Chapter 21

After the dragon was out of sight, Eva looked behind her and saw her mother. She had cried countless nights prior due to her death but here she stood thanks to a guy she found by accident. She wanted to tell her what she had been through but first ,"Apologize." She looked at Benjamin who was on the floor and fighting back as his first reaction, he got deflected with a single punch from her. 'So that's what he was doing.' A person who can forcefully rank up people would definitely gain a lot of attention by all the kingdoms but seeing what he could do, she knew that he would be fine. "Apologize." She repeated but Benjamin sorely refused and she let out her aura which quickly took a toll on his body as blood started to come out of every orifice of his body. He didn't think he'd be in such a situation where his daughter who he had disowned would be the one making him lie on the ground in a humiliating manner like this. Seeing that he wouldn't apologize,she killed him with the sword given to her by Aldritch by cutting his head off.

She then killed the rest till the only ones alive were her sister and her mother. "Come on. We have a kingdom to take over." She looked at her mother and her sister before they slowly made their way to the palace. Andrew in the sky with his eyes closed asked ,"What's your name?" The owner terrified of how high they were stammered ,"E-E-Ernest." Clinging close to the dragon ,"Where do you live, Ernest?" . "On the outskirts of Astria." The dragon suddenly making an unexpected dive from Andrew's command, Ernest cried ,"We're going to die." But nearing the ground,it made a graceful landing and without hesitation Ernest got off and started thanking Penelope. "Who's that you are addressing to?" Ernest looking at Andrew ,"The god who created this world." Pushing it aside Andrew asked ,"Who is the head of the organization you are working for?" Ernest with a resigned face ," His esteemed Earl Jonathan Stamford." Ernest keeping the name short as he knew Andrew wasn't a fan of titles but what he said next surprised him ,"Let's go to your family.'' Ernest with a worried expression ,"Wh..." But seeing the deadly look on Andrew's face,he pointed north and said ,"We just have to keep going in this direction."

Andrew getting back on the dragon followed by Ernest unwillingly, they quickly went back up in the clouds casting a shadow down bellow catching the eye of an interested girl in a carriage and five minutes later, they arrived at a not so shabby houses. They were pretty standard but not worth comparing to Benjamin's mansion. They both got off after making a graceful landing but scaring the people present who were busy with their work. After getting off, the huge dragon which was visible from miles withered away but the city guards caught sight of it and made a report to their higher ups. Ernest led the now empty way and Andrew followed with a carefree expression till they faced a medium house with nothing about it outstanding in any way. Ernest first went in ,"Let me just prepare a few. The house may be dirty and I don't want you to stay in a disorganized house." He went in the house leaving Andrew to wait outside. He looked at the soldiers coming from the city armed for battle but ignored them and started to wander off around the village. He walked around till he came across a couple of children and observed them as they went about their game in the streets till their parents came over and hauled them away taking them back to their houses casting worried  expressions looking at Andrew. They had all left except for a little girl who appeared to be about ten years old. Seeing all of her friends gone, she looked at Andrew and asked in a cute voice ,"Can you play with me, mister?"

Andrew looking at the small girl replied  with a gentle smile ,"Sure." The small girl then said ,"Yay! Let's play hide and seek and you'll count." Playing this charade, Andrew closed his eyes and faced a wall then counted to a hundred and started searching for the girl. Hiding was futile for her as he knew where she was even with his eyes closed but to entertain her muses, he started looking all over place intentionally not going to where she was. He looked at the bushes, the trees, the barrels present and other places but couldn't find her. "I give up, you win little girl." Andrew throwing in the towel and a cute girl emerged behind a tarp she found though it was quite obvious ,"Hahaha. You lost so you have to count again." With a dejected face he made looking at the girl ,"No fair. You hid too well." The girl simply laughed cutely before asking ,"Sir, did you make that huge dragon earlier?" Andrew with a smile ,"Yes I did." The girl with a nervous expression ,"Can I pet it?" Amused and seeing nothing wrong with it ,"Sure." She grabbed and put the girl dressed in a pink dress braided in pigtails held by two pink bows on his shoulders and the gargantuan dragon appeared beneath his feet raising them up in the air though it didn't take off. The girl was scared of the height but was thrilled said ,"Wow! We're so high up. I can see Astria from here." Pointing her small index finger towards the kingdom. "Can we go down now?" The dragon lowered his head and they both jumped off and she looked at it before slowly petting it.

The knights in shining armor made their great appearance riding on their horses. "Step away from the dragon." Their leader commanded as he saw the sight of a child petting a dragon and a teenager looking at her pet it. The girl looking at the newly arrived guards gave a small squeal before hiding behind Andrew. Andrew looked at the person who gave the order. 'S rank huh.' He appeared to be in golden shining armor with the emblem of a star shrouded in magical aura around it engraved on it. He appeared to be in his late thirties with a bearded face and blue hair with a golden sword in his sheath. Seeing Andrew wasn't getting away from it ,"I will not repeat myself. Get away from the dragon or we will be forced to remove you and subdue this dragon." His vice commander who seemed much younger than the commander as he had brown hair and adorned in a silver armour with tints of gold at the shoulder pad asked in ridiculement ,"Did you not hear what he said , get away from the dragon." But Andrew looked at him and wondered ,'Kill them or no. If they try anything stupid then that's their signature for their death certificates.'

The vice commander with a disgusting smile on his face ,"Do you have any idea who you are messing with?" He continued ,"You are talking with the commander and vice commander of the royal army of Astria. The finest soldiers the kingdom could afford." Andrew raised his hand mimicking a gun aimed at the vice commander and he asked ,"Not only are you refusing an order from the commander, you are also ..." He was hit in the head by the commander by the commander and looked back in bewilderment ,"Commander, why did you do that ?" The commander with a grim face got off his horse and made gave a slight cough ,"I'm so sorry for my subordinate's actions."

Andrew lowered his hand and looked at the commander ,"Kneel. All of you and apologize to this girl for scaring her." The guards looking at each other before bursting into laughter ,"Kneel and apologize. This guy's too much." They joked as they, the phoenix squadron, the most elite army in the kingdom of Astria were told to kneel to a guy and a kid from the outskirts of the city. They continued laughing but their commander suddenly said ,"I'm sorry for scaring you little miss but I can't kneel to you, only the king." Andrew looking at the sky then said ,"Then it looks like I'll have to be king." Another wave of laughter erupted from the squad of knights as they heard the man infront of them say ,"He wants to be king." They jested but Andrew had a serious expression on his face. The reason why the commander apologized and hit his vice commander was because the dragon was still lying there on the ground sleeping. It would have already attacked the kingdom by now  causing massive destruction and resulting in the casualties of many but it continued to lay still. He realized that it was Andrew who was controlling it and knew if he was displeased with what they did, they would be held accountable for the destruction of their kingdom due to feign ignorance. A carriage made it's way to the small village with beautiful decorations running through it with an emblem similar to the knights. The coachman who was a rank similar to the commander's got off his seat and opened the door before announcing ,"The daughter of his Majesty, the king of Astria and a gem of the people,her grace Julia Ardwyn."

A delicate fair maiden got off the carriage in a graceful manner. She had blue eyes and her hair rolled in a bun being held in place by a golden hair pin  and wearing a beautiful blue dress with intricate designs all over it with hints of platinum and gold not to mention it was already made of high grade linen cloth. She had a calm and royal demeanor around her accompanied with her refined beauty able to make any man fall for her once catching a sight of her. The knights went on one knee and spoke in a firm and respectful tone ,"We greet your Majesty." She issued for them to get up and went straight for Andrew and that little girl hiding behind him. Andrew was unfazed by her beauty but the little girl exclaimed ,"You are so beautiful." Julia looking at the only two who hadn't knelt she asked in a playful manner ,"Why are still standing?" Her voice soothing and peaceful to hear and the little girl went on her knees but Andrew remained standing and why should he. He had killed gods and transcendent beings alike,the very same these humans worship and even back then at the ninety ninth dimensional plane,he never knelt to Omniphinx who could kill him with a thought so he saw no reason to kneel. "It's because I don't kneel to anybody." He remarked in a cold voice before they got interrupted ,"Lily, we've been looking all over for you." Ernest arrived with a worried look on his face but Lily commented ,"Dad, it was okay. I've been playing with this good Sir and petting his dragon." She spoke innocently but Ernest looking at who she was referring to was stupefied. She didn't know the person she was playing with thirty minutes ago he was slaughtering people left and right but here he stood with a carefree expression and then looking further away from them,he went on his knees with his face lowered ,"Your majesty." Andrew ignoring his posture ,"Is the house ready?" Ernest looking up seeing Andrew still standing amongst a field of people on their knees gave a nod. "Is sir coming over?" Lily asked his father who had a stiff expression evident in his eyes that he didn't want to be here any longer.

He nodded once more and Lily tugging Andrew's hand ,"Come on Sir. I'll show you my toys and we can play teaparty." Andrew looked back at the princess and his knights ,"It was a waste of my time meeting you all." And the dragon behind him faded back forming his shadow leaving the rest stupefied of what he did. "I want to know everything about him and that girl." Julia looking at Bruce Goldeneye before making her escape to her carriage heading to her kingdom. She was deep in her thoughts wondering ,'If we could recruit such a valuable asset, it would greatly help the kingdom though I didn't sense any mana coming from him but the dragon he had was certainly frightening. Maybe he used an artifact.' Continueing with her thoughts, she thought of how she could embetter her kingdom ,'But he is quite rude though dashing.'