Evil Dragon: The young dragon I picked up keeps planning on becoming an empress

Andre's reaction was not slow, having people widely publicize the contributions his mentor, Lance, made during his tenure.

Regrettably, even with Andre's prompt response, he was still unable to win this battle of public opinion, because nobles, ministers, lords, and merchants joined the fray—they joined Princess Elusha's ranks and told the common people how they had been bled dry by Regent King Lance.

Some even said the Regent King had ruined their families.

As more and more nobles, ministers, lords, and merchants joined Princess Elusha's team,

the originally stable situation began to crumble, with numerous provincial nobles, generals, and lords defecting to Princess Elusha's ranks.

Their slogan became "Purge the court, execute the traitorous villain Lance."

After struggling for three months, Princess Elusha finally broke through the passage to the Eternal City, and her troops were at the city's gates.

Andre, seeing that his mentor had not returned at this time, came to terms with it.

The situation had deteriorated to such an extent that he no longer hoped for his mentor to return to the Eternal City.

Because if he returned to the Eternal City, he, the student, could not protect his own mentor.

Mentor Lance was very kind to him, even when he had met Princess Elusha before and had even saved her, and when Elusha returned to the Eternal City, won her father's favor, and was chosen as the heir, the mentor did not choose to abandon him.

He even bore the label of a "traitorous villain" to help him ascend to the throne.

Others might not understand his mentor, but he knew his mentor... only took an interest in money and had no interest in power at all.

If it were not for his student, the mentor would not have chosen such an extreme path.

Princess Elusha didn't understand or know the mentor at all.

If the day came when he became king, and the mentor wanted her dead, he could certainly make it happen.

She thought she had escaped the Eternal City by her own abilities...

Little did she know... her escape from the Eternal City was orchestrated by the mentor...

Elusha... I can give you back the throne, but... you must not harm Mentor Lance, or else... even if you're my brother, I will never forgive you.

Half a month later, the Northern Border army led by Princess Elusha appeared beneath the Eternal City, laying siege to it.

The members of the Bronze Guild stood by Andre atop the city walls.

Given how things had unfolded, the members of the Bronze Bounty Guild could guess whose hands their young lord would die by...

It was still Princess Elusha's hands.

At this point, if they chose to join Princess Elusha's ranks, perhaps they could find a way to escape the "cycle of history"...

But having lived in this "cycle of history" for so many years, they had become part of it.

The young lord disappeared.

With King Andre at a disadvantage, for their own survival, they should abandon him.

But now, they simply could not do such a thing.

Andre had demonstrated through his actions that he was worthy of their young lord.

They also wanted to prove with their actions that even if they died in this "cycle of history," they were worthy of their young lord... as well as of Andre...

Atop the city wall,

Andre, clad in armor, looked down at the Northern Border army in black armor below, admiration in his eyes. Worthy of being the kingdom's elite, those who frequently fought the Barbarian Tribes, the aura of slaughter they emitted...

Seemed to disperse even the clouds in the sky.

"Meredith, Louis, Bazel, Dalton, and the rest of the Bronze Party, at this point, you can still choose to join Princess Elusha's camp, Mentor Lance said... here, you're always free to come and go."

"Mentor Lance has disappeared, and with Princess Elusha and her troops at the gates, now, whether you choose to join my sister's camp or choose to leave this place, to go to another kingdom... I will not stop you..."

"At this point, do you think we still have a choice? Even if we do... do you think we would abandon you... or betray you at this time to join your sister, Princess Elusha?"

"Andre, in our hearts you are not only the king of the Ande Kingdom, but also our companion, and a student of the young lord."

"Abandoning a companion... is something we just can't do. Of course, we might not be able to save you... but we can fight alongside you until... the end of our lives."

"You and the old man really do underestimate us, huh? You don't think we're actually afraid of dying, do you? I can't promise anything else, but I can assure you... at the moment the last battle erupts, we definitely won't let you die before us."

"Heh heh... it feels great not having to break out of prison, hmm... and the feeling of being a hero is quite nice too."

"Idiot, what hero? We're the villains, the Bronze Party infamous... lapdogs of the old Minister of Finance..."

Andre looked at the members of the Bronze Guild and laughed; they had lived up to their mentor, Lance.

They had lived up to him as well...

Companions, huh...

"I will try my best to keep you fellows alive."

"To live... you're not going to join you in pig farming, are you?"

"..."

A twitch at the corner of his mouth, Andre looked towards the front of the Northern Border army, where a female general in fiery red armor stood.

Princess Elusha.

Princess Elusha was also looking at her brother Andre, her once somewhat frail brother... had grown up...

"Brother, long time no see."

"Indeed, long time no see. I never thought that one day... we would meet in this manner."

"Brother, please execute the traitorous villain Lance."