*"If I don’t have a romance every moment, it feels like my mouth will grow thorns."*
This was something Julius used to say in his younger days.
In his youth, when he was famously handsome, he constantly engaged in romantic affairs. He often delighted in watching noble ladies argue over him, relishing the attention.
But at some point, things changed.
Despite always making time for romance, even when life was at its busiest, he suddenly found it all meaningless.
He burned the love letters he’d once scribbled every night and cut ties with the noblewomen he used to meet.
At the time, he didn’t understand the change of heart. Now, though, he realized the truth.
*"Greetings! I’m Evelyn Nereville, newly assigned to the White Armor Brigade!"*
It was around the time he first met Evelyn.
---
“You!”
Wolfgang, who had been waiting for Julius to step forward, scowled when he saw who his final opponent would be.
*"What? I thought the Black Dragon was coming out?"*
The crowd started murmuring as well.
Instead of Julius, Evelyn Nereville, the one at the heart of the incident, was standing as the final contender.
“Commander?”
Even Theo was surprised, stopping as he was on his way out when he saw Evelyn.
“You did well, Theo. Thank you. But this was my fight from the beginning, so I’ll finish it.”
With a calm nod, Evelyn gave Theo’s shoulder a reassuring pat before stepping into the arena.
Theo turned back to watch her, feeling as though he were looking at a sharpened blade.
“Are you mocking me?” Wolfgang’s murderous glare met Evelyn’s calm expression.
Without a word, Evelyn drew a dagger and slashed through the hem of her dress, revealing her long, powerful legs.
Using a torn piece of her dress, she tied up her hair.
“Ah, much better.”
Her eyes shone with fierce energy.
“Are you really the final opponent?”
“Why? Does my presence scare you... Father?”
Her casual statement hit like a thunderclap.
*"What? The Elder Council Head is her father?"*
*"What is she talking about?"*
*"Now that I think about it... they do look a bit alike."*
*"But isn’t he almost a hundred years old? How does he have a daughter her age?"*
Wolfgang’s face flushed a deep, angry red.
The past he had fought to hide was now being exposed before everyone.
“What nonsense are you spouting? I have no daughter like you!”
“You forced me into a marriage I didn’t want, claiming my ‘pretty face’ was the only thing of value. Then, when I refused, you made sure I lost an arm. Have you forgotten? I doubt it was easy to forget.”
“How dare you spread lies here!”
“Oh, you even said that any worth I had disappeared after that injury, that I was nothing but lowly blood. I’m sorry to stand here before such a ‘noble’ person as you.”
“You insolent girl! Be silent!”
*Boom!*
Unable to contain his rage, Wolfgang lunged forward, ignoring that Niel had yet to start the match.
All he could think of was silencing Evelyn.
*"Did she say she’s illegitimate?"*
*"The Council Head is nearly a hundred, so he’d have to have had her in his seventies..."*
*"That’s insane!"*
Theo, shocked by Evelyn’s revelation and her calm demeanor in laying bare her past, could only look on in admiration.
*Clang!*
Evelyn calmly drew her sword and deflected Wolfgang’s attacks with ease.
**Martial Dragon’s Six Techniques – Sword Barrier**
**Flying Sword – Sky Breaker**
Evelyn’s sword style, blending her skills with the wind techniques of the Feng Clan, captivated the audience.
*"Is that... wind?"*
*"It’s different from the Martial Dragon’s techniques. What is it?"*
*"It’s the Feng Clan’s sword! She’s mastered the Feng Clan’s art!"*
Seeing that Evelyn was a successor to the Feng Clan’s legacy—the very clan that had once posed the greatest challenge to Kyle’s rise—shocked the crowd.
*"And she deflected the Elder Head’s strike! She’s only a high-level swordsman!"*
*"Even though the Elder Head is injured, deflecting that attack means she’s at least at the Dragon Gate Swordsman level."*
People who had previously underestimated Evelyn now marveled at her remarkable growth.
Some spectators even envied the White Armor Brigade for acquiring such extraordinary talents.
Julius, too, couldn’t help but cough slightly as he covertly communicated with Theo.
*“Did you know Evelyn had learned the Feng Clan’s techniques?”*
*“Yes, I did.”*
*“Then why didn’t you report it to me?”*
*“She wanted to surprise you, sir, hoping to see your reaction.”*
For a moment, Julius was speechless.
*"Could this be because of the wine I secretly took from the quarters?"*
He felt a pang of irritation at not being informed directly, even if he had been sneaking the brigade’s expensive wines.
Julius’s gaze remained locked on Evelyn. He could almost see wings unfurling on her back as if she were ready to soar.
Suddenly, Theo noticed something in Julius’s expression and activated his authority to observe him.
**[Observing 'Julius Ragnar']**
---
Julius Ragnar (Age 41 / Male)
- Title: Black Dragon
- Talents: Leadership, Swordsmanship Prodigy, Talent for Gathering People, Purehearted Love
- Status: “Overwhelmed, having just realized his feelings for Evelyn Nereville and unsure of what to do next.”
---
Theo had to stifle a laugh.
*"So that ‘Purehearted Love’ talent was aimed at Evelyn? No wonder he’s been extra hard on her."*
As he watched, Evelyn and Wolfgang continued to clash in a fierce battle.
“Die!” Wolfgang, losing his composure, unleashed his full aura, his eyes filling with a dangerous gleam.
He was beginning to fall into a state of madness.
Evelyn noticed the shift and calmly raised her magic in response.
*Crackle—Boom!*
Just as Wolfgang’s sword was about to strike Evelyn’s neck, a powerful force suddenly descended between them from above.
*Boom!*
Both Evelyn and Wolfgang stumbled back, unable to withstand the immense power that had intervened.
They looked up in shock.
An intense aura swirled in the sky above.
This was *Voice Transmission Technique*, the ability to project one’s voice and presence over a wide area—a skill only possessed by masters of the highest rank.
“Lord! What is the meaning of this?” Wolfgang shouted, realizing that the source of the aura was none other than Kyle, currently residing at the Blade Shrine.
The sword that had interrupted his attack was Kyle’s, embedded in the ground as if to block his way.
Ignoring Wolfgang’s question, Kyle’s voice continued:
*"The Nine Dragons are to gather at the mountain estate."*
With that final command, Kyle’s presence vanished.
“No! Lord!” Wolfgang roared, unable to suppress his frustration.
The Lord’s orders took precedence over everything else, and so the duel had to end.
“Because of you... because of all of you...!” Wolfgang seethed, unwilling to let things end here.
His pride had been trampled by Theo, Evelyn, and Julius, leaving his honor in tatters.
If this continued, the Elder Council would be forever overshadowed by the White Armor Brigade.
He could see no future for himself.
*Crack!*
Despair overwhelmed him as his eyes filled with unhinged fury.
“You’re a disgrace, Elder Head,” Niel muttered, drawing his sword with a look of disgust.
Julius, the Plum Blossom Palace Lord, and the Black Dragon all followed suit, ready to strike Wolfgang down if he defied Kyle’s order and attacked Evelyn.
Just then...
*Clang!*
The sword Kyle had left embedded in the ground resonated powerfully, sending a wave of energy that rippled outward, covering the entire banquet hall and Blade Shrine.
“...!”
“...!”
“...!”
The wave forcibly dispelled all killing intent and magic.
Even the murderous aura from Wolfgang and the other leaders dissolved instantly.
All eyes turned to the sword. Wolfgang snapped out of his frenzy, his gaze fixed in shock.
*"Gather. I will not repeat myself."*
It was a final warning.
Wolfgang bit his lip, casting a spiteful glare at Evelyn, then retreated toward the Blade Shrine.
The remaining Nine Dragons quickly followed, vanishing from the hall.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the banquet hall returned to silence.
*“Ha...!”*
Theo exhaled, feeling the tension finally lift.
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
Once more, he was reminded that Kyle’s strength was something beyond the realm of ordinary humans.
---
Wolfgang seethed with fury, his emotions bottled up, knowing he couldn’t release them here.
This was the Blade Shrine—the most sacred of sacred places, Kyle’s domain.
*"One day..."*
As he glared at Julius, Niel, and the Black Dragon, he noticed that eight figures had gathered in the Blade Shrine.
Each of the Nine Dragons was present, save for Ed Troyban.
Yet Kyle himself was nowhere to be seen. Only his favored sword remained, humming with energy.
*“He has returned.”*
Kyle’s presence couldn’t be felt anywhere within the Blade Shrine, meaning he was absent.
Yet, even from afar, his message reached them clearly, defying time and space—a power only attributed to beings of legend.
And his next words sent a shiver through every one of the Nine Dragons.
In that moment, even Wolfgang forgot his grudge against Evelyn.
“What do you
mean, my Lord? ‘He’ has returned?” the Black Dragon called out, stunned.
The sword’s hum continued.
*“Just as I said. ‘He’ has returned. The heavens are shifting. I am moving quickly as well.”*
“...!”
“...!”
“Impossible...!”
“But he was...”
Unperturbed by the commotion among the Nine Dragons, Kyle’s message continued.
*"Prepare yourselves. This upcoming war will not be an easy one."*
The Nine Dragons fell silent.
Julius clenched his eyes shut, Niel clicked his tongue, and the Plum Blossom Palace Lord bit her lip.
The Black Dragon looked to the sky, a mix of rage and dread on his face.
Wolfgang’s fists tightened.
The Earth Dragon and two other Dragons sighed or shivered in fear.
*"This northern winter will be unbearably cold..."*
Kyle’s sword quivered in the winter breeze, as though it, too, were bracing for the chill.
*Wooooong, wooooooong...*