The mud dragon tumbles out of the forest, and the two men wonder if they can sneak back to the princess and say goodbye. They're not sure if they're going to be captured or dragged into the war. The dragon temple is one of the most important institutions in the empire, and it serves as a buffer between the emperor and his subjects. The two men agree that it's a good idea to take a break from the war, but they can't just leave. They have to carry the permanent bound with them, which means that they won't be able to become emperors with each other. The emperor is a good man, but he's also a war hero, so he doesn't want to tell him about what happened. He's sorry that he didn't tell the emperor about what he did earlier. He says that he'd better be a great emperor, because wars broke out all over the empire and caused people to suffer and die. The men are hopeful that the mud dragon is not as bad as they thought. They still have a lot of work to do, though, to get back into the dragon's good graces.