Vol. 5 Ch. 15

Noa listened to the recording several times, trying to extract any useful information. All she got was what they already knew.

“Who is ‘Shadow’? Why have I never heard you mention that name before?”

Inside her consciousness, Noa posed the question. For once, even the Ancestor seemed at a loss.

“I don’t know. But this ‘Shadow,’ since they were able to grant Adam the Black Dragon Scale, must be connected to the concept of ‘Ultimate Fear.’”

Noa frowned, lost in thought for a moment, then said:

“My dad was away for a long time after his supposed death, not even coming home. Yet during my promotion trial, he suddenly showed up in the Moonlit Forest, teaming up with Konstantin to defeat Adam. I always thought that was just a coincidence. But now that I think about it, they must have gotten a lead on Adam and followed it there.”

“Your father’s intention must have been to use Adam’s trail to trace the ‘Shadow’ behind him. But then that hammer-wielding ‘clown’ injured you. After that, the nature of the situation changed for your father.”

The Ancestor couldn’t entirely grasp the concept of friendship but deeply understood familial bonds.

And there was no one in this world who didn’t know that General Leon was a renowned “daughter-obsessed” father.

When his daughter was endangered, how could he think about anything else? Of course, he would have exploded with rage and gone all out against the hammer-wielding clown.

“I think so too,” Noa admitted.

She paused, took a deep breath, and added, “But still, if Dad had been chasing such an important lead, it must have been really dangerous. And because of me, that lead was lost…”

“Self-blame doesn’t work like that, sweetheart.”

The Ancestor gently rubbed Noa’s shoulder, then, in an uncharacteristic gesture, patted her head softly, her movements tender.

“If you were my daughter, in such a situation, I’d have done everything to help you get revenge too. Any parent would have made the same choice.”

“It’s not your father’s fault. Shadow hurt you; they’re the one to blame.”

The Ancestor, uncharacteristically earnest, comforted Noa. The princess wasn’t one to dwell too long on such thoughts. She nodded, her tone still somewhat low, but her mood visibly improved.

“Alright, I understand.”

“At the very least, we now know about the existence of ‘Ultimate Fear,’” the Ancestor said. “We can use this knowledge to assist your father in his investigation.”

“The only difficulty,” she added, “is figuring out how to present this lead to him as his daughter.”

“That is indeed a challenge.”

“If you reveal too much or make it too obvious, Leon will undoubtedly become suspicious. But if it’s too little, the clue becomes meaningless.”

Noa furrowed her brow, at a loss for a solution.

“Take your time. There’s no need to rush,” the Ancestor reassured her. “Since your father spent months at home chasing Adam and ‘Shadow,’ it shows the situation hasn’t yet reached a critical level of danger.”

The Ancestor’s voice turned more serious.

“Besides, I have some troubling news to share with you.”

“What is it?”

“When Konstantin handed the Black Dragon Scale to your father, I could still sense the presence of Chaos Energy.”

Noa froze, her mind racing. “You’re saying… Konstantin still carries traces of the Black Dragon Scale’s Chaos Energy?”

“Yes. The primordial chaos tied to Ultimate Fear lingers on Konstantin. I don’t know what this might lead to, but you need to warn your father—”

“Be extremely careful.”

The next morning, Noa struggled to breathe, overwhelmed by a sweet, milky fragrance.

She forced her eyes open and nuzzled against something soft resting on her pillow. The familiar touch and scent were comforting yet felt… off.

This wasn’t her mother.

Realization struck, and Noa’s eyes flew open.

“A-Aunt?! What are you doing here?”

The red-haired beauty lying beside her stirred at the sound of Noa’s voice. Isha murmured softly, pulling Noa closer into her embrace.

“Don’t make a fuss… Your mom left me at the door all morning. Let me sleep a bit longer.”

“Mmph! Mmmph!” Noa could only let out muffled protests as her face was pressed against her aunt’s chest.

Isha finally loosened her hold slightly.

“Can you breathe now?”

“Yes…”

“Good. Then let Auntie cuddle you a little longer…”

Noa blinked, her long lashes brushing against Isha’s skin, making her aunt squirm slightly.

“Stop it, Noa,” Isha teased.

“So, Auntie, you came this early just to nap with me?”

“No,” Isha replied with a lazy yawn. “I mixed up the dates. I thought today was the day your dad was fighting Odin, but it turns out it’s the day after tomorrow.”

“So I figured, since your mom’s out of sight, I’d sneak into your room and spend the night. But—ahhh—” She yawned again. “I ended up here with you.”

Her philosophy was simple: If the stronger one isn’t available, cuddle the cutest one instead.

Noa sighed. “So Auntie, you got the Tower Master’s invitation too?”

“Of course. How could I miss something like this? Your dad and Odin’s fights are legendary. They even fought a decade ago.”

Noa rolled her eyes but snuggled back into her aunt’s embrace. “Alright, then let’s just rest—”

But before she could doze off, the ground beneath them suddenly shook violently!

Noa panicked, disoriented by the tremor. Isha wasted no time, scooping her niece up and leaping out of the bed. Without even pausing to put on shoes, she dashed to the balcony.

Unfurling her crimson dragon wings, she leaped into the air, hovering above the swaying city.

“What’s happening? Everything was fine a moment ago!” Noa asked, clutching her aunt tightly.

Isha scanned the surroundings, noting other dragons taking to the skies to avoid the shaking structures. She gently patted Noa’s head.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. It’s just an earthquake.”

“An earthquake? But we’re in Sky City!”

From behind them, Rosvisser’s voice rang out.

“Sister! Are you alright?”

Isha turned to see Rosvisser flying towards them, cradling Muse in her arms.

“We’re fine,” Isha replied. “But why would there be an earthquake here?”

Before they could puzzle it out, Leon appeared, leaping from Noa’s balcony. Since he couldn’t fly like the others, he used nearby structures to slow his descent before landing safely on the ground.

He must have rushed into Noa’s room the moment the tremors began, intending to carry her out, only to find Isha already there.

Once he landed, Leon looked up.

“Is everyone alright?”

The earthquake lasted only a few seconds. Rosvisser and Isha, each holding a child, descended gently to the ground.

“We’re fine. But why did this happen?”

“Sky City is floating. Earthquakes shouldn’t be possible…”

“It’s the second one this year,” someone nearby commented. “It never used to happen before.”

Leon’s brow furrowed as he listened.

Noa stood still, staring at the ground.

A chilling sensation seeped upward, a faint but unmistakable trace of something sinister emanating from deep below.