Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 306 "The King"

The Royal Summoners' Association, an institution that has existed since the first day of the kingdom's founding, is considered by almost every summoner to be the highest honor to join. Charlotte once dreamed of becoming a member of the association, but now, the atmosphere of the association has shattered her beautiful fantasy.

The appearance of mechanical monsters has brought a sense of crisis, but the summoners of the association have ulterior motives because of it.

There are those who try to send people they don't like to high-risk cities infested with mechanical monsters, those who embezzle monster eggs allocated to summoners and pass them off as inferior ones, and those bureaucrats who remain in a drunken stupor during such a critical time and ignore the intelligence sent to them.

The reason we were able to witness all of this was thanks to the white headscarf.

He seemed to have an excellent understanding of the Royal Summoners Association and the structure of the capital, and he led the group away from the sight of the association members with ease.

"These are all simple poaching techniques; monsters have much better perception than humans."

The man in the white turban leaned against the wall, unusually toned down his nonchalant tone, clearly shocked by what he had just witnessed. Only Ethan remained calm; for the people of the Empire, such scenes were far too common, pale in comparison to Julius's actions during his time as Pope.

"Since the new president of the Royal Summoners Association took office, the atmosphere of the association has become like this."

Scout Rowena has gathered the information.

"The new president?"

“Ignatius Vortigern, summoners call him ‘Blacksteel,’ and he is said to be a hybrid of human and dragon. The guild has a portrait of him, which I stole.”

As she spoke, the space in front of Rowena distorted, and a scroll of portrait slowly fell into Ethan's hands.

The portrait depicts a tall, dark-skinned man with distinct dragon-like features. His forearms and lower arms are covered in black scales, and his cheeks are marked with wound-like cracks that faintly emit a dark red light. His eyes are bright and piercing, and an adult black dragon lies prostrate behind him in the background.

Charlotte carefully examined the man in the painting, her gaze involuntarily shifting back and forth between Black Steel and Ethan.

She always felt that the man in the painting was more like the world destroyer mentioned by the ancient tree. Compared to him, Ethan didn't seem to have enough authority. After spending time with him, she also found that Ethan was very easy to talk to. It was hard to imagine how fate could lure someone like him into becoming the culprit who would destroy the world.

“According to the kingdom’s laws, humans and monsters can intermarry. Many high-level monsters will have the ability to transform after they reach a certain stage of growth,” Rowena added. “Black Steel is such a product. His father is a black dragon. Human-dragon hybrids are extremely rare. Every one of them is a natural dragon kin.”

"Therefore, Guild Master Blacksteel is a summoner who specializes in dragon-type monsters."

"The battle ten years ago was the least suspenseful one. Blacksteel won with an overwhelming victory. After that, he joined the Royal Summoners Association and became its president in less than two years. However, there should be some shady dealings involved."

Rowena sensed a conspiracy. "The former president resigned before his term was over, citing illness, and strongly recommended Blacksteel as the new president. He repeatedly told the royal family that Blacksteel would bring unprecedented prosperity to the kingdom."

"I've heard that this guy is the strongest summoner."

The man in the white turban, somewhat guilty, avoided eye contact with the man in the painting. He had wanted to say something tough to belittle Black Steel, but he was silenced by that sharp gaze and could only change his words, saying, "The trend of summoners increasingly idolizing dragons in recent years is his doing."

The appearance of Blacksteel ended the long-standing debate about the "strongest summoner".

Since the summoners who win the championship each time do not fight each other in public, it leaves plenty of room for discussion among Kingdom Battle enthusiasts. Until Blacksteel won the championship title without any suspense, even his haters only attacked him for cheating by saying he "relies on dragons", and no one questioned the value of the "strongest" title.

Judging from the current situation of the Royal Summoners, Blacksteel did not make the kingdom more prosperous during his tenure as guild leader. Instead, it began to decay from within, and it looked like it could collapse at any moment.

Can the summoners really survive the catastrophe caused by the mechanical monsters?

Charlotte was puzzled by this.

On the other hand, she was also curious about the purple bat's intelligence capabilities. "How do you know all this? Only someone who has been in the Royal Summoner's Association for many years should know these inside stories, right?"

"Good question!"

Rowena perked up immediately, and at the same time gave Ethan and Winter a defiant look—people need more praise in life to motivate them to work, even intelligence masters are no exception.

Ethan and Winter never marveled at her outstanding intelligence abilities, their expressions as indifferent as if it were a trivial matter.

"Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you!"

Before she could finish speaking, the space in front of her twisted again, and a bottle filled with dark green liquid landed in Charlotte's hands.

Truth serum, the most common interrogation tool in the Empire, usually only requires two drops to make people reveal their deepest secrets. However, in this world without alchemists and magicians, truth serum naturally does not exist.

As an intelligence mastermind, Rowena certainly wouldn't limit herself to eavesdropping. When necessary, she would obtain intelligence by striking someone on the back of the head, dragging them into a dark corner, and feeding them truth serum.

This time is no exception.

“I also found out an even more important piece of information: someone revealed that Blacksteel entered the royal city early this morning to meet the king, and he was carrying a black dragon egg.”

"Wait, wait."

The woman in the white headscarf gestured for a pause. "You're not planning to let us infiltrate the palace, are you? If we get caught, we'll be locked up in jail for life!"

More importantly, he had never obtained a map of the royal city, so he could no longer lead a few people to wander around like they did in the Royal Summoner's Guild.

"I was prepared a long time ago."

Rowena's voice grew increasingly smug as a cloak floated down from mid-air.

Charlotte curiously took the sheer object. "What is this?"

"An invisibility cloak; as long as you wear it, you won't be seen by anyone."

"But... how many people can stand down there?"

The white-turbaned man posed a probing question: although it seemed like all three of them could fit inside, it was obvious to anyone with a brain that the seemingly germaphobic Charlotte would absolutely not want to squeeze in with this "smelly mud."

With that thought in mind, he took a deep breath and made a decision: "I'll keep watch outside and cooperate with you when necessary."

Perfect teamwork is always better than teammates kicking him out of the team because they dislike his body odor.

Upon hearing this, Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief.

The news from the Cuckoo Bird Daily had already spread throughout the capital. After leaving the Royal Summoner's Association, the streets were deathly still. At the call of some people, many citizens of the capital spontaneously left the city and went to the location of the Divine Tree, hoping to win the Crimson Queen's mercy through their prayers and pleas.

However, not everyone was gripped by fear; everything in the royal city remained unchanged. Upon witnessing this scene, Charlotte's blood pressure spiked, and she finally understood why the Royal Summoner's Association was so fearless.

She witnessed firsthand the horrific scene of the mechanical monster invasion and the chaos caused by the mechanical plague in Fogwood County. Yet, at this critical moment, the royal family members leisurely maintained their peaceful and prosperous lives.

Even when she told the guards that she had brought a letter from the Lord of Mistywood County, the guards impatiently told her to just hand the letter over to the Royal Summoners Association, saying that the royal family members were busy observing the dragon eggs and had no time to deal with the trivial matters of Mistywood County.

This time, Charlotte could tell that the guards' attitude was not out of jealousy; they clearly hadn't heard of the legends of Moonforest City.

This is arrogance. They don't care at all about the plague in Misty Forest County and the summoners who died in the first battle against the monsters. Now it seems that the content in the Cuckoo Bird Daily is just a facade created to appease the public.

Just as the negotiations failed and Charlotte was about to retreat into the shadows and use her invisibility cloak, a tall figure walked towards them with the speed of the wind.

Upon seeing the newcomer, the guards, who had been looking impatient just a moment ago, immediately put on a fawning smile.

"who is she?"

Black Steel glanced at Charlotte and asked.

"The visitors from the border city said they brought a handwritten letter from Ms. Swallowtail Butterfly."

After saying that, the guard even boasted, "I did my best to stop her and prevent her from suddenly barging in and disturbing your enjoyment."

“Since it’s a letter from Fogwood County, it might contain some important information… Go and deliver the letter to His Majesty the King.”

"As ordered!"

The guard turned around and immediately became arrogant again, raising his voice considerably, "Did you hear me? What are you standing there for? Give me the letter, and then you can go back to Mistywood County!"

Charlotte gritted her teeth; she never expected to be treated this way in the royal city.

We must go inside and take a look; the royal city is no longer what Lady Swallowtail Butterfly remembers.

She didn't linger with the guards any longer. She handed over the letter, pretended to leave, and hid in the shadows. Then, she put on the invisibility cloak that the little purple bat had lent her and followed the guards deeper into the palace. The magnificent palace was filled with people, who were gathered around a black dragon egg, praising it to the skies.

From their conversation, Charlotte learned that the black dragon egg was a gift from Blacksteel to the prince as a coming-of-age ceremony.

The prince will become an outstanding summoner.

These are the people who will decide the future of the kingdom.

Charlotte watched as the guards passed through the crowd and handed the envelope to the king. Upon hearing the report, the king's smile faltered for a moment. He did not open the envelope but instead crumpled it into a ball and casually told the guards to dispose of it.

"It seems to be news from Fogwood County."

Discussing arose from the crowd, but soon everyone reached a consensus: "With Black Steel around, there's nothing to worry about."

Ethan was also involved in the tailing operation, following closely behind Blacksteel after he left.

He noticed something was wrong the moment the other person appeared.

『Ignatius Vortigern (Dragon/Steel), Rank: ? ? ?』

The panel is exactly the same as that of a monster, and it even thoughtfully indicates the corresponding attributes.

Blacksteel did not return directly to the Royal Summoners' Association. Instead, he strolled through the deserted market area toward the remote southwest district, his destination being his residence in the royal city, a three-story manor. Dragon maids greeted him at the manor gate, looking at Blacksteel as if he were the true king.

They are called dragon maids because they all have long dragon tails, which vary in appearance and thickness. If you are a dragon researcher, you should be able to identify their race by their tails.

Upon returning home, Kurogane went straight to the study. He paused for a moment in front of the third bookshelf, pushed two books aside, and a hidden door made a sound, releasing an indescribable odor from the dark basement.

After the sound of Black Steel's footsteps faded away, Ethan began to descend the stairs.

The strange smell is getting stronger and stronger.

Before long, he discovered the source of the strange smell—it was the smell of the eggshell fluid emitted when the baby dragons hatched. The smell itself wasn't strong, but if hundreds of dragon eggs were placed together, it would create the smell he was smelling now.

The scene below the manor didn't look like a cozy little home. Judging from the layout, it was more like an altar. Dragon eggs were arranged in a ring around the altar, and on the altar was a dead adult blue dragon with its abdomen torn open. Blue and black hatchlings were rolling and gnawing inside its abdomen.

Broken eggshells were everywhere, along with the corpses of baby dragons.

Some were devoured by their own kind, leaving only stark white bones, while others died before even hatching.

The surviving baby dragons also exhibited varying degrees of deformity.

The mechanized bodies, some with wings transformed into wriggling tubes, and others stripped of their outer skin, revealing only the gears beneath.

Black Steel ignored the wailing dragons on either side of him and walked straight to the altar without glancing to the side.

He bent down and carefully examined the dead blue dragon. Then he reached into its abdominal cavity and pulled out a fledgling dragon that looked like it had just hatched. Its mouth still had a piece of flesh torn from the blue dragon's body stuck to it. Except for the color, it was almost identical to the black dragon baby in Ethan's arms.

Upon seeing Black Steel, the blue dragon baby let out a cheerful chirp. It lay comfortably on Black Steel's hand, stretching out its two little paws and acting cute.

What should have been a heartwarming scene of father and son reuniting now looked utterly bizarre.

There was no joy on Black Steel's face; his eyes were cold, as if he were scrutinizing a lifeless lump of flesh.

His eyes revealed disappointment.

A fleeting glimpse of dark red energy emanated from the palm of his right hand.

The blue dragon baby's soft chirping disappeared.

Black Steel released his grip, and the crushed pieces of meat scattered all over the ground.

(End of this chapter)