What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 254

“Only a handful of tribes in the polar regions—those uninvolved in black magic or bio-experiments—survived. Lekiana spared them, letting them rebuild humanity in ignorance.”

If even they were gone, she’d be truly alone.

“Do you understand what I’m saying? Sometimes, ignorance is better. That goes for black mages, bloodline ability users… and me. So stop digging.”

These were memories she’d carry alone. A history Ysaris and her kind shouldn’t—and couldn’t—know.

“My research? Just… think of it as an effort to preserve my bloodline purely. That’s all.”

Black mages studied blood to mimic traits of other races. But what if one sought to perfectly replicate an entire race?

Lekiana, the last dragon, wanted her kind’s lineage preserved intact—no half-blooded imitations tainted by mixed blood.

To achieve this, she needed to analyze the compressed research of thousands of bloodline ability users, reverse-engineering the principles behind their traits.

An absurd task, but a dragon’s intellect and limitless time made it possible. The proof was Yesis’ golden eyes—a replica of her own.

“I know what you fear, but I can swear I’m not like the black mages. I don’t steal abilities for selfish gains. If anything, I’m their natural enemy.”

Tracking down rogue black mages occasionally even aided her research—their discoveries led her to buried ruins of ancient sorcerers.

“That’s all I can say. Any more questions?”

Lekiana refused to let history repeat. She’d slaughtered every scholar studying the Ancient Era, every black mage resurrecting its horrors. That’s why she’d warned Ysaris before: knowledge of the past is dangerous.

If Ysaris kept probing now…

“No, Lena. Thank you for telling me. I… was uneasy, wondering if I’d become another black mage’s test subject.”

“Hurtful, being suspected like that.”

“Can you blame me? I know nothing, and you tell me nothing.”

“Fair. But what can you do? Adapt.”

Lena shrugged, her tone teasing. A deliberate lightening of the mood.

“Speaking of, I heard strange news while traveling. About Uzephia…”

“What has Kazhan done now?”

Lena stared at Ysaris’ hurried interruption. The faint concern in those blue eyes was ambiguous—was it for the Emperor, or his people?

Or perhaps she was anxious her deal for Tennilath blood might collapse. Worst case, she’d have to extract it from Mikael.

Not that Lena cared. She’d given Ysaris special treatment due to past ties, but she had no time to dissect human emotions.

“Oddly enough, it’s thriving.”

“…What?”

Ysaris’ eyes widened slightly. Lena continued, undeterred.

“Think about it. The imperial consort’s family was purged, the Empress and Crown Prince vanished without announcement, the Chancellor was executed out of nowhere… Yet the empire stabilized unnaturally fast. They say the Emperor’s efforts were key.”

“…Is that so?”

“This is Kazhan Tennilath we’re talking about. The tyrant who went berserk when you faked your death. Now he’s… sane? Actively rebuilding. Maybe your absence cured some side effect. Unexpected, really.”

“I… see.”

For once, Lena couldn’t decipher the emotions flickering across Ysaris’ face. A rare lapse for someone who’d lived so long. The feelings were just that tangled.