Ashen Dragon

Boske Duchy, Stratholme Fortress.

Cassius lightly pushed open a hidden door in the wall and entered the hall.

This time, the members of the Arcane Priory had not yet arrived in full, but the venue was already abuzz with discussions. Most members' faces were shrouded in a cloud—that of fear for the uncertain future.

The majority of the Anzeta Branch members were Northern nobility, accustomed to a life of extravagance and debauchery. But now, the shadow of the Red Dragon loomed over the North, with each duchy teetering on the brink of collapse. They also feared the flames of war spreading to their own homes, threatening to strip them of their noble status.

Upon seeing Cassius arrive, a tall noblewoman promptly greeted him.

"Good day, Mr. Remnant Flame."

"Good day, Lady Tulip, you are as beautiful and enchanting as ever," Cassius responded politely.

It wasn't just this noblewoman; many others approached him, looking to converse, some even going out of their way to curry favor.

At the last Arcane Priory meeting, his generosity had caught many's attention. Speculations about his identity were rife, with the most reasonable and widely accepted one being: "Remnant Flame" was an illegitimate noble child from the Southern Fadlan Empire, here to establish a foothold for his family in Anzeta.

Yet at this moment, the beautiful noblewoman's eyes contained a hint of worry.

Cassius knowingly asked, "Lady Tulip, is there something troubling you?"

"Tulip" sighed, answering, "It's not just me, everyone here laments the fall of the Rackman Principality."

"That evil dragon is too terrifying, too brutal. It is said he ruthlessly trampled on the sacred traditions of the North and cruelly murdered many nobles. It is said that on that day, blood stained the Parliament Square."

"Indeed, it is truly horrific," Cassius nodded slightly, following her words.

Another member echoed, "The evil dragon's tyrannical rule will surely be overthrown, and Knights of Justice will rise."

"He actually placed the noble Northern aristocrats on equal footing with those peasants, those Gray Beasts. It's simply incomprehensible!"

"This is a complete destruction of Northern Order!"

"Yes, this evil dragon will definitely face retribution!"

"Our Triss Family has already recruited adventurers to eliminate that evil dragon!"

"If war comes, the Fano Duchy will fight to the death! We will never let our land fall into monsters' hands!"

Cassius listened to these impassioned declarations, secretly noting their words, as well as the families and countries they represented.

"Just for beheading a few dozen people, such a fuss. These Northern nobility have quite the intense reaction."

"But no matter, we'll take this step by step.

"You will all adapt eventually."

Cassius made a silent vow in his heart.

The noblewoman had no inkling that her offhand remark would bring catastrophe to her family in the near future.

Amid the gaze of the crowd, Olivia, the "Silver Star," appeared in the hall once more.

"Good day, Miss Venus," Cassius took the initiative to greet her.

She didn't answer, instead using a Text Transmission Spell to deliver a clear female voice audible only to Cassius.

"I asked my grandfather, and he said Gold Dragons don't like this magic-poor place of Anzeta. Aside from an adult female Gold Dragon, only a young male Gold Dragon resides here temporarily. If I'm not mistaken, your name is Angel, son of the Ancient Gold Dragon Castro, right?"

Olivia glanced at him, her expression smug as if she had uncovered a secret.

Cassius first froze, then was somewhat dumbfounded. He hadn't expected this cunning Silver Dragon to help complete his disguise, saving him the trouble of gathering materials to fabricate an identity.

So he neither confirmed nor denied, responding with the same Text Transmission Spell.

"Miss Venus, prying into members' identities is against the Arcane Priory's rules. As the head of the Anzeta Branch, are you intending to break the rules?"

"Clearly you first..."

"I didn't purposefully seek it out, just heard it through the grapevine. There's a fundamental difference between the two."

"Hmph, pretentious Gold Dragon."

...

The hall was still lavishly decorated, with a massive round table.

The members of the Arcane Priory sat down one by one.

"Since everyone is here..."

Olivia was about to proceed with the usual segments of the Arcane Priory meeting when someone interrupted her, speaking first.

She frowned slightly but remained polite, nodding slightly to indicate the person could continue speaking.

"Forgive my rudeness, Lady Venus."

"I do not intend to disrupt the meeting's progression, but I believe there are more urgent matters that need discussing, in line with Lord Trafalgar's principle: 'United against evil when necessary.'"

The speaker was "Grey Hawk" Schroeder.

His face was etched with the lines of fatigue and worry, appearing twenty years older than before. At this moment, Schroeder looked grave, covered in a shadow, his voice filled with pain.

"Since things have come to this, I won't hide my identity any longer."

"I was once a court mage of the Rackman Principality, as well as a noble of high lineage in the North. But now... I am merely a homeless wanderer."

Upon hearing his words, no matter what thoughts the attendees harbored, they all intentionally displayed sympathetic and regretful expressions.

Schroeder's voice gradually became hoarse.

"I once witnessed that Red Dragon destroy our allied forces, annihilate our cities, while I stood powerless."

"Now, this Red Dragon has destroyed the country I served, brutally oppressing my people, mercilessly slaughtering the principality's nobles."

The members present were all deeply saddened by these words, some even shedding tears for this tragic fate.

Olivia, hearing his words, frowned slightly.

She softly said, "But according to my investigation, the Duke you served, Brad, was indeed a vampire, and the Ashen Kingdom hasn't committed any massacres of civilians yet. What you said is somewhat—" Stay tuned to My Virtual Library Empire

Before she could finish, she was interrupted by Schroeder's passionate words.

"Lady Venus, you are simply too kind, too naïve! By the gods, that is a Red Dragon! The embodiment of evil and brutality! How can you be so unreasonable as to believe the lies of a Red Dragon!"

"A vampire? Utter slander! He is the true vampire, greedily draining the Northern Kingdom!"

"And who knows what atrocities this evil dragon may commit in the future? Today he slaughters nobles, tomorrow he may devour entire cities, even the entire Northern human population!"

"I..."

Olivia wanted to retort that she had acquired her information through Spell Image, not through Ashen Kingdom's propaganda.

But Schroeder, intentionally or not, ignored her doubts, his impassioned words flowing uninterrupted, leaving her no chance to defend herself.

At this moment, Schroeder's speech reached its climax. He stood up, looking around with a tragically solemn gaze.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the four-hundred-year-old Rackman Principality is gone, and next is the Norton Principality. Then who will be next?"

"If we do not resist, the next to be slaughtered by the evil dragon could be you!"