Upheaval was on the horizon in Rome, and there were undercurrents surging throughout the empire...... However, there are still safe places within the empire, such as the Grand Duke of the Sea, the territory of Gloya.

The sea is endless, and its end meets the sky, all of which show a pleasant azure color.

The seagulls circled around the harbor, and to the shouts of the sailors, a fat seagull picked up a bluefin tuna and rushed into the sky, fleeing.

Countless sailing ships came in and out, waiting to be unloaded at the docks, and the land merchants who bargained with the maritime merchants all carried a disgusting smell of money, and the domesticated brute force wildebeest, with dull eyes, pulled a cart full of goods, and made room for other members of the same kind under the reprimand of their masters.

Outside the bazaar, built around the harbour, is a castle that rises on high ground, covering a vast area, with the total area of the four corner towers alone adding up to more than half the size of the harbour.

The watchtower at the seaside of the castle has long since been removed and replaced by a steep, double-sided parapet wall that cuts through the low bushes below the high ground and bypasses the farmland behind the castle.

This section of wall, which looks like a long serpent from above, eventually connects to a lighthouse with no other entrance.

Unlike other lighthouses, which are only lit on rainy days, the lighthouse, named "Eglitte", is lit up every time it is dark in Sicily.

That's when people's nightlife begins.

This is the main fief of the Grand Duke of Greia, Gadlin City, and the Black Thorn Castle.

On the night that the mob set the city on fire, the Black Thorn Fortress was still as lively as ever.

Inside the castle, nobles from all over the world danced to the sound of music, and Grand Duke Glia also attended a rare banquet, raising the blood-colored wine in his hand to pray for the guests who arrived.

The servants of Blackthorn Castle walked out of the castle gates and brought bread and ham to the civilians of the realm. The civilians had to smile contentedly and say their words of blessing to Miss Akasha before they left.

Yes, the generous Grand Duke threw another feast – only this time to celebrate the birthday of his only daughter, Akasha.

However, while everyone was celebrating, a residence in the southeast corner of Blackthorn Castle was as silent as ever.

The property is small and very nicely furnished.

Two wooden beds facing each other are placed side by side against the wall, and a table and two chairs are placed in the direction of the wall.

On the wooden table, a dilapidated magic lamp emitted a faint glow that barely illuminated the room.

A little boy who yawns constantly, but tries not to let himself fall asleep, lies on the table.

He was about eight or nine years old, with a small blushing face, white skin and a very delicate appearance, his head was full of black hair, and a pair of large eyes shining like obsidian under his long eyelashes.

When he was finally about to lose consciousness and fall asleep, he heard a "squeak" and the door of the residence was pushed open.

A beautiful girl with blond hair and gray eyes and a tall figure pulled up the cloak draped over her body and quietly walked in on tiptoe.

Her skin was as pure and flawless as the snow of the North, and her inadvertent charm was enough to make the ladies who frequented the ball madly jealous.

"Sister Vera!"

The moment she pushed the door in, the little boy was awake, he stood up with joy, and quickly took a well-washed cup from the cupboard in the corner of the house, lifted the kettle that lay under the wooden table, and quickly poured his sister a glass of warm water.

Seven years later, the little girl who used to stay by Richard's side has grown into a slim girl......

"Thank you, Limmond. Vera locked the door, took a sip of the cup that wasn't too hot, and smiled, "Why don't you sleep yet?" ”

For this sensible brother, Vera has always been very tolerant.

Lemon is his own brother, but he is the child of his father's ex-wife, the mother of Vera's eldest brother Will.

The mother, Fiona, hated the child very much...... But Vera felt very sorry for him...... Because after he was born, his mother died.

"Of course I'm waiting for you to come back, hehe, don't try to cheat, I won them all, and I was praised by Uncle Covito!" Li Meng looked at his sister with a grin, and then took out a tightly sealed oiled paper bag from behind him as if he were playing a trick.

"Guess what's the reward I got today! Oh, I'll say it again, don't try to fool around! I'm going to listen to two stories today!"

The girl smiled helplessly, stretched out her finger and tapped it on Li Meng's brain, and then opened the oil-paper bag despite his uproar.

There were two cakes lying quietly inside.

The girl carefully took out the cake and placed it on the table, and Li Meng also tacitly turned out two forks.

Then, she thought for a while with a cute brow, and then in Li Meng's expectant eyes, she said helplessly: "Okay, I'll tell you two stories tonight." ”

"Two, the story of our Holy Family. ”

"Yay!"

Li Meng almost jumped up with excitement, he was very happy, and then without waiting for Vera to urge him, he sat down properly, bowed his head and ate his share of the cake.

"The first story is where we come from. ”

"Huh, but I've heard of this......"

"The story told today is not from the Council of Elders, it is the real origin, do you want to listen to it?"

"Hmm...... Well, I'm tired of hearing the Elders' Council's version for a long time. ”

"Well, I'll start talking, you eat quickly, if you haven't eaten before I'm done...... Hmph!"

"Ahh

Looking at Li Meng, who lowered her head and began to deal with the cake, Vera was in a trance, and she couldn't help but think of her father Richard's words.

“...... I don't want to let Limon know too much, so you know what to do......"

"You two sisters and brothers just need to live in peace and stability for the rest of your life. ”

“...... You'll only be there for about a year, kid, and I promise I'll pick you up later......"

However, she and Limon have been in Blackthorn for almost two years as hostages, and Archduke Glia has been funding Richard's collateral.

The messenger brought less and less news, but she could feel that the care in the letter was not diminished at all. The last time I wrote was a month ago...... So she went to the post house of Black Thorn Castle again today, and the news from the side knocked on the side made Vera's heart gradually uneasy.

Richard seems to have betrayed the Empire by allowing the barbarians to enter the Empire and attacking the Sunset Fortress, the only bulwark in the north of the Empire.

As for himself, his whereabouts are unknown......

And this was news a month and a half ago...... And, upon learning of this news, Vera even saw the disdain on the messenger's face......

Vera is pessimistic, and at the same time, she is determined to let Limon know something. At the very least, while he was still by his side, he must let him know the hidden truths in the history of the Holy Clan, just like his father had done before...... Vera has not seen her since her father brought her to her mother, Fiona......

......

"Sister?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Lemon, I'm distracted, let's get started. ”

"Okay, sister, if you're too sleepy, we'll talk about it tomorrow. ”

"It's fine. Vera smiled absently, then pointed to the cake, and only after seeing Li Meng lower her head, she slowly began to speak slowly.

......

"Our ancestors came to this continent a long, long time ago, and they appeared out of thin air, speaking a language that no one could understand. At that time there was no empire, not even the Senate. ”

"At that time, the continent was ruled by many Titans. ”

"Do you know why we are called the Holy Family, because we are wise, industrious, simple, have our own faith, and call ourselves descendants of the dragon. The Holy Race is the title given to us by other races because of our excellent qualities. ”

"In an era when humans were not ruling and magic was above us, we were born insulators of magic, but we also possessed martial arts that far surpassed those of other races. ”

"But our ancestors brought some of the most advanced tools to the humans of this continent at the time, such as the long-lost sowing tool, the cocoon. ”

"Instead of pursuing war like other races, we gathered our people together and cultivated a lot of crops on a territory in the eastern part of the continent that no one wanted. ”

"However, the good times did not last long, and our industriousness and wisdom attracted the attention of the Titans...... Of course, our people refused to give in, and war broke out......"

"A holy clan with the surname Wang was the first to stand up, and he won the support of the majority of the clansmen, established the first state of the holy clan, and encouraged the craftsmen of the holy clan to build weapons. Subsequently, he appointed a holy clan with the surname of Meng as a general, and began a century-long war......"

"Wait, sister!" Confusion appeared on Li Meng's face, then he shook his head and continued, "Are you wrong, didn't the Council of Elders lead us to win the Titan?"

"Not really. Vera shook her head, and she pointed to Limon's remaining cake, speeding up her words by the way.

"You have to hurry up and eat, or the second story will be gone. ”

"The so-called elders of the Council of Elders are just a bunch of clowns who jumped out afterwards to take credit, and their little tricks can only deceive the Holy Clans who are far away from the seat of the Council. ”

"I won't talk about the rest, as you know, later the Holy Clan maintained the legitimacy of the dragon, the Titans were killed and wounded in front of the divine beasts we summoned, and the elves, goblins, and orcs also participated in that war, and in the end, they won the victory with us. ”

"Then we were betrayed...... The Council of Elders and the natives of this world colluded with each other to devise a conspiracy to kill those heroes...... In the end, he signed a shameful agreement with the aborigines, eradicated dissidents, and fabricated history...... became the ruler of the Holy Family......"

"The real history is definitely not as you know, among the current holy clan, only a small number of people know about the past, and this is the history restored by my father's efforts to collect ancient books...... As for the specific story, I'll tell you later......"

The atmosphere in the residence was a little dreary, and Lemon was still immersed in the story told by Vera, and the cake was finished at some point.

Looking at Li Meng, who was still thinking, Vera sighed in her heart, she didn't know if she was doing the right thing. She had heard these legends from her father, Richard, and if it weren't for the fact that they were still at war with the elves, the priests of Rome would have classified the existence of dragons as myths and legends......

"Okay, don't overthink it, I'll start telling another story. ”

"Hmmm......"

"This story took place twenty-five years ago, when the elders of the Council of Elders were once again fighting for power. And the Kingdom Alliance, which had promised to protect us, also betrayed us at that time and tried to annex us. ”

"The war broke out, almost half of the Holy Clan was slaughtered, our original territory was long gone, and the Council of Elders fled into the territory of the Roman Empire, leaving behind only a group of unarmed civilians in our homeland......"

"At this time, the man appeared, and he ......"

Vera was recounting the story she had heard from her mother, and when she looked at Li Meng again, she found that the little one had leaned back in his chair and fell asleep in a daze......

Vera chuckled and slowly dragged Lemon onto the bed and covered him with a quilt.

"I'll tell you the rest of the story later. That's the story of our father, Richard......"

"Good night. ”