Chapter 16:Ruler of The Battlefield (2)

Teo displayed her characteristic habit.  

The “Kraang” that had stuck to him ever since becoming a dragon.  

A cry she unconsciously let out whenever she felt joy, embarrassment, or any other emotional shift.  

“…Kraang?”  

‘Me, Harbor? What is she talking about?’  

This time, her cry was out of sheer bewilderment.  

She was so dumbfounded that she instinctively lifted her head in disbelief. No one noticed except Lucia, but still.  

“……?”  

‘What? There’s no one on the throne not even a dragon?’  

Seras was just as taken aback.  

In her haste, she had immediately kneeled upon stepping into the audience chamber. That part was fine, but…  

Wait a second. Why can’t I see anything?  

Her opponent was a dragon. A massive being that should have filled this spacious chamber entirely.  

And yet, why had she seen nothing until she kneeled?  

Realizing this oddity a beat too late, cold sweat trickled down her back.  

Both she and Teo simultaneously sensed that something was terribly wrong.  

‘No way… Did Aurelia introduce me as Harbor? Is she still stuck on that King Sejong misunderstanding?’  

‘Did he polymorph? No, there’s no way he’d do that in front of a human. Then what is going on?’  

Both of them were lost in thought.  

Fortunately for Seras though unfortunately for Teo the five subordinates acted before they could figure it out.  

Aurelia’s narrowed eyes flashed open.  

“Seras! How dare you behave so rudely!!!”  

‘You clueless fool!! Do you know nothing about a dragon’s leisure?! That inferior species…!’  

“Do you not understand privacy?”  

“Huh? But I was told that the nitrogen fixation method was invented by the great Lord Teonar…”  

“It is true that our lord taught it to us, but it was Harbor who originally invented it! How dare you associate our lord with such a…such a….such a lowly… Ahem. Regardless, that is incorrect!”  

“……? My apologies. It seems I was mistaken.”  

‘What is even happening?’  

Seras, of course, felt utterly wronged.  

Had she done something wrong? That lingering question led her to research dragons upon returning home.  

Her conclusion?  

“Ah-ha! ‘Leisure’ must be like those secret erotic novels His Majesty hides!”  

…An unfortunate misunderstanding that Teo would remain oblivious to.  

Understanding the situation, Teo cleared his throat.  

‘Was it just a mistake? This is why dealing with fools is so exhausting… Sigh.’  

“——Raise your head, Seras de Valois.”  

“…….!!!?”  

Her head snapped upward.  

Not by her own will, but by an external force.  

It was the power of an edict.  

‘What? Why is my body moving on its own…? Wait, what?’  

“…Great Lord Teonar? Are you here, by any chance?”  

She didn’t even have time to be shocked that she, a knight commander, had been controlled.  

Her eyes reflected nothing but the empty throne.  

Only the deep indentation in the cushion hinted that something or someone was indeed present.  

“Ahem. Lord Teo is the most exalted being in this dimension. Mere mortals lack the eyes to perceive him.”

“What do you mean by that…?”  

“You don’t have to worry. We can’t see him either. It’s just one of our lord’s traits.”  

“……?”  

‘A Red or a Gold Dragon, sure, but… an Invisible Dragon? Is that even a thing?’  

Seras grew even more flustered.  

An existence beyond imagination had just appeared, leaving her at a complete loss for words.  

She was too stunned to even speak, her eyes darting around in a full panic.  

But no one particularly blamed her for it.  

‘Ah, this brings back memories~ We all freaked out the first time we saw Lord Teo too.’  

‘Even the servants go through this at least once. Yep.’  

‘I think the only one who didn’t panic was Lea… Ah, suddenly, I’m reminded of a mother’s love…’  

[For the 19,927th time, Lea is not Teo’s biological parent.]  

‘…I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t read my thoughts, Mother. That’s a total invasion of privacy.’  

[Then refrain from calling my name in your mind.]  

‘So I’m not even allowed to think freely?’  

[Lea’s sole purpose is to respond whenever Teo calls. At any time.]  

‘You never let me win an argument, huh.’  

Thus, Teo briefly bickered with Lea the entity he arbitrarily called Mother.  

Of course, this was something only he knew.  

To everyone else, Teo merely appeared to be sitting in silent contemplation.  

‘Damn that lowly species. Lord Teo was caught off guard because of her. Should I electrocute her later?’  

‘I told them not to be rude… Does she want to be turned into fertilizer that badly?’  

—Glare. Tremble.  

“Hiik!!”  

‘Did I really make such a grave mistake? Bad enough to die for!?’  

Misunderstanding Teo’s silence, his subordinates released a suffocating killing intent.  

The blood drained from Seras’ face.  

In that instant, memories of Leopoldus flashed before her eyes like a near-death experience.  

‘Leo, I’m sorry. I think I’m gonna die here…’  

“——Enough. What do you think you’re doing to an envoy from another nation?”  

“……?”  

It didn’t last long.  

The overwhelming bloodlust dissipated as Teo finally came to his senses.  

The five subordinates immediately prostrated themselves.  

“We deeply apologize, my lord!!”  

“We were merely concerned that you might have been angered…”  

“I am not angry. Besides, you all made the same mistake at least once before, didn’t you?”  

“…Lord Teo♡”  

“Ahem. Anyway, from this moment forward, do not act without my permission.  

I will not tolerate any more reckless behavior.”  

“””””Understood, my lord♡”””””  

With that, the situation was swiftly dealt with.  

Teo’s gaze swept across the audience chamber.  

What she saw was.  

A terrified Seras, pale as a ghost.  

A few knights who had outright fainted from the pressure.  

And even attendants who had collapsed onto the floor, completely overwhelmed.  

Her knights had been rendered combat incapable from just her subordinates’ presence alone.  

With a deep sigh, Teo gathered her magic.  

“——Grand Healing.”

– Whaaaack!!!  

A massive surge of magical energy engulfs the audience chamber.  

Healing magic washes over the entire knightly order.  

A spell known for its poor mana efficiency, deemed only useful for emergency first aid…  

Yet, it heals the burst capillaries in Seras’ eyes,  

revives those who fainted from overwhelming terror,  

and even restores the eardrums of a knight damaged by the earlier explosion.  

“…!!? M-My left arm…!!!”  

It even regenerated a severed arm?!!  

A knight’s lost limb, one that had been deemed irreparable even by priests was restored.  

With just a single spell, the last and mightiest dragon left on the continent utterly overwhelmed the nobles before him.  

“What is this…?”  

“Let this be sufficient atonement for your subordinates’ discourtesy.”  

But Teo remained indifferent.  

To him, miracles that belonged in holy scriptures were as trivial as eating rice cakes.   

“Welcome to the palace of Millenia, O unfamiliar humans.”  

“I am the enlightened sovereign who watches over my splendid people.”  

“I am the last dragon Teonar.”  

With calm resolve, he declared his existence to humankind.

*      *     *

Seras hadn’t spent much time in Teo’s presence.  

While everyone else was too overwhelmed to utter a word, he had carried on talking unilaterally.  

[To discuss the future relations between our nations…]  

After showing such a miracle, all he wants is diplomacy?  

Leaving the audience chamber, she gripped a rolled parchment in her hand.  

A letter personally written by Teo—the dragon who was a native Rune-tongue speaker.  

Even she could barely comprehend half of its elegant phrasing, prompting an involuntary sense of admiration.  

“Commander. Now we…”  

“We’re returning home. We must report to His Majesty as soon as possible.”  

There was no time for admiration.  

This earth-shattering revelation had to be delivered to her sovereign—King Leopoldus.  

Even riding at full speed, the journey would take a week, so haste was crucial…  

“Commander? We tied the horses before getting in the carriage. What should we do?”  

“What do you mean, what should we do? We’ll walk back to—”  

—Suddenly.  

“There is no need for that.”  

They had no reason to rush.  

Aurelia smiled.  

“Your horses are being brought back by the harpies.”  

“…I appreciate your kindness, Aurelia.”  

“It’s a little early for gratitude, though.”  

“……?”  

“Follow me.”  

And with steady steps, she led the humans to their next destination.

The knights who saw that were puzzled. Were they being given a ride again? They followed along.  

“W-what is this?”  

‘Provisions… and alcohol? A whole wagon full of it?!’  

What greeted them were wagons overflowing with supplies. Nearly thirty of them. Combined, it looked like enough food to last a decent-sized territory for a month.  

The knights’ jaws dropped.  

“No way…?”  

“This is a gift from my lord to Arkenia. Be grateful for his mercy toward the starving humans.”  

“All of this? From the looks of it, even some rather fine liquor is included?”  

“You may consider it a gesture of goodwill from my lord for the future relations between our nations.”  

Aurelia smiled softly, her eyes curving in a gentle arc.  

It was the very smile that had made Seras uneasy from the start one carefully crafted and deliberate.  

“……”  

‘If we accept that, it could be interpreted as engaging in diplomacy. We have to refuse for now.’  

Seras intended to decline. Not only did this make him uneasy, but……  

Recognizing them as a nation was a decision for the king. It wasn’t something he could decide on his own.  

Even if they had confirmed Millenia’s national strength, acknowledging a country of non-humans as an equal state was an entirely different matter.  

“We are grateful for the generosity of the great Teonar. However, moving such a large amount of supplies on our horses would be difficult. Apologies, but we must….”  

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.”  

“……What?”  

But Aurelia refused to be refused.  

Her eyes lifted toward the sky, her violet irises reflecting the clear, open expanse.  

“My lord will transport everything right to the gates of your capital. You may bring as many horses as you like to retrieve it. Be sure to offer your gratitude for his generosity.”  

“Wait, no—Aurelia, what are you—Hngh!?”  

—Crackle!  

At that moment, a massive magic circle spread across the ground.  

An immense surge of mana erupted like a thunderstorm.  

Its range encompassed the wagons and every knight present.  

Only Aurelia stood just outside its reach.  

Realizing what was happening, Seras reached out in alarm, but—  

“Wait! We can’t just accept such generosity—!”

“Then, farewell. The horses will be sent after you shortly. You lowly…”  

—Flash.  

With Aurelia’s enigmatic smile lingering in their minds, the scenery before them shifted in an instant.  

What they saw next was a familiar sight—  

The gates of Arkenia’s capital, Villeburg, stood right before them.  

“Hey! What was that noise…? Knights!?”  

“A wagon just appeared out of thin air!!”  

“Good heavens, where did all that food come from…?”  

The guards and citizens erupted into chaos.  

But none of it reached Seras’ ears.  

‘They teleported this much food over a week’s journey on horseback right to the capital’s gates?’  

“Even their logistics are monstrous…”  

All she could do was wish that this was nothing more than a dream.

*      *     *

However….  

‘Seras was so worried….I was wondering what they would demand in return…’  

“Puhaha! As expected, those foolish non-humans are hopeless! To think that, in exchange for this much food, all they ask for is something so trivial!!!”  

Upon hearing the full story from Seras, the king burst into laughter instead.