The SSS Legendary Dragon Chose Me On Rebirth
Chapter 25: Pathway I

The voice was solemn, filled with dignity that resonated through the whole hall. Vacuse stopped at the front with his hands folded behind him, he stood among the other red-eyed children of the Dragon.

The hall, the Dragon’s hall—almost everything of the Vorrakyn started with ’Dragon’—was large, held up by massive pillars carved with different Dragon drawings and statues.

And on the highest platform that was raised, backing a large clear window that spilled golden light into the room, stood the Dragon’s throne, and on it, Drenvar Vorrakyn, the Dragon Lord of the Vorrakyn and the Grand Duke of the Western Region.

He sat on his throne of black bones. The back of the throne had a curved skeletal wing like silent blades. It was rumored that the whole throne was made from Dragon bones. But one thing that Vacuse knew was that the throne was the highest and most powerful artifact of the Vorrakyn family, and it was tied directly to each family head.

His cold eyes looked at all the children that stood before him. Red eyes stared back in anticipation. Not only were they bastards, his own legitimate daughter and other branch families of the Vorrakyn were also among them.

On the other side stood the children of the vassals of the Vorrakyn, children of the lords that ruled below Drenvar. But they weren’t many. Drenvar’s eyes narrowed as he remembered that some of them died due to assassination.

Thankfully, everyone liked to have a lot of children.

And then to another side were the said vassals. Five of them stood at attention, their eyes on their lord, expressions locked behind their faces.

The proud lords of the Vorrakyn. Their powers had declined with the fall of the Vorrakyn, and unlike some vassals, their own powers were greatly tied to the power of their lord.

To the place for guests, the diplomatic delegates of the Warbines stood and watched.

And then directly in front of the Dragon’s throne, below the platform, stood four iron thrones. One of them was filled while the other three remained unoccupied.

Drenvar stared at the thrones with dark eyes. The thrones that belonged to the four Dukes of the Western Region. Those that the Vorrakyn should be ruling over, but when last had they paid tax?

Even during Drenvar’s father’s time, they ignored his call for war towards the barbarians. They left him to his troubles, and they didn’t have the power to enforce their rule.

The Dukes that wanted the title of the Grand Duke, and the only thing keeping them in check was their own ambition. None of them wanted the title to fall to the other.

Drenvar raised his voice again, his tone firm and commanding. He sat casually on his throne. "This is the family of the Dragon. We have been burdened with the might, dignity, and glory of the mighty beasts."

As he said that, Vacuse watched Duke Frexon smile. His eyes seemed to be filled with mockery.

’...I wonder what the man is doing here...’ Vacuse thought. ’...he wasn’t here in my past life... what changed? Why is he so invested in this? What is different?...’

The Vorrakyn didn’t stand on ceremony, and soon, Drenvar clapped. "You all know what to do."

The room stirred. There was a kind of tension in the air that wasn’t common. Maybe it came from the presence of the Duke, the subtle reminder that the future of the Vorrakyn family was on the line.

The air was heavy, and even Vacuse felt it, a kind of desperation in the air that made him clench his fist angrily. ’...is the Duke here to put pressure on Drenvar when none of the candidates failed to bring the desired results?...’

At the center of the room, where none was standing, glowed a magical formation that the Vorrakyn blood was tied to. The Dragon’s Pathway.

Drenvar gestured. "Now."

Their attention turned to the center, and they began to move into the formation, filling it quickly.

At the same time, a door was opened, and the candidates from the vassals were led away. They would walk from the incomplete Dragon’s Pathway, where they can’t bind past an A-ranked Beast.

Although the pathway that was etched into the ground was fairly simple to copy, it was impossible. A pathway isn’t a simple formation. It’s like an iceberg.

The real one was beneath the throne room. The most guarded place in the castle.

Just as Drenvar was about to speak, Duke Frexon suddenly turned his head and looked up at the Dragon Lord. He smiled slowly as he stood. "Your Grace, although there are a lot of your children, I don’t see any heir among them."

Immediately, all the attention in the room was turned towards him.

Eh?

Heir?

Why was the Duke bringing something like this up?

Vacuse narrowed his eyes, and then he looked up at Drenvar, who also appeared to have been caught off guard by the question, but he quickly recovered and spoke slowly. "What did you say, Duke Frexon?"

The Duke appeared to be a man in his fifties with a chubby look. But Vacuse wasn’t fooled. The man had sharp eyes, and he was a Soulbearer himself with a rank S beast of the same advancement stage as Drenvar.

No wonder the Dragon wasn’t particularly happy about his visit.

The Duke nodded his head slowly. "Your Grace, I asked who your heir is. The Vorrakyns usually chose their heir before the second rites, right?"

Drenvar sat back in his seat and smiled coldly. Unlike his father or the other family heads, he was faced with the crushing decline of the family and might even be the last Dragon Lord. He wasn’t very particular about following the rules. "Duke Frexon Sevrix of the Red Leaves Territory, are you trying to meddle in the internal affairs of the Vorrakyn family?"