Ember Dragon

Trump turned his head, his hideous face still bearing a kind smile, but a strange light flickered in his eyes, and his tone was questioning.

"Duke Adrian, are you implying that I orchestrated this disaster?"

"No, Mr. Trump, I just find all of this too strange."

Adrian shook his head, a gentle light emanating from his palm, slowly healing the wounds on his body. Then, in a calm yet firm voice, he said:
"All the powerful nobles of the Seleucid Alliance are dead, leaving only me. The Kasanders killed them and slaughtered many civilians, making them undoubtedly the murderers, their image no different from that of the enemy."

Soon, a wave of hatred towards Cassander will likely rise among the people of Seleucia, completely severing ties with them. And after this incident, the biggest beneficiary will be your empire, won't it?

"hehe."

The cannibal chuckled, then waved his hand and said unhurriedly, "Do you think the ultimate beneficiary is necessarily the culprit?"

Did I order the people of the Kingdom of Kasander to set up the ambush? Did I instigate those fanatical cultists to slaughter the people? Or did I allow those nobles to collude with the enemy and defect?

"."

Adrian remained silent for a long time, his throat moved slightly, and he finally raised his head to meet the ogre's gaze. He said in a deep voice, "You cannot command the Kasanders, but you can release information in advance that the Chief Minister is about to visit, so that they may attempt to ambush him."

You did not order the nobles to defect, but the local city defense forces and intelligence agencies deliberately exposed their weaknesses and turned a blind eye to their every move.

"Mr. Trump, at every step of this process, you and the empire behind you could have stopped it. In a sense, you did nothing, you simply let things take their course."

Trump looked down into those fiery eyes, finally tearing away his facade of friendliness, and said in an utterly cold tone:
"Since this development maximizes the benefits for the empire, I am naturally happy to see it succeed, so why should I interfere?"

“But this brought disaster that swept through half the city, causing the deaths of thousands! They were innocent, those mortals should not have suffered like this!” Adrian’s voice was hoarse, as if he were growling.

"What does that have to do with me, or with the empire? Do you still think we are so-called messengers of justice? Besides, without us, it's uncertain whether they would have survived."

"The Seleucids, no, you French have always had a strange pride, always thinking you are the chosen ones, that the whole world will revolve according to your will, but that's unrealistic." Trump's tone remained calm and indifferent.

“You are the one who caused all of this, Duke Adrian.”

The ogre chuckled again, as if chatting about an amusing little thing: "It's you who's been indecisive, wavering between independence and submission to the empire, unwilling to give up the power you've gained and the dignity of being a Falden, yet unwilling to lose the empire's support."

A great emperor once said, "If you're unwilling to make a choice, someone else will always make it for you, won't they?"

"It shouldn't be like this, it shouldn't be like this."

Adrian knelt on the ground, somewhat bewildered. In a daze, he seemed to see the Burning Emperor's majestic body, as towering as a mountain and as vast as the sky.

This time, however, the red dragon did not save humanity as remembered. Instead, it devoured Sunset City with a ferocious expression and even swallowed the entire Seleucia with its greedy appetite.

So this is what an empire is, and what an emperor is.

He doesn't care about so-called justice; he only needs simple and brutal rule and conquest.

For a moment, the image of Duke Franz's resolute and weathered face as he perished alongside the green dragon flashed into his mind.

Is it worth it?
To abandon one's dignity, to relinquish the power and status one possesses, and to submit completely.

Adrian was in a state of confusion, and in his desperation, he uttered words that were almost identical to those of Duke Hawke: "If that's the case—then what's the difference between my choice and those nobles who submitted to the Cult of Dragons?"

Trump's expression was stern, and his gaze became even colder.

"Then how do you think things should develop in the future? The empire should return power to the Seleucid royal family, and the Seleucids should live an independent life."

Don't be ridiculous, Duke Adrian. From the moment you sought Imperial aid—no, from the moment Sunset City fell to the Church of the Dragons—that possibility ceased to exist.

For this war, the Empire has spent hundreds of millions of gold nars, countless manpower and resources, and suffered hundreds of thousands of deaths. What do you think those fanatical 'conquest faction' in the council will do if we don't get the expected benefits?

Adrian was pale, his shoulders trembling, and he knelt stiffly on the ground like a charred wooden sculpture.

Trump toyed with the "Master Ball" in his hand, spinning it back and forth in his palm, regaining his amiable demeanor, but his words were even more aggressive than before: "Well, have you thought it through?"

"Should one choose to become a loyal lackey of the empire, or choose to end one's own life and make the empire go through the trouble of supporting a new proxy?"

At this moment, Adrian realized that he had never had a choice. The so-called independence, autonomy, and equality were nothing but a facade created by the empire, behind which lay the merciless roar of that war machine.

Submission to the empire was an inevitable fate.

Even if he chooses to resist, the empire will choose a new puppet, which will cause even greater casualties and bring even more disaster to the Seleucid people.

Adrian knew that the only thing he could do was to fight for the rights of the Seleucids within the framework allowed by the Empire, so that this land he loved would not be overly exploited.

With that thought, Adrian laboriously lifted one leg, kneeling to face the ogre, then lowered his head deeply, staring directly at the scorched ground.

"As you command, Your Excellency."

"very good."

Trump clapped his hands with delight and said with a smile, "Very good, Duke Adrian, get ready, someone will clean this place up for you soon."

The utterly shameless Cassanders invaded the Sunset City, causing a terrible catastrophe. And you, as the Governor of the Seleucia Region of the Empire, stepped forward, becoming a hero of all Seleucia, and indeed, of the entire Empire!

Adrian moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say anything and just lowered his head in a sullen voice.

“Yes, sir.” What the imperial prime minister said was indeed true, but it sounded particularly harsh to him, making his face burn with shame.

Hero?
In Adrian's eyes, he was nothing but a coward, lacking both the resolve to abandon his dignity and the courage to fight to the death.

He once proclaimed himself a chosen one of the sun, but now it seems he was nothing more than a puppet manipulated by that high and mighty emperor.

"Do a good job, Adrian. His Majesty values ​​you highly—as long as you cooperate."

The ogre patted him on the shoulder rather kindly, left with those words, and then departed through the spatial rift with the "Master Ball" containing Gaunt.

Adrian raised his head, gazing at the surrounding ruins and the sky tinged with pale red by the setting sun, his eyes growing increasingly somber.

he knows.

Seleucia, the world is about to change.

On June 23, 1793 (Gregorian calendar), Kasander's envoy Gaunt led the Titans in an attack on Sunset City.

This event, known as the "Sunset Disaster," resulted in the deaths of 6,400 people, the destruction of the Duke's mansion, the reduction of half the city to ruins, and the deaths of hundreds of Seleucid nobles in the flames.

Finally, Duke Adrian stepped forward, killed the hateful Cassanders, and saved hundreds of thousands of people in the city.

Following the disaster, Duke Adrian delivered a passionate public speech.

In his speech, Adrian pointed out that the Kasanders had turned to an evil god and had become outright heretics. He claimed that they were the culprits who betrayed Amannatha and caused the destruction of Holy Fadlan.

This speech also marked the complete breakdown of the relationship between Seleucia and Cassander.

Following the speech, slogans such as "Revenge against Cassander!" and "Kill the infidels!" resounded everywhere. The city of Sunset, and indeed the entire Seleucia region, was filled with righteous indignation, and people regarded their former compatriots as true enemies.

Meanwhile, many Seleucids became worried, fearing that the Seleucid kingdom, which had just emerged from the quagmire of war, would be unable to withstand Cassander's formidable divine legions, and that the land would once again fall into enemy hands and be engulfed in war.

Thus, the Seleucids turned their attention to the Burning Empire, the hero of the War of the Dragon Cult and the force that had saved the Seleucid Kingdom like a god.

Even the proud Seleucids had to admit that without the Empire's full support, the Seleucids could not have defeated the Church of the Dragon and reclaimed their homeland in just a few years.

Moreover, recently, many rumors have been circulating in Seleucia, such as "His Majesty Caesus is the true chosen one of the Sun God" and "The Burning Empire has obtained the inheritance of the Holy Falden."

There are even outrageous rumors circulating that "Emperor Burning is a saint descended to earth by His Majesty Amannata, and will regain his divine throne after unifying Holy Fadlan."

In a short period of time, voices admiring the Red Dragon Emperor and pledging allegiance to or even submission to the Burning Empire grew louder and gradually became the mainstream in Seleucia.

Meanwhile, the voices that once strongly advocated for Seleucid autonomy and supported the collateral branches of the royal family grew increasingly weak and eventually disappeared into the shadows due to the activities of imperial agents.

In this short period of time, hundreds of thousands of humans known as "Starfallen" poured into the city. They frantically bought up properties and seized land, showing a tendency to take over the entire city and becoming an undeniable force in the Sunset City.

On June 28, 1793 (Gregorian calendar), the Imperial Chief Minister and special envoy of the Burning Emperor, Langpu, visited the Sunset City and was warmly welcomed by the local people, who lined the streets and cheered, turning the city into a bustling metropolis.

After three days of intensive discussions, the two sides signed twenty-eight treaties, including the "Treaty on the Political and Economic Integration of the Burning Empire," the "Naturalization Plan for the Seleucia Region," the "Treaty on Joint Governance," and the "Seleucia Recovery Plan."

These treaties, collectively known as the Sunset Treaties by later historians and sociologists, had a profound impact on the development of the southern part of the empire.

In the treaty, the Empire would invest heavily in the Seleucia region, which had just experienced war and was in dire need of reconstruction, through work relief and vigorous development, in order to help the land shake off the shadow of war and restore its prosperity.

In return, Seleucia was required to comply with the empire's overall plan, participate in military service, and become an indispensable part of the empire's grand blueprint.

The Seleucid Kingdom was divided into seven provinces based on factors such as geographical location, economic conditions, and climate, becoming the empire's fourth governorate after Anzeta, the northern border region, and Aethel.

The then-governor of Seleucia was none other than Adrian, the "hero of the South" who had led the local people to overthrow the rule of the Byron Cult and saved countless people during the Sunset Disaster.

However, only the Seleucid governor himself knew that after losing most of his trusted subordinates and the influx of professional bureaucrats from the empire, he would probably only become a mascot to signify "Seleucid autonomy."

However, not long after the collapse of the Holy Falland Empire, there were still many deeply rooted "Reconstructionists" within the old empire, maintaining the pride ingrained in the bones of the Fallanders.

—The same is true even for the Seleucia region, which had been cleansed by the Church of the Dragon.

Despite the Burning Empire's self-proclaimed status as the successor to the Fadran Law, the more conservative regions reacted particularly strongly when the Seleucia region actually became a governorate of the Burning Empire.

They called the meeting "the true destruction of Fadland" and "the surrender to the fall of the dragons," and referred to the governor of Adrian as a "dragon slave" and a "shameless traitor." Some local nobles even led their private armies in rebellion, preparing to defect to the Kingdom of Cassander.

It had become the last "paradise" and spiritual home for these old nobles, at least their king still had the blood of the "Sun King" flowing through his veins, not the blood of the dragon.

But three days later, Duke Adrian led the newly formed Seleucid army into battle. As governor, he showed no mercy to his former colleagues, wielding his sword to wipe out the rebels.

Eastern Seleucia, Montrac Slopes.

Adrian rode a tall, red-scaled dragonblood steed, gazing at the mangled corpses and pools of blood scattered before him, his eyes filled with sorrow.

He tucked the finely crafted pistol to his waist, then gripped the reins tightly, thinking to himself: 'I'm sorry, my former compatriots, I didn't want to come to this, but I have no other choice.'

'This is all for Seleucia.'

Adrian took a deep breath and shouted, "Clean up the battlefield and prepare to return—" (End of Chapter)