Chapter 52: I Must Meet Him Personally
The atmosphere on the dragon’s back instantly turned frigid.
The air, nearly solidified, imposed an indescribable pressure even on a Titled-class expert like Fiolen.
Even the massive Black Scale Lesser Dragon beneath them seemed to sense the shift in mood.
It stopped roaring and slowly flapped its enormous dragon wings, gliding silently through the high altitude, minimizing its presence.
“Your Highness—” Fiolen said, biting the bullet. “As you said earlier. Shaya Egut is, after all, just a young, spirited youth. Some audacious delusions are within reasonable bounds…”
Just then, Fiolen’s voice abruptly stopped.
She saw the corners of Isadorella’s lips curve into a slight smile.
Her ordinarily cold, frosty expression melted away like ice and snow. A smile bloomed on the Second Princess’s plain white face. It was like a Moonpetal flower blooming only at midnight in a starlit forest – fleeting, yet beautiful and radiant.
This sudden change left Fiolen stunned.
This Second Princess, who bore the heavy burden of the Empire from a young age, keeping company with military dispatches and cold practice swords while her peers were infatuated with flowers and romance, due to the current Emperor’s grave illness—had always presented a perfect, inscrutable facade, as calm as a still well.
Since leaving the Cretaceous Tower and pledging allegiance to the Empire—
Having followed the Princess before her for several years, this was the first time Fiolen had ever seen Isadorella smile. And all this was merely because of a senior student at Saint Roland Academy, and his seemingly absurd dream.
Fiolen asked bewilderedly, “Why are you smiling, Your Highness? Aren’t you angry?”
The smile on Isadorella’s plain white face quickly subsided, returning to her usual stern and sharp demeanor.
“Did you think I was angry simply because I appeared on the light screen?” The Silver-haired Princess looked at the light screen before her, a hint of relaxation in her eyes compared to usual. “My magnanimity is not that limited. Or rather, if his fantasies included the Holy See’s Saintess, or the Queen of the Night… and not me, then that would be surprising.”
Her words carried an indescribable confidence.
“The Empire is vast and can accommodate everyone. As long as there are no fundamental conflicts in stance… then whether it’s demons from the Abyss or powerful beings resurrected from ancient times, there is a place for them here.”
Isadorella sat down again on the dragon’s spine, leaning back against the soft padding.
Her jade-like fingers tapped lightly in the air, and a pitch-black wine goblet materialized from the void. She then grasped it with her slender, delicate fingers.
“Lord Fiolen. Do you know what I was thinking when I first saw Shaya Egut’s dream?”
Fiolen also relaxed, sitting down casually on the dragon’s spine. After a moment of thought, she replied, “I imagine, Your Highness, you must have been pleased that the Empire has gained a new star with such vision and talent. In time, he will surely become a pillar of the Empire.”
“No.” Isadorella shook her head slightly, her crimson eyes fixed on the deep red liquid in the black wine goblet.
“When I first saw that dream within the star sea— I was afraid. Shaya Egut’s vision, his talent, are all too outstanding. Although the magic machinery conceived in that star sea is far beyond what current magic technology can achieve… if time permits, and those magical creations in his fantasy were to become reality, it would usher in an unimaginable leap in civilization.”
“Of course, if it were just that, I would have no reason to fear. I would only rejoice that the Empire has gained such a talent.”
Isadorella drank the crimson liquid in one gulp.
“Lord Fiolen, did you not notice… In the utopia Shaya envisioned, within that star sea civilization, there were no distinctions between nations, nor any racial barriers?”
“Even ordinary humans had the same status as the powerful, able to roam the star sea freely. While such an idea is not inherently bad, Shaya Egut, he stands too high… He has transcended the limitations of nations and races, considering matters from the perspective of overall civilizational development.”
“Yet, such a saint possesses the vision and ability to change the times. This means he will not be bound by any secular interests, nor will he confine his gaze to a single nation or power. Instead, he constantly considers issues from the perspective of all humanity.”
“But I am different.” The Silver-haired Princess’s gaze was sharp and serious. “I am royalty of the Freista Empire. My birth, and the responsibility flowing from my bloodline, dictates that I cannot, like him, transcend national perspectives to consider issues from the viewpoint of overall civilization.”
“Therefore, to me, such a saint, who cannot be constrained, cannot be judged, yet possesses the power to change the era, is far too dangerous— If he were to eventually align himself with another nation… it would be tantamount to utter disaster for the Freista Empire.”
Isadorella lightly swirled the wine glass in her fingers, saying no more.
However, Fiolen understood the unspoken, yet incredibly resolute, implication in the Silver-haired Princess’s words. It was not born of Isadorella’s personal likes or dislikes, but solely because of the mission and responsibility she bore as the Empire’s Second Princess. Therefore, there were things she had to do, and could not avoid doing.
This sent a shiver down Fiolen’s spine, and a sense of lingering fear arose in her heart. If Isadorella’s resolve were to become reality, then she herself, from the Cretaceous Tower, might have to face the other person in direct combat due to an unconfirmed suspicion.
“Fortunately…” The Silver-haired Princess’s sigh of relief echoed within the howling, extreme cold storm of the Northern Territory’s sky. It quickly dissipated, unheard.
Fortunately— this black-haired youth named Shaya Egut was not a saint dwelling in the clouds, devoid of emotions, looking down upon humanity like a god. Instead, he was a living person. A person of flesh and blood.
After a long silence.
Isadorella’s clear, cold voice finally rang out again.
“I must meet him personally.”
…
At some unknown time, the pink dream slowly solidified, froze, and then shattered into crystalline fragments.
Shaya’s gaze followed the dream as it broke apart, then returned to the void beyond the shattered fragments, regaining its calm and collected demeanor.
“If I’ve shown this much—”
“It should be enough.”
…
PS:
Experimenting with the newly acquired illustration function:
Isadorella:
Heiser:
