Chapter 104: Craig’s Request

"Huh? My seventh child is here?" Duke Oscar raised a dark eyebrow, a look of genuine surprise momentarily shattering his stoic composure.

Silence fell over the high-ceilinged office as the announcement hung in the air.

Each of the Darkstar successors had already returned to their respective fiefs and territories weeks ago to consolidate their power and manage their domains.

There was no practical reason for the Seventh Successor to return to the heart of the Rynchester Duchy instead of remaining at his post to govern the Myrain Viscounty—especially given the fact that he had not been summoned by the Duke.

Ser Loras Maverick and Head Butler Edgar tilted their heads slightly, their sharp, experienced eyes turning toward the Crimson Duke, awaiting his decision.

Duke Oscar exhaled a soft, lingering sigh, leaning back slightly before offering a brief nod of assent.

"Let him in."

Head Butler Edgar immediately faced the closed double doors and raised his voice, his tone carrying clear, authoritative resonance.

"His Grace grants the Seventh Successor an audience. You may enter."

Click.

The heavy mahogany doors swung open with frictionless grace, and every eye in the room locked onto the young man who stepped across the threshold.

Craig von Darkstar walked into the office with steady, measured strides, his long black coat swaying gently behind him.

However, the moment his boots made contact with the room’s carpet, the atmosphere within the grand chamber instantly shifted.

Both Ser Loras and Duke Oscar’s eyebrows furrowed in unison.

As high-ranking powerhouses of the Western Continent, both men were fully aware that Craig had recently broken through his limits and ascended into the Sword Runner class.

Such rapid progress was already extraordinary, but what truly caught them off guard was not his rank—it was the sheer, suffocating quality of the aura rolling off his frame.

It was a primitive, heavy pressure—the unmistakable sensation of an Apex Predator stepping into a closed sanctuary.

The passive mana circulating around Craig did not merely belong to a young, newly awakened ranker; it carried the dense, terrifying weight of a true sovereign whose soul had been tempered by primordial abyss flames and dragon blood.

Even Ser Loras involuntarily shifted his hand an inch closer to the pommel of his broadsword, his ancient instincts flaring.

Unbothered by the heavy atmosphere, Craig halted his steps precisely three paces before the massive mahogany desk.

A calm, effortless smile touched his lips as he folded one arm across his chest and bowed his head smoothly.

"Myzor Ve’larex rex Crez Flaume, Makii rex Rynchester Duchy" Craig uttered, his voice dropping into the deep, archaic cadence of the High Darkstarian language—the ancient tongue reserved strictly for supreme bloodline formal greeting.

(Greetings, Sovereign of the Crimson Flame, Lord of the Rynchester Duchy)

Duke Oscar observed his seventh child in quiet intensity for a long, heavy moment.

The Crimson Duke slowly rose from his throne-like chair, his tall, imposing figure casting a long shadow across the desk as he let out a soft sigh.

"You have changed, Craig," Duke Oscar noted, his golden-crimson eyes narrowing as he evaluated his son.

"Your ascension to the Sword Runner class was fast, but even taking that into account... the density and pressure of your mana reserve should not have diverged this drastically from standard parameters in such a short span."

Oscar rested his heavy palms flat on the darkwood surface, leaning forward slightly.

"Tell me, why have you returned to the castle without notice? You are now a recognized successor and a ruling Lord Viscount. Your time, focus, and presence should be dedicated entirely to governing the Myrain Viscounty."

Craig’s serene smile remained completely unwavering under his father’s suffocating gaze.

"I offer my sincere apologies for arriving unannounced, Your Grace," Craig replied smoothly, bringing his hand back to his side.

"This past month has been exceptionally hectic. I have been personally overseeing the restructuring of the Viscounty, firmly stabilizing both its internal security networks and its overarching economic foundations."

He met his father’s eyes with absolute confidence. "Now that the territory is fully secured and operating smoothly under my established order, I deemed this to be the most opportune moment to return to the castle."

Craig then executed a second, deeper bow, his tone turning quiet and solemn. "Furthermore... I humbly request permission to speak with my father in absolute privacy."

Duke Oscar stared down at Craig for several seconds, reading the absolute seriousness in his seventh child’s posture.

Without breaking eye contact, Oscar raised two fingers, signaling to his aides behind him.

Understanding the unspoken command instantly, Ser Loras Maverick and Head Butler Edgar bowed deeply toward the Duke, turned on their heels, and quietly exited the office.

The heavy mahogany doors clicked securely shut behind them, leaving only the Crimson Duke and his seventh child inside the vast, sealed room.

Once the latch engaged and total silence returned, Craig raised his head, his sharp eyes locking onto his father.

"I have come here today to make a specific request, Your Grace," Craig stated plainly.

"A request, is it?" Duke Oscar’s eyebrows creased into a stern line as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"Are you unsatisfied with the allocation for your private military company? Or do you require additional capital from the central treasury?"

"No, it is nothing of the sort," Craig answered, shaking his head gently. "Recently, I personally funded and constructed a specialized Dragon’s Pit within the borders of the Myrain Viscounty, utilizing my own private assets."

He paused, letting his mana settle as he explained the core issue.

"The pit was designed specifically to house my three top-tier dragons. However, a unique situation has arisen regarding Soul Dreamer, my 5th-Tier dragon. She is about to become a mother."

Duke Oscar’s eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise.

"She recently laid a clutch of dragon eggs within the high sanctuaries of the Temple of Dragons," Craig continued, his voice calm and methodical.

"Because her maternal instincts are deeply tied to the preservation of her unhatched brood, she refuses to freely leave the mountain range or relocate long-term to the new Dragon’s Pit in my Viscounty."

Craig lowered his posture into a respectful, formal petition. "Therefore, I have returned to request Your Grace’s explicit authorization to enter the Temple of Dragons once more—not to claim another contract, but to retrieve Soul Dreamer’s egg clutch and transport them directly to my territory under heavy protection.

Once her eggs are safely established in her new lair, Soul Dreamer will freely follow and make the Myrain Viscounty her permanent home for now....."

"Until I ascend your throne, Father!" Craig declared.