Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1123: Chapter 1122: Good News on a Good Day

The gaze of the two Ancient Titans simultaneously fell upon her, with an obvious expectation in their eyes. This made Melita, who was once accustomed to blending in and collecting a paycheck, instinctively shrink back. But today, she was not who she used to be. After an initial moment of tension, she pointed to herself, ”Could this choice be...”

”You are the most suitable,” said Speaker Andar in a low voice. ”Among the younger generation, you have had the most contact with the Loren Continent, and you have a personal relationship with Gawain Cecil. From a personal capability standpoint, you are also adept at handling changes and dealing with unexpected situations. Talronde has been closed off for too long and has gone through a devastating war. We can no longer find many diplomatic personnel like you now.”

Melita opened her mouth. She had actually guessed this outcome midway through the discussion between the two leaders, but she couldn’t help but quietly say, ”But I have some personal matters...”

Heragor looked over curiously, his tone gentle, ”Personal matters?”

”I still need to go home to hatch the egg...” Melita said a bit awkwardly, ”Nuoletta and I just claimed a dragon egg.”

Speaker Andar immediately recalled and gently nodded, ”I seem to remember Duke More mentioning this. It was Nuoletta who submitted the application last week.”

Melita felt a bit ashamed—Talronde needed her now, and she felt she shouldn’t let her personal issues affect the larger picture. Nonetheless, she couldn’t help but bring up the matter of going home to hatch the egg, given she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving the dragon egg solely in Nuoletta’s care. But at this moment, she had already made up her mind: the final decision on this matter would be up to the two leaders, because... the job of a resident ambassador was more important, and caring for the dragon egg wasn’t that urgent.

”How about this, I have a suggestion,” Heragor suddenly said. ”You can take the egg with you to Cecil—if need be, you can also seek help from Gawain Cecil.”

”Take the egg to Cecil?” Melita was immediately surprised, widening her eyes, ”You mean... let the young dragon hatch outside of Talronde?”

”I believe there’s no issue with that,” Andar nodded slowly beside them. ”In the past, our laws forbade taking dragon eggs out of Talronde, and we did not recognize young dragons hatched outside of Talronde. But that was due to the existence of the ’cradle’. Now the era has changed, and this outdated law should be abolished along with many other statutes from the old days—we are opening our doors to the outside world, and more Dragonkin will go to the Loren Continent to work or live. Allowing dragon eggs to be taken is quite a normal thing.”

”Ah, I have no objection to that,” Melita immediately said. ”But over on Nuoletta’s side... she hasn’t been taking care of the egg for long. If I take the egg away, wouldn’t she...”

”She can be your liaison officer, handling the communications between Talronde and Cecil. Before telecommunication is restored, she can serve as a messenger, and someday when we rebuild the trans-oceanic channel, she can be your diplomatic assistant—of course, that’s just a preliminary plan,” Speaker Andar said. ”As a resident ambassador, you shouldn’t go to Cecil alone, and Nuoletta was your logistical support during the Mithril Vault period. You two have a cooperative rapport. Such an arrangement, do you find it suitable?”

Melita blinked, then smiled: ”Of course, it’s fine!”

This arrangement is more than suitable—it far exceeded her expectations.

Yet, despite her satisfaction, she couldn’t help but worry: ”No young dragon has ever hatched outside of Talronde before. The magic-pervasive environment on the Loren Continent is different from here; can the dragon egg really hatch safely over there?”

”You should have more faith in the resilience of the dragon egg. It’s not as fragile as you think,” Heragor said with a slightly peculiar expression on his face, ”and don’t forget you’re going to Cecil... Gawain Cecil can even ’hatch’ a god.”

Melita couldn’t help but quickly remind, ”Actually, it wasn’t exactly hatched... the last time I saw it, it was still an egg.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized her words were inappropriate. In her phrasing, she seemed to lack respect for the former Dragon Gods, yet trying to rephrase it, she found that everything she said was true from start to finish. She couldn’t help but lift her head awkwardly, only to meet the equally awkward eyes of the two Dragonkin leaders.

”...Let’s change the topic,” Heragor finally broke the silence. ”Perhaps we should discuss the details of the economic revitalization plan.”

Speaker Andar immediately nodded, ”I agree.”

...

Bright and warm sunlight spread across the paths and flower beds of Long Branch Manor, casting a glittering sheen across the small river flowing through the manor grounds. Duke Ferdinand Wendell stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the manor’s hall, where a floral vine dangled gently outside, lush with green leaves and dotted with blooms.

After a harsh and lengthy winter, a damp and brief spring, the glorious summer of the Aldernon Plains had finally arrived, adorning the land with its splendid canvas. The lush scenes of summer unfolding in the fields were a good omen for everyone, said the people of the manor and the nearby town frequently these days—the second half of the year was bound to get better.

For the gradually aging Duke Ferdinand, this was indeed a good day—the hardest times were over, and precious family members were back by his side. Since returning from the Winterhold Fort Battlefield, today was his happiest day.

The Wendell clan was unwaveringly loyal to the Empire, with distinguished achievements. Yet over the years, their numbers had dwindled, and he truly couldn’t afford to lose one more granddaughter.

”The authorities in Aldernon are building momentum for your return. In the military’s narrative, you will be a hero who preserved the elite of the Winter Wolf forces and avoided total chaos at the border. The King will personally award you and conduct a welcoming ceremony. The parliament is essentially in place so no one will make things difficult for you and your subordinates,” the old man didn’t turn around, knowing Andresha stood behind him. ”As for now, the public statement is that you are not fully recovered from your injuries and need to continue recuperating at Long Branch Manor—you can use this time to adjust yourself and learn more about the domestic changes during this period, but aside from those who can truly be trusted, it’s best not to entertain guests.”

Her grandfather hadn’t instructed her in such matters for a long time—that’s something Andresha couldn’t help but think.

She was no longer a young girl newly entering the military-political circle and understood many principles without needing others to teach her, but at this moment, she still listened carefully and only broke the silence once the old Duke finished speaking, ”So His Majesty has temporarily relocated me away from the imperial capital to rest at Long Branch Manor, essentially as a form of protection—I will return to the position of the Wolf General?”

”This is indeed a form of protection,” the old Duke nodded and said, ”As for the position of ’Wolf General,’ Andresha—your title was never stripped away, you will return to the army, and soon you will return to Winterwolf Fortress. The King trusts you; he knows what you have sacrificed to protect the Empire’s interests. There is no more suitable candidate than you on the Empire’s northwestern border. Furthermore...”

The old Duke’s voice paused for a moment, and Andresha couldn’t help but ask, ”Furthermore?”

”After the Battle of Winterhold, the Empire suffered great losses. The blow dealt to us by the Mad Gods was far more severe than the outside world speculated—I won’t tell you the specific numbers here, you can learn them slowly later. You only need to know that many renowned legions were disbanded after that battle, including several National Knights, and a large number of officers perished, among them many high-ranking commanders... The Winterwolf Legion, which you managed to preserve, along with the entire command system, will play a pivotal role under such circumstances. To a certain extent, you are already the only relatively intact elite force on the Empire’s northwestern border.”

Andresha did not speak, but her breath caught involuntarily.

”Now, you should further understand why the King went to such lengths to mold you as a meritorious officer, allowing you to return to the Empire smoothly and reclaim military authority.”

”Is it because there are no generals available...” Andresha murmured softly with a somewhat complex expression, then sighed slightly, ”In any case, it’s fortunate that the Empire has already passed the most dangerous stage. Now that the Alliance is formed, we don’t have to worry about external hostilities for the time being. As long as the internal situation of the Empire can remain stable for a while, the economic revival brought by international trade will alleviate most of the pressure...”

Duke Ferdinand Wendell turned around, looking somewhat surprised at Andresha: ”I didn’t expect you to start paying attention to such matters now—the Andresha in my memory was a child who never cared about commerce or internal affairs.”

”...In Sorinburg, after all, there was nothing to do,” Andresha showed a trace of embarrassment, beginning to reflect on whether she had previously neglected this ’homework,’” When idle, I would find some books to read, as well as newspapers and broadcasts—in my view, the Cecil Clan’s newspapers and broadcasts have great reference value. Although their form is popular, their content is all-encompassing, allowing both ordinary people and scholars and politicians the chance to find something thought-provoking, unlike similar matters we have promoted all along.”

Duke Ferdinand’s gaze turned a bit profound for a moment, listening to Andresha’s words, yet he couldn’t help but think of a long conversation he recently had with Emperor Rosetta Augustus after returning to Aldernon and the matters discussed within—the right to think, regardless of class, identity, or status.

In Aldernon, many aristocrats were skeptical of this, foolish people dismissed it as meaningless, while clever ones realized it would further shake the foundation of the aristocratic group. However, Duke Ferdinand knew that with the disclosure of several internal documents from the theocracy Authority Council, these skeptical voices would soon vanish, like words on the sand washed away by the next wave.

He shook his head, temporarily casting aside unrelated thoughts, and looked Andresha up and down: ”It sounds like your attitude towards the Cecil Clan has changed significantly—in the past, you almost never made any positive comments about the people and matters on that land.”

”Will this change in attitude affect the upper society’s evaluation of me in Aldernon?”

”Yes, especially during this period shortly after your return to the Empire from the Cecil Clan. Countless eyes are waiting for you to make comments in this regard—although the Alliance is now formed and peace has become a consensus, many people’s nerves are still taut, and from a long-term perspective, we indeed need a group of people with tightly strung nerves,” Duke Ferdinand said candidly, ”So you need to control your words in public, of course. I am also confident that you can handle these aspects well on your own.”

At this point, the elder paused, then looked at his granddaughter with curiosity: ”So, can you now tell me what made you change your view of that land? Do you no longer resent what happened back then?”

”Gawain Cecil indeed is a person worthy of respect, and there are many things on that land worth learning from, besides...” Andresha weighed her words but still hesitated as she spoke the latter part. After much deliberation, she finally made up her mind, ”Furthermore, Father is still alive.”

Duke Ferdinand Wendell’s expression instantaneously froze, turning to stone as if paralyzed, remaining unresponsive for a good ten seconds before suddenly recalling how to breathe, taking a deep breath and widening his eyes to look at Andresha’s face: ”What did you say?! You said Bard...he’s still alive?”

”Yes, Father is still alive,” Andresha took a gentle breath, finally organizing her words. The latter part flowed more smoothly, ”He’s in Cecil.”

”He’s in Cecil?!” Duke Ferdinand opened his mouth wide, his heart filled with countless thoughts. His mind was more chaotic than ever, struggling hard to maintain the ability to think, ”Are you saying he was captured? Was he captured by the Anzu back then? Is he now a prisoner of the Cecil Clan? Or...”

”Calm down, Grandfather,” Andresha couldn’t help but step up and grab her grandfather’s arm. She didn’t expect this strong, calm, and dignified man, renowned throughout the Empire, to show such loss of composure. But she recalled her own chaotic state on the day she finally reunited with her father, realizing that her confusion had been no better than Duke Ferdinand’s now, ”I know what you’re thinking, but things are much more complicated than you imagine. Father was not captured by the Cecil Clan, nor was he captured by the Anzu back then. He...he experienced many things, and he no longer looks like the man you once knew, but he’s still a reliable and upright person.”

”He...” Duke Ferdinand opened his mouth. He thought of Andresha’s character, knowing that for her to speak so awkwardly on a matter, it could only mean it was unimaginably complex, ”What is he doing now?”

”He’s a researcher for the Cecil Empire.”

”A researcher? You mean the kind delving into books... a general, turned into a scholar?”

”Yes.”

”What is he researching?”

”I don’t quite understand, but it seems to be researching how to intercept some sort of...signal from afar. It’s not a secret there, but even in open discussions, few people manage to understand.”

”So has he become a very...high-level scholar?”

”It seems like it.”

”Ancestors of the family,” Duke Ferdinand couldn’t help but cover his forehead, ”What on earth...what on earth happened?”