"Muria!" The young general, who was a rising star in the Guishuang Kingdom, stared in shock at the youth sitting on the terrace drinking tea. Behind him, the two maids, exhausted and with dewy hair, stood wearily; they had kept Muria company for an entire day and night.
"What's the matter? Surprised to see me?" Muria asked, his expression blank as he looked at the armored young general.
"N-no, I…" Cold sweat began to drip from Angelo's forehead. In that instant, he cursed the woman downstairs a thousand times in his mind. He hadn't forgotten that the countess had mentioned making this youth wait for a day and night. Such an offense was unforgivable—it was like a death sentence for anyone who dared to offend Muria!
"Sit down. You must be tired after working all day and night. Don't just stand there," Muria said in an indifferent tone, his expression revealing nothing.
"Ahem, I'm fine standing. I'm not that tired," Angelo replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead and forcing a smile.
"Don't be nervous. I'm not going to fuss over something as trivial as a mere human," Muria said, casting a glance at him. He wasn't so petty as to be bothered by the actions of some hedonistic noblewoman.
"Of course, Your Highness, with your esteemed status, such lowly beings are unworthy of your attention," Angelo flattered Muria, trying to ease the tension.
"Not bad. You've become much more diplomatic now that you've risen to the rank of legion commander. Even when pleading, you do it so subtly. It doesn't quite match your race's nature, though!" Muria raised an eyebrow. Angelo's words, though seemingly denigrating the countess, were actually an attempt to excuse her.
"Your Highness Muria, all my achievements today are thanks to your guidance in my youth. Without your teachings, I would never have reached such heights."
"That's nice to hear." Muria smiled, pleased with the compliment. Over the years, these dragons had indeed changed. He remembered how much they had resisted him in their youth, and hearing flattery from them now was quite refreshing.
"If that's the case, then everything you've gained is because of me. So if I asked you to give it all up and follow me, you would do so willingly, right?"
"Your Highness, I…" Angelo's face changed at Muria's words.
"What's wrong? You don't want to?" Muria asked, amused by Angelo's reaction.
Of all the dragons Muria had raised, those on this continent had taken the most unexpected paths. They had infiltrated the ruling class of a human kingdom, using their natural dragon charisma to seize power. It was absurd but, in hindsight, somewhat expected. When a powerful dragon sets aside its pride and learns to be patient, it's almost inevitable that it will achieve great things.
"It's not that I don't want to, but…" Angelo hesitated, clearly troubled. He had often dreamed of this moment, dreading that Muria would ask him to leave and thereby lose everything he had worked so hard to gain.
"Enough explanations. Summon the other five here. Let's discuss this together," Muria interrupted, gesturing for Angelo to stop. It was just like when they were young—Muria still didn't regard Angelo as a legion commander of an army. To the world, Angelo might be a significant figure, but to Muria, he was just one of the 101 dragons he had raised.
…
Soon, the other five dragons, having been informed of Muria's arrival, hurried to the castle, standing obediently in a row before him like students awaiting a scolding from their teacher.
"Why do you all look so downcast?" Muria began, seeing the six dragons' dejected expressions. "You're reluctant to leave everything here behind, right? You're upset because if you leave with me, all the power you've worked so hard to amass will disappear. Is that it?"
The terrace fell silent, indicating that the six dragons agreed with Muria's words. They were indeed unwilling to leave. After over fifty years of effort, they had attained power in the Guishuang Kingdom that most dragons could only dream of. Leaving with Muria meant losing everything they had fought for, as there were many things they couldn't take with them.
"You're all looking at me, judging by the impression you formed of me when we lived together. Do you think I'm a fool?" Muria asked the six dragons.
Instinctively, all six dragons shook their heads. While Muria could be overbearing and sometimes socially inept, calling him stupid would be a gross exaggeration.
"If I take you with me, what do I gain?" Muria continued, not waiting for them to answer. "Six soul-level dragons, all skilled in magic."
"But if I don't take you, what do I gain?" Muria smiled at the six high-ranking dragons before him. "Four legion commanders of the Guishuang Kingdom, a vice dean with influence over half the nation's youth, and a grand inquisitor with judicial power. Which choice benefits me more? Is there any need to think about it?"
Muria's words caused the six dragons to look up at him, hope flickering in their eyes. From what he said, it seemed they wouldn't have to leave after all.
"I have plenty of powerful dragons under my command. But I don't have anyone who can influence the fate of a kingdom. If I were to take you with me, that would be utterly foolish."
"Then why did you ask me earlier?" Angelo, the red dragon commander, couldn't hide the joy on his face. He could sense Muria's ambitions regarding the kingdom.
"I was just messing with you," Muria replied, smiling at the excited red dragon commander. It was just a little joke, not a punishment. Really. After all, Muria was a magnanimous Titan and dragon hybrid who didn't hold grudges.
With the joke over, Muria's expression turned serious as he addressed the six dragons who had thrived in the Guishuang Kingdom, amassing great power. "I'm not going to take you away. I want you to stay here and continue climbing the ranks, using every bit of your energy to gain more power until the day comes when the six of you together can fully control this kingdom."
Muria revealed his plan, formed after much deliberation upon learning of the dragons' achievements. "I want you to become the dragons who steal this kingdom."
"The dragons who steal a kingdom?" The six dragons were visibly shocked by Muria's ambition. They hadn't expected him to suggest something so audacious.
"Are you surprised?" Muria asked, noting their stunned expressions. "Do you think I'm being unrealistic? Do you think it's impossible?"
"Muria, we do want to gain more power in the Guishuang Kingdom, but we've already reached our limits," Angelo said, explaining the reality they faced. "We've understood for a long time that power is tied to strength. With strength, gaining power is easy. But with our current power, we've hit a ceiling; we can't go any further."
"Above the rank of marquis is duke, but to be a duke, you need to have legendary strength. We can't break through to the legendary level anytime soon. If we wanted to steal the kingdom, we'd need at least another 500 years to reach that level."
"Five hundred years is too long; it won't take that long," Muria shook his head at Angelo's words. "I want you to complete the takeover in no more than a hundred years. You will have full control of this kingdom within that time."
"That's impossible, Muria," said the blue dragon who commanded the Fearless Legion stationed at the kingdom's borders. "Even if the six of us work together, I can't see how we could control a kingdom in just a century."
"Remember, the Guishuang Kingdom has thirteen legendary figures, two of whom are high-level legends! This kind of power makes it the strongest of the continent's three major kingdoms. How could six soul-level chromatic dragons possibly control it?"
"Nothing is impossible," Muria responded with a smile. "You've been immersed in human society for so long—haven't you learned anything about how human kingdoms work? A human kingdom isn't the same as the law of the jungle. While the strong still dominate, there's a veneer of civility. For instance, the highest ruler isn't necessarily the strongest, but they must have control over the strongest power. How strong is the current ruler of the Guishuang Kingdom?"
"That guy? He's a soul-level weakling who barely advanced with the help of drugs. If it weren't for his royal bloodline, someone like him wouldn't stand a chance at the throne," the dragons sneered. "I could kill him with one slap."
"But so what? Within the kingdom's system, you still have to bow to him. Stronger creatures bowing to weaker ones is a common sight among humans. It seems absurd, but it's actually quite normal because the weak who command the strong have backing that even the strong fear. When you bow to that king, you're really bowing to the legends under the royal family's control."
"So, to control the Guishuang Kingdom within a century, we need to deal with those legends. But how?" Muria continued, "You can't bypass them if you want to steal power."
"You don't have to worry about the legends; I can help you divide and conquer them. Don't forget, you have me behind you."
"How can you help us
?"
"The six of you have reached the rank of marquis among humans. I've traveled the world for many years—do you think I've accomplished nothing?"
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