Chapter 150: Shroud’s Speebsp;

  Bosk Duchy, Strafburg.

  Cassius gently pushed open the hidden door in the wall, stepping into the hall.

  The attendees of the Are Hermitage meeting had not all arrived yet, but the room was already abuzz with discussion. Most faces were shadowed with dread—fear of the uain future.

  The members of the Aa chapter were primarily northern nobles aced to lives of opulence. Yet now, the shadow of the Red Dragon loomed over the entire Northern Lands, leaving the duchies teetering on the brink. They feared the fmes of war reag their own homes, stripping them of their atus.

  Seeing Cassius’s arrival, a tall noblewoman was the first to greet him.

  "Good day, Mr. Ember."

  "Good day, Lady Tulip. You remain as beautiful and captivating as ever."

  Cassius responded politely.

  Not only she but several others approached him for versation, some even attempting fttery.

  During the previous Are Hermitage, Cassius’s generosity had caught the attention of many. Specution about his identity had run rampant, with the most accepted theory being that "Ember" was the illegitimate son of a southern Fadn Empire noble seeking to expand his family’s influen Aa.

  Yet, beh her elegaerior, the noblewoman’s eyes betrayed a hint of worry.

  Cassius feigned ignorand asked, "Lady Tulip, is something troubling you?"

  Lady Tulip sighed and replied, "It’s not just me. Everyone here ments the fall of the La Duchy."

  "That vile dragon is too terrifying, too brutal. It’s said he trampled upon the sacred traditions of the Northern Lands and cruelly killed many nobles of high lihey say the cil square was stained red with blood that day."

  "Indeed, it’s truly horrifying."

  Cassius nodded slightly, following her lead in the versation.

  Another member chimed in, "The dragon’s brutal rule will surely be overthrown. The righteous will rise up."

  "He dared to pce the noble Northern nobles on equal footing with the on rabble, with those gray-skinned beasts. It’s preposterous!"

  "This is a plete disruption of the Northern order!"

  "Yes, that dragon will face retribution!"

  "The Tellich family has already hired adveo sy that dragon!"

  "If war es, the Duchy of Fano will fight to the death! We will never let our nd fall to monsters!"

  Cassius listeo these impassioned remarks, mentally noting their words, as well as the families and nations of those who spoke.

  "All this uproar over a few dozen heads. Northern nobles sure know how to overreact."

  "No matter, we’ll take it oep at a time."

  "They’ll adapt eventually."

  Cassius made up his mind.

  None of these nobles suspected that their casual threats would bring their families to ruin i-so-distant future.

  Amid the crowd's attention, Olivia "Silver Star" ehe hall once more.

  "Good day, Miss Starlight."

  Cassius took the initiative to greet her.

  She did not reply aloud, but her voice came through a message spell, clear and melodious.

  "I asked my grandfather, and he said gold dragons dislike Aa due to its sparse magical resources. Other than an adult female gold dragon, there’s only a young male gold dragon residiemporarily. If I’m not mistaken, your name is Angel, son of Castro the A Gold Dragon, correct?"

  Olivia raised an eyebrow at him, her expression filled with a knowing and triumphant air, as if she had uncovered a great secret.

  Cassius was momentarily stunned before letting out a helpless chuckle.

  He hadn’t expected this self-satisfied silver dragon to fabricate and plete his cover story for him, saving him the trouble of crafting a fake identity.

  her affirming nor denying her cim, he respohrough the same spell.

  "Miss Starlight, prying into a member’s identity is against the rules of the Are Hermitage. As the head of the Aa chapter, are you setting a pret for breaking the rules?"

  "You started it."

  "I didn’t actively search; I merely overheard rumors. There’s a fual difference."

  "Hmph, pretentious gold dragon."

  The grand, opulent hall remained unged, with its massive round table at the ter.

  The members of the Are Hermitage took their seats one by one.

  "Now that everyone has arrived..."

  Olivia prepared to proceed with the usual meeting agenda, but someoerrupted her, speaking out first.

  Her brows furrowed slightly, but she politely nodded, signaling for the person to tinue.

  "Pardon my rudeness, Miss Starlight."

  "I mean no disrespe disrupting the proceedings, but I believe there’s a more pressing matter that demands our attention. It aligns with Master Trafarallon's principle: 'Unite against evil when necessary.'"

  The speaker was her than "Grey Hawk" Shroud.

  His face was etched with lines of exhaustion and worry, appearing twenty years older than before. His grave demeanor seemed shrouded in gloom, and his voice carried deep sorrow.

  "Given the circumstances, I will no longer ceal my identity."

  "I was once a court mage of the La Duchy, a noble of high northern lineage. But now, I am nothing more than a wandering exile."

  Upon hearing his words, the attendees, regardless of their true feelings, feigned sympathy a.

  Shroud’s voice grew hoarse as he tinued.

  "I withat Red Dragoroy our coalition, raze our cities, and I owerless to stop him."

  "Now, that Red Dragon has obliterated the nation I once served, cruelly oppressing my people and mercilessly sughtering the duchy’s nobles."

  The attendees listened in somber silence, some even shedding tears over his plight.

  Olivia frowned slightly at his words.

  She softly interjected, "But acc to my iigation, Duke Brad was indeed a vampire, and the Ember Kingdom hasn’t itted mass atrocities against the people. Your cims seem a bit—"

  Before she could finish, Shroud interrupted her with a vehement outburst.

  "Miss Starlight, you are too kind and naive! By the gods, we’re talking about a Red Dragon—an embodiment of evil and cruelty! How you foolishly believe the lies of a Red Dragon?"

  "A vampire? Utter she true parasite sug the lifeblood of the Northern Lands is that dragon!"

  "And who knows what disasters this dragon will unleash iure? Today, he sughters omorrow, he’ll devour eies, eveire human popution of the Northern Lands!"

  "I—"

  Olivia tried to rebut, expining her information came from spell-based imagery rather than Ember Kingdanda.

  But Shroud ignored her protests, tinuing his impassioned speech without pause, leaving no room for terargument.

  Shroud reached the climax of his speech, standing as he cast a sorrowful gaze upon the room.

  "Ladies alemen, the La Duchy, with its 400-year history, has already falle, it will be the Duchy of Nort. And after that?"

  "If we do not resist now, the o be sughtered by the dragon may be you!"

  FAL