Chapter 56: The Empress’s Envoy and the Majesty of the Dragon
The moment this name left the lips of the noblewoman, the veteran players present erupted instantly.
“Holy crap! Orleans? That’s royalty!”
“Elsa… I remember her! She’s mentioned in the game’s lore—Empress Seraphina’s most trusted younger sister, and the Empire’s chief diplomat!”
“My god, the GMs really went all out this time! They actually sent out a royal family member! This storyline is about to soar!”
“What do we do now? She’s a proper princess. We can’t exactly fight her, can we?”
The players buzzed with excitement and tension. Their earlier arrogance was quickly subdued in the face of a plot character of such importance.
Mophis, upon hearing the self-introduction, felt her heart sink.
The Empress’s younger sister? The Empire’s chief diplomat?
Wasn’t this exactly the type of top-tier NPC who was best at weaving verbal traps, hiding eight hundred schemes within a single sentence?
Mophis felt her pitiful social skills were like those of a kindergartener standing before a doctoral advisor.
“Y-you… hello.” She stiffly forced out a greeting, hands not knowing where to go.
Elsa observed Mophis’s somewhat nervous and restrained demeanor (which to her looked cold and aloof). Her smile remained unchanged, but a glint of calculation flashed in her emerald eyes.
Her purpose here was very clear.
First, to probe the true nature of this suddenly appeared city, Mophisia.
Second, to confirm the movements and intentions of the Golden Dragon King Ignis.
Third, and most importantly, to evaluate this mysterious “Guardian”—Mophis. Was she a threat to the Empire, or someone who could be won over?
“Honored Guardian.” Elsa’s voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable force. “Forgive my bluntness, but within the Empire’s territory, for an unsanctioned city to appear suddenly, and moreover to harbor a disaster-class being who once brought endless calamity to the continent…”
She did not finish the sentence, but the meaning was already obvious.
“This has already become a grave threat to St. Orleans, and to the security and order of the entire continent.”
Her tone was courteous, yet every word pressed down like a mountain.
That accusation left Mophis nearly breathless.
A threat to the continent’s safety?
But I haven’t done anything! I just wanted to quietly be a Librarian!
She opened her mouth to defend herself, only to realize she had no idea where to begin—because, in a sense, what the other said was true.
Just as she was caught in this dilemma, not knowing how to respond—
A languid yet overwhelmingly majestic voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
Ignis had silently appeared behind Mophis.
She still wore her crimson silk night-robe, bare feet on the ground, arms crossed over her chest. Her molten-gold eyes gazed down from above at the Empire’s envoy.
“I, Ignis, need the permission of you short-lived creatures to decide where I live?”
A terrifying dragon’s might erupted from her body like a tidal wave, scorching hot and suffocating, instantly engulfing the entire Imperial envoy.
The well-trained Royal Knights were thrown into disarray, tumbling to the ground. Their steeds neighed in terror, frothing at the mouth.
Even the commander, Paladin Kael, turned pale under the pressure. Forced to one knee, he used his lance to keep himself upright.
Elsa, bearing the brunt of it, felt as if a volcano had erupted straight into her chest. She could barely breathe. Her ornate court gown was even scorched in places by stray fire elements.
Yet she was, after all, the Empire’s chief diplomat. Her willpower far surpassed ordinary folk. Though her aristocratic smile vanished, she still clung to composure, forcing steadiness into her eyes.
“Golden Dragon King…” she grit out between her teeth, “Are you declaring war… against the entire Empire of St. Orleans?”
“War?” Ignis laughed wildly, as if hearing the most absurd joke. “Hahaha! Little girl, you think far too highly of yourselves! You are not even worthy… to be called my ‘enemies.’”
“In my eyes, you’re nothing more than slightly larger insects.”
She raised her hand. At her fingertips, a golden flame flickered to life.
Though just a small flame, the destructive power within made every soul present shudder in primal fear.
It’s over! She’s going to attack!
Mophis’s heart leapt into her throat.
She had no doubt that in the next second, Ignis would reduce everyone before her into glittering shards of glass.
In that desperate instant, Mophis, almost instinctively, made a move that shocked even herself.
She reached out and seized Ignis’s raised arm.
“Ignis!” Summoning all her courage, she called the dragon’s name. “Don’t. They are guests.”
Her voice trembled with nervousness, but her action—and the way she addressed Ignis—fell like a thunderclap, leaving everyone stunned.
Ignis’s raging wrath paused. The soft, cool touch on her arm halted her destruction as if by a miracle.
She lowered her head, looking at the pale, delicate hand gripping her arm, then at Mophis’s face—tense, yet irresistibly endearing.
The savagery in her golden eyes ebbed away. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on novel•fire.net
In its place appeared something she herself had never noticed before—indulgence.
“Hmph.” With only a displeased snort, she withdrew her hand. The flame at her fingertips dissipated.
Turning gracefully, she strode back into the library, leaving behind only a sultry silhouette and a final proclamation echoing in the air:
“My ‘collection’ is mine alone to bully. If anyone else dares lay a finger on her—I’ll flatten their nation.”
The world fell into a deathly silence once more.
Everyone was utterly stunned by the dramatic turn of events.
Elsa’s jaw dropped, staring at Mophis as if at a monster.
This frail-looking girl…
What kind of being was she?
She had effortlessly calmed a furious, disaster-class dragon.
She had even dared to call the dragon by name.
And that arrogant Golden Dragon King, who dismissed the entire Empire, had actually listened to her and backed down?
Elsa felt her worldview crumble.
Her evaluation of Mophis skyrocketed in an instant—from “potential threat” to “unfathomable terror never to be offended.”
Quickly straightening her disheveled appearance, she bent deeply—deeply—to Mophis in a bow.
“Honored Guardian… please forgive my earlier discourtesy.”
Her voice brimmed with humility.
“The Empire of St. Orleans hopes to establish the deepest, most equal… cooperative relationship with you and this city.”