Chapter 177: A New Day

Dragons?

[Yes. They possess magic superior to any other being on the continent, and they have a strong affinity with spirits. If there were a dragon here, they would see through your essence, since they’d have the same magic.]

Karyl smirked at that.

That... doesn’t worry me. This is the imperial palace, after all.

[Still, it’s never bad to be cautious.]

Karyl was taken aback by Ramine’s unexpected advice. In his past life, he had encountered most of the dragons left on the continent during his quest to fulfill the Oracle, but only one had stuck in his mind.

The Platinum Dragon, Narh Di Maug.

It’s just...

There was one thing that bothered him— the conversation they had when Narh Di Maug revealed that the dragon’s heart was in Einheri.

[It was merely a light curiosity. Among the continent’s strongest, including your father, I wondered who was truly the strongest. There would be no direct confrontation due to politics and such, so I sought them out myself.]

The honorable ones who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, magic, and martial arts were known as the Continent’s Three Strongest—Karyl’s father, Kuwell MacGovern; the leader of the Dawn Council and owner of the Ivory Tower of Dawn, Great Sorcerer Berchi Blano; and finally, Valvont, the King of Martial Arts.

Narh Di Maug mentioned that he had come out once to meet those three. He had visited the MacGovern mansion to meet Kuwell MacGovern.

[If only you had been a little younger... No, if your father had introduced you to me when you were younger, comparing you to the continent's strongest would have been hilarious.]

Recalling that moment, Narh Di Maug had assessed Karyl’s sword and expressed regret.

“...”

Karyl shook his head as he recalled the past.

Narh Di Maug said he visited the mansion then, but that already occurred in this timeline. Honestly, I thought about staying at the mansion to meet him...

Perhaps he could have met Narh Di Maug sooner if he had just waited. However, even if he had become stronger with the help of the dragon, staying at the mansion would also have meant missing out on his connections with the magic guilds of Tatur and Azor, the southern forces, the nobles of the Three Kingdoms of Istria, and Gordon Fabian.

If I had done that, it would have been impossible for an immigrant like me to set foot in the imperial palace.

Wasting time meaninglessly was something he absolutely couldn’t afford to do. In hindsight, Karyl believed he had made the right choices. He needed power, not just individual strength.

In any case, the growing mysteries surrounding Narh Di Maug still remained unsolved. However, there was one point in Ramine’s words that suddenly struck him.

The only dragon who helped humans after the Oracle was prophesied

Karyl shook his head.

No, even so, it’s hard to believe Narh Di Maug is involved with the emperor.

His confidence stemmed not from his knowledge of the Platinum Dragon but from his understanding of Emperor Shutean.

If a dragon were connected to the empire, that snake wouldn’t stay quiet. He would have exploited it somehow.

If the empire, already the strongest entity on the continent, had a guardian dragon, the emperor would have used it to obliterate the other two powers.

Dragons, when forming a pact, had to abide by certain rules—they couldn’t attack other nations and had to do their utmost to protect their own kingdoms.

That’s more than enough. The empire’s power would multiply several times over just by not having to use its military for defense.

In the Magical Era, dragons sometimes made pacts to become the guardians of kingdoms, turning human wars into dragon wars. But now, dragons were rarely seen, and they were very much detached from human affairs.

[You never know. It’s been centuries since the Spirit Realm was cut off from the human world. Yet here I am with you.]

We’re different. Frankly, I didn’t even know about your existence.

[You don’t know all humans either.]

“...?”

Karyl cocked his head in confusion, but that was as far as the conversation went.

Knock, knock.

A knock at the door interrupted him.

“Come in,” Karyl replied with a slightly tense voice, curious about his first visitor.

“Hmm?”

The visitor, a soldier Karyl didn’t recognize, saluted him nervously.

“Excuse me.”

“What is it?”

“Sir Kuwell has requested that you quietly go to him.”

Ugh, out of all people...

Karyl let out a low sigh. At the moment, Kuwell was the last person he wanted to see. Rather he had hoped to see Martte at the palace first.

Although that would’ve been tough.

With Luon, Olivurn, and three of the empire’s four dukes gathered at the palace, it would be nearly impossible for Martte to seek Karyl out.

Come to think of it, Olivurn was there but didn’t say a word.

Karyl recalled Olivurn standing quietly among the vassals. If he hadn’t paid attention, he probably would have missed the prince entirely.

He must have known. Speaking up in that situation would’ve been a bad idea.

“...”

Karyl hesitated while holding the doorknob, a sudden doubt crossing his mind. Though the emperor hadn’t imprisoned him, he had ordered Karyl to stay put, which essentially meant that he wasn’t allowed to meet anyone during Kromen’s three-day funeral.

Would Father defy the emperor's orders to meet me?

He wouldn’t. But it wasn’t that Kuwell wouldn’t be there either.

“You are overthinking things, aren’t you?”

Karyl smirked, knowing who was actually waiting for him. Considering the emperor's order, that person had concealed his identity in case Karyl refused a private meeting.

Creak...

He slowly opened the door and walked down the corridor.

Alright, I didn’t hear your voice earlier. Let’s catch up

***

“Seeing them like this, your eyes truly are beautiful.”

Karyl looked up.

At the far end of the hallway, Olivurn was waiting for him, just as he had expected. And behind him stood two others, Kuwell MacGovern and Kadin Luer.

As in my past life, Kadin has joined Olivurn’s faction

, Karyl thought as he observed them.

This means Bryn Ennik and Belin Vallention are the core of Luon’s faction. They haven’t summoned me because they need to first solidify Luon’s position after his return.

Karyl organized everything in his mind. Despite the turbulent times, he had been through these events in his previous life, and they were merely pieces moving on the board he had set up.

Although Luon’s faction appeared stronger with two of the empire’s four dukes, reality was different.

With both Kuwell and Kadin under his command, Olivurn had amassed a force far beyond Luon’s reach, with the sword and magic.

More knights follow my father than Belin, the head of the knights. And behind Kadin, a member of the Dawn Council, stand the sorcerers of the Ivory Tower of Dawn.

If there were any variables, that would be the remaining duke among the four, Duke Neil Blanc. However, he was an enigma shrouded in rumors, and even within the empire, no one had laid eyes on him.

I couldn’t confirm his existence, and no one in my past life knew him either.

Karyl had never seen Neil Blanc either. For all he knew, he could be a fictional person invented by the emperor to keep the power of the dukes in balance.

At the very least, a duke had to have his own principality, but Duke Neil Blanc’s territory was unknown.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

At Olivurn’s comment, Karyl lightly touched the area around his eyes.

Among the ten chosen by the Oracle, there was Miliana, a barbarian, but she had mana and did not have black eyes.

Karyl, on the other hand, bore a mark of heresy. Despite leading the charge to fulfill the Oracle, people couldn’t stop looking at Karyl as an immigrant, no matter what he achieved.

It felt strange. No one had ever called his eyes beautiful, and the compliment came from someone who had once tried to kill him. How ironic.

“Your exploits have already been heard in the Sun Hall. The forty thousand prisoners at the Twin Armor could have been a concern for His Majesty... I’m grateful you came.”

“It's nothing.”

“But there is another matter that comes to mind, a minor one. Strangely, you remind me of a certain incident in Piasta,” Olivurn said. “The Slave King.”

His voice echoed softly in the room.

“Several years ago, I captured him in Piasta. As an administrator in Tatur, he helped not only slaves but sometimes even immigrants escape, causing quite a headache for the empire."

Karyl felt Olivurn’s eyes scrutinizing him.

“But he broke out of prison.”

“...”

“Haha, no big deal. I heard from Sir Kuwell that he’s now in Tatur. I was wondering if you might have heard about him,” Olivurn went on with a faint smile.

He knows I took Suan.

Had he shown any signs of discomfort, Olivurn would have seized on it. Luckily, Karyl had anticipated beforehand that he might now.

Back then, Olivurn had more than one pair of eyes in Tatur.

Zouk De Holde

Karyl recalled her face, which he had nearly forgotten.

We haven’t seen each other since parting in Tatur, but she probably hasn’t returned to the Eastern Lands yet. She might even be here now.

Fortunately, Olivurn seemed unaware that Karyl had essentially become the lord of the south.

If she hasn’t reported to Olivurn, it might mean her perspective changed after meeting Aidan. It’d be pretty good if she sided with me. Zouk’s talent is remarkable, and with Aidan, she would be twice as capable.

But that wasn’t the issue now.

“I heard from Sir Kuwell that you are his adopted son? As you know, your father serves me. And you know the significance of my summoning you here."

Thump, thump...

Unlike the emperor, princes had no Absolute Gap. Olivurn stood less than fifty meters away. If Karyl drew his sword, even with Kuwell present, he could behead Olivurn right then and there.

“...”

That day resurfaced in his mind

Even after an eternity, how could he forget the day the emperor he had trusted tried to kill him?

“Ha...”

But Karyl exhaled slowly, suppressing the murderous intent that had surged within him. Not yet; he needed to wait a little longer for the right time. After all, he had waited an eternity, and he couldn’t afford to slip now because of his emotions.

“Perhaps my father is loyal to a king who puts his people first,” Karyl said coldly.

With his bold statement, the atmosphere in the room instantly froze. Kuwell’s expression was riddled with confusion, but Karyl didn’t acknowledge it.

“Dawn is breaking, Your Highness. Yesterday is behind us,” Karyl said softly. “It is a new day.”