Chapter 43: Chapter 119 – An Unexpected Request

“True Dragons?! That sounds so cool!” Miria’s eyes shone with excitement and she could hardly keep her body from bouncing up and down on the bed.

Asterios chuckled, expecting such a reaction. As he glanced at Selene, he found his foxy companion with a hand under her chin and staring down with a thoughtful expression. He didn’t need their bond to understand that she had caught on.

She soon lifted her gaze and met Ast’s eyes. “True Dragons… Do you think it’s just a coincidence, my Lord?” she asked, knowing that he had read her through too.

“Coincidence? Why? Where?” Miria looked between them in confusion.

“Would I bring all of this up if I thought so?” Selene smiled softly at his question. “It’s just as you think. The recent feeling I experienced when facing Silvia’s Lesser Dragon partially solidified one of our theories. Considering all the little details regarding my abilities, bloodline, and me in general, I don’t think it wouldn’t be too far to assume that True Dragons…”

“Are the true overlords,” Selene finished.

And a few moments after she did, Miria finally connected the little dots in her mind and her mouth opened in the shape of a very adorable and surprised little ‘o’ as the realization dawned on her.

“The text on the throne!” she shouted excitedly and turned back to Asterios. “Then… Then… Does that mean…”

Asterios could feel how a furious thrill swelled inside his feline partner as she struggled to speak and gave Miria a gentle nod with a soft smile.

“There’s a possibility that my ancestry or bloodline are linked to a True Dragon to some extent.”

She instantly shivered in delight and beamed at him the brightest smile he had ever seen on her face. Asterios chuckled and reached out to pet her ears more. She rubbed her head into his palm while overtaken by glee.

“That’s quite a bold theory there, young man,” the king joined with a pondering tone. “But, I don’t know all of the details you have mentioned so it only looks like that from my perspective. Although, I can tell that what you have shown us does support it at least slightly.”

“Are you sure… revealing something so important is okay if that is actually true?” Silvia asked.

Asterios could tell she was honestly concerned. “You and His Majesty are the closest people related to fire that I know of and also could think of if I believed in the rumor about your bloodline. I’m not bold enough to call myself a friend after just a day or two but I do think that not hiding such things will be much more beneficial. And again, even if you tried to spread that information, who would believe that some random Summoner held ancestry supposedly superior to the royal family regarding fire affinity? It would pass as another rumor.”

The king chuckled deeply. “Considering the information you have brought us, and your willingness to help not only the case but also my daughter without having any obligations to do so, and the fact that you will most likely do a lot more in the upcoming days, I think it’s only fair to call yourself a friend. Isn’t that right, my dear daughter?”

Silvia nodded. “Yeah. I really appreciate you agreeing to spar with me. As Father said, you didn’t have to. I rudely interrupted your meeting and challenged you out of the blue. I still need to return that favor and you’ve already suggested helping me more. I would be even ruder if I didn’t consider someone with this much goodwill a friend.”

“You are forgetting how much I have gained from this short meeting already, Princess.” Asterios smiled at her.

“And that was the point of it,” Welrond responded. “But, back to the main topic. Do you have any thoughts about what you just suggested?”

Asterios sighed heavily. “A lot. The moment I started considering this option more seriously, my mind began racing with all the details and events that happened up until this point. Of course, nothing is yet confirmed officially and it could still just be a relation to some magnificent beast or entity with a high fire affinity. But, yeah, this sounds much more valid now.”

“Ah!” Miria gasped, capturing everyone’s attention. “Remember that time when you first exploded in a fire in the clearing and showed that domineering aura for the first time, Master?”

“Naturally.”

“I mentioned seeing the skin on the nape of your neck turning crimson and becoming tougher. I was able to catch it yesterday too! When you took down that spell! And even more of it was covered this time! Now that I think of it, could it be scales? Like, Dragon scales?”

“Hmmm…” He pondered deeply. “Umbra? Could you check that out?”

~I’m way ahead of you, Master.~ The ancient-sounding voice chuckled in their heads. ~I focused on Miria’s memories and enhanced the image but it’s still too unfocused to completely confirm or debunk that claim. But, it’s a possibility.~

“Then we just need to bring it out again somehow. I’m a little bit more confident about that now, after the duel. And if Silvia wouldn’t mind lending us a hand, our chances would rise considerably.”

The crimson-haired girl nodded with a warm smile. “Of course, I wouldn’t. I would be glad to train with you more.”

Asterios nodded. “Alright. Thank you. We’ll think about it after dealing with our current predicament. We’ve been delayed due to my sudden loss of consciousness. We could incorporate some training into our schedule of exploring the Demon Continent after we finally get there.”

“Demon Continent? Why are you headed so far?” Silvia asked with visible curiosity.

He thought about it for a moment and decided to bring up his current goal. “I need to look for someone. My friend’s father. He is a demon, a Dahaka. There’s an immensely complex seal in here blocking some of my memories and it could hold something important about my parents,” Asterios said, tapping the side of his forehead.

Both she and the king showed a great deal of surprise at such revelation. A sealed memory wasn’t something light or easy to do. And it definitely wouldn’t have been used on some common person that held no significance or knew nothing of value.

“He’s a Seal Master and our current best bet at this. Even my quite powerful familiar has trouble trying anything with it. I assume you don’t have a spare Seal Master amongst your people, Your Majesty?”

Welrond gazed into the distance for a moment and shook his head. “Unfortunately. Nothing comes to my mind at the moment. Although, I could try looking into it more. But… you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours if you get the idea.”

Asterios chuckled at the quite informal idiom. “Naturally. Nothing in this world is free. Especially the king’s information network. I’m afraid I won’t be able to afford it, though.”

The king smiled at him. “You don’t need to worry. I wouldn’t want to pressure a new friend with something unreasonable. I only have one small request.”

“As long as it’s in my power, I’ll see to it.”

“Bring Silvia along on your journey through the Demon Continent.”

A brief silence fell onto the chamber as the two men stared at each other; one with crossed arms and a soft smile, and the other with a wry expression on his face.

A quiet gasp broke the sudden tension, followed by the rustle of bedsheets. Silvia stood by Ast’s side with wide eyes.

“Can I really?! You won’t take that back, right Dad?!”

She quickly realized her unusually lively reaction when everyone glanced at her and covered her mouth with both hands at once. She sat down with a tinge of rosiness spreading over her fair cheeks.

“I promise I won’t.” The king laughed heartily. “It’s been some time since you last slipped up and called me Dad. Oh, I so miss those blissful days…”

Silvia blushed even more after his comment and bore her gaze into the sheets to avoid looking at anyone else present in the room. It had been long since she suffered such an embarrassment. She had gotten too excited about the prospect and accidentally dropped her demeanor of a noble lady.

Meanwhile, Asterios saw his mates exchange a glance as they smiled at each other and could only shake his head while sighing. He then turned to the king again.

“I’m not someone who can question the decisions of a king, but is it really a good idea, Your Majesty? No matter how I look at it, you are asking a stranger to watch over your only daughter in a land far beyond the ocean. And besides, it would take quite some time for Princess Silvia to arrive at the Demon Continent, possibly after we are already done with our business.”

He noticed the blushing girl sending him a few anxious glances, barely raising her gaze.

“You raise a fair point, young man, and words like these are exactly why I feel confident about this. Silvia is no weakling and you’ve witnessed that with your own eyes and body. And while I wouldn’t send a legion of troops as her guard, I do have other ways to assure her safety. Trust me, you wouldn’t want to try any funny business with my daughter, Asterios.”

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The king's words, tone, gaze, and the fact that he actually used Ast’s name for once, told him enough not to underestimate this statement. He could imagine himself perishing before he even knew what hit him, smitten from the sky by some inconceivable fire spell.

“As for the distance, didn’t you transport that little boy here from Tyrienheim without an issue? And before that, from Dagger’s End to Tyrienheim? Is twice the distance a problem for you?”

Asterios smiled wryly. “Technically not, but… This method can be very distressing for others as it’s extremely taxing for the mind.”

“Do you think my daughter is of a weak mind?” Welrond raised his brow.

“Do you think Guildmaster Suanori is of a weak mind?” Ast’s question made him raise it even more. “Yeah, and she swore to never go again after we teleported from the bottom of a dungeon back to the surface. You can never know.”

“Yet the boy seemed unbothered,” the king commented.

“Beats me.” Asterios shrugged and saw the man pondering again.

“Does the intensity depend on the distance? We can try with a shorter teleport, can’t we?” He glanced at his daughter.

Asterios caught a sparkle in her eyes as the father and daughter duo exchanged gazes and he could see how hard she tried not to look at him with a pleading gaze, forcing herself to not turn her eyes towards the Summoner.

After checking the expressions of his companions, he sighed in defeat. “May I know why, at least?”

“I believe she is ready to experience the big world on her own now. Silvia doesn’t leave the castle a lot. I admit that it’s partially because I want to keep her safe, but also because of her own drive to remain here to train herself and study more. Except for the occasional social gatherings that she can’t refuse to go, and even rarer expeditions to novice dungeons that I organize for her with a considerable escort.”

Asterios glanced at the princess and could easily tell that what her father said was true. And he didn’t feel any resentment or annoyance from the girl. Her expression was closer to slight embarrassment from having things pointed out that she wouldn’t want to reveal.

“And for that, the Demon Continent is a perfect choice,” the king continued. “She doesn’t need to worry about getting recognized as easily as in our lands. Even if not everyone amongst commonfolk knows what she looks like, all officials in any organization, especially the Adventurer's Guild, nobles, merchants, and such, would immediately notice and cause a ruckus.”

The man’s reasoning certainly was sound. Asterios and the rest of his party could easily imagine how much of a hassle it would be if people recognized Silvia and started trying their very best to court favor with the princess. She would be the center of attention no matter if she wanted it or not. There were only so many places one could visit without stumbling on some official or a noble.

“Therefore, letting her travel abroad with a small party of trusted adventurers instead of a full army would be the best choice. And you, young man, are a trusted adventurer of Guildmaster Suanori, judging by the Token of Fealty in your possession. I can trust her, and if she trusts you, then I can trust you too. I heard that she cleared an old dungeon recently, by the side of a youthful adventurer and his two beautiful partners. It’s not that hard to connect the dots, don’t you think?”

Miria and Selene giggled quietly, knowing that there was no escape no matter how hard Asterios tried. He mentally bonked them both on the head through their bond but smiled at them warmly.

“If you want more reasons, I can keep going,” Welrond still kept talking with a soft smile that started looking more victorious than anything else to Asterios. “There’s no doubt that you are the key to her further growth. We didn’t interact a lot, but I get the feeling that it would be challenging to keep you here as her personal instructor. And if I can’t have you stay by her side, then I just need to make her stay by your side instead. With that—”

“Alright. I understand,” Asterios interrupted the man and chuckled. “I would lie if I said that Silvia joining wouldn’t benefit our party. We will test the Shadow Movement. But, I would like her to join us after we deal with them.”

Silvia raised her gaze completely while trying to act composed, but after spending some time with a very adventurous panthergirl by his side, Asterios could easily perceive the fine details of the fire-wielding princess buzzing on the inside.

The king nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t let Silvia anywhere close to that den of scum and villainy. “

“Them? Villainy?” she asked confusedly.

“I will consider later if I want to share this information with you after your recent mischief,” Welrond replied while slightly squinting his eyes at his daughter, causing her to lower her head a bit again. “Maybe if you call me dad a few more times, I will be willing to let it slide.”

His words brought some crimson back on Silvia’s face and the man chuckled deeply. Everyone else could tell that the duo didn’t interact like this a lot.

“But, I digress. Regarding that business, I have the memory crystals ready for you. Even though I’ve already started mobilizing people and got in touch with the patriarch. But, they will come useful for briefing. Also, I set our meeting for today in the evening and was going to postpone it if you didn’t wake up, but, fortunately, you are back. We will discuss things according to the plan if you don’t mind going back there. If the talks go well, we should be able to set up a wide Long Range Teleportation Array on both sides. It is costly but we can’t risk anyone making it out of their hideout.”

Asterios was awed at how much the king had managed to prepare in less than a day since he had fallen unconscious. But, that had to be expected. It seemed that Suanori had been right and Welrond cared about people a lot. And his daughter, of course.

After glancing at his mates and receiving a mental affirmation that they would do anything he wished for, Asterios nodded at the king.

“I will naturally see to it. I will need to get in touch with my companion on the other side anyway. I left him for a day without any information. And with my parents. I don’t think they expected me to stay a night at the castle, not even mentioning two.”

Miria giggled with a faint flush when reminded of their actual night together here. Asterios stared at her intently, watching her grow even redder, and then turned around towards the edge of the bed, moving closer to it.

“Let’s get to work then. I wasted a lot of our time and I apologize for tha—”

“Master, wait!”

The moment he began standing up, Miria’s desperate cry reached his ears and she slammed into his waist from behind, clinging to it like her life depended on it. Puzzled, he glanced down at the panthergirl hung over the gap between him and the bed while clutching the sheets that now flowed down his hips, reaching past his knees.

He watched her confusedly and noticed Miria’s face turning even redder than before. Something guided him in his mind and he slightly lifted the comfy velvet to glance down. Soon after, he returned his eyes to his still-hanging mate with his brow raised in a ‘really?’ fashion. Miria’s face turned into a full tomato.

“Why is there nothing?” he asked.

“A-After the duel… I had to check your body for injuries to make sure… All parts of it…” Miria stuttered a little as she explained.

Asterios sighed. “I apologize. I almost showed something unsightly to a lady. Please, pardon my mistake.”

The king bellowed with a laugh and nodded his head repeatedly while Silvia averted her gaze as any well-mannered noble lady should. Not without her eyes trying to sneak some side-glances at the white sheets with a slight blush, though.

Asterios felt the embarrassment creeping on him and shook his head with a wry smile. “Too bad I can’t just summon some clothes from another realm like my companio—”

He froze when something flashed with a crimson hue at the floor under his feet and familiar scarlet flames swirled all around his body. In a flash, he was covered by a set of black-red clothes. The same ones he had on himself in that weird space.

The king went completely silent for a moment while staring at him wide-eyed.

“Aura… Materialization…?”

Asterios glanced between Welrond and Silvia, both having equally stunned expressions, and chuckled awkwardly in his mind.

「This just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t it?」

 

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