Hello and good evening I guess! It's still your beloved Aliwai!

Sorry for the delay... You are used to it by now...

I'll try as much as possible to respect the upcoming schedule.

By the way, I don't know if you're aware of this but there are sites that check if your text is plagiarism, so I wanted to test it on one of my chapters. Frankly, I got a result of 4% plagiarism, which is excessive because I write my texts in my head and when the idea arrives in my mind, it surely shows. So I deduce that these sites are not totally reliable. I just wanted to share this feeling with you hahaha...

Sorry ~

Title: Interlude meeting with Lily Snowhalfheim

In this rather special chapter, we have several small details about the continent and the bloodlines. These details are given from the point of view of Lagos Salamander but in the third person. I understand myself.

And for the delay of the chapter...

To make up for it, here's a longer than usual chapter!

About ~ 3500 words! Wow that's magical (｡◕‿◕｡)

And no, it's not an April Fool's Day ~

Have a good reading !

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Salamander Empire:

The Salamander Empire is one of the many empires on the continent of Asgard, an empire that is thousands of years old and borders the famous kingdom of Snowhalfheim.

This empire is geopolitically interesting for various reasons, such as its varied lands and abundant natural resources. In addition, this empire has a dynamic and growing population.

The Salamander Empire's fame is mainly due to the royal bloodline, a line of hot-blooded and impulsive warriors, the Salamander family.

Moreover, the success brought by Emperor Lakyo Salamander has made the Salamander name resonate, a name that spreads across many provinces of the continent like gunpowder. 

An emperor and rising general, he is a feared and formidable warrior.

His official title is the fiery lion, a title he particularly values as it affirms his power and renown, a title he wears with pride as it is extremely difficult to acquire this type of title.

Indeed, a title represents a huge opportunity and responsibility for anyone on the continent, it is something that is set in stone and in the status of the person concerned. One can even say that it is engraved in the soul.

It proves, among other things, the capacity and quality of the person and his or her importance in the community.

Of course, it is difficult to acquire one, so much so that if a commoner manages to acquire a title, he will immediately be promoted to the rank of noble by the Supreme Emperor of Asgard or the emperor of the kingdom.

People with titles are important in society, for the fame of the kingdom. Title holders are considered almost on the same level as people with a magical lineage.

However, it depends on the intensity of the lineage, as well as the title.

So there are several types of titles, from the most common one like "skilled craftsman" or "quality warrior", therefore the commoner who wants to be promoted to the rank of noble must have a title of value. 

This is why noble girls with a rare lineage or title are married almost automatically and mostly by force to nobles with a high position in society. Since they can give birth to offspring with better than normal abilities, this also gives the child and the father a higher status in society.

Indeed, everything is political, unfortunately there are many ways that are not safe.

However, the continent Asgard has very strict rules concerning this practice, in other words it is the supreme emperor who decides in the end. Depending on the importance of the subject and the extent to which it brings to the empire.

In general, the people know little about this kind of power, they just know that there is an academy for special people.

The nobles keep this kind of thing to themselves for fear of a possible revolt, if the opposition grows among the people, they don't want to have the same result as in the other kingdom, with many civil wars and their consequences.

Nevertheless, the nobles of the kingdom of Snowhalfheim and Salamander are known to be generous and sympathetic to the people. 

In general, this applies everywhere in the Supreme Empire of Asgard since there is a law about the people enforced by the Supreme Emperor himself. There is just a different treatment according to the kingdom.

Indeed, the emperor attaches so much importance to the welfare of his people that he recently imprisoned a king for disrespecting the decree.

Besides, there were several suspicions as to whether this imprisonment had a political purpose, like eliminating a fly that was too annoying...

Anyway, back to the Salamander empire, the first prince Lagos Salamander is the heir to the throne. He is destined for the same glory as his father, if not better, which is what they both strongly hope for. 

As heir to the throne, Lagos Salamander has been preparing himself since his early childhood to be fit for this role. He has been trained to become a future magical knight, but he has also learned about noble society, etiquette and language. 

Despite his young age, he learns many skills in order to know how he should lead the kingdom in the future, he wants to be the best. Even if what he learns will be useless in the future...

Although he is well off being the son of the emperor, Lagos finds life meaningless and especially discoloured, according to him the life is greyish.

His temperament tends more towards the dark and cold side, he has a vision of life that has very little colour, his face seems to be stuck on one feeling, arrogance or boredom. Perhaps the reason why he has no friends, he is not looking for any.

In the Salamander empire he is considered the young genius of his generation, one day he is destined to become a swordsman who will surpass his father. Both in skill and fame.

Furthermore, he has already received his letter of admission to the most renowned academy in Asgard, this interest in him and his intellect and abilities have largely shown his genius.

He is known as the little Salamander of the underworld.

As a result, he has spread his fame to several provinces of the continent without meaning to, his popularity is constantly rising among young girls and old noblemen.

In reality, he thinks that this kind of thing is totally superfluous and useless, fame and such are just shiny junk. However, the only time he thought otherwise was when he met the Supreme Emperor and his son.

That day was memorable, a castle the size of several cities floating in the great sky, a blue sky bordered by white clouds. At a glance, Lagos could see that this castle was technologically superior, his sense screamed at him to flee from some still dark places.

Moreover, this castle town had both old and new architecture, which gives it a certain charm. Once inside, he thought it was almost a paradise made by the hands of gods. 

Besides, the opportunity to talk privately with the supreme emperor in person is not given to everyone, even for a lot of nobles.

What came out of this day was the proposal of the emperor to make Lagos Salamander his son's personal bodyguard. Although the real reason was that the son of the Supreme Emperor needed a playmate.

Obviously, he decided to think properly about the answer he wanted to give, which is why he left with a polite apology.

However, this is not what is most on his mind at the moment, although it is still one of his most important concerns. It is the Supreme Emperor who awaits his answer after all...

Indeed, today he has an appointment with a little princess, or pimple as he likes to call them. Lagos doesn't know why but he probably feels embarrassment mixed with disgust for this kind of ceremony. These are the feelings he has during meetings with nobles.

It is obvious that he has a slight resentment towards them.

For him this kind of meeting is just boring as hell, he can't stand the idea of being cooped up around a table drinking tea.

Anyway, his father was strangely insistent, his father's eyes clearly said that he wanted Lagos to go on this date. Despite his reluctance, Lagos reluctantly agreed so that he would leave him alone.

In short, today Lagos is to meet the princess of the kingdom of Snowhalfheim.

Well, the kingdom of Snowhalfheim... He thought slightly intrigued.

According to his father, the princess would be the same age as him, so he planned to do as usual. 

That is, he would stand off to the side with a cup of tea in his hand while listening to the little girl's gibberish in the hope that the day would pass quickly. He called this technique the "Salamander Deal", and in all the meetings he was called to, this technique proved to be not effective with the noble girls. 

Even if he gives them his coldest, least calculating look in the world, they will all be ecstatic with a bubbling look in their eyes at the sight of him, when that is by no means his goal. He has often wondered what is wrong with them, even with old women...

At the moment, Lagos is sitting in the carriage prepared by his father, the direction of which is the kingdom of Snowhalfheim. He could have taken the flying carriage, however the journey would have been too short for him, he prefers to take time for himself before dying of boredom. 

I can't wait for this charade to be over, I can finally hunt some monsters. he thought as he looked out the window with a sad smile but an enthusiastic look.

The carriage continued to move at a steady pace until it was forced to slow down.

Wonderful! At this moment, this was the only thought Lagos had, his eyes were slightly brighter, he almost published his boredom.

Lagos stood in awe of such a sight, the landscape instantly changed from a green forest to an icy, snowy land.

This kind of scene is totally unheard of for anyone with a holy mind, the border with the kingdom of Snowhalfheim is definitely here.

The way to the castle was nice for him, he had the chance to see for the first time the famous giant ice wall, a wall that runs along the whole border of Snowhalfheim.

As for the castle, Lagos thought that only the castle of the supreme emperor could compare to Snowhalfheim.

Well... The journey was not as useless as I thought. He said to himself with a graceful and elegant gait while a maid tried to guide him as best she could without looking away from the road.

Lagos had a thoughtful look in his eyes, which made him so cute, little Lagos had unknowingly and unintentionally struck a girl's heart again.

Once he arrived at the big door, the maid calmly guided the step to enter the room. 

The first thing he noticed was that the room was a very pleasant little lounge.

As for the second... 

Father... Lagos said with a faint frown, for the other people present in the room, Lagos still had the same expression. 

However, in his brain it was something else, there was shame with the max embarrassment.

So... Why Lagos seems slightly troubled, obviously it is because of his father Lakyo... 

Indeed, Lagos was ashamed, of what or of whom? 

Well... It was his father Lakyo, he was sitting on a sofa at the end of the room, obviously that's not the problem here, not really.

Actually, the real problem is that his father has a drool dripping profusely from the corner of his mouth, plus his eyes were dreamy, staring in an unknown direction. 

Since this is not an attitude a nobleman of his rank should have, Lagos decides to wake him up, so he asked in a firm tone with a crooked smile "Father, what are you doing?" 

His son's voice snapped him out of his trance, he came to his senses quickly enough despite the fact that it was still too long for Lagos.

"Never mind." He said with a shrug. 

"Huh?" 

"Oh you're here Lagos-kun, I didn't see you, besides why are you here?" Said Lakyo with a wide smile and a question mark on his head.

Lagos flinched at the stupid question.

*Sigh* "You're not possible, need I remind you that it was you who forced me to come here?" Said Lagos with an accusing look, needless to say he was angry at his father.

"Right, sorry, sorry, I completely forgot. Anyway now that you're here, I'm going to introduce you to the greatest queen ever." He said with barely disguised excitement.

The strongest queen? Is he going to introduce me?

Although he did not show it clearly on the outside, in reality Lagos was excited inside his heart. The reason being that he was about to meet one of the most influential queens on the continent, or so the rumors said that he was catching on the right and left during the nobleman's tea parties. 

After all, this kind of meeting is not so useless. He thought briefly.

Besides, his father has confirmed this echo several times. So, now that Lagos thinks about it, his father always had that sillier expression on his face when he referred to Queen Merlin Snowhalfheim.

Obviously, Lagos was curious about the person in question, not just for her title of Winterblood Queen, he was also interested in learning more about the Snowhalfheim bloodline.

A historical bloodline, one of the oldest recorded to this day along with that of the Supreme Emperor.

Since his Salamander bloodline is of the fire type, he wanted to know if the two bloodlines were compatible, if they could converge together or not. 

Besides, the Snowhalfheim bloodline is considered to be the strongest bloodline on the continent. A bloodline that possesses intense and dense mana, a perfect mastery of it, and the element of ice plays an important role in its fame as it is a very rare element.

Because of his curious personality, Lagos was eager to discover all the particularities behind the Snowhalfheim bloodline, so finally he thought that coming to this kingdom was quite fruitful.

And after a good ten minutes, she arrived, the queen of queens, Merlin Snowhalfheim!

She arrived through the same door, with a graceful gait that only emphasized her slender figure. Indeed, her appearance is literally that of a goddess descended from the sky, Lagos has in some way understood the empty gaze of his father.

This woman has a beauty that transcends the living, which gives him an unknown feeling. It is a feeling similar to his father's but at the same time the opposite of it.

Besides, Merlin Snowhalfheim's smile is mesmerizing, she's an enchantress of men, a true mermaid of the snow country. Lagos thought briefly before noticing that he had been particularly rude to her.

"Oh, who is this handsome young man?" She said cheekily and teasingly with her hand in front of her mouth.

"Merlin-san! This is my son Lagos Salamander." Lagos father's replies in a cheerful tone.

"So this is him? A pretty boy we have here. Welcome to the Snowhalfheim kingdom Lagos-kun." She said with a small smile. 

Lagos had a moment of comprehension before responding in a polite manner with a slight bow, "Hello and thank you for this welcome Merlin-sama. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"I must say it's also a pleasure to meet you, your father has told me a lot about you, I think Lily will also be pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Lily, who is this?" He asked in a curious tone with a question mark over his head.

"Oh yes! That's right, no one really knows my daughter's real name, Lily Snowhalfheim, the princess of Snowhalfheim's kingdom." She said cheerfully,

"At the same time, she never got to make her debut in society, you're such a mother hen hahaha..."

"I concede that." She replied scratching her head as if to show her embarrassment then continued: "I would have liked to protect her a little longer but the time has come. So I hope you two Lagos-kun and Lily-chan can get along."

"Mm." He nodded his head in response.

*Clap* "Anyway, I'll let Maria guide you to my daughter." 

Under her benevolent gaze, she gives me a warm feeling. Lagos thought, then turned to his father.

"As for me, I'm staying here. Good luck son!" Said his father giving him a thumbs up to encourage him.

"Alright, thanks for the welcome Merlin-sama." He said in a solemn tone before following Maria

*Sigh* Actually, the reason my father forced me to come is for this woman, isn't it?" thought Lagos briefly as he took one last look in his father's direction.

"I'm going father." He said before walking out the door with a final sigh.

In reality, he would have liked to stay a little longer with Merlin in order to ask him some questions about the history of the kingdom and especially the Snowhalfheim bloodline.

Anyway, he was already happy to have finally met her, now he was about to meet Merlin daughter's Lily. He just hopes that Lily will be a little more pleasant and less contemptible than the other arrogant and annoying little noble girls.

As he follows this servant girl named Maria, he gets lost in thought. 

"Young master, Lily-sama is settled in the garden. Please forgive me." she said before walking away.

Lagos shrugged his shoulders as usual.

He continued to take a few steps towards the garden when suddenly he stopped under a white crystal porch, it was as if he was frozen in time.

His body and mind stopped instantly, and by instinct his magical eyes were automatically activated.

A stream of pure energy floats through the garden, this energy Lagos can fully feel through his eyes. This indicates that there is surely a powerful person, this quality of mana is similar to that of a royal court mage.

However, it is an energy that has two peculiarities, indeed it is both reassuring and has the appearance of snow.

Nevertheless, he calmed down instantly when he noticed that the person who was emitting this strange energy was a little girl, he quickly resumed his face with the same usual expression.

However, there was a problem with this girl...

Besides, the closer she got, the more Lagos was unable, not because of the strange energy emanating from her but because of her beauty, her innocence.

She is like an angel fallen from heaven, her silver hair and jade skin make her look like a saint. Moreover, her smile is one of the most beautiful he has ever seen in his life.

In fact, the only smile that rivals Lily's is that of her mother Merlin Snowhalfheim.

Lagos began to feel nervous for the first time, his face flushed slightly as his heart began to race.

And unbeknownst to him, Lily was already standing in front of him.

She bowed and said, "Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Lily Snowhalfheim, treat me well."

"Hello, it is also a pleasure to meet you, I am Lagos Salamander. Treat me well." He responded in kind, taking her hand and kissing it.

Though it was awkward, Lagos was as excited as a cat perched in a tree, though it didn't show on his face.

In her presence my body feels strange, my heart beats faster than normal, my cheeks turn slightly ashen while my gaze cannot turn away from her. It is definitely strange. But what is this feeling I have about her?!" he thought furiously as he was unable to describe precisely what was happening to him.

"Let's go sit down if you don't mind." She said humbly as she pointed to the cherry tree in the middle of the garden.

He responded by shaking his head.

"It's true that position is not pleasant." He said without changing his apathetic expression.

You need to be cooler Lagos, be calmer. he thought furiously without realizing.

And it was from that very moment that their relationship began…

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Some time later:

Currently on his way back, Lagos is waiting for his father as he is still talking to Queen Merlin. 

I think I know the reason for this delay. he thought with a helpless smile showing his mental exhaustion towards his father who acts like a child.

Moreover, because of this long wait, Lagos Salamander has gradually fallen into an internal reflection. He only thinks about his new relationship with Lily, his first friend, and wants to know how he can become better for her.

Although Lagos may seem insensitive to any good thing like friendship, he is inexperienced, he just doesn't know how to externalize his feelings.

On the other hand, he has feelings towards Lily but he does not know the meaning of them. He is confused and undecided about the issue.

It has been a long internal struggle and unfortunately he has not found an answer to his question.

Perhaps he ​will find it the next time they meet... He hoped with innocently bright eyes.

Lily Snowhalfheim... I can't wait to see you again. he thought with a big smile showing his beautiful white teeth. 

If his father saw him in this state, he would have taken Lagos to the nearest hospital as soon as possible.

Lagos was obviously just happy, all his problems and everything else was put to one side in that short moment.

It was the first time he felt so much joy and satisfaction, however, this joy was unknowingly mixed with regret.

Finally, he forgot one of the main reasons why he came to the kingdom of Snowhalfheim.

Furthermore, he spent most of his evening thinking about Lily Snowhalfheim, his face ironically beginning to resemble his father's…