CHAPTER 54: WHAT HE TRULY DESERVE

"I told you I was a Hiera," Luke said calmly.

When Luke said this, Zoey’s pupils took on a heart shape, and then the young woman said:

"Well, don’t get used to it."

"Get used to what?" Luke asked curiously.

"Being right," Zoey said, jokingly.

Below the walls, everyone in the city was looking towards the Ancient Dragon and, consequently, the area where Luke and Zoey were standing.

The Ancient Dragon Shenhal stood beside Zoey and Luke, occasionally breathing and growling. Still, it was clear that the Ancient Dragon Shenhal had begun to feel great respect for Zoey herself.

The master and servant, Luke and Shenhal, had already bonded with each other. Of course, in this situation, Shenhal could sense Luke’s feelings.

His love for Zoey.

In short, the Ancient Dragon had recognised the queen before whom he had to kneel in just a matter of seconds.

After Luke assured everyone that there was no cause for concern and that everyone could continue with their affairs and lives, each person who had been kneeling rose to their feet and returned to their tasks.

Before the city, there were now only Callum, Kevin, and over a thousand Dark Elves behind them.

Each of them had abandoned the Ancient Dragon, and even Zoey, and focused solely on Luke.

Especially Callum and Kevin... They didn’t know what to say. Each of them had grown up with stories about Hiera’s legends.

Andromeda Ariadne Hiera’s heroics, Sasha Evelos Hiera’s unification of the continent, and Percy Aley Hiera’s ability to control dragons and phoenixes at the same time for the first time after Andromeda Ariadne Hiera’s death.

Each was a story, and each of these stories was rooted in reality. Every person from every household had grown up with these stories.

Callum and Kevin were no exception, of course.

Beside Luke, the master they followed at the cost of their lives, stood a dragon, an Ancient Dragon.

This was what had already made Luke the leader of the Hieras. Whether Alfred Hiera the Second declared war on Luke or sentenced him to death, nothing would change.

Whoever controlled the Ancient Dragon controlled the Hieras.

The desire to become emperor had vanished from Luke’s heart. He no longer cared about his father, and to be honest, he didn’t even think about it.

Still, it was an inevitable truth. The centre of power on the continent would inevitably shift. Perhaps the capital would still be the city where the Great Dragon Palace stood, known in some languages as the City of Fire and in the common tongue as the City of the Sun, but one unchanging truth would remain:

[The leader of the Hieras did not rule from the capital, but from the northernmost part of the continent, the region where only the bravest could exist.]

"You have succeeded, Great Hiera," Elsa said suddenly, stepping forward and speaking as respectfully as possible with a smile.

When Luke heard these words, he replied, "I told you, didn’t I?" Then, without pausing, he turned to the Ancient Dragon Shenhal beside him and gave his order:

"Shrink yourself and wait outside the city. I will enlarge my house and accommodate you at the top of my house, next to the flags of Hiera’s blood and the Great City, Selene."

As soon as the Ancient Dragon Shenhal heard these words, he shrank himself again and then flew into the air, landing in the now-empty wooded area next to the city and falling asleep in the snow. Within seconds, the Ancient Dragon had truly fallen asleep.

Luke, unable to withstand Shenhal’s claws, looked at the shattered city walls and said, "Puff...," then reached out to the shop panel.

After quickly repairing the walls, Luke motioned for everyone outside the city to come inside.

He took Zoey with him, climbed down from the walls, and began walking with Callum and Kevin, who were standing right behind them, from the city entrance to the southwest, towards the area where Luke’s mansion was located.

The Dark Elves had created places where they could stay.

Trees that were dozens of metres long and up to seven metres thick had been planted in the city without disrupting its plans.

The snow falling on the trees melted and spread from the branches to the soil at the base of the trees, successfully watering the plants in the city.

The Dark Elves had created their homes with respect for the city and had also managed to help the city.

Although it was not really necessary, the water in the city’s dam would last longer.

It was not necessary, but... it was definitely useful.

When Luke looked at the amount of gold in his inventory, he could see that he did not have much money left. He didn’t have much money, but he didn’t have the four hundred thousand gold pieces he used to have.

A little reorganisation was needed.

After making the necessary calculations, Luke walked from the south-eastern part of the city to the southern part, towards the wall at the far end of the bazaar.

He walked through the streets, with the people around him bowing to him with respect, and watched this lively city with joy.

He managed to reach the southern wall in a short time and then used his shop panel’s editing ability to open the wall wide.

He then turned to Kevin and said, "I want all the trees here to be destroyed. You have three days, Kevin." With Kevin’s curious gaze, he left with Zoey and returned to his mansion.

He left Callum behind with Kevin and ordered all the fairies in his mansion to leave, and had all the servants and Zoey’s belongings removed from the mansion.

Within seconds, the mansion had vanished.

While Zoey tried to figure out what he was doing, Luke had moved forward with the servants and Zoey towards the path in the southeast, the area where the mermen and mermaids were.

After greeting Mateo, he crossed the bridge with everyone else and then opened the Shop Panel to try to find the most magnificent structure.

Many structure locks had been unlocked, and since Luke now possessed an Ancient Dragon, he had become worthy of the best, even if it was a bit selfish.

He could now build what he deserved.