I’ve been looking for you so hard!

Lettia came to the dark alley, and from afar she could see Ruby’s figure.

Ruby’s outfit was unusual. She wore an assassin’s night garb, with a black veil. Her small body leaned against the broken wall as she rested with her eyes closed.

Until the sound of Lettia’s footsteps arrived, Ruby subconsciously opened her eyes.

She lifted the veil and gave Lettia a slight smile.

“Princess of the Dragon Clan, I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Ruby, how did the investigation go?”

“Although I couldn’t uncover everything, I gathered a lot of useful information.”

“Useful information? Let’s hear it.”

Ruby nodded and relayed all the intel she had gathered to Lettia.

First, the identity of the White-Robed Alchemist was a mystery.

The alchemist’s white robe contained magic that hindered recognition— even a top-level mage couldn’t see her face.

Second, the White-Robed Alchemist was extremely powerful.

Before Ruby’s spies could even get close to her room, she released killing intent.

The spies had no choice but to retreat and report everything back to Ruby.

“What do you know about the silver markings on Lili?”

“They were apparently carved by the court magician.”

“Silver markings from a mere human shouldn’t be able to affect our Dragon Clan.”

“No, I heard that at the time… she sacrificed her own life.”

“What?”

Lettia was stunned.

What kind of obsession could drive a court magician to sacrifice her life just to place a curse on Lili, forcing Lettia into domination?

Was it the emperor’s order? Or was there a deeper enemy lurking in the shadows?

“The rest is my speculation. The White-Robed Alchemist may be a member of the Dragon-Slaying Order.”

“The Dragon-Slaying Order…”

The Dragon-Slaying Order was a new organization that had emerged in the last two hundred years.

As their name implied, they stood opposed to dragons, especially intent on killing the bloodline of the Dragon God.

They possessed mysterious weapons capable of inflicting real damage on dragons.

Even at her peak, Lettia had to be cautious when facing them.

Could it be that the White-Robed Alchemist’s entire plan was to kill Lettia?

If Lili laid a dragon egg, Lettia would be forced to pour magic into nurturing it, leaving her severely weakened.

That would be the perfect time for the Dragon-Slaying Order to strike.

“No… their target may be Amy…”

The Dragon God bloodline was passed down “one at a time.” In other words, if Lettia’s daughter Amy were killed, the Dragon God lineage would be severed forever.

Then no one would remain to guard the dragon clan’s seal.

As for what exactly the seal was, even Karina didn’t know.

Karina had inherited it from her mother, and in turn passed the duty to Lettia.

What lay within remained a mystery— but it was certainly no ordinary thing.

If the seal loosened, the Dragon God Clan would have to pour all their energy into repairing it.

That process was no less exhausting than hatching a dragon egg, leaving the body gravely weakened.

“Then, what about the Empire’s combat power I asked you to investigate?”

“I’ve already finished gathering that. There are about three troublesome individuals— all S-ranked adventurers,” Ruby pulled several documents from her collar. “I wrote down all their details here— their fighting styles, and their weaknesses.”

“Excellent, that’s a great help.”

Though she held the pride of the Dragon Clan, Lettia had weakened.

Without knowing her enemies as well as herself, she had no guarantee of victory.

Of course, the simplest plan was to take Lili back to the Dragon God’s homeland.

Her mother would surely protect both her and her daughter.

But Lettia couldn’t swallow her resentment.

She wanted to torment Lili thoroughly, to make her feel shame until she was forced to bow her head and admit her mistakes.

If her mother were watching, Lettia would never be able to carry out her revenge.

“There’s one more thing— consider it bonus intel.”

“What else?”

“The Emperor of the Empire— she may pass away within three days.”

“The Emperor… will die?”

“The Emperor was already on her last breath. It was the White-Robed Alchemist’s potions that kept her alive. Now that the alchemist has lost access to her ingredients, the Emperor naturally won’t last.”

“Hmph, all the better. Serves her right for plotting against our great Dragon Clan.”

Ruby smiled faintly, but said nothing more.

Because Lettia didn’t know— if the Emperor died, it could trigger a coup.

Not just one or two people, but tens of thousands of soldiers could be dragged into war.

Lettia didn’t know, and Ruby didn’t want to explain further.

Human affairs should be handled by humans. The dragons had their own mission.

“I’ll take the intel. I must hurry back to protect my daughter’s safety.”

“Mm, safe travels.”

Lettia gave a faint smile and rushed out of the dark alley.

She crossed the bustling avenue, left through the imperial city’s gates, and only when she reached an empty place did she take to the skies, flying rapidly toward her mountain home.

On the way, her urgency leaked out as waves of magic and killing intent.

But Lettia didn’t care anymore. With the intel in hand, she couldn’t waste time.

From now on, she would guard Lili and her daughter without leaving their side.

Lettia’s mind conjured Lili’s face, and she shook her head sharply.

Why protect Lili? Wouldn’t it be better if she died? Lili was nothing but a social climber, who seduced Lettia for wealth and status.

And yet… Lettia couldn’t shake the feeling that Lili was innocent.

That she herself was the one who had wronged Lili.

“No… impossible. The great Dragon Clan cannot be mistaken…”

But even Lettia herself could not believe those words.

Unconsciously, she stopped flying, hovering in midair, lost in thought.

She had an idea— she would test Lili once more. If Lili still insisted that everything had been her plan, then Lettia could carry out her revenge later.

Thinking this way, she felt much lighter.

But immediately, an overwhelming pressure bore down on her, nearly choking her.

Lettia looked up in shock— and saw a fearsome Empress releasing killing intent toward her.

“Uh… Mo— Mother…”

“Lettia… do you know how hard I’ve searched for you?!”

Karina’s face was twisted with fury.

Lettia turned pale with fright, stumbling back dozens of meters, but that small distance did nothing to stop Karina’s spellcasting.

“O King of Shadows who rules the world, appear within the flow of time!”

“I swear in darkness, in your great name— combine your power with mine, to grant equal destruction to all that blocks our way—”

“Mother… don’t just randomly unleash your ultimate spell!—”

“Perish! Dragon Emperor’s Explosive Flame Slash!”

Magic condensed into a black energy sphere.

The sphere crackled with violent lightning, sparks bursting in all directions, the air thick with the stench of smoke.

Karina moved like lightning, unleashing the attack. The energy sphere roared downward, straight at Lettia’s face.

Lettia’s eyes widened in shock, and she dodged immediately.

Boom!—

The ground exploded, leaving a crater three hundred meters wide.

Trees toppled in all directions, small animals fled in panic, and the shockwave howled past, whipping Lettia’s hair and clothes.