Chapter 629: Torch the Frailty of Peace.

“Forth! Forth! The dragons are coming! Go!”

“Demonkin, get on the serpents now! Get on!”

“Wraths! The retreat order has been given! The skirmish is over; get back to camp.”

… Fuck.

“That was the recording Virrflax filmed when she and the wind flight arrived in the Loatryxian colony. A northern harbor, closest to the border with the Caedhulen colony. They managed to slay some of the levianewt invaders and a few sea serpents before they managed to return underwater, but they couldn’t harm the two leviathans who led the battle, nor the demonkin who acted as a detachment from the main company,” Mom explained as she softly slammed her hand on her thigh, slouching back on the couch as she let the recorder project the recording.

It was short, only ten seconds, but it was enough for me to get the gist of the situation. The recording didn’t show the actual attack, but you could see the bodies of sailors, merchants, and citizens lying around in a burned-down, destroyed harbor. Their blood and body parts were strewn around in the carnage, blood painting the pavement and water in this grotesque scene under the orange, dimming sun.

The destruction didn’t just affect the harbor, as the Caedhulens made absolutely sure to sink any seaworthy vessels and their offshore wharf and shipyard. The debris floated along the water, with signs of something having gnawed on bits of what was left of our people. How many Loatryxians, or even visitors from other countries, were swallowed whole and ripped apart by those shark-faced bastards?

What should have been a beautiful harbor town was reduced to ruins. Innocents died, murdered by an ambush party, before they could even do anything! The walled town next to the harbor was heavily damaged, with many houses collapsing due to water spells or breath attacks. The sight was a gruesome reminder that the war had long started, and that we, Kargryx, remained on the back foot. While we were still proudly preparing, the Caedhulens had already finished.

“Kiedaceus is still far away from the surface, according to Gyadiosa,” Mom explained. “This wasn’t him. As you can see from the demonkin mercenaries, this was Quasdrakeen’s act. Just like what she did to Frozen Nest’s waters, she did to Loatryx.”

“She’s provoking us to move away from Miononbolax, you mean?” Grimnir replied, brows deeply furrowed as he sat on the couch.

The mood inside my subspace’s living room was chilly. The torched harbor was the type of thing I didn’t want to see; all we did was talk about this possibility, and now it was pushed into our faces like a rhino charging at us. Panic, fear, and a slight flight-or-fight reflex assaulted me, and I could feel [Battle Frenzy (Major)] affecting my judgment.

I had to deactivate it for now. I needed a cool head to think.

Once the effects faded away, I stopped tapping my foot on the ground, finally able to control my legs again. I looked around, noticing that all the members of my party remained silent before Mom stopped the recording. “How was the meeting?”

Mom turned to me. “After you received your System messages, your father convened a meeting inside the subspace with us empresses and the Kargryxmor clan’s administrators. Virrflax was dispatched immediately with a recorder and instructed not to intervene if the force was too great. Her clan guards followed her, but the wind dragon reinforcements would be late, since Virrflax was on Frozen Nest for the airship project. Flying to Storm Nest, organizing the willful true dragonkin there, and then moving to Altrust would have taken too long.”

“A wise decision, as the attack force only retreated after they saw Empress Virrflax,” Tasianna added. “Only two leviathans… may I ask how Empress Virrflax and her guards would ha—”

“She and her guards are all rank S. The leviathans are rank A, as you can see from the size. Virrflax would have destroyed all of them by herself,” Mom interrupted forcefully. “The dragon responsible for this harbor is a youngling. A rank A. A job he was supposed to take care of for his clan to help him mature. Haa, a tragedy. Ripped to shreds, leaving nothing behind for his family to mourn besides unidentifiable bits of flesh, scales, and bones. Virrflax wouldn’t have experienced such a fate, even if the demonkin had anti-dragon blood on them.”

She then suddenly turned to Vifi. “Unless… was there somebody in the mess that you recognized? I do not believe the leviathans are below using anti-draconic weaponry and toxins to combat us, but it’s a matter of pride for us true dragonkin. Why use it oneself and be ostracized by one’s peers, when you could simply let foreign, ‘shameless, humanoids’ use something ‘unnecessary to win against another true dragonkin.’”

Is that supposed to be a jab, or something? I wondered. That reasoning sounded like a noble giving commoners the dirty jobs to keep their hands clean.

“I saw them a few times, never talked to them. They are under the first seat’s command,” Vifi answered with a deadpan face, as if this was just normal. It was almost as if her silence was due to her being in L.E.P. mode; I guess she was already too desensitized. “Just a reminder that Warbringers aren’t generals or captains when it comes to our military hierarchy. We are elite soldiers meant to perform a task well, and we are assigned soldiers and units depending on our task. Either to fulfill an objective or to defend a position or military asset.”

“Your adoptive father, for example, was meant to duel strong fighters, correct?” Tasianna added.

She nodded. “To isolate the rank and file, the units working with the former third seat usually know him well. We don’t exactly lead those units, but depending on our work, we’ll get to know the leaders and soldiers of them well enough that they become ‘attached’ to us for missions. I didn’t get my chance, since I only recently became the third seat before deserting. And anybody I knew well from the army was, well, K.I.A.”

“Then what makes you sure these people were from the first seat, when you didn’t know these people well enough?” Beth asked.

“Second seat is an expert in assassinations. However, the units he usually pairs with are companies that can work in chaotic situations or on uneven ground. Expert guerrilla fighters. Why? Because the best way to cover up an assassination on a battlefield or inside a city is with a humongous smokescreen or blood, screams, and panic. These guys retreated orderly,” Vifi pointed out. “The first seat is a tactician. He was born blind, but since he was born into a noble house, he received the training needed to fight. Skills help. Formal military education helps even more. You don’t need to constantly swing a sword when you can lead people well inside the tent. So, he likes working with people who do not deviate too much from a strategy. People with good gut instincts work with the second seat.”

“And a tactician will use anything to win a battle,” Grimnir said. “That dragon corpse probably got taken to be turned into anti-dragon blood. Or something else. Could also be the price for the demonkin. Dunno.”

“They can just use whatever leviathan or adamantoise they kill,” Mom interjected, shaking her head. “Quasdrakeen has plenty of enemies, and even if she and Kiedaceus have the same goal, that won’t stop her from weakening her closest rival. Some are probably even fighting her right now, taking a chance to end the divine Quest before Kiedaceus returns to show their loyalty and prowess. Just because it is peaceful on the water’s surface doesn’t mean the depth isn’t being colored red.”

“And they still took the time to attack us? Not even the mainland, but Loatryx? Our colony on Altrust?” I snarled, feeling a bit disgusted.

“It is as Grimnir said: this was a provocation. The water dragonkin are reminding us that our empire doesn’t just revolve around Kargryx. Loatryx is just as important. Dragonewt descendants and a dragon were killed. If you want to taunt our people, that is how you do it properly. They already did it on Frozen Nest, but that led to failure. They learned to do it better this time.” Mom’s expression stiffened, looking like she was about to blow up in an icy wrath. “Don’t provoke the clans with leviathan or hybrid members. Pride is important, but it can be your downfall just as easily. With how many dragonkin we managed to kill, they better have learned it, and it showed.”

Mom was being a bit biased here, considering Frozen Nest had a giant blizzard barrier protecting it before the leviathan’s plan succeeded in destroying it. They got the barrier down, and that was probably what Quasdrakeen cared about. There was no way for us to turtle up when she eventually attacked us.

In my opinion, they seemed to be using different tactics for different purposes, and in this case, it was to lure soldiers and dragonkin from Miononbolax to Loatryx. Dragonkin in bold! If the Caedhulens brought their levianewt warriors with them and had true dragonkin support, then Loatryx needed them as well. Sure, there were dragons and drakes there as well, but not enough to prevent an all-out assault.

This was a warning. A taste. An actual prelude to what was to come.

Leviathans didn’t need to go on the shores to do damage when they could simply siege down a city with railgun-like water lasers. Adamantoises were humongous, turtle-like scalekin, who could just demolish everything with a single step like a mountain drake. It was scary as heck to envision.

They didn’t even need to penetrate into the land to destroy us, as preventing Loatryxian vessels from reaching Miononbolax could disturb more than just our internal economy, but also prevent people from visiting family. Moving through the sky? It was already plenty awkward when they performed their harbor blockade. You needed dragons for such an idea, not wyverns. And what dragon would voluntarily become an airplane provider or cargo shipper for a prolonged time?

As Mom said: pride. Pride could be a benefit or a problem that could lead to issues. You couldn’t “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” here. The only answer to this was to reply to violence with violence to stop such a scenario from happening entirely. Eliminate the nuisance before it becomes a catastrophe.

“Eltharion was quite enraged,” Mom stated. “His breath attack was his warning not to attack Kargryx or Loatryx. That scar still lingers off our shores. The elemental destruction it left behind should have scared off normal dragonkin. Disrespecting that means a definite war, now. The official declaration of war between Kargryx and Caedhul will begin today.”

“Seriously? So, does that mean—”

“Yes. We will be sending dragoons, flights, and wakes to Loatryx. We will be bolstering our sea guard even further, and we will be tracking down the two leviathans who attacked us. Gyadiosa believes she can track them down from the short recording.”

I guess the recording technology is helpful again…

“We will enter wartime soon, forbidding trade with Caedhul entirely, including Lecullius and the Caedhulen colony on Altrust. I can already imagine the colony’s kinkyuro doing their best to calm the clans after what happens, and now we have to change how we handle our continental trade,” Mom explained, looking exasperated. It seemed that she would have to handle it as well. “Wyverns cannot fly over the sky with piles of cargo. Dragons can, sure, but aside from the younglings, most will have their pride hurt, and if it isn’t the older ones, they will just be prey for a leviathan lucky enough to hit a single target above the clouds. The zeppelin is needed. We will have to start rationing. At least, the colony will survive due to our alliances with the elves, dwarves, and Artorias.”

The author publishes this chapter on the site they use for their story; this copy was taken without permission.

“Miononbolax should have no issue as well, right?” I asked, but Mom went silent. Narrowing my eyes, I tilted my head slightly to the side. “What do you mean? What are we missing from them?”

“Spices.”

“Spices?”

“Spices.”

“I know what you just said; I am asking why that matters. What do you mean by spices?”

“Hestia, how long have you been on Miononbolax? Okay, then remember how many ancients we still have strutting around in the cities? Remember how many dragonkin keep speaking about food, enjoying yours, or even creating stream names that have their favorite brand of wine on them?”

… Did Mom just throw a jab at Father?

After seeing me nod, Mom continued, “Good-tasting food is a currency just as valuable as the trinkets in our lair. We pay for good experiences. That’s why your recorder is so popular amongst the dragonkin, because they can immortalize experiences they would only be able to remember. Memories can fade easily, and that feeling of nostalgia can be toxic if you keep forgetting details. The soul, Hestia. Maintaining your passion for life is just as important to an ancient as keeping sure your health remains above zero. Otherwise, why wouldn’t we ancients simply survive on absorbing mana alone? Why wouldn’t you abstain from food and survive on solar energy? Taste, and what better way to get that taste than from spices.”

“I get that, Mom. I didn’t forget that fundamental issue, but—sorry, I’ll specify. If you say that we will be missing out on spices, then I don’t understand why, seeing how Marsh Nest is our center of production for all of it. At the festival celebrating Neill’s return, so many stalls were around! I keep hearing how specialties, drinks, and grown produce come from there. Considering the name, it’s probably a perfect plantation, right?”

“Hot and humid, you mean. Terrible.”

Yeah, fully agree on that. Human me would hate that, as well.

“But, yes, you’re right about it being incredible for growing the vast quantity of food we need for the empire. The humans would call such a place a ‘bread basket,’ I presume. Quake Nest does something similar, and there is plenty of land in the Loatryxian area, so we aren’t fully dependent on Marsh Nest.” Mom then raised her hand, showing off three fingers, pulling each down as she started to count. “However, the vast majority of dragonkin are omnivores. Only a few have a solely plant- or mineral-based diet, and only because of biology. First, many mud and swamp drakes only eat vegetation and are addicted to foreign plants, fruits, woodbark, and fungi. Second, mineral dragons like us enjoy eating stones, ores, and gems from various places, like Ankor-Nazta. They have a different taste due to the mana in the area. You cannot fully emulate it on Miononbolax. Third, by spices, I also mean different types of meat. Do you see any kroksagar on Frozen Nest?”

“Wait, some dragonkin order kroksagar (crocodile) meat?”

“You should have taken a look at the meat industry, not only the fishing one, Hestia. You spent too much time with Karydrinos!” Mom groaned. “Food is elation! The spice of our life! Caedhul has been our ally for so long, as they handled the maritime trade, obtaining ‘exotic’ food we cannot obtain or even grow here. A full-clash war like this hasn’t happened in… I actually do not know. We’ve had conflicts, but all of them are isolated clan disputes or personal ones. We’ve never completely stopped trade, even while a fight is happening!”

A historic decision… great.

“There was talk about a fight between Kargryx and Caedhul due to Wendriosa’s unwilling connection with Kiedaceus, and we have our own with Quasdrakeen, but I didn’t believe we would stop trade entirely. You saw what happened during the naval blockade, right? We still kept trading with Caedhul, and they kept sending stuff to us, even if it got more complicated. Eltharion is stopping everything. Whether this will be a good decision or not, we can only learn for the future.”

Mom then pulled up her party bracelet and opened up the stream section. After some tapping, she connected it with the recorder and projected the stream on the wall, causing all of us to let out a surprised “huh?” as we saw who was on it.

“That’s Prince Nongramos and Princess Wendriosa!” Beth called out.

And those two siblings were standing in front of two podiums to bellow out their speeches in front of a large crowd at a plaza in Coral Beard. A recording of the Caedhulen attack was being projected to the sky above them.

“First they blockade our shores, stopping us from receiving our merchant ships, then they attack Frozen Nest, and now they are bold enough to nearly kill my youngest sibling and attack and kill our people in Loatryx!” Nong shouted at the top of his lungs, spreading it throughout the plaza with [Aerokinesis]. “Is this the kind of ally we deserve, after we forgave them for so much of their aggressive taunting? Historic battles have happened, but they never involved attacking the empire as a whole! Clan disputes have been solved through sharp minds and correct words, but it seems the divine Quest has emboldened these backstabbing bottom-feeders! My eldest sister and first princess of Kargryx had lost her entire faction and relative to Kiedaceus, and now he and Quasdrakeen are aiming to destroy our empire.”

“Princess Wendriosa! We’re sorry!” The crowd roared.

“This is the weakness I spoke about during my speeches! Our lack of projection of power!” Wendriosa raised her voice. “We, as an empire, have isolated ourselves for so long, enjoying the laurels our ancestors and the ancients left behind. It isn’t just the Caedhulens, but even the demonkin of Bole’Taria think us weak enough to ally with the leviathans and adamantoises to inflict pain on us! They spilled our people’s blood on our land! Complete foreigners!”

The speech sounded like the ideology Wendriosa told me when she tried to pull me into her faction at first, but it didn’t have as much ammunition as before. A people so used to peace, with so many unaware of the exhaustion of war and conflict, were cajoled into this swimming pool of vitriol.

They raised their hands and wings in the air, slamming their tails on the rock pavements in cheer for Wendriosa’s words. It sounded like the truth as the video played.

Sure, some remained less than amused, probably since this event didn’t happen to them directly, but those looking for a fight or a reason to direct their hatred at the leviathan, Wendriosa and Nong were the perfect speakers. Those two had always told me how much they wanted to change the empire for the better, but they never had the platform to perform on. Now, they had, and the stage was just right for it to shine.

“Eltharion has given his consent to Nongramos’s and Wendriosa’s wish to stream this speech, with support from Gyadiosa, Virrflax… and me,” Mom admitted. “Quasdrakeen has crossed the line ages ago, but every day she keeps sucking in water, the angrier I get. I believe it is time, my whelpling. I am sorry… I wish I could have brought you into this life at a more peaceful time.”

“Not your fault, Mom. I would rather thank you for all the love you keep giving me, so don’t worry,” I said while patting Mom’s shoulder before hugging her. “Okay, so I guess those two will soon join the attack force, right? In that case, that means they need healers, so—”

Mom pushed me away. “You are still forbidden from leaving the continent.”

“I-I mean, I know, but they can bring the subspace to Loatryx, right? I can just heal from the outside.”

“I would rather you compel the holy dragons to join the battle, if you wish to help. Using your subspace runes in such a manner seems ineffective when we can use them for logistics. Grimnir, I heard she ordered a few cannons, right?” She turned to him. Once she received a confirmation, she turned back to me. “Great! We have an issue delivering goods around without our ships, but we have an alternative. We cannot procure the same variety and amount as the Caedhulens can with our lacking trading relations, but we can still maintain the status quo somewhat. Pacify the population and their indulgences in luxury and the exotics. This is also a duty for members of the imperial family.”

Maintaining the needs and wants of a population to prevent dissatisfaction and public unrest, yeah, I could understand that well enough. The city building phase, again…

“In addition, if you wish to keep the war in mind, go to Uriahn. Have him speak with his father, and ensure Sacred Nest is ready. After this, I want you to continue with what your Father asked you for: make sure to announce the second polling session.”

“… I don’t think we should focus on the succession right now, but I get it. Got it.”

“Good, thank you. Love you, dear.”

“Love you, too, Mom.”

I still had a bit more to say, but I respected Mom’s decision for now. A war was coming, and I could see that Mom was stressing the fuck out about everything that had to happen ASAP. Shay and Beth offered to help out with Mom’s workload, while Vifi and Tasianna had to discuss their equipment with Grimnir. That left me to visit Uriahn alone.

Leaving the subspace and the dungeon, I entered the small dungeon town, heading towards a small inn Uriahn had been renting out for multiple weeks now. My training with Uriahn hadn’t led to any success with [Photokinesis], and with the war now becoming a reality, I was starting to get a bit impatient. Did I really not have any talent for [Photokinesis]? Why wasn’t that an option in my skill point shop?

“Greetings, Princess Hestia. A fine evening, I hope?” Uriahn said the moment he opened the door, showing me a wide smile, making me feel guilty as I was about to ruin his evening. “… Well, come in.”

Damn! I cursed as I saw his shift in mood. I hadn’t noticed that I wasn’t smiling all this time, probably looking gloomy. As we hadn’t built an information tower close to the dungeon, Feastgiving didn’t have access to any streams. Uriahn didn’t know what was happening outside, and I couldn’t keep my public mask up.

Uriahn’s inn room was rather luxurious, since this place was meant to serve true dragonkin. Very spacious as well, which he had used to his benefit by bringing in some painting tools and an easel from his home to spend time with whenever I wasn’t training with him. Unfortunately, he was quite a dirty painter like his cousin, Sanzaphon, but at least he had the foresight to put down layers of his molted scales to cover up the carpet, bed, and tables.

After Uriahn served me some tea, I began recalling everything that happened after I received the first notification that my fans over in Loatryx were dying. The whole talk was awkward as hell as Uriahn’s face grew ever darker the more I told him what Mom spoke to me about, before gulping audibly once I asked him to inform his father to fully prepare for war. We needed Sacred Nest to uphold its alliance with us… even if this wasn’t its intention.

Hearing all of this, Uriahn stood up, scratching the back of his neck as he turned away from me. “The world’s become even more complicated.”

“You could say that again,” I eked out, wondering what his expression was.

“First, we have the gods announce three event Quests at once to shake the world, validating so many factions’ objectives and agendas, with the religious folks being especially galvanized by it. And now, the war will be happening… are you afraid, Your Highness?”

“Sure, I am. Thought I told you about my fight in Aureolis already. I dislike the thought of war, and I still hate that I have to participate in one now. I thought I only had to fight the demonkin and the corrupt underbelly of Folschreck and the Church of Aurena, but look what is going on now.” I sighed, feeling defeated. “The civil war in our family seemed to have stopped for the moment, but now another one, even bloodier, will start. And on the eastern side of Altrust, my best friend is fighting in a damn religious civil war in Carmaniate. Gosh, I wish Saori were here, but I also wish she wasn’t. I don’t want to do this to her, after all.”

“Understandable… but in these situations, having friends is the only way for many to maintain their sanity. Everybody needs a shoulder to lean on, and I can see that you need it a lot, Your Highness. Your [Battle Frenzy] training might have toughened you up emotionally, but it can’t hide the wounds needing healing.”

“You’re not my psychologist, Uriahn,” I snickered, trying to lift the mood with a small joke. “Please, I already have to deal with my friends lecturing me, or even my older brother mocking me about my emotional fragility. Instead, why not leave all that behind for now?”

Uriahn sighed and nodded, still not looking at me. “Of course. Please, bring out [Providence’s Will]. I am equally as impatient as you when it comes to the progression of your work. I shall do my utmost to speed it up.”

Letting out a short chuckle as I pulled out my catalyst, I brought the teacup to my lips, wanting to wet my throat after that extra-long explanation. “Hey, no need to be so—”

<Hestia, activate [Split Soul Autonomy]’s mental acceleration skills, now.>

“—hasty about everything,” I finished my sentence as Aurena’s voice interrupted me. As I saw Uriahn nod, my perception of time began to slow.

<This is as late as I can warn you, as I believe it is too late for you to escape from your predicament. Maybe you can, maybe you cannot, but I hope you will. You have ten seconds. Get out of the room, now!>

As time turned back to now, I threw the tea away as I punched the inn’s walls, breaking through them by letting my scale-dust explode, only for Uriahn to grab my tail before I could actually escape. Pulling on it, giving himself a gash on his palm, he yanked me closer to him, like jerking on a small dog’s leash.

“I’m sorry, Hestia… this isn’t under my father’s orders. I’ve hidden too much about my pilgrimage that he doesn’t even know who I’ve associated with,” he said as the space behind him was forcibly opened, similar to [Spatial Rend]. “However, you need to power up. Survive. Because Gel’Glariri wishes for it!”