As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

He used to think that being a rich second-generation kid was easy and carefree, but now he felt how frustrating it was to be treated like a child and have everything hidden from him.

Roy had no choice but to go back to his mansion to sleep.

The next morning, Roy got up early, but found that Carl still hadn't returned.

Just as he changed his clothes and prepared to go straight out to the palace again, Carl finally came back.

The Marquis of Iron and Blood had a look of deep solemnity on his face, his eyes seemed to be frozen with an indissoluble blood color, and his expression was so terrifying that even Roy was stunned for a moment.

Carl was always gentle, but it was not until this moment that he remembered that the word "Iron Blood" was not an empty name, and realized how serious the situation was.

The two cat girls, Chocolate and Vanilla, were even more frightened. They hid behind Roy and refused to come out.

"Father? You scared them."

"Sorry, I'm a little tired." Carl pinched his eyebrows, smiled bitterly, and finally restrained his murderous aura.

"Welcome, Master, come back ...

Vanilla was so scared that she didn't dare to say a word, and a ball of white hair exploded like a fur ball.

Choco bravely tried to pour tea for Carl, but his face looked like he was about to be executed.

If Roy didn't know that the two of them were more bodyguards than maids, he really didn't know what Carl hired them for.

Roy couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he waved his hand to disperse the two frightened cat girls, poured a cup of tea for Carl, and brought it to the coffee table for him.

"Thank you." Karl took the teacup, took a sip, and his expression eased a lot.

"Has Father had breakfast yet?"

"No, I'm not going to eat. I have to go to the palace soon. You should come with me."

"What's the situation?" Roy asked impatiently.

Hearing this, Karl couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Just last night, urgent reports came in from all the major border areas, all reporting unrest involving Asian dragons."

"This is more complex than any of us anticipated."

Chapter 92: The Mark of the Dragon Clan

"Unlike previous years, these dragons were extremely numerous. As if premeditated, they precisely attacked military camps, lords' mansions, and even the Adventurer's Guild, paralyzing the local defenses. More than half of the important border areas fell."

"This..." Roy couldn't believe it for a moment.

Putting aside the question of how many Wurms would be needed to breach the border strongholds guarded by the knights, as far as he knew, Wurms were merely clever beasts with brute strength, unable to even use dragon breath. How could they possibly carry out such an obviously premeditated, large-scale attack?!

A massive attack?

This kind of commotion has only happened once in the history of the kingdom!

Roy took a deep breath, his mood sinking to the bottom: "Father, could it be..."

"Well, it's impossible for the Asian dragons alone to cause such a big fuss. There must be a pure-blooded dragon behind them." Carl's voice was as cold as a blade.

"Aren't pure-blooded dragons extinct?" Roy was confused and surprised.

Karl's expression was as helpless as it could be: "We thought the same thing more than a decade ago."

"Ancient records state that the rulers of the sky were seven ancient dragons. Among them, apart from the fire dragon, only one or two are clearly recorded as having died."

Roy finally understood.

Two ancient dragons had died in history, and a dozen years earlier, a Red-Blooded Fire Dragon had died. Even if we counted the number, there were still at least four ancient dragons whose fate was unknown. The recent unrest was likely related to one of these ancient dragons!

Roy felt a little numb at the thought of this.

In the past, a red-blooded fire dragon brought devastating disaster to the Lionheart Kingdom. What if more than one ancient dragon appears this time? Can the kingdom really withstand it?

Seeing that Roy's face was getting uglier and uglier, Karl relaxed his tone again: "You don't have to worry too much."

"It doesn't have to be an ancient dragon. Ordinary pure-blooded dragons also have the ability to summon sub-dragons. It's just that we have to prepare for the worst."

"Right now, sub-dragon species from all over the country are gathering in Raymond Territory. We'll have to go there in person to find out the specific situation."

Even if the sky falls, the older generation will hold it up. Listening to Carl's steady and magnetic voice, Roy gradually calmed down.

On closer inspection, "Angel Rondo" seems to mention a dragon rebellion in the Lionheart Kingdom. According to the game's description, this incident was eventually settled by the Kingdom's army, adding another achievement to Robert the Lionheart's legacy.

The characters in the game were still alive, which meant that the unrest was not a threat to them, so he didn't need to worry about it.

"Father, what about our territory?" Roy confirmed.

"Thanks to Anya, the army suffered heavy losses, but we were able to hold the key border areas." Carl couldn't help but reveal a hint of pride when he said this. He then smiled at Roy and added, "Alice is fine too."

"Not only that, she also performed very well on the battlefield. Remember to praise her when you return."

Knowing that Alice was safe, Roy was completely relieved.

It seems that this incident is just a part of the background story, with much ado about nothing.

But with all this going on, the founding ceremony will definitely be cancelled.

I'm afraid the dance appointment will have to wait until next time.

Thinking of Charlotte's bright and expectant smile when they parted yesterday, Roy suddenly felt a little gloomy.

"By the way, come with me to the palace."

Carl's voice brought Roy back to his senses.

The Iron-Blooded Marquis had an extremely stern expression, as if he had finally made up his mind.

"It's time to give you something."

Roy and Carl hurried off in a carriage.

Along the way, the lively and cheerful atmosphere on the streets disappeared, as if a layer of uneasy cloud hung over the capital, making everyone's expression panic and gloomy.

The lower class people did not know the specific cause of the incident, but the roaring griffins last night could not hide it.

Generally, only when there is an urgent report of war will griffins fly over repeatedly.

However, as they drove through the streets, they saw that the atmosphere among the people had become enthusiastic again, and they cheered for the blood-red swords and shields on the carriage.

"It's Ionblood!"

"Did you know? It is said that the one who tamed the golden-winged griffin yesterday was the eldest son of the Ainblad family!"

"As expected, like father, like son. He lives up to the name [Iron Blood]!"

The people may not know the other nobles, but the legend of King Lionheart and the eleven knights slaying the dragon is well known to everyone.

As the focus of that war second only to the Wang family, the Ainblad family was naturally more respected by the people.

But the more people cheered and worshipped him, the more Roy didn't know how to face them.

On the contrary, Karl changed his previous gloomy expression, put on a gentle smile, and waved to the people through the car window.

Roy didn't know what kind of mood Carl was in when facing the public.

However, he suddenly began to understand the saying "Superhumans must bear responsibilities beyond those of ordinary people."

After arriving at the Sunset Red Castle, Roy did not follow the procedure to go to the main hall of the palace, but went directly to the conference room with Carl.

This is also a tradition of the Lionheart Kingdom. Military affairs will never be discussed in the luxurious main hall of the royal palace. This is to prevent the king from being vain and arrogant in front of his soldiers and to remember his duties as a general.

King Lionheart was first a general and then a king.

When Roy entered the room, the meeting was just coming to an end.

The nobles present turned around and looked at Roy, a young man who shouldn't be here, with puzzled eyes.

"Your Majesty seems to have something personal to discuss. I think we should refrain from disturbing you."

Roy thought he had come at the wrong time, but he saw that Old Raymond seemed to be prepared. He spoke immediately, interrupting everyone's gaze and leading them out of the meeting room.

So only Rob, Carl, and Roy were left in the meeting room.

Carl didn't even greet Rob. He just exchanged a glance with him, then looked at Roy and got straight to the point.

"War dragons from all over the country are now flying to Raymond Territory. There must be a dragon gathering there."

"The most urgent task is to kill the leader dragon before they gather together. Once the leader dragon dies, the bloodline power of the sub-dragons will be greatly weakened and will no longer be a hindrance."

Roy listened quietly without saying a word.

He didn't have much to say. Whether it was fighting a war or hunting dragons, others were the experts. Although he knew the future in the original work, he was still a kid after all, so he didn't want to cause trouble here.

With Carl's roundabout character, the really important words come later.

Sure enough, Karl's words became more meaningful as he spoke: "Your uncle Robert and I are both going to lead the army to war. I'm afraid we won't be able to see each other for a while."

Roy frowned when he heard this.

Why does this sound so much like a flag?

If Roy didn't know the original plot, he would have really thought Carl was going to die.

"No one can predict the specific situation of this battle, and no one knows when I can come back. Just in case, I want to give you something to defend yourself. So..." Carl chose his words carefully and seemed very hesitant.

"Fuck it, now that things have come to this, why are you still hesitating?" Robert on the side slammed the table and became angry.

"But......"

"Nothing but!"

Rob interrupted, summarizing it succinctly to Roy: "Your mother left you a treasure for self-defense, and told me to give it to you once I'm sure it's worthy of my bloodline!"

"Karl was afraid he wouldn't be able to return from the battlefield, so I wanted to give it to you in advance. It's that simple!"

"That's right. I think it's time." Carl said, and took out a small wooden box with a simple, exquisite and elegant shape from his pocket.

The style of this box was very similar to the potion box Roy had seen before. It was a storage box commonly used by the kingdom's nobles to store valuables.

But what really shocked Roy was the mark on it.

The box is engraved with a flying dragon soaring among the clouds in the sky.

That is the mark of the dragon clan.

Chapter 93: Reverse Scale

"This is......!"

Eighteen years ago, during the Second Dragon War, the dragons brought devastating disaster to the kingdom and became the kingdom's mortal enemy.

Logically speaking, all items related to the dragon clan are prohibited, and possessing prohibited items will be considered a cult.

A Marquis actually took out such a thing in front of the king. Roy felt that the scene before his eyes was so magical.

But as the saying goes, make the best use of everything. The bones of the dragon clan are the most top-level extraordinary material, and in times of war, they are priceless treasures.

"Is this the spoils of war that you and your team took back then?" Roy asked curiously.

Carl noticed his surprise and explained patiently, "Not all dragons are enemies of humans."

"This thing isn't from the Second Dragon War, but the First."

"The first time?!" Roy was frightened again, and his heart, which had finally calmed down, was in suspense again.

Unlike the well-known [Second Dragon War], the history of the [First Dragon War] is very long, even dating back to the First Age, when the Lionheart Kingdom did not even exist.

Legend has it that this was the first time humans challenged a mythical race, and many historians remain skeptical of the war. However, to celebrate human courage, it is still honored as the "First."

It is not only a challenge to dragons, but also a challenge to supernatural creatures, mythical races, and ancient demigods!

Roy took the wooden box from Carl's hand and felt that this small box was so heavy, as if it was infused with the rich history of mankind since the First Era.

After opening the box, inside was a dark golden scale.

The scales were clearly dead, yet they instantly emitted a heavy aura of oppression, making the air solemn, as if an ancient dragon was traveling through time and space, breathing down the tiny mortals.

[Warning, Ancient Demigod's medium detected! Do you want to consume Fate Reversal Points to activate?]

Roy suddenly realized.

It turns out that the reverse fate points are meant to be used on this thing!

The medium of the ancient demigod, the power of this thing is absolutely beyond any extraordinary item Roy knows. Even the lost heritage of ancient civilizations in the Favorability Mall cannot compare to it!

Carl stared at Roy with a solemn expression, his tone tinged with nostalgia and emotion. "This is the dragon's reverse scale, a treasure your mother left you. I don't know its specific use, but I understand your mother's meaning—that transcendents must shoulder responsibilities that transcend mortals. If you didn't have sufficient ability, I would never give it to you."