Seleria took a deep breath, and the scorching steam from the lava rushed towards her body. She raised her hands towards it and released all the volcano's heat into the storm clouds. The lava quickly solidified, and the volcano calmed down, while the heat dispersed, clearing the blue sky.
The battle seemed to last an eternity, and even the midday sun had not yet illuminated the surroundings. Our comrades joyfully rushed towards us along the crater's ridge.
"Incredible, you managed to defeat it!!" Yuki joyfully ran to embrace us. "It was absolutely amazing, thank you, thank you."
The girl cried and bowed in gratitude for our salvation.
"Hehe, well, my dear girl, it was mere trifles for me," Seleria proudly puffed out her chest, reveling in her own importance.
"Um, Sel, "Katrina hesitantly addressed her friend. The faces of the other comrades also flushed with embarrassment.
"Aryeh? What's wrong with all of you?" Only the princess seemed oblivious to something amiss.
"Do you know that you are naked?" Ragni smirked and traced her finger along the girl's back, catching her off guard.
"Huh?" It was only now that the princess noticed that something was missing. "Y-y-yes, of course, I know, my clothes turned out to be not as fire-resistant as I thought."
Her red wings slowly extended forward, covering the princess's nudity.
"Well, I'd be surprised if your clothes could withstand the heat of a volcano," Ragni chuckled slyly. "My clothes might have managed, but yours clearly couldn't. Still, I don't understand how you endured it yourself. I know red dragons love fire, but in their human form, they don't possess the same resistance."
"I myself didn't expect it," Seleria shyly scratched her head. "I simply had no choice but to endure the flames or perish."
Seleria and Ragni glared at me with anger.
"But what's the problem? If she hadn't awakened, we would hardly have been able to stand against such a monster," I said, trying to evade Grain's questions, but he wasn't going to stop.
"Although, in my opinion, there could have been a simpler solution," Grain narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You just had to tear apart the dragon's body to clear the way for a strike. I must say you calculated everything, from the final blow to that unsuccessful attack by Vivien."
"Oh, come on, it was just a coincidence," I tried to deflect Grain's questions, but he wasn't going to give up.
"Although, why call it an unsuccessful attack? The strike was quite successful. Kat's lightning, reinforced by Vivien's weapon, created a powerful charge in the sky, which was enough to destroy the monster's heart. But was it necessary to risk Ragni and Seleria's lives? The power of Rizel's decay, combined with the white flame, would have been enough."
Everyone looked at me with great doubt.
"Well, it seems I just didn't think of it before, everything turned out fine, and there's nothing to worry about," I said, but Grain wouldn't back down.
"I would believe that, but you learned about Seleria and the wound on Ultras' neck just a few minutes before the battle, which means you came up with the whole plan from beginning to end just as quickly. I doubt you didn't calculate other options along the way," Grain thoughtfully looked at the crater's walls. "Unless, of course, you planned to show Seleria's strength in this battle for some purpose."
"Tch, when did you become so clever," I shook my head hopelessly and pointed upwards. "Then let them answer you."
Three enormous shadows descended from the sky towards us.
"Damn, reinforcements, perhaps?" Yuki drew her blade and prepared for battle.
"No, wait!" Sheraza landed on her crimson wings, having waited for us outside all this time. "They are not enemies."
With a heavy thud, three red dragons landed on the crater's edge. They were at least twice the size of Ultras but obviously larger than the other dragons.
"Why do I feel like I know who they are?" I looked at the decorations on the dragons' bodies—various golden symbols with dragon heads on them. I wasn't sure, but they were probably the signs of rulers.
"Representatives of the Council, and why am I not surprised," Seleria frowned displeased. "So, you were hiding nearby, observing the battle just because you feared him?"
"Silence, mortal! You volunteered for this task yourself, and we had to ensure you wouldn't escape," the smallest of the trio expressed clear discontent. Now I understood who they were—three great dragons governing the Council of the Red House. It was strange how they agreed to the killing of Ultras.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later, Valraz. You also agreed to the princess's terms," the dragoness tried to calm her brother.
"But I didn't think..."
"That I would succeed at everything!?" Seleria proudly cut off the dragon. "And yet, I defeated him, so now I order you!"
"Don't make me laugh! You didn't even kill him yourself; it was your lackeys!" The dragon was clearly dissatisfied with the battle's outcome.
"Cough..." I drew the trio's attention. "Did you agree beforehand that Seleria had to kill him alone?"
The dragons exchanged uneasy glances.
"No, but it was implied that she would go to battle alone."
"And also that she wouldn't return alive, right?" I evaluated the ancient rulers' expressions with a sly smile. "So what's the problem? She won, or did you not thoroughly assess her divine power?"
Seleria understood my hint and, flashing her eyes, summoned huge wings made of crimson flames. Illuminating the crater for a few seconds, the wings dissipated into the air.
"I have fulfilled your demands, and now I am the ruler of the red dragons, and anyone who doubts it can challenge me!" Seleria's confident voice frightened even the ancient dragons. "But be warned, there will be NO MERCY for anyone!"
"Tch, she dares to..." Valraz wanted to object, but the third dragon, who had been silent until now, stopped him.
"I never liked Ultras' orders, so I suggested this solution to you. I am Serezar, the second son of Saraza, and I pledge my loyalty to you," the dragon bowed his head before Seleria.
"To be honest, I always wondered whose side you would be on," the princess looked at her new subordinate with doubt.
"I was always against the path Ultras led us on, but I couldn't disobey him. I wanted us to have a new strong leader who could bring prosperity to the dragons."
"Brother!" Valraz roared in displeasure. "I will never recognize a mortal's rule!"
With a flap of his wings, the dragon vanished into the clouds.
"Someday, he will have to admit that the clan needs change," the dragoness turned to Seleria. "I am Siferina, the second daughter of Saraz, and I acknowledge your authority. Would you like to give your first orders?"
Seleria took a deep breath and gathered her strength.
"As the new leader of the red dragons, I abolish all clan traditions that establish slave-like relations within our family. All dragons from the servant and slave castes are now free, and the elder dragons will no longer have power over them. Spread this law to the entire clan. Such is the decree of the new ruler!"
"As you wish, my lady," Serezar bowed and prepared to take flight. "If you want, I can take you to the clan for your official installment."
"No, I will rest here a little longer with my friends and arrive at the clan a bit later."
"Then please don't delay. I'm afraid your order will be negatively received by many senior dragons," Siferina soared into the air and, together with her brother, headed south.
"Phew, I was worried about you!" Sheraza sighed with relief and rushed to embrace her daughter. "Hehe, you look stunning, such a rich color."
The dragoness caressed the princess's scaled wings.
"Mom, it's undoubtedly your legacy, but I doubt the people of Leran would accept it so easily."
"Heh, there's nothing to be ashamed of here. Although people don't trust the Red House too much right now, it's now your task to bring our two peoples together. And someday, you will proudly spread your wings before all your subjects."
"Yeah, but I don't know how to hide them," Seleria shrugged, and her wings twitched slightly in response to her movements.
"Hehe, don't worry. You're just not used to it. Our true bodies are separated from the human ones by the power of ancient magic and exist in a different dimension. They can replace the entire body or its parts at will. Relax and imagine yourself in your human form; with time, you'll be able to do it in the blink of an eye."
Seleria took a deep breath and relaxed her body. Her wings gradually began to shrink, and along with them, the horns on the girl's temples decreased in size. After half a minute, she returned to her familiar form, albeit in a slightly intriguing way.
"Ah, I've seen it many times, but I'll probably never tire of such a sight," I glanced briefly at the beautiful curves of the princess's naked body.
"Yes, nothing excessive, it perfectly accentuates her femininity," Werner nodded thoughtfully.
Algo and Grain also involuntarily cast a few sidelong glances at the princess's sculpted figure, for which Algo quickly received divine retribution in the form of a powerful lightning bolt.
"Oh, these men," Sheraza threw a red cloak over her daughter, the one she had worn before the battle. "We'll have to find you suitable clothing soon, in case someone gets any ideas."
The queen gave us a predatory look, ready to defend her daughter to the last.