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"Tinia?"

Cassius turned his head, spotting the white dragon that had entered the palace.

Tinia hurried over.

She lowered her head respectfully towards the red dragon, her voice soft as she followed the courtly etiquette she had learned. "Master, you have awoken... You have become even stronger."

Tinia's slit-pupil eyes were filled with adoration and fanaticism.

Cassius watched the white dragon in front of him, nodding in mild surprise.

He hadn't expected the task he assigned to Langpu to be handled so well. This unusually clever white dragon had managed to learn both language and basic court etiquette in just three years.

On the ground, Olivia barely opened her eyes, her voice weak as she sneered upon seeing the approaching white dragon:

"Tsk, to side with a 'white beast,' you really do reek like a true chromatic dragon."

Hearing these words, Tinia's raw nerve was struck. She spread her wings and arched her back, a snarl escaping her throat.

"Awoooo—"

"Master, let me tear this silver dragon apart!"

Just as Tinia lunged forward, Cassius grabbed her by the scruff, effortlessly pulling her back.

"Tinia, do not act rashly. This silver dragon is still of use to me."

"But master, why? This silver dragon disrespected you!

"Grr! Let me shred her!"

Even while being held by her scruff, the white dragon was thrashing her claws in the air, eager to tear the silver dragon to pieces.

Cassius sighed. It seemed that even with careful training, her true nature had not changed much.

It was time to rely on the old methods.

He casually threw Tinia to the ground, his voice cold as he commanded, "Obey my orders."

Tinia rolled several times before slowly climbing back up. She begrudgingly stood behind the red dragon, though her face bore a hint of satisfaction.

She still stared daggers at the silver dragon—if looks could kill, Olivia would have been executed countless times by now.

"Urgh..."

Olivia twisted her body again, wings slightly extending, trying to break free from the spell array.

But it was all in vain. The only result was several new charred wounds on her body.

Cassius looked down at her, his voice cold. "Silver dragon, stop this futile struggle. Unless your power reaches that of an ancient dragon, any resistance is pointless. Submission is your only shortcut."

"The kingdom needs spellcasters of your caliber. Instead of wasting your abilities on some meaningless crusade against evil, imagine using your magic to enhance productivity in those factories you've seen, allowing citizens to fill their bellies—that is what most people see as true justice."

"Of course, I care only for my own interests, but such a title seems to matter to you stiff metallic dragons."

He chuckled softly.

"But if you wish, perhaps after eight hundred years in this array, you'll manage to break free."

Thinking of her own century-long imprisonment, Tinia smirked, mocking from behind the red dragon, "Pathetic silver dragon, this is what happens when you defy our master. You'll never get out of here!"

She certainly had the air of a sycophant.

Under the spell array's greedy drain, Olivia's life force was now faint and fragile.

But her gaze remained unwavering, showing no sign of submission. It was unclear what still sustained the young silver dragon.

"No way..."

"You're delusional."

Cassius seemed unsurprised. He cast one last glance at her before turning away.

He left her with a single sentence:

"Then let's wait and see."

[Wagner's Dragon Binding Array] was a creation born of the lifelong obsession of the draconic fanatic, the black mage.

It was a cruel, insidious spell that greedily absorbed a dragon's vitality, converting it into mana.

It would drain the dragon's life force down to its lowest point but would never allow it to fully die.

Under the spell's influence, Olivia's body could not move, every muscle paralyzed, her entire form pressed tightly against the ground.

All of her actions were restricted by the array; the only thing she could do was think.

Tears once again fell from Olivia's eyes, sliding down her silver cheeks and dropping to the cold floor.

Olivia did not know how she had come to this point or how she had held on this long—even she was surprised by her strange resilience.

But now, she had reached the very brink of despair.

It was all too late.

Olivia couldn't help but think back to her argument with Cassius.

She replayed his words over and over, trying to find flaws in them, but to her astonishment, the red dragon might not have lied.

His perspective, while completely different from the education she'd grown up with, was internally consistent, as if it formed a self-contained system.

Within his words, she could only sense sincerity.

Yes, sincerity.

Olivia found herself surprised at the thought.

The red dragon seemed too proud to deceive her. He spoke without resorting to lofty ideals, without using cunning rhetoric or sweet talk, laying only the cold, hard truth bare before her.

And with just that, Olivia found herself lost for words.

"Maybe... maybe he's right."

Olivia often found herself thinking this, but she quickly dismissed the terrifying thought.

After all, she had witnessed the prosperity of Northwind Fortress. She knew well the bloody rule of the Lackman family and had seen the rebirth of the serfs. Yet she instinctively resisted acknowledging it all.

If Cassius was right—

Then what was Angel's death? A farce?

What of her risking her life to fulfill his dying wish? Was it all for nothing?

Olivia understood that if she admitted this, everything she believed in would collapse, and she herself would fall into the abyss of nihilism.

The "Ember King" was not as irredeemable as she had imagined.

He wasn't the typical, mindless brutal red dragon, nor a greedy tyrant. He was, in many ways, more rational than most of the Northland nobles she'd encountered. Every one of his actions had a reasonable explanation and motive.

The only flaw was his identity—a red dragon, traditionally the most evil of chromatics.

"No, perhaps he harbors an even greater ambition."

"Maybe he plans to plunge the entire continent into chaos, and I must stop him."

Olivia instinctively tried to shake her head, only to find her neck shackled, unable to move.

"But... perhaps I'm just finding an excuse? Assuming the worst out of bias."

"Angel, what should I do?"

Olivia let out a bitter smile, slowly closing her weary eyes.