“Lavinia…”
Kael muttered out loud.
“What about her?”
Alden frowned.
“I wish to meet her.”
Kael requested.
At his words, Alden turned silent. Kael, however, didn’t back down. While he had begun trusting people around him a little, Lavinia’s issue still was not solved yet. She was still enslaved, and considering that she was the only person he could actually trust, he wanted to talk to her.
He wanted to know what exactly happened to her.
Who knows? She might give him an entirely new perspective on things.
One conversation with her could mean a lot.
But…
“Hero Kael…”
Suddenly, the King called out with a somewhat reluctant look on his face. Kael frowned at that expression.
“I…”
After a slight hesitation, the King began,
“I lied to you before when I said I didn’t know where she was. I do know where my daughter is, but…
I want you to stay away from her.”
“Huh…?”
Kael’s frown deepened and the King continued,
“Lavinia is… in a difficult situation right now.
It is already difficult for me to protect her. If you get close to her, danger will befall both of you. Danger you might survive but… she won’t.”
The King lowered his head as he clenched his fists, inwardly cursing his helplessness.
“What danger are you talking about?”
Kael narrowed his eyes.
The King, however, shook his head.
“She is a corrupted human, Kael. If the Hero is seen getting acquainted with her, people will panic. I will be pushed to execute her.”
“Wait…”
Kael’s expression changed.
If the King wanted him to stay away from Lavinia then…
Why did he have Althea tell him where she was?
Or…
Was it not the King who sent the message?
Then…
Was it the Crown Prince…?
Is he planning to get rid of both him and the princess at the same time?
‘But he also warned me about people watching me.’
He had no need to do that.
Does the Crown Prince actually want him to save his sister?
But then who was after the Princess in the first place?
Was it the other council members?
Once again, Kael found himself in a similar situation. The lack of information was frustrating. It was one thing after the other.
Now, however, Kael wasn’t the same clueless man he was when he first came to this world. He had learned. Rather than letting the King know what he was thinking, he decided to change the topic.
“I… I just feel like the princess was framed. The entire situation sounds too suspicious, so I wanted to hear her side.”
“I… I apologize, Hero, but I cannot allow that.”
The King shook his head, his own thoughts were too messy for him to know what the Hero was thinking.
Kael stared at the King for a while and then he nodded,
“Alright then, I will stay away from the Princess.”
“…thank you,
Really.”
The King smiled in gratitude and Kael smiled back.
Then, he stood up and,
“Should we return?”
He questioned as his smile widened.
“We should.”
The King nodded as well.
Kael opened the portal again, wanting to keep Cirri inside but,
“What are you doing?”
The King stopped him.
“Hmm?”
“You are a Dragon Tamer. If I had a Dragon, not to mention someone as adorable as her, I would never keep her inside Sanctuary.”
The moment she heard those words, for the first time ever since she appeared, Cirri turned her eyes towards the thing in front of her and,
“I like you better now, Human.”
She praised.
Alden was taken aback.
“She can… speak?”
“She is a Dragon.”
“Dragons do not speak till they enter Phase Two of their Evolution.”
The King frowned.
“Has she entered Phase Two already?”
“I don’t know…?”
Kael feigned ignorance.
“Don’t make me take my words back, Human.”
Cirri came to her father’s rescue.
Her words worked as the King quickly chuckled and slightly bowed his head in front of little Cirri,
“As you command, Lady Cirri.”
“Good.”
Cirri nodded, satisfied.
This human, just like the one before, was somewhat tolerable.
Then, she turned towards Kael and in an instant, her tone changed,
“Father! I can stay with you now!”
She spoke as she rubbed her soft head with Kael’s. Kael smiled as well, gently rubbing her belly.
“I am envious.”
The King muttered with a light smile on his face. For a moment, Kael considered letting him pat Cirri, however, recalling Cirri’s reaction before, he held back.
Cirri only allowed this right to him, so he would keep it exclusively to himself.
Now, with Cirri in Kael’s arms, he and the King made their way back towards the council meeting. Just as they were about to enter the gate, Alden turned towards him and,
“Be prepared.”
He chuckled.
Kael frowned. The King, however, didn’t explain anything and walked in.
The moment the two walked in, the attention fell on them, but soon, all the attention was grabbed by the adorable creature who had made herself comfortable in Kael’s arms.
“I-Is that… a Dragon…?”
Varyon questioned, his eyes darting back and forth from Cirri, Kael, and the King.
“Council members, allow me to reintroduce you,
Lord Feraos’s Chosen, Saviour of Estwyn, Hero of Nerathis, and the Dragon Tamer, Kael Carter.”
“!!!”
Those words confirmed it.
A Dragon!
A Real Dragon!
The Council members widened their eyes in surprise, especially the three members from the founding families and the Crown Prince. After all, the four knew exactly what this meant.
They glanced at each other, still in disbelief. They could feel goosebumps throughout their bodies as they once again stared at the majestic creature in front of them.
Then, they glanced at Alden, who nodded. His grin couldn’t be wider.
“Yes, Hero Kael was chosen by a Dragon. He is, without a doubt, the future of Nerathis.”
Then, he stared at his son and,
“I am sure this is more than enough to clear up the doubts the people might have, correct?”
“It is.”
Edric nodded, his expression was difficult to read.
The King didn’t care. He just turned towards the rest of the Council Members and,
“Spread the word throughout Nerathis,
A Dragon has blessed Drakthar.”