The capital of the Millenia Federation. Ermion.
Ermion is one of the most beautiful places in the Millias Great Forest.
That was only natural, as it was the residence of the king and the last dragon, Teo…
Among them, there was an especially splendid place.
His office and palace. The Dragon Palace.
“Suddenly, a banquet at the Dragon Palace… What’s going on?”
“Well, Lord Grukshar personally took part in the preparations. It must be something really important.”
The atmosphere in the Dragon Palace was somewhat chaotic.
That was understandable because today…
An orc, despite being of a lowly race, had risen to the position of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, a rank equivalent to a deputy minister.
One of Millenia’s greatest success stories.
Orc Lord. Grukshar.
Today was the day of the banquet she had personally overseen and directed.
Because of that, even as the palace’s direct servants bustled about, everyone could tell.
Ah. Something important must be happening today.
“On top of that… they even called those five.”
Dulook. A werewolf covered in blue fur and dressed in a tailcoat scanned the surroundings.
Five seats of honor in the banquet hall. The nameplates written inMillenia, placed closest to the throne.
He thought of the five who would sit there.
For some reason, his fur suddenly stood on end and fluffed up.
[This is inMillenia. You’re in charge of the Dragon Palace, so ask your seniors and learn it by today.]
[Can’t learn it? Even an orc picked it up in half a day.]
[Then die…]
“……Ugh.”
‘Strong, and even terrifying.’
The reason he suddenly felt fear was because he knew just how frightening those five retainers were.
Setting aside the exceptional Teonar, those five were among the highest-ranked individuals in the country.
Which meant they were the strongest in Millenia.
For him, just the thought of them was enough to make his fur stand on end.
It was even worse since he was still not fully ‘socialized’ and had remnants of his wild nature.
‘And on top of that, they lead by example.’
Despite having power fitting their strength,
if it was Teo’s command, they worked with extreme diligence, never taking even a single day off.
Regardless of strength, for subordinates, that was terrifying.
Even as he prepared for the banquet, his front paws trembled at the thought of not meeting their expectations.
“…Reaper. You shouldn’t be so nervous.”
“Senior, how can I not be? Those five are coming… If I mess up like I did on the first day, my head will be gone.”
“It’s fine, so relax.”
An imp comforted him.
She stroked her unusually fluffy junior.
A prey species soothing a predator.
A glimpse into how peaceful the Millenia Federation was now.
“If it were just those five, you should be nervous, but today, the great Teonar is present.”
“…That last dragon? I’ve never seen him before.”
“Hehe. No one has. Even those five cannot see him. Teonar is on a level incomprehensible to mortals.”
And so, the servants’ topic shifted to Teo.
The two turned their gaze in one direction.
The innermost part of the banquet hall.
Though not visible, their lord was surely there.
A small smile spread on the imp’s lips.
-Whisper whisper.
“This is just between us, but in front of him, even those five are nothing more than little lambs.”
“…Is it really that much?”
“Well, you’ll know once you see for yourself.”
She thought to herself that seeing it would put the newcomer at ease.
She didn’t say it out loud because they would find out soon enough.
And, just as she said…
“Mel, this is your first time seeing it, right? Look at this! Lord Teo gave me this ring, and when I wear it, I can feel his presence! Isn’t it amazing?”
“…He gave you a gold ring?!”
Inside the carriage heading to the banquet hall.
The five, who could make lower beings tremble just by their presence,
were acting quite differently from their usual dignified selves.
It was their usual time for idle chatter.
“Hehe~ I got it because I almost reached a 100% literacy rate this time. Jealous?”
“Lucia, you’re starting again?”
“Aurelia, you say that, but you’re jealous too, aren’t you? Hmm? Did you forget how you begged to borrow it just once~?”
“……Tsk.”
Lucia waved her hand, making the gold ring gleam.
The other two glared at her in irritation.
‘If this wasn’t a direct gift from our lord, I would’ve just cut off her finger and taken it.’
‘If we weren’t of the same rank, I would’ve melted it down…’
Despite their cute and beautiful appearances, their thoughts were rather brutal.
But Lucia didn’t care and continued to carry out Teo’s will.
Half of it was because she believed the more she bragged, the harder they would work.
The other half was simply because she wanted to show off.
“Sylvie, Wiz, do you two want to see too? This lets you directly sense Lord Teo’s presence!”
“You’re not going to lend it anyway. No thanks. I’ll just achieve something and get one from him myself.”
“Same here. Once I finish my current project, he said he’d give me a reward along with Aurelia’s.”
“Yeah, yeah! Work hard for Lord Teo! Of course, the fact that I received mine first will never change!”
“…….”
‘I should secretly feed her theobromine later.’
‘I swear I’m going to smash that empty birdbrain of hers with a hammer.’
The smugness had gone a bit too far, making the atmosphere tense.
Even the orc lord, Shar, who was personally driving the carriage, swallowed nervously…
Fortunately, the tension didn’t last long.
Because the moment they entered the Dragon Palace, an imp came out to greet them.
“It is an honor to escort the five of you. Lord Teonar is waiting, so I shall guide you.”
“A-Al-Already waiting?”
“Then we should’ve been called earlier… No, our lord must have had a reason.”
“Lord Teo has just arrived as well, so do not worry. Now, please follow me.”
Patapatapat!
The imp’s short legs moved so fast they left afterimages.
If they walked too leisurely, they would surely be scolded for being slow,
so she was already doing her best in advance.
Because of her naturally short stride, her speed was about the same as the werewolf’s slightly fast walking pace, but regardless.
-Click, clack. Screeech.
“We’ve arrived…”
“Lord Teo, we apologize for being late!”
“We sincerely apologize for making our lord wait.”
The moment they arrived at the banquet hall, the five immediately bowed deeply and offered their apologies.
The very ones who would make lower beings tremble just by being seen without the slightest hesitation were bowing before everyone.
The werewolf servant watching them swallowed nervously in shock.
‘Lady Lucia is apologizing? The same person who nearly turned Millenia upside down over not learning Millenia fast enough?’
‘I’ve heard that the other four are all quite headstrong as well, yet they’re bowing like this.’
‘Just what kind of being is Lord Teonar…?’
Dulook.
His trembling eyes shifted toward the throne where they had bowed.
But other than a cushion embroidered with golden threads, there was nothing there.
‘Huh? There’s nothing there…’
“Take your seats. There will be an important announcement shortly.”
“……!!!?”
The werewolf flinched at the voice coming from empty air.
But Teo paid no attention.
It was the usual reaction from new servants upon seeing him.
‘So that one is the new recruit, Reaper. He really does look suspiciously suspicious.’
“All servants except Milanoi and Reaper, leave. Those two will be enough.”
“””””Understood, great Lord Teonar.””””””
At his command, the servants withdrew like a receding tide.
In the end, only a few remained in the banquet hall.
The five ministers, including Lucia.
The five vice ministers, including Shar.
And the two servants who had been unintentionally left behind.
The fact that each of them was from a different race reflected the identity of Millenia itself.
‘Senior, what is this? Why only us…’
‘Something is strange!! I thought this was just a banquet, but even the servants were sent away. Something is definitely going on!!’
Thanks to that, the two were excessively tense.
But that was none of Teo’s concern.
Only after confirming that everyone was seated did he finally speak.
A low dragon’s command echoed through the banquet hall.
“First of all, everything discussed here today is confidential. It concerns Millenia’s future policies, so keep it to yourselves.”
“…Yes!”
The power carried in his words became an irresistible force.
As befitted a dragon who could rule over lower beings, a single sentence was enough to impose a restriction on all present.
Of course, even without such restrictions, no one in Millenia would dare to defy Teo’s words. Regardless,
“Alright. First…”
“Thanks to Lucia’s contributions, the dissemination of Hangul is nearly complete.”
“More than half of Millenia’s population can now speak it, and the number will continue to grow.”
“Approximately one month. That’s the estimated time for complete dissemination, according to Shar.”
He began his explanation in a relaxed tone,
starting with the issue of Hangul’s distribution.
“Thanks to Aurelia’s efforts, food production has also exceeded expectations.”
“There’s so much surplus that we need to start making distilled liquor.”
“In agriculture, no country on the continent can match Millenia.”
The reality of food production being not just sufficient but excessive.
“Thanks to Mel, an unfamiliar economic system has been established.”
“With Wiz’s efforts, logistics have developed, securing military strength and the supply lines to support it.”
“Thanks to Sylvie, the national mortality rate has drastically decreased.”
Other foundational aspects of the nation were listed one after another.
It was praise that naturally made the ministers’ shoulders straighten with pride.
They all felt that their hard work had paid off.
All except one. Orc Lord, Shar.
-*Gulp.*-
‘Here it comes. The matter Lord Teo spoke to me about.’
She knew.
She understood why Teo was laying out so much groundwork.
The shocking statement that would follow this long prelude.
There was no way she wouldn’t be tense.
‘Now that I’m about to say it, I don’t feel nervous at all.’
“So…”
But Teo did not waver.
It was a decision he had deliberated on hundreds of times.
There was no hesitation in proclaiming a major national affair.
“-As of today, I am declaring the founding of the Millenia Federation.”
“……!!!!!!?”
A nation of races that were once humanity’s top priority for extermination.
They had declared that they would no longer hide their existence.