Chapter 16: The Price of a Challenge

‘No! I absolutely could not succumb to her captivating allure!’

Eileen bit her tongue.

The sharp pain brought her back to a semblance of clarity.

“Durandal!” Eileen clutched the holy sword in her hand once more.

“You were the ones who destroyed my home, who made me lose everything. Even if the Empire used me, it is still my benefactor!” Eileen’s gaze was resolute.

She was about to speak the words she couldn’t five years ago.

“I challenge you, Faltis Calibot.” Eileen pointed the holy sword at Faltis.

“Benefactor? For the person you are now, aren’t I the benefactor? And… how can you be so sure the Empire is your benefactor? Did you witness with your own eyes that the dragons destroyed your home?” Faltis questioned.

“Shut up!”

“You never saw the truth. All you saw was betrayal from your comrades, an impossible order to fulfill, and a march towards death.” Every word from Faltis chipped away at Eileen’s psychological defenses.

“I told you to shut up! If I hadn’t been ambushed by a petty schemer…”

Faltis smiled sweetly at Eileen, her eyes filled with a doting amusement, eager to see what tricks her rebellious little maid could conjure.

“Not ambushed by a petty schemer? And then? What happened?”

“If…” Eileen knew there was no ‘if’. Even if she hadn’t been ambushed, she was still no match for Faltis.

Nevertheless, Faltis offered Eileen a chance. “Very well. Since you wish to challenge me, I shall grant your wish.”

“If I win! You’ll change me back! And release all the slaves locked in the dungeon!”

“What right do you have to negotiate with me, my adorable little maid?” This time, Faltis’s smile vanished, replaced by a look of profound seriousness.

“You’ve already lost once, and the price was becoming my maid. So what about this time, great Dragon Slayer? It seems you have nothing left to lose.”

“Don’t forget, you belong to me now.”

‘Indeed,’ Eileen thought. ‘I have no bargaining chips left.’

“Don’t you see that despite all your efforts, you’ve ended up with nothing?” Faltis relentlessly pressed against Eileen’s innermost vulnerabilities.

Eileen fell silent again, unable to refute Faltis’s words.

“Then… let’s put that condition aside for now. I accept your challenge. After all, it’s a rare tantrum from my adorable little maid; who knows, I might not get to see it again.”

Eileen was at a loss for words. From beginning to end, she had been led by Faltis.

From her initial resolve, she had slowly, step by step, been stripped of her defenses, her very core laid bare.

“Come, weren’t you going to challenge me? Let’s find a different place. This place, after all, is a gift from you to me, and I would be very sad if it were damaged.”

Faltis casually changed her clothes.

A white short-sleeved top paired with a dark-colored short skirt, complemented by sheer white stockings that offered a faint glimpse of the pale flesh of Faltis’s thighs.

A sheer white sun-protective shawl draped over her shoulders completed a casual and relaxed outfit, bearing no resemblance to battle attire.

Pure and lovely, the very image of a girl-next-door…

Or not.

Faltis was probably older than Eileen’s ancestors. Eileen couldn’t be deceived by her opponent’s appearance… though perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad.

‘No, no, this is not the time for such thoughts.’

“Mhm.” Eileen nodded, following behind Faltis.

Behind Faltis, a pair of massive golden dragon wings unfurled. She gently flapped them, leaving the Golden Dragon Temple and ascending to a remote back mountain. “This spot isn’t bad, but…”

Faltis’s golden eyes flickered.

The next second, Eileen felt her thighs begin to tremble uncontrollably.

Dragon’s might.

As a dragon, a creature that reigned supreme over all others, a mere glance was enough to compel weaker beings into submission.

Eileen also possessed dragon’s might, but compared to Faltis’s, it seemed utterly insignificant.

If dragons were a race that transcended all other creatures, then Faltis was the Dragon King, who transcended countless dragons.

The magical beasts on the mountain fled frantically, some weaker ones collapsing to their knees, unconscious.

“It’s quiet now,” Faltis said, standing atop the mountain where a clearing lay.

“Come, Eileen, let me see your full power, and I will make you truly concede.”

Eileen pressed her left hand against her right arm. ‘Am I trembling? Am I afraid?’

“What’s wrong, Eileen? Too excited to speak?” A faint smile played on Faltis’s lips. She was eager to see how Eileen would perform.

Eileen knew that thanks to the Silver Dragon’s power, she was much stronger than she had been against Kassim.

Yet, she still couldn’t perceive the gap between them.

That mission had been an impossible one from the start…

But they had still moved against her to prevent any unforeseen circumstances.

Eileen took a deep breath, striving to calm herself.

She had already come this far.

“Frost stars scattered everywhere, at the zero point of winter, solidify! Freeze! A cold wave descends upon the earth! The Ice Queen, who transcends the aurora, reigns here!”

“Grand Magic—Eternal Night’s Hundred Blossom Burial!”

The effectiveness and power of magic were influenced by many factors, and the length of the incantation was one of them.

Depending on the length of the chant, the magic’s power would vary.

This, however, was a full-form incantation.

The sky, which had just moments ago been clear and cloudless, now drifted with snowflakes.

Faltis caught a snowflake in her hands.

The snowflake did not melt in her warmth.

“You’ve made significant progress, Eileen. Before, these snowflakes would have melted before even touching me,” Faltis praised.

Moreover, Eileen’s magic actually made her feel a hint of coolness.

“You learned this specifically for me, didn’t you?” Faltis asked.

Eileen said nothing, simply turning her face away.

“How adorable,” Faltis remarked, quite pleased with Eileen’s reaction. So cute, so easy to read.

“Then I shall also get a little serious,” Faltis said, clenching her hand in the air.

A colossal golden axe materialized in her grasp.

Its body was primarily adorned with dark gold patterns, and five emeralds were embedded in its back.

Black, gold, and red layers were etched one after another onto the axe blade.

Most striking of all was the single golden vertical pupil at the connection point—the eye of the previous Dragon King…

This was Faltis’s weapon, named Nayareen.