My Dragon Cultivation System: Rise Of An Empire

"Again, King Rollo." Master Odeg spoke first. "Concerning the hydra, I believe I have mentioned before that such creatures are controlled by magic."

"Yes, you have," Rollo replied. "What about it?"

Odeg leaned forward. "Bringing down the cave or striking down the last of the bone hydra will not truly end it. The only way to finish the creature is to find the sorcerer who made it and destroy him forever."

Rollo frowned. "That is another problem entirely. How do we find the sorcerer? Do we have any clues?"

"Most times," Odeg said slowly, "sorcerers remain very close to the creatures they create. If the hydra is near, then its maker is even closer than we think."

Amber spoke up. "If he is that close, then surely he will show himself. Sooner or later, he will make a mistake and we must be ready when that moment comes."

But Odeg shook his head. "Such men know they cannot risk being exposed. They are always the most careful of all beings. What if he never shows himself? What if we never find out who he is? What then?"

Nyella raised her voice calmly. "What you say is true. He may choose to remain hidden and far from sight. But we should not sit and wait for him to expose himself. We must find a way to force him out."

Odeg turned to her. "And how, Princess, do we make that happen?"

"To bring a man out of his shell," Nyella said, "you must tempt him with what he most desires. So the question is this, what does the sorcerer truly want? If we can learn it and offer it, he will surely come out to seize it."

Odeg widened his eyes. "Amazing. No wonder no one opposes you, a woman ascending the throne of your kingdom. You are such a very wise one. Applause to King Tharyn for what he made in you. May he rest well."

He paused, then added, "As for your question of what the sorcerer wants, I believe it is nothing less than the end of the human race. He wishes to rule the world with his creatures. He longs to swallow each kingdom one after another until he has conquered the ends of the earth."

Rollo sighed deeply. "With that being his goal, how could we possibly bring him out now? Would we need to let him think the whole world is already falling before him?"

"Yes," Nyella said. "If that is what it takes for him to reveal himself, then so be it. We will find a way to make him believe so."

Rollo leaned back in his chair. "And you truly think this can be done, Princess?"

"Nothing is ever certain, Your Majesty," Nyella answered. "But we must take every chance given to us. It is worth the risk."

"Alright then, but there comes another question," Rollo continued. "How do we make him see that his plan is working and prove that the world is being destroyed?"

Nyella was silent for a while, she thought for a long moment and then she said, "That I do not know of currently. However, I know someone who can devise a wonderful strategy for this. And he is here, though still undergoing treatment. Lord Edgar, the Lord Arbiter. He is one of the wisest and intelligent men I have ever seen. This is his specialty. If anyone can craft a strategy that will make the truth undeniable, it is him."

Rollo leaned back. "If you say so, then I'll trust your judgment," he answered. "We will wait for him to recover."

Before Nyella could respond, a guard rushed into the chamber, knelt quickly before King Rollo, and whispered something into the king's ear.

Rollo's face changed instantly. His eyes widened, and then he shouted, "What?"

General Amber stepped forward. "What is it, Your Majesty?" he asked.

Rollo looked at Nyella. "It's the prisoner," he said. "Someone attempted to kill her."

"What!" Nyella shouted as well. She was the first to leave the chamber and headed toward the interrogation room. Aeron quickly followed after her.

When they reached the room, Nyella pushed the doors open. Several guards were standing inside, their faces pale and nervous. Irha was still tied to the chair, but her face was wet with tears. She was crying uncontrollably.

Nyella stepped inside slowly. "What happened here?" she demanded.

One of the guards stepped forward and bowed his head nervously. "Forgive us, Your Highness," he said. "We… we do not know how it happened. Somehow, an assassin slipped through our watch and entered this place. We never saw him clearly, for he was completely covered from head to toe, wearing a mask. By the time we noticed, he was already upon the prisoner, but luckily we were still able to stop him."

"This assassin must be highly skilled to reach this far into the palace without being spotted."

Nyella took one step closer to the guard and snapped, "Are you meaning to praise the assassin or are you admitting your own incompetence? Which one?"

The guard dropped to his knees in shame. Nyella did not even look at him again. She brushed past and walked straight to Irha.

The girl was trembling as she was still crying. Nyella bent down so that their eyes were level.

"Why are you crying like this?" she asked. "You act as though you recognized the assassin. Tell me, Irha… did you?"

Irha did not speak, but her tears fell harder. Nyella gave a small bitter smile.

"I thought so," she continued. "Because we both know the truth. No one else could have sent an assassin at this time. No one but your father, the same father you claimed cherished you so much. Well, as you can see, he has already betrayed you. Not only has he abandoned you, but he has now tried to kill you."

Nyella's tone became firmer. "So, girl… better save yourself, because no one is coming to save you now. Not your father. Not his armies. You have only yourself, and your words."

Irha lifted her head slowly, her eyes red from tears. "I will tell you what I know," she said in a broken voice.

"..."