Ashen Dragon

"The latest bulletin from the Ashen Kingdom!

"The assassination attempt on the Red Dragon by the Knight of Justice ended in total defeat!"

"Lionheart Knights ambushed!"

The newsboy called out in the streets, selling the bulletins he had picked up, his voice echoing.

Bulletins from the Ashen Kingdom seemed to use some advanced technology. The paper was delicate, the ink clear, greatly favored by the residents. Even without considering the content, they had many uses. Moreover, there were many eye-catching messages.

Those wandering around the streets had long discovered the business opportunity in these free bulletins and began selling them widely.

Initially, such acts of indirectly aiding the Ashen Kingdom's propaganda were not allowed by the Duchy, and those caught were easily arrested. But as the number of bulletins distributed increased and the benefits grew, patrols could only turn a blind eye.

"I want to buy one."

A melodious female voice came, though it was filled with urgency.

The newsboy looked up, seeing the person clad in a robe, her face hidden by a hood, yet unable to conceal her tall stature and smooth, fair skin.

He guessed it might be a noblewoman or young lady sneaking out and quickly smiled fawningly.

"Madam, five copper coins."

"Alright."

"Have a good day."

The newsboy handed over the bulletin, took the copper coins, and smiled uncontrollably, thinking how easy it was to deceive these naive noblewomen.

In a secluded alley, the noblewoman who bought the bulletin removed her hood, revealing her delicate and beautiful face—she was Olivia, the Silver Star, the manifestation of the Silver Dragon.

She browsed through the lines of text on the bulletin, her expression grave, softly reading aloud:

"Court Mage of the Rackman Duchy, these despicable people from the Northern United Kingdom..."

"They set a vicious trap, attempting to ambush the great King of Ashen..."

"But the might of the dragon ended everything."

As she read this, Olivia frowned, her blue-gray eyes full of worry.

The report mentioned the assassination attempt on the Red Dragon and its failure, but it didn't narrate the specific process or include the news she was most concerned with—that of the Gold Dragon kin.

In other words, his life or death was uncertain.

Olivia looked up at the sky and couldn't help but murmur:

"Angel, are you... still alive?"

She initially disliked this Gold Dragon, disliked his secrecy and cunning.

But since their last conversation, Olivia had an unusual feeling. The Gold Dragon's righteous words and final entrustment had left a deep impression on her heart.

She felt for the first time the charm of the Gold Dragon's sense of justice and idealism.

Perhaps it was due to the Silver Dragon's inherent kindness or concern for a kin, or perhaps other complicated feelings; she now eagerly wanted to find the Gold Dragon's whereabouts.

"I hope the next time the Arcane Priory can see you."

"Angel..."

"I don't want to fulfill your troublesome entrustment."

Olivia lowered her eyes, put her hood back on, and disappeared into the alley with a ripple in space.

...

The Boske Ducal Mansion.

"My lord, this is the latest intelligence from the Ashen Kingdom."

"Mm, you may leave."

Duke Leo Boske took the bulletin handed by his attendant, reading it carefully.

Contrary to the image he usually presented to the public as a mighty and irritable lion, Leo in private was quite composed, something evident from his series of experiences.

Thirty years ago, this duke, known as the "New Lionheart King," defeated the Northern Nobility's Allied Forces, holding a famous "Lionheart Alliance."

He unified the nearby territories, re-establishing the dominance of the Boske Duchy within the entire Northern United Kingdom after more than three hundred years, reclaiming the honorary title of "Northern Monarch," though he seldom referred to himself as such.

At this moment, Duke Leo's brow was tightly furrowed, his expression extremely grave, his lion's mane-like beard seemed to tangle.

"They indeed did not succeed."

"A pity, I shouldn't have sent the Lionheart Knights to assist."

"Cassius Klaubow Norixius..."

Duke Leo articulated the name that had repeatedly thwarted him.

Since the Lionheart Alliance, Boske Duchy's development had been smooth and increasingly powerful, and Duke Leo hadn't faced such a setback in a long time.

In this operation, he didn't expect to kill the Red Dragon truly; he just hoped to probe. It would have been even better if they could restrain it in any way. However, the dispatched Lionheart Knights sent for reinforcement ended up completely wiped out.

Fortunately, he had sent "Black Lion Knight" Frederick, whose loyalty was questionable, and Duke Leo had long wanted to replace him.

He turned to look at Count Trischka not far away.

"Trischka, any response from Holy Fadlan?"

Count Trischka spread his hands helplessly: "This rebellion is unprecedented in scale; all Imperial forces are deployed for suppression. They are only willing to send border guards from the North. As for the 'Divine Descendants' of the Sun Legion, not a single one can be dispatched."

Duke Leo's tone was heavy: "This is utterly useless. Only Legendary-level power can confront the Red Dragon."
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Count Trischka reminded: "My lord, aren't you forgetting something..."

"I know what you're going to say, the Polar Night Demon Tower, Dragon Fan Mage Vagnard, right."

Duke Leo shook his head and said: "He's a complete madman. To buy that scroll, I've exhausted every means. Normal humans can't cooperate with this damned lunatic."

Count Trischka spoke softly: "My lord, we don't need to cooperate with him. We only need to make him and the Red Dragon fight to the death. That way, our benefits would be maximized."

"Hmm..."

Duke Leo stroked his somewhat messy beard, deep in thought.

Suddenly, the urgent sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts.

A knight rushed in, anxious.

"My lord, bad news, the Principality of Norton has fallen!"

"What?"

"How is this possible!"

Staring in disbelief, Duke Leo slammed the table and stood up abruptly. Even the usually composed him was utterly shocked.

Cracks appeared on the table.

This recent emergent country, the Ashen Kingdom, which was established just months ago, had, without any prior warning or notice, directly invaded and conquered the Principality of Norton. How was this possible?

"Are the intelligence agencies of the Boske Duchy utterly useless and deserving of the guillotine?"

Duke Leo rarely showed genuine fury.

The knight's voice trembled: "Th-they moved too fast. From marching to conquering, it took only a single day."