The Southern Council Assembly Hall stood beneath a sky darkened by approaching rain.
Massive stone pillars carved from ancient black granite stretched toward the towering ceiling high above while silver flame lanterns illuminated the enormous chamber in dim wavering light. Ancient banners representing the united southern territories hung proudly across the walls while enormous circular windows overlooked the sprawling southern capital beyond.
The atmosphere inside the hall felt unbearably heavy.
Because dragons were present.
Not hidden.
Not disguised.
Openly standing within the heart of the south itself.
Southern nobles filled the elevated assembly seats surrounding the chamber while military commanders, expedition survivors, council officials, alchemists, and influential merchants observed silently from every direction.
Fear.
Confusion.
Curiosity.
Suspicion.
All emotions mixed together heavily inside the room.
At the highest central platform—
Kel stood calmly beneath countless gazes.
Or rather—
Herald stood there.
The mysterious master alchemist who united the south.
The man who disappeared for months into the Wildness.
And returned riding dragons.
Behind him—
Velor and the draconic diplomats remained standing silently in their draconic human forms.
Even without transforming—
Their presence alone radiated danger naturally.
The crimson-haired Velor especially attracted attention.
Because despite appearing young—
The pressure surrounding him felt ancient.
Royal.
Predatory.
Yet strangely restrained.
Meanwhile—
Duchess Seraphine silently observed Kel from her elevated seat.
Her sharp violet eyes remained fixed on him continuously.
Not because of the dragons.
Not because of politics.
But because something about him felt… different now.
Before leaving—
Herald had already been terrifyingly intelligent.
But now—
His presence itself felt heavier.
As though the man standing there had crossed through something ancient and irreversible.
Even his eyes seemed colder now.
More distant.
Yet somehow calmer.
The hall remained completely silent.
Then finally—
Kel stepped forward.
The movement alone immediately drew every gaze toward him.
His dark cloak moved softly beneath the silver flames while black hair shifted slightly across his forehead. Calm dark eyes swept across the enormous assembly hall briefly before he finally spoke.
"First of all…"
His voice echoed clearly throughout the chamber.
"I want to say that our expedition was successful."
Immediately—
Several expedition survivors visibly relaxed afterward.
Because until now—
Many still feared the worst.
That the missing expedition leader had died somewhere within the Wildness.
Kel calmly continued.
"I hope all expedition members returned safely after I separated from them to continue exploring the Dragon Realm personally."
Several members of the original expedition sat within the chamber today.
And hearing those words directly from him finally made reality settle properly.
He survived.
Not only survived—
But returned alongside dragons.
The hall remained silent while Kel slowly walked toward the center of the platform.
"Now…"
His dark eyes reflected the silver flames quietly.
"I'll explain everything."
The atmosphere immediately sharpened.
Because this was the answer everyone waited for.
Why did he stay so long?
How did he encounter dragons?
And most importantly—
Why were dragons standing peacefully inside the Southern Council instead of burning it down?
Kel folded one arm calmly behind his back.
"The first reason I remained within the Dragon Realm…"
His gaze slowly shifted toward Duke Kael.
"…was because of the White Lily."
The entire hall reacted instantly.
Duke Kael himself immediately stiffened.
Kel slowly removed a beautifully preserved crystal container from his storage ring.
Inside it—
A glowing silver-white flower rested quietly beneath layers of protective mana.
The White Lily of Blue Valley.
A legendary medicinal flower believed capable of stabilizing madness and corrupted minds.
Even the surrounding alchemists looked shocked.
Because most believed the flower only existed in myths.
Kel calmly approached Duke Kael afterward before placing the crystal container before him.
"Duke Kael."
His voice remained calm.
"This is the White Lily you asked me to retrieve if I ever encountered it."
The massive duke stared silently toward the flower.
His rough hands trembled slightly afterward.
Because this flower represented hope.
Hope for his son.
His only heir slowly consumed by irreversible mental corruption.
The duke slowly looked upward toward Kel.
And for the first time in many years—
True emotion appeared within his hardened expression.
"…You entered the Dragon Realm…"
His voice sounded heavy.
"…partly because of my request?"
The chamber became quiet.
Kel simply nodded calmly.
"It was one reason."
Duke Kael lowered his gaze toward the flower again.
Silence filled the hall afterward.
Because everyone understood something important.
Kel didn't owe the duke this risk.
The Dragon Realm was considered a death sentence for humans.
Yet he still remembered.
Still searched.
Still returned successfully.
The southern nobles watching quietly began reevaluating him again.
Then—
Kel continued speaking.
"The second reason…"
His eyes darkened slightly afterward.
"…was to discover why dragons attack humans."
Immediately—
The atmosphere sharpened heavily.
Because that question haunted the south for generations.
Why?
Why did dragons repeatedly descend upon southern territories?
Why destroy cities?
Why massacre villages?
Why burn kingdoms?
The hatred between dragons and southern humans ran deep.
Ancient.
Bloody.
Kel calmly continued.
"My first encounters within the Dragon Realm were with two minor noble houses."
"The Ashfang Drack dragons."
"And the Moonwhite Silver dragons."
Several draconic diplomats behind him remained silent while listening.
Kel slowly walked across the platform afterward.
"I observed them carefully."
"They fought internally."
"They argued politically."
"They competed against each other."
"They possessed ambitions, fears, and disputes exactly like humans."
His dark eyes quietly swept across the assembly hall.
"And eventually…"
He paused briefly.
"I realized something."
The hall became completely silent.
"Not all dragons are evil."
Another pause.
"And not all dragons are good."
The words echoed heavily throughout the chamber.
Simple.
Yet terrifyingly important.
Because hatred simplified enemies into monsters.
Kel was destroying that illusion directly.
Then calmly—
He gestured toward the draconic diplomats standing behind him.
"And the proof stands here."
Countless eyes immediately shifted toward Velor and the others.
The crimson-haired dragon king remained silent.
Calm.
Composed.
Kel's voice echoed once more.
"This individual…"
He pointed toward Velor directly.
"…is Velor."
"The current Dragon King."
The hall instantly erupted into chaos.
"THE DRAGON KING?!"
"A KING?!"
"Inside the council?!"
Several guards nearly panicked.
Others instinctively reached weapons.
Even the southern nobles visibly stiffened.
Yet Velor remained seated calmly.
His crimson eyes carried no hostility.
Only patience.
Kel simply raised one hand.
And immediately—
Silence returned.
"When I first encountered him…"
Kel continued calmly.
"He wasn't king yet."
"He was merely a high noble struggling politically."
His dark eyes reflected faint silver light afterward.
"And during one dangerous situation…"
A faint smile appeared briefly.
"…he saved my life."
That statement alone shocked the hall again.
Because dragons saving humans sounded absurd.
Kel continued calmly.
"Through him, I learned the current Dragon Realm was approaching internal collapse."
Several diplomats behind Velor visibly darkened slightly hearing those words.
"The previous Dragon King ruled for nearly five hundred years."
Another pause.
"And many of the attacks against southern territories…"
Kel's expression became colder.
"…were directly caused by his policies."
The entire hall fell silent afterward.
Because suddenly—
Everything began making sense.
Not random attacks.
Not mindless destruction.
Political decisions.
Military actions.
A king's ambition.
Kel folded his arms quietly.
"So I made a decision."
His gaze shifted briefly toward Velor.
"I decided to help him secure his position as Dragon King."
Murmurs spread throughout the assembly again.
Kel ignored them.
"The Selection Tournament within the Dragon Realm became the reason for my extended absence."
His voice remained calm.
"I assisted Velor throughout the succession conflict."
Another pause.
"And eventually…"
His dark eyes sharpened slightly.
"…he became king."
Velor finally stood afterward.
The movement alone radiated overwhelming authority naturally.
Even southern nobles instinctively tensed.
Then—
The Dragon King spoke calmly.
"I swear upon the Crimson Throne."
His voice echoed deeply throughout the hall.
"No dragon under my reign will invade your southern territories again."
The atmosphere froze.
Because everyone could feel it.
The sincerity.
No deception.
No mockery.
Only truth.
Velor continued quietly.
"The previous era ended."
His crimson eyes reflected the assembly hall calmly.
"And I wish to establish diplomacy instead of war."
Kel nodded slightly afterward.
"Which leads to the final reason these diplomats are here."
He looked toward the Southern Council directly.
"The Dragon Realm seeks diplomatic relations and trade agreements with the Aurelia Empire."
Shock spread once more.
Trade?
With dragons?
Kel calmly continued.
"Because both realms are connected through the Southern Wildness…"
His voice remained composed.
"…the Dragon Realm specifically wishes to establish relations through the southern territories first."
Several merchants immediately looked interested afterward.
Trade opportunities between realms?
The implications alone were enormous.
Kel slowly stepped back toward the center afterward.
"I request the Southern Council prepare an official report."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Inform the imperial capital that the Dragon Realm seeks peaceful diplomatic relations."
Another pause.
"And request an official royal diplomat to oversee treaty negotiations personally."
Silence filled the enormous assembly hall afterward.
Heavy silence.
Because everyone present understood history itself was shifting right now.
The south—
Once devastated by dragons—
Now stood at the center of potential peace between realms.
And at the center of it all—
Stood Herald.
The mysterious man who somehow crossed into the Dragon Realm…
And returned with a Dragon King beside him.
Kel calmly looked across the hall afterward.
Then finally asked:
"Does anyone else have questions?"
And immediately—
The entire assembly exploded into chaos once more.