Ep 185. Atta Boy. (2)

  By m, a party had gathered outside the pit for an expedition into the sed lord’s frozen remains.

  Serenis, Bruton, and Ilias were all present, having already gohi once before.

  Karas and Light were likewise present to ihe tributes within. One of them was quite well-versed regarding historical artifacts, and the other…had nothier to do.

  Eline was also present, having offered to help smoothen the process. After all, she’d been one of the main reasons why this venture even begun.

  And stly, there was Xerun.

  ‘…?’

  Out of those that had gathered for the expedition, the majority were looking at a particur member, thinking along the same lines in silence.

  ‘Wait…why’s Xerun here?’

  Even Light and Karas knew who the gold-horned dragon was. Despite never havi in person, they’d heard too much of how things had gone dowween him and Serenis.

  And whearing became excessive, Xeru out an audible sigh.

  “…There’s no reason to look at me so. I’ve merely e in my father’s pce. As the desdant of our sed king’s advisor, managing their remains is a natural-“

  “Excuses, excuses. Elder Ardion forced you to e.”

  Xerun’s eyes immediately twitched at the remark. His head soon turoward the source of the underhanded remark – towards the red-haired herbalist who was tauntingly smiling at him.

  “…Nonsense. How would you know such things?”

  “The elder told me. Just before I came here, actually.”

  “…”

  “He also said he’d make you sleep outside if you don’t behave.”

  Despite being an elder himself, Xerun had never been referred to as an elder once by Eline; in fact, the gold drago like she almost treated him like an equal at times.

  He wasn’t surprised to find it tinuing today.

  Eventually, Xerun simply turned away from Elio face the dragonlord instead. Despite how grim of a start he was off to, it was too te to turn bad fly away.

  “Ahem. Let’s…get to work. I’ve heard that our task is to empty the remains of all the gold within?”

  “That, as well as assessing other items of their in and worth. sidering the amount of tribute we’d seen i may take some time.”

  “Hm? If there’s a siderable amount, then why n others to assist? The entire kin is at your disposal.”

  “I did, child. That’s why you’re here. You’ll be taking care of the drudgery.”

  “…”

  Despite all his staring, Xerun found it impossible to dis whether the dragonlord was joking or not.

  And, seeing the evident fusion creeping up on the gold dragon’s face, Serenis snorted in amusement before crifying.

  “…I kid. There may yet be dangers we aren’t aware of, traps or items or otherwise – until we’ve established safety, calling the others won’t be necessary. We’ll be iing the innards and its items first.”

  “…So a mere preliminary search? Then correct me if I’m mistaken, but it sounds like I’m not the moment.”

  “You aren’t. If you’d rather leave and disappoint Ardion, then…by all means.”

  “…”

  With that, Serenis summoned her wings before leaping into the pit, diving towards the hollows of Vulka’s eyes. Ilias and Bruton soon followed, each with Light and Karas in their arms, respectively.

  And, as for Eline…

  “e on, Xeru’s go.”

  Once again, Xerun unfortably shifted his gaze towards Eline – who was now holding her arms out wide towards him.

  “…Are you seriously expeg me to carry you?”

  “I don’t see anyone else here that .”

  Whenever Eline was around, Xerun often found himself questioning his very belief on how a human-dragon iion should go.

  This was one of those times.

  “Do you not have a sense of fear, human?”

  “Oh, please. It’s not like you’ll be carrying any treasures outside, everyone knows you’re too frail for that. At least carry me and make yourself useful.”

  “?! I am not frail!”

  “Are you sure? Everyone’s been enting on how physically unfit you are. Wait…maybe you ’t even lift me up.”

  “That is NOT true. I could lift you with a single finger if I so wished.”

  “Really? I don’t know, maybe you shouldn’t. Yetting old too, you might hurt your back…”

  “Hah!”

  Following suit, Xerun swiftly ed one arm around Eline before lifting her arm, pg her above his left shoulder. His wings soon spread out as the drago forward, carrying the two into the depths of Vulka’s grave.

  As the two desded into the pit, Xerun turo the herbalist with a triumphant grin.

  “As I said, lifting you is-“

  Xerun’s sentence came to an abrupt stop as he noticed the mischievous, aplished smile Eline was making.

  In fact, her smile grew even wider as they locked eyes.

  “Atta boy. You do it after all.”

  “…”

  “You were saying?”

  “…”

  The rest of their dest was in plete silence.

  Although, one of them was enjoying the silence far more thaher.

  ? ? ?

  Before long, Serenis once again found herself in the depths of Vulka’s remains – though, it wasn’t alit as it was duri visit. The ice had lost their brilliant glow, as well as their unreasourdiness from before.

  As the group desded into the dark, everyone was wading through the darkness for a while. Their hands grasped at the frozen, bony walls, feet sloshing through small metals beh their feet.

  Finally, Serenis summoned an orb of light to float above them, illuminating the space they were in.

  And in turn, the newers couldn’t help but widen their eyes in shock.

  “Oh hey, I had a rea like that befood times.”

  “…Ilias, you jumped in and swam.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, father.”

  Despite Ilias and Bruton’s quibbling, both Light and Karas had their attention fixed on the vastness of the chamber before them – and the items that filled it. The same went for Xerun and Eline, who arrived shortly after.

  The group found themselves in a rge chamber – although, the word ‘chamber’ didly seem fitting when it was rivalling the size of a regur house’s interior. The entire floor was flooded with gold s, and no matter where they looked, a pile of treasure was id out before them. Various gems and items were buried amidst the gold and silvers, glowing in an array of different colors.

  Slowly, Karas began to turn his trembling eyes towards Serenis.

  “Wait, so…this is all…tribute?”

  The dragonlord indifferently nodded back at the shocked academic.

  “It is. Though, I suppose it’s only a fra of what once was.”

  “Fra?...Not even Denon’s rgest vaults would carry this much treasure…”

  While Karas struggled to believe what he was seeing, Eline hopped off of Xerun’s shoulder, bending down to pick up a gold from the floor.

  It wasn’t particurly fancy, to be fair; in fact, the was devoid of any design whatsoever save the illegible ruhat was carved on one side. It was just a ft, circur k of gold otherwise.

  However, Xerun was quick to peek from behind, reading aloud the ruhat was inscribed on the .

  “Star?”

  “What?”

  “That’s what it says on that you’re holding. The rune reads ‘star.’”

  Eline soon turo give Xerun a quizzical look. Apparently, being an elder did e with some wisdom, at least.

  Then, Karas held up a himself – only to realize that, despite his retive expertise in a history, he didn’t even reize the rune on it.

  The professor soon turo the gold dragon as well, giving a sed quizzical gaze towards Xerun.

  “…You read this? What rune is this, exactly?”

  “The dragonkin’s runes. What else?”

  “…”

  Hearing the gold dragon’s reply, Karas then proceeded to turn to Ilias.

  “…Dragons had their own characters for spoken nguage? Did you know this, Ilias?”

  “Of course I did!”

  Hearing her daughter’s fident answer, Bruton immediately interjected to crify what she meant.

  Or, to be precise, shoot her down.

  “She knows we have them. She doesn’t actually know them.”

  “Aw, e on! Did you really have to say that?”

  “After all those years Aether and I spent trying to teach you? Of course I did.”

  “Hey, Raizel never learhem, either! At least I know how to read and write humaers!”

  Time and again, Bruton tried to sit dowwo younglings to teach them the kin’s nguage – and every time, the two would find a way to escape. Or just not be home from the beginning.

  In all fairness, not knowing it hadn’t impeded their lives.

  Why would it? They’re hardly around other dragons to begin with.

  “…”

  But when Bruton squinted his eyes in evident annoyance, Ilias’ voice soon died down, her eyes falling to the floor in shame.

  When they were little, Ilias had enjoyed her escapades with Raizel. It was fun to foil Bruton’s pns of sitting them down to teach them things – mostly because they were so good at it.

  But at the same time, it’d always been her parents who’d ed up after the doors they broke.

  Or walls they broke.

  ons they broke, if they happeo bump into one while running away.

  And by now, Ilias was well aware of how much trouble she’d caused for her parents.

  “…Sorry.”

  “Will you learn them now, then?”

  “…No.”

  “…”

  As the two red dragons came to a rather unsatisfactory end to their quibbling, Serenis cleared her throat to garhe group’s attention.

  “…Karas, Light, Eline – as those more familiar with mankind’s items, I’ll leave it to you three to sort through the tribute. There’s o examine crude gold or the like; just the peculiar items that you may e across. Bruton, Ilias, Xerun – I trust you’ll keep them safe.”

  While the rest of the group returned an affirming nod, Xerun alone gave a curious stare towards the dragonlord – especially towards her wings that still remained summoned, spread apart as if readying to fly.

  “It sounds like you won’t be present with us. Are there other chambers to see to?”

  “Perhaps. I pn to search through the rest of the grave.”

  “Huh. Well, that certainly sounds more iing than sitting here staring at human relics. I’ll e with you.”

  Before Xerun could take aep forth to join her, Serenis held up a hand, stopping the gold dragon in pce.

  “Stay, Xerun. If anything happens, Eline will need you to carry her outside.”

  “?...But Bruton could easily carry all of them if he wished. I don’t-“

  Before the gold dragon could finish his protests, Serenis took into the air, disappearing from sight in seds.

  Frowning, he then crossed his arms before turning to face Eline.

  “Well then. It seems she’s quite ed for you.”

  “Yeah…”

  ‘…Or she just left you here because you annoy her.’

  For quite some time, Eline sidered saying the thought out loud – and she almost did.

  But in the end, she didn’t have to.

  Bruton said it for her.