Dragon Monarch System Chapter 1144:- A Chance to Become Dragonians - Part III

"If the opportunity presents itself, it would be best if both of you could become Dragonians as well."

Shin and Mai immediately understood what their father meant. Neither of them could simply approach Aditya and demand a drop of his Divine Blood. Regardless of their status as the Duke’s children, Divine Blood was far too precious for such entitlement.

However, by personally leading their soldiers to Axel City and actively participating in the coming war, there was always a possibility that Aditya might eventually offer them the opportunity himself.

After acknowledging their father’s instructions, the two siblings turned around and began walking away. There was much to prepare, and summoning all of the vassal lords alone would take some time. Shinzo silently watched their departing figures until they disappeared from his sight.

As for Shinzo himself, he had no interest in becoming a Dragonian.

He had already reached the natural limit of his cultivation many years ago, and more importantly, he had long since accepted that he would never advance into the higher Orders. Almost two centuries had passed since he seriously pursued cultivation, and during that time, the frustration he once felt toward being unable to progress had gradually disappeared.

He had made peace with that and had no regrets about not being able to cultivate.

At his age, Shinzo was satisfied with the life he had. He had led the Fujiwara Household for centuries, protected what his ancestors had left behind, and raised two children who were now capable of carrying the family into the future. Rather than suddenly chasing greater strength for himself, he preferred to spend his remaining years watching the next generation rise.

That was also why he wanted Shin and Mai to receive this opportunity far more than he wanted it for himself. ’It would be even better if both of them could receive more than one drop of Divine Dragon Blood.’

Shinzo knew enough about Dragonians to understand that receiving a single drop of Aditya’s Divine Blood was merely the beginning. The more drops a Dragonian received, the further their bloodline could evolve, allowing them to gain even greater strength and potential.

Because of this, becoming a Dragonian was already an extraordinary opportunity, but continuing to receive Aditya’s Divine Blood in the future was even more valuable.

From Shinzo’s perspective, this could greatly strengthen the future position of the Fujiwara Household. He would eventually step down as the Head of the Family, and Shin, as his eldest son, would inherit both his position as Duke and the responsibility of leading the entire Fujiwara Dukedom.

If Shin became a powerful Dragonian while also building a strong relationship with Aditya before he officially ascended the Imperial Throne, then the Fujiwara Household would enter the next generation from a much stronger political and military position.

The same applied to Mai. Although she would not inherit the position of Duke, having another powerful Dragonian within the direct bloodline of the Fujiwara Family would further strengthen their household.

More importantly, if both of his children fought alongside Aditya during the civil war and earned his trust through their own actions, then the Fujiwara Household’s relationship with the future Emperor would no longer depend entirely on a temporary political alliance. Shin and Mai would personally know Aditya and would have stood beside him during one of the most important periods of his rise to power.

However, Shinzo had absolutely no intention of approaching Aditya and asking him to give his children special treatment. Doing something like that could easily create the opposite effect.

Aditya had already shown that he valued loyalty and ability, and Shinzo believed it would be far better for Shin and Mai to earn this opportunity themselves. If they proved their usefulness, loyalty, and capabilities during the coming civil war, then perhaps Aditya would eventually decide that they were worthy of receiving his Divine Dragon Blood.

In Shinzo’s eyes, that would be far more valuable than receiving the opportunity himself. His own era as the Head of the Fujiwara Household was slowly approaching its end. What mattered to him now was ensuring that when Shin eventually took his place, the Fujiwara Family remained powerful, respected, and politically secure under the rule of the next Emperor.

’Though things would certainly become even better if His Majesty took a liking to Mai.’ The thought naturally crossed Shinzo’s mind as he watched his daughter leave with her brother.

Mai was still unmarried, and throughout the Celestial Dragon Empire, she was considered one of the most beautiful women of her generation. Her background was equally impressive. As the daughter of a Duke and a direct descendant of the Fujiwara Family, her status was already extremely high, while her talent in cultivation was exceptional.

In fact, when it came purely to cultivation talent, Shinzo had always believed that Mai possessed even greater potential than her elder brother.

Her greatest weakness had always been her impulsive and somewhat reckless personality. However, even that had gradually improved over the centuries. Mai was nowhere near as reckless as she had been in her younger years, and with more experience, Shinzo believed that she would eventually overcome most of that weakness.

From a purely political perspective, a relationship between Mai and Aditya would bring benefits to the Fujiwara Household that almost nothing else could match. If Aditya became the next Emperor and Mai became one of his women, the Fujiwara Family would immediately gain a direct connection to the Imperial Family. Their position among the noble houses would become far more secure, while the relationship between the Fujiwara Household and Aditya could potentially continue for generations.

Because of this, Shinzo had briefly considered personally offering his daughter’s hand to Aditya. Such arrangements were hardly unusual among noble families, especially when an unmarried daughter of a powerful household and an Emperor were involved.

However, Shinzo had discarded the idea almost as quickly as it appeared.

Politics was important, but Mai was still his daughter.

From everything Shinzo had observed, Aditya was already extremely close to several Goddesses. The relationships between them clearly went far beyond simple political arrangements. Even if Shinzo somehow managed to arrange a marriage between Mai and Aditya, which he already considered extremely unlikely, he could not be certain that such a marriage would make his daughter happy.

Mai would constantly find herself surrounded by women whose beauty, talent, status, and strength were extraordinary even by the standards of the Main Continent.

Shinzo knew his daughter well enough to understand that such an environment could easily make her self-conscious, especially if she entered Aditya’s family through nothing more than a political arrangement while the other women genuinely loved him and had already shared countless experiences with him.

More importantly, Shinzo had already understood enough about Aditya’s personality to know that such a proposal probably would not succeed in the first place. His Majesty did not appear to be someone who would accept a woman simply because marrying her offered some political advantage. Even the position of a concubine was unlikely to change that.

If anything were ever going to happen between Aditya and Mai, then Mai herself would have to catch his attention and make him genuinely interested in her.

Shinzo would not interfere with that.

If his daughter naturally developed feelings for Aditya and Aditya eventually returned those feelings, Shinzo certainly would not oppose their relationship. Politically, he would probably be one of the greatest beneficiaries of such an outcome.

But forcing his daughter into Aditya’s arms merely to strengthen the Fujiwara Household was a line Shinzo had no intention of crossing.

"Whatever. We will see how things unfold." Shinzo eventually pushed those thoughts aside. There was little point in thinking too deeply about something that neither he nor the Fujiwara Household could control.

As Shinzo raised his head and once again looked toward the moon, however, his expression gradually became thoughtful. He knew that the Fujiwara Household would not be the only noble family to recognize the importance of what Aditya was doing.

If he had already understood how valuable becoming a Dragonian could be for the future of his household, then the other Dukes and Duchesses would certainly reach the same conclusion. "By now, I am sure the other Dukes and Duchesses have also started making their preparations. This means that by the time my children reach Axel City, there will already be fierce competition for this opportunity."

And Shinzo’s prediction turned out to be completely correct.

By the time Aditya finished transforming around one thousand soldiers selected from the various noble houses belonging to the Harrington Faction, something unexpected had already begun happening outside Axel City. Noble households from across their side of the Empire had started sending their own soldiers toward the city, hoping that they too could receive the opportunity to become Dragonians.

Before long, an astonishing three thousand two hundred soldiers from various noble households had gathered. Each group remained organized beneath the flag of the noble house they served, making it easy to see just how many different families had decided to participate.

Some had been personally sent by their Duke or Duchess, while others belonged to the vassal nobles serving beneath those major households. Everyone understood what was at stake, and no family wanted to remain behind while the military strength of their political allies rapidly increased.

Even though Shin and Mai had acted quickly and arrived relatively early with the soldiers selected from the Fujiwara Dukedom, it still had not been enough to avoid the competition. Several other noble houses had reacted just as quickly, clearly having reached the same conclusion as Shinzo.

More importantly, three thousand two hundred was not the final number.

More groups continued arriving through the Teleportation Arrays, carrying the banners of their respective noble houses. The news had spread extremely quickly among Aditya’s supporters, and with every passing hour, more nobles were realizing that this was not merely an opportunity to strengthen a few soldiers.

If the Harrington Faction emerged from the civil war with hundreds of powerful Dragonians while the other noble houses remained unchanged, the balance of military power between them could shift considerably.

For that reason, none of the major noble houses wanted to be left behind.

What had originally begun as Aditya strengthening the Harrington Faction before the civil war had unintentionally turned into fierce competition among his supporters for the chance to strengthen their own households.

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