Chapter 312: Weak Kingdom
Virginia let out a thunderous, sky-shaking roar as she descended, a sound that reverberated through the very stones of the royal palace.
She circled the tallest watchtower one final time, her massive crimson wings sweeping a gale-force wind across the terrace, sending the ministers’ lavish robes flying and forcing the guards to shield their faces in terror.
With a resonant, heavy thud, the colossal dragon landed right on the wide courtyard connecting to the main palace gates. The ground trembled beneath her weight, cracks spider-webbing across the polished stone tiles.
Virginia flared her nostrils, exhaling a plume of scalding white smoke that instantly raised the temperature of the courtyard, her reptilian eyes locking onto the trembling crowd above.
The King of Corals stood at the front of the terrace, his hands tightly gripping the stone railing.
To the outer world, he appeared unfazed, a stout monarch holding his ground against the ruler of the skies. But Aegon’s eyes, sharp and peerless, caught the subtle truth easily. The king’s knuckles were stark white, his breathing shallow, and a distinct, primal dread was written across his eyes.
’I don’t even need to use my special eyes.’
Aegon glanced over the gathered defenders, assessing them through his Eyes of Primordial Appraiser and felt a sudden wave of bewilderment.
’Wait... that’s it?’ He blinked, genuinely caught off guard.
The king, draped in all his jeweled opulence, was the absolute strongest presence in the entire palace, yet he was merely a Rank 5 Knight.
Standing just half a step behind him was a panicked old man in ornate robes, who, despite his grand title, was only a 4-Star Mage. The rest of the court guards and knights barely scraped Rank 3 or 4.
’I expected an coloniser’s capital to at least have some hidden powerhouses,’ Aegon thought, a faint wry smile tugging at his lips. ’This is almost disappointing. Come on, man. You traded with Elves, don’t you have someone?’
Elara, standing beside him on the dragon’s back, seemed to read his thoughts perfectly. She nudged his shoulder lightly and murmured in a voice only he could hear, "Don’t look so surprised. You’re just too used to being around the absolute strongest people on the continent that you’ve forgotten what a normal kingdom looks like."
Aegon paused, then let out a soft chuckle, nodding in agreement. Between his grandfather Arnold, his terrifying aunt Xiu, the Red Viel, and the true monstrous elders of House Valeria, his baseline for "strong" was heavily warped.
Compared to those apex predators, the Coral Kingdom was practically defenseless. ’Well,’ he mused, ’this just makes our job a whole lot easier.’
Stepping to the edge of the dragon’s saddle, Aegon adjusted his attire, ensuring his movements were fluid and composed. He extended a hand to Elara, helping her step down onto Virginia’s massive lowered wing.
As they stepped off the dragon and onto the cracked stone courtyard, a heavy, suffocating aura naturally radiated from them.
It wasn’t just the residual pressure of Virginia’s presence, it was the absolute, unyielding gravity of the bloodline running through Aegon’s veins. The air grew dense, and the sound of his boots clicking against the stone echoed like a countdown in the dead silence.
The royal guards on the ground level dropped their weapons instantly, their knees buckling under the sheer, majestic weight of the display.
Up on the terrace, the King of Corals took one look at the young man’s radiant, unmistakable golden eyes, a trait shared only by few people and felt his knees grow weak.
"L-Lord Valerian..." the King gasped out, his pride evaporating as he hurriedly made his way down the terrace steps, rushing into the courtyard. Without a single shred of his former royal dignity, the King of Corals dropped to one knee, lowering his head deeply toward the stone floor.
Seeing their monarch kneel so submissively, the court ministers, the 4-Star Mage, and every single knight in the vicinity fell like dominoes, dropping to their knees in a synchronized display of absolute submission.
"We greet the Young Master of Valeria!" the King shouted, his voice trembling.
From the terrifying red dragon and Aegon’s peerless golden eyes, the King and his court easily pieced together the identity of the breathtakingly beautiful young woman standing beside him.
An elf of such noble stature and ethereal grace, traveling alongside the heir of House Valeria, could only be the Royal Elf Princess of Sylvana herself. The realization that they were facing both the apex predator of the continent and the royal line of the Elves made the ministers break out in cold sweats.
Aegon kept his expression cold and unreadable, his features resembling a mask of polished marble using his Poker Face skill. He was here to enact a harsh reckoning for the Vayrins, and though a furious storm rolled within his chest, he refused to let a single spark of it show on his face.
But the more his gaze swept over the jewel-encrusted robes of the King and the fat, well-fed ministers kneeling before him, the deeper his disgust grew.
These very humans, sitting in their pristine, carefully planned capital, had willingly allowed thousands of innocent lives to be brutally tormented, enslaved, and slaughtered all to satisfy their insatiable greed. The sheer hypocrisy of their clean, beautiful surface covering such absolute filth sickened him to his core.
Yet, he maintained his absolute calm, looking down at them like a deity observing insignificant ants.
The King of Corals risked looking up slightly, swallowing hard as he tried to find his voice. "L-Lord Valerian... to what do we owe the grand honor of your arrival? If our kingdom has offended House Valeria in any way, we beg for your guidance..."
"Rise," Aegon spoke, his voice quiet, yet it carried an icy undercurrent that sliced through the courtyard. He didn’t spare them a smile. "I have highly important matters to discuss with you, King of Corals. And I believe the open courtyard is no place for it."
The King flinched at the cold tone but hurriedly nodded, scrambling back to his feet while gesturing frantically toward the grand palace entrance. "Of course! Right away, My Lord! Please, allow me to escort you and the Princess to the Royal Court immediately!"