The first to raise doubts was none other than Mélusine.
"You're saying—"
"The growth of a tree affected Camelot, and that's why we're in this situation?"
"How is that possible?"
"I know you find it hard to accept."
As if she had known her words would shock Mélusine, Morgan quickly continued her explanation.
"That was just a simplified explanation to help you understand."
"In reality, its growth is far from being as simple as just a 'tree'."
Morgan looked at the street beneath her feet.
Her eyes no longer held only the animosity from her rivalry with Artoria over Ian.
"That is magical energy flowing from a place we cannot comprehend, something capable of changing all of Camelot."
"How could it possibly be just a 'tree'?"
"..."
Mélusine was at a loss for words.
She truly had no way to verify Morgan's claims.
But at the same time, she couldn't refute them.
After all, of the three present, only she was relatively familiar with such things.
"So—"
Artoria, her expression having become incredibly serious, quickly asked,
"What caused all of this?"
"Sister, since you've said this much, you must have some clue, right?"
"..."
Morgan turned her face away.
"No."
"Even I can't figure out the whole story in such a short time."
"But..."
"If my feeling is correct, the fact that the once-barren land suddenly returned to its former state is probably related to this as well."
Not a good omen, but a warning before a disaster.
What should have been a bountiful harvest to celebrate had now turned into an unnoticed crisis.
Mélusine felt the situation was far more serious than she had imagined, but there was nothing she could do.
At the very least...
I should do something more for this capital city that I love.
"I'm... going to go help with the evacuation."
"You two continue."
Mélusine said this, and then unfolded her wings and flew off.
She felt that this was, to some extent, a form of escape, but for the moment she couldn't think of a better option.
----
Late at night.
Mélusine wandered through a familiar old place.
This was where the city walls originally stood, before Camelot expanded.
Mmm...
It was also the place where she and Ian used to have their secret affairs.
Mélusine even remembered the exact spot where that dragon had made her see hearts.
But, after he and Artoria were married, all of that had become a fleeting bubble of the past.
Artoria, although she had given her the so-called title of "lover," had in reality left no opportunity whatsoever for her to slip in.
The one and only chance she'd had was completely ruined by Morgan's appearance.
Sigh...
If I had just gone directly to Artoria back then and proposed marrying Ian myself, would things have been completely different?
But there are no "what ifs." Opportunities must be seized.
Once missed, it's truly missed.
But, I still regret it so much!
"ROAR—"
A roar tore through the night sky. Mélusine, who had been hanging her head in despair, instinctively looked up.
She recognized the giant black shadow flying across the sky.
It was Ian?!
Although she didn't know what he was planning, Mélusine had a bad feeling and unfolded her wings without a second thought.
Under the moonlight, a beautiful figure shot straight into the sky.
Mélusine, who felt that speed was the one thing she wouldn't lose to Ian in, quickly caught up to his side.
"Ian, what are you doing?"
However, in the face of Mélusine's question, Ian showed no sign of answering.
He just maintained his dragon form and beat his wings with even more force.
There was no other choice.
Mélusine, still unaware of Ian's intentions, could only follow passively behind him.
But, as the distance of their flight increased, Mélusine gradually realized something.
The concentration of magical energy is increasing?
The petite swordswoman instantly recalled everything she had seen today.
Could it be that he's following the trail of that "tree" Morgan had mentioned?
Not daring to let her guard down, Mélusine observed her surroundings with even greater focus.
She could feel that many unsettling things were stirring restlessly around them.
THUD!
After a long flight, the black dragon that was Ian finally showed the desire to land.
However, the method he chose was an extremely savage way of "stopping."
He simply slammed his massive hind legs into the ground, kicking up a powerful dust storm and crashing through countless trees before finally coming to a halt.
Normally, Mélusine would have mercilessly ridiculed such an extremely crude method.
Even flying should be done beautifully!
However—
Mélusine was in no mood for that right now.
Because she could feel an extremely powerful magical energy flowing in the air.
No.
It wasn't just magical energy, but everything related to it.
Heartbeats, breathing.
They were the signs of life.
And... if she had to describe it, it seemed somewhat similar to Artoria's presence, only much more base, and a few degrees weaker.
"What on earth are you planning to do..."
Mélusine, already feeling uneasy, couldn't help but ask again.
This time, Ian didn't keep her in suspense.
Or rather, he had already arrived at his destination.
The great dragon let out a roar, tearing open the curtain of the pitch-black night.
The next moment, a surging torrent of fire erupted from his throat, spraying directly towards the forest before him.
Mélusine thought of stopping him for a moment, but then realized the thought was pointless.
The reason was simple:
She had come all this way with him precisely to understand what he was planning to do.
Now... was that very chance.
But as the flames swept over the ground and trees, setting them ablaze, the brilliant light illuminated a sight that truly shocked Mélusine.
Because what lay within the forest was not something else, but countless silver-white eggs, not yet fully hatched.
And in the moment the flames passed over them, lighting them up, Mélusine glimpsed their contents.
Were they dragons? Were they human?
No.
They were neither.
Although she wanted to define them accurately, what she saw, no matter how she looked at it, was a state between the two.
That is: a "coexisting" form that had not yet completely become a dragon, but already possessed draconic features, while at the same time had not yet shed its human aspect.
If they were to fully mature, they might become like the White Dragons that attacked Camelot before.
Who?!
Who left these things here!