Ep 109. As Long As They’re Dragonkin. (4)

  Serenis and Raizel stood behind the red-haired herbalist who’d siroduced herself as Eline, watg in awe as the woma about her ‘work.’

  Even with Theolus squirming in her embrace, Eline expertly made her way through the prison to examine each dragon with a single free hand. She owerless to move away the dead in any manner, but she erfectly capable of applying proper herbs and medie which she produced from the innards of her cloak.

  The herbalist busily went about doing what she could to restore the kin’s vitality – all the while feeding an occasional treat to the hatg in her arms. But what shocked the twons most was something else altogether.

  “Rrgh…gh…”

  “Hang in there, Shei. Hold still…yoing to be okay.”

  “My…arm…my arm is…”

  “Keep your arm steady. It’ll sting just a little, but ohe stinging goes away, you’ll be able to move it again.”

  Both Serenis and Raizel expected silence from the dragon, if not an ht insult.

  But what they instead heard were words they never would’ve heard themselves.

  “…Thank you.”

  “Of course. You’re wele.”

  Finishireatment, the herbalist quickly moved onto the dragon. She briefly g Theolus who’d climbed unto her shoulder, waving a piece of honeyed sna her hand.

  “Look, Theo! If you cover your ears and t to 500 with your eyes closed, you have your reat. Ready?”

  “Weady!”

  Ohe hatg enthusiastically shut his eyes and covered his ears, Eline approached the groaning elder. A pierg gre could be seen in their only eye as the herbalist approached him.

  “…I told you to kill me, human.”

  “Sorry, Cerion. You know I’m too weak to do that. But here, I brought you something.”

  As Eline rummaged through her cloak, the elder let out a demeaning snort.

  “Your job is to record our suffering, not lessen it. If that wretch finds out what you’re doing to us, he’ll kill you.”

  “And I’m ever thankful that you haven’t told him. Here.”

  Eline swiftly plucked out two small vials from her cloak. And although the elder was first disgusted at the sight of medie, it didn’t take long for one of them would pop open to a familiar, luring st.

  “Yht ale?”

  “I did. You said you liked them.”

  “I never…how did you…”

  “You muttered it in your sleep. Did I mishear you? Did you actually not like ale?”

  “No, I…I do, I…”

  “But if you want it, you also have to drink the other ooo.”

  “What’s…the other?”

  “Just water.”

  “…Just water?”

  “Just water. Do you want it? Yes or no?”

  “…You know I ove my body.”

  “That’s okay. Just keep your mouth open.”

  Smiling, Eline popped open the vial of water and poured it into the paralyzed elder’s mouth. He relutly gulped it down, though the dragon found a small lump being swallowed with the water in his st gulp.

  “? What was…was something in that water?”

  “What are you talking about? It was just water. Here you go! As promised.”

  This time, Eline simply held the vial of ale in the air, it to the elder.

  And, without a sed thought, the elder snatched the vial from the woman with nary a thought.

  Only after downing the ehing did he realize that his body was no longer paralyzed.

  “…? My body’s…something was in that water!”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s good to see you moving again, though.”

  “…”

  “I’ll try t more ime. I’ll see you then, okay?”

  “…Hmph. Very well.”

  That was the st time Cerion would grumble about wanting to die.

  And Serenis and Raizel watched on as Eli about her work – which seemed nothing short of a miracle in their eyes.

  “Hey, lord.”

  “…Yes, child?”

  “Weren’t those guys all silent and gloomy wheried to talk to them?”

  “They were, yes.”

  “Then how the hell is she doing that?”

  “…I suppose…they trust her that much. And she’s much better skilled than we are.”

  Uhem, Eline seemed to know what every single dragon wanted and needed. And she was swiftly using all sorts of tools at her disposal to apply them, from foods and medies to persuasion and trickery.

  ‘And most of all…she’s not using magic.’

  Healers used magic to restore all ret wounds. And this worked miracles in most cases.

  But at the same time, that was the limitation of recovery spells – and by extension, healers. They couldn’t do anything about severed wounds, siesses, or a person’s forlorn spirits.

  All of that fell into the realms of actual doctors.

  And right now, Serenis was witnessing the best one she’d ever seen to date. Especially since she’d never, ever seen a human doctor treating her kin so expertly since…

  ‘Me?’

  ? ? ?

  Hours passed by as Eli about tending to each dragon within the dungeon. When she and Theolus returo join Serenis and Raizel once more, a relieving news apahe herbalist’s aplished smile.

  “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m not too sure why, but everyone seems to be doing much better than before. It’s almost like they’ve all taken a load off their shoulders.”

  ‘The seal…’

  Serenis’ mind immediately jumped to the spell circle that had secured the dungeon’s parameter. Despite the risk of harming those supplying it, its breakage seems to have worked out in their favor in the end. Though, without Elio pick up the pieces, their ditions may very well have worsened instead.

  The dragonlord beamed an appreciative smile towards the herbalist.

  “We’re in your debt. Thank you for what you’ve done.”

  “It’s the least I do. After what the empire’s doo your brethren…”

  Silensued as Eline finished her statement. Though she hadn’t bee during the actual invasion, after several years of g for the imprisoned dragons, she hardly needed being told what had happeo incur misfortune upoar’s most feared lifeforms.

  Meanwhile, Raizel looked towards one of the t windows of the throne room.

  The sun had nearly set outside – and there were guests they were expeg other than Eline.

  “Lord, you said they’ll be here by nightfall, right?”

  “That should be the case, yes.”

  Eline exged fused gnces betweewons.

  By now, Eline was aware that Raizel was a dragoe their human-like appearance. And, as difficult as it was to believe, she was also wary that Serenis was the dragonkin’s lord. But she still had no clue who the ‘others’ beiioned were.

  “I’m sorry, um…’others’?”

  “Lord called the entire kio this pce. They’ll be here soon.”

  “The entire…more dragons are ing?!”

  Eline quickly csped her mouth, realizing she’d yelled without intending to. And, at the herbalist’s evident shock, Serenis returned a brief nod to firm Raizel’s words.

  “They’ll be arriving by nightfall to retrieve the kin.”

  “…Oh. That’s…um…that’s great! Yes, great. I’m gd to hear that…”

  While Raizel and Theolus struggled to uand why the woman was stammering so, Serenis had no problem reading the relu her voice.

  The dragonlord briefly g the hatg in Eline’s arms – who was fortably snag on a walnut – as well as the other dragons that had been under her care in the dungeon. While some had recovered siderably after Elireatment, a few others were still far from being well. As their doctor and caretaker, it made sehat she would be ed of their wellbeing.

  But more importantly, Eline’s oractically rested on their presence.

  Without the imprisoned dragons, the herbalist’s current position was meaningless. And it wasn’t difficult to imagine what the emperor would do to her if he were to return to the pace, only to find all his prized prisoners missing.

  Finally, Serenis returned her gaze to the red-haired woman.

  “Would you like to go with them?”

  “?…I…beg your pardon?”

  “Would you like to apany the kin to our ? I’m sure the valley has enough room to spare.”

  “I…I’m not sure what you mean, dragon. I’m a human…an Akeian at that. Twelve forbid your brethren wele someone like me to their home…”

  When Eline had first begun her job, the imprisoned dragons had been nothing short of hostile. Death threats flew on a minutely basis, and she would’ve died a huimes over if the imprisoned dragons had their former strengths.

  However, Serenis begged to differ.

  “Is that so?”

  The dragonlord immediately shifted her gaze to Raizel, asking her question.

  “Child, how would you feel if Elio live with us at the valley?”

  “…I literally couldn’t care less?”

  After snickering at the rather expected answer, Serenis then turo the snag hatg, waving her hand to gain his attention.

  “Theolus.”

  “Wam?”

  “Would you like Elio e with you?”

  “Ewine?”

  Theolus turo face his caretaker with a mouthful of walnut. After gulping dowhing in his mouth, the hatg happily threw his arms in the air.

  “Mama Ewine!”

  As Theolus happily squirmed about on her p, Eline couldn’t help but ugh, tig the joyous hatg.

  Serenis’ smile wide the sight. After log eyes with Raizel, the dragonlord teasingly pointing at the human-dragon pair before them.

  “What do you think, child?”

  “What’s there to say about it? She’s being a better mother thaher.”

  “Oh, I was more so asking if you’d like to be tickled as well.”

  “…You’re kidding, right?”

  “Perhaps?”

  Serenis snickered at the youngling’s twitg, fused expression. Kidding aside, it meant a lot to hear another dragoing the human herbalist to a parental figure.

  And finally, the dragonlord looked to Eline for the st time.

  “Eline. If a kin siders you their mother, then I’ve no qualms sidering yonkin as well. You’ll always be wele in our like any other. And…I’m sure Theolus would appreciate your presence.”

  The dragons here still required someoo care for them in their recovery; magic couldn’t treat the dition they were in. Imprisoned or not, having a skilled doctor around could very well decide life ah.

  But Eline’s eyes only twitched in disbelief. She slowly pointed her fi herself, stammering her words to firm what she’d just heard from the dragonlord.

  “A…dragonkin? Me?”

  “As long as you wish to be.”

  “…”

  Eline’s expression grew somber as she lost herself in thought.

  Akeians knew of their nation’s identity being a warring nation. But only a few knew of its historical feuds outside of Astellion, and even fewer knew of Akeia’s invasion on the dragonkin.

  Unfortunately, Eline was one of those ‘even fewer’ people.

  Ever sihe herbalist had been forced into the position of trag the imprisoned dragons’ status, she’d always thought her nation, and herself, doomed.

  She’d feared that dragons would one day e to exact revenge upon Akeia. Even just from the horrors she’d seen within the dungeons, the moral transgression being performed by the empire was beyond saving.

  Earlier when she’d found Serenis and Raizel ihrone room, she’d thought her fears had e to reality. She’d fully expected her life to end within the few moments.

  A here she was, somehow being offered to bee one of them instead.

  The herbalist finally jolted awake as she felt a tug on her hair. She looked down to find Theolus pulling on her curls, whimpering at his dazed caretaker.

  “Mama! Shmile!”

  “…Theo…”

  Eline had lost her friends and family to the empire’s cruelty. Once she was forced to i her parents’ role, she’d given up on living a peaceful life – she’d either die to the dragons or to the emperor, whichever came first. An escape route wasn’t avaible.

  Or, hadn’t been avaible.

  “…Should I go with you, Theo?”

  “Go? Wheae?”

  “Yoing home, Theo. Yoing to your family’s home. You’ll finally be able to make friends there…”

  “But my home is hwere!”

  “No…this pce isn’t your home, Theo. You don’t belong here. Dragons live in a big valley, far away south.”

  “Mrgh…big home?”

  “Mhm. Very big home.”

  “Then Ewine stay evewyday now?”

  “…”

  The herbalist gently rubbed the celebrating hatg’s head.

  She’d nursed him before he’d even hatched; she couldn’t even think of abandoning him now. The same went for all the other dragons that yet needed her help.

  Besides – 26 was a little too young to die.

  “Mhm. I stay as long as you’d like, Theo.”

  When Eline nervously turo Serenis, the dragonlord returned a faint smile, nodding in approval.

  A silly grin curved the herbalist’s lips. She pulled Theolus closer, hugging him tighter than she usually would.