Chapter 38
At that sight, Denian’s face turned pale. He knew Hale doted on his daughter, but he never imagined he’d act like this—especially in the Imperial Palace.
“Say that again.”
“……”
“I said, say it again.”
Who could possibly open their mouth when Hale, with murderous intent gleaming in his blue eyes, slowly stepped closer?
Denian trembled all over, paralyzed with fear.
His instincts screamed at him to prostrate himself and beg for mercy, yet his petty pride forced him to keep his back straight.
Then Hale flicked his fingers toward the eastern fortress visible through the open wall.
An ear-splitting boom erupted, and the fortress collapsed in an instant.
“Aaargh!”
Just like the fortress crumbling helplessly, Denian fell flat to the ground.
“Sp–spare my life!”
And so, setting aside the pride that had held him upright, he raised his voice in desperate plea.
Hale wanted nothing more than to kill Denian on the spot.
But this was the Imperial Palace. Too many people knew he was here to meet the emperor.
Not that he cared much—but killing the emperor and thus violating the pact would bring unwanted pressure and retaliation.
Not against him, but against Senica, his heir apparent.
The thought of Senica being condemned because of him was unbearable.
“So a life that won’t even last a hundred years is precious to you, huh?”
Hale strode over to where Denian lay trembling and knelt down beside him.
With one finger, he lifted Denian’s chin.
Denian’s face was blank with shock.
A contemptuous blue gaze swept across his features.
“Denian Pelli Hatfilia.”
“……”
“If that filthy mouth of yours ever utters Senica’s name again—”
A curved smile formed on Hale’s lips. It wasn’t a warm one.
Though his face appeared to be smiling, Denian’s spine went cold. It felt like death itself was standing before him.
The sentence wasn’t finished yet, and Denian already dreaded the words to come. He swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to drool from terror.
“Not only you—but this entire world will vanish.”
“……”
“If you’re curious what the annihilation of all races looks like, feel free to mention her name again.”
Hale released Denian’s chin, stood up, and left the audience chamber.
There was no longer any reason to stay.
Bang!
Only after the heavy door slammed shut did Denian manage to raise his crumpled body.
His face was flushed from the rush of blood, and his pure white ceremonial uniform—custom-tailored for the banquet—was now covered in grime.
The humiliation was unbearable.
I, the emperor of an empire, bowing before a mere family head…!
Yet even in his rage, Denian couldn’t act against Hale or ignore his warning.
He knew Hale’s threat wasn’t a bluff. Hale truly had that kind of power.
He ground his teeth in fury.
“To reclaim this disgrace, I need power.”
His gaze turned toward the gold-draped mass that had been flung far away.
Fortunately, his past experiments hadn’t been in vain.
Until now, it had been believed that harming a dragon was beyond human capability—but he had just shattered that boundary.
The effect had been small, yes, but it was something he could improve.
“Eugene!”
At his call, Eugene, who had been guarding the door, quickly entered.
He froze briefly at the devastation inside, then rushed to Denian’s side.
“You called for me, Your Majesty.”
“What happened to that one?”
“He’s in the laboratory.”
“Hoo… I should go take a look at him.”
“Perhaps Your Majesty should change clothes first—”
“Forget it.”
Ignoring Eugene’s suggestion, Denian stormed out.
Eugene sighed quietly and followed behind.
Even in the radiant imperial palace, there were secluded, deserted areas—sealed off deliberately.
And there, a hidden staircase led underground.
Only three people knew of its existence: the empress Elise, the emperor Denian, and the chief secretary Eugene.
Because beneath it lay their secret laboratory.
This place always gives me the creeps, Eugene thought as they descended.
Ten years had passed since the experiment began, but the feeling of dread never faded.
After several dozen steps, they opened a thick iron door.
Inside, tangled wires and complicated machinery filled the space.
At the center sat a silver-haired boy, limp and unconscious, his body covered in needles and cables.
There wasn’t a single spot without a bruise.
The pitiful figure was none other than Roel, the boy Senica had been desperately searching for.
“Everyone, listen up!”
At Denian’s booming voice, twenty researchers assembled in front of him and bowed their heads.
“The weapon we’ve spent over ten years developing has finally shown results.”
“Oh, thank the heavens!”
“But unfortunately,” Denian continued in a low tone before they could celebrate,
“It only managed to cause burns.”
“Ah…”
“You all understand, don’t you? To protect powerless humans from those savage dragons, our research cannot stop at burns!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
These researchers had long been indoctrinated by Denian.
His words struck them deeply, and they all reaffirmed their single, ultimate goal:
The death of dragons.
Eugene, having witnessed every stage of this project, still wasn’t convinced. Was it really possible?
Once the researchers dispersed, Denian approached Roel with a dark smile.
“My son, Roel! How fortunate that I have you!”
The greedy gleam in Denian’s eyes was nothing like a father’s affection.
“Get away.”
If Sireia hadn’t rushed in to shove Jayus aside, I might’ve stayed frozen there, still under his spell.
But what did he mean by because of your father?
Why is Dad angry—and at something we can’t even see?
I stared at Jayus, demanding an explanation, but as always, he only stared back. He wasn’t going to talk.
Guess I’ll have to ask Dad directly.
Bang!
A deafening crash silenced the party’s music.
The source was the grand doors slamming open with immense force.
“Dad…?”
Why was he here?
Hale strode toward me—each step heavy with fury.
Just as Jayus had said, he was truly angry.
What happened to make him this way?
“Senica, let’s go.”
“Huh? Go where?”
“Home.”
“Huh? Why home?”
Before I could get an answer, Hale scooped me into his arms and strode out of the hall.
Everything happened so fast, I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my friends.
This wasn’t like him. He wouldn’t normally burst in and leave mid-party. Something was definitely wrong.
“Dad, did something happen?”
“No.”
“You look mad.”
“I’m not.”
“Jayus said you were.”
As soon as I said Jayus, Hale’s expression turned sour, and he stopped walking.
Just as I thought—he didn’t like that name.
“The heir of Baiet, huh?”
“Yeah. He said that big crashing sound earlier was you, ’cause you were mad.”
Hale blinked twice and let out a small laugh.
I wasn’t sure what it meant, but it didn’t seem bad.
And since he didn’t deny it, that was his doing. What on earth had happened?
That noise had been massive, but he didn’t seem hurt—at least not visibly.
Then I noticed something strange.
The hand wrapped around my waist felt rough and uneven, not smooth.
“Huh?”
When I looked down, I saw blood and pus seeping from the back of his hand.
“Is your arm uncomfortable?”
“Your hand!”
“Hmm?”
“Give me your hand!”
I grabbed his wrist, trying to pull his hand free so I could look at it, but his grip only tightened.
The more I struggled, the more his hand clung to me.
Eventually I gave up and just pointed at the burns.
“What happened? Why’s it like this? Who hurt you?”
“It’s fine. It’s nothing—”
“How can you say that? It’s oozing! That’s serious! Who did this to you?”
My chest ached.
Dad was always the one who hurt enemies, never the one hurt by them. Seeing him like this was unbearable.
“I said I’m fine.”
He really didn’t understand how I felt. Otherwise, he wouldn’t smile so casually like that.
I glared up at him. He flinched and avoided my eyes.
“See? You’re dodging my gaze because you feel guilty.”
“……”
Instead of answering, Hale’s hand moved slightly—and before my eyes, new skin began to grow over the burn.
I froze.
The wound healed right before me.
Dragons… could heal themselves?
Wow. No wonder humans envied them. They had everything humans didn’t.
“Dad… can I do that too?”
“Who knows? Maybe. Even if not, you’ll heal quickly.”
Ooh, now that was tempting.
I wanted to test it—though it meant I’d have to get hurt first. Still, the idea was fascinating.
Wait, no. Focus. That’s not the point right now!
“Don’t get hurt again, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Ha… guess I’ve got someone to protect now.”
Hale laughed softly.
Not because my words were funny—but because, in his eyes, they were probably adorable.
Honestly, with a little kid saying something like that… even I’d find it cute.
