Novel Full Chapter 473: I am Father of Dragons—I have no choice but to be arrogant.
Chapter 473: I am Father of Dragons—I have no choice but to be arrogant.
“You shouldn’t do this, General Aurelia.
Your actions will only lead to unnecessary deaths.
I have no enmity with the Sky Kingdom, neither do I wish to sour our relations because of a misunderstanding.
Please leave.”
Kael requested politely, wanting to end things when they were still peaceful.
He wasn’t a naïve fool; deep in his heart, he knew that if things came to that point, this time… he would need to get blood on his hands. If not, the enemies would have his and his children’s blood in their hands.
Not to mention there was that one woman waiting for him back home—he… he couldn’t possibly be soft-hearted here.
He needed to make a difficult decision, one that would burden his heart, but before that…
He wanted to try and end things with a talk.
The Sky Kingdom wasn’t his enemy, and he wanted it to remain that way, especially when they already had Drakthar to worry about.
But…
“Unnecessary deaths…?”
The Sky Serpent General raised her eyebrow.
“Is that a threat?”
She questioned directly, her piercing eyes staring right into Kael’s in an intimidating manner.
And Kael…
“You are the one with an army, General Aurelia.”
He answered calmly.
“I am not sure who is trying to threaten who here.”
“I am not threatening you; I am requesting you to come with me, and in return, I promise you absolute safety an—”
“You are requesting me something with an army by your side. No matter how you frame it, General Aurelia, it doesn’t look good on your side.”
Kael interrupted before the General could finish.
“And if you truly believe you will be able to force me with numbers and I will not resist you in any way—”
Kael turned and looked at Igni before turning back toward Aurelia, and then—
“—then you have misjudged me.”
Aurelia’s jaw tightened at those words. She could tell that Kael wasn’t bluffing. If she forced him, he would not go down without a fight.
And although she was sure the battle would end with her victory—
This was the man who had taken down more than thirty scouts without getting caught or even seen once. If he went all out, there would be casualties, and it wouldn’t be a number they could ignore.
What’s worse?
If all that she was imagining happened, the neutral relationship the Hero and the Sky Kingdom had would sour—to the point it would be difficult to get things back to normal.
The Hero would never willingly join their side, and even if they somehow forced him, they would need to constantly watch over him.
It would be an exhausting relationship—something neither side would want—something where both sides would be holding a knife at each other all the time.
In the end, the General sighed.
“Why are you so against the idea of following me? Is the image you have of our Kingdom that bad?”
She asked, a genuine question that made her frown constantly.
Just why…
Why was the Hero so against the idea of joining them?
Is this related to Drakthar? Did someone there lie to him to keep him away from them?
But then—
“You came here with an army and told me I am coming with you, by the easier way or the hard one. What image do you think I would have of your Kingdom?”
Aurelia turned silent at those words. She had no response.
Seeing that his words were working, Kael pushed a little further.
“Please do not make things worse, General Aurelia.
I promised to protect the world, and I intend to keep that promise, but what I do will be on my own terms, not on someone else’s.”
The two people stared at each other, as if trying to read each other’s intentions. The rest stayed silent—there were more than eighty people here, yet… none made a sound.
Until finally—
“So you do not wish to follow me, correct?”
Aurelia began with a question.
“That is correct.”
Kael nodded.
“And I do not intend to let you go.
It seems both of us want two different things, none of us wants to back down, so it seems conflict is natural.”
“…”
Kael continued to stare at Aurelia, his jaw tightening while he clenched his fists, preparing himself for what was about to come.
“But there is one thing both of us agree on.”
Suddenly, Aurelia spoke, her tone changed.
“None of us wishes to see needless blood and sour our relationship.”
Kael nodded again, agreeing with her.
“So I propose a solution—a solution where the conflict between us can be solved without any bloodshed.”
Kael tilted his head, waiting for the General to continue, and Aurelia tightly held her spear and pointed its tip at Kael—
“Fight me.”
She challenged directly.
“A fair, one-on-one battle.
If you win, you can leave, and we will pretend that this never happened. And if you lose, you come with us, willingly.”
“What…?”
Kael’s expression changed, but Aurelia didn’t give in.
“Do you think that is unfair?”
She asked, and without giving him the time to answer—
“That is the world we live in, Hero Kael. Our world is merciless; it doesn’t give second chances.
You say you plan to save this world on your own terms, and I would like to believe you, but in the end, this is a matter of grave importance. If you want me to trust my—my people’s and my entire world’s fate in your hands, you need to show me that you have the necessary skills to be able to keep your word.”
She explained.
The General obviously knew that the terms were unfair—she was more than fifty years old and had been pushing herself past her limits for decades.
Compared to Kael, who had only been in this world for a few months at most, the comparison was…
It was honestly shameful for a General like her to challenge a child like Kael.
But…
Aurelia had no other choice.
She needed to bring Kael to the Sky Kingdom, no matter what.
And this was the only way—as shameful as it was—that she could come up with.
And Kael…
“Does this one-on-one battle involve our Bonds?”
He asked directly.
A question that took Aurelia aback. She thought Kael would argue or try to challenge someone on his own level, but… to think he accepted it so readily…
’Is he trusting his Dragon?’
She wondered in her head as she glanced at Igni.
The Dragon’s eyes met hers, and for a moment, Aurelia flinched. She also felt a slight tremble beneath her—her Thunder Eagle… it was trembling.
’So that is it, huh…’
She muttered to herself, realizing the truth.
But as if he were reading her mind—
“I would rather we fight without our Bonds. Let’s make it a true one-on-one battle, one where we rely only on ourselves.”
Kael spoke up, his eyes shining with fighting intent, and his mouth continued to twitch. Aurelia thought it was because he was being brave, but in truth…
Kael was trying everything in his power to hide his grin.
After all, he hadn’t forgotten how strong Aurelia actually was.
[Name: Aurelia Stormborn]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 56]
[Level: 82]
[Strength: 135]
[Agility: 200]
[Speed: 190]
[Stamina: 170]
[Defense: 140]
[Mana: 75]
[Intelligence: 140]
[Charisma: 170]
[Strengths: Supreme Combat Prowess, Untouchable, Precise Killer, Master of Battlefield, Tactical Genius, Commanding Aura]
[Weaknesses: -]
…
Yes, she was strong, undeniably so.
She was a Ninth Stage Warrior, one of the strongest Generals in all of Nerathis—a being not many would want to go against—
But…
In the end, this was a world where the main source of one’s strength was their Bonds, and without those Bonds, even the most exceptional men were… lacking.
Especially when compared to Kael, who, unlike others in this world, wasn’t entirely dependent on his Bonds.
He alone was enough.
[Name: Kael Carter]
[Race: Human]
[Age: 22]
[Level: 41 → 46]
[CE: 1348/16800]
[Talent: Genesis of the Ancients]
[Talent Rank: EX Rank]
[Strength: 174 → 195]
[Agility: 231 → 255]
[Speed: 205 → 226]
[Stamina: 212 → 231]
[Defense: 192 → 209]
[Mana: 267 → 290]
[Intelligence: 173 → 190]
[Charisma: 188 → 205]
…
Yes, the difference between Kael and Aurelia’s individual strength was huge, but it wasn’t Aurelia who had the advantage.
It was Kael.
“What…?”
Aurelia blinked, unable to believe what she was hearing.
“You wish to fight… without Bonds…?”
“You are a Ninth Stage Warrior; you have more Bonds than me. I do not want my children to be hurt because they were outnumbered.”
Kael answered, waiting for the woman to jump on the false opportunity he had created for her.
“Then… you wish to fight… just me?”
Aurelia tilted her head.
“Will you let me go otherwise?”
Kael asked with an innocent smile.
“No.”
Aurelia shook her head with a grin.
“Then this is the best I can get in this situation. If I fail, it would be because I was weak.”
Kael answered as he began stretching his body. Then, he looked at Aurelia mid-stretch and—
“Plus, you said it yourself, didn’t you?
If I want you to trust me, I need to show you how capable I am.”
Kael’s grin then widened and—
“It’s about time I start showing off.”
“You are quite arrogant.”
Aurelia commented honestly.
“It is different from the image I first had of you in my mind.”
Kael laughed at those words.
“Well, what can I do?
I am Father of Dragons—I have no choice but to be arrogant.”