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Chapter 32: Family, Honor, Responsibility

When the last word fell, the hall full of nobles was dead silent.

The message in the letter was not complicated—it summed up that the Dragon Clan was on the march, and the kingdom was on the brink of disaster.

But this short sentence left everyone in disbelief.

Not only them, even Roy furrowed his brows deeply.

He finally understood why Charlotte’s face had looked so grim back then.

To suddenly learn that their homeland was engulfed in war, with family members’ lives unknown, and even the fate of the entire kingdom hanging by a thread, keeping calm and gathering his subordinates immediately was no easy feat.

However, not everyone possessed Charlotte’s level-headedness.

A somewhat young short-haired boy shouted, “No, it can’t be! There must be some mistake!”

“Weren’t the Dragon Clan and the Cult already wiped out?!”

“Yeah, that Crimson Fire Dragon has already fallen; who could possibly be leading the Dragon Clan?!”

“Where’s that messenger? We need more intel!”

Whether they were first-year newcomers or slightly experienced upperclassmen, everyone was in disarray. Even those knights who had been on the battlefield and personally hunted dragons wore grim faces, suggesting various theories.

After all, a battle is not the same as a war.

Even the best warriors can feel lost when facing a national-scale battlefield, regardless of their past experiences of blood and fire.

But this noise didn’t last long.

“Shut up!”

A cold shout erupted, igniting a blaze.

The pressure from the Lion King hit like a bolt from the blue, making everyone shudder back to reality.

Once the meeting room fell silent again, the red-haired princess with her hands clasped under her chin spoke in a deep tone: “Let me answer each of you, one by one.”

Her crimson gaze swept across the crowd as Charlotte’s voice resonated powerfully: “First, it’s unfortunate that our homeland has fallen into turmoil brought on by the Dragon Clan; that is an undeniable fact.”

Even with mental preparation, hearing Charlotte announce this made many faces go paler still.

Charlotte closed her eyes: “The messenger who delivered the letter expired from exhaustion upon arrival, so this letter is the only information concerning the kingdom.”

“As for who is leading the Dragon Clan, whoever it is, they are of the same rank as the Crimson Fire Dragon, Baragas, meaning they must be at least a rank 4 mythic being.”

Each word made the faces of the crowd turn even whiter; analyzing further, they realized there was hardly any good news.

Unclear intelligence was one thing, but the enemy might well be the Dragon of the Kingdom’s from 18 years ago, which had once been destroyed.

If the Lionheart King Charles is a hero in the hearts of all kingdom citizens, then the so-called Seven Great Dragons are equally terrifying nightmares.

The tales of parents falling to dragon claws were familiar to everyone, and imagining such nightmares returning sent them spiraling into fear.

In this suffocating atmosphere, even the occasional sound of breathing was shaky.

“But now is not the time to bow your heads in sorrow!”

Another sharp rebuke, followed by a firm slap on the table.

The princess’s reprimand was like a flickering flame in the dark—weak yet hot enough to awaken hope.

They looked up and saw the determination in Charlotte’s eyes and the blood-stained letter in her hand.

“Have you all forgotten something?”

“That’s right, this letter says the Dragon Clan is attacking, and the kingdom is engulfed in war; perhaps we are about to face the same peril we did nineteen years ago, a war brought on by the Dragon Clan.”

“But the real significance of this letter is to seek assistance!”

“No telling how many sacrifices it took to get this letter here; it’s not meant to make you cower in fear but to inspire you to stand tall like true knights, carrying the responsibilities of the Extraordinary Beings in the kingdom’s time of crisis!”

The faces of the Lionheart citizens flashed with awakening and shame, but courage was rekindled within as well.

Charlotte’s beauty wasn’t false, but it had never been the reason for their loyalty.

Like a lion roaring in the flames, that’s the figure that made the kingdom’s knights willingly follow.

Charlotte slightly raised her chin, with the dignity expected of a ruler, announced proudly:

“There’s much to be done, but overall, we will head to the kingdom next and assist the royal capital!”

“Nineteen years ago, our forebears defeated the Dragon Clan for the first time; now we too can do it again! It’s time to prove to those dragons the strength and courage of us, the children of the kingdom!”

Without a doubt, Charlotte’s call ignited their passion.

However, the fear that ran deep continued to block their way, taking the crucial first step with the Lion King was pivotal.

A brief silence almost had Charlotte losing her composure.

If even a pre-war rally couldn’t awaken their morale, then any efforts to save the country would be nothing more than a dream.

Until the black-haired boy stepped forward, dropping to one knee, and offered a salute.

“The Iron Blood Ainbrad family is willing to follow your highness, to hunt the dragons and restore the kingdom’s glory!”

“Just like my father did back then, slaying dragons alongside your highness to gain supreme glory!”

At that moment, the boy’s resolute figure made every Lionheart citizen’s heart jump, adding the last bit of fuel to the fire of their hidden courage, finally boiling over and extinguishing their fear.

The feat of dragon slaying was not just the honor that Lionheart knights yearned for; it was a symbol of mankind’s triumph over mythic beings, a miracle second only to the Six Heroes slaying the Demon King in this era.

The Lionheart princess, along with her sworn knights, witnessing the moment those two united, made them feel that the hope of victory and the great feat of dragon slaying were not out of reach.

“Your highness, my Emerald Graen family is willing to follow you back to the homeland and hunt the dragons!”

“My Crystal Stone family feels the same!”

“And our Onyx Kante family as well!”

In front of the flickering hearth, all the nobles present pledged together, shouldering the responsibilities of their Extraordinary Bloodlines, to hunt the dragons and defend the kingdom—no one flinched.

After a long silence, Charlotte finally revealed a smile.

“Great, you have not disgraced your family names.”

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Though they said they’d rush back to the kingdom, it wasn’t feasible to charge back immediately to fight the dragons tonight.

The preparations for war required more than a night’s effort, so that night Charlotte dismissed everyone, asking them to return and rally their subordinates.

Undoubtedly, upon discovering the truth, many fell into chaos.

Fortunately, the higher-ups in the Lionheart faction had already mentally prepared, and their calmness was evident, hence the unrest didn’t last long.

Once everything settled, it was already late at night.

Instead of heading back to the dorms, Roy stayed with Charlotte at the Lionheart manor to rest.

Perhaps, this would be the last peaceful night for a while.

It was hard to deny that if not for Charlotte preparing the faction’s high-ups in advance, the whole faction would have been plunged into fear tonight. After that, gathering a rescue force would surely be an uphill battle.

However, when they returned to their room, alone together, the once proud princess crumpled into Roy’s embrace.

“Can you hold me for a while?”

Hearing the tiredness hidden in the girl’s words, Roy sighed softly, tenderly embracing her small frame and rolled onto the bed.