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'So.. the first thing she asks upon arriving is this?'

Karl, looking at the almost unchanged, still beautiful and powerful red-haired Dragon Lady, shook his head helplessly. He had harbored a slight hope for their reunion after three hundred years since the Empress's disappearance.

After Master Ashen's disappearance, Nova was the first to leave the Ashen Empire.

If Karl remembered correctly, more than half of the demi-humans willingly chose to follow Nova among the five personal guards, including himself. Together, they established the Dragon Nation on this land.

In the first two hundred years, the Dragon Nation was prosperous, the harmonious country they had envisioned where humans and demi-humans coexisted. But in the three hundred years that followed...

Karl clenched his fists. As a "Special Ability" Forgotten Spirit, he had reversed-read Roca's memories upon being summoned, so he had a concept of the current state of the Dragon Nation.

Why the Dragon Nation changed so drastically in just three hundred years was initially a mystery to Karl.

Until...

Just now, while assisting Renji in teleportation, Karl discovered something...

Terrifyingly unsettling.

Thinking about it, Karl gathered his spirit. He had to convey this crucial information, which he couldn't tell his Master, to someone else.

"Lady Nova, it seems Master Ashen isn't keen on meeting you. He had already teleported away using a 'Relic' before you arrived. You're a step late."

Seeing the Dragon Lady about to turn away, seemingly uninterested in further conversation, Karl felt speechless.

He quickly dropped the mysterious act and added what he truly wanted to say.

"But! I secretly noted down his teleportation coordinates while Master wasn't paying attention. Following these coordinates, with his current speed, he can't escape your grasp!"

As expected.

The Dragon Lady immediately turned back around.

"Coordinates, give them to me," Nova ordered seriously, her gaze fixed on Karl's eyes.historical

"I can give them to you, and I intended to do so. But as a condition, I earnestly request that you listen to what I have to say next."

Seeing that mentioning the "coordinates" made the Dragon Lady finally patient, Karl let out a sigh of relief.

He then straightened his face, adopting a more serious tone.

"Master teleported to the demi-human territory in the southern part of the Dragon Nation. But as you know, the Hearthstone's Tear targeted teleportation requires the user to have visited the coordinates at least once. Therefore, the one who actually initiated the teleportation was one of my kind, a demi-human under Master."

"I assisted Master, and since we both belong to the Cat race, I seized the opportunity to transfer a part of the heritage power to her. It was then I discovered a problem. Her bloodline was... [cursed]."

"Afterwards, to verify this, I checked several other demi-humans and realized it wasn't an isolated case. All demi-human bloodlines have been cursed."

Karl was initially shocked by this discovery, but what chilled him to the bone was the deeper implication hidden behind this revelation.

"Yes, your expression suggests you've thought the same. Among master's Eclipse, there indeed was someone proficient in curses."

"But she should be dead..." Nova said, frowning.

"True, I also thought that all 'First Generation' like me should have been dead. But now, I am certain that among the remaining twenty-three seats, someone is still alive!"

This was what Karl found most terrifying.

"That's impossible. Without reaching 'Calamity Rank' they couldn't possibly live that long," Nova shook her head.

"But what if? What if someone among them did reach your level? The best proof is the bloodline curse. If only a specific line of demi-humans were cursed, it could be seen as a disaster. But if the entire race is cursed, that's not a disaster, but a calamity."

Nova remained silent, visibly struggling to believe Karl's words.

It was simple.

In the world where Miasma existed, Master had pooled all resources to concentrate the power of numerous Eclipse beings into creating them, the five.

After the Miasma Abyss was eradicated, the world's Miasma concentration dropped to almost zero. It was incredibly difficult to even produce a 'Disaster Rank' Eclipse, let alone the hundred times more challenging 'Calamity Rank.'

'But on the other hand...'

'If what Karl said was true...'

"Why would she do that? Cursing the demi-humans... what's in it for her?" Nova didn't understand.

Karl shook his head helplessly again, but then, after hesitating, he revealed his suspicion: "I don't want to believe it either, but I suspect it's for... revenge."

"Revenge?"

Seeing Nova's confused expression, Karl sighed again. He didn't know how to explain this complex situation to this simply mined Nova, but the conclusion was clear. The Old Alliance had succeeded in their objective. They had successfully divided the Dragon Nation. The demi-humans, cursed and gradually losing their power, swiftly lost their social status. Karl even suspected that the introduction of slave laws in the Dragon Nation was driven by members of the Old Alliance, pushing the nation into an abyss and sowing seeds of hatred between the races.

The more Karl thought about these, the more regretful he felt. If only he had still been alive back then, if there had been clear-minded people to advise the Empress...lightsnovel

The Dragon Lady in front of him had always been the vanguard in every battle five hundred years ago, their most reliable teammate. As long as Nova stood unshaken, they had complete confidence in the worst of battles. But off the battlefield, Nova knew nothing – she couldn't cook, read, or even write initially, learning only under Master's coercion.

But it didn't matter then, because they were there to support her, as was Master. Nova protected them on the battlefield, and they cared for her in daily life – the naive Dragon Lady.

The thought of the Old Alliance deceiving and manipulating an innocent person Nova, as pure as a blank slate, filled Karl with rage. 'Did they deserve the protection Nova provided on the battlefield, the arrows she blocked for them, the blood she shed for them?'

Forcing himself to calm down, Karl realized that his anger was futile. 'More importantly, Master had returned, meaning Nova didn't have to pretend to be the Empress anymore. The true Emperor would surely make the "conspirators" pay' Karl believed.

This was why Karl was concerned about another matter, the reason he hadn't told his Master what he had just revealed.

"Lady Nova, do you still have any contact with Lady Miyuki?"

Changing the subject abruptly, he asked such a sudden question that would usually puzzle most, but Nova, after a moment of recollection, seriously replied:

"Three hundred years ago, Miyuki approached me, and I believe the other four as well, warning us about the Miasma pollution issue and suggesting we enter deep sleep to resist it. We all followed Miyuki's advice and went into a closed state. After that, there were no more messages from Miyuki."

"Hah.." Karl's expression grew more troubled upon hearing this, muttering as if deeply pondering something.

Karl, as if suddenly realizing something, quickly continued his inquiry:

"What about Lady Lena? Did she say anything at that time? Did she also go into seclusion like you?"

"No, she was the only one among us who didn't heed Miyuki's words. Lena has always been like that."

Karl seemed relieved by Nova's shaking head in response, his face visibly relaxing from the tension it held earlier. He always knew Lena, another member of the "Special Ability" group, wouldn't be easily deceived.

"Lady Nova, the next thing I say, you must not tell Master. I suspect that Lady Miyuki is behind the Old Alliance! Only Lady Miyuki's protective abilities could have allowed them to survive until now"

"Don't overthink it. Just convey this information to Lady Lena. That's my last request! If you agree, I'll give you Master' coordinates right now!"

"Okay, I promise you" Nova affirmed.

With Nova's affirmation, Karl felt a burden lifted from his shoulders. He chose not to tell his Master about this because of Miyuki's status. If Nova felt like the big sister of the family, then Miyuki, with her gentle and apologetic demeanor as a noble elf knight, was undoubtedly the mother of the family.

Karl believed there must be some misunderstanding. 'Miyuki would never betray Master or harm anyone' Fearing that his Master might misunderstand and become enemies with Miyuki was not what Karl wanted to see.

Regrettably, he had already played his part and could only entrust the rest to Lena. While Lena might seem like the rebellious little sister of the family, always causing trouble, Karl trusted her and their "Special Ability" pride.

Having sent the coordinates to Nova, Karl felt he had accomplished his small act of revenge against his Master, believing Renji would forgive this minor grudge.

'To be resurrected after death, to see the world again, and to meet the most important people once more, I have no more Regret..'

So, Karl faced his final moment with calmness.

Nova had shattered the barrier of the [Well zone] with her punch, but if Karl, the "engine" of it, didn't die, the [Well zone] would resurface. Besides, even if it were completed, he would just be a Forgotten Spirit, no longer "Karl"

"Do it, Lady Nova."

Nova: ".."

Nova: "Do you... blame me?"

Karl: "Why would I? After all, it was us... who left you alone first."

Sometimes, few words are needed to convey deep emotions.

With just a couple of sentences, Nova conjured a flaming longsword from the void, her primary weapon that hadn't been drawn in five hundred years. No one had warranted its use until now.

The Dragon Lady swung her blade, and the fiery apex of her sword struck Karl's form. One of the strongest Forgotten Spirit, formed from Miasma of hundreds of thousands in the Sealed City, began to be consumed by the flames, his body incinerated.

But until the end, Karl's face retained a smile.

From his silent mouth's shape.

It seemed like he was saying...

"Goodbye.."

...

Sheathing her sword.

Nova, standing silently for a minute at the spot where Karl had vanished, prepared to summon her fiery dragon again to chase after her Master at the given coordinates.

But...

Was it just perfect timing?

Nova had to temporarily delay her pursuit of Master because, not far from her, within the Sealed City...

A dazzling holy light soared skyward, cutting through the night's darkness like her fiery glow had done before.

Once again...

Piercing the darkness of the night.