Chapter 622: Lineage Of The Conquerer.

… Ah, I see what Neill was talking about. Yeah, this makes perfect sense as to why Kahalameet and Nong clashed.

At this point, the ideological split inside the imperial family should be obvious to anybody who had access to the stream function.

Kahalameet, Phso, and Ryra were on the conservative side, more oriented towards maintaining the status quo of Kargryx and preventing any large-scale wars, or even participation in the world’s conflicts. They want to uphold Father’s legacy as a ruler. They want to keep Kargryx’s dragonkin safe from wars, and the world safe from us.

Kahalameet had changed a bit from being the one who suggested the democratic process. Furthermore, with Father having Kargryx join the Shakaie-Narn Alliance in a mutual defensive pact, Kargryx’s long-held isolationism had finally ended. While the alliance wasn’t officially announced yet, it was obvious that this pact was intended to deter others from attacking any of its members. In addition, Kargryx didn’t need to join offensive wars on behalf of other members, but they had to join us if we initiated one.

This last sentence was critical for our membership requirements.

And it would be something whoever wore the crown next would have to inherit, lest they besmirch Father’s decision. Which, while their right, would probably anger more than just our mothers.

Kahalameet’s wish to maintain political isolationism was over. Which actually helped Wendriosa’s case a lot, as she fervently pushed to spread Kargryx’s influence and cultures to the rest of Peolynca. However, it was a bit more radical, as she wanted to use this influence to protect other countries and prevent massive-scale wars like the human-demonkin one or the War for the Faefolk kind.

It sounded altruistic, but I thought that sounded like a Big Brother type of deal. That was why I was against joining her faction. A deal with the demon? No, it was a deal with a dragon, and if this were a fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm, it probably would be a pretty terrible deal for the recipient. I liked Wendriosa’s general progressive views, but I didn’t like how radical her endgame was.

I guess she and Nong shared that trait as members belonging to the progressive faction. Wendriosa had stated that she believed those younger than her would support her idea, as she practically raised them with their mothers. However, only Nong truly shared her ideals, and that guy was taking it another step forward by threatening a vassalization casus belli on Caedhul’s capital.

Meanwhile, everybody else was practically neutral, or slightly tilted towards one of the sides. Taim leaned towards Kahalameet, while Neill and I were for Wendriosa, though my sister and I were definitely more in the middle since we wanted to fuse both ideas together. Not too conservative, but not too progressive. I guess we were moderates, if that was the word for it. Or maybe centrists?

Regardless, this was the ideological situation between us siblings, right now. Our respective mothers supported their child, or children, in Gyadiosa’s and Gaistrus’s case, unconditionally, even if they preferred to maintain our sibling relationships. What mattered was that none of us resorted to actual murder, backstabbing, or actions that would cause harm to the clan in any way. Clan over everything else—that was our parents’ creed.

And in the center of this, Father stood, finally deciding to once again take flight as the empire’s emperor before his time on the throne came to an end. With all my siblings gathered before him, and him alone, all three factions would speak out and give their opinions to the emperor, who could still make the choice. Advocating for the alliance, preparing the empire for a war, and enacting a democratic voting process for the next emperor—he would soon add one more executive decision.

“‘Subjugation’?” Father asked, though he didn’t show any emotion. “You wish to turn our long-time ally into a vassal through subjugation? An ally, I have just agreed to further our relations with through an alliance with the northwest Altrustians? Explain.”

“Of course, Father.” Nong bowed once more before sitting down. “Father, you must agree that Caedhul has always been quite lax with the relationships between true dragonkin and lesser and humanoid dragonkin, correct? After all, Caedhul was formed as a religious country centered around the faith of Plesia and the Water Pantheon. The leviathans and adamantoises have always been free like the ocean. Lecullius and the ‘colony’ on Altrust’s western shores were all individual factions and countries before Plesia’s reign as our head goddess began. They united under one banner as ‘Caedhul’ to honor her.”

So, multiple countries turning into one empire under one agreement. Sounds like Folschreck when it was still a kingdom, I thought, but stopped when I noticed Neill and Ryra were looking at Taim. They were probably speaking through [Telepathy].

Nong continued without noticing them. “Due to this origin, Caedhul as a whole is like a puzzle—many pieces put together to form one picture. Yet, not every piece fits perfectly, and Caedhul, due to the free-spirited nature of the leviathans, never attempted to fix this. Their pantheon even encourages such a chaotic relationship, given how cutthroat it is underwater. The only reason why it managed to maintain such a strong maritime presence is due to Lecullius and the Altrustian colony, acting as the center of commerce, diplomacy, and faith. These reports state thusly.”

Nong then, surprisingly, pulled out what looked like a document binder made with a leather cover. He then pulled out some parchment paper and handed one to each of us. One quick look at it and I could already tell it was filled to the brim with information, ranging from Lecullius’s socioeconomic status to the political divisions caused by the multitude of underwater cities, and the colony’s tendency to adopt elven cultural trends.

Numbers and words filled every single document, causing my head to turn a bit from how information-packed it was. You could use every page to support his point or even refute it, telling me that Nong remained extremely unbiased in creating these documents. A show of character, and that Nong wasn’t here to trick us into one of his schemes. He brought hard facts to the table.

Father, Kahalameet, Phso, and Wendriosa all began reading it, while the rest of us simply pushed the paper away. The main debaters would be those four and Nong, after all, while the rest of us had our own plan. Plus… I just didn’t want to read all of that. I was getting dizzy even when I looked at the graph for their main export and main imports, including a detailed analysis of the viability of the recorder’s success in their country.

Gosh… Bro just brought in a detailed explanation of what the digital media guild could improve on if we wanted to expand into Lecullius. Jadhund and Uncle Guyul will be quite happy, I thought, intending to give them the documents after this meeting was done. Delegation was a princess’s best weapon, after all.

While everybody was still reading, Nong didn’t stop speaking, though he did slow down to give everybody time to skim through the pages. “The internal conflict is what I wish to focus on, which is also why I believe it is necessary for us to vassalize Lecullius. Father, as you managed to formalize a more intimate alliance with Caedhul through the Shakaie-Narn Alliance after the announcement of the Event Quests, it must mean that Lecullius, not Caedhul, accepted your offer. This is clear because Kiedaceus shows no willingness to stop his impending war with us, nor will Quasdrakeen stop her wish to murder Empress-Mother Melloxtressa. Sister Wendriosa, I would like you to confirm what you told Kiedaceus on the day we visited Lecullius. Quasdrakeen did not still her hand from slaying us then and there for no reason, correct?”

“Hmm? I do remember you mentioning talking to him. You didn’t specify the agreement back then, so none of us pursued it, but I presume you will tell us about it now?” Father asked, his attention piqued.

Called up, Wendriosa shook her head. “Father, you must remember my recalling of that day, correct? During our outing to Lecullius to apprehend the elven astronomer, Illvenus, Quasdrakeen revealed her hostility to Hestia. Her intent to harm Empress-Mother Melloxtressa is no exaggeration. Her faction’s action towards Frozen Nest, destroying one of their fish farms, is a testament to this. As part of her sadistic plan, she had wanted to murder Hestia to lure Empress-Mother outside Kargryx. This was to kill her. Even against a rank SS, Quasdrakeen was confident in performing the coup de grâce. Arrogance, though, I say.”

“There is a reason why ‘dragons rule the skies, drakes lord over the lands, and the leviathans dominate the oceans.’ This is a true statement. Melloxtressa’s true ice makes it difficult for our ocean brethren to drown her, but she, as a dragon, cannot handle the pressure in the abyssal layer. It might not kill her outright due to all her stats and skills, but it would weaken her enough for high-level rank S ancients to kill her. She would need her dragon-leviathan hybrid retainers for a battle in the seas, while her dragons and drakes must protect them from the leviathans.”

Pretty much what Taim said, but even Mom can’t handle the pressure? Mana should be able to keep her safe. Or maybe learn a spell or get an enchantment?

“As such, to ensure our survival, I brokered a deal with Kiedaceus. All my supporters within Mother’s maternal clan will cease any attempt on his life. They will completely withdraw from the Event Quest, effectively removing most of our allies in Caedhul’s midst. I must entirely rely on my paternal side and any allies I manage to convert on the leviathan side.”

“… So he took away your ability to form an effective ambush, while also eliminating the traitors without needing to look into it himself? Aha, so that is why he is taking so long to announce anything. He is hunting them down,” Father said, realizing the truth as Wendriosa nodded.

“I asked Mother to warn our relatives when I left my younger siblings inside the subspace clinic. She gained the context later, which is why she didn’t ask any further. I’d like to say they are safe, but their own followers have already been slain, so I can only hope.”

He essentially took away one of Wendriosa’s cards to kill him to save our lives. My life, as well. I already thanked her, but I should treat her to a dish from Earth to really show my thanks.

Hearing this, Father accepted her explanation, understanding why Quasdrakeen would retreat. Kiedaceus could clean up any traitors in his midst with one fell swoop, so it probably felt easier for him to scare Quasdrakeen off. What I was more surprised about was that Wendriosa upheld her word, but I guess it was more a matter of honor.

Who would follow Wendriosa if she broke a deal the moment it was convenient for her? If her entire gambit was to earn the respect of true dragonkin through such an arduous labor of slaying a rank S dragonkin, I guess you had to do it “fairly.” Even Father and our Empress-Mothers couldn’t be the ones to strike down Quasdrakeen or Kiedaceus, since Wendriosa would lose her chance to become a legitimate candidate for the throne, especially after Kahalameet and Phsothopus succeeded in their goal.

Honor, even to dragons, was an important character trait to have. Even for us “Children of the Tyrant,” we needed respect to maintain this empire. I guess that was the point Nong was trying to make. Kargryx was united through the lineage of Kargryx’s conqueror, while Caedhul was united through faith alone, and this “glue” was extremely flimsy due to how humongous the marine empire was and how internally chaotic their pantheon behaved.

“‘Lecullius is not just Caedhul,’ that is my point!” Nong asserted once Wendriosa was done speaking. “Caedhul is split amongst multiple factions that all follow Plesia, but they do not owe each other anything outside of respecting Lecullius as their center and the colony as the Water Pantheon’s extension into Altrust. Anything in the depths must worry about wars between sovereign clans. We cannot do anything for them. However, we can assimilate Lecullius into Kargryx and grant them protection, thereby freeing them from worrying about the leviathans. After all, Kargryx does not enforce any religion. Plesia may remain their state religion. While we gain a proper ally, not a city that swings its tail in uncertainty. Who is Lecullius supposed to help here? Us, their allies, or true dragonkin who will drag them into the deep doom?”

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Father nodded, stroking his chin. “Valid points. Wendriosa, what do you think of this? Does this not follow the same ideological decisions you wish to make?”

“That is true, Father. I do see sense in my brother’s suggestion, but I take issue with his emphasis on subjugation.”

“Correct. I believe this is the most opportune time to inform Hestia why her siblings had to start a ‘spar’ in front of the dungeon, as the light of the sun barely reached the midday sky. Give her the context of the argument,” Father ordered, prompting Kahalameet to nod while Nong frowned slightly.

Kahalameet turned to me. “First, do know that I will be aiming for Quasdrakeen’s head if she even tries to attack you, Hestia.”

“I appreciate it, but please don’t charge in like a frenzied bull.”

“Your mother will mostly have the honor to do it first, so you do not need to worry about me,” he said, only to make me worry for Mom now! “Though even on this table, I won’t be the first,”—he shifted his head to Nong for a moment before turning back to me—“Which is why I am against any sort of subjugation or vassalization of Lecullius. I understand their awkward position as the religious center, and our century-old ally has made it impossible for them to decide on which side to take. Still, we cannot absorb them and say everything will work smoothly. Ideologically, we are too far apart for it to work in the long term.”

Kahalameet’s main argument was the fact that Lecullius was a religious city. To him, it would be like absorbing Aureolis into Kargryx just ‘cause the Dragon Empire had no state religion. Which was the same argument Nong gave for why we should assimilate Lecullius.

“Furthermore, I do not believe vassalization is even possible, no matter how peacefully we approach it. The true dragonkin clans living in Lecullius’s underwater city would not accept us, and that would cause a clash before Kiedaceus or Quasdrakeen need to raise their tails. Tactically, we are also at a disadvantage, as there are barely enough landing points for us to rest during the occupation.”

“We do have the magma dragonkin fully on our side now, so if a battle were to happen, Inferno and Quake Nest can create land, but I still believe it is too far into the ocean,” Phso added, offering a military veteran’s perspective on this. “Earth drakes are humongous, but leviathans can coil around our body as we walk through the depths, while adamantoises possess shells sturdy enough to shrug off our physical and earth elemental attacks. ‘Dragons rule the skies, drakes lord over the lands, and the leviathans dominate the oceans.’ This is the truth.”

“Even I believe it’s more of a fleeting wish.” Wendriosa sighed, only to cause Nong to slam the table gently with an expression that looked like he was ready to punch somebody.

“This is why we can’t agree to anything here!” Nong complained as he looked at Kahalameet. “You keep wanting to slow down when there is no need for it, and that passivity is even affecting Wendriosa! Religion? Why should that be the main point of contention when our Church of Kargryxmor thrives, even without the head of state’s approval? I told you that I am not ignoring the complicated aftermath of integrating Lecullius into Kargryx, but the fact of the matter is that we are far more neutral when it comes to matters of faith, which should allow Lecullius to act more naturally. The current Lecullius was created from two millennia' worth of suppression by the leviathans and adamantoises. We can change that!”

They manage schools under the Empress of Education—my mother—and construct libraries and educational institutes that people under the Empress of Research—Empress Forminaxtrass—use even now. Lecullius will have no issue with funding, especially since they will remain as the first stop gate for all trade ships that would approach our harbors.”

“A religion isn’t simply an organization with like-minded people, Nongramos,” Kahalameet rebuked. “It is an ideological organization, where their leader and ideals aren’t grounded in a mortal person and concept, but in one divine. That is the issue. Lecullius can never be loyal to Kargryx, even if we give them as much autonomy as Frozen Nest. That is because they will always prioritize Plesia over the crown, and that, Nongramos, you can never change, no matter how much you wish to make it happen. That is something you don’t seem to be able to understand.”

“And I told you that it is an issue due to the current situation, where Lecullius has to prioritize the opinions of all members of the Water Pantheon. Look, Eldest Brother, history told us that the Church of Kargryxmor wasn’t always so compliant with the crown’s wishes as it is today. They were more rebellious after the Civil War, and that—”

“I will stop you there,” Father interjected. “Do not compare the situation with Kargryxmor’s religion with that of Plesia’s, or even Aurena’s. Simply because you witnessed the union between the Church of Aurena and the Folschreck Empire does not mean it can happen here in Kargryx. It cannot, because our history will not allow it. Plesia’s religion and Kargryx will always have something they will disagree with, and that will make us incompatible in the future.”

“Father, if we approach it differently, we—”

“Nongramos!” Father raised his voice once again, only this time, it didn’t silence the recipient.

Nong closed his eyes, growling to himself as he tried to keep his anger to himself. “ Father…” he said, forcing himself to sound calm. “Our eldest didn’t even consider my ideas when I presented them this morning, and I tried to hold it in, but he wanted me not to present any of these ideas; instead, telling me to simply listen to what Taimatrak had to say before we left! Is that not unfair?”

Ooookay, this is really going into the therapy route, right there, I thought as I stopped zoning out. This entire discussion was getting so lengthy, even without my involvement, that I felt like I wasn’t needed in this type of discussion more than usual. I liked staying quiet and letting others speak first, but I really had to question: “Why am I here, again?”

As I didn’t continue to sit around in silence, Nong continued his rant, “Am I not allowed to show some displeasure? After all, I also have something to say to my older brother, as the imperial child who did the least for the empire. He has shown barely any care in his position as heir to Empress-Mother Forminaxtrass’s work, and he now tries to act as some brilliant strategist, planner, and older brother? Pah, our two little scamps over there have done more for the family, and they just came back from Altrust! Do I have to listen to this slacker? A dragon who cares more about some old human ruins than his own clan!”

“Nongramos, you don’t get to say that!” Instead of Father, Wendriosa spoke up in Taim’s defence. “Taimatrak hasn’t shown much, but he—”

“Why not?” Nong flung his arms in the air. “Everything I do is for the clan. I want to protect our clan from outsiders—that is the image I have as the ‘Black Tyrant of the Skies’—and currently, our allies in Lecullius cannot properly help us because of their obligation to Caedhul! So, tell me, how are we supposed to solve this issue? At least I present a solution to this; meanwhile, our eldest says to remain within our borders. Defensive. It’s always defensive!”

Nong’s emotional rant kept raging on, but instead of annoying me, it kinda made me sympathize with him. I could feel his genuine passion and worry in the way he roared those words, reminding me so much of his colorful personality when we first met. Although he was acting like a loudmouth, I enjoyed this more than his dour mood from before, or even his aggressive bluster a month ago.

I still felt a bit betrayed in the thuggish manner he tried to exclude me from participating in the Leviathan-Kargryx war, but I could now understand that he was doing it for the sake of our family and for our home. Was this his image of the “Black Tyrant of the Skies” Neill told me he wanted to achieve?

Wendriosa and Phsothophus eventually managed to persuade him to stop. He agreed, saying he still had more to show before the meeting today ended. He probably didn’t want to get kicked out by Father, even if the latter didn’t show much displeasure beyond his initial outburst.

Fortunately, Wendriosa took this chance to summarize the crux of Nong’s and Kahalameet’s squabble, and that was that Kahalameet didn’t agree with the plan she had told me. Kahalameet believed we couldn’t kill both leviathans, since Father and our Empress-Mother had told us directly that they wouldn’t be the ones to land the final kills on any of the leviathans. Wendriosa needed to fight them directly, without our parents’ aid, for the respect of the dragonkin.

“Taimatrak had instructed Phsothophus and me to attack a rank S by ourselves,” Kahalameet added. “It was to see the reactions of all the dragonkin, though I was unfortunately quite injured in slaying Maustoovaka’s brother, Tuumviarka. The initial plan was for the ancients to battle the ancients, while Phsothophus and I handled the rest. That would have gained me enough respect, but Taimatrak needed us to create a ‘greater wave.’”

With him mentioned, Taim joined the conversation. “I needed to see how the dragonkin would react if a sibling were to help you, but it seemed they didn’t mind it at all. In fact, they believed ‘brothers fighting side by side’ is a strong sign of unity between us. They believed that if you and Brother Phsothophus remain as united as when you fought Tuumviarka, the empire would stay strong.”

“All those streaming dragons did your homework for you while you remained in Frozen Nest to sleep?” Nong mocked, but Taim didn’t even give him a moment of his attention as he continued explaining.

“I believe it will have the same effect, even if Wendriosa were to be aided by all seven of us. I believe ‘Kahalameet and Wendriosa can work together in the defense of the empire’ will scorch any preconceived notion about those two. Only one of us siblings can be crowned ruler of Kargryx, but unlike our uncles and aunts, we can make the transition work so that we all will have a place in it. Whether that is a path forward or to protect the status quo,” Taim declared, prompting me to nod slightly as I agreed with the way he framed it. That was the ideal I aimed for.

“Brother Kahalameet wishes to remain on land where we have the advantage against the leviathan; however, Wendriosa wishes to take the initiative instead of playing castle. This is where you two disagreed on how to approach the war, but Brother Kahalameet’s exaltation into the new Dragon Ruler of Fire, we now possess more options. I have set the stage for you. You should have no issue commanding respect. Brother, you wield influence now, where people will follow you into a war,” Taim started entangling his web of intrigue. “Brother Phsothophus’s recent reputational gain in Quake Nest was an unwanted result, but we can work with it as long as Wendriosa gets her chance to show her mettle as the ‘newly appointed’ Dragon Ruler of Water.”

Taim then stood up, taking out what looked like… his own document binder? Why the heck did he have one? Why did he bring one just like Nong?

“As such, your ‘slacker’ of a brother shall provide an answer for you, my dear, younger brother,” Taim riled Nong up, causing the latter to growl a bit. “I’m not sure what our eldest said to you, but I know he trusted me to have a plan for things. That’s why he asked you to be patient, which you seemingly still haven’t been able to gain even after your pilgrimage.”

Nong snarled. “You done?”

“I agree. Begin, Taimatrak. Act your age,” Father chided.

Seeing this, Taim let out a small chuckle and nodded to Father’s order. “I have a propos—”

“Uhm, Brother?” However, before he could start, Ryra raised his hand. “I know this might not be the best moment, but… could we speak as well?”

All our older siblings turned to Ryra, even Taim looked shocked, as if he was expecting this. Or maybe he was, and this was his acting skill in play.

“O-oh, right, of course!” Phso stumbled over his words as he looked at everybody. “I believe we have all only spoken to each other up until now. Taimatrak, would you be willing to allow your younger siblings to give their opinions first? We managed to establish the main points, and also the issue we have to settle, so this is the best time to let them speak.”

“I agree,” Taim said with a nod, giving us all a look, prompting Neill to stand up. Yuuuup, this was all planned… though Ryra looking nervous probably was just him being him.

“Thanks, Bro. Honestly, we probably should have given Hestia a chance to speak first. We got a plan, after all,” Neill replied as she pointed at me. “Everybody who wasn’t there yesterday missed it, but Hestia had a chance to speak with Plesia and the Abyssal Warden. We got some information. Want to hear it?”

And that was what made my shocked siblings perk up, staring at me as if I was the main star now. Well, I did listen enough. Time to speak up and settle this matter.