Chapter 83
The faint cracking sound grew clearer. Sian immediately recognized it as the sound of the barrier surrounding the imperial palace collapsing.
“Sister, find the other mercenaries and evacuate with them.”
No sooner had they escaped the underground where dragon magic couldn’t be used than Carl’s eyes began glowing golden.
“What are you saying?”
Sian frowned at Carl’s words and hitched up the cumbersome skirts of her dress.
Then she mercilessly tore the hem. Though Carl furrowed his brow at the exposure of her white legs, Sian paid no mind as she ripped the hem with tremendous force to allow for easier movement.
“If I die, I’ll die with Your Highness. Do you think I’d miss this perfect opportunity for social advancement?”
She seemed like a different person from the woman who’d been crying underground. Carl frowned watching Sian’s actions, but ended up smirking at her returned boldness.
“The position of Ivarid’s lady is mine. I can’t let anyone else have it. Let’s go, hurry!”
Instead, Sian took the lead, running through the evacuating crowds toward the palace lobby. Carl suppressed another laugh and followed after her.
CRASH!
The impacts continued without pause at intervals, though they couldn’t tell where the attacks were coming from. As Carl and Sian emerged into the palace lobby, pushing against the flow of soldiers rushing past, the scene outside was even more devastating than inside.
The beautiful maze garden, usually blooming year-round with flowers, was being consumed by brown flames in complete chaos.
Soldiers had already gathered in formation with swords and shields in defense, but the enemy wasn’t on the ground.
Above.
Just as Carl and Sian looked up following the greatly disturbed air currents, brown flames exploded like fireworks in mid-air with a thunderous boom. BANG! After the explosion, sparks scattered in all directions like snow.
Crack—the barrier revealed its limits with an ominous sound.
“Carl! Lady Sian!”
Hendrick, standing on the second-floor terrace, called out loudly upon spotting Carl and Sian.
“Brother!”
“It’s Brita!”
Before Carl could ask what was happening, Hendrick shouted with sharp eyes. Sian’s eyebrows trembled.
…Brita?
How could it be Antonio’s Brita, who was imprisoned underground?
“I don’t know what’s happening either! I’ll evacuate His Majesty—you take command and hold them off! I’ll return after escorting His Majesty to safety!”
Is she rampaging alone after sensing her master is in danger?
As Carl and Sian wondered this, Hendrick shouted to Carl. Carl nodded briefly.
“Archers, aim for the sky!”
Besides the sound of the palace burning from the scattered sparks, there was no sound from above. However, the Brita that Hendrick mentioned must surely be gliding above, preparing to unleash Dragon’s Breath.
Carl stared at the sky with tense eyes. Unlike the palace thrown into chaos by the dragon’s sudden attack, the sky was clear without a single cloud.
Soon, beyond that clear sky appeared a dragon with massive wings extended straight, cutting through the air at high speed.
“Fire!”
At Carl’s shout, the archers simultaneously released their drawn bowstrings toward the sky. Dozens of arrows soared upward in an instant.
But they didn’t reach the dragon, who exposed her belly and wings toward the ground. As if knowing the arrows’ range, Brita was flying too high.
Having easily avoided the archers’ attack, Brita flapped her wings. Flames gathered in the air like water droplets in an instant.
Dragon’s Breath.
Carl grimaced sharply and raised both palms toward the sky. Silver light rippled, enveloping the entire palace and spreading like wings for a moment.
CRASH!
The collision of Carl’s silver magic and Brita’s Dragon’s Breath in mid-air created an explosion that felt like it would tear their ears off.
“Carl!”
Sian cried out in alarm. The heels of Carl’s shoes, who had spread the defensive Dragon’s Wing magic toward the sky, crushed the floor material, sending fragments flying.
He had taken the full brunt of the invisible impact alone.
Again arrows rose into the sky with sharp whistling sounds. The brown dragon leisurely avoided the second volley of arrows while gliding through the sky.
Without time to breathe, brown light gathered in the air again. Carl cursed quietly, “Damn,” as he manipulated magic again to counter the incoming Dragon’s Breath, but his timing was off.
Brown masses of light rained down like meteors. Idelin’s magic that Carl controlled spread out to envelop the surroundings a fraction too late.
Just as Carl bared his teeth at Dragon’s Wing spreading too late to counter the falling Dragon’s Breath—
—BOOM!
The light falling toward the ground at terrifying speed exploded mid-air with intense flames. Carl sharply furrowed his brow at the deafening explosion.
Black, haze-like energy rippled around his scattered silver magic. Instead of Carl’s delayed magic, it was that black magic that had blocked the Dragon’s Breath.
Carl opened his eyes wide and looked to where Sian had been standing. Her eyes burned clearly golden as she manipulated black magic with both hands spread.
A laugh escaped through Carl’s teeth.
“…So you really were a dragon’s master.”
Though he’d suspected all along and heard it several times, seeing it with his own eyes made it finally sink in. Sian, who had been looking at the sky, met Carl’s gaze with her golden eyes.
“As if you didn’t know.”
Carl smiled back at Sian’s grin and pulled her hand back. The sky, having barely blocked the Dragon’s Breath with Sian’s help, once again showed its clear blue expanse.
But it would come again soon. As Carl and Sian glared at the sky, this time Brita raised Dragon’s Breath in the sky without showing herself.
—Crack.
The clear sky twisted with rainbow-colored light. The chilling crack was the sound of the palace barrier breaking. Carl furrowed his brow as he prepared to spread Dragon’s Wing again.
“The barrier will break. We can’t stop Brita’s main body with just borrowed dragon power.”
“…I can’t call my dragon.”
Sian made a troubled expression at Carl’s words. No matter how urgent the situation, the moment the black dragon appeared, people’s fear of the infamous black dragon would peak.
“Idelin is enough.”
Carl smiled faintly. His eyes, which had turned golden, sharpened and filled with light.
At that moment, the Dragon’s Breath gathered in the sky poured down. Having prepared in advance, this time Carl didn’t miss the timing and spread Dragon’s Wing in the air to block the attack.
—CLANG!
