A middle-aged voice echoed from the office.
“It seems you should visit the Imperial Palace soon.”
The owner of the voice was Bordin, the head butler. He had come to deliver an urgent report to Athena.
“It must be something quite urgent for that old man to call me in personally.”
“I’ve heard there was an incursion by demons.”
The person Athena referred to as “that old man” was none other than the most powerful figure in the Karaz Empire. The Emperor, Valre de Magstitia.
This morning, an edict from the Emperor had arrived for her. As expected, being from the palace, it was lengthy and filled with unnecessary details. To sum it up:
– Demons were discovered in the Imperial Palace. Come and investigate.
That was about the gist of it.
The Emperor’s command was absolute. No matter how free-spirited Athena was, she could not simply disregard his orders. The Emperor was well aware of her rebellious nature, which is why he rarely summoned her unless there was a critical issue.
Athena did not refuse such orders; she knew that doing so would only lead to more trouble.
“Hmm… It’s going to take at least a week…”
In the past, she would have immediately rushed over out of boredom, but now things were different; Hela was by her side.
The thought of being without Hela for a week did not sit well with Athena. She even considered bringing Hela with her to the palace, but decided against it out of concern that her beauty might catch the Emperor’s eye.
‘Honestly, being unnecessarily beautiful is such a pain…’
She had a mesmerizing appearance that could enchant anyone. Of course, she herself had fallen for it, but now it was somewhat bothersome. At this point, she wanted to cherish Hela for her personality more than her looks.
Nevertheless, the succubus queen’s beauty was still captivating. If Hela were to be paraded around, more than a few pests would likely swarm her.
That said, the thought of not taking Hela only fueled her imagination about how happy Hela might be without her around. That wasn’t a pleasant thought either.
Wandering through these thoughts, she heard Bordin say, “And I have good news too.”
He was implying there was more to report.
“Good news?”
“Yes. Hehe… You’ll be quite surprised.”
He looked at her with an air of confidence, puffing his chest out as if to say, ‘Look at me!’ It made her feel slightly annoyed at his arrogance.
“I’ve finally found it!”
“…Found what?”
He struck a ridiculous pose, spreading his arms wide, and declared in a booming voice,
“The traces of a dragon!! At first, I couldn’t believe it either, but it’s confirmed! I discovered the mana of the dragon race.”
His expression seemed to say, ‘How about this, didn’t see that coming, did you?’
A dragon…
Certainly, this wasn’t something trivial. A being so indifferent to the mundane world, they appeared like a storm and vanished like the wind—legendary entities that were not easy to find.
They had no interest in other creatures, living only by their own will. Arrogant yet noble, they were much like herself.
That’s why she had been interested in dragons. She often wondered if they lived lives of monotony like hers. If not, what kind of entertainment could they possibly indulge in? This curiosity tickled her mind.
But…
“I have no interest.”
“Their traces haven’t been discovered for decades—… Pardon?”
Bordin appeared dumbfounded at her unexpected response. Perhaps he thought he had misheard, as he shook his head several times before trying to speak again.
“Oh dear… I must be getting quite old. I’m hearing things.”
“You heard correctly, Bordin. I’m no longer interested in the dragon race.”
His jaw dropped at her statement.
Of course. Right now, her life felt more fulfilling than ever.
Thanks to Hela.
Just looking at her brought a smile to her face, and touching her felt better than holding any treasure. And when she longed for her lips…
‘I’ll hold off for now.’
She suppressed the dark desires rising in her mind. She had no intention of pawing at her without her consent.
After all, when she had once disregarded her opinion and forcibly signed a master-servant contract, Hela had looked at her with suspicion ever since. If she trampled on Hela’s will again, she would end up resenting her for a lifetime.
Honestly, in her heart, she wished to subdue Hela and savor her completely, even if she didn’t open her heart. Yet, she knew she could manage it regardless, and Hela wouldn’t be able to refuse.
But she held back.
What she wanted wasn’t a puppet-like Hela who blindly followed her, but a Hela who willingly submitted to her in her heart. For that to happen, Hela had to come to her on her own.
‘Of course, I’ll make that happen.’
She had already given orders to Roselin. As time went by, Hela’s heart would slowly crumble. Then she would simply approach Hela and embrace her.
“Now you can stop looking into dragons.”
“W-What…? My efforts…”
Bordin muttered under his breath, still shocked. After all, she had been urging him to find traces of dragons all this time, so it must have been a letdown for him to see her change her stance so abruptly.
“I’ll double your salary.”
“Haha!! What does it matter if it’s traces of a dragon?! I will certainly do it, my lord.”
Upon hearing about the salary increase, his face transformed instantly. It was a rather mercenary reaction that made her want to laugh, but honestly, she had more than enough money. Doubling his salary was no big deal at all.
“Got anything else to say?”
If not, she should probably check on Hela. Who knew? For the week she would be away, she might end up mesmerizing someone else.
She was determined to make sure that wouldn’t happen.
“Hm… I just heard some news. I was told the young lady is on her way to the training ground.”
“What?”
“There’s a duel scheduled between knights today. I think she might be going to watch that.”
Hela had gone to the training ground. Did she have an interest in fighting?
Come to think of it, she had heard about Hela’s nickname when she first arrived at Drax’s Place.
The Black Bear of the West.
Though an adorable name that made one want to give her a nibble, it was said to be a title earned from having torn apart many foes.
Thinking back, she had kicked her in the gut without hesitation when they fought.
‘Seems she’s not one to shy away from a fight.’
Suddenly, a brilliant idea popped into her head.
It felt like she could speed up her plans significantly.
With a sly grin on her face, she exited the office.
“Today’s news is the most important of all.”
Bordin followed her out and, as they strolled down the corridor, they arrived at a window overlooking the training ground.
She turned to Bordin, who was quietly following behind her.
“Bordin, did you know?”
“What are you referring to?”
Through the window, she spotted Hela gazing blankly at the knights.
“The mana within us all reflects our master’s personality.”
“Ha, yes, I’m aware.”
“And I have a very competitive spirit.”
She closed her eyes and concentrated. Slowly, she followed the trace of mana that had separated from her. At the end, Hela’s feelings reached her.
A sense of exhilaration filled her.
With a master-servant contract, she could accomplish a great deal. She could heal her servant using her mana, and conversely, she could burst their heart in an instant.
Of course, it required exceptional mana manipulation, but as long as her mana was embedded within her servant, there were infinite ways to utilize it.
‘So I can do this too.’
While maintaining the connection to her, she mentally recited the incantation.
Unleash your fury.
Ignite your passion.
Lay the world beneath my feet.
Her self-hypnosis magic amplified the mana and temporarily awakened her body into a state of excitement. As she completed the incantation, her mana began to rage inside her.
Her body was heating up. She suddenly felt the urge to burst out and smash something.
And she knew Hela felt the same way.
Slowly, she opened her eyes. Through the window, she saw Hela approaching the knights, her expression focused.
She covered her mouth to stifle the giggle wanting to escape.
Be careful, Hela. My mana can be quite wild.
“Bordin.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Bordin immediately bowed his head in attention.
Wiping the smile off her face, she gave her command.
“Contact the church and let them know to activate the teleportation stone.”
“The church… you say?”
“Yeah. It seems like I’ll need to head somewhere soon.”
“…..Understood.”
Bordin suppressed the questions swirling in his mind. This was why she liked him. He excluded his own judgment and followed her orders without hesitation.
He would probably even kill for her without a second thought if commanded.
She turned her gaze back to the training ground, thinking of who would become the first sacrifice of her beautiful slave.
“Let’s hope they don’t die.”
She didn’t want to see Hela get hurt.
—–
In a certain forest on the outskirts of the empire.
If you found yourself lost here, you might not escape for a long while.
Deep within this vast forest, where no human footsteps touched, there lay a cave hidden from sight.
Inside that cave…
Whoooosh—
Mana was being drawn into a certain point like a whirlpool.
As the light of the mana was absorbed, it appeared to have some form.
An oval shape it took on.
At first glance, it resembled an egg.
However, it was not made of shell. Instead, it was an egg composed of dense mana.
Before long, like a hungry child endlessly sucking in the surrounding mana, it made a CRACK—
Suddenly, something broke apart, erupting with mana and bursting forth with a loud BOOM—.
The shockwave shook the entire cave, causing parts to begin collapsing.
Amidst the debris, a shadow suddenly emerged.
As the mist slowly dissipated, what became visible was…
A creature surrounded by shimmering blue scales.
“Kyuung?”
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