Eastern Continent, the far east, Kingdom of Kelandi -

Inside the palace at this moment, chaos reigns. The nobles are engaged in frantic discussions, and the atmosphere of fear seems to solidify into a tangible substance, almost visible to the naked eye.

"What should we do?"

"Quickly gather the army for retaliation!"

"But that's an S-class individual, a Sky Dragon! Sending the army would be suicidal!"

"Then what else can we do?"

In the main hall, King Kelandi raises his hand, instantly silencing the buzzing discussions. The air becomes tense, and all the nobles fix their gaze upon the king.

Sensing the hopeful gazes, the king finds it somewhat amusing.

When did this kingdom deteriorate to such a state?

The appearance of the Sky Dragon could have been reported earlier, and the kingdom would have had enough time to mobilize sufficient forces for defense. But for some unknown reason, the news arrived late, almost when they were about to attack the royal city.

No one can imagine how wonderful his expression was at that time!

Most likely, the nobles who were initially attacked suppressed the information to escape blame.

Thinking about this, the king feels a headache. The nobles under his rule are utterly useless, not a single one of them can be relied upon.

The Sky Dragon is approaching the royal city, just a few dozen miles away. They can't even mount a decent counterattack and defense. How can they hope to repel the Sky Dragon and protect the royal city?

Relying on prayers?

The king chuckles self-deprecatingly, realizing that other than prayers, he doesn't have any other options left.

Never did he imagine that Kelandi would be ruined under his rule...

The king sighs deeply, then his gaze sweeps across every noble in the grand hall. Seeing the king's expression, the nobles all lower their heads, afraid to meet his gaze directly.

These useless bunch of people, yet they are considered the upper echelons of the country. Ha! Nobles! Nobles!

But isn't he himself a king?

"Spread the word, abandon the royal city, retreat to the rear for recovery, and we will retaliate against the Sky Dragon when fully prepared!"

Helplessly, the king can only make such a decision.

However, the ministers do not share the same sentiment -

"My lord, please reconsider! If we abandon the royal city like this, what will happen to the people inside?"

"Yes, and the royal city is our foundation, we cannot easily abandon it!"

"Please, my lord, think it through!"

The king merely sneers, well aware of what these nobles are thinking.

It's nothing more than these nobles' deep-rooted interests in the royal city. The Sky Dragon is now not far from the city and will soon attack. It's impossible to relocate such substantial assets in time, hence their fervent advice.

The common people? Why are they suddenly concerned about them? Foundation? What foundation is there when the king himself is lost?

Seeing the king's sneer, the nobles know that he won't defend the royal city to the end. This sparks chaos and scheming among the more astute nobles.

Isn't this a perfect excuse for seizing the throne?

By withdrawing from the royal city, disregarding the people, and waiting for an opportunity after the Sky Dragon ravages the city, they can launch a propaganda campaign and coup d'état during the interval before the king returns...

It might just work!

The king, however, doesn't think much about it. Rather, he is solely focused on escaping for his life, oblivious to the fact that these nobles are already contemplating rebellion.

-"Report!"

Suddenly, the voice of a messenger comes from outside the main hall, interrupting the clamor inside.

The latest military intelligence!

That's the only thing everyone can think of.

"Come in!" the king commands.

The messenger rushes in and half-kneels at the center of the hall, awaiting the king's permission to speak.

"What's the matter?" the king asks eagerly, and all the nobles shift their gaze to the messenger.

The messenger, feeling the intense scrutiny, becomes stiff but quickly recovers. With slight nervousness, he says:

"Yes! Just now, news arrived from the front line that the Sky Dragon has been repelled, and the crisis has been averted." After speaking, the messenger still dares not lift his head, waiting for the king's dismissal.

No response comes for a long time, leaving the messenger puzzled. Just as he considers stealing a glance, the king's voice reaches him, startling him into immediately lowering his head again.

"You said it was repelled? And then?" The king's tone reveals disbelief.

"Ah, and then? There's nothing more," the messenger says, not understanding what the king means. Cold sweat starts to trickle down his forehead.

"What I mean is, how was the Sky Dragon repelled?" It's almost a shout. The king can't believe his army had the capability.

Realizing his outburst, the king coughs lightly, trying to cover it up.

Startled, the messenger hurriedly says, "I-I don't know, but I heard that a blonde girl defeated the Sky Dragon, and-"

The messenger hesitates, afraid that revealing this might lead to his execution by the king's order.

However, under the king's stern gaze, the messenger ultimately succumbs to the pressure and speaks.

"And, um, from vague information, that girl also repelled the Sky Dragon with a single strike!" The messenger closes his eyes, unable to imagine what fate awaits him next.

The hall immediately falls into a deathly silence, with the sound of everyone's breathing audible. Eventually, a noble breaks the silence.

"This is impossible! An individual S-class Sky Dragon cannot be defeated in a single strike. S-class opponents require the strength of Level 60 to Level 69, and moreover, it was just a little girl!"

"Whoever spread this news must have ulterior motives! They spread such an easily debunked lie!"

"Exactly! We should thoroughly investigate who started this rumor and punish them severely!"

Discussions abound, and the messenger can clearly feel the malicious gazes focused on him.

I knew it would turn out like this!

The messenger screams internally, regretting why they had to blurt out the phrase "and"!

In the end, it is the king who silences the nobles once again.

"Silence! We will discuss this matter later. Now, the immediate concern is what to do next. You may leave," the last sentence addressed to the messenger.

The messenger feels a wave of relief, sweating profusely as he leave. He vow never to take on such a task again!

"Your Majesty, I have a suggestion—"

"I believe that we should do the following next..."

After the messenger left, the nobles one by one offered their advice, fearing that someone else would steal the credit.

Only the king's eyes sparkled for a moment, as if he was thinking about something.

A golden-haired little girl...?

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TLN: Hai! Hai! Hai! What do you think? continue?