Demonic Dragon: Harem System-Chapter 414: Dragons and Elves

Strax lightly squeezed Evelyn's shoulder, feeling the tension still locked in her muscles.

"Let's get out of here," he said, his voice low but firm enough for everyone to hear. "We need to talk... but not here. This place..." — his gaze swept over the dead trees around them — "...is no longer worthy of our truths."

Evelyn took a deep breath, trying to control the emotions still throbbing inside her. She straightened her back, adjusting the veil over her shoulders, and looked at the group gathered there.

"Let's go to the palace," she said, her voice carrying a renewed authority. "There, we will be protected. And... we will have the privacy we need to say everything that must be said."

Scarlet smirked, tossing her hair back. "Finally, a decent idea. I'm freezing down to my soul here."

"Then let's move," Beatrice grumbled, already spinning on her heels.

They began moving down the desolate trail, advancing with light but cautious steps, as if the dead trees themselves might suddenly stir. Evelyn walked at the front, side by side with Strax, her determined gaze fixed on the mist ahead.

It was at that instant — a fraction of a second where the world seemed to hold its breath — that Strax felt it.

Something... called to him.

From the very heart of the Spirit Dwelling.

He paused for a moment, subtly, so the others wouldn't notice. His golden eyes turned back, fixing on the cracked rune on the ground.There, right at the center of the ancient seal, a presence was awakening.It was a whisper in the language of dragons, a murmur of buried things that should have never been disturbed.

Cold.Ancient.Watching.

Strax frowned, his entire body tense like the string of a bow drawn to its limit.

But he said nothing.

He simply turned his face forward again, resuming his stride with a studied ease. Evelyn, too consumed by her own thoughts, didn't notice. None of them did.

He cast one last silent thought to the dead seal...Later, I'll come back for you.

For now, there was something more important than ancient ghosts — there was Evelyn.And the war beginning to rise silently behind every shadow.

The path to the palace was tense, the group moving through the heavy mist and the morbid silence of the forest.Evelyn, walking ahead next to Strax, spoke in a low voice, heavy with urgency.

"Ever since the spirits collapsed," she began, her eyes fixed on the uneven ground ahead, "the lands surrounding the Spirit Dwelling started to die. First the trees. Then the rivers... and my mother took it upon herself to hold the entire kingdom together with her own energy."

The others listened in silence, absorbing every word.

"There are rumors among the old elven clans," Evelyn continued, "that some ancient corruption — something even older than our lineage — has been awakened. Lies, of course. And to make it worse..."She clenched her fists."The elven nobles believe my mother is to blame for the kingdom's decaying energy. And since she's using all her strength just to stay alive, she's fallen into a coma. Even if we showed them her body and her condition, with her pulse so faint, they would declare her dead anyway... and now that I've taken her place, their voice has only grown stronger. After all, to them, I'm just... a usurper."

"Idiots," Scarlet growled, crossing her arms.

"Evelyn," Strax said gently, "is this truly a threat... or are you more worried about something else?"

She hesitated for a moment, as if the very air around her weighed down, urging her not to speak. But then she answered:

"I must be like an open book, really... the truth is... I don't care about any of this."Her voice wavered, heavy with exhaustion."I only care about my mother. You know I abandoned my life in this kingdom to heal my disease. So they think I'm a deserter, and that's why they hate me so much," she sighed."But I don't care about them... only about... her."

They continued onward toward the palace — an ancient, magnificent structure of white stone and crystal that loomed from the mist like a monument forgotten by the gods.

However, before they could reach the main gates, a group of elves appeared.

There were about twenty of them, gathered at the foot of the entrance stairs, their robes embroidered with the symbols of the ancient noble houses. There was arrogance in their stares, their shoulders squared as if their mere presence were enough to bar anyone's way.

As soon as they spotted Strax, Scarlet, Beatrice, and the others, the elves immediately stirred, their eyes narrowing with suspicion and disdain.

One of them, tall and slender, stepped forward, extending his arm to block the path.

"Foreigners are not allowed beyond this point," he declared, his voice as cold as steel. "This is sacred ground. Only the blood of Sylvandor has the right to tread here."

Evelyn stepped forward, placing herself between the group and the elves, her veil swirling around her shoulders. Her voice cut through the air like a blade:

"I am Evelyn of Gal'Shanai. Heir to the Elven Crown. Regent of Sylvandor. These guests are under my protection."

The elves muttered among themselves, low, disdainful chuckles rippling through the square.

The same elf gave a cold smile, not even bothering to hide his contempt:

"You are nothing but a child playing at being queen. Your bloodline is not recognized by all. Many among us still remember who should truly sit upon that throne."He cast a sidelong glance at Strax and the others, clear revulsion in his eyes."And bringing foreign defilers into the heart of our land? Just another proof of your unworthiness."

The silence that fell afterward was heavy.

Scarlet took a step forward, her eyes gleaming dangerously.

"Give me five seconds with this idiot," she muttered to Strax.

Strax, for his part, watched the scene with a tense, unreadable calm. He exchanged a brief glance with Evelyn — a silent request for permission. Evelyn took a deep breath, raising a hand to prevent any hasty actions.

"No," she said quietly. "Not yet."

She lifted her head, her blue eyes sparking with a cold fury.

"You have forgotten the laws," Evelyn said, her voice laden with power. "Those who stand against the regent..."She glanced toward the seal of the Spirit Dwelling, almost as if she could feel it pulsing beneath her feet,"...bring upon themselves the wrath not only of the living, but of the ancestors as well."

The elves hesitated, visibly uncomfortable.

Some even took a step back, exchanging nervous glances. Yet the boldest among them simply smirked, bowing in mockery.

"Foreigners. Do. Not. Pass," he said, before stepping back with the others, forming a line of defiant guards.

That alone would hardly have happened if the entire kingdom's forces weren't already surrounding the royal palace.And Evelyn... she didn't want unnecessary bloodshed.

Strax sighed. Letting Scarlet handle it would have been quick and easy...but he caught Evelyn's thoughts — her hesitation, her desire to avoid conflict.

Strax slowly turned to his companion, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"Care to show them what you're capable of, my love?" he asked, his voice laced with challenge, his eyes gleaming with anticipation as he looked at Tiamat.

Tiamat smiled in return, her lips curving with both elegance and danger.

"With absolute pleasure, darling," she answered softly — like a whispered promise before a storm.

In a single graceful leap, she launched herself into the air — and, amidst a whirlwind of pulsing magic and golden lightning, her human form dissolved.In her place, a colossal dragon rose, her scales shimmering like a storm of gold and sapphire under the grey light of the dying forest.

The trees around them trembled, their branches bowing under the sheer force of the transformation.

Then came the roar. freewebnσvel.cѳm

Not a simple cry — but an explosion of pure, ancestral power that tore through the air and made the ground tremble. The sound reverberated across all of Sylvandor, like the echo of forgotten eras, breaking the heavy silence of the dead forest, as if even the sleeping spirits shuddered before such a presence.

The elves, who had once mocked, now stood frozen, pale as marble, unable even to breathe before the raw majesty towering over them.

Strax crossed his arms, watching them with a satisfied smile, while Tiamat, wings spread like storm-walls, cast a single searing glance that promised devastation to any who dared challenge their right to be there.

"Any objections?" Strax asked, his voice as sharp as a blade, though he spoke with dangerous calm.

None of the elves dared answer.

Before the overwhelming sight of Tiamat reigning above them, the elves blocking the path began, one by one, to step aside, parting as if an invisible force were pushing them back. Their parted lips and wide eyes betrayed their awe — not only at the dragon's colossal size, but at what she represented.

Tiamat continued to hover above the group, her massive wings beating rhythmically, stirring powerful winds that made the banners and standards across the plaza snap and shudder. Her very presence seemed to make the air vibrate, as if the heart of the forest itself — even wounded — remembered how to beat stronger.

Strax walked forward with Evelyn by his side, the other women following close behind, their firm steps echoing across the stone floor. None of them looked concerned. None of them hesitated. After all, now, they could no longer be ignored.

As they passed through the gates into the main square, they were met with a crowd — a protest.There were dozens, perhaps hundreds of elves, armed with furious words and disdainful glares, shouting against the kingdom's state, against Evelyn... against everything they believed was corrupted.

But then, the sky darkened.

And every eye turned upward.

The murmur of the crowd died instantly. Shouts of protest turned into trembling gasps.The people, who had moments ago been so full of hatred, could now only stare skyward — where Tiamat, a true golden dragon, hovered with unquestionable majesty.

To the elves, dragons were not merely legendary creatures — they were divine symbols. Ancestral beings, revered in old songs and forgotten ceremonies, considered messengers of the forest gods' will. And now, one of them floated above their heads, golden as the very essence of light.

A reverent silence fell over the plaza.

Some of the older elves instinctively dropped to their knees, pressing their right hands to their hearts in a gesture of respect. Others simply stood still, their mouths agape in pure awe. Even the younger ones, who had grown up without witnessing such wonders, felt the ancient call in their bones: reverence, fear, devotion.

Strax cast a quick sidelong glance at Evelyn, who, though still carrying sorrow in her features, lifted her head with renewed strength, her eyes gaining new life before this unexpected turn.

Tiamat roared again — this time, not to threaten, but as a call for all to recognize:The time had changed.A new force now walked among them.

Without further interruptions, the group crossed the square.The crowd parted spontaneously, like waters dividing before the passage of a royal ship.

Evelyn gently squeezed Strax's arm as they walked.

"Thank you..." she murmured, her voice heavy with a mixture of relief and emotion.

Strax simply winked at her, his usual crooked smile playing on his lips."We're only just getting started, queen of the forest."