looked dumbfounded.
Then Rose grasped his wrist
and leaped through space as naturally as breathing,
dumping him butt-first onto the bed in the lodge behind them.
"Wait, hold on—Countess?"
Suddenly served up like a feast on the table, Rimon grew even more flustered.
But Rose didn't stop.
Like a beast pinning its prey,
she climbed onto the bed naturally,
straddling him,
and whispered in his ear,
"If you don't want this, resist. I won't mind."
From shyness,
or excitement,
her beautiful face bore a faint blush.
Rimon groaned inwardly at her lake-blue eyes locking onto his......
or rather, the fierce torrent of emotions swirling within.
'Princess, is this why you asked me not to reject the others for your sake?'
Recalling her smiling plea with Li Chingwei, and his promise to become a "bastard," Rimon sighed.
From the moment he'd acknowledged her qualification, this was unavoidable.
......Whether denying it would've helped was questionable.
Folding that doubt away neatly,
he released his transformation,
buried his face in her neck,
and whispered,
"Brace yourself, Countess. After going this far, I won't end it halfway."
Rose didn't reply.
As if that was precisely what she wanted,
she simply kissed him again with her faint smile.
And so, embracing the waist of the noblest princess—who had fallen, abandoned her convictions, and betrayed even the Seven Dragon Society—
plundering her moist lips,
Rimon slid his hand along the soft skin draped over his thigh.