"Dragonoid? What's that?" a noblewoman stood up, her voice filled with disbelief. She was well-known and respected in the palace, soone whose opinion carried weight.
Leonidas, still bowing his head, quickly replied, "It's a race on the sa level as dragons! Half-human, half-dragon!" His voice was shaky, as if he couldn't believe the words himself.
The mont those words left his mouth, the entire room erupted in gasps. "Absurd!" the sa noblewoman shouted, her face turning red with anger. "How could such proud, divine creatures as dragons lower themselves to marry a human and have a half-dragon child? It's impossible!" She clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white, and slamd them onto her seat, shaking with fury.
Everyone's eyes were glued to Leonidas, waiting for him to falter, to admit he was lying. But instead, he kept his head down, his body trembling as he spoke. "I-I don't know how it happened. But we made a terrible mistake by misjudging her as a succubus." He swallowed hard, his voice now thick with fear and regret. "Think about it—she has the cleverness of a human and the power of a dragon. We were like ants before her."
Leonidas's voice cracked, and his shoulders began to shake. "We were defeated in the blink of an eye... Now, we're all dood!" Tears actually ford in his eyes, his sobbing echoing through the room. His acting was so convincing, it sent chills down the spines of those watching.
The room fell silent, but the air was thick with dread. Everyone there knew the pride of dragons. Dragons never involved themselves in the petty conflicts between humans and demons because they considered both races inferior. Though their numbers were small, their power was unmatched. The idea that one of these creatures could have a child with a human was terrifying—and the thought of facing such a being was even worse.
Fear spread like wildfire through the throne room. So people started trembling in their seats. The dragons were already terrifying, but a half-dragon with human cunning? It was unthinkable. What were they supposed to do now?
The question buzzed in everyone's minds. "What do we do now?" Panic began to set in. One noblewoman, chewing nervously on her fingernails, muttered to herself, "Are we all going to die? What's going to happen to us?"
Others stood up, pacing back and forth, their minds racing. "We can't ask for help from other kingdoms," one nobleman said, his voice filled with dread. "This isn't a demon attack—it's a ss we started, So we can't use alliance card. And if other kingdoms find out we were crushed so easily, our remaining reputation will also be ruined!" He ran a hand through his hair, his face pale. "Worse, they'll take advantage of the situation and seize control of the kingdom from the inside, all in the na of 'help.'"
The room was filled with murmurs of fear and despair. The once proud and powerful nobles were now reduced to helplessness, all because they had underestimated their enemy.
Suddenly, all their attention shifted to one man—Leonidas. He was the only one who might have a way out of this disaster.
Leonidas could feel their stares burning into him, but he kept his face calm, though inside, he was grinning. This was exactly what he had been waiting for.
"Lord Leonidas, surely you have a plan to save us, don't you?" The noblewoman who had been shouting in anger just monts before now asked him in the sweetest, most respectful voice she could muster. Her earlier fury had been replaced with a nervous plea.
Still bowing slightly, Leonidas allowed a small grin to creep across his face as he slowly lifted his head. "Of course I do," he said coolly. "Why do you think we're all still alive, even though our army was utterly defeated?" His voice was steady, filled with quiet confidence.
The nobles exchanged glances, hope flickering in their eyes.
"Miss Scarlett is rciful," Leonidas continued. "If we accept her conditions, our kingdom will remain ours."
"Conditions?" soone asked, their voice quivering with unease.
Leonidas rubbed his palms together, smiling brightly. "To put it simply, the king and Prince Lórien must beco the villains, while Miss Scarlett becos the hero." He paused, letting his words sink in.
The nobles sat back, their minds racing. The room, which had been buzzing with panic, now fell eerily silent. They began to understand what Leonidas was suggesting, but none dared speak it aloud just yet.
One noble finally broke the silence. "Are you saying we should betray our king?"
Leonidas didn't flinch. His smile widened as he replied, "That's up to you. Do you want to end up in the slums, or do you want to continue living in your luxurious palaces, enjoying all the comforts you're used to?" His words were soft, but the ssage was clear.
The room filled with a tense silence once more. Each noble sat frozen, torn between their loyalty and their desire to hold onto their wealth and power. They lived their lives in luxury, without lifting a finger. Could they really give that up?
But what if things went wrong? If they betrayed the king and failed, wouldn't they be treated as traitors?
Leonidas sensed their hesitation. This was his mont to push his plan forward. "But," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "we will need a new king. Prince Lórien is captured, and he only has a daughter—no sons. So... who will take the throne?" He tilted his head, acting as if the answer wasn't obvious.
The nobles shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Each one of them had their own thoughts. "If things go wrong, who will take the bla? I can't risk being king!" one nobleman thought to himself.
"Won are less important in this kingdom, and by law, they can't take the throne," a noblewoman mused. "Even if I had the chance, I wouldn't risk my life for that!" She thought.
Then, as if they were all struck by the sa idea at once, their eyes turned to Leonidas once more. A sly thought crossed their minds. "Yes, this is his proposal. If everything goes wrong, we can just bla everything on him, He will be our perfect scapegoat!" They smirked inwardly, already plotting their escape route.
And just like that, in perfect unison, they all spoke up. "Lord Leonidas, wouldn't you be the perfect choice to beco our new king?"
Leonidas's smile never faltered. This was exactly what he had wanted.
He rubber his hands in nervously said, "I guess I can't refuse your sincere opinions, I'll beco the king! ",
------------
Whenever soone tries to ascend to a higher form of being, the process isn't as simple as just gathering souls. First, they need to collect a massive amount of souls, but that's not all. They also need to be recognized by many people or creatures across the world. It doesn't matter if those people are human or of other races—what matters is that they acknowledge the person's existence and power.
Even if soone ets these conditions, there's still a chance that their ascension might fail. And even if everything goes perfectly, that doesn't guarantee they'll beco what they desire. The final result depends on how the world views them.
For instance, let's say a human wants to beco an angel or a goddess. Just because they want it doesn't an they'll actually beco one. It all depends on how people see them. If the people of the world believe this person is so kind of incarnation of a goddess, or if they worship them as a goddess, then there's a strong chance that the person will ascend to beco a goddess, even if they originally wanted to beco an angel.
This is exactly what happened to Lunatic. She had her heart set on becoming a succubus queen. She was already a powerful succubus and had announced her goal to everyone. Over ti, she kept winning battles and gaining more and more power, and people began to fear and respect her. In other words, they acknowledged her as a powerful being.
In the demon realm, word spread like wildfire about how Lunatic was on the path to becoming a succubus queen. Everyone knew about her goal, and because the world itself started recognizing her as the future queen, when the ti ca for her to ascend, she succeeded.
In the end, she beca exactly what the world expected her to be—a succubus queen—because the world and its people acknowledged her in that role, regardless of anything else.
User Comments
0 comments from readers