The Black Dragon Miss Refuses to Be a Mount

If his son truly died in battle, then dying for the Empire would be the highest honor.

Wilfen knew his son was not someone who feared death. He only hoped his son would not regret his choice.

Compared to the iron-blooded general he had once been, Wilfen had grown somewhat sentimental.

PS: Air conditioning, watermelon, iced cola—being this well prepared naturally meant it was time to write~

Childhood Friends 010: The Days She Was Gone

Aidefalong was hit by another heavy snowfall. Residents gathered around the fireplaces in their homes, and the war was undoubtedly the topic they discussed most.

When nearly every Imperial citizen first heard the news, they could hardly believe it. How could those weak countries have the courage to wage war against the Empire?

Now, people were discussing how much water must have gotten into the heads of the rulers of the allied nations.

At the Duke's Mansion, Likaro, dressed in winter clothes, sat in the courtyard and watched the snowflakes whirl through the sky, her thoughts drifting back to the past.

After saying goodbye to Little Black Dragon, she often went to the forest to play with Guoguo, yet she always felt strangely empty inside.

She missed her Dragonkind friend dearly, but she had no idea how long it would be before Little Black Dragon came back to see her.

Although Ailolin had once said there was a way to contact Likaro, Likaro simply could not understand how it would work.

"Come have a cup of hot tea, my dear daughter."

Her mother beside her handed her a steaming cup of tea.

Doris Edafalon was Duke Wilfen's second wife and Likaro's biological mother.

"Thank you, Mother."

Likaro's mood brightened considerably. Her mother had finally returned some time ago. It turned out that on her way back, she had stopped by the Northern Frontier to visit Likaro's older brother, which was why she had been delayed for so long.

To make up for missing her daughter's birthday banquet, Doris had spent this time constantly keeping Likaro company. She had noticed that her daughter seemed somewhat different from before, as though something had been weighing on her mind.

She pulled Likaro into her arms and affectionately stroked her head. "If my good daughter has something on her mind, you must tell Mother, all right?"

"Mm."

Likaro usually told her mother everything, but Little Black Dragon was the one exception. Likaro regarded it as a secret and had no intention of telling anyone.

Now that her father had gone to the Imperial City for a meeting, Likaro felt this was the perfect opportunity to fulfill her previous wish.

So she kept rubbing against her mother and pleaded in a soft voice, "Mother~ I want to learn swordsmanship~"

Doris had long expected Likaro to ask her, but her answer was still no.

It was for her daughter's future. Although forbidding her interest was somewhat cruel, her daughter's body was truly better suited for magic. If she learned swordsmanship, even if she succeeded, she would have to work many times harder than she would in magic.

Doris did not want her daughter to suffer too much.

"Wah, but I really want to learn!" Tears welled up at the corners of Likaro's eyes as she looked pitifully at her mother.

"I already said no. Your father does not agree to let you learn swordsmanship."

"Why?! My brothers can learn it!"

"Because your two brothers are boys."

"That's prejudice!"

Likaro spoke loudly, but even while throwing a tantrum, she would never truly argue with the mother she respected.

Doris felt somewhat troubled. Her daughter had persisted in wanting to learn swordsmanship for so long, yet realistically speaking, her daughter's special constitution was practically made for becoming a mage.

That was the constitution of the Magic Spring. Such excellent talent, yet her daughter did not care for it. It really was...

"My dear Likaro, how about this?" Doris stroked Likaro's head. "When spring arrives, I'll hire a swordsmanship instructor for you. How does that sound?"

"Eh... Ehhhhh!? Really?!" Likaro was overjoyed. She could hardly believe her mother had agreed.

"Of course. And I'll find a way to persuade your father as well."

Unable to contain her excitement at this tremendous surprise, Likaro threw herself onto her mother and rubbed against her. "I love you the most, Mother!"

Doris secretly sighed. With her daughter's stubborn temperament, even if she kept forbidding her from learning swordsmanship, Likaro would not go learn magic.

Doris's plan now was to hire an extremely strict swordsmanship instructor. That way, Likaro would be unable to endure the grueling training and would give up on her own.

In Doris's eyes, Likaro's dream of becoming a knight was nothing more than a beautiful yearning inspired by adventure novels, something that simply did not fit reality.

Once her daughter discovered the difference between dreams and reality, her passion would naturally fade away.

Doris could never have imagined that Likaro's dream was no longer merely to become a knight. She now fantasized about becoming something that might not even exist.

After receiving her mother's promise, Likaro began looking forward to spring. Yet as she watched the snow drift through the sky, she still missed Little Black Dragon.

What was Little Black Dragon doing now? Had she grown bigger? Had she made any new friends?

The snow gradually stopped, and the sky cleared once more. Likaro stood up and decided to go to the forest to play with Guoguo.

If Little Black Dragon came back, she might happen to run into her.

"Where are you going to play this time?" Doris asked.

"Just in the city, to play games with my friends~"

Although that was what she said, Likaro rarely spent time playing with the children in the city anymore. Most of the time, she went to the forest, either to play with Guoguo or to stay alone in the place where she had once spent time with Little Black Dragon.

Likaro had grown used to the forest's quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Even though Little Black Dragon was no longer there, she still felt comfortable and relaxed there. The noisy city could never compare.

"Don't forget to come home before dark," Doris reminded her.

"Don't worry, Mother!"

After leaving home, Likaro ran straight to the market in the city. She used her allowance to buy lots of fruit for Guoguo. Since merchants had brought those fruits from elsewhere, they were things that absolutely could not be found in the forest.

As a wolf who only liked eating fruit, Guoguo absolutely loved all kinds of fruit sold in Aidefalong City.

After the snow stopped, the road leading to the forest was still covered in thick snow. Likaro's boots left little footprints behind, but strangely enough, not long after she passed through, the prints immediately vanished, and the snow-covered ground became perfectly smooth again.

"Guoguo, are you here?"

Likaro called loudly through the forest. All the beasts in the forest were her friends, so even if she shouted casually, she would not be in danger.

Very soon, a sturdy white wolf suddenly appeared and pounced on Likaro, then rubbed against her body.

"Wow, Guoguo, you've grown so quickly too."

The snow had fallen continuously for a long time, so Likaro had not seen Guoguo for a while. Now, she found that Guoguo had grown another size larger.

Likaro took out the fruit she had bought in the city from her backpack. Guoguo let out a howl at the sight of it, then happily began enjoying the fruit.

"Hehe, such a good girl~"

Likaro stroked Guoguo's thick fur, then pressed her face against it, feeling wonderfully warm.

It had already been over a month since Little Black Dragon left. When would she come back again?

And how exactly would she notify her after returning...?

Childhood Friends: These Two Chapters Were Unreasonable! Revised! Four Updates!

After thinking it over, I increasingly felt that this plot was far too unreasonable and stupid. Keeping it would definitely become a flaw, so I have deleted these two chapters and rewritten them!

Thank you all for your understanding. I will remove some related content as well! In any case, I am also quite dissatisfied with this plot!

The updates will naturally be made up for, so around midnight, when you should all be asleep, I will release the revised chapters that are more reasonable and no longer so absurd.

Today's and tomorrow's updates will still be released as usual. Thank you, everyone!

Childhood Friends 011: Diplomatic Failure

[Revised. I used a little hammer to make you lose your memories, so forget what you saw before.]

The Imperial ambassador had returned to the Imperial City and met Emperor Pete in the palace. With an unpleasant expression, he truthfully reported the situation to Pete.

Not only were the rulers of the Five-Nation Alliance unwilling to agree to a ceasefire, they had also asked the ambassador to relay a message to Emperor Pete—the Silver Eagle Empire would inevitably perish.

Without a doubt, diplomatic efforts had failed.

Rage flared in Emperor Pete's heart. Since the Empire had been founded, no country had ever dared to challenge it.

Did they think five countries joining forces meant they could defeat the Empire? What a foolish dream.

Pete convened another nobles' council. This time, there was nothing left to discuss. Since the Five-Nation Alliance had taken the initiative in starting the war, the Empire would naturally fight to the end.

They now needed to choose a marshal from among the military commanders. Who would be the most suitable?

Pete found it difficult to decide. Many of the Empire's old generals possessed abundant combat experience, but considering the frigid climate and harsh conditions of the Northern Frontier, he was concerned about their health.

The younger generals, meanwhile, could not shoulder such a heavy responsibility. This war would not be small in scale, and with their lack of experience, they might be unable to deal with certain problems.

Therefore, they could only select a marshal from among the middle-aged generals. Many of them had become generals shortly before the Empire was founded. Though they had not participated in the entire war from beginning to end, they had fought in many battles.

Choosing a marshal had nothing to do with the nobles, because Imperial law did not permit noble titles and military posts to coexist. However, the noble lords were still qualified to take part in the discussion over selecting a marshal.

"Your Majesty, how about letting me go?"

Falon, who had remained silent all this time, spoke up. He was the commander of the Imperial Guard Legion, utterly loyal in his protection of the Imperial City and the Imperial royal family, but he was also already quite old.

Emperor Pete greatly respected Falon. Falon had saved his life more than once, and they were brothers who had faced life and death together on the battlefield. Pete looked at Falon and smiled. "My old friend, you are about the same age as I am. Besides, you still need to command the Imperial Guard Legion. I cannot send you."

"That is not a problem. I can hand over command of the Imperial Guard Legion at any time." Falon dropped to one knee and said to Pete with utmost sincerity, "Your Majesty, I am already old and do not have many years left to live. If I can earn merit for the Empire once more in my twilight years, it would be the highest honor."

"Falon, you followed me into battle when you were young, and now you do not even have an heir. If something happens to you on the battlefield..."

"Ha, doesn't that just mean I have nothing to worry about?"

Falon was determined to become the marshal for this war. Following his lead, many of the Empire's old generals began volunteering themselves for the position as well, because none of them were willing to admit they were old.

This made Pete somewhat undecided, so he looked toward Wilfen. Whenever there had been something he could not resolve in the past, Wilfen had always been able to think of a solution that satisfied him.

"Your Majesty, I have an idea."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Wilfen looked at Falon and the other old generals, then gave them a noble's salute.

Falon smiled. "We are all old friends. Forget these formalities."

The other old generals laughed as well. They had all been Wilfen's comrades-in-arms. Wilfen had merely resigned from his position as a general after the war ended. In truth, they still shared the same bond of soldiers as before.

"Ahem." Wilfen cleared his throat. "The Empire's enemy is the Five-Nation Alliance. That means if we counterattack, we will have to fight on five fronts. Why not split the legions apart and send the old generals to different battlefronts?"

Wilfen added, "And I suggest that every general present who does not currently have combat duties should go to the front lines, especially the younger generals. This is a rare and valuable opportunity for you."

Upon hearing Wilfen's words, the younger generals were all delighted. They had become high-ranking commanders in the Imperial army at such young ages, so they were naturally capable people. They simply lacked the opportunity to prove themselves, and due to their insufficient seniority, they had not been in a position to fight for an opportunity earlier.

According to Wilfen's plan, they would not only have the chance to earn military merit, but they would also gain plenty of real combat experience. After all, during peacetime, not just anyone could join the Wilderness Legion, the only legion where one could earn military achievements.

The old generals naturally understood Wilfen's intentions as well. Wilfen was cultivating the Empire's next generation of generals, which made those who had just been competing to go to the front feel somewhat embarrassed.

It would be better to leave such opportunities to the younger generation.

After listening to the discussion for so long, Emperor Pete finally made his decision. "The Empire has been at peace for too long. It truly should experience another war, lest the bloodlust of Imperial citizens fade away."

This war had instead become beneficial to the Empire. In everyone's eyes, the Five-Nation Alliance's army was merely here to serve as training for the Empire's troops. Whether in numbers, equipment, or training standards, the Imperial legions utterly crushed them.

The Northern Frontier Legion alone could now easily defeat the invading enemies, not to mention that the Empire possessed more than ten large legions.

Emperor Pete announced, "Tomorrow, we will hold a war council and assign posts to each of you generals. As for the dukes and counts, return to your respective territories tomorrow. It has been a long time since everyone gathered together, so tonight, I will hold a grand banquet in the palace."

After the nobles' council ended, Emperor Pete had them return to their temporary residences first, then instructed people to prepare the banquet.

The last time so many people had gathered together like this had been at the victory banquet after the Empire was founded...

Thinking back on his younger days, Pete could not help feeling sentimental. His life had been truly fantastical. When he was young, he could never have imagined that he would become an emperor standing above all others.

Pete's original intention in founding the Empire had not been power or fame. He had merely wanted to end the chaotic era of that time. This was also why the Empire had not continued expanding. He had no ambition to unify the continent, because he understood the preciousness of peace better than anyone.

Why had the rulers of the five nations started this war? Pete had been personally acquainted with them. Although he knew those people would abandon principles for profit, even if they exhausted the strength of their entire countries, they could not defeat the Empire.

And when he thought of the message the ambassador had brought back, Pete felt even more puzzled. They had actually dared to threaten that the Empire would inevitably perish. Who had given them such courage?

However, although the Empire was powerful, Pete would not let down his guard. The enemy nations' abnormal behavior only made him more vigilant.

Could it be that they possessed something capable of changing the course of the war?

That possibility was not unlikely. Pete decided to first have the Imperial Guard Legion in the Imperial City strengthen its defenses, while the court mages set up detection and defensive barriers throughout the palace to prevent assassins and the like from infiltrating.