CHAPTER 28: DRACO’S PUNISHMENT (1)

In both Arventia Online and this world, there is no level cap. People aree free to grow as many levels as they wish, so long as they can gather enough experience. But the higher one rises, the steeper the climb becomes. Beyond a certain point, the experience needed would be so immense that even the most diligent warriors could spend years just to gain a single level.

Currently, Draco Silvervein stood at level 189, while Ariana Silvervein was at level 192.

A punishment of ten levels would strike him down to level 179—the very point he had reached a full decade ago.

This was not simply a loss of numbers. It was a loss of ten years’ worth of sweat, blood, and endless battles.

And worse, some of his newly crafted equipment would immediately become unusable, since they carried high level requirements.

Such was the harshness of Lord Siamelumis’s decree.

Draco signaled for Ariana to step back, showing his resolve to accept the punishment. But his wife refused.

"Please, my Lord, please reconsider this!" Ariana cried. She fell to her knees, bowing until her forehead struck the ground. Her voice cracked, trembling, as her body shook with desperation.

But Siamelumis’s expression remained unchanging.

"What? How dare you?" Her voice roared, shaking the darkness like thunder, making the air itself quiver. "When your daughter cried out for mercy, did you listen? When her heart shattered, when her voice broke as she screamed for the life of her companion, did you hear her pain? No! You turned your face away! You hardened your heart!"

Ariana flinched at every word, but the dragon’s fury only grew harsher.

"You ignored her pleas! You crushed her tears beneath your will! And now, after all that, you dare crawl before me? You dare beg for mercy, when you showed none to your own child? Do you not see the hypocrisy in your voice?" Siamelumis’s eyes blazed like suns, her divine presence suffocating. "You sought to take the life of that innocent creature. And yet I—I show restraint! For I only take away a handful of his levels, when I could so easily strip away far more!"

"Please, Ariana!" Draco’s voice broke as he tried to pull his wife up, panic flashing in his eyes. His hands gripped her shoulders, but she did not yield.

"Lord Siamelumis," she continued, trembling, "I know our actions were wrong. We regret them deeply. But—"

"Hah? But what?" Siamelumis’s tone sharpened, her voice rising with irritation and anger, each word striking like the crack of a whip.

"But Draco... he only did what he did for Emilia!" Ariana cried, her voice raw and desperate. "He wanted the best for her future—for our clan!"

"So what?" Siamelumis thundered, her voice shaking the void. "Do you believe that is reason enough to go against my teachings? To kill an innocent creature in cold blood? To throw away your heart, your honor, the very essence of what makes you beast tamers? To defy the will of our Goddess and trample upon her gift?"

Ariana bit her lip so hard it almost drew blood, her body shaking violently as the dragon’s words crashed against her like a storm.

And then...

"No..." she whispered at last.

"However, please, Lord Siamelumis..." she said one last time. "Please think about our future! Draco’s strength is our Clan’s strength, and he bears so much responsibility now that we simply cannot afford to lose that much power!"

Right...

To the Silvervein Clan, Draco had become indispensable. The clan would lose tremendous strength if its head suddenly weakened so greatly.

And not only that, the Fire Dragon Emperor was also one of the few warriors standing at the frontlines of protecting the world. Being its hero, its pillar. In just a few weeks, he was due to travel to the far edge of the continent once more, to join other champions in the fight against the encroaching forces of darkness.

So many lives, so many burdens now rested on his shoulders.

If anything happened to Draco... then not only he, but countless others would suffer.

...

At those words, Siamelumis turned silent for a moment.

Ariana’s eyes filled with hope.

She thought her plea had finally reached the Guardian Deity’s heart.

However... what came next made her heart sink.

Siamelumis slowly closed her eyes, releasing a deep, weary sigh.

"You disappoint me beyond words, Ariana," she said, her voice heavy with sorrow. "Since when have you become so blinded by fear, by duty, by power... that you would rather bargain with injustice than stand against it? That you would let cruelty take root, let darkness fester inside your heart?"

At those words, Ariana’s eyes widened in shock.

She froze, her hand clutching tightly at her chest, as though trying to hold herself together.

Because those words... they were too true, too heavy. They pierced her like a blade driven straight into her soul.

Suddenly, her whole body began to tremble. Tears welled up, spilling so fast they blurred her vision until she could no longer see.

"You are right..." she whispered at last, her voice broken and small.

Her sobs slipped free, echoing faintly into the endless dark.

Draco knelt beside his wife.

"Please, Lord Siamelumis," he spoke now, his own voice trembling with emotion. "Your punishment is already a great mercy! I know I deserve worse than this. And I am deeply sorry... for having disappointed you and your expectations."

Siamelumis slowly closed her eyes.

However...

"Ahhh.... Alright," she sighed and said at last. "Come to think of it, your wife’s words do make some sense. It would indeed be a disaster for our clan, and our world, if something were to happen to you while guarding the darkness border..."

Ariana gasped sharply.

"Then..." she muttered in hope.

"But on the other hand, such a crime simply cannot go unpunished." Siamelumis’s tone hardened again. "So, how about this? Why don’t we let the very victim decide?"

"Huh?"

"The... very victim?"

At those words, both Draco and Ariana turned at once.

Their eyes landed on the tiny creature perched on Emilia’s shoulder.

The Noctifelis froze.

Eh?

Wait!

What?

Me?

WHAT???

Mimi’s eyes went wide, her little body stiff.

"Meow?!" she meowed weakly.

"Come, my dear," Siamelumis said gently. "Don’t be afraid. Tell me what you think."

And so, the weight of judgment fell upon Mimi’s tiny shoulders.

For her next few meows could either save Draco... or send him straight to hell if she wished for it.