A horse-drawn carriage sped along the snowy road. Inside, Claude sat comfortably on his mother's lap, wrapped in a thick cloak.
"Mama, where are we going? Why did we buy so many thick clothes?" Claude asked curiously.
"We're going to the Northern Dukedom," Lina replied calmly. "It's much colder there, and winter lasts far longer than it does in the eastern region."
"The Northern Dukedom? Is it fun?"
"Hmm… I'm not sure," Lina said thoughtfully. "I've never been there before."
It was not that she had never wanted to visit. However, the Northern Dukedom was the domain of the beast races. It was ruled and protected by the Grand Duke of the North. No one truly knew how powerful the Grand Duke was, but one thing was certain: every beast hunter who had attempted to enter the Northern had never returned alive.
Although Lina had already reached the level of Sword Master and True Mage, she had no desire to recklessly antagonize the ruler of that land. Her purpose for traveling to the Northern Territory was solely for Claude's sake. She wished to find someone who could help her son's unique case.
It took them more than two months to travel from the small town in the east to the northern border. As soon as their carriage crossed into the northern frontier, the air grew bitterly cold, and occasional shivers ran through their bodies despite the heavy clothing.
"Madam, I cannot take you any farther than this," the coachman said apologetically. "The North forbids strangers from entering freely, especially carriages that arrive without invitation. You will likely have to continue on foot from here."
"I understand. Thank you for bringing us this far." Lina handed the coachman a small pouch filled with gold coins—the payment they had agreed upon.
After the carriage departed and the road fell silent, Lina made sure no one else was nearby before summoning her contracted panda.
"Wow! Where did this baby panda come from?" Claude exclaimed in delight. He immediately picked up the fluffy creature and hugged it tightly.
"Mistress! You never told me your nephew was this adorable!" the panda complained excitedly.
"Mama, can we keep him? He's so cute!" Claude said eagerly.
Claude and the panda spoke almost simultaneously, though to Claude it sounded like nothing more than the soft squeaks of an ordinary baby panda.
Since Lina was the only one capable of understanding the language of her contracted beasts, she chuckled quietly. "We'll take him with us," she said. "He says you're adorable too."
"Eh? Can he talk? Can you understand him?"
"He can speak, but right now I'm the only one who can understand him."
"Why?"
"If he evolves and gains a human form, then you will be able to communicate with him freely."
"OH! He can transform?! When?"
Lina glanced down at the panda. "Fatty, you heard him. When will you evolve?"
The baby panda looked at Lina with pitiful eyes. "Mistress… you said you contracted me because I'm cute and adorable. If I evolve and turn into a disgusting human form, won't you just throw me away?"
Lina actually possessed five contracted beasts in total, and this chubby panda was one of them. That alone was astonishing. Maintaining two contracts was a challenge for most mages, while only a rare handful possessed the strength to sustain three.
Lady Lunar Frost Sovereign was the only person known to command five contracted beasts. They were the Jade Phoenix, a master of healing; the Faceless Shadow, a memories devourer spirit; the Iron-Fang Wolf, famed for unmatched offensive power; and the Divine Snake-Tailed Turtle, an embodiment of absolute defense.
Each of those four beasts possessed exceptional abilities and could support her in both battle and defense. Only this panda possessed no remarkable ability aside from overwhelming cuteness.
Selene had originally contracted the creature simply because she adored cute animals. Unfortunately, the panda had since grown into a lazy, spoiled creature that behaved more like an oversized baby than a powerful beast.
"Do not use me as an excuse to avoid evolving," Lina said coldly. "Hurry and do what I instructed you to do."
The baby panda reluctantly jumped down from Claude's arms. It waddled several steps away before its body suddenly expanded and transformed into the form of a massive adult panda.
"Whoa! He really grew up!!" Claude shouted in amazement.
Lina smiled faintly in satisfaction. She adjusted Claude's thick robe to shield him from the biting wind before placing him onto the panda's back. Then she climbed up behind him, wrapped her arms around her son protectively, and continued their journey deeper into the Northern Territory.
At that same moment, far within the frozen lands of the North…
A bluish-white dragon sleeping at the bottom of a Winter Lake suddenly opened its eyes. The dragon burst from the icy water and flew swiftly toward a magnificent palace carved into the mountains.
Upon landing in the palace courtyard, the dragon transformed into a tall and handsome man radiating overwhelming authority. His platinum-gold hair shimmered beneath the pale sky, and his golden eyes gleamed with ancient power—features identical to those of Klain and Claude.
"Your Grace, you have awakened earlier than usual," the head butler said respectfully as he greeted his master.
"My blood is boiling," the man replied slowly. "Someone carrying dragon blood has entered our territory."
"Dragon blood?" Edgar paused thoughtfully. "Your Grace… did you perhaps leave a concubine somewhere outside the territory without informing me?"
The handsome man pressed his palm against his forehead and sighed heavily. "Edgar… although I require an heir, I would never casually take a concubine. What I need is a wife, not a concubine."
"Then where could this bloodline have originated?" Edgar muttered. After thinking carefully, a realization suddenly struck him. "Could it be… the previous Grand Duke?"
The current Grand Duke stared silently at the frozen lake, his expression distant. "Klaude…" he murmured softly. "Did you leave a descendant somewhere beyond the North? You should have told me before you disappeared from this world."
Edgar followed his master's gaze toward the icy lake, his expression equally solemn.
The Northern Territory had once possessed two powerful heirs to the title of Grand Duke: Klaude and Caelis.
However, Caelis possessed a far purer and stronger bloodline than his elder brother. Despite that, Caelis had never shown interest in seizing power and instead preferred a carefree and lazy lifestyle.
No one had expected that Klaude—who had only served as Grand Duke for a few short months—would suddenly abandon his position and vanish without explanation.
More than twenty years had passed since Klaude disappeared. As long as his soul orb remained illuminated, Caelis believed his brother was still alive somewhere.
But eight years ago, the soul orb had suddenly gone dark.
"Even though he was one level below me, no ordinary being in this world could have harmed him," Caelis said quietly, gazing into the sky as if he could still see his brother's shadow lingering there. "It would require a Grand Master or a Grand Mage to truly injure him… and even they would struggle to kill him."
Caelis's golden eyes darkened. "Edgar," he asked slowly, "who in this world do you believe is capable of killing my brother?"
The head butler remained silent as he, too, had no answer.
Everyone in the North knew how deep the bond between the twin dragon lords truly was. If Caelis ever discovered who had murdered his brother, he would undoubtedly lead the Northern armies of beasts to seek vengeance.
No one yet realized that fate was already moving.
Very soon, the long-awaited meeting between the Grand Duke of the North and the true heir of the dragon bloodline would take place.