Chapter 2
By the time Antonius reached the palace forecourt, the visitors had already arrived.
Five upright form dragons stood waiting with their Steedraptors—male and female alike. Each of them towered over any soldier of Imresia, nearly twice their height. In the golden light of the rising sun, the scales beneath their lowered hoods caught the light, shifting in iridescent hues. From each forehead rose a single horn, curving upward toward the sky.
“Your service does you honor. Behold—Her Majesty Yuki, Second Empress of the Dracoserpens of Tatsuno.”
The announcement came from one of the male dragons. At his words, a figure stepped forward—larger even than he, and taller than anyone present.
She removed her hood.
The one revealed was a woman of immense stature. A thick tail swayed behind her with an easy, almost playful motion, as if entirely at ease in this foreign court.
“Pray forgive our untimely arrival—my Steedraptors have outrun the dawn itself.”
Empress Yuki regarded him with a playful smile.
“Suitable quarters have been prepared, I trust. I would avail myself of a bath.”
“They stand prepared, Your Majesty. If it please Your Majesty, I would be honored to escort you.”
Antonius brought his heels together and bowed with practiced precision.
“Forgive the delay in my introduction. I am Antonius Imresius, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Imresia and Commander of the Royal Guard. It is a profound honor to stand in Your Majesty’s presence.”
“That will suffice. Pray, be at ease—I have little taste for needless formality.”
Empress’s golden eyes—like jewels holding captive flashes of lightning—fixed upon him.
“A moment ago, you lingered in the rear court, did you not? And yet, you hastened to receive us.”
“As is my duty, Your Majesty.”
So she had seen him at the training grounds behind the barracks. Then she must have seen Andri as well.
(What conclusion will Her Majesty draw from this…?)
Antonius braced himself for what might come next—but the Empress said nothing of it.
“I have brought a gift—five Steedraptors, bestowed in celebration.“
She gestured toward the great birds behind her. Each of the Steedraptors dwarfed any warhorse the men had ever known—so vast that comparison itself seemed meaningless.
They had heard of them—creatures upon which the dragons took to the skies. But knowing of them was one thing; facing them was another. The men found themselves swallowing hard. Even with their wings folded, the sharpness of their gaze alone was enough to make one hesitate.
Their legs were thick and powerful, ending in vicious, hooked talons. Their bodies were cloaked in dense, brilliantly colored plumage, gleaming with a luster akin to steel. Their heads were crowned with long, streaming plumes, trailing like banners in the wind.
“Until thou art accustomed to them, lay not thy hands upon them lightly. Their temper is gentle—yet should they be roused… even ten of thee together would struggle to restrain but one.”
The Empress spoke in a calm, almost casual tone. Yet her words sent a visible tension through the gathered soldiers, tightening their throats as they stood in uneasy silence.
Antonius showed no hesitation. Looking up at the Steedraptors, he drew himself up and inclined his head in a measured bow.
“A most gracious gift. On behalf of the Kingdom of Imresia, I accept it with gratitude. In my father’s stead, I offer you our profound thanks.”
“See to their care and training under Wani's guidance.”
At the Empress’s call, a young dragon stepped forward. He was the smallest among his kind—yet even so, to human eyes his size was more than formidable.
With a gentle smile, Wani bowed courteously.
“If it would not trouble you, could a space be set aside for them? They may unsettle the horses if kept together. We have brought sufficient feed for the present—enough, I believe, to last ten days.”
“It shall be arranged at once.”
Antonius turned to one of the young guards standing by and ordered him to clear the pasture behind the palace—a wide, level expanse of land set amid the mountains.
The royal palace of Imresnople was known across neighboring realms for combining striking beauty with formidable defenses.
It rose from the mountains, anchored deep into the sheer rock, yet crowned with towers and walls of striking elegance. Its white stone spires stretched skyward, so high they seemed to pierce the clouds.
There was only one true approach to the capital: a narrow mountain road that wound its way along the slopes.
Any army that tried to cross the mountains instead would be broken by cliffs and deep ravines, their strength spent long before reaching the gates.
Yet the city below was no mere fortress. Terraced along the mountainside, Imresnople was alive with the rhythms of daily life—bells echoing at dawn and dusk, the low murmur of markets drifting through its winding streets.
And yet, for all its scale, the palace had been built for human hands. Its halls were richly furnished, its chambers luxurious—but for the dragons, it was far too small.
Thus, the great cathedral adjoining the palace was prepared as the temporary residence for the Empress of dragon and her retinue.
Within the soaring nave, the ceiling rose so high that even the towering dragon had to tilt their heads to take it in. Rows of intricately carved stone columns stretched into the distance, while stained glass, touched by the morning light, cast vivid colors across the floor.
The altar had been veiled behind heavy drapery, and the pews cleared from the central hall. In their place stood enormous beds—each easily three times the size of those made for humans—along with chairs, tables, partitions, and even bathing tubs, all crafted to suit dragon proportions.
To human eyes, these were no longer furnishings, but structures in their own right.
A simple breakfast was laid out for the party upon their early arrival.
Ordinarily, attendants from the palace would have served the meal. But here, every chairs and tables had been built to dragon’s proportions—far beyond the reach of human hands.
Each of the dragons stood nearly twice the height of a man. The human attendants, standing nearby, found themselves overwhelmed; beneath those piercing gazes, even breathing became something to remember.
The Empress cast a brief glance at the stiffened servants and declared that their attendance was unnecessary, granting them leave to withdraw.
The palace staff exhaled in relief. Yet they could not simply abandon foreign dignitaries. Instead, they withdrew to a small antechamber by the cathedral entrance, remaining close at hand.
“A crowd has already begun to gather at the ceremony grounds. I have looked over the guards, yet the little Dracling we saw earlier is nowhere to be found.”
“Would it not be wiser to inquire directly?”
“I doubt they would answer us truthfully.”
While her attendants continued their quiet exchange—mindful of the human presence just beyond the doors—the Empress turned her gaze toward the window, her thoughts elsewhere.
(――Then stop me… if thou still canst.)
Drake—the Dracotyrannus, the only being ever to defeat the Empress of Dracoserpens herself.
Never had she questioned her own strength. Even the Empress of Old, who had fought the great war nine centuries ago, was someone she had once believed she could surpass. She had thought that if the day ever came, she too could face a Dracotyrannus head-on and overpower one by force alone.
Never had she imagined she would be broken so completely. So effortlessly.
She still remembered him clearly.
The solitary dragon who had set submarine volcanoes erupting and left catastrophe in his wake, laying castles and entire cities to waste. Amid blood and roaring flames, he had strode over the fallen bodies of her fellow Dracoserpens and looked down upon her with those distant eyes.
Even now, she could still see him dragging his dying body into Tatsuno.
She had pitied him then.
Wanted to save him.
That had been the mistake of the Dracoserpens.
Her mistake.
—Drake.
To think that even a Dracotyrannus had succeeded in leaving behind a dracling.
And that here, in a remote frontier such as this, she would encounter one who bore that dragon’s scales.
And now, here of all places, she had sensed that same presence again.
The soldier had been young—little more than a boy. He had slipped from sight almost at once, but even that fleeting moment had been enough. The same presence. She had nearly lost her seat atop her steedraptor—a lapse she would not permit again.
Too many questions pressed at once.
Was the boy truly connected to that being? If so, why was he here, in a human kingdom? Had his power already awakened? Did he even understand what he was?
And what, exactly, was Imresia’s intent in keeping such a presence within its ranks?
Outside, dark clouds gathered without warning.
One of the male dragon cast a glance toward the sky before addressing her.
“Your Majesty, I doubt not that Your thoughts are stirred; yet it were best that we proceed with restraint.”
“Hmph. Think you I have need of such counsel?”
A moment later, as though struck by an idea, the Empress beckoned to one of the female dragon. She leaned in to listen, then gave a small nod before crossing to the door.
“By Her Majesty’s will, I am to see to the Raptors. Let one attend me as guide.”
A waiting servant immediately lowered his head and stepped forward. With a slow, graceful sway of the tail trailing beneath her robes, the dragon followed him out.
