Chapter 5 : Black Dragon Olivia (3)

Late autumn, Leprechaun Empire year 1409. Olivia, the Black Dragon, was in a foul mood. Tapping her claws impatiently against the armrest of her throne, she gritted her teeth. The reason? Dante’s absence.

“…Damn it!”

Crash!

Olivia hurled the stack of documents she’d been reading across the room.

That morning, a letter had arrived at the Demon King’s castle. The sender was Mars Agramon, Emperor of the Achaian Empire, a nation located southeast of the Leprechaun Empire. The two empires had shared a long-standing alliance under the previous Demon King, Beelzebub XII. However, with Beelzebub’s demise and Olivia’s ascension, the alliance had dissolved.

The Achaian Empire possessed a far superior military force. However, surrounded by steep mountains on three sides, they faced significant trade difficulties. Thus, Emperor Mars had proposed a deal to Beelzebub: protection from other nations in exchange for tribute twice a year—grain, steel, gold, silver, and other resources. It was less a proposal, more an extortion, backed by the empire’s military might. Twice a year? It was practically highway robbery.

However, Beelzebub XII, prioritizing peace, had accepted Mars’s terms to avoid war. It was like handing Mars a goose that laid golden eggs.

Then, Mars received news of Beelzebub’s death. He wasn’t particularly concerned. Whoever sat on the throne, the tribute would continue. He considered himself a generous ruler. He knew the Leprechaun Empire would be in disarray after Beelzebub’s death, requiring time to recover. Once stability returned, the new ruler would surely seek an alliance with his empire, whether they wanted to or not. He could afford to wait.

However, Mars had overlooked one crucial detail: he hadn’t considered who the new Demon King was. Olivia, a dragon, wasn’t about to beg a human emperor for an alliance. She didn’t even know, nor care, about the recent relations between the two empires. Olivia’s interest lay solely with one thing in this world.

Two years passed since her coronation. Mars, having waited patiently without a word from the Leprechaun Empire, finally lost his patience. And that was his undoing.

The letter’s message was essentially this:

“I am Mars, Emperor of the Achaian Empire. I waited patiently while your pathetic nation sorted itself out. You have the audacity to not contact me? Send an envoy immediately to forge an alliance. Otherwise, it’s war. What are you going to do? Are you stronger than me?”

Olivia was furious. So furious, in fact, that when she punched a pillar, the entire castle trembled. How dare a measly human speak to her in such a tone? She was ready to wipe the Achaian Empire off the map. It was Dante, her ever-reliable handler, who managed to calm her down.

He volunteered to go in her stead, to deliver her message. Olivia, of course, refused. But Dante threatened to bite his tongue off if she didn’t agree. Defeated, Olivia gave him the go-ahead.

Which brings us to the present, about an hour after Dante’s departure for the Achaian Empire.

Olivia gnawed on her claws anxiously. Dante, despite his small and fragile human form, possessed a boldness that rivaled a dragon’s. He was bound to say something reckless, to do something insane.

If anything happened to him…

“…Love is a real pain in the ass.”

Shatter!

Olivia jumped through the window.