Chapter 11
The Blue Dragon Knights were the only organization that had existed on the continent for over five hundred years.
Ever since the Black Dragon descended into this world…
They had served the Black Dragon and protected peace across the entire continent.
The oldest kingdom on the continent, Aleisha, had a history of only about four hundred years.
So it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Blue Dragon Knights had witnessed the birth of every kingdom that existed today.
There were only about one thousand knights.
But each one was said to be strong enough to face a thousand enemies alone.
Because of their long history and unquestionable authority…
They were respected by every kingdom.
For example…
About thirty years ago, when the King of the Kingdom of Palau died, a bloody struggle broke out among his sons.
The Queen pleaded with the Blue Dragon Knights.
She begged them to establish a new future for Palau.
The Blue Dragon Knights refused twice.
They said they did not interfere in matters involving a kingdom’s internal affairs.
But…
The Third Prince’s cruelty became unbearable.
He even burned an entire city to the ground.
In the end…
Ten kingdoms joined the Queen’s request.
Only then did the Commander of the Blue Dragon Knights receive the Black Dragon’s order.
He defeated the princes of Palau…
And placed a new king on the throne.
The princes protested.
But this time…
Thirty-two kingdoms supported the king chosen by the Blue Dragon Knights.
That was how much authority and trust they held.
So…
The room given to the Commander of the Blue Dragon Knights inside the Fleur mansion was the largest and finest guest room.
Even the decorative plates hanging on the walls looked more than a hundred years old.
The room itself was enormous.
The bed was large enough for five Elliotts to lie on comfortably.
The room was spacious enough that twenty large Blue Dragon Knights could probably lie down and rest without feeling crowded.
And…
Atlas sat on that huge bed…
Watching Elliott walk around in circles.
For two whole hours.
Round and round.
Round and round.
Round and round…
Atlas wasn’t known for having much patience.
The only reason he had endured this for two hours…
Was because the man in front of him was the Black Dragon’s representative…
A man respected across the entire continent.
But now…
Atlas had reached his limit.
“Commander!”
“Please stop already!”
“It was just a coincidence!”
“No matter what…”
“Can something like that really be just a coincidence?”
Elliott immediately argued back.
His voice…
Was unusually shaken.
The moment Atlas heard it…
He realized how troubled his commander really was.
“What is the Black Dragon’s most famous authority?”
“It’s the Word of Command.”
Normally…
His commander’s suffering was Atlas’s entertainment.
Of course…
This wasn’t exactly the kind of situation he could laugh at.
Still…
He couldn’t agree with Elliott either.
“Who doesn’t know that?”
“The Black Dragon’s representative is also allowed to use that power!”
The Black Dragon’s most famous authority…
Was the Word of Command.
Whatever was spoken…
Would become reality.
It was such an overwhelming power…
That history recorded only a few times when it had ever been used.
Even among every Commander of the Blue Dragon Knights throughout history…
Only two had ever used the Word of Command.
Because the moment a human used it…
The backlash struck immediately.
The previous Commander…
After using it once…
Had fallen into a deep sleep for an entire month.
That was why…
None of the Blue Dragon Knights, including Elliott, had liked the Black Dragon giving Elliott that authority.
Besides…
The Blue Dragon Knights were, above all else, warriors.
Most problems could be solved without using the Dragon’s power.
But…
Elliott rubbed his forehead painfully.
Atlas sighed.
“You’ve been troubled ever since yesterday.”
“…Yes.”
Two days ago…
Elliott had watched the “ordinary criminal,” Anais Fleur…
Be struck by lightning right before his eyes.
Anais Fleur had been the worst Possessor he had ever encountered.
The previous Possessors had chased after Crown Princes or Northern Grand Dukes.
Some had pretended to be prophets and earned money that way.
But none of them…
Had created so many victims.
Instead of using the “story inside the book” they always talked about…
She had ignored it completely.
She had focused only on making money through fraud.
Because of that…
Many people had lost everything.
Some had even taken their own lives.
And then…
Standing before her…
Elliott had said,
“Someone like her deserves divine punishment.”
“Why doesn’t lightning strike people like that?”
And…
Lightning really had struck her.
He couldn’t stop wondering…
Whether he had accidentally harmed her…
By using the Black Dragon’s Word of Command.
Atlas refused to believe it.
“Even if you did use the Word of Command, so what?”
“Someone like her deserves to suffer!”
But Elliott shook his head.
To him…
This was an important matter.
Among all the Blue Dragon Knights…
Elliott was known for being especially strict and honest.
He had inherited that personality from his father…
The previous Commander of the Blue Dragon Knights.
Elliott Thessaloniki had been raised to value principles above everything else.
No matter how terrible a criminal was…
He believed they deserved a proper judgment.
He hated seeing innocent people suffer.
More than anything…
He believed innocent people should always be protected.
Even criminals…
Should never suffer more than the punishment they deserved.
But…
If someone like him…
Had unknowingly used the Word of Command simply because of his personal feelings…
Then…
That was unacceptable.
That was why…
Early this morning…
The two of them had gone to the Fleur mansion.
When the servants tried to refuse them because Miss Anais was injured…
They revealed they were members of the Blue Dragon Knights.
Their mission to capture the Possessor and take them to the Black Dragon was one reason.
But another reason…
Was Elliott’s own uneasiness.
“Damn it…”
Even Atlas finally ran a hand through his hair.
“I definitely used the authority.”
“But everything is so confusing.”
“Was it really just a coincidence…?”
“Are you absolutely sure you used it?”
“I’m tired of repeating the same thing.”
“If only the Black Dragon were here…”
“He would’ve known immediately.”
And…
If Anais Fleur truly wasn’t the Possessor…
Then everything changed.
Anais had told Elliott…
That she had returned after the lightning struck.
If that was true…
Then Elliott had personally done what he had always left to the Black Dragon.
The Black Dragon had always been the one to kill the Possessors.
It was necessary to repair the cracks in the world.
Even if Elliott disliked it…
It wasn’t his place to interfere.
But now…
He couldn’t shake the feeling…
That he might have overstepped his authority.
And then…
There were her injuries.
When Elliott saw Anais in her bedroom earlier…
He had been deeply shocked.
He had never seen someone whose face was injured so badly.
Her face and neck were covered with blisters.
Her skin was red with burns.
Even beneath the thick bandages…
It was obvious she was suffering terribly.
The bandages wrapped around her body were already soaked with fluid from her wounds.
Even if the Possessor had returned beyond the Rainbow…
And Anais had gotten her body back…
It was still unbearably cruel.
For someone whose only misfortune had been getting possessed…
The price she paid was too high.
She was still an unmarried noble lady.
“That part…”
“I do feel a little sorry for her.”
Atlas quietly added.
Elliott looked at him.
“A little?”
“Well…”
“Imagine it was your younger sister.”
“…Then…”
“It would be truly heartbreaking.”
The Princess of Belfast.
That had been Anais’s nickname before the Thirty-Third Possessor took over her body.
She had been so loved…
That even at nineteen…
Her family hadn’t arranged an engagement yet because they wanted the very best match for her.
But…
If those scars never healed…
Finding a good marriage would become impossible.
“The Possessor already ruined her reputation.”
“So what’s a few scars compared to that…”
“Atlas.”
“Do I need to bring up your younger sister again?”
For once…
Elliott’s gaze carried clear disapproval.
Atlas scratched his cheek.
“I know…”
“A young lady’s life isn’t like ours.”
A scar on the cheek of a Blue Dragon Knight…
Was considered a badge of honor.
But for Anais…
Things were completely different.
Her life…
Would never be the same again.
Although…
It had already changed the moment the Thirty-Third Possessor entered her body.
Still…
Elliott couldn’t stop thinking about the life of the young woman he might have ruined.
And there was another thing.
The second time he had used the Word of Command.
He had done it to determine whether Anais was truly herself.
And to confirm whether he had really used the authority before.
Even so…
“Using the Word of Command on an innocent person…”
“That still troubles me.”
“But Commander…”
“You only used it to find out whether she was guilty or innocent.”
Atlas quickly defended him.
He knew Elliott better than anyone.
Once this man started questioning his own actions…
There was no end to it.
But what troubled both of them the most…
Was that there had been no backlash.
“The previous Commander slept for a whole month.”
“I used the Word of Command twice.”
“And yet…”
“Nothing happened.”
“…Then…”
“Maybe the Word of Command was never activated.”
“If that’s true…”
“Then every theory we’ve made until now is meaningless.”
“…Ugh.”
Atlas groaned.
Just then—
Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
