The dragon's harem

After Mira and her crew passed, Arad immediately arrived at that part of the forest and searched the whole place, but he still found nothing. There were traces that someone powerful was here, but he couldn’t tell if it belonged to Poppy or to anyone else.

It was quite scary to know that there was someone out in the world who could hide from his powerful draconic senses. Arad had even looked through Mira’s thoughts as she remembered what she saw in the forest, and there it was, Poppy. She didn’t mistake her for someone else. Poppy was there, not that far away from the capital.

Back in the castle, Arad and his wives inspected the monsters Mira’s crew killed, and he had a lot of things to find and say about them. Merlin was positive that those monsters were made from humans, and Doma confirmed the presence of a powerful curse; even his mother, Violet, shivered when looking at the abhorrent beasts and said that they were created from dark magic that was long forgotten by mortals.

Just that alone was enough to classify Poppy as an S+ class disaster. She was probably on the same level of power as young Doma or the current Eris if she wasn’t divine. There was even suspicion that she might’ve come into contact with something abominable, and when they brought Amaterasu to inspect the monster, she confirmed it as well.

In fact, this was the first time Arad saw Amaterasu looking so troubled by something.

“The fact that she didn’t burn in the sun is troubling. Those monsters are also quite advanced, even if they are just prototypes for something bigger.” Amaterasu looked at Arad with a worried face. “But what worries me the most is the abominable magic; I know it well.”

Violet frowned. “Don’t tell me it’s that bastard. They didn’t call him a womanizer for nothing.” She growled, but then sighed. “No, that doesn’t make sense. It isn’t possible.”

“I don’t think Cain had a relationship with her. She was most likely infected by his madness. At this rate, she’ll become an Abominable Chimera like he was at his prime.” She pointed at the monsters’ corpses. “Look, tens of pairs of hands, yet not a single brain inside the corpses. I bet she is collecting the brains of her victims and building her own network.”

“Weren’t we just dealing with a Pricolici like me?” Arad sighed, and Amaterasu shook her head. “That might be just the base of her current power. An Abominable Chimera has mainly mental powers, so physically you’ll be fighting a Pricolici, but you’ll also have to deal with a wave of psychic damage.”

Amaterasu wiped her hands clean and then went back to her church. Arad and his wives were left alone with the monster corpses, wondering how they would deal with such a threat. In the meantime, Alcott and Pollo arrived at the forest to search for Poppy using their powerful senses. Even though Arad should’ve been better than them, the two knew Poppy far better and might be able to notice a few things that he’ll miss.

Their search would take a while, so Arad didn’t expect any quick reply and instead focused on bolstering the capital’s defenses by spreading his vampires all over the walls and outskirts to act as guards.

When Mira and her crew reached the bridge at last, they were surprised to find Gamond waiting for them there. “Arad asked me to keep you safe. Just in case.” She waved her hand to them as the carriage stopped, and then looked down at the capital.

“Don’t worry, even if the mortal world banded together, they won’t take me down.” While those words sounded like a boast, they weren’t. Gamond had already destroyed her entire work on her own and proved herself to be a world power.

Mira walked out of the carriage and looked at her with a smile. “That is reassuring, but please don’t push yourself too much.”

Gamond laughed. “I thought you’d be against it. You’re a demigoddess now and are far stronger than most common monsters.” She walked toward her, then gave her one sharp glare. “I’m glad that power isn’t getting into your head.”

Mira giggled, “Even so, my life isn’t only my own anymore. I can’t take it lightly. That is why I’m counting on you.” She tapped her belly, then looked at the bridge. “Roana, time to get to work.”

As Mira, Roana, and Alicia started measuring and gathering information about the old bridge and the location, the others rested by the carriage and waited for them to finish. There wasn’t that much for them to do, so all they could do was talk and pass the time.

Camilla was surprised to find out that Gamond isn’t just a regular, powerful White Drakaina, but an Elder Drakaina. She knew that dragons could get as powerful as a great wyrm, but she never heard of the stage above it. What scared her the most was learning about Gamond’s Elemental Expansion, which is powerful enough to plunge the entire world into an ice age.

Learning about Gamond’s power, Camilla came to understand that most of Arad’s wives aren’t just powerful in the common sense, but are untouchable beings with so much power that mere mortal can’t fathom their existence. But that also called into question Arad’s power.

Gamond was happy to explain just how powerful Arad is to Camilla, but she looked sad talking about it. Due to her and all of his wives, Arad now has a glaring weakness that he can’t just fix. In fact, it might be more than just a weakness, but a deadly disability that is holding him down.

In Gamond’s eyes, that weakness is none other than his wives and this empire that he built; those are Arad Orion’s only weakness and shackles. He has things to lose, while his enemies don’t.

If not for his wives, Arad might’ve already consumed enough souls and power to evolve. If not for the empire, Arad would’ve already left the mortal world in search of more power. Even if he got drafted into the war, that would’ve only meant him getting a buffet of abominations to feast on.

This was precisely the problem now. Poppy won’t stand a chance in a direct fight against Arad himself, even if she were a psychic monster, as Amaterasu predicts. But if she were to target Arad’s empire, his only weakness, she has a good chance of causing a lot of damage.

As they talked, Mira approached them. “We’re almost done with the measuring. The bridge is just as we expected, but the gap is a bit bigger than was documented. According to Roana, the bridge she designed won’t work at this distance, and while it’ll still allow people and horses to pass, even loaded carriages, she isn’t certain it’ll withstand the violent wind.”

“Just enchant then.” Gamond replied, and Mira shook her head. “The point is not to use magic. Roana said that to make sure the bridge is safe, she needs it to be able to withstand at least three times the worst expected load.”

Gamond shrugged. “You don’t want to use magic in a world ruled by magic. That is like trying to build a road without using the ground. A bit stupid, but might have its place.” She threw a glance at Roana. “So, if she can pull it off, then it’ll be pretty impressive. The ability to go against the very nature of the world and build something that defies logic.”

Mira nodded. “I know, but it’ll be a lot of work.” She looked at the city below. “But once it is done, we can fully utilize the mines and get ourselves a steady supply of minerals.”

Mira and Gamond kept talking while Camilla looked around with Matilda and Selina, and they noticed something strange. Not a single monster dared get close, and the flying ones were changing direction hundreds of meters before getting anywhere close.

“It is amazing, isn’t it?” Matilda looked at Camilla. “Those monsters can sense Gamond’s presence and are avoiding her. No regular beast is stupid enough to dare approach a drakaina of her power.” She then pointed at the guards. “See how relaxed they are? They know that they are safe the moment Gamond shows up, so you can relax as well.”

Camilla, on the other hand, didn’t agree. “Weren’t they talking about this terrifying little girl? If I were her, I would attack now when no one is expecting.” She walked to the edge and looked down at the capital.

“Weak and mindless monsters would get scared and never approach. Powerful monsters would know it is not worth their lives, so they’ll also stay away…” Camilla pulled her sword to be ready at all times. “But a weak and intelligent monster would plan an attack. They are just weak enough not to realize the futility of their ambitions, and smart enough to plan an attack.”

BAM! A second later, something flashed past them and pierced right through Selina’s head, splattering her brain across the cold stones.