"I don't enjoy attending banquets. You go without me," Mikaela said softly to Muria as they boarded the carriage. The thrilling battles at sea had come to an end, and now that they were on land, where opportunities for combat were scarce, the Seraphim girl was noticeably disinterested.
"Well... alright," Muria sighed, somewhat disappointed. He had been hoping to show off his fiancée in front of the humans, but since she wasn't interested, he decided not to force her. There was no need to persuade her, after all. Attending a human banquet wasn't exactly fitting for Mikaela's status. Muria was only attending because he needed to enlist the help of these humans.
On this continent, the power of the Church, similar to the Church of the God of Dawn, was virtually non-existent. Instead, the faith in the God of War was widespread. Muria wasn't familiar with these war deity factions, so he was reluctant to seek their help. As a result, he had no choice but to rely on the local nobles, which was a bit troublesome but manageable.
...
"This is His Highness Muria, a king from overseas," Marquis Miluo of the Tulip family introduced Muria vaguely to the nobles invited to the banquet who were close to the Tulip family.
The nobles showed no dissatisfaction with the ambiguous introduction. Instead, they all raised their glasses to Muria, as the presence of the twelve six-armed Naga standing by his side was proof enough of his esteemed status.
"Help me with something," Muria said directly to Marquis Miluo after the banquet ended, not wasting any time. He handed the marquis six lifelike portraits of six young men and six dragon forms in various colors.
"Mobilize all the resources of the Tulip family to locate these six dragons."
"Are these their human forms?" Marquis Miluo asked cautiously as he accepted the portraits. It was his first task for Muria, and he wanted to do it flawlessly to make a good impression.
"Yes," Muria nodded, briefly describing the unique and powerful spellcasting abilities of these six dragons.
...
"Your Highness Muria, I've found the six dragons you were looking for," Marquis Miluo reported, much to Muria's surprise. It had only been three days since he issued the task, and the marquis had already found information on the dragons. This was quite unexpected, considering that the Tulip family's influence was limited to the duchy, and the Sapphire Duchy itself wasn't particularly significant on the continent.
"They are currently holding positions in the Guishuang Kingdom, the sovereign state of our Sapphire Duchy," Marquis Miluo said excitedly. "They are very well-known, so it didn't take much effort to find them."
"Oh!" Muria's interest was piqued when he heard that the six dragons had infiltrated the ruling class of a kingdom. "Tell me more about the information you gathered."
"Your Highness, the six individuals you're looking for are among the most influential new noble factions in the Guishuang Kingdom. They wield significant influence across various aspects of the kingdom," Marquis Miluo said with a look of admiration as he recalled the information.
"They publicly identify not as dragons but as dragon-blooded individuals. Because of this, they are very popular among the noblewomen of the Guishuang Kingdom."
At this, Marquis Miluo's expression grew complicated, and Muria noticed a trace of envy on his face.
"Popular because of their dragon blood?"
"Yes. When they first entered the Guishuang Kingdom's power structure, these six often attended the salons hosted by noblewomen. Through these gatherings, they built extensive networks and gained significant political capital, quickly rising to become major nobles in the kingdom."
Muria was speechless. He didn't need much imagination to guess what kind of activities went on in those salons organized by a group of energetic, power-wielding noblewomen. He never would have thought that the six dragons he had raised would accumulate political power on this continent in such a manner.
"What positions do they hold in the Guishuang Kingdom now?" Muria asked after a long silence, his tone a mix of surprise and curiosity.
Marquis Miluo, sensing Muria's casual tone, felt even more awed. He knew how powerful those six dragons were in the Guishuang Kingdom, but to Muria, it seemed they were of little consequence.
"Your Highness, the six you asked me to investigate all hold the rank of marquis. Four of them are legion commanders, in charge of the royal capital's Imperial Guard, the Second Air Fleet, the Fearless Legion that guards the borders, and the Dawn Legion. Another one serves as a Grand Inquisitor in the kingdom's Inquisition, and the last one is the vice dean of the kingdom's knight academy, responsible for educating the young nobility."
"So, those who gained power through women ended up in the military, education, and legal systems?" Muria asked in surprise, finding their choices aligned with his expectations.
"Yes," Marquis Miluo replied, wondering about the relationship between Muria and the six dragons he was asked to investigate.
"Do you think the Tulip family has enough influence to arrange a meeting between me and any of them?"
"That won't be a problem, Your Highness. The Tulip family has business dealings with a widowed countess in the Guishuang Kingdom. Through her, we can arrange a meeting."
...
"My hero, you haven't come to see me in so long. I've missed you so much," a voluptuous, beautiful woman exclaimed with a longing expression as she saw the young general in armor enter her lavish castle. She immediately threw herself at him.
"Hahaha, I've just been too busy with all the work. As soon as I finished, I came straight to you," the armored young general replied, embracing the curvaceous woman with a heated look in his eyes.
As they spoke, the young general picked up the woman and carried her to a room in the castle. The maids, knowing the general's vigor, blushed and quickly made way, following behind. They were well aware that their lady alone couldn't satisfy him.
Eventually, the general carried the castle's mistress, followed by a group of young, beautiful maids, into a room. The door closed with a bang, and soon after, sounds of passion echoed from within.
Meanwhile, on the open terrace of the castle, a black-haired, golden-eyed youth gazed out at the distant scenery with a cold expression. Behind him, a few maids stared at him with infatuation.
"Utterly ridiculous," the youth suddenly scoffed, his face darkening with anger. The maids behind him quickly lowered their heads, frightened by the aura he exuded. They didn't know the identity of this noble guest who had arrived with the merchant caravan, but they knew that even their lady treated him with great respect, perhaps even fear.
"What an incredible mood he's in," Muria muttered as he glanced down at the castle, specifically in the direction of the room where the general and the mistress were engaged.
Although Muria was annoyed, he wasn't petty enough to drag his subordinate out in the middle of their fun. That would be too cruel. "I guess I'll just wait for him."
But as it turned out, the wait lasted from day to night, and then until the sun rose again, hanging high in the sky. By then, Muria had been sitting and drinking tea for an entire day and night, his expression unchanged.
...
Inside the castle, in a room filled with a strange scent, the satisfied mistress lay atop the muscular young general, whispering sweet nothings to him. Suddenly, she remembered something.
"Angelo, do you know anyone in the Sapphire Duchy?"
"Sapphire? No, why?" The red-haired youth Angelo asked, puzzled. He knew of the Sapphire Duchy, but it was just one of the many vassal states of the Guishuang Kingdom.
"A few days ago, a very handsome young man came to my castle with a merchant caravan from the Sapphire Duchy, specifically asking to see you. He gave me a large gem as payment for inviting you."
"So you invited me? You're really obedient," Angelo said, slapping the woman playfully on the bottom, though a hint of displeasure showed on his face. "A handsome young man? How handsome? As handsome as me?"
"About the same as you," the widowed countess giggled. "But he was too serious. He barely spoke to me, acting all aloof. It was so annoying."
"Oh, did you try to seduce him and get rejected?" Angelo knew exactly what kind of woman was lying on top of him. If soft words didn't work, she wouldn't hesitate to use force, being a noble and all.
"Who said that? He's just a kid who doesn't know how to enjoy himself." The countess immediately denied it, though a look of resentment crossed her face. She had indeed tried to take the initiative, only to have the youth casually demolish half a wall with a single slap. The sheer power had scared her off, and she hadn't dared to act rashly since.
"So I decided to get back at him. By now, he should have been waiting on the rooftop for a whole day and night," the countess said with a hint of schadenfreude. She assumed that someone so concerned with propriety wouldn't dare interrupt her, and she was right.
"You're really mischievous," Angelo chuckled, unconcerned. He put on his clothes and headed outside. "I'll go see who this handsome young man from the Sapphire Duchy is and why he's gone to such lengths to meet me
."
As soon as Angelo finished dressing, he pushed open the door to the rooftop, where he found the black-haired, golden-eyed youth calmly drinking tea. Their eyes met—red against brilliant gold.
"So, you're done?" The emotionless voice rang out on the castle's terrace.
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