Ep 107. As Long As They’re Dragonkin. (2)

  “Twelve forefend…what’s happening…?”

  The herbalist flinched as a river of people flooded the streets. As far as she could see, they were all either soldiers or workers who were all statio the royal pace.

  And atop the hillside, the pa sight was not the pace she’d remembered. Many of the towers were severed or knocked down; she could evereams of smoke rising from a few spots.

  “Um, excuse me! Did something happen?”

  “MONSTER! MOVE!”

  Wheried to grab a hold of someohey weren’t hesitant to push her aside and tinue fleeing from whatever it was they were running away from. All she heard were a few voices g that a monster had gone on a rampage within the pace, or that the court mage was dead.

  ‘…A monster? But why would…’

  Even with the empire’s current expedition on the western front, the royal pace had hundreds of troops guarding its interior. The court mage should’ve been there as well. Then, whatever ‘monster’ had appeared at the pace, its threat was beyond all of them bined.

  “No…Reaper, have mercy…”

  Zeria’s crowd soon fell into a wave of panic. Despite the ck of a visible threat, the mere sight of seeing the pace guards fleeing so rapidly was indug terror into the city’s civilians.

  But the herbalist remained firm, her eyes fixed onto the pace above.

  Avoiding the river of runaways flooding the main path, she began her ast up the hill – towards her only remaining family at its top.

  ? ? ?

  “E…ine…? Ngh…”

  “…Tch.”

  Raizel kicked her to the sloug dragon with a bitter taste in her mouth.

  After rising back to her feet, the youngling made her way over to Serenis’ side.

  “Lord, I’m done cheg that side. But they’re…all…”

  Even as the youngling trailed off, Serenis uood what she had meant to say.

  “…I see.”

  Serenis and Raizel had each taken a brief look around the dungeon, cheg for a dragon that could yet speak coherent words.

  Together, the bined number ons they’d successfully spoken to were zero.

  The best they’ve gotten were death wishes; failing that, the other dragons were either muttering i sounds, groaning in pain, or silent altogether. Not a single dragon had been respoo either Serenis or Raizel..

  “’t you do something with magic? Heal them up or something?”

  “Unfortunately, maginot cure the mind, nor it heal wounds that were suffered a long time ago. And even if it were possible…I ot use healing magics.”

  “Huh? But weren’t you like, magic mastermind or something?”

  “Recovery spells are an exceptio’s leave it at that.”

  After closing the versation, Serenis turo the only remaining dragon that she was yet to talk to.

  However, she soon realized that the motionless blue dragon was, in fact, already no longer of this world.

  A long sigh escaped the dragonlord’s lips as she turned back to Raizel.

  “I suppose I hoped for too much. We should…”

  “Wait. Isn’t something moving there?”

  “…What?”

  When Serenis followed Raizel’s fiip, she could see a worn, tattered cloth that the youngling ointing at beside the lifeless blue dragon. And true to her words, something was indeed moving underh, ing the fabri within.

  When a bck object shot out from beh the cloth towards Raizel, the youngling reflexively grabbed the projectile midair.

  Squirm.

  “…What the…”

  What Raizel had grabbed was, in fact, the head of a tiny bck dragoe being in their proper form, his entire body was only the size of a person’s head.

  The hatg squirmed in Raizel’s grip, g about as he tried to escape the iron grip holding his head.

  “Abrtgh! Abrghbrh!”

  “Uh…sorry?”

  When Raizel gently let go of the hatg unto the ground, his jaw immediately opened up.

  …And proceeded to snap down oeel dragon’s fingers.

  Admittedly, it didn’t hurt. But she wasly happy about being bitteher – especially with all the hatg’s i, eic barking.

  “Arghrghr! Rghrrghhh!”

  “The hell’s wrong with you? What did I do?”

  Meanwhile, Serenis’ eyes were glued og, her voice mixed with surprise and worry.

  “…I didn’t expect a hatg to be in such a pce. He doesn’t seem to be of ao grow hostile just yet…”

  Serenis sed the surrounding area once more. trary to the horrid ditions the other dragons were in, the hatg before them seemed fi least in appearance.

  And when the dragonlord’s gaze fell over the other dragons, the hatg unched himself off of Raizel, attempting to snap at Serenis’ head – though, Raizel grabbed him by the tail before he could reach the her.

  Finally, Serenis returned her attention to the tiny bck dragon. It seemed quite clear that the hatg was simply being wary of strangers lest they harm the other dragons.

  “…It seems he’s just being protective. Perhaps he’s perceived us as enemies.”

  “Ha! Protective? You? What’s a little runt like you gonna do?”

  When Raizel tio tease the hatg – which she was holding by the tail, upside-down – he began to let out defiant cries at the steel dragon, fpping its tiny wings as menagly as possible. Though, it really didn’t amount to much, especially when all his blood began gathering into his head.

  “Raaghr! Rgh…ghh…”

  “Pft. Keep it up, champ. ’t even talk, you?”

  “Rghh…na…mah!”

  “…Child, stop that. Hand him over.”

  After receiving the hatg into her arms from Raizel’s grasp, the dragently ed her arms around the bck dragon, rog him in her embrace. Though his wary gre threateo pierce through her head, Serenis paid it no mind as she rubbed his back.

  “There, there. Settle down, child. We’ll let you out of here soon.”

  “…Mrrgh…”

  It didn’t take very long for the hatg to loosen his gre. In fact, his growls soon became purring noises as he rubbed his snout on the dragonlord’s arms.

  …And in addition, a phrase that probably shouldn’t have bee out was let out from the hatg’s mouth.

  “Mngh…mama…”

  “There, there. It’s alri-“

  “YOU LITTLE SHIT, YOU TALK?!”

  Wheeel dragon shoved her face towards the two, Serenis indifferently hovered one hand above the hatg’s eyes, proteg him from the youngling’s suddeh stare. A hateful gaze befell the oblivious hatg, squirming in delight within the dragonlord’s arms even as Raizel screamed at him.

  “Who the hell are you calling mom?! She’s not your mom!”

  “Settle down, child. I’m sure he meant no harm.”

  “That’s not the problem!”

  “…Then pray tell, what is the problem?”

  “That’s…well…!”

  “…?”

  “…”

  When the youngling turned away with crossed arms and pursed lips, Serenis stared down at the hatg, returning an equally fused gaze towards the tiny bck dragon.

  But after ing to a small realization, the dragonlord stretched out her hand to rub the aeel dragon on her head.

  “There, there.”

  “…”

  “Has yer died down a little?”

  “…I wasn’t angry.”

  “Good. I’m gd to hear that.”

  After beaming a faint smile, Serenis retreated her hand. Even for a brief moment, their little iion had allowed the dragonlord tet the direness of the situation.

  But while she would’ve loved to eain the youngling further, the gloom that surrouhem disallowed such respite.

  “Now, before anything else…we’ll have to address the others first. We ot leave them to remain here.”

  “Are you gonna take them back to the valley? Don’t think they’re in any shape to fly. And it’s not like we carry everyone here, either…”

  Raizel’s gaze slowly drifted away from the dungeon, fag the path they’d e through.

  Beyond the stairwell that had led them here, far down below – her parents were still in the courtyard, encased in a dome of metal.

  Serenis briefly sighed, watg the youngling’s attention drift away. She, too, khat the two of them couldn’t possibly carry everyone back to their . Especially if they were to include the dead.

  “Raizel. I believe you’ve told me these dragoaken by the empire one hundred years ago, yes?”

  “Yeah, pretty sure. I think I reize a few faces too. And we don’t see ahat looks below a hundred years old…except that little runt.”

  Raizel briefly shot anre towards the hatg in Serenis’ arms. Unfortunately(?), he pletely missed it, fortably dozing off within the dragonlord’s arms.

  Serenis received the gre in his pd shrugged, tinuing with her question instead.

  “Then, is there a reason the kin didn’t e to their rescue?”

  “Didn’t know they were alive, I guess. Didn’t know where they were, either…heck, I’m pretty sure the old bones don’t even know the empire’s still around. They hardly pay attention to what goes on outside.”

  “…I see.”

  Though Serenis nodded back, doubts ed within her about Raizel’s expnation.

  A tury ago, Raizel must’ve been a mere newborn; it made sehat she didn’t know better at the time. But it did not make sehat other elders would willingly allow an empire of humans te their kin and simply get away.

  A hundred years wasn’t that long of a time fons. They should’ve been frantically searg for their missing kin – a, Serenis didn’t recall hearing anything of the sort from Bruton or Aether. In fact, everyone seemed perfectly tent with the way things were at the valley.

  ‘Did they deliberately choose not to search for the missing? But why would they…’

  onry based on Kedor’s shell were certainly threatening. But pared to dozens of giant airborne monstrosities, they weren’t anything to write home about; Raizel alone had no trouble handling over a hundred soldiers.

  But whatever else the empire possessed to deter the dragons from ing after their missing kin, Serenis couldn’t care for it. At least nht now.

  “If what you say is true, then…I suppose there’s no reason to hesitate.”

  Serenis softly rubbed her neck. After sparing a moment to sharpen her focus, the dragonlord quietly let out her phrase.

  “…???.”

  Raizel flinched upon hearing the familiar phrase. But trary to her expectations, Serenis’ sentence wasn’t directed towards the youngling at all.

  “As your lord, I beseech all dragons of the valley – rally to this location, aurn the kin to the safety of our home.”

  Ohe dragonlord finished, Raizel bli her lord with curious eyes. It was about time she got used to hearing the strange phrase, but even for her, it was the first time hearing it used in this manner.

  “Wait…that thing works anywhere? Even when we ’t hear you?”

  “As long as they’re dragonkin. Though…it does require much more focus to use this way.”

  “…Huh. Didn’t know that.”

  If a horde oo suddenly fly into the capital, then suffice to say, it wouldly be the brightest day for its civilians. There was no telling what su event would incur.

  But right now, Serenis couldn’t care less about what humans thought of them.

  Or herself, for that matter.

  ? ? ?

  “Wait, why am I…”

  “Huh?”

  “My wings? What’s going on?!”

  One by ohe valley’s dragons unfolded their wings to take off into the air. The unlucky few were woken from their slumber, breaking through the roof of their homes to join the rest of the horde in the sky.

  And among them were Bruton aher, equally fused as everyone else that were in flight with them.

  “Aether…you too?”

  “Dear? What’s going on?! I ’t trol my own wings!”

  “I’m afraid it’s the same for me. It doesn’t seem anyone else knows what’s going oher…”

  No matter where the couple looked, a horde of fused dragons filled their vision.

  Some were in their human forms, some proper; some were half-asleep, some were wide awake.

  The young and the elderly raised their voices alike, trying to figure out what it was that was moving them.

  “What manner of fresh hell is this…have we all fallen under a curse?”

  “Maybe we’ve all gone mad at the same time. Sounds equally likely.”

  “I didn’t feel any magid who could ever trol so many of us at once?!”

  Surprisingly, an elder’s low voice quickly subdued all other cm dragons with a siatement.

  “…Something simir happened not too long ago.”

  With that, the majority of the horde fell silent.

  Many knew of the occasion the elder eaking of: a human boy had marched into their , prog to be their lord.

  And, strangely enough, they’d all k at his and. They hadn’t felt a siring of magiflueng them, a somehow the dragons had been uo act against the boy’s words.

  The dragonlord’s visage fshed before Bruton’s eyes.

  ‘…Could it be?’

  Although the kin had beeant to pce their trust in a strange human boy, Bruton aloill held fast onto the belief that the blue-haired youth – who’d morphed into a white-haired dragonkin before his very eyes – was, in fact, who they cimed to be.

  Amidst the chaos and fusion, Bruton was the first to e to the clusion that the lord ons had called onto them for aid. After all, they were the only one capable of a feat like this.

  But he remained silent for the time being. Those who haven’t seen Serenis’ transformation would cim his clusion nonsense anyhow.

  It was just a matter of time.

  Praybird