novelzi Chapter 195:
Chapter 195:
Chapter 195:
The duel between Leon and Vulcanus is not over after a day and a night of fighting.
The stadium is cracked and splintered, and not even the stands are safe. By the second day, most of the spectators had been evacuated to avoid being killed by flying stadium debris.
Only the strongest remained in the stadium to avoid being killed by the flying debris in the aftermath of the battle, and
And so, on the third day.
Vulcanus crossed the line.
"Aaahhhhhhh!
[Ugh, Vulcanus, you bastard! No way!!!]
Divine Descent
Despite Petos' protests, Vulcanus canceled the long-overdue savings account.
[No, no, no, no, no!!!]
Despite Petos' cries, the Holy Knight's flames grew stronger.
Of course, there are exceptions. He'll limit the use of holy power to single strikes.
With this holy sword, it's a one-hit wonder, and its power reaches the peak of the holy sword's brilliance. But
"You used it first."
In the heat of the duel, Vulcanus hadn't thought about it. If he is a Holy Knight, a representative of the God of War, then
Leon was the representative of all gods.
"Hmm Why don't we call it off for a while and come to our senses? I've been thinking about it, and I don't think it's a good idea to waste the power of the gods like this"
"I like that kind of shamelessness in you, my lord, but not now."
""
If there was a true loser in this duel, it would be Petos, who had blown half of the holy power he had accumulated through months of events such as the Holy Spirit Prayer Ceremony.
And so Vulcanus fell.
The suitors stopped coming.
-How the hell am I supposed to defeat such a monster?
-Ah, this quest is doomed.
Leon was a wall that could never be crossed, and while he still had over fifty suitors to defeat, there were none left to challenge him.
"Hmm."
"Your Majesty, you seem satisfied."
Beatrice noticed that after three days without a challenger, Leon's expression was more satisfied than ever.
"How peaceful the king's garden is now that the bandits are gone."
"Though it is said that you are a bit hesitant."
"Well, one who is king should not be concerned with the reputation of those below."
That may be the attitude of royalty, but is it royalty to interfere with your daughter's marriage?
Of course, Beatrice knew Leon's reasons for doing this.
"Are you sure your daughter will do as your Majesty wishes?"
"I hope so."
Clumsy.
When she had first heard Leon's self-deprecation, Beatrice had been surprised to realize that this perfect man had an ordinary flaw.
Just as Vulcanus had come up with a rather frivolous phrase, Beatrice admitted to laughing at Leon's behavior.
But what came next was pity.
He was a guilty father, unable or unwilling to deny his own choices, beating himself up over them.
He thwarts his daughter's plans and uses his authority to dictate her choices.
What a clumsy father.
He was a perfect knight, a great king, and a beloved seeker of the gods but even such a perfect demigod reveals his clumsiness in such an awkward and embarrassing way.
He only knows it's for the best.
"It's not going to happen the way you think it should."
"No, it must be this kings will. It's what's best for her."
She didn't know what Karina Dragonia would think of that.
* * * *
It had been four days since the suitor's challenge had ceased, and it was approaching twenty days since Ha-ri had been dropped off at the Imperial Palace.
The words she had learned as a young woman from historical dramas brought a modest smile to the faces of her superiors.
"So, have you eaten?"
"Your Majesty, I was waiting for you."
Karina found it unusual that Ha-ri had no fear or dread of her, even when she was being hard on her.
She had dragon blood in her veins and the heart of a dragon in her bloodline.
The stronger the power, the stronger the blood' that radiates from it, causing creatures to have an instinctive fear of it.
It was fine when she was in Lionheart.
No one had carried the dragon's heart as long as she had, but each of Lionheart's citizens had the power to resist the dragon's blood because of their faith.
Believing that the gods would provide for them as they deserved was the most powerful force to overcome the dragon curse.
And in this world, where the authority of the gods did not exist, she saw criminals who had to accept their existence as raw.
The unity and surprise of the Seven Kingdoms was born out of that fear.
In that sense, Ha-ri, a woman who finds herself challenged but not afraid, is a welcome addition to Karina's ranks.
"Well, Your Majesty. I hear that no new suitors have shown up today."
"Indeed."
Karina sighed softly. It was not unexpected since Vulcanus had been defeated.
"How did it go, Lionheart?"
"He fought to the last man."
He won in the end, and now he was here.
"I see."
Karina looked bitter and said nothing more. Then Poma interjected.
[Do you have any intention of going back?]
"To where?"
[To a home that will embrace you as you deserve.]
Karina's homeland was not a name or a country.
"It's too late, I've been away too long."
[How long?]
"A few more years, if I'm lucky."
"Your Majesty, Poma, what are you both talking about?"
Ha-ri couldn't keep up with the story, so Karina clicked her tongue and scolded Poma.
"You should take care of the education of the new maiden."
[This is not a time of peace.]
Ha-ri couldn't understand what she was saying at first, so she inferred the context. A few years'. That was the easiest word to infer
"Are you dying, are you on your deathbed?!"
"Well, something like that. Better to see it once than to say it a hundred times."
Karina began to unbutton her robe. The emperor's robes fell to the floor with a clatter, but Ha-ri didn't bother to look away.
The sheer power was overwhelming. An aura so powerful it made her skin crawl and made her shiver.
"Ugh!"
Ha-ri gulped as he saw Karina's fully exposed upper body.
The heart. A throbbing aura pulsated around her left breast, and the skin around it was covered with steel-like scales.
* * * *
It is said to be a dragon curse that has been passed down from generation to generation in the Grand Duchy of Dragonia.
The Grand Duchess of Dragonia was bathed in the blood of the ancestral dragon, Dragonia, and used its heart as the essence of her power, but the more she used it, the more she was consumed by the dragon curse.
Karina has been Archduchess of Dragonia for well over two hundred years now. She had been carrying the dragon's heart for far too long when she should have been able to give birth to a child and pass it on.
"Your Majesty, then Your MajestyHis Majesty the Lionheart King knew that!"
She must give birth to an heir. Only then can Karina live. Knowing that, why would Leon interrupt Karina's soul duel?
"Well, follow me. I have something to show you."
Karina smiled wryly and headed off into the distance.
Inside the palace, servants and maids bow, soldiers salute.
No one dared to question or interrupt her progress.
"Do you know that dragons build nests and hoard gold and silver treasures?"
"Do they?"
Ha-ri had seen many monsters, but never a dragon.
"They are greedy by nature and love to glitter. They have a habit of collecting and hoarding all the gold and jewelry in the world as if it were their own."
That's what we call dragon rarities,' Karina said.
"Same goes for me. At some point, I became obsessed with gold and silver treasures."
""
Ha-ri was at a loss for words as the radiance' grew closer with each step and a path of pure white marble led to a palace clad in gold.
From the columns to the roof, there was nothing that wasn't ornate, and it looked like the golden palaces of legend.
-Gulp!
She swallows hard, overwhelmed by the exterior, Ha-ri is greeted by a giant door that looks like it could fit a giant.
When Karina opened it herself, Ha-ri stepped forward out of habit.
"I, I'll open it for you!"
The younger one takes care of the older one. It was something she'd learned to do while serving Leon. But despite the gesture, the iron gate that Ha-ri touched refused to budge.
"What? Why, why won't it open?"
The iron gate wouldn't budge, even with the strength of an S-class Hunter and Ha-ri wondered if there was some sort of lock, but when Karina touched it, the door gradually began to open.
"Huh? What, is there some kind of magical device?"
Ha-ri wondered if there was some sort of magic that could identify the user, like fingerprinting, but Karina's answer was simple.
"No, it's just the world's heaviest iron door, and the only person in the world that can push it open and close is me."
""
The world's heaviest iron door and an iron door that can only be opened with the power Karina.
What kind of treasure could such a thing be made to hold?
Ha-ri soon opened the door and realized what it meant.
It was a gigantic palace the size of a soccer stadium on modern Earth and inside it was
"Huh!"
Mountains of gold and silver treasures.
There was no word to describe it other than piles.
[Did you come?]
And amidst the splendor of the gold and silver treasures, a dark aura took shape that seemed so out of place.
She could not name the ominous being, but Karina knew it.
[My avenger, I have come to collect the price you owe.]
Ventasis, of darkness and vengeance, has come for his Holy Knight.