He stifled a laugh, the golden cross on his chest bouncing with his mirth. The insignia had a snake and an apple pierced by a crossed blade and a spear. He didn’t even try to hide the symbol that represented the death of the gods. Jill felt a bead of cold sweat roll down her back.
“If their plan was to steal the Sacred Spear and weaken the queen’s standing, it’s a decent scheme,” Canis said. “But if their aim is to kill her, then they’re being far too reckless. From an academic standpoint, should the queen be killed, I’m genuinely curious about what the Goddess would do as she searches for a new vessel. But if I think about the future that’ll go from there, I cannot let them do as they please.”
“For example, would Prince Gerald be unable to wield the Parrying Dagger?” Jill asked. Her question was meant to be a trick to gauge just how much Canis knew about the situation.
He looked disappointed. “Or the Kratos royal family would be completely destroyed.”
“That sounds like a bit of an exaggeration.”
“There’s an old rumor that the Kratos royal family can only give birth to more children through the union of siblings.” Jill gulped as Canis shrugged. “Or the Moechia faction has a very active imagination.”
“People can imagine stuff as they please, but that’s far too insolent!”
“Insolence? How funny of you to say that to us.”
Canis chuckled, and Jill found herself unable to refute. She leaned back, straightened her posture, and took some deep breaths. Calm down. They’re the type of people who mix truths with lies. I can’t take anything they say at face value. As more cake was brought in, Canis coolly pushed the plate of treats toward Jill before he brought his cup of tea to his lips and took a sip.
“I can understand their point of view,” Canis said. “The vessel of the Goddess has constantly used the king of Kratos as her shield as she irresponsibly gives others her benevolence while she plays the victim. And now, she shamelessly calls herself the queen—I can see why the other faction couldn’t sit still anymore. But if you ask us, they’re late to the game. For many, many years now, we’ve been enduring a rule under two monsters: the Dragon God and Dragon Emperor.”
“I’m surprised that you’ve shown so much hospitality to me,” Jill replied. She chose her words carefully, ensuring that she wouldn’t be swayed.
Canis clutched the cross by his chest. “The Dragon Consort is the shield of the Dragon Emperor. You’re a victim who fails to realize it. We believe we can have peaceful discussions with you—we aren’t your enemy, Lady Jill. We just want independence from the gods.”
Jill frowned as Canis averted his gaze to the ground.
“The power of the Dragon God allows us to soar through the skies, while praying to the Goddess nourishes the land. But long ago, humans had tools to fly through the air and the wisdom to make the land rich with nutrients. They were just humans with no magical energy whatsoever.”
“That mindset still exists,” Jill said. “People try their best to harvest fruits and grains in Rave. And in Kratos, people fly through the air with magical energy.”
“Only a select few who’ve satisfied the standards for the Dragon God and Goddess are given that luxury. In Rave, any logic that goes against the Dragon God is rewritten, and in Kratos, children without love aren’t given any magical energy.”
Jill had, in fact, seen the former claim with her own very eyes. The wisdom that humans had accumulated to control dragons for many years was wiped clean and nullified in a flash by Rave. She wanted to claim that the Dragon God’s actions were right to protect the dragons, but she couldn’t speak for the researchers who’d spent perhaps centuries looking into dragons.
The latter of Canis’s claims made Jill think of her former adjutant. In Kratos, those who weren’t born with ample magical energy had depressingly few choices in the future. First and foremost, they were taught that humans without magical energy were utterly useless. That cunning raccoon adjutant likely went through his fair share of unnecessary struggles and troubles, even being vastly underestimated at times, simply because he lacked magical energy.
“I’m sure that your family wouldn’t have seen the other nation as their enemy had they not been threatened by the Goddess’s rewards,” Canis said. “In fact, the very notion of enemies may not have existed at all. The continent was split into two only because it served the needs of the deities. The gods sowed the seeds of discourse and strife to have humans fight against one another.”
“So, you want Platy to be freed from the shackles of gods and become one?” Jill asked.
Jill had heard that this ideology had gained popularity long ago and led to a large political movement. To this day, it was quite popular to graffiti these notions in alleys.
“Precisely,” Canis said. “We cannot be exploited by the Goddess and Dragon God anymore. Humans should escape the rule of deities. You, and the queen and the Dragon Emperor, who serve as the vessels of the deities, are all equal victims.”
Jill’s mind raced to Hadis in her former timeline as he vowed to burn everything in his path.
“You are the Dragon Consort,” Canis said. “You love the Dragon Emperor as a person.”
Jill clenched her fists atop her knees.
“Have you never pitied the Dragon Emperor?” Canis asked. “Don’t you want to free him from his heavy burden?”