Chapter 196: The Dark Truth of the Woodland Devil
🕑 Added 2025-08-19 11:00:03 +0000 UTCTrapped In Another World With No Magic
Chapter 196: The Dark Truth of the Woodland Devil
Everyone gathered stares wordlessly at the aberration as it flails violently against its captor.
Magnir, a male dragon with a much more limited mana pool than some of his superiors, is driven to nausea just by the intense magical aura the creature is giving off, while Baeka and Reignleif watch in horror. The younger two Empresses of the Fievegal, Hekate and Geirahoel, are hugging each other as they look on in terror of the relatively small creature that even their mana-less human Emperor can keep pinned down.
Compared to its counterpart standing nearby, who has had to have her clothing refitted to accommodate her improved health and increasing height after being discovered as a scrawny little waif by that human, the one he has pinned down is more bone than flesh. It almost seems impossible for it to even be alive, with how deathly thin its arms and legs are, and its torso is shrunken in on itself to such a degree, there is no way the organs are still functional. Regardless, it claws and snarls viciously as it tries to escape.
And, for those who have seen them before, which is everyone but maybe Baeka, these creatures are well known and nearly extinct.
“I-Is that… a f-f-f…?” stammers Hekate. She can’t even finish the word before she joins Magnir in doubling over, retching.
“Finish it, Daniel!” snaps Baeka. “Its mana is poison!”
Hekate can feel what the dattakorien means. Something about the mana pressure, the sinister feeling it gives, all of it combines into just a nauseating feeling, even as far away as she and the other three ladies are from Daniel and the beastly little creature.
And, to Hekate’s horror, it looks just like the much larger creature Daniel killed when she couldn’t even speak to him with more than a handful of words.
Though it is baffling how it could be alive in the state it’s in, the creature is unmistakably a feral little feldrok, just like Lugrae was.
The only difference is, this one is so weak right now, that even Daniel can hold it back for the most part. He has most of his weight on his arm pinning it down by the neck, but it still manages to buck and kick, forcing him to keep his balance.
Hekate watches Daniel study the creature for a moment. Even she can see the small, sickly plants that seem to be peeking out of the messy black and grey fur of the emaciated feldrok juvenile. And, centered on its chest is some kind of strange, eerie-looking cross between a crystal and some sort of amorphous, textured growth that produces the yellow glow of the irregular feldrok.
Daniel has been hesitating since he pinned it down, and its violent movements continue to threaten to find a weakness as the creature tirelessly resists its captor. The mechanic noticeably takes a deep breath, and he steadies the revolver against the feldrok’s skull, pulling the trigger.
BOOM!
Daniel’s third shot pierces the skull of the feral being, and Hekate can’t help but flinch. She knows in her heart that Daniel would never, under his own power, aim one of his weapons at her. Rather, he would be the first to dive in front if one were ever aimed at her, in spite of her potential to possibly survive his more devastating weapons, after what she saw during the fight against Lugrae, who didn’t use a fraction of his magic power the way Yaulwembor did.
And, Yaulwembor survived every Dragonslayer rifle-shot she was hit with.
Unlike Lugrae and Yaulwembor, however, the feral feldrok child Daniel just tried to finish off didn’t lose a single drop of blood.
And, it is still fighting against him just as ferociously as when it attacked him. Other than flinching its head from the shot, it is almost completely unfazed by a direct hit that has left a smoking hole into the inside of its skull.
Daniel is noticeably surprised, and Reignleif sinks to her knees, doubling over from nausea.
Geirahoel is also trembling, unable to look as Daniel tries to execute the small creature unsuccessfully.
That’s when he glances at Hekate. She makes eye contact with her closest and truest friend, unable to say anything. A visceral fear is gripping her soul. She knows, fundamentally, that she is a feldrok herself. But, she can’t help but fear them. Lugrae had a truly terrifying aura because of his substantial mana, and this one’s presence radiates something that feels worse than pure hatred.
Daniel studies its body, flinching his head briefly when razor-sharp claws shriek against his helmet’s face.
He presses the revolver to the golden-yellow, glowing growth on the feldrok’s chest, and Hekate sees it the exact moment Magnir cries out, “Daniel!”
The feldrok’s right hind leg has snagged one of the rip cords for the teleporter pack Daniel is wearing, and its flailing doesn’t stop.
Rather, that’s exactly why it drives Hekate to her feet, even in spite of her swirling stomach and dizzying field of view. Magnir throws himself forward as the feldrok violently bucks and writhes against Daniel, and its leg swinging out pulls the ripcord.
Hekate’s mind races, and she can see it all in slow motion as she is unable to focus enough to teleport to Daniel’s side.
The dragon is diving straight at Daniel with his enhanced strength having exploded dirt behind him on takeoff. He is desperate not to push Daniel away. It’s too late, and unless the teleporter is knocked free, Daniel is going, whether he wants to or not.
Daniel has hesitated from firing, trying to determine why Magnir called out to him, and the magic circle is already glowing beneath the mechanic and the feldrok.
Hekate starts to scream, “Daniel!”
The Citadel should be able to contain the feral feldrok child, but there could be people in the containment zone that could get hurt.
Or worse.
Being a feldrok, it could absorb mana from the area.
The last thing she can see is Magnir closing in, and a flash of light.
When the light fades, Daniel, Magnir, and the feral feldrok child are nowhere to be found.
Geirahoel, Reignleif, and Baeka all gasp in air, like they were resisting the urge to throw up by holding their breath as much as possible and breathing shallowly. Geirahoel instantly snaps, “Mukori! Xyreko, the enemy Mukori brought with him needs the yellow growth on its chest destroyed! Destroy it now!”
“Brought?” replies Xyreko with confusion apparent in her voice even through telepathy, which all three of the Empresses are hearing. “What are you talking about?”
Geirahoel shouts her words audibly, even though she doesn’t need to speak for telepathy to work. “What do you mean!? He just activated the teleporter pack!” screams the orange dragon. She looks at the other three women, and Baeka asks nervously, “I-It’s a fixed location, right?”
“Yes!” replies the dragon. “It has been tested on DOZENS of useless soldiers!” She screams with the alternative connection that goes to his helmet. “Mukori! Mukori, answer me! Where are you!” The dragon withdraws the magic panel she uses to observe Daniel’s field of view through his helmet.
Nothing appears.
Geirahoel drops the panel, and her face goes blank. Reignleif quickly picks it up, trying to cast magic on it. “I don’t understand… The teleportation activated, so… there was no mana-negation. Xyreko? Tell us where Mukori is. He’s in danger.”
“I’m working on it… I’m not able to find his armor’s tracking glyphs.”
All three Empresses gasp when they hear this, and Baeka asks quickly, “What is it? What’s going on.”
“Xyreko can’t find him!” exclaims Hekate. “His armor has tracking magic on it, but she can’t find him!” Hekate feels sick all over again, sinking to her knees and then flopping her palms onto the ground. “I… this is my fault… I made him wear it… I made that thing… I thought… I thought it would be… Daniel… Daniel!” Hekate starts crying, and her words are lost entirely to unintelligible sobs.
Geirahoel storms away from the group briefly, pacing in an angry, quiet tantrum as she resists the urge to burn everything around them. Her pilot flame ignites and extinguishes several times as she flips back and forth on that last point.
Reignleif hugs the panel, closing her eyes.
Baeka asks, “C-Could… What… Where would it send him if… something about the pack was broken?”
Hekate wails even louder, flopping onto her side as guilt tears her apart.
I was such a fool! I’m an idiot! What was I thinking!? Daniel can’t control it or stop it! Of COURSE something would go wrong!
Reignlief, who also worked on the device, replies softly, “If one of the panels inside broke, it shouldn’t be able to activate. Doephluev… Doephluev was careful enough to put the most important parts on possible fault lines specifically so it couldn’t send him into oblivion…”
“Doephluev!” shouts Geirahoel. “Let’s get that seductress to tell him where he would go!” She focuses briefly, and then somewhat sternly barks out, “Doephluev! Daniel is missing after the teleporter was active! Where is he!?”
There’s a pause, and Doephluev’s voice comes over quietly, indicating she’s trying to temper her emotions. “Missing? That shouldn’t be possible. What happened exactly? And, where are his tracking armor pieces.”
“Just tell us where he would go!” snaps Geirahoel. “We don’t have time for…”
Reignleif places her hand on Geirahoel’s chest, gently stopping her. “He was attacked by some kind of magic creature that produced a malicious aura that none of us could get close to, other than him. It activated the pack accidentally, and it took Daniel, the creature, and Magnir somewhere.”
“External mana shouldn’t matter, even during the spell. I made sure of that. The ONLY thing that could interrupt the spell would be anti-magic tools or spells. It’s also too short to spelljack. Is there anything else? Any clue.”
I bet she teleported him somewhere secret… thinks Hekate, but she quickly puts this out of her mind. Doephluev doesn’t have to ‘steal’ Daniel, and he’d never forgive her if she pulled him away from a mission when he could have been in the middle of something important.
“Anything else?” asks Reignleif, looking at the others.
“Water?” Baeka is the one to speak. “He was drenched with water from that place. Would water do it?”
The blue Dragon Empress relays this to the archoneldwyn, and there’s another pause.
“Hurry up and answer!” snaps Geirahoel.
“I’m creating illusion-versions of four people in the midst of three separate conversations while being talked to by an endless deluge of foolish men trying to pounce on any of Daniel’s wives, especially me, since I’m the acting sovereign. I will give up Daniel right now if you could do this. And meanwhile, our illustrious grand Harpy is ignoring my attempts to get her over here. So PLEASE, give me just a teeny, tiny, little bit of patience. If the worst came to pass, there’s nothing any of us can do. If Daniel is alive, then we’ll find him. Give me three minutes to get myself some space.”
“... Fine…” replies the orange Dragon Empress sourly.
Hekate has finally calmed down a little, sniffling as the four sit with each other to wait on Doephluev. They’re praying an answer comes through, and rushing away from the current scene will prevent them from gathering clues if Doephluev can think of anything.
“Should… we collect some of the water and take it to her?” asks Hekate.
“It’s probably a good idea either way,” replies Baeka.
Reignleif counters respectfully, her voice a little hoarse from yelling more than she has in a long time. “We shouldn’t. Not without safety precautions. Just think of the mana coming from that thing. Even now… I don’t like the feel of that place.” She looks briefly at the eerie grotto. Just looking at it is enough to cause a nervousness like it might swallow the person whole just from staring too long.
“We should burn it to ash,” replies Geirahoel.
“No, not until we know what we’re dealing with,” replies Reignleif. “If something is sealed in there, fire could release it.”
Geirahoel huffs, putting her chin on her hand so she can lean on her own thigh. Her tail squirms impatiently, and she occasionally spits small flames that flare out quickly. If anyone somehow wasn't aware, she's very visibly in a bad mood.
It's a long, miserable wait for three of the Fievegal’s most powerful ladies.
Xyreko’s voice finally breaks the silence, and all four women spring to their feet. “Your Graces, Lady Baeka, I have reason to believe Daniel and Magnir are still alive. The problem is… I don’t think they're on our continent anymore.”
“What!?” asks Hekate. “What’s… What’s a continent?” She looks at the others, and Reignleif replies, though her own face is filled with consternation. “A continent is the landmass where multiple countries are.”
“S-So… Did Daniel get sent back to Earth? Or…”
“Across the ocean,” replies Baeka. The feldrok teen nods, though it’s clear she’s not understanding fully.
“I’m still performing some tests, but it seems there is a maximum range to the tracking and sensory sharing spells I placed on his armor.”
“So, how do you know he’s alive then?” asks Geirahoel sharply.
“There was a momentary telepathic connection from Magnir moments ago.”
“Magnir shouldn’t have enough mana left to project telepathy, especially to a group,” replies Reignleif.
“Agreed, which I believe he used the last of his mana to send me only that much through a golem located in the Empire. This might indicate a possible direction to start our search, but the problem is…”
“The ocean,...” replies Reignleif, finishing the thought.
“Why does that matter!?” replies Hekate. “We have shuttles.”
Geirahoel replies with a sour edge to her voice, “I’ve never seen it, but even I’ve heard the Strylak doesn’t allow crossing the ocean. Even dragons struggle to leave the continent. Onii-chan is one of the few who came back.”
Hekate groans and sighs. “Then, how do we get him back!? Do we have to kill the Strylak next? Because I will. Don’t underestimate a woman in love.”
The dragons are quiet, and Baeka is the one to finally reply uneasily, “If it could be done, your Greatness, it would have already been done long ago.”
“I’ve been listening, and I agree,” adds in Doephluev’s voice. “The spell we put together can’t sent someone to a void. It has to establish a destination first. There are also a lot of safety parameters that should prevent teleportation into a solid object or another person. The problem is, the target should always be the Citadel’s arrival circle. Take some of the water without getting it on yourselves. Gather samples of the plants and soil as well. If something interfered, it was either the creature or something that got inside the pack. Lesson learned.”
“So, what do we do after that?” asks Geirahoel sternly. “Do you have any idea where to start looking for them?”
This time, Ryuogriar’s voice enters the telepathic connection amidst the group. “Have faith in Mukori for now, Geira. He is not so easily killed. If he is harmed, however, I will personally destroy the entire forest where Kernuules roamed, and I will destroy the location he is now. You may join me if you wish.”
“I’m in,” replies Hekate without hesitation. The others nod in agreement.
“For now, please collect the samples for us to analyze back at the Citadel,” reiterates the archoneldwyn. “We’re deflecting with invitations to hold audiences at the Citadel, so we’ve bought ourselves time for now, but if we wish to continue these efforts, we’ll have to make sure we hold the appropriate meetings.”
“Mukori is the priority,” retorts Geirahoel with her arms crossed. “If they must wait, they will wait.”
“That is an option, but not a very good one. To secure the future he has been working towards, we need to reach an equilibrium with everyone else. We’ll be departing for the Citadel soon. Let me know if anyone hears from Daniel.”
The telepathic connection fades, and Reignleif rises to her feet. “Let’s get this over with. Grendel Six will also need someone to direct their triage efforts.”
The women agree, and they quickly receive glass jars from Hekate, who has a bunch of odds and ends in her void bag in case she finds interesting things or food. They use string to allow them to dip one of the jars into the water of the grotto without touching it, in case something is wrong with it. Just the water alone makes all four women feel uneasy being near it, though it could just be residual mana from the feldrok.
They hold off annihilating the small hollow for now, since there might be more evidence towards the origin of Kernuules, which they came to destroy and prevent creating another one ever again. But, unlike Daniel, they can’t bring themselves to even try to float into the cave due to that sinister aura lingering.
For now, they’ll have to do what they can until Daniel finds a way to send them a signal.
***
Ryuogriar carries Tekten as she crosses the meeting hall to find Gold, who has possession of Jieka. Because the princesses have keen senses, apparently, they can’t be fooled by the illusory versions of everyone produced by Doephluev. As such, it would give them away if they were to refuse to cling to ‘Daniel’.
Gold is entertaining a handful of Mattarglos nobles, including the Honeydip Baron and Baroness, with tales of her bare-handed fight with a masonrahm. For the humans of the east, who see the large beasts as fortress gate breakers, the idea of one being bested in one on one combat is impressive. For the Dragon Empress, who has heard the story before, it was a decent exercise for her golden counterpart.
Jieka is engrossed in the story, of course, while Tekten is passed out in Ryuogriar’s arms, showing their differences in personality in yet another form.
Baron Goelselmo Honeydip notices Ryuogriar first, bowing politely as he says, “Your Grace and her Highness.”
Everyone else shows deference as she approaches, with exception of Gold, who simply replies, “Ah, Ryuo. I was just telling stories to our Crown Princess and some of our new friends.”
“Jieka fight a masy-rah!” declares the fiesty princess proudly, which elicits a laugh from the others, while Gold cheekily encourages her, “Yes, yes, my little Gremlin. You will be stronger than all of the masonrahms and hunt them down for Papa, right?”
“Yeah!”
“Pardon me for intruding,” replies Ryuogriar. “But, regrettably, we’ll be gathering to return to the airship soon, and I wanted to make sure that we express proper farewells. Please forgive Princess Tekten. It was a rather eventful day for her.”
“Not at all, your Grace,” replies one of the stocky boruan men. His sharp style of dress contrasts his heavy laborer-type build, with muscles that make Kalegrynten look small. He shoots a brief glance to some of the other groups, grumbling quietly, “Be wary of the shamelessness of some of the nobles present here. I can tell the Princesses are well loved, and love is the last thing on their minds with their thoughts.”
Ryuogriar pastes on a diplomatic smile, though she is glad that not everyone views the Crown Princess or the immediate next heir as a political tool. “As it turns out, the Fievegal’s structure is not meant to be fully understood by outsiders. The Crown Prince, should that day ever come, will have to outlive the Empresses of the Fievegal, particularly her Greatness, Hekate. And, he will have to have approval from the rest of us.” She looks towards Senn, who has successfully distracted a large portion of the Mornistae and Imperial crowd as ‘Luna’ because of the keen interest Rikuto has shown more than once. “And, some of us will live a very long time.”
The boruan man, as well as the Honeydips, and a few others in the immediate area laugh boisterously, and the boruan noble agrees, “Indeed so! Should the opportunity arise, I hope our daughters can be friends.”
“I wish for the same,” replies Ryuogriar. She then keeps some idle chatter going, asking for his thoughts on masonrahms audibly, but her focus is on telepathically asking Gold, “Gold, don’t react too much, but Mukori has gone missing.”
“What?” asks Gold’s voice, showing a brief flash of surprise on her face when her eyes glance at her only female elder among the dragons.
“Something happened with the teleporter device. We’ll be returning to the Citadel as soon as we can excuse ourselves.”
“I’m surprised you’ve waited this long.”
“The assassin was slow in informing me, and we can’t act recklessly. If we are reckless, it will be revealed that Daniel is missing, and we may see ourselves confronted by ambitious invasions once again.”
“Good point. Well, then, go along with me.” Gold then says, “Ah, please do excuse me ladies and gentlemen. I think the Princesses are both exhausted at this point.”
“Nuh-uh!” whines Jieka.
“Your eyes are blinking heavily, Jieka. Come along.” She gestures for Tekten, adding, “I’ll take them to the bus for a nap, your Grace.”
Ryuogriar nods in approval, gently and carefully placing the sleeping princess in Gold’s free arm. The golden dragon woman then bows her head. “My apologies, but the Princesses can get a little fussy, and his Grace the Emperor asked me to look after their health on this trip.”
“Please, pay us no mind, Lady Gold. Our people will be in contact with the Fievegal to begin trading as soon as possible.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Gold then says a few more brief farewells and makes her way out, saying to only Ryuogriar via telepathy, “Let me know when you’re approaching the bus. If anyone approaches without warning, I’m not holding back.”
“Understood. We’ll be out soon.”
Someone new speaks to Ryuogriar from behind. “Empress Ryuogriar kos Lawson, please allow me to introduce myself.”
The platinum blonde dragon shoots a glance at her current acquaintances, who all have unimpressed, and even worried expressions on their faces. She turns to face the newcomer, who is a human male a bit older than Daniel’s apparent age, putting him likely around forty at most. The man says proudly, “I am Baron Haftoun kos Baumalde. Please forgive my older brother. To have his life’s work questioned in such a manner is a sensitive topic for him.”
“Is that so?” replies Ryuogriar without a hint of true interest. She knows the version of the story that Ahok tells, and given the sequence of events, it’s very possible the Baumalde family is cashing in on the powerful weapon that ‘even the Fievegal fears’, when he was actually an assistant to the goblin Magic Artisan.
“On my family’s honor, your Grace. There are rumors that refuse to die out that have become a constant source of frustration.”
“I would suppose so,” replies the dragon with slight amusement in her tone. After all, when a goblin outshines your brother, who wouldn’t be embarrassed. Unfortunately, the Crown Princess you saw today will likely overshadow us all someday.
The matronly dragon smiles at this thought. If Jieka or Tekten can find something they are passionate about the way Wenlianna or Ahok are about their craft, the goblin princesses could prove to be formiddable beings in this world.
Ryuogriar then asks, “Is there something else you wanted from me, Baron Baumalde? After all, there are many who are interested in speaking to me, and you seem to have said your piece.”
“Right! Of course! I just wanted to reassure you that the Baumalde County would welcome the dragons warmly. To be one of many amidst such a peculiar group must similarly leave a bad taste in your mouth. I can guarantee that you would find treatment appropriate to your grace and strength.”
The dragon’s eye twitches, and she can feel the pressure in her pupils threaten to constrict them more distinctly into their distinctive reptilian narrow-star-shape. It also takes every bit of her willpower not to ignite a pilot flame.
This fool knows nothing. He has already unwittingly disrespected me twice by approaching and addressing me from behind, calling me by the wrong particle, and now, he tries to call me ‘one of many’? Hah! As if he’s a tenth of the man Mukori is.
She takes a joking tone, replying ‘playfully’, “Oh ho ho ho! Be careful, Baron Baumalde. Mukori is quite protective of us.”
“Mukori?” asks the human, looking around. “Who is that?”
Ryuogriar rolls her eyes. “You said you were prepared to welcome the dragons, yes?”
“O-Oh! Yes, of course! We can surely provide you greater freedom and higher prestige. If you only wish to start as friends, though, then…”
“Please allow me to stop you there, Baron,” interrupts the dragon. “You don’t even know who Mukori is, and why he is called that, and you wish to expatriate us to your brother’s County? And, what freedom greater than being an Empress do you honestly believe you could give me?” She grabs his neck, holding firmly. “If I were to kill you right now, Mukori wouldn’t give it a single thought. We would make love tonight as we always do, and by the grace of all the spirits, I will bear yet another of his children.” She presses her index finger against his jaw as the panic seeps into his eyes. She adds coldly as she drags him closer to herself, “What greater freedom is there than that? You would be able to do nothing as I crush your skull for insulting me three separate times.”
“Wh-Wh-What insults?” asks the panicked man.
She smirks, retorting, “You are so foolish as to not even know that much? And, easterners call people like you ‘noble’. Hah!” Her red eyes constrict her pupils, reminding the horrified man who tries to pull away that she is not a human, and she cannot be so easily swayed by empty promises in hopes that she’ll serve as a weapon for their own benefit.
“P-Please… Forgive… me…”
“You and your idiot brother may believe yourselves our superiors because foolish men have told you that the Fievegal is just a weak collection of upstarts and rejects, but we hold more power in any one of our Empresses than your entire kingdoms do united.” She pulls him close, whispering devilishly into his ear. “And, we recovered the real guiding hand behind the void artillery. Tell Count Baumalde that the next time he wants to get rid of those who overshadow him, send us a letter. We’ll happily make use of their talents.” She grins as she pushes him back to arm’s length again, and the horror in his eyes has him completely pale. She adds, “That’s right. Ahok is alive and well.” She finally releases Haftoun with a shove backwards to make him stumble. “The very next time you or any of your family members tries to insult me or my beloved family, Baron Baumalde, I will personally dedicate my life to ending the Baumalde bloodline in its entirety. And, I will have a long list of allies to assist me, I have no doubt. Starting with our Chief Magic Artisan.” She finishes this sentence already walking away from him. “King Rikuto clearly needs to rein in his aristocrats. You are all out of control.”
Haftoun is left speechless, glancing at the Mattarglos nobles the dragon matriarch was speaking to, only for them to turn away and pretend like they didn’t see him. Ryuogriar’s next stop is the group that includes the Stalvaltan women, with Wenlianna cheerfully explaining to Duke Walliskah how she understands the telecommunications device called a ‘telegram’ that Daniel intends to interlink the Fievegal with the Empire, Mattarglos, and other allied territories. The fake ‘Reignleif’ is also standing by, cradling the feldrok egg as she effectively avoids speaking by keeping her answers short and brief. As much as Ryuogriar hates to admit it, Doephluev has already gotten almost everyone’s persona correct, to such a degree that even some of their close friends might mistake who they are.
Wenlianna perks up, “Oh! Ryuo-Mukori! W-Welcome!” The brunette blushes a little. She has been intimately made familiar with the meaning of the word ‘Mukori’ after she mistakenly used it towards Ryuogriar. The platinum white dragon can’t help but grin.
But, she must maintain her regal facade, so she clears her throat. “Wenlianna-Mukori. I apologize if I’m interrupting.”
“Not at all! We’re mainly keeping Great Aunt company.”
Reignleif’s image twitches, and Yanidere quickly whispers as Wenlianna realizes it too, “Wenlie!”
“I-I mean… Ahem, Reina. She was out of her comfort zone.”
Ryuogriar doesn’t look directly, but she can already hear a few murmurs from the crowd. There is already a new name for Daniel spreading amongst the nobles, and now they’re questioning why the Stalvaltan’s eldest daughter and Empress Consort of the Fievegal referred to a dragon as ‘great aunt’.
Ryuogriar sighs. To deny it would only add fuel to speculation by making it ‘more interesting’. Yanidere may have already cemented the rumor since she reacted, confirming that there’s something to have been heard.
“Is it time that we depart?” asks Aramellianna, astutely surmising Ryuogriar’s purpose.
“I’m afraid so. With so many new connections, we’ll need to double our efforts to establish secure trade routes, communication means, and begin preparing to retrieve the artifact as agreed upon. The retrieval operation alone will require a great deal of planning and logistics.” Ryuogriar is lying, since the retrieval will likely be handled by a very small team with Daniel, and maybe Wenlianna. Regardless, Aramellianna is a skilled high-ranking aristocrat for a reason.
“Yes. And, we’ll need to begin training our merchants who still need to learn Eastern Trade, as well as how to handle security on their trips. I’d also like to have a formal hierarchy for our own aristocratic faction within the Fievegal by the birthday celebration, if possible, but I of course, defer to you, your Grace.”
Ryuogriar has always liked the Stalvaltans. Not only did they take care of and fight tooth and nail for Daniel, even if there was a miscommunication that Daniel exacerbated by having less faith in Aramellianna than he does now, but they bring a sword to the knife fight that is eastern politics.
Your Mukori, Grand Duchess; I would have liked to meet him once to see what kind of man could hold your heart.
Naturally, Ryuogriar knows the secret Aramellianna is keeping now, even if she and her new paramour grossly overestimate their ability to keep that secret. Ryuogriar is perfectly content, since it’s that much more connected the Stalvaltan family and their impressive credentials will be tied to the Fievegal, even if Aramellianna is hoping to reestablish her maiden family name to honor her grandfather. Daniel has approved of this, and it seems the Grand Duchess is already in the process of getting started on the heir, from what Ryuogriar can tell with her enhanced senses.
Thank goodness for Aramellianna and her airships. If we must search, they will make it much easier.
The group make their farewells, and Doephluev has been doing the same thing with Hekate’s and Daniel’s illusions. It does make sense, since Doephluev knows those two the most. The archoneldwyn looks at Ryuogriar briefly, but then intentionally avoids eye contact. The dragon growls and avoids eye contact with her in return. They agreed to get along well enough for Daniel’s sake, but Ryuogriar returned to find exactly what was brought up; Doephluev was making Ryuogriar’s illusion look like a vulgar, baby-crazy woman. She is, but she knows when to turn it off.
Luna joins them as well, likely have gathered from everyone else that it’s time to depart, or having heard via telepathy.
Before they exit, a young female voice calls out, “Empress Ryuo!”
Ryuogriar recognizes the voice with ease. Erimaya jogs close, though several guards are keeping pace with her. “Empress Ryuo, please forgive me for calling out.”
Ryuogriar smiles and approaches on her own. “It’s alright, Princess Erimaya. You are a friend of the Fievegal. I’m sure we’ll be in contact.”
The Princess approaches the dragon even closer, and the guards warn, “Princess…!”
However, Ryuogriar holds them back with a sharp glare that startles both human men. She growls, “If I wanted to kidnap one little princess, there is virtually nothing two human guards would be able to do to stop me.” She instantly flips her expression to a smile to address Erimaya, and the two lean close together.
The blonde princess whispers, “Please have Xyreko keep an eye on me. If they try to prevent me from communicating, I’ll need help.”
Ryuogriar smiles and cups the Princess’s cheek with her palm. “Eri, you are a sweet child, and you will always be welcome amidst our family. But, you must remember that our actions are limited. If we ‘rescue’ you, you will forever be our prisoner.”
Erimaya gives the dragon matriarch a knowing smirk. “I would rather be Hekate’s and Daniel’s prisoner than the husband of someone who doesn’t care about me.”
“We’ll be in touch, Sweet Princess.” Ryuogriar doesn’t think it through, but she doesn’t regret it afterwards. Without warning, she kisses Erimaya’s forehead, which causes the Princess to blush as she stares into the dragon’s eyes. Ryuogriar gives a regal smile before turning and joining the others as they head for the buses.
Ryuogriar’s heart is beating rather quickly, since she is growing more and more anxious now that she doesn’t have to hide it much longer.
Wherever you are, Mukori, you better have an extraordinarily good explanation for all of this.
***
Comments
Silas Kriegsende
Hahaha! Joke's on you! It's Rikuto! xD
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Please don't confirm or deny, but the duchess's secret hookup has to neith. The only reason I'm unsure is because his cow wife didn't seem to be into that. It can't be the blue dragon, and the story isn't exactly overflowing with male characters.
Silas Kriegsende
Soooooonnnn.... xD
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Eh, Dan will be fine, he'll just have to conquer another continent.
