***T/N: The content of the chapters got switched…

The Rave Empire had a line of defense running alongside Noitral, Radea, and Leirzatz from the North, bordering the Rakia Mountains. Radea wasn’t so much in contact with the Rakia Mountains as it was between the two. However, it was still an important base where troops could be deployed to either territory as needed.

The city was built when the first Dragon Princess established a defensive base there. As such, the Dragon Princess became its direct ruler.

However, the Dragon Princess only appears when the Dragon Emperor appears. For that reason, it was customary for the Rave royal family to rule it on her behalf. Until recently, the ruler was Georg.

In the Dragon Princess’ territory, there was a temple. It had been built to fight the Goddess of Kratos. The sacred relic of the Dragon Princess was enshrined there.

The details weren’t known—not even to Natalie. It was said that the sacred relic wouldn’t manifest unless the Dragon Princess was there. Even if it were to manifest, it was sealed within the temple and couldn’t be moved. Without the Dragon Princess’ ring, the sacred relic couldn’t be used. If the prerequisites were that complex, it’d certainly be difficult to keep a record of it.

The Dragon Princess’ ring is surely this gold ring! Moreover, if it’s a sacred relic for fighting against the Goddess, it must be a weapon, right?!

Jill couldn’t see the ring because her magic was sealed, but she recalled being blessed by Rave. Suddenly, her courage had increased. Jill’s gait grew lighter.

“Could it be a sword? A spear? A brass knuckle? Heck, even a gun is fine!”

“Uggyu…”

Rho, who sat in front of Jill on the dragon they rode, murmured something.

The dragons flying above the clouds were in a beautiful formation. It seemed that everyone in the imperial army possessed the skill to fly with dragons. Jill had Rho summon wild dragons from all over, and on the fourth day, there was no longer any confusion.

But, I can’t increase the speed… it’s been ten days…

Fortunately, Vissel wouldn’t be able to utilize the dragons in the imperial castle. Jill didn’t know how long the dragons would obey Hadith’s orders, but it was impossible for Vissel to chase after Jill and the others.

Natalie returned with Zeke and Camila. They’d surely bypass Vissel’s army, and Elynsia would then take care of Natalie.

With that, the knights of the Dragon Princess had saved Princess Natalie. The news about how the Dragon Princess was going to prevent the uprising in Radea along with Natalie’s soldiers would also spread.

After that, it’d be perfect if Jill could also retrieve Hadith and get her hands on the Dragon Princess’ sacred relic.

“If His Majesty had such an important thing, I wish he had told me sooner—oh, is it because my gold ring hasn’t returned yet? Oh no, without that ring, I might not be able to keep His Majesty on a leash!?”

“…Uggyu!?”

“Captain.”

A soldier, who seemed to have decided to imitate the way Zeke usually referred to Jill, beckoned to her while riding a dragon.

“We’ve almost arrived at Radea. It’ll be difficult to approach with wild dragons. I wonder if it’ll be better for us to walk from further away.”

“Indeed. Rho, can you inform the wild dragons?”

Rho seemed relieved by the change in topic. In response to the cute voice of Rho, the dragons began to descend.

“How amazing, I feel like a Dragon Knight.”

“Can everyone in the imperial army ride a dragon?”

The soldiers laughed and answered Jill’s question.

“We’re infantrymen, without dragons. If anything, we’re a rear unit.”

“I see. Well, it’s not good to depend too much on dragons. At Kratos, you can shoot down dragons by yourself. We’re self-sufficient like that.”

“Ahaha, you must be kidding—”

The soldier’s laugh was blocked by a distant explosion. Rho suddenly raised his head, while the dragons halted on the spot. At the same time, Jill attended her posture to what she had just sensed.

What was that extraordinary magical power just now!?

A magic circle floated above the distant city of Radea. A torrent of magical arrows fell on the city. Jill was absolutely terrified. Smoke was rising from all over the city.

“Why is the city being attacked?!”

“Right now, isn’t that a magic circle from Kratos!? Is Kratos really attacking!?”

“It could be.”

Jill tightly pursed her mouth. Such a battle wasn’t in the history that Jill knew. Even if there was, it should be more than a year from now, after the war between Kratos and Rave had officially begun. The war hadn’t started, yet. No declaration of war had been made.

However, various things had already changed. It wouldn’t be strange if a battle Jill didn’t know of were to happen.

“Captain, there’s a military flag on the temple of the Dragon Princess…!”

A flag had been raised in the East side of the city, blocking the smoke.

It was the flag of the Rave imperial army. Jill had seen it once as an enemy. A dragon insignia made of crimson thread on a black cloth.

It was large and marked with a cross.

It was listed at the top of a majestic building from which smoke kept billowing.

One soldier exclaimed.

“No way, a rebellion… is it an uprising!?”

“…Rho, let’s go!”

“Ukkyu!?”

Someone spotted their dragons and screamed. By that point, it was already too late. The magic circle which surrounded the city targeted them.

“Ukkyu! Ukkyu!”

Rho closed his eyes as he desperately thought about something in order to escape from the magical rays that were flying in from all directions. He was probably sending orders to the other dragons. However, the wild dragons weren’t used to carrying people. Some soldiers began to fall from the dragons as they twisted themselves to avoid the attack.

While clicking her tongue, Jill tore away the rope which tethered her to the saddle. The dragons caught the fallen soldiers from the side and flew away while avoiding the attack.

“Keep your distance! Stay away from the city! It’s an anti-aircraft magic that targets dragons! If leave its range, it won’t attack!”

A voice came from behind. Surprised, Jill turned around.

Leading a troop of dragon knights with a beautiful formation was a familiar face.

“Even if you’ve all rotted, you are still the imperial army! Stop relying on dragons and fly by yourselves!”

“Your Highness Listeard!?”

Listeard was surprised when Jill called his name, but immediately skipped some instructions.

“Change of strategy! Evacuate everyone at once! We shall land!”

“Can we leave the city as it is!?”

“There’s no point! Your soldiers aren’t dragon knights! They’ll become the enemy’s prime target!”

As Listeard said, it was the soldiers Jill had brought who were being shot down. The dragons were avoiding the attacks, but the soldiers kept falling because they couldn’t keep up. The burden on Rho was also be tremendous.

“Besides, if my prediction is true, there’s still time. This will only persist until Vissel brings his army from the imperial capital.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re staging an uprising within the Rave Empire! Look at their flag!”

Listeard flew ahead to guide the confounded Jill.

“A letter has also arrived from Kratos.”

“What!? From Kratos!?”

“We don’t have much time. We’ll have to update each other about recent happenings.”

Jill nodded after they were out of range. She took a breath and slightly turned around.

The city surrounded by magic circles was steadily getting farther away. Hadith was inside that city.

“Kyu.”

Rho scooted closer, probably because he felt at ease after escaping the range. He probably wanted to reassure her. Jill laughed bitterly and regained her composure. She grabbed a hold of the almost meaningless reins.

…Surely, His Majesty is alright.

After all, he went out alone. She wouldn’t forgive him if he wasn’t safe.

What she needed at that moment was the strength to believe.

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***T/N: LISTEARRRRD!!!! LISTEAAAARD MY MAN!!!!!! YOU’VE RETURNED!!!!!!!! *ran towards Listeard while bringing rope*

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