If you ask which race prospers on the vastest lands in this world, anyone would have the same answer.
Humans.
81% of the Empire’s population.
100% of the Republic’s citizens.
72% of the Kingdom’s people.
A race that makes up the majority in every nation on the human continent.
Even in neutral territories, humans account for 67% of the population.
The most successful and thriving beings in this world are humans.
In the process, they have oppressed and massacred minority races such as elves, beastmen, dwarves, and various half-breeds.
Regardless, the nation with the highest human population is the Empire.
The Empire, home to half of the world’s population, is so vast that its territory surpasses that of all the dragons combined.
It is undoubtedly considered one of the most powerful nations.
And now, at the border of the dragons’ land, the Imperial Army has arrived.
“Aaaaargh!!!”
“F-Fire!”
“Launch the magic cannons! Hurry!”
“Aah… Mother…”
They were facing the wrath of the enraged dragons.
The time had come to pay for their endless provocations since their power had grown.
“C-Commander! More dragons are approaching!”
“The crest on their chests—it’s not the defense force! It’s the Royal Guard!”
“P-Primal Dragon Surtr and the Nameless One are destroying the magic cannons and flying toward the Empire!”
Reports came in one after another.
The commander felt his head spinning.
“…R-Retreat! Fall back immediately!”
“Keep shooting down the dragons with the magic cannons!”
At the commander’s orders, the soldiers hurriedly ran out and fired magic cannons into the sky.
But none of the shots hit the dragons.
A deafening roar echoed from above.
The collective roars of the dragons resonated, draining every last bit of morale from the Imperial Army.
Thus, the Imperial forces at the border were completely annihilated.
My father smirked and tapped his desk twice.
At that moment, the shadows beneath him rippled, and two small shadow wyverns emerged, perching on his desk.
“To the Empire.”
—Kiiiiii…
—Kirik! Kirik!
‘What are those?’
I opened a status window for the two black wyverns.
[Skill: Shadow Wyvern]
[A skill that creates controllable wyverns from within shadows.]
[The wyverns’ strength, size, and number depend on the amount of mana infused.]
One wyvern bowed its head apologetically, while the other chirped cheerfully at my father’s words.
Then, the two wyverns flew out the window into the sky.
“Daughter, I need to prepare for something.”
“What kind of preparation?”
“I have a business trip to take. Listen to your mother while I’m away, okay?”
“Got it!”
I nodded with an innocent expression, pretending not to know anything.
A business trip? More like a military campaign.
Father was personally taking action because of us.
Well, not entirely because of us.
The Empire had been torturing half-dragons, repeatedly crossing the border as if playing jump rope.
There was more than enough justification for war.
Father had been enduring it for a long time, but when Bell appeared and befriended me, asking for help, it finally triggered the explosion.
To be honest, Father probably wanted to wipe them out a long time ago.
‘Honestly, I’ve grown attached to that country.’
I did feel a sense of familiarity.
After all, in heroic fantasy stories, the Empire is always the place where the protagonist first opens their eyes.
Back then, there were many countries.
The Elf Kingdom, the Dwarf Kingdom.
And the Holy Kingdom that worshiped the Sun God.
Even the beastmen tribal nations located beneath them.
There were quite a few tribes and countries, but looking at the map in the book, the Empire had seized most of the land.
No matter how fond I was of that country, I couldn’t just stand by and watch such tyranny.
I smirked as I watched my dad hurriedly prepare his clothes.
Seeing me, Bell also grinned beside me.
“Heehee.”
“Your name is Bell, right?”
“…Yes! Uncle!”
“Haha, I see.”
Calling my dad “uncle”—only Bell could get away with that.
“Uncle is going to rescue your family. Do you remember where they were?”
“Umm… It was a dark cave! Some guys in golden armor came in and did weird things to my sister and mom!”
“Is that so?”
Dad repeated Bell’s words, muttering, “…The Royal Guard?” under his breath.
Had he found a clue?
I didn’t know anything, so I just kept smiling and observed the situation.
“…Albi, will you be okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Make sure you don’t get hurt.”
“You trust me, right?”
“Of course.”
Mom blushed as she adjusted Dad’s clothing.
I watched the scene warmly, then gently covered Bell’s eyes.
‘Kids shouldn’t see this.’
And at that moment—
—Kiiiiiii!
The cheerful wyvern that had flown off earlier suddenly emerged from Dad’s shadow and sniffed at Bell.
“Huh?”
Bell grabbed the wyvern as it approached, causing the little creature to panic.
It squirmed and flailed, trying to escape, but Bell’s grip was surprisingly strong, preventing it from breaking free.
“Bell, that little one is going to help find your family.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I have a rough idea of where they are, so I’ll send it there.”
“Uncle, you’re the best!”
Bell ran toward Dad and threw herself into his arms.
“Heehee!”
“Aww, how cute.”
Dad chuckled fondly and patted Bell’s head.
Not wanting to be left out, I sprinted toward Dad as well.
“….”
“Minho?”
“Ahem!”
I cleared my throat and silently offered my head.
Dad let out a hearty laugh and ruffled my hair too.
“Heehee.”
“I’ll be going now.”
“Yep!”
Dad opened the door and called for the royal guards.
Summoned by the king, the guards assembled in the training grounds.
Spears and magic wands in hand, their gleaming armor bore the insignia of the royal guard—a crown emblem.
Then, before them, the captain of the royal guard stepped forward.
“Soldiers!”
Even without using magic to amplify his voice, it thundered across the grounds.
At his words, the guards struck the ground with their spears and wands in unison.
“Today, we ride out to punish the cockroaches who dared to act beyond their place!”
“Did we leave those pests to fester because we were afraid?”
“No! We tolerated them because we wished for peace.”
“But they have crossed the line! They oppress other races! They have mocked the noble lineage of the great dragons!”
Releasing his suppressed aura, the captain roared to his troops.
“If they dare step on the proud tail of a dragon, it’s time to show them the consequences.”
“Today, they must choose—face hell or disappear quietly from our sight.”
“And by giving them this choice, we will reclaim our honor!”
“Show them why we were once known as the most ruthless race!”
“We will carve the fear of the past into the foolish creatures who have forgotten terror!!”
—”Uwooooooahhh!!!”
As soon as the captain of the royal guard finished his speech, the dragons roared in unison.
—”For the dragons!”
—”For His Majesty Albinus!!”
The elite soldiers of the Dragon Kingdom took to the skies, heading straight for the imperial border.
Watching the scene unfold, the captain of the guard, Haig, bowed his head as he heard footsteps approaching from behind.
It was his close friend—the king of the Dragon Kingdom.
“Your Majesty.”
“The elders have already departed. There’s no one watching, so relax.”
“…Maj—”
“Ah, enough of that.”
Albinus clicked his tongue, making Haig sigh before reluctantly switching to casual speech.
“…You know this feels weird, right?”
“You had no problem with it before.”
“That was in the academy, you idiot.”
“Oh? Calling your king an idiot now?”
“Tsk. What a pathetic fool.”
Albinus burst into laughter despite being insulted.
“…Is Erses doing okay?”
“She seems fine, but I can’t help feeling uneasy.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“What about your son?”
“He’s doing well at the academy.”
As they exchanged small talk, a hurried figure came running toward them from behind.
“Brother!”
“…Hazel?”
It was Hazel, the head maid.
There was an age gap of about 200 years between her and her older brother, Haig.
She ran up to him, pressing something into his hands.
“A charm for victory! Stay safe!”
“And what about me?” Albinus asked.
“…I don’t want to be scolded by Sister.”
“Sigh…”
Albinus let out a disappointed sigh, to which Haig chuckled and patted his shoulder.
“Come on, we have a daughter to avenge.”
“Yeah… let’s go.”
Giant wings unfolded behind them.
“I wanted to live peacefully, but I guess we need to make an example of them.”
“Time to crush them properly.”
As the two dragons took off into the sky, Hazel bowed her head in respect.
Imperial Council Chamber
At the head of the table sat the Emperor.
With Ramir studying abroad in the Dragon Kingdom, every seat was filled except for one—occupied by nobles.
“Y-Your Majesty! The dragons have crossed the border and are continuing their advance!”
“W-We have confirmed the presence of Primal Dragons! The reports say it’s Surtr and the Nameless One!”
Soldiers rushed in one after another, relaying reports.
Despite the large number of nobles present, no one dared to speak.
The only sounds echoing through the chamber were the frantic, real-time reports.
“…Logan! Have you still not found Logan?!”
“Y-Your Majesty, please try to calm down…”
One noble, gathering his courage, attempted to soothe the enraged Emperor, who was desperately searching for the missing Grand Mage.
“Calm down?! Calm down?! Are you blind to the situation, Minister?!”
“Guards!!! Throw this traitor into the underground prison! Turn him into a slave like the beastmen!!”
Blinded by fury, the Emperor slit the noble’s throat.
With the Emperor spiraling into madness, no one dared to stop him.
“…Logan… Logan…!!! Logan!!!”
“Didn’t I tell them… not to provoke the dragons?!”
The Emperor, who had originally approved the experiments, was now manipulating his own memories—denying reality entirely.
As he fled deeper into his delusions…
—KIEEEEEEEEK!!!!!
A deafening dragon’s roar echoed across the imperial capital, loud enough to tear through the ears of those who heard it.
The dragons had arrived.
“Your Majesty!! The dragons have reached the capital!!”
“I can see that!!!”
The Emperor, gripped by panic, turned toward the window at the back of the chamber.
What he saw…
Countless dragons filling the skies over the imperial capital.
To be continued…
Haha karma bitch