Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"May I ask, Your Highness, there was an unexpected incident on your journey? What happened?"

Before Sophie Orlando could show her displeasure, Gavin quickly added:

"If I cannot represent the people of Linze Fort to receive Her Highness the Princess, please at least allow me to do my part. Linze Fort is not far from Thunder Fort, and if there are any unforeseen events on the southern front, Linze Fort also has an obligation to send troops..."

Gavin was already drenched in sweat just from saying those words. But to his surprise, Mrs. Sophie smiled slightly and nodded at him:

“That makes some sense. Linze Fort is also part of Otus, so naturally we should work together for the stability of the empire. Alright then…”

As she spoke, Mrs. Sophie turned back around and smiled at Gavin:

"Count Reed, would you please lead your troops to assemble at Thunder Fortress the day after tomorrow? A Celestial-Rank magical beast recently appeared in the deep valley forest in the basin fifty kilometers south of Thunder Fortress. Moreover, this magical beast has the ability to summon many followers, so it is difficult for just the few of us to deal with it. In order not to delay Her Highness the Princess's journey, I would appreciate your assistance."

"Warcraft?!"

Upon hearing this, Gavin, who had just thought he had found an opportunity to infiltrate the delegation and would eventually have a chance to fulfill the agreement with the Bauhinia Kingdom, changed his expression.

"A demonic beast! A celestial-rank demonic beast?! My god! Did I hear that right?!"

The nobles of Linze Fortress around him also paled, wishing they could tear Gavin Reed apart. After all, many of them were to serve under Gavin, and assembling an army meant they themselves would have to go. But the words had already been spoken, and to the Crimson Flame Sage no less; going back on their word would be far more terrifying than facing a demonic beast.

Even Melanie and Tipalotura's expressions changed upon hearing these words. Only one person's eyes lit up!

"Warcraft!"

Ryūka blinked her bright eyes, her face full of excitement, and whispered to Tipalotura beside her:

"Your Highness, I asked you to make up an excuse with Lady Sophie to take us directly there, so that Monica and the others would urgently contact their homeland. I didn't expect you could come up with such an excuse! But to be honest, I've been looking forward to seeing magical beasts for a long time~"

Even knowing it was made up, Ryūka was still somewhat excited. Compared to Ottus in the north, the ecological environment of the southern continent was different. Monsters were real, and unlike the goblins and gnomes that plagued farmland, the monsters in the south were much more powerful, sometimes enough to threaten small countries and territories. This was one of the things Ryūka had always wanted to see!

Having been in this world for so many years, aside from goblins and snow goblins, he hadn't seen any other strange creatures! This was an essential part of experiencing an alternate world! An alternate world without magical beasts and monsters was like a woman's wardrobe without various stockings! Tasteless!

But unlike the excited Ryusha, Tipalotura appeared somewhat silent and serious:

“Liu Xiaqing, I think Mrs. Sophie… wasn’t joking…”

That's right, the Crimson Sage that Tipalotura knew wasn't that kind of person. Although she had instructed her in the message to find an excuse to legitimately take them away from Linze Fortress, there were many such excuses; there was no need to find one so outrageous.

A Celestial-Rank magical beast! Keep in mind that the last recorded instance of a Celestial-Rank magical beast in the Otus Empire was over a decade ago! It destroyed two small kingdoms in western Otus and more than thirty towns in Otus! It's said that the Celestial-Rank general guarding the west at the time paid the price of losing an arm and two elite imperial legions of ten thousand men each to finally subdue it!

How is this possible? The probability of such a powerful magical beast being born in the Central Continent is getting lower and lower these days, yet one suddenly appears at this critical juncture!

As if she had overheard Ryukyu and Tipalotura's whispered conversation, Mrs. Sophie couldn't help but laugh and say:

“There is indeed a Celestial-Rank magical beast, which I only discovered recently. It is an earth dragon beast named ‘Otras’, which has some of the bloodline of an ancient dragon. It has been hiding underground in the deep valley forest of the basin, and it has probably been dormant for decades to grow to this level. I think I also bear some responsibility for this.”

The deep valley forest of the basin—that's the site of Lady Sophie's devastating war decades ago. Back then, it wasn't a forest, but a vast basin plain. But the hundreds of thousands of corpses burned after the war became abundant nutrients for the earth. Seeds sprouted anew from the ashes, and fifty years later, it became the deep valley forest of the basin we see today. And it has become a haven for wild creatures and magical beasts…

Even now, Mrs. Sophie's face still lights up with a smile when she talks about it. She looks at Liuxia and says in a relaxed tone:

"Fortunately, I immediately used communication magic to consult His Majesty, and His Majesty said that the Governor of Liuxia of the delegation would be arriving soon. In addition, with the elite royal guards that His Highness brought, it should not be difficult to defeat this monster."

Upon hearing these words, even the royal guards behind Tipalotura turned ashen-faced. While their strength was indeed among the elite of the elite compared to ordinary armies, most were sons of noble families from the capital, their privileged upbringing having allowed them to reach their current level. Essentially, they were still delicate flowers, never having left their greenhouses; who would have thought they'd face a Heavenly-Rank magical beast so soon after arriving in the South!

But Lady Sophie didn't see it that way. Having spent years on the front lines of the Otus Empire, her soldiers didn't discriminate based on noble lineage or commoner status. Every single one was a warrior forged in fire, and regardless of rank, obedience and fearlessness were fundamental. Therefore, seeing the Royal Guards from the capital change their expressions brought Lady Sophie a sense of satisfaction.

And what about Ryuka? She looked at the rumored strongest young genius of Otus, the boy who had defeated and imprisoned his own daughter for several months.

"Is...is it true?"

Liu Xia blinked, looking surprised. He truly hadn't expected to encounter such a thing. Everyone followed Madam Sophie's gaze and focused on the young man. His handsome face suddenly flushed red, as if he were drunk.

"This is so, so, so amazing!!!"

marvelous?

No one could believe their ears. They looked at the excited boy, who seemed to have won the lottery, struggling to suppress his excitement and not faint.

"Oh? It seems the Governor-General of Ryukyu really does possess some extraordinary courage..."

Mrs. Sophie narrowed her eyes, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes seeming to radiate a smile. She could sense that Liu Xia's words were sincere, and regardless of the reason, even if she was mentally ill, Liu Xia's reaction seemed to suit her perfectly.

"Of course! This is the first time I've ever seen a magical beast, and it's a Heavenly Rank one! An Earth Dragon? Dragon bloodline? Is it big? How big is it? Isn't it cool? 'Otlas,' is that its name, or the name of this magical beast race? Do magical beasts even have names?"

Ryuu was incredibly excited and bombarded Madam Sophie with a barrage of questions. For example, could the flesh of the Earth Dragon be eaten? Could its blood be used to temper the body? Could its scales be forged into divine weapons? She even asked absurd questions like whether high-level magical beasts possessed intelligence and could communicate with humans!

Even though everyone thought Ryuka was crazy, Ryuka didn't think so. What a joke! If she were a weakling, she would definitely turn and run away at the mention of a Heavenly Rank magical beast! But now she was also a Heavenly Rank, and the only opponent she had faced since her advancement was the grumpy female knight, Gerberi.

What young man wouldn't want to personally slay a terrifying monster as large as a mountain? After transmigrating to this world and discovering that these things were recorded in the ancient texts, this was one of the things that Liu Xia was most looking forward to!

I'm even more excited than for Japanese porn!

"You madman... don't drag me down with you if you're looking to die..."

Even Melanie couldn't help but rub her forehead and sigh repeatedly. Only Anyaberg looked indifferent; she was a magical engineer, a logistics and research staff member, and there was no way she would be allowed to go to the front lines.

Standing beside Tipalotura, Gerberi, who had learned of the situation beforehand, also gave him a look of disdain. She couldn't believe that the boy before her was the one who had defeated her and then spanked her. Looking at Ryuka's flushed, excited face, like a novice adventurer, she truly wondered if this was the same person as the cunning brat from before…

"Okay, don't worry, I'll tell you slowly later."

Mrs. Sophie wore a kind smile; the scrutinizing hostility she had shown when she first met Ryūka seemed to have vanished, replaced by the gentle affection and doting of an elder looking at a younger generation. She appeared to be in a great mood, comforting the excited Ryūka like a grandmother playing with her grandson. She didn't seem at all like someone whose daughter had been toyed with by Ryūka…

"Ah~ Celestial-rank magical beasts, are they really that rare in this world now? You know, during the last war, these things were quite common on the battlefields against witches~ Saint-rank ones are much less common..."

In Ryukyu's mind, Ruklati couldn't help but complain, seemingly disapproving of Ryukyu's current excitement. But she still revealed a fact that excited Ryukyu even more:

"Demonic beasts are born from the consumption of natural spiritual energy. If it's a Heavenly Rank magical beast, it should possess a considerable amount of spiritual energy within its body. In modern terms, killing it would yield enough treasures to elevate a high-ranking official to the Heavenly Rank. In our terms, a Heavenly Rank magical beast already possesses the qualifications to be a low-level deity of a region. Therefore..."

"Liuxia, go and defeat it. It might just raise your spiritual power level significantly. You're currently only at the Earth-level Authority; if you can defeat a dozen or so Heaven-level magical beasts, you'll be on the verge of reaching the Star-level!"

Hearing this, Liu Xia couldn't help but roll her eyes at her: "Haven't you heard? The last time the Otus Empire encountered a Heavenly-Rank magical beast was more than ten years ago. Even looking at the entire continent, there might not be one every ten years. The last ice dragon in the north was a genuine Heavenly-Rank magical beast, but it was killed by Olivia's father long ago. Even if I wanted to hunt it down, I'd need to have something to hunt down first."

But Jukrati just smiled:

"Don't you think the appearance of this Celestial-Rank magical beast is too coincidental? Don't forget, besides you, there are many other people who possess ancient secrets. For example, this old woman in front of you, as a human, is already an outstanding individual. What she knows is definitely not as simple as it seems..."

Ruklati is right. When this matter was brought up, the Crimson Flame Sage, Lady Sophie, remained remarkably calm, as if she had known all along that a Heavenly-Rank magical beast would appear.

But those things didn't matter to Liu Xia; he couldn't wait to see what a Heavenly Rank magical beast looked like!

Chapter 3 First Impressions of the Southern Scenery

“In that case, Your Highness, please come with me. Oh, by the way, Earl Gavin Reed, I look forward to seeing you and your army fight alongside the soldiers of Thunder Keep.”

Lady Sophie turned back and gave Gavin a meaningful smile before gesturing for Ryukyu, Tipalotura, and the others to follow. Unlike her hasty arrival, Lady Sophie now leaned on her staff and walked slowly towards the city gates.

Without even consulting Gavin, the local lord, hundreds of stern and imposing Thunder Fortress soldiers swaggered into the city, heading in the opposite direction from Ryusha and his group. They brought many empty wagons to pick up Tipalotura's men.

Ryūka looked at the group of border knights and mages with great interest. The knights' armor was devoid of any fancy patterns or decorations, designed entirely for ease of combat and practicality. A particularly noticeable feature was the design of the armor's seams and straps, which allowed for easy one-handed donning and removal, reducing reliance on squires and the time spent dressing and undressing. The mages were similar; their robes were covered by lightweight leather armor, some made of thin metal. While considerably lighter than the knights' full armor, it was still vastly different from the style of mages from the interior.

Not only that, they also had various items hanging from their waists or chests, such as magic crystals to replenish magic power, magic scrolls for instant casting, and various potions. Each of them even carried a short sword just in case, which perfectly matched Ryūka's imagination of battle mages.

The knights, too, were equipped with some niche magical artifacts, seemingly not standard military issue but rather their own choice. Ryūka recognized items including, but not limited to, communication crystal balls, magical rulers for observation and marking, and emergency fire-starting and lighting equipment…

What interested Ryuka the most were the enormous creatures pulling the carriages: giant lizards covered in yellowish-brown scales. Each one was as tall as a warhorse, with thick limbs comparable to elephant legs, broad lizard horns with dagger-like claws, and a somewhat flat head with horn-like scales on both sides.

The locals were clearly terrified of these enormous creatures, each measuring six or seven meters long, even though they were all short-tailed species. These massive, earth-shaking reptiles pulled a train of linked freight cars, moving at an astonishing speed despite their seemingly slow movements.

"This is also a type of magical beast. Contrary to its terrifying appearance, they are herbivorous creatures. Isn't that interesting?" Seeing Ryusha's eyes light up, Madam Sophie explained the habits of this giant creature with a smile.

Scales and skin can withstand attacks from professional knights and mages. A full meal can consume hundreds of kilograms of green plants mixed with grains, after which it can run continuously for three days and nights. In a resting state, it can go more than two weeks without food or water. Scales and skin can be used to make leather armor and magical items, while meat can be made into military rations. The only drawback is that the taste is somewhat indescribable, but the nutritional value is extremely high.

Unfortunately, their birth rate is low and their growth cycle is slow. Even in Thunder Fortress, there are only a little over two hundred Battlefield Monitor Lizards, and this is only because they were introduced and cultivated from the southern desert over the past thirty years, thanks to the resources of the Basin Valley Forest. Whenever Lady Sophie talks about the Basin Valley Forest, a sense of pride lingers on her face, which sends chills down the spines of the residents of Linze Fortress.

"But unfortunately, this creature cannot withstand low temperatures and cannot survive the northern winter, so it is not suitable for raising in the north."

Seeing the slight disappointment on Liu Xia's face, Lady Sophie chuckled. But she knew the young man's interest wasn't limited to the battlefield giant lizard; the efficient movements and equipment of the Thunder Fortress army also thrilled him. Just observing them, Liu Xia could imagine their nimble, decisive, and ruthless figures on the battlefield. This was vastly different from the local noble armies he had seen in the interior; even the well-equipped royal knights seemed no match for them.

My dream army! If only my own army could look like that. Only, I'd have to replace all that outdated equipment with magical weapons, and our combat methods would shift to coordinated operations with heavy weaponry, or special operations…

The desire and imagination for power can be said to be in the nature of male creatures, especially during adolescence. Although Ryūka himself is already a Celestial Rank cultivator, he is still a boy at heart! Upon seeing such an army, the expression on his face was no different from a confession, a far cry from his usual cunning and devilish demeanor.

Seeing Liu Xia's absent-minded expression, Mrs. Sophie whispered with a smile beside him:

"Do you like it? Why don't you stay at Thunder Fortress and become their general?"

Tipalotura, who was standing nearby, suddenly sensed something upon hearing this. She coughed lightly and immediately changed the subject:

"Ahem, Marquis Orlando, let's talk about that Celestial-Rank magical beast."

"Yes, Your Highness. Now, everyone, please proceed."

Lady Sophie pointed to her carriage, a massive vehicle parked in the wilderness outside the walls of Linze Fortress—a veritable miniature palace. Two rows of enormous wheels, encased in fine steel, could crush any uneven ground, traversing any terrain except for steep inclines. Pulled by ten elite, heavily armored battlefield giant lizards, it was drawn by a single, heavily armored soldier.

Stepping into the carriage, the interior space was easily over a hundred square meters, even having two levels. Apart from a few uniformed attendants responsible for driving and operating it, there was no one else. The interior was divided into several rooms. Lady Sophie led Ryusha, Tipalotura, Melanie, and Gerberi into the central room, where a wide war conference table was set up, along with a comfortable and spacious chair decorated by Lady Sophie with magical crystals, which seemed to have the effect of nourishing the body and enhancing one's magical power.

"Hmm? Where's that little red-haired girl?"

Sophie was so focused on observing Ryukyu that she didn't realize Anyaberg had disappeared from the group. Ryukyu then explained that she had seen the Thunder Fortress army go to meet the people on the ship and take Adela to start her magical vehicle.

"A magical vehicle, something interesting..."

Listening to Ryūsha's description, Lady Sophie also looked thoughtful, her eyes showing interest no less than Ryūsha's when she saw the Battlefield Giant Lizard and the Thunder Fortress army.

"The development of magical technology in recent years has been truly astonishing. Perhaps in a few decades or a hundred years, ancient magicians like us will be obsolete."

While joking with Melanie, Mrs. Sophie said to Ryusha:

"Is that young lady the Grand Scholar Anyaberg, personally appointed by His Majesty? Appearances can be deceiving. I am also very interested in magical engineering. In fact, after hearing that you used magical weapons on the battlefield in the mainland, I also formed a team in Thunder Fortress to conduct research and development on magical engineering. However, at present, we are still imitating and researching magical items sold in various places. If there is an opportunity, please let me have a good exchange with Miss Anyaberg."

Lady Sophie was being far too polite to Ryūsha, showing absolutely no sense of apprehension towards a Heavenly-Rank magical beast. This caused Tipalotura to frown slightly, reminding her to get back to the point:

"Marquis Orlando, could you please tell me what exactly happened with that Heavenly Rank magical beast?"

"Yes, yes, you see, at my age, my memory is always bad."

Despite considering herself elderly, Mrs. Sophie looked no more than fifty or sixty years old, and was remarkably energetic. Maintaining respect for Tipalottura, she gave a self-deprecating laugh, smiled, nodded, and placed her hands on the conference table.

The warm fire elemental magic instantly filled the tabletop, and specks of crimson light emerged from it, eventually forming a phantom that flickered with faint firelight! The rugged ground, forests, and rivers appeared on the tabletop like realistic miniature landscapes, and this huge magic sandbox made Liu Xia's eyes light up.

The table must be specially made to work with Lady Sophie's unique magic to accomplish all of this. Perhaps it can be analyzed magically to create a magical device with the same function.

Needless to say, combat is out of the question. Ryuka even wondered if this was suitable for making games.

"The first question is, do monsters possess intelligence?"

Mrs. Sophie smiled slightly at Liu Xia, who had been so curious just moments before, and gave her the answer.

"Celestial-rank magical beasts do possess intelligence, but the level of intelligence varies depending on the species. As for this magical beast named 'Otlas,' based on my observation, its intelligence level is roughly that of a teenager..."

On the fiery sand table, a gigantic creature suddenly appeared in the center of the forest, its size comparable to a mountain. The forest only reached its ankles, and even when lying down, it was nearly a hundred meters tall! This size, capable of destroying a city, made everyone's faces grave, except for Madam Sophie and Ryūka. She was even joking with Ryūka:

"Of course, not a smart teenager like you~"

Chapter 4 Earth Dragon Beast Information

"Although it has the intelligence level of a human teenager, it doesn't mean it's innocent and naive. On the contrary, magical beasts are far more savage, ferocious, and cunning than we imagine..."

As Lady Sophie spoke, her magic shifted, and the projection of the enormous earth dragon began digging in the ground. Its mountain-like body quickly burrowed underground, leaving behind a scene of utter chaos. Despite its terrifying size, it made no further ripples after burrowing, and the hole it dug was quickly filled by its hind legs, leaving very little empty space.

This sight caused everyone's expressions to turn solemn. This was a colossal magical beast nearly a hundred meters tall! Just how many meters underground did it have to go to make the surface appear completely still when it moved? In an instant, everyone finally understood what a Celestial-Rank magical beast meant. Although Altras couldn't use magic, its sheer physical size and ability to hide underground made it impossible to attack.

After all, even if Lady Sophie were a Celestial-Rank mage, she would be powerless at depths of hundreds or thousands of meters. It would be easier for an earth/rock mage, but she was a fire mage.

This meant they had to deal with this behemoth on the surface; otherwise, if it escaped underground, it would likely cause an even greater catastrophe. At this moment, Liu Xia finally understood why everyone was so wary of Heavenly-Rank magical beasts, and how fortunate it was that a human Heavenly-Rank expert had managed to defeat a Heavenly-Rank magical beast at the cost of only an arm.

"Of course, these aren't the only troublesome things..."

The fiery sand table on the table changed again, and tiny specks of light, the size of grains of rice, began to scatter throughout the forest. Upon closer inspection, goblins, gnomes, and various beast-like creatures appeared armed like a barbarian army, even carrying banners and war drums.

The totem drawn on that simple banner, "Otlas," is the meaning of the ancient dragon language, indicating that these demon legions have revered this celestial-rank magical beast as their master, and have even formed a tribe-like entity.

"This is absurd!"

Melanie couldn't help but exclaim in surprise; such a thing had never been heard of in any historical record. Even more worrying was how such a massive army of monsters had formed right under Thunder Fortress's nose!

Mrs. Sophie didn't elaborate on this, but neither she nor Tipalottura seemed surprised, as if it were bound to happen sooner or later. Furthermore, there were strange glances exchanged between Mrs. Sophie and Tipalottura, making Ryusha suspect there was more to the story.

"When a magical beast evolves to a certain level, ordinary food can no longer meet its enormous energy needs, so it only has one kind of food: magical crystals. It has probably devoured all the magical crystal mines deep underground, which is why it is heading towards Thunder Fortress."

Lady Sophie pointed to a mark on the map, which was an important magical crystal mine on the southern border of Thunder Fortress. Many years ago, the Otus Empire expanded to this area in order to seize this mine.

"The good news is that although it is huge, it moves slowly. It is expected that Altras and its legion will arrive here in two days. Although the earth dragon is good at digging, it is accustomed to nesting in the shallow surface near the mine and will not stay deep underground for long."

This enormous earth dragon beast, when digging for magical ore to feed, would upturn the earth and then slumber for a long time afterward. Afterward, the magical beasts that followed it would transform its lair into a palace, serving as its guardians. The magical crystals unearthed from the depths of the earth would become their reward, a unique symbiotic relationship within the magical beast ecosystem.

As Lady Sophie finished speaking, Ruklati interjected in Ryusha's consciousness, "In the past, some races would raise these magical beasts to find magical mineral veins buried deep underground. After all, for the world, a depth of hundreds or thousands of meters underground is just a thin layer, but for civilized beings on the surface, it's an inaccessible place. That's what makes the structure of reality so interesting~"

"You can even raise this thing?" Liu Xia's interest was piqued. Wouldn't it be awesome to tame a Heavenly-Rank magical beast as a pet? And you could even find underground mineral veins. Ruklati was right; with current technology, whether it's magical crystals or various metals, you can only find them in surface veins. But deep within the earth, these things are inexhaustible.

After all, both she and Ruklati possessed the ability to conquer and rule!

But Ruklati seemed to see through his thoughts and said awkwardly, "Don't even think about it. Unless you raise it from a cub, it's very difficult to tame this kind of magical beast. If I were in my fully evolved form, it wouldn't be a problem, but right now... I would advise you to kill it. The benefits of obtaining spiritual energy will be much greater. After all, it's a natural spiritual energy converter, capable of converting the magical crystals it swallows into spiritual energy, which will greatly benefit you."

Ruklati seemed to know a lot about this kind of magical beast, which made Ryusha ponder and ask:

"Ruklati, how many years would it take for an earth dragon to grow to this size?"