"Oh? Is she finally coming in?"

Calystron slowly opened his eyes and looked at Charlotte as she walked toward him.

Charlotte swallowed hard and stared at Calystron from a distance, her eyes flickering with nervousness.

'So he is the Dragon of Light, Calystron? His body… it's huge!' she exclaimed silently.

Calystron stood tens of meters tall, making her look like an insignificant ant.

When she reached him, Charlotte bowed her head and greeted him in a trembling voice. "Nice to meet you, Dragon of Light Calystron. My name is Charlotte Solayne, the first princess of this kingdom. I-It's nice to meet you."

Calystron nodded slightly. "So you are the one Merlin spoke of. This is our first meeting. Raise your head."

Charlotte did not dare to disobey and immediately raised her head.

Even so, she was afraid to look him directly in the eyes, leaving Calystron feeling slightly helpless.

What he disliked about the Solayne family was their excessive devotion to him.

It would be a lie to say he did not enjoy being respected, but sometimes too much reverence became irritating.

That was the reason he acknowledged only two people—Arthur and Gabriel.

Unlike other kings, neither of them feared him.

Arthur, in particular, was brave enough to fight him, even matching him in strength.

Although Gabriel was not as powerful as his grandfather, he was still brave, arrogant, and afraid of no one.

"Do you know why I called you?"

Charlotte shook her head and replied cautiously, "No, Dragon of Light Calystron. M-Merlin didn't tell me anything."

'He didn't tell her, huh? It seems Merlin did it on purpose. And judging by the way she mentioned the boy, she seems to have a special relationship with Merlin,' Calystron muttered, a look of understanding on his face.

He wasn't angry—on the contrary, he was pleased.

If he built a good relationship with Charlotte, it would naturally bring him closer to Merlin.

"All right, it's fine. I called you here to give you power," Calystron said proudly.

"Power?" Charlotte was stunned. She raised her head, and for the first time, she saw Calystron's face clearly.

"Yes, power. And it is a very great power. Do you want to accept it? But first, I must warn you—power comes with responsibility. So think carefully," Calystron reminded her.

Well, that was just nonsense.

There was no responsibility at all, because he intended to give it to her as a gift so he could get closer to Merlin.

He hoped Charlotte would accept it without hesitation.

Even so, he still hoped that this girl would become a responsible person once she received the power and not grow arrogant in front of others.

Charlotte swallowed hard and didn't immediately agree. She reflected on herself once more.

She was born to the queen and became the first princess of the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria.

Her life had been easy and carefree, as her father never placed any duties on her.

She existed to ease the tension between her siblings.

She had never intended to become stronger or gain extraordinary power.

For her, that kind of life was more than enough.

However, after learning that the child of the prophecy had appeared, her beliefs wavered.

And after meeting that child—Merlin—she realized that the leisurely life she once believed in was nothing but nonsense.

A threat loomed over the world, one that could erupt at any moment and spread chaos across the entire continent.

Because of that, she wanted to become stronger and stand beside Merlin when the disaster came.

Unfortunately, she understood that it was only a pipe dream.

She was weak and lacked any remarkable talent.

At that moment, she felt inferior—so much so that she didn't even feel worthy of standing alongside Merlin.

And now, her chance had come. The Dragon of Light, Calystron, was willing to grant her power.

Gritting her teeth, Charlotte lifted her head once more and stared at him with firm resolve.

"I want power! Please give me your power, Calystron, Dragon of Light!"

She wanted to stand by Merlin's side and help him resolve the world's crisis.

She didn't want to be a mere vase—beautiful to look at, yet useless.

Calystron looked at the girl's determined expression, and in an instant, memories of those two people surfaced in his mind.

'Tsk… It's been a long time since I last saw her. As expected, no matter how much time passes, a new generation like the two of you will always emerge from the Solayne family. Well, that's not surprising, considering this girl carries your blood,' Calystron chuckled to himself.

Coming back to his senses, he smiled faintly and said calmly, "I like your courage, little girl. Merlin was right to recommend you to me. Now, accept my power and become part of the new generation of dragon knights."

Calystron raised his claw and gently placed it on Charlotte's head.

Buzz!

A golden light flashed, illuminating the entire hall with its overwhelming brilliance.

***

Outside the hall, Vargan and Merlin waited in silence.

Vargan looked uneasy and found it hard to calm himself. He didn't know what was happening to his daughter, Charlotte, inside.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I can assure you Charlotte will be fine," Merlin said in a soothing tone.

He was certain Calystron wouldn't harm Charlotte. After all, the lesson Lyserra had given earlier was enough to make him realize his mistake.

Of course, if Calystron dared to hurt Charlotte, Merlin wouldn't be lenient. He might even ask Lyserra to remove Calystron from this world.

It sounded excessive, but it was well within the abilities of his adorable red dragon.

Merlin glanced at Lyserra in his arms and gently tickled her neck.

Lyserra was displeased, feeling that Merlin was treating her like a pet.

However… for some reason, it felt pleasant.

Before she realized it, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the touch.

Hearing Merlin's words, Vargan gradually calmed down.

"You're right, Merlin. I'm sorry for acting childish in front of you," Vargan said, forcing a smile.

He was a king. He should maintain composure and dignity in front of everyone, including Merlin.

Unfortunately, Charlotte was his weakness, and he couldn't help but worry about her safety.

Merlin simply smiled without saying anything. He had obtained valuable information—Charlotte held an extremely important place in Vargan's heart.

With that, he no longer needed to worry about Vargan trying to toy with him.

Sooner or later, Charlotte would fall into his hands and could be used as a tool to control Vargan in the future.

Just as he waited calmly, a system notification panel suddenly appeared before him.

"[Ding! The affection of the heroine Charlotte Solayne has increased by 10 points. Current affection: 90 points!]"

"[Ding! Congratulations to the master for unlocking the hidden mission: Connecting the Dragon of Light Calystron with the heroine Charlotte Solayne! Reward: 40,000 system points and 1x Evil Spirit Repellent Talisman (Legendary) have been granted!]"

"[Ding! Congratulations to the master for unlocking the hidden mission: The Awakening of the Dragon Maiden. Reward: 60,000 system points and 1x Azryon Dragon Sword (Legendary+) have been granted!]"

"[Dragon Maiden's awakening status: 5%]"

"[Ding! Congratulations to the master for completing the mission of obtaining assistance from the Dragon of Light, Calystron. Reward: 50,000 system points and 3x Pandora's Boxes have been granted!]"

Merlin: "…"

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