"Forget it," Ethan said with a soft sigh. "Give the Primordial Force to Seraphina."
He’d made the decision in a heartbeat. Just one look at her was enough.
Yeah, he knew how rare and valuable this kind of thing was—but compared to what Seraphina meant to him, it wasn’t even close. Besides, this wasn’t some sacred relic meant to be locked away. It was a consumable. Something meant to be used. And if he needed more, he’d just take on tougher missions. There’d be more. Always was.
"Shame, really," Balthazar said just then, handing the fragment back with a regretful look. "Even though it’s from the Dragon God, Order Dragon Asha, it’s still too weak to be of any use to me."
"I wouldn’t call it a shame," Auremax said, shaking his head. "This is still an incredibly rare treasure. Among same-tier Primordial Forces, Order Dragon Asha’s is top-tier—strongest in quality and power. I’d say it could be a big help to Cicero or Kyros."
He glanced toward Cicero as he spoke.
In his mind, Kyros was still young. He probably didn’t need this fragment urgently. So, logically, Cicero was the best candidate right now.
And more than that, Auremax had always believed that out of the three Crimson Ultimate Heroes—Cicero, Seraphina, and Kyros—Cicero was the most well-rounded and capable.
Part of that was personality. Cicero reminded him of himself: cautious, strategic, always thinking ten steps ahead. The kind of person who didn’t just charge into battle, but planned the whole damn war.
That kind of mind? That was leadership material.
Seraphina and Kyros, on the other hand, were more the frontline types. Brave, fierce, unstoppable in a fight—but not the ones you’d want steering the ship in a storm.
And in large-scale wars—especially the kind that decided the fate of entire factions—raw strength wasn’t enough. Unless you had god-tier, world-breaking power, strategy, foresight, and control were what really won wars. Overlord-level wars.
And Cicero? He had that potential.
Plus, from what Auremax had observed, Cicero’s Primordial Force was the strongest of the three. His grasp of the laws of the world ran deeper than the others. So if anyone could make the most of a power-up, it was him.
From a pure value standpoint, investing in Cicero gave Emerald Castle the best return.
But just as Auremax was about to say more, Ethan suddenly spoke.
"Seraphina. Come here."
Seraphina especially. She stood there, stunned, like she hadn’t heard him right. After a moment, she hesitantly stepped forward, her voice soft and uncertain. "Master... is something wrong?"
Ethan didn’t answer right away. He took the Order Dragon Asha fragment back from Balthazar, then pulled out another one—he had two. Both B-rank. He held them out to her with a smile.
"Take them. They’re yours."
Seraphina’s eyes instantly welled up. She stared at him, overwhelmed, her lips trembling. But even as her heart surged with emotion, she shook her head furiously.
"No... Master, I can’t. I can’t accept these..."
Before she could finish, Ethan cut her off.
"I said take them. What, you’re not listening to me now?"
Her voice cracked. The more he gave, the more guilty she felt. She didn’t feel worthy of this. Not when someone like Auremax or Cicero could use it to become something greater.
Ethan just smiled, reached out, and gently ruffled her hair.
Then he looked over at Cicero, who was watching the whole thing with a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Cicero," Ethan said, "you’re okay with this, right?"
Cicero blinked, then gave a small, warm laugh.
"Of course. She’s my sister."
"...She’s my sister!"
Cicero broke down in tears on the spot.
His face was streaked with tears, and he sobbed so hard it drowned out even the roar of the ocean. Seeing him like that, Auremax and Balthazar exchanged glances—then both of them started laughing.
But it wasn’t mocking. It was warm. Genuine.
Something about that moment hit them deep.
Because honestly, unless you’re forced into it, who really wants to live in a world full of lies, backstabbing, and selfish schemes?
Sure, Ethan’s decision might’ve seemed a little impulsive to them—not exactly the most strategic move.
But none of them objected.
Because in that moment, they saw something rare and beautiful in Ethan.
Seraphina and Cicero had been with Ethan since birth—he practically raised them himself. The way he protected that bond, honored it, that said everything about the kind of person he was. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
At the very least, they knew one thing for sure: Ethan wasn’t the kind of guy who’d stab you in the back.
And that alone? That was enough.
Meanwhile, Karnak the Bronze Golem and Lilith of the Dragonblood Elves were both watching with barely concealed envy.
The Primordial Force of the Crimson Ultimate Hero—yeah, it would’ve been a huge power boost for them too. But they hadn’t even dared to hope for it. They knew how this worked. Even if it were up for grabs, they wouldn’t be the ones chosen.
So now, all they could do was envy Seraphina.
Princess Seraphina...
Her place in Lord Ethan’s heart?
Yeah, it was clear now—she meant the world to him.
The only one who didn’t seem fazed at all was Elyra.
Maybe it was because she didn’t care much about becoming a Crimson Ultimate Hero. Or maybe it was because she knew—once Emerald Castle reached its full strength, who cared about the Primordial Force?
By then, they’d all have their share of power anyway.
After all, she was one of the Hero Units Ethan had personally nurtured from the very beginning. Her bond with him ran just as deep as Seraphina’s, Cicero’s, Elynn’s, or Kyros’s.
So whatever Ethan decided, she’d never question it. Never feel jealous.
Because she believed—no, she knew—
No matter what happened, Ethan would never forget her. Never leave her behind.
"Alright, alright, that’s enough crying. Look—Cicero’s laughing at you," Ethan said, trying to lighten the mood as he looked at Seraphina, who was still sobbing uncontrollably.
He figured dragging someone else into it might help.
"He what?!" Seraphina immediately huffed, her voice sharp with mock outrage.
She shot Cicero a glare that could cut steel.
Cicero froze on the spot, his face twitching between a smile and a grimace. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He was both amused and exasperated.
But then, out of nowhere, Seraphina walked over to him. Her head was lowered, her voice soft.
"Big brother... thank you."
Cicero’s whole body stiffened. He stood there, stunned.
Had he heard that right?
He was pretty sure—no, absolutely sure—that this was the first time Seraphina had ever called him "big brother."
A strange, indescribable emotion surged up inside him.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
In the end, he just smiled—wide and warm—and gently reached out to pat her on the head.
"Don’t let Master down," he said softly.
Seraphina’s head snapped up. Her eyes were fierce, unwavering.
Watching the exchange, Ethan couldn’t help but smile, a deep sense of satisfaction warming his chest.
Then he turned to Auremax and asked, "Auremax, earlier you said it’d be best not to let Orryn or Oakenmaw use this Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force. Why’s that?"
He’d already given the two B-rank shards of Order Dragon Asha’s power to Seraphina.
Now, all he had left was the D-rank Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force from Water Dragon Shalassa.
Auremax nodded solemnly. "My lord, the truth is... gaining power through the Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force isn’t always a good thing."
Ethan blinked, frowning. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Auremax began, "you’re aware, I assume, that the power of the Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force is drawn directly from the World Law Core. And the World Law Core is essentially the source of power for the Six Dragon Gods and Order Dragon Asha."
Ethan nodded. "Yeah, I know that much."
"The Crimson Ultimate Hero’s Primordial Force isn’t just one thing—it actually exists in no fewer than eight forms. Six of them correspond to the Six Dragon Gods. The other two are tied to Order Dragon Asha and Chaos Dragon Urghash. The six Dragon God forms are all on the same tier, while the Asha and Urghash forms are a tier above."
He paused for a moment, letting that sink in.
"However, the Dragon God-tier Primordial Forces are each tied to a specific magic element. For example, this one—from Water Dragon Shalassa—is strictly water-elemental. That makes it a poor fit for Orryn or Oakenmaw, since their magic affinities are Earth and Air, respectively."
Auremax explained it all in detail, making sure Ethan understood.
"I see..." Ethan nodded slowly. "So, the Primordial Force from Order Dragon Asha is universal—anyone can use it. But the ones from the Six Dragon Gods are element-locked?"
Auremax nodded again, then added, "As for the Chaos Dragon Urghash’s Primordial Force... while it’s also universal in terms of magic compatibility, it’s extremely dangerous—and strictly forbidden for us."
"Why?" Ethan asked, his brow furrowing.
"Because Urghash’s magic is pure chaos—wild, violent, and utterly unhinged. It’s deeply corruptive. Only those aligned with the Dark Alliance can withstand it. For the rest of us, trying to use it would be suicide."