Chapter 216

The clash between Theo and Kincarnon quickly spread throughout the Winterer region.

"I heard Kincarnon tried to stage a coup during the Dragon Ascension Tournament."

"They say Young Lord Theo uncovered his plot and suppressed it in advance."

"Kincarnon lost to Theo during the tournament and is now imprisoned."

Rumors spread like wildfire, but one fact became undeniable:

Theo’s complete victory.

In the fierce struggle for the seat of power, Theo had decisively seized the upper hand.

Reports followed that the unrest threatening to erupt across Winterer had been quelled by the White Steel Vanguard and the Ranke Family, further cementing Theo’s authority. However, some expressed concerns.

There were whispers that Theo might use this opportunity to eliminate potential rivals in a purge.

After all, it was a tradition in Ragnar's history for blood to spill and chaos to ensue whenever a new ruler was determined, often accompanied by civil strife.

In fact, the Judicial Office had moved swiftly to arrest those linked to Kincarnon. Among those detained was Ansio, a figure closely associated with Kincarnon’s schemes.

However, Theo refrained from making any further statements or taking additional actions.

As a result, the conclusion of the Dragon Ascension Tournament left only the title of "Anonymous" awarded to Theo.

Order was restored quickly, and the chaos began to subside.

***

“...What is this?”

Lezé frowned at Amore, who, still wearing a ridiculous wooden mask, casually slid the badge toward her.

“What does it look like? It’s the Dragon Ascension Badge.”

“I can see that for myself! But why are you giving it to me?”

“Why not? You’ve been dying to get your hands on this, haven’t you?”

“What I wanted was victory, not a handout like this!”

Lezé stared at Amore, wondering if she’d lost her mind or taken some strange medicine.

The Dragon Ascension Badge symbolized the victor’s status, the very emblem of the title.

Surely, Amore had fought hard to earn it, yet now she was trying to hand it over so casually?

And besides, could the badge even be transferred this way?

If that were possible, wouldn’t the world’s wealthiest elites have already bought their way into becoming the Nine Dragons?

“Then just say you won. Problem solved, right?”

Lezé’s eyes narrowed, irritation surging. Was this tiny senior here just to mock her?

After Kincarnon’s coup had ended in failure, Lezé and Amore had faced off separately, and Amore had emerged victorious.

Even though the competition’s luster had dulled with the audience mostly gone, Amore still became a Dragon Ascender.

While the loss had stung, Lezé had genuinely congratulated her.

Even if her steps toward power had faltered, her resolve and spirit to reach for it hadn’t wavered. The badge, soaked in the memories of effort, meant a great deal to her.

And now?

Amore was tossing that heavy responsibility to her like it was a trivial exchange over a backyard fence.

Who wouldn’t be furious at such behavior?

‘Wait... Why is she avoiding my gaze?’

Just as Lezé was about to explode, she noticed something odd. Amore, who usually wore her signature sly smile during their conversations, was pointedly looking elsewhere.

Though the mask obscured most of her face, her line of sight was still obvious enough.

Look at that.

Roll.

She even shifted her body to avoid making eye contact.

Suspicious, Lezé followed the direction of Amore’s eyes.

Roll.

Again, Amore’s gaze darted to the opposite side.

And again. Roll. The other way.

Another attempt. Roll. Yet again, the opposite.

“...”

“...”

It all clicked.

This person was terrified of making eye contact with her!

Amore’s mischievous reputation was well-known throughout Winterer. Yet something was off.

Lezé narrowed her eyes and stared silently at Amore for a long moment.

“What’s wrong?” Amore flinched and took a hesitant step back.

“You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

“Hiding? Me? Don’t be ridiculous! Just take the badge already—”

Whoosh!

In a flash, Lezé lunged forward, reaching for Amore’s face. Amore sprang back with a wide leap.

“What are you doing?!”

“Just as I thought. You’re hiding something.”

“Hiding what?! There’s nothing to hide!”

“Something’s hidden on your face, isn’t it?”

“Wha-what are you talking about? I don’t... understand?”

“You’re a terrible liar. Seize her!”

At Lezé’s command, a spectral crow materialized from the air and swooped toward Amore.

“You little—!”

Startled, Amore swung her sword toward the crow, but Lezé immediately noticed something. Amore’s movements weren’t as sharp as they had been during the tournament.

Her magic reserves were clearly not fully restored.

If so, this was the perfect moment to strike.

Lezé raised her Grim Reaper Blade, now charged with power, and swung it high.

Slash!

Crack!

The sound of splitting fabric echoed as the blade tore through the mask, slicing it cleanly in half to reveal the face underneath.

“Nooo! Stop!”

“...”

“What the hell are you doing?!”

Amore clutched the broken pieces of the mask, trying desperately to cover her face, but it was too late.

Clink.

She fumbled to reassemble the mask, but it wouldn’t fit back together.

Finally, she turned her head toward Lezé like a broken puppet, her expression a mix of despair and humiliation.

“You... saw it?”

“...”

“You saw it, didn’t you?!”

“Pfft.”

“You saw it! You did!”

“Pfft-hahahaha! What is that?!”

“Noooo! I’ll never forgive you!”

Lezé burst into uncontrollable laughter, her face turning red from amusement.

It was no wonder. Both of Amore’s eyes were bruised with enormous, dark rings, making her look like the pandas said to exist on the eastern continent.

“Hahahaha! You look like a panda!”

“I’m going to kill you!”

Amore, her face flushed red with fury, began swinging her sword wildly at Lezé. She was so enraged that even her sword energy lashed out.

The spectral crow stood awkwardly nearby, unsure whether to intervene.

Lezé, still laughing, easily dodged Amore’s attacks.

Who could have expected someone so smug and composed in the tournament to appear like this?

Her slowed movements, likely from her injuries, made her strikes easy to evade.

“Pant... pant... pant...! I’ll kill you!”

“Kyahaha! Keep trying!”

“You—you—!”

“Maybe I should tell Theo. I’m sure he’d love to hear about this.”

“If you spread a single word, I’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth!”

Amore’s usual charm was nowhere to be found; she was too furious to even pretend.

“All right, but tell me—why are your eyes like that? And why are you giving me the badge? They seem connected.”

Amore glared silently at Lezé for a long time before sighing deeply, her lips curling into a pout.

“It’s not like I wanted this to happen!”

Her explanation was simple.

As soon as she earned the title of Dragon Ascender, she sought out Julius and challenged him to a duel.

“With Julius? The Dread Dragon?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought you two got along well?”

The White Steel Vanguard’s camaraderie was well-known, famous even within Ragnar.

“Of course I respect him! He’s the person I admire most in the world.”

“Then why?”

“Because he’s also the most infuriating person alive!”

Amore went on to rant about how Julius constantly teased her, scolded her, and dumped responsibilities on her.

Fed up, she had finally snapped.

And so, the previous night, she had confronted him.

“Just one hit! I just wanted to land one hit on that smug face!”

The result? Her current panda-like appearance.

In the end, Amore resigned herself to handing over the badge, admitting she had failed to take her revenge and couldn’t justify remaining as one of the Nine Dragons within the same unit.

Lezé stared at the badge for a moment, its rough texture brushing against her fingertips.

After a long pause, she finally nodded.

“I’ll accept it.”

***

Theo stood silently before the iron bars, gazing at Kincarnon, who sat motionless in his cell with his eyes closed.

“... …”

Kincarnon remained as he was, his posture unyielding. His intent not to speak was palpable.

“No matter what I ask, you’re not going to answer, are you? I get it.”

“... …”

“So I won’t waste your time or mine. Just answer one thing.”

In the dimly lit corridor, Theo’s eyes gleamed coldly, like sharpened steel.

“The key that unsealed the artifact. Where did you get it?”