Grand Duke Barrogel stood at the edge of the terrace. The towering mountain peaks to the north were wrapped in hazy clouds and drifting snow, forming a painting in which all boundaries seemed blurred. Within such a vast landscape, even the stone-built terrace seemed to merge faintly with the sky, as though one step forward would let him blend into the boundless scenery.
A calm, powerful voice came from behind the terrace. "Grand Duke, the handover with the Dragonblood Council has been completed."
Barrogel, ruler of the Holy Dragon Duchy, withdrew his gaze from the distance and turned to give Sir Golosh Hickel, who had just stepped onto the terrace, a slight nod. "Mm. You've worked hard."
"Has the final moment arrived?" Sir Golosh Hickel, tall and heavily bearded, looked at the Dragonblood Grand Duke before him with an indescribably complicated expression. "Are you leaving?"
"The final moment is near. I must reach the battlefield before then." Grand Duke Barrogel's voice was as deep as the mountains. "I have always heard two voices echoing in my mind at once. One of them has begun to weaken... It is time to leave. I have missed this Coming of Age Ceremony for far too long."
Sir Golosh Hickel fell silent for two seconds, then lowered his head. "...This is your mission."
Grand Duke Barrogel nodded. For a while, he said nothing more. Only the howling cold wind blew over the mountaintop, carrying grains of snow from afar. After an unknown length of time, the Dragonblood Grand Duke suddenly broke the silence. "More and more young dragonkin are leaving the mountains to seek adventure in the human kingdoms of the south..."
"The new world holds great appeal, and besides... the instinct to fly is ultimately etched deep into every dragonkin's soul. It cannot