"Uh, okay? So what happens now that I have passed the Dragon Trial?"
"You should have received the appropriate dragon magic," Ragios replied humbly, his head still lowered.
"From the Dragon God? The egg? But I refused it…"
Then I winced when I felt something burn my left hand. Raising it, I caught sight of a new crest etched into the back of my hand, one that was completely different from the crimson crest on my right hand. If the crest on my right hand was proof that the gods had chosen me to be the Demonic Emperor, then the crest on my left hand was evidence that I had passed the Dragon's Trial.
What benefits did it bring me? Honestly, I didn't care. Like I said, I didn't really need the benefits they promised. Nonetheless, I wasn't one to stupidly look a gift horse in the mouth. Since they had already willingly gave this dragon magic or whatever to me, there was no reason why I shouldn't use it. I did worry a little about the light growing in response to the strengthening of darkness.
"You don't have to worry about that."
I was surprised to see a tiny dragon spirit materialize in front of me. For a moment, I thought he was the Dragon God, but other than the color, they were different. For one thing, this new guy was way too small to be the Dragon God. Perhaps he was an aspect of the Dragon God? A shard of the Dragon God's soul?
"Dragon magic is unrelated to light or darkness. Dragons were originally not supposed to be part of the demon race to begin with. Your attainment of dragon magic wouldn't augment the light of the Heroes. It wasn't as if you generated positive or negative emotions by passing the trial anyway."
"Uh, okay? So what do you mean by dragon magic?"
That sounded cool and all, but it was as vague as hell. I didn't understand what dragon magic entailed. Spells that took the shapes of dragons?
"For you specifically, it means that you'll be able to summon a dragon that embodies your soul. A dragon that is the reflection of your magic…an aspect of you that takes the form of a dragon."
Hell, yeah. That sounded amazing. Especially for a mage like me, I couldn't help but feel a thrill at this new, unexplored territory. Most mages would love to learn summoning magic, but it was so rare and complex that few ever succeeded. Even the multi-mage Miranda wasn't able to ever learn summoning magic.
"How do I learn it?"
"I'll show you, in time. For now you need to focus on reality."
At that, I realized that Stella and the others were staring at me strangely. Whoops. They clearly couldn't see the tiny dragon spirit hovering in front of me. They must be wondering why I was talking to myself.
"My bad," I told them sheepishly. "I got distracted for a second, trying to analyze this dragon magic."
"Not at all. My lord, you must be tired from the Dragon Trial." Stella turned and bowed politely to Ragios. "Is there a place where my liege can rest?"
"Certainly." Ragios smiled wryly. "Though I believe that his majesty would much rather start learning and practicing his dragon magic than rest. Am I mistaken?"
"No, you're not," I said, sharing his grin. "I'll be relying on you then."
Already I could envision several ideas for my next steps regarding revenge. I had originally planned on asking several of the vampires to follow me back to Havan Kingdom and infiltrate the southern provinces in search of Yvonne and her huntress tribe. After all, our human appearance allowed us to blend in with the population without ever worrying that we would get caught.
But now that I had the ability to summon a dragon (or would gain that ability in the near future), I could adjust those plans to account for it. That meant I didn't need to bring as many vampires as I thought I would, for example. The lower number of infiltrators would then make it easier for us to sneak across the border and blend in.
After all, how was I supposed to explain the presence of an entire army? I couldn't simply pass them off as an army of mercenaries. Well, I could, but having a huge mercenary group appear out of nowhere without any prior history would make us overly suspicious. That was one of the issues that were giving me a headache prior to the appearance of the Dragon Legion.
But now I had the solution in hand.
"You can rest in the valley for tonight," Ragios said as he led us to what seemed like a series of small houses specifically constructed in the valley for smaller guests (in comparison to the dragons, of course). He nodded at me. "I'm sure your majesty will be able to continue learning the dragon magic by himself even after he leaves the valley."
"Yeah. But I'll keep in touch. I'm sure the Empire will need the help of the Dragon Legion."
"We will definitely answer your call." Ragios dipped his head modestly.
My entourage and I then took refuge in the cottages at the foot of a mountain, making use of the amenities and dividing the rooms among ourselves. Of course, no one objected to me having an entire room to myself and I spent the rest of the time communing with the tiny dragon spirit and taking the first few steps to learning how to summon a dragon.
"Huff…"
A few hours later, I finally managed to coalesce my azure mana into a tiny, crystalized form. The tiny dragon spirit nodded in satisfaction.
"You've completed the first step," he told me, looking impressed. "I'm actually amazed you managed to get this far in just a few hours."
"I'm a mage," I explained. "I've already grasped the basic foundations of magic. Casting spells aren't much of an issue for me."
"Yes, your prior experience as a mage certainly gives you a tremendous advantage. But you shouldn't force yourself. Call it a day and rest."
"Good idea."
Even though I wasn't physically exhausted, I was still mentally drained. Practicing magic for hours on end took a toll on the spirit. Despite the fatigue, I found that I couldn't sleep. Putting my glasses back on, I left the room and went for a walk.
The valley was beautiful, even at night. I studied the scenery, the lush, green grass and mystical myriad of plants that grew across it. Above, the dark skies stretched endlessly, decorated by a vast swathe of twinkling stars. The moon hung close by, a silvery orb that stood sentinel over the surface of the earth.
"Was the accommodation not to your liking, your majesty?"
"Not at all," I replied. Even without looking, I knew that Ragios had lumbered over. It was impossible for a dragon as large as him to sneak up on me. He dropped onto the ground, his huge legs nestled under his bulky body. "The rooms you provided are perfect. I just thought I would come out and enjoy the night breeze."
"I am glad to hear that." there was a thunderous exhalation, and then Ragios fell silent.
The two of us lay on the grass, admiring the night sky for long minutes. Then the crimson Dragon King finally broke the silence.
"I must apologize for underestimating you, your majesty. I didn't think you would possess such strength."
"Not at all. Actually, I find it admirable that you have the courage to test me. It wouldn't do for people to just blindly follow me just because I happen to have the Demonic Emperor's crest on my hand. It puts my heart at ease to know that you have the initiative to challenge me – if I were in your position, I wouldn't feel comfortable being commanded to obey someone I had never met before, whose strength and abilities I didn't know."
"I thank you for your kind words, your majesty."
They weren't meant to be kind words. I was just speaking the truth. Not that I was going to argue with him on that point.
"I will also admit to being impressed. Even Emperor Viledoofus failed the Dagon Trial, but you passed it. I honestly didn't expect you to overcome the Dragon Trial. You're the first Demonic Emperor to have passed the Dragon Trial in several generations. That alone is worthy of respect."
"It honestly wasn't that big of a deal," I replied modestly. "I was just lucky. Also, the Dragon Trial was to my advantage anyway, so it wasn't really fair to my predecessors."
Ragios chuckled. "You give yourself too little credit."
"No, I'm just stating the truth." I shrugged, still remembering how I didn't need the dragon egg or whatever because I had literally eliminated Herman and Irene a month ago, and thus didn't need any bullshit power-ups or cheats.
"The Dragon Trial is designed to test your character," Ragios explained. "The fact that you passed it means that you are an outstanding person with integrity."
"You overestimate me."
"No, I didn't. If you had said yes and accepted the dragon's egg, you would have failed the Dragon Trial immediately. The previous Demonic Emperors fell prey to their greed and coveted the power it represented. Even though the Dragon Trial shows them how a powerful darkness would give birth to an equally strong light in response, they did not heed those warnings and continued to desire for yet more strength. Thus they were deemed unworthy and failed the Dragon Trial."
Well, yeah…they were the Demonic Emperors, after all. Of course they would be guiltier than most when it came to greed and ambition. Honestly, I still didn't understand why I was selected as the new Demonic Emperor. I certainly wasn't a saint or a kind and good person, but neither was I a ruthless tyrant who dreamed of conquering the world. I was far from being qualified to rule as the next Demonic Emperor.
There were so many others who deserved this position more than me.
As if he had read my mind, Ragios continued.
"The fact that you didn't allow greed and ambition to rule over you…to control you and influence your decisions…that's what makes you the worthiest of emperors. That's what makes you a leader worthy of following."
"Thanks, I guess?"
I wasn't sure what to make of the praise. As usual, I thought Ragios overestimated me, but at this point I saw that it was meaningless to argue.
However, now that I was in the driving seat for the throne, I had better do my best to assume the responsibility in a fair and just manner. I couldn't let down all the people who had chosen to follow me, who had pledged their loyalty to me.
Not only that, I had come too far and spilled too much blood to turn back now. Just to defend my position, I had waged war with the dissenters and forcibly subjugated them to my service. I had made use of demons for my revenge, manipulating them into attacking my targets.
And I had promised Stella that I would bring peace to the continent and establish a rule of coexistence. This wasn't just for her sake alone, but the sake of everyone living in this world, human or demon. I truly desired peace…I honestly hoped for a world without war, where everyone could live without fear of violence.
Deep inside me, I had a feeling I had lived a life like that in the distance past. Perhaps in another life somewhere far away…in another world, even. A place where magic didn't exist and where technology reigned. Where children could laugh and play while attending schools, never having to worry about starvation and war. Where the adults' only source of stress was how to make a living, rather than keeping an eye out for invading armies.
What a world that would be.
But for me to achieve that vision, I must first exact my revenge on those people who betrayed me. It might seem at odds with my eventual goal of peace, but like I said, I wasn't a saint. I wasn't going to happily forgive traitors who tried to sacrifice me and left me for dead. I was going to take my revenge on them, for all the suffering they had caused me. Not just me, but also everybody else. The abused citizens in the Royales district that Herman and Irene ruled over. The victims in the Bravia province lorded by Duke Bradley. The helpless villagers used as experimental subjects by the ruthless and insane Miranda and her subordinates.
I wouldn't be surprised if Yvonne was behaving similarly. I already heard disturbing rumors of the atrocities she and her tribe committed in the southern provinces of Havan Kingdom. I didn't know about Alan – he was mysterious as ever – but given his dark past and his role as an assassin, I was certain that he was also up to no good. The League of Shadows, huh? I needed to investigate that as well.
"…I wish you a good night, your majesty."
So lost in my thoughts I was that I barely noticed Ragios rising to his feet and lumbering away. I nodded and waved.
"Thank you for everything, Ragios."
"No problem. I look forward to working with you in the future."
"Oh, count on it." I smiled. "After my next mission in the human kingdom, I will be back."
And the Empire would never be the same again.