Chapter 20: Bad decision
King of Eronvale—Lucen Thorne Eroner—sat inside his private office, a quiet space lined with scrolls and maps. His butler stood silently nearby, awaiting orders.
Lucen’s golden hair was neatly combed back, and his sharp blue eyes were fixed on the document in his hand. Calm yet focused, he read every line with the weight of a nation resting on his shoulders.
Eronvale was one of the four great human kingdoms—ranked second in strength due to its powerful military and vast wealth. Their relationships with the other nations remained steady, even friendly—strengthened by the shared fear of a common enemy that loomed beyond their lands.
The world was overcrowded by dragons, and the human nations were surrounded on all sides. The landmass they occupied had its southern edge touching the vast ocean, which stretched into the icy, uninhabitable frozen lands.
Eronvale stood tall at the northernmost tip of the continent, directly bordering the territory of a dragon Warlord. This made them the first line of defense—and the first target.
For years, their survival had depended on a single fragile lifeline: the pact. A powerful agreement, sealed by the Great Sage, that kept the dragons from launching a full assault.
But the Sage was dying. And once she passed, so would the pact.
After that, Eronvale would be like a man standing at the edge of a cliff—knowing the fall was coming, but not knowing when... or who would give the final push.
"Sir, shouldn’t you take a rest?" asked his loyal confidant gently.