Nolan had no idea Sellen was reflecting on the unspoken understanding between master and apprentice. He simply wanted her to get some proper rest after her exhausting journey.
After lunch, Nolan personally escorted Sellen back to her room and carefully reminded her to rest well and recover her strength.
He was in an excellent mood, walking lightly through the corridor and smiling with a nod at the maids and knights who passed by.
Just thinking about what this campaign might bring made Nolan feel even better. The happiness of reuniting with his teacher let him forget, for a moment, the gloom and anxiety brought by war.
The castle in Stormveil's inner city stood near the northern wall. Since this area had not been the main battlefield between the Flame Bearers and the Redmane Army, it had not suffered much damage.
On the towering city walls, massive lazy dragons could be seen dozing in leisure. At this moment, they no longer seemed like weapons of war that had once swept across the skies.
On the battlefield, Borealis had displayed both his power and his loyalty to Nolan by biting through Ekzykes's neck, then flying a circle through the sky with its head in his jaws.
The sight had stunned everyone present, especially the great flock of dragons.
Awed by Borealis's ferocity, they had lowered their heads one after another, showing reverence and submission.
At that moment, Borealis had been like the new king of a lion pride on the grasslands. Under the law of the strong devouring the weak, he had defeated the old lion king and naturally become the leader, receiving the worship of the whole pride.
Thanks to the grand promises Nolan had made to Borealis, those Flying Dragons quickly completed their transformation from prisoners of war into warriors.
And since Borealis had always insisted that Nolan was a true dragon, even though most of the Flying Dragons still had their doubts, they chose to believe it under the threat of icy dragon breath.
Thus, with Borealis taking the lead, the Flying Dragons of Caelid, headed by "Grandmother of Dragons" Greyoll, chose to submit.
That ancient Flying Dragon was simply too old. Even with a body as vast as a mountain range and power enough to shake the earth, it could barely move.
And so it and its descendants had no other choice but to bow their heads to Nolan, the new "Lord of the Flying Dragons" who had slain Bayle and Radahn.
Overwhelming force stripped them of the right to choose, while their identity as dragons gave them a reason to lower their proud heads.
Submitting to a human was shameful, but if the one they submitted to was a dragon, then it seemed a little less humiliating. Such was the strange pride of the Flying Dragons.
Glintstone lamps set into the stone walls cast a bright light, illuminating every corner inside.
Through the windows, Storm Hawks could occasionally be seen flying past outside. They would glance curiously inside, as if observing the movements within.
The Storm Hawks only paused briefly before beating their wings and soaring away again, continuing their patrols like loyal hounds.
The Flame Bearers had not lowered their guard just because they had defeated the Redmane Army. After all, even the Golden Prince Godwyn had died by assassination.
With the situation looking so promising, they certainly did not want their leader to have his throat cut at his most relaxed, such as when creating a Demigod, or to go for a night walk and end up skewered like a hedgehog by Black-Key Bolts.
Lansseax stood guard at the Minister of Finance's door, her tail wagging and her face bright with a radiant smile.
She held a thin stack of approvals in her arms. It did not look heavy, but in truth, its weight was surely considerable.
Seeing Nolan approach, Lansseax greeted him with a smile.
"Miss Witch is back, and somehow His Majesty still has time to inspect our work today!"
"Rest assured, Your Majesty! With these runes, I'll build your church in every town across the Weeping Peninsula and Caelid!"
As she spoke, Lansseax leaned against Nolan. Once her stone-hard dragon scales were withdrawn, her body became exceptionally soft.
Lansseax lifted her head and met Nolan's eyes, her breath brushing gently against his face as she spoke.
Unlike the reeking, blood-and-fish stink that filled the mouths of the Flying Dragons, Lansseax's breath carried a faint, pleasant fragrance.
Faced with Lansseax's enthusiasm, Nolan merely put an arm around her and smiled. "You can decide that yourself. I don't know anything about preaching."
Nolan lowered his head and met Lansseax's gaze. There was no need for him to pretend otherwise. Send him to kill someone, and he could manage that. Persuading people was another matter.
This female dragon, however, was entirely different.
Lansseax had served as an Ancient Dragon Priest for hundreds of years. When it came to stirring people's hearts, she had plenty of experience, and no shortage of knights and heroes had been willing to die for her.
Lansseax gazed into Nolan's eyes. Her gaze paused slightly, but she quickly returned to normal and smiled.
"Speaking of preaching, there is another important matter I need to report to His Majesty Nolan." Lansseax's voice grew even more charming.
"Just say it. You don't need to beat around the bush with me, do you?" Nolan blinked, then smiled at her as well.
Lansseax nodded and continued, "Miss Irina has become a Fire Keeper."
"Oh?" Nolan raised an eyebrow slightly, apparently not surprised. "So she really did have the aptitude."
"That's right, and her aptitude is excellent. But that is not the point." Lansseax frowned, her expression turning serious.
"There is an organization on the Weeping Peninsula called the Cult of Frenzied Flame competing with us for followers. From Miss Irina's description, they should be followers of the Three Fingers. They are brainwashing local villagers into becoming believers."
"There are traces of them in Limgrave and other parts of Caelid as well, especially in places that have suffered through war. Some say that worshiping their god allows people to escape pain and return to the embrace of their god."
Return to the embrace of their god? Was that not just the unity of all things preached by the Three Fingers?
"What a bunch of fools who never learn. They only know how to cause trouble." Nolan instinctively raised his hand and brushed his silver-white hair.
If there was one faith he disliked most, it was undoubtedly the Frenzied Flame of the Three Fingers.
"What does Your Majesty plan to do?" Lansseax asked curiously.
Although the Cult of the Flame was the mainstream faith in Nolan's territory, this newly risen Dynasty had never claimed to reject other faiths. Other beliefs were still permitted to exist.
"Eradicate them all, of course," Nolan said. "At the same time, issue a decree forbidding the worship of the Frenzied Flame within our territory. I'll leave the specific legal articles to you."
With that, Nolan turned to look at a figure inside the room behind Lansseax.
There, Goddess Trina sat upright at the desk, the pen in her hand flying across the paper as if she were completely absorbed in her work.
She was the financial officer, the administrative officer, and also served as the judicial officer.
The little goddess, who held several posts at once, was usually very proud of herself. Even Messmer the military officer, Lansseax the diplomat, and Sellen the magic professor were pushed down a notch by her, making her look every bit like the Flame Bearers' standing deputy Lord.
After listening in for quite some time, Trina straightened her small body and gave two soft hums. "Nolan, you know what you're supposed to do tonight, don't you?"
"I'm afraid tonight won't work. I promised Teacher I would go see her." Nolan shook his head. "We'll talk about it another day."
"How can you do that? Tonight was supposed to be my turn." Trina immediately became unhappy.
Her little arms and legs began to fidget restlessly, clearly ready to make a fuss unless she was coaxed properly.