Chapter 130
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 130
"More, more. Spread your wings wider. No, you need to flap harder. Faster. More. Don't get tired. You can do better."
The Emperor carried Crown Prince Kiaros through the sky while swallowing curses internally.
It wasn't just difficult—it was extraordinarily exhausting.
Crown Prince Kiaros muttered in a seething voice.
"All that hesitation... and I couldn't even confess...."
"Grrrrgh! Grrgh-grrgh-grrgh!(After all that time, you're throwing a tantrum because you couldn't confess once?)"
Being manifested as a dragon meant he couldn't speak—an eternal regret.
No matter how much he roared, he couldn't convey his meaning to Crown Prince Kiaros.
Of course, he was already exhausted from monitoring the speed of his wing beats at Crown Prince Kiaros's insistence.
"That I like you so much... that I adore you so much... and I couldn't even say that...."
"Grrrrgh!(Why do you have to go all the way to the Southern Region to do it, instead of doing it at the Imperial Palace until now?)"
The Emperor felt like he would die wanting to spit out "you pathetic fool."
Yet there were things weighing on his mind.
Crown Prince Kiaros hadn't explained in detail, but even the facts he had mentioned were shocking.
Namia Loapi was Aran's daughter and the Tower Master's granddaughter. So she was connected to the Gaejo Faction.
When exactly had Namia Loapi covered such a vast distance in an instant?
"Please don't get distracted and focus solely on flying faster."
Crown Prince Kiaros's words came like a whip. The Emperor let out a groan and put more force into his wing beats.
Normally, dragons flew gracefully and slowly. It was unthinkable for them to flutter their wings like a hummingbird in a race.
"Grrgh, grrgh....(Raising children is truly exhausting.)"
"Yes, you're doing well."
"Grrrrgh.(Especially this riding thing—it really is as hard as they say.)"
Of course, Crown Prince Kiaros's constant urging wasn't entirely well-intentioned either.
But organizing what he wanted to say to Namia Loapi was far more troubling.
[Seducing ordinary humans isn't difficult. We have appearance, wealth, status, and power."]
Everyone said the same thing—that it would be easy for an Imperial Servant to seduce a human.
In fact, he had thought the same way at first.
So he had proposed with a complacent attitude, saying he could marry her if she wished. What did she think?
But thinking about it now, Namia Loapi had never placed great importance on such things from the beginning.
[Actually, I... want to make my own choices. Because I want to be the one who stands out.]
Her own decisions and her own power were what mattered to her.
That's why she had pretended not to notice Crown Prince Kiaros's subtle affection.
She hadn't opened her heart to Victor Awin or to Crown Prince Kiaros of Polariud.
And the person she chose was Kibon, a former foreign intern.
She showed genuine affection only to that secretary with unclear status and a crumbling, shabby house.
'The way she disappeared at the end was so like Namia Loapi.'
If Namia Loapi had been someone who only valued personal safety, she would naturally have hidden being an experimental subject and fled.
But she revealed the truth even at the risk of showing her abilities to Crown Prince Kiaros.
Expressing only one wish—to see her father one last time.
'Please... Namia.'
Crown Prince Kiaros grasped the dragon's scales, his thoughts tumbling.
'Please give me a chance.'
My breath came shallow, my chest constricted with suffocation—I felt as though I might die. The anxiety of possibly never seeing her again sent my head spinning in dizzying circles.
'I want to choose what I desire now, not just what was given to me from birth.'
Namia was laboring under a profound misunderstanding.
'I care for you more than the Empire's future...'
Whether she was an experimental subject or something far worse...
Crown Prince Kiaros could not help but love her.
'I want to become your future.'
Meanwhile, the dragon bearing Crown Prince Kiaros traversed the Continent with unprecedented speed, straining every fiber of its being.
* * *
Remarkably, after crying so thoroughly, my heart felt somewhat lighter.
Now that I thought about it, I realized I had never wept so freely before.
"Oh my, what shall we do with our dear child? Hmm? Should I help you blow your nose? Goodness, but what if it hurts? Hmm? I didn't bring any of that premium Arpobian tissue..."
The Tower Master fussed anxiously beside me, making a great fuss about everything.
"Crying so much must make you dizzy... Our dear child, can you open your eyes properly? Hmm?"
"Yes. My eyes are large and pretty, so they open well even after crying so much."
I blew my nose once with indifference and wiped away my tears.
Watching the Tower Master examine my face, my heart melted.
Until now, no one had ever comforted me when I cried.
To be more honest, I had never cried in front of others. I had never even sought comfort in the first place.
"Child, I'm sorry. Hmm? I'm sorry for being such a useless grandfather..."
The Tower Master patted my shoulder as he spoke.
"In any case, you're crying because of that fellow, so I'll give him a proper thrashing later. So why don't you leave now? Hmm? This old man will handle everything..."
Even as he said this, he didn't forget to grab an innocent bystander. It felt like an indirect experience of the terrible family education my mother had received.
I sighed and shook my head firmly.
"Actually, I've already told the Crown Prince everything."
In a way, I had made a different choice than the Tower Master, who had kept silent until the end.
But I felt no regret. It was the right thing to do.
The Gaejo Faction was still abducting countless animals and people, conducting illegal experiments. I couldn't simply remain silent and protect only my family's safety.
"The Emperor will come. He'll probably manifest as a dragon and destroy this entire place. We need to rescue Father before that happens."
"What? The Imperial Servants know about this?"
I had essentially revealed the secret the Tower Master had hidden for over twenty years to the Imperial Servants.
"Yes. There are records of dragon speed, so it should take about three to four days. It's been just over a day since I left the Imperial Palace, so we have about two days."
That was enough time to invade recklessly and retrieve Father.
I deliberately smashed through one of the maze walls as I spoke.
"Since I've destroyed this much, surely the Gaejo Faction has noticed by now? We have no choice. We must move quickly as well."
However, I could no longer use teleportation scrolls freely.
To use a teleportation scroll, I needed to understand the space beforehand, but I had no knowledge of the Grand Temple's interior.
To use a teleportation scroll, I could only do what I'd done when first entering the maze—pass directly beyond the walls.
"Besides, I'm genuinely strong right now."
"Namia, if the Imperial Servants find out, you should leave first——"
I grabbed the Tower Master, who kept insisting I leave, and spoke firmly.
"Please share all the information you have about what's inside here right away."
"No, you should leave safely first——"
Hmm.
After experiencing rather disastrous family education, I understood how to handle the Tower Master. I immediately cut him off and threw a tantrum.
"I don't want to, Grandfather. I'm going to do whatever I want."
At my words, the Tower Master's expression changed instantly.
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes—this old man will tell you anything. What does our little one want to know? Hmm? Hmm?"
Just as I thought. This was the answer.
And my goal had always been singular.
"Where is Father?"
The Tower Master then startled again, waving his hands frantically.
"Why would our little one dangerously want to know that——"
"But Grandfather's little one wants to know! I'm incredibly strong, so I'm going to break everything and go everywhere—tell me right now!"
"Ah... our cute baby suddenly gained power and runs around recklessly. But if I tell her to come to her senses, our child's spirit will break. That won't do. Our child must live well and thrive in a world where she stands alone."
The Tower Master spoke words that contradicted my father's teachings about remembering that we all live together in this world, and pulled out a map from within his robes.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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