After having gotten used to the incessant wind slamming against his face, Verity leaned back slightly, tightly holding onto the armrests of his wooden seat.

Fearing the abyss below, and finding nothing interesting above, Verity's gaze settled on the one who guided the mighty Dragon through the sky.

His eyes landed on Irina's back.

"What is it, young master?" She shouted from the front, sensing Verity's gaze immediately.

Verity flinched, startled by her keen senses. He scratched the back of his neck. "It's uh… nothing really. I was just thinking that you seemed pretty strong, considering you managed to tame this massive Dragon and all," he said awkwardly.

Irina laughed. "Ha! Surely you jest! Someone like me would never be able to scratch even a scale on Karthion's back!"

Beside him Evangelina patted Karthion's back, as if to soothe the beast. "This is the Dreadmoore Guardian Beast, gifted by the first Emperor himself and tamed by the first Dreadmoore Matriarch." She leaned back, contemplating the skies above. "As Irina implied, this is a Legendary Beast. Even I would have to put some effort in if it ever decided to rebel."

Karthion blew hot air from its nose, causing tremors to reverberate through the passengers.

Evangelina smiled softly and patted its scales once more. "Yes, yes I know. You would never do such a thing."

She paused, then threw Verity a glance, and whispered. "Of course, if we were to fight, I'd win," she added before looking away.

Thankfully, it seemed Karthion had not heard this part.

Verity nodded in understanding, but his gaze remained on Irina. He was still curious about something.

Evangelina sighed. "Our Irina is quite the beauty, but she's married, so you can forget about it right this instant."

Verity's face flushed. "T-That's not what I was thinking!"

Irina smirked. "I see… I'm quite a flattered, young master, but even if it's you…I must decline. Ah! Perhaps I could introduce you to my daughter instead? If my features please your eyes, then certainly hers will too!!"

Evangelina stroked her chin. "That might not be a bad idea Irina, should we set them up?"

Irina beamed. "Yes! What an honor it would be to become part of your family, Duchess!"

Verity interrupted. "Stop making fun of me! That is not what I was thinking at all!"

Both Irina and Evangelina chuckled. "Then what was it?" Evangelina inquired.

Verity cleared his throat. "Since you're so far above me, master, I can't gauge your strength at all, so I was wondering if it would be different with Commander Irina."

Irina raised her head, glancing at Verity and smiling faintly. "So? How do I appear to you, young master?"

'She's strong… definitely stronger than Felicia, probably even stronger than those demons…I think..'

"...I don't think I could put up a fight against you," he finally said.

Irina's smile narrowed slightly. "Hmm. I see. It appears that way to you." She paused for a moment to collect her thoughts, then resumed. "With all due respect young master, I believe you are overestimating yourself grossly," she began.

Then, Irina released her Aura, but not an oppressive Aura like Evangelina often did to intimidate others. Instead, Irina's was soothing, calming, to a point Verity felt he would become lost in it.

Most importantly, however, it was vast, so incredibly vast that if Verity's was like a single drop of rain, hers was a great river with no end in sight.

Irina smiled. "Let's put it that way... As you are now, young master, even if you sold your soul to an Evil God, pushed your body past its absolute limits and obtained one of the Ten Treasured Spears, you would be unable to sever a single hair atop my head."

Her tone was calm. Her certainty was absolute.

'Irina is… incredibly powerful…. And even she says she could not scratch this Dragon…' He turned to his master. 'And master claims that she only might have to 'put in a little effort' against it…'

Verity let out a dry, hollow laugh. "What was it they said in those novels…? There are Heavens even above the Heavens…? Hahah." He mumbled to himself, clenching his fist.

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Irina caught a glimpse of the subtle motion, and she let out a small, almost inaudible chuckle. 'It seems you've found yourself a fine disciple, Lady Dreadmoore.'

The rest of the ride was silent.

—

Now standing in front of the awe-inspiring Imperial city gates adorned with gold, Verity's jaw dropped at the sheer grandeur of it all.

The gates were not only adorned with gold or silver, but also with precious materials he could not name, each shining brighter than the last and displaying wealth beyond imagination.

It was nothing like the city of Plamodel.

The Imperial Capital, Hazemar, named after the Imperial bloodline, extended far beyond what the eyes could see, making Plamodel look like a village next to it.

Even the guards who stood beside the gates radiated power. Every single one of them exuded pressure which indicated they had at least reached the realm of a Master, the realm of Sword Aura.

Fitting the medieval theme of this world, most buildings were made of polished marble, even in the Imperial capital, but the sheer scale of the infrastructure was in a league of its own.

Most peaked through the towering city walls, and much further beyond, at the center of the city stood a castle so grand, so unfathomable, the castle itself might have been the size of a small city.

It was referred to as Aurum, the City that bears the Crown, and it was an entirely different realm within the capital. Only the royals, their relatives, high nobles at birth or the most distinguished commoners who had become honorary nobles, could even dream of ever entering.

When it was her turn, Irina approached the gate guardian who donned crimson armor and a thick visor that hid his features.

"State your purpose!" The guard exclaimed.

Irina presented the Dreadmoore insigna and stepped aside to allow the guard to see just who had come. "The Duchess and Matriarch of Dreadmoore, The Spear of Hell, The Heroic Rank adventurer, Lady Evangelina Josephina Dreadmoore, has arrived at the Imperial Capital."

The guard tilted his head slightly, a raised brow beneath the visor. "I see… May I inquire about the reason for your visit, Lady Dreadmoore?"

Before Evangelina could say anything, Irina interrupted, her tone laced with venom. "You may not. Know your place, Knight of Salamander. The one before you is an existence someone of your rank should not even dare to address directly."

The guard seemed to pause for a moment, but his composure never faltered. He was different from the guards of Plamodel. He came across high profile guests all day long, and he very well understood what his duty was.

He straightened. "Understood!"

With a single swift movement, he then pulled a lever behind him, and the gates promptly opened. "Your identity has been confirmed, your reason for entry recognized, and your visit has been authorized."

Irina curtly bowed to the guard, so Verity did the same, but Evangelina simply passed by without even throwing him so much as a glance.

Verity couldn't help but nod in admiration. "So that's the power of a duchess, huh…"

Irina chuckled. "Of course not, young master! Any other duke or duchess would have been investigated thoroughly, regardless of their status." She smiled. "No…This is the power of Dreadmoore, and most importantly, the power of the Spear of Hell."

"I see…"

Once more, Verity was reminded just how amazing his master was

As they marched through the Imperial capital, Verity noted that even the inside of the city and its people seemed to be affluent beyond measure. Every passerby was dressed in expensive silk or armor that shined so brightly it blinded him.

There were no beggars on the streets and in some strange way, everyone seemed to be 'well-behaved'. There was no loitering, no littering, no arguments, and although it was not as though the city was completely silent, the atmosphere inside was very calm.

Verity would not have been surprised if every single person within the walls of the Imperial capital was a noble.

"We're here!" Verity heard Irina say from the front.

As Irina took a few steps forward and placed her hand on an azure orb, Verity looked ahead, and he gasped.

"Duchess Dreadmoore has arrived at the First Magic Tower of the Empire, please send someone down to escort her."

Before Verity was a tower of monumental size that extended far past the clouds. It reached much greater heights than anything on Earth; simply tilting his head to lay eyes on its summit made Verity slightly dizzy.

"How did I not see this before…" He mumbled to himself.

Surely, it had to do with magic, but since Verity was poorly versed, he had no way to know.

A voice erupted from the orb.

[Hmm? How did you reach this orb? And Dreadmoore? What's that? Is this the magical stone shipment we ordered?]

Irina's eyebrow twitched. "How dare you—" She stopped herself midway and took a deep breath. Mages were known to hole themselves up in dark corners and forget about the world around them. "...No, The most prominent Duchess of this Empire and one of the Heroes of the continent is to visit your magic tower, open the doors."

The orb buzzed.

[I don't know! She's saying it's not the magic stones!]

Another voice could be heard. [It's not? Then send them away. We're not taking any visitors.]

The first voice sighed. [But she's saying she's a Duchess or whatever, shouldn't we at least hear them out?] The first one asked.

Irina's eyebrow twitched again. She truly hated coming here. The Tower was full of idiots who only filled their heads with spells and formulas.

She grit her teeth, her patience running thin. "We are here to see the Mage of Four Elements…You will regret not letting us in."

There was a pause, and suddenly, both mages burst into laughter.

[Haha!! Did you hear that!? She said she's here to see the Tower Master!!]

The other Mage laughed even louder. [Is she crazy!? Does she think she can do whatever she wants because she's a noble!!? Hahahah!!!]

Irina's hand crisped, and a small web of cracks appeared on the orb,

But it wasn't because she was angry, rather, her nerves had suddenly tensed.

Behind her, something truly terrifying was rising.

Even Verity had slowly begun stepping away.

Surrounded by suffocating pressure, Evangelina's eye twitched, and she looked as if she was getting ready to take a step forward.

Irina brought the orb to her face with urgency in her voice. "Cease this mockery and send someone down you imbeciles!! This is Duchess Evangelina Dreadmoore!! You won't be able to handle the consequences!!"

The first mage could be heard breathing heavily, as if he'd laughed too hard. [Yeah, yeah, if you were the Emperor himself, no– maybe just one of the princes or princesses, I might have taken it seriously, but a duchess?]

He burst into laughter again, and the other mage spoke into the orb. [Whatever consequences you have for us, we're not scared! This is the First Magic Tower, you know? Not some duchy in the countryside! Just schedule an appointment and come back when we open our doors!]

The ground cracked below Evangelina, but before she could do anything, a third voice resonated through the orb, this one clearly older than the first two.

[What are you boys doing? You're not even on gate duty…]

The first mage, still attempting to quell his laughter, replied. [Get this, some lady, a duchess or something, is asking to be let in to see–]

[The Tower Master!!] The other mage cut in, bursting into laughter again.

The third mage scoffed. [Pff, what's the idiot's name?]

The second mage answered. [Dreadmoore, I think? What a clueless Lady, seriously.]

The third mage paused, and loud steps could be heard. [Dreadmoore as in… Duchess Dreadmoore? ….Are they saying the Duchess is here!?]

Confusion seeped in the first mage's voice while the second was still too busy laughing. [Uh, yeah? I think that's what they said…? Why?]

Two loud bangs were heard on the other side of the orb, and the voices of the two first mages fell silent. The third mage then grabbed the magical device and spoke into it, voice trembling. [W-We're sending someone to escort you immediately…!!! Please sit tight Lady Dreadmoore!]

Verity glanced at Evangelina who was slowly calming down. 'She really is on a short fuse today…'

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