- Calm Before the Storm

When Zex opened his eyes, he was on Drago's bed.

Just like after he took ownership of Drago's body, he was soon greeted by a maid and a butler but it was not Eva nor Farlou.

A physician came over later that day and checked on his condition.

He was in a coma for well over a month and his body was still recovering from the [Draconian Manifestation].

The king at that time issued new servants to maintain the mansion as the incident before left none alive.

Derek's heart was still in tatters as he focused on his recovery. When he inquired about any survivors, he was told that even the children and those who did not join the ritual were slain. The one who plotted all of it held such a deep grudge that he intended to wipe out the whole Grussiva Family. He couldn't even say if he was thankful that he survived.

The king also sent a messenger to him explaining the stance of the kingdom against the assailants but with the mastermind dead, and the assassins that were captured being unaffiliated to any kingdom, the case was closed.

Derek understood the king's intention. The overall might of the kingdom has not yet recovered since his father's death. Waging war for vengeance would only result in more losses and may provoke the enemy kingdom into invading them once again.

However, understanding it and forgetting it are two entirely different matters. He etched the rage and grudge deep within his heart as he asked the messenger to give the king his reply.

...

The memory jumped forward to the time Derek underwent the Trial of Heroes to assume a position in the roster of the strongest combatants and protectors in the Kingdom. The king was overjoyed when he received the request from Derek regarding his participation.

He passed the trial easily and broke many previous records.

However, there were two others only falling short of his performance, and that if he and another did not participate, the one who did participate would have made their mark in history holding records that surpassed their predecessors.

One of them was a mage called Arissef, 3 years older than Derek.

The other was Amber, a female paladin of astounding beauty, grace, and skill in both light magic and melee combat. She was 2 years older than Derek but she looked younger. He heard before that those who practiced light magic would experience a constant cleansing of their bodies, removing most imperfections in their appearance. Looking at Amber, he started believing it.

They were the three who held the titles of the monstrous rookies at that time, joined only by Falna a decade later.

After the trial, the three met Edge and a middle-aged Brius who were their seniors.

As a custom in the Grussiva Dragon Knights, Derek threw away his given name the moment he was inducted as a hero and assumed the name, Drago, officially becoming the new Dragon Knight.

Later on, the five aforementioned heroes were frequently being sent on various battles against other kingdoms and potential threats as a team commanding thousands of soldiers.

They quickly bonded and became a tightly cohesive group and they went on to make names for themselves.

Drago commanded the army and handled strategies and battle tactics. In dire situations or when there were tough combatants, he would lead the charge himself and be the vanguard.

Arissef was the deputy commander and devastated the field with his various destructive spells while timely sending enchantments to those in need.

Edge handled scouting, tracking, assassinations, and diversions.

Brius led the engineering teams, the bombardment teams, and the trapping teams. He was also the terrain specialist.

Amber focused on protecting the army with her defensive and healing spells while enhancing morale.

They had each other's back on and off the field and developed a camaraderie that went beyond that of family.

In Drago and Amber's case, they eventually developed an even closer relationship and became lovers.

However, unfortunate news went their way not long after.

'A EUNUCH?????????? DRAGO IS A EUNUCH?????' [1]

Zex, who was carefully going through the memory, just heard the words from the doctor after Drago and Amber discovered a problem when they were on one of their nocturnal escapades.

"Is there a way to fix this?" Drago, who was surprisingly flustered, asked the doctor.

In response, the doctor explained various possible reasons for it but he could not give an accurate answer.

He was also Avegar's long-time doctor and he diagnosed the abrupt changes of his libido to be brought about by the increased purity of his dragon blood. Considering this, He asked Drago to confirm this with the keepers.

Unfortunately, the Head keeper added salt to the injury as he confirmed that Drago's blood was of too low purity that he could not even be called a half-blood. Though he had no solid evidence, he believed that it was due to the ritual being interrupted midway, causing complications to the transfusion. Not to mention that Avegar's blood was preserved for 5 years. There was no telling how much efficacy his blood had remaining.

This revelation devastated Drago further that it drove a wedge between him and Amber despite the latter stating that she didn't care if they wouldn't have children.

However, Drago believed that sooner or later, being childless would bring unhappiness to her.

Therefore, he ended his relationship with Amber as his heart turned even colder at the thought that he would be the last in the line of the Grussiva Family.

While Zex was feeling sorry for Drago's misfortune, he was heavily disappointed in his decision to take over this body. He never even knew that he wouldn't have gotten morning wood as he never actually slept for two weeks. Finally, he was able to understand why Drago avoided having relationships with women, even denying a princess at one point.

From that moment, Drago threw himself on the battlefield more and more, focusing on refining his skill and accumulating experience, dedicating himself to serve the kingdom to his dying breath overcompensating for the years that would follow his death.

Years later, Drago's strength outgrew even the best weapons that existed causing him to hire the best dwarven blacksmith the kingdom knew into crafting a greatsword that could compliment him in battle. This was the birth of Avegar, named after his father. He also brought out the great shield, Etherguard which was passed down in their family unused for generations because the past Dragon Knights were either not able to wield it or were using other weapons like his father, who was an expert on the broadsword.

Drago went into the most dangerous battlefields even without the other 4 by his side and rightfully so, garnered the title of 'Strongest Hero of Grimley', breaking records in the number of battles participated and won, number of days on the field, number of kills, and number of powerful creatures slain. Kingdoms surrounding Grimley were either conquered or became allies and vassals during this time, afraid of Drago's prowess in battle.

In time, finally moving on from her relationship with Drago, Amber and Edge developed feelings for each other and eventually got married. They had Dhana and Drago was glad to be made her godfather.

However, because he was almost always on the battlefield, he only met Dhana a couple of times and did not develop a close relationship. Zex did not forget his impulsive promise to Edge that he would protect Dhana... at least until he conquered the kingdom. With his abilities being stifled, and his situation being complicated, he wasn't able to even look for her flower shop. He remembered an old saying his mother in his previous life kept telling him: "Before you can help others, you need to help yourself first." It resonated with him until his dying breath. You can't give what you don't have.

Unfortunately, it was also because Drago was on the battlefield that he was not there to prevent the tragedy that drove Edge to 'madness' and the horror Arissef encountered to eventually become the Demon Slayer.

[1] A Eunuch refers to a man who has been castrated (removed the testicles) becoming unable to reproduce. This was widely practiced in the past in imperial courts to those who are tasked to guard the women's living quarters. However, later on, the term has been used loosely referring to men who are incapable of having an erection, ultimately denying them of having sexual intercourse.