"Do you wish to take me as a slave? If so, then it would be more apt for you to kill me now."
Zenith's immediate response was a wild accusation, but one that could be understood.
Dragons were a rare commodity in the Heavenly World. The fact of the matter was that the cultures of a world where people aged so slowly wouldn't change nearly as rapidly. Those practices, where dragons and men alike were enslaved for others' pleasure, were still very prominent in certain regions of the world.
Damien was not a dragon. He was either a human or a creature disguised as one. Either way, he was from the outside world.
It was practically impossible for him to have pure intentions.
As someone who had lived so long, Zenith hardly believed in goodwill. Hell, even if it was goodwill, what could he even do with more life?
All he would gain was more years trapped in this dark and desolate place, wishing for everything but never achieving anything.
It was better for him to die than live either of those two lives.
Damien shook his head.
He understood the Dragon Emperor's suspicions, but they were not warranted. When it came to Damien, "power" was never the end goal.
Arulion was, putting it bluntly, useless to him. The current Damien was on the verge of being able to create his own kingdom of dragons purely through the use of his mana.
He wanted this place to rejoin the rest of the world, to properly stand up against the incoming threat. And, he never planned to get their help for free.
"I have a son," Damien said.
It was a sudden shift in the conversation for Zenith, but he listened anyway,
"His name is August, and quite honestly, he is not my biological kin. Instead…"
Damien pulled up a projection. It showed August in the current moment.
Deep within the seas off the coast of Fort Halleya, August was currently on an adventure to find himself amongst the water dragon tribes that lived completely separated from Arulion's society.
It wasn't hard for Zenith to understand what Damien was trying to show him.
After all, not only was August cutting through the water in his dragon form, but…
"...that aura, that appearance…"
"It's exactly what you're thinking."
Damien confirmed his thoughts easily.
"When I was still young, I personally met Qinglong, your Ancestral Dragon Emperor. He entrusted me with his kin, and I have been raising that boy on my own for the past ten years."
"He is…"
"He was born and raised in Arulion. And, as you've guessed, he has already accessed his ancestral memories."
"At only ten years of age?"
"That's right."
Zenith smiled slightly.
"It is to be expected from that man's descendant."
He didn't think it possible, but if it was Qinglong's descendant, it made sense.
"You must be wondering why I'm showing him to you," Damien said.
Zenith nodded.
"It's simple. Currently, he is also participating in the heir wars to assume your throne."
"HIM–keugh?!"
Zenith raised his voice for the first time. He coughed a few times afterward as his body readapted, but his confusion and surprise were both evident.
Such a young child who was still growing was participating in such a challenge?!
"He already passed the first round. I guess he's trying to reach 4th class before he goes back for the next one."
"I see…"
It was hard for Zenith to be more surprised, so he decided to just accept it.
A ten-year-old who was challenging the 4th class barrier was fighting with people double to ten times his age to take the throne and become the emperor of all dragons.
It was nonsensical, wasn't it?
"I'm sure that you understand my purpose by now," Damien commented, bringing Zenith's mind back to reality.
Zenith didn't say anything for a while.
"I cannot help him win the heir wars," he said.
"And I'm not asking you to," Damien responded immediately.
"August can win on his own. All you need to do is be a proper mentor when he does."
"There are more challenges than just winning the competition. More importantly, is that child even aware of what he is doing?"
It was concerning. At that age, it was impossible for him to have enough rationality to understand the weight of his actions.
If he was being provoked into such a competition by the will of his father…
"It wasn't me."
Damien interrupted that thought like he could read it.
"He awakened his ancestral memories early and matured faster than anyone could control. The will of his ancestor was definitely involved in his decision, as was a bit of mine, but I never would have forced him to enter if he didn't want to."
A small smile appeared on Damien's face. It was uncontrollable, really.
"That boy has dreams of being a hero and an emperor. Rather than pushing him unnecessarily, wouldn't I just be a terrible father if I held him back?"
"Haa…"
Zenith sighed.
Ancestral memories were the best for a dragon's growth and potential, but when it came to the mental aspect, it had the potential to cause ruination.
It was impressive enough that a child so young was able to overcome it. For him to willingly take up the quest for the throne made him a beast in the best sense.
"You want me alive so I can properly train the successor to Arulion's throne. Even if that isn't your son, that remains true, yes?"
"Sure."
"Then, what will you do about the underlying issues? Whether your son or some other talented genius, they will all die the same if they decide to fight corruption."
"That's an issue for me to handle. I only need one thing from you, and that's an answer," Damien responded.
"So I'll ask you again…"
"Do you want to live?"
Zenith looked at Damien with different eyes than he did before.
This being whose name he still did not know…
No, this man, the father of August, descendant of Qinglong…
Was it okay to trust him?
***
The rest of Damien's conversation with the Dragon Emperor was for only the two of them to know.
It was best to focus on what was happening in the center of Arulion rather than the preparations that were being made in its depths.
The second round ended in roughly four hours.
The three geniuses who took the most time to complete every portion of the challenge were eliminated, those in the middle were awarded their single point, and the top three took the stage together to fight it out for their places.
Though, it really was just a battle for second and third.
The first-place spot had been dominated by such a large margin that nobody even hoped to compete for it.
Every single round, Melania showed the world just how powerful she was. Since she didn't have any unreasonably powerful Holy Clan geniuses to inhibit her, she was able to show a performance that others couldn't match.
But there was one thing that became evident as she progressed through the stages.
Melania Achen was definitely not just a 3rd class dragon anymore.
She had both achieved 4th class and progressed some of the way through it, which left onlookers with mainly one question.
How?
That answer was vital, because if she made some kind of great discovery…
…then she was about to become a target for many, many people.
"Do you wish to take me as a slave? If so, then it would be more apt for you to kill me now."
Zenith's immediate response was a wild accusation, but one that could be understood.
Dragons were a rare commodity in the Heavenly World. The fact of the matter was that the cultures of a world where people aged so slowly wouldn't change nearly as rapidly. Those practices, where dragons and men alike were enslaved for others' pleasure, were still very prominent in certain regions of the world.
Damien was not a dragon. He was either a human or a creature disguised as one. Either way, he was from the outside world.
It was practically impossible for him to have pure intentions.
As someone who had lived so long, Zenith hardly believed in goodwill. Hell, even if it was goodwill, what could he even do with more life?
All he would gain was more years trapped in this dark and desolate place, wishing for everything but never achieving anything.
It was better for him to die than live either of those two lives.
Damien shook his head.
He understood the Dragon Emperor's suspicions, but they were not warranted. When it came to Damien, "power" was never the end goal.
Arulion was, putting it bluntly, useless to him. The current Damien was on the verge of being able to create his own kingdom of dragons purely through the use of his mana.
He wanted this place to rejoin the rest of the world, to properly stand up against the incoming threat. And, he never planned to get their help for free.
"I have a son," Damien said.
It was a sudden shift in the conversation for Zenith, but he listened anyway,
"His name is August, and quite honestly, he is not my biological kin. Instead…"
Damien pulled up a projection. It showed August in the current moment.
Deep within the seas off the coast of Fort Halleya, August was currently on an adventure to find himself amongst the water dragon tribes that lived completely separated from Arulion's society.
It wasn't hard for Zenith to understand what Damien was trying to show him.
After all, not only was August cutting through the water in his dragon form, but…
"...that aura, that appearance…"
"It's exactly what you're thinking."
Damien confirmed his thoughts easily.
"When I was still young, I personally met Qinglong, your Ancestral Dragon Emperor. He entrusted me with his kin, and I have been raising that boy on my own for the past ten years."
"He is…"
"He was born and raised in Arulion. And, as you've guessed, he has already accessed his ancestral memories."
"At only ten years of age?"
"That's right."
Zenith smiled slightly.
"It is to be expected from that man's descendant."
He didn't think it possible, but if it was Qinglong's descendant, it made sense.
"You must be wondering why I'm showing him to you," Damien said.
Zenith nodded.
"It's simple. Currently, he is also participating in the heir wars to assume your throne."
"HIM–keugh?!"
Zenith raised his voice for the first time. He coughed a few times afterward as his body readapted, but his confusion and surprise were both evident.
Such a young child who was still growing was participating in such a challenge?!
"He already passed the first round. I guess he's trying to reach 4th class before he goes back for the next one."
"I see…"
It was hard for Zenith to be more surprised, so he decided to just accept it.
A ten-year-old who was challenging the 4th class barrier was fighting with people double to ten times his age to take the throne and become the emperor of all dragons.
It was nonsensical, wasn't it?
"I'm sure that you understand my purpose by now," Damien commented, bringing Zenith's mind back to reality.
Zenith didn't say anything for a while.
"I cannot help him win the heir wars," he said.
"And I'm not asking you to," Damien responded immediately.
"August can win on his own. All you need to do is be a proper mentor when he does."
"There are more challenges than just winning the competition. More importantly, is that child even aware of what he is doing?"
It was concerning. At that age, it was impossible for him to have enough rationality to understand the weight of his actions.
If he was being provoked into such a competition by the will of his father…
"It wasn't me."
Damien interrupted that thought like he could read it.
"He awakened his ancestral memories early and matured faster than anyone could control. The will of his ancestor was definitely involved in his decision, as was a bit of mine, but I never would have forced him to enter if he didn't want to."
A small smile appeared on Damien's face. It was uncontrollable, really.
"That boy has dreams of being a hero and an emperor. Rather than pushing him unnecessarily, wouldn't I just be a terrible father if I held him back?"
"Haa…"
Zenith sighed.
Ancestral memories were the best for a dragon's growth and potential, but when it came to the mental aspect, it had the potential to cause ruination.
It was impressive enough that a child so young was able to overcome it. For him to willingly take up the quest for the throne made him a beast in the best sense.
"You want me alive so I can properly train the successor to Arulion's throne. Even if that isn't your son, that remains true, yes?"
"Sure."
"Then, what will you do about the underlying issues? Whether your son or some other talented genius, they will all die the same if they decide to fight corruption."
"That's an issue for me to handle. I only need one thing from you, and that's an answer," Damien responded.
"So I'll ask you again…"
"Do you want to live?"
Zenith looked at Damien with different eyes than he did before.
This being whose name he still did not know…
No, this man, the father of August, descendant of Qinglong…
Was it okay to trust him?
***
The rest of Damien's conversation with the Dragon Emperor was for only the two of them to know.
It was best to focus on what was happening in the center of Arulion rather than the preparations that were being made in its depths.
The second round ended in roughly four hours.
The three geniuses who took the most time to complete every portion of the challenge were eliminated, those in the middle were awarded their single point, and the top three took the stage together to fight it out for their places.
Though, it really was just a battle for second and third.
The first-place spot had been dominated by such a large margin that nobody even hoped to compete for it.
Every single round, Melania showed the world just how powerful she was. Since she didn't have any unreasonably powerful Holy Clan geniuses to inhibit her, she was able to show a performance that others couldn't match.
But there was one thing that became evident as she progressed through the stages.
Melania Achen was definitely not just a 3rd class dragon anymore.
She had both achieved 4th class and progressed some of the way through it, which left onlookers with mainly one question.
How?
That answer was vital, because if she made some kind of great discovery…
…then she was about to become a target for many, many people.
