Chapter 159: 3-41 Distinction

“It’s too quiet,” Erin mused as she stirred from her meditation state. The road had become uneven and rough, making the wagon shake more than usual. Though Erin wasn’t bordered by the constant shaking, she was bothered by the unusual silence.

“Quiet? Really?” Lyra asked, who was just sitting across from Erin on the wagon at the back. “My ears are hurting from the constant rattling. It’s far from being quiet.”

“Mistress meant the sounds of nature,” Siv answered from the coach seat. She was handling the reins. Erin had wanted to take over the reins but Siv insisted on being the one handling it. When asked for the reason, Siv simply said it was gratitude for last night. In fact, Siv had been quite reserved since the morning. Erin couldn’t understand Siv’s sentiment but she didn’t press the matter.

“Perhaps that’s because we have a Fae and a Dragon travelling in our band?” Lyra pointed at Erin and Olivia, who had turned back into her human form and was now riding on her own horse closely by their wagon.

“After all the noises the three of you made last night, I’ll be surprised if there’s even an ant left around,” Olivia presumed with a scowl shot at Lyra. “Do the three of you know no shame or restraint at all?”

“You sound disgruntled,” Lyra said. “Were you irked that we didn’t invite you to join?”

“No,” Olivia answered sharply. “Like I would engage in such activities other than my promised one.”

“You’re betrothed?”

“I meant that I would not mate with anyone simply for the pleasure of the flesh.”

“Ah, pity. You’re losing out on most of the fun in life, then.”

“There’s more to love than the pleasure of the flesh.”

“But the pleasure of flesh adds a lot of spice to love. Wouldn’t you say so, Erin?”

“Hmm? What?” Erin mumbled in response. She was looking out into the trees and she was barely paying attention to Lyra’s bickering with Olivia.

“You weren’t listening?”

“I was listening, just not to you and Olivia.”

Lyra scoffed. “I’m hurt, Lyra. After all, we have been through, I’m tossed aside now that you got your time’s worth?”

Erin rolled her eyes.

Lyra tittered. “My heart is hurt, truly, my dear Erin. What could you ever do to mend this poor heart of mine?” She was swooning with her head leaned back like a maiden falling in love for the first time.

“Did you hit your head last night?” Erin asked.

Lyra let herself fall right into Erin’s arms. “Perhaps,” she said. “It’s just… it felt extremely good last night… It felt better than ever. It was nothing like the time we did it with Iris. It was… genuine.”

Erin smiled and wrapped her arms around Lyra. “I understand… It felt great for me too, knowing that I have two such magnificent women who loved me so much. I feel so fortunate.”

“Oh, dear lords...” Olivia groaned and looked away. “Have some decency,” she grumbled.

While Olivia was vexed by the two’s display of affection, Siv was red to her whole face with her tail wagging excitedly and her ears twitching perkily. Erin grinned when saw that, finally understanding why Siv insisted on taking the reins. She was so embarrassed and overjoyed from last night that she couldn't bear to meet her lover’s gaze now.

“Anyways,” Olivia faked a cough to degrees from the uncouth subject. “Where is our destination, Lady Erynthea?”

Lyra and Erin looked at her with blank faces. Even Siv glanced over her shoulder to stare at her.

“What?” Olivia asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

“You’re being presumptuous, that’s what’s wrong,” Lyra answered.

“You said ‘our destination’. Are you implying that you would be travelling with us from now on?” Erin asked back.

“It is my lord’s wish, though unspoken,” Olivia answered. “The Dragon God’s followers may have dwindled but there are still a handful of us. The heir can’t possibly send out orders tailored specifically to each individual. The followers need to take the initiative.”

Lyra scowled and scoffed.

“Knowing your lord, I doubt that,” Erin said. “He can be an arse but he isn’t officious and he doesn’t disrespect my privacy. What’s more, he ain’t your true lord. He’s only the heir, for now.”

“It’s only a matter of time before that happens, Lady Erynthea. When it happens, I wish to be the one with the most merits.”

“Only a matter of time, you say… How long would that be in your mind?”

“Half a century, at least. I’ll wait for more than a hundred if need be.”

“Is there a limit to how long he can drag his candidacy out?”

“No. This isn’t something chosen by the followers or anyone. He is chosen by the will of the world.”

“That sure sounds suffocating. Basically, you’re saying his fate is sealed?”

“Not necessarily. If he ascends the throne, there will be so much he could do, so much he could change.”

“At what cost?”

Olivia fell silent.

“I don’t know much about the gods or divines but I do know that power comes at a cost. Nothing is free in this world, there’s always a catch, always a price.”

“I know that...” Olivia murmured.

“I won’t admonish your faith but I would appreciate that you don’t instil it unto others’ will. I’m sure you could find another way to please your Lord and accumulate merits.”

“That’s not possible...”

“Why not?” Lyra asked.

“...Because this is the only revelation of my lord’s will that I have received in my dream,” Olivia admitted. “Either this is his only concern that he couldn’t handle it himself or he simply doesn’t have any other concerns.”

“Unbelievable,” Lyra scoffed and slumped back to her seat.

“Then that’s your problem, not mine,” Erin said. “I appreciate your faithfulness but I have a feeling your presence here would only invite more problems.”

“Lady Erynthea, I’m sure you know by now that the Apostles of other Divines are hunting you, goaded by the Ancient Guardians. My presence here could help you tremendously.”

“She’s right, mistress,” Siv said without glancing away from the path.

“I know she’s right but that’s not enough of a reason. I don’t feel comfortable travelling with someone that I barely know, let alone entrusting my life. I’m not even getting paid to escort you.”

“I need no escort but your concerns are understandable, Lady Erynthea.”

“How do I know that you’re telling the whole truth or the truth at all?” Erin asked.

“You can tell by my heart, milady,” Olivia said.

“There’s not an accurate assessment and that’s only reliable only on simpletons or people who are unaware. I wager you can tell a story of lies without batting an eyelid.”

“Then what would it take for you to trust me, milady? Are my words as a True Dragon insufficient?”

“Hmm… True Dragon…” Erin pondered. “Well, I suppose you can start by telling me about the difference between a Dragon and a True Dragon. I have consulted books and people, either they know only a little or know nothing at all. It’s a mystery and an itch.”

“My lord heir... did he not tell you anything in spite of being acquainted almost… intimately?”

Erin took a deep breath to calm herself down from Olivia’s choice of words. “I didn’t pursue it and he’s not one to share stories. I have tried asking but he was very… evasive with the subject.”

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“As he should be,” Olivia said. “The enigma of my kind is what protected us for all these years. People fear the unknown. If they absolutely fear us without a hint of any possible means to defy us, they wouldn’t dare to do anything.”

“By people… you mean—”

“Humans.”

“Humans again…” Erin sighed. She felt complicated agreeing with Olivia as she was once human and she understood the greed of her former kind well.

“But if it’s you, Lady Erynthea… Perhaps it won’t be an issue. But...” Olivia turned to Lyra with a dubious gaze.

Lyra scoffed. “How rude,” she snarled.

“Olivia, I trust Lyra more than you,” Erin said.

“Of course,” Olivia said and retrieved her suspicions towards Lyra like an automated golem.

“Quite stalling now, Olivia. We haven’t got all day.”

“Are we in a hurry?” Lyra asked.

“No,” Erin responded. “But I have a feeling that we will be busy in a while and before that, I want to know as much as I can about the Dragon-kin and the Dragon God.”

“Before I began… will you trust me after I tell you something about my kind?” Olivia asked.

“That depends on what you’re going to tell me,” Erin retorted and glared.

Despite her superior level, Olivia felt intimidated by Erin’s countenance. She even swallowed a lump in her throat. “Very well,” she said. “But I must inform you that it might not be what you expected. It could be… mundane.”

“Let me be the judge of that.”

The clouds began to gather and hid most of the sun.

“Where should I start…?” Olivia mulled. “I suppose the misconception would be a good one.” 

“Misconception?” Lyra questioned.

“There is a common misconception that needs to be addressed. Dragon-kin are not Demi-human Dragons.”

“What?” Lyra blurted out.

“They are not half-human and half-Dragon like many had come to believe. Dragon-kin actually refers to Dragons who are sapient. When a Dragon gain high intelligence and the capacity to rationalize, the System instinctively labels them as a Dragon-kin.”

“But this form of all yours is human,” Erin pointed out. “You’re not half-human at all?”

“This is merely a transformation-type magic. It’s called Humanification.” 

Prompted by her answer, Erin appraised her once again, making sure the skill “Humanification” was indeed on the long list of Magic Arts she had. Even now, Erin couldn’t remember half of it.

“As a Dragon-kin, while it isn’t a Magic Art we are born with, we are required to learn it as it’s paramount to our survival. As much as we like our secluded lifestyle, not all respect our boundaries and wishes. Especially the humans. As I have said before, we blend into human societies to watch over them lest they become foolish and daring enough to attack my kind.”

“Have they ever?” Erin asked.

“Once. An empire in the north, hundreds of years ago. I was but a child then. I had only just weaned. But this story is one that my kind would keep telling to their offspring and their offspring, and so on and so forth. The empire, whose name I have forgotten, were very advanced in the field of arcane technology, machinery fueled by Mana and Magic Arts. They attacked a small group of us as a declaration of war but before they can be fully prepared to launch one, my kind rained down on them like a storm. They razed the empire to the ground, leaving only a handful of survivors that didn’t even reach a hundred. Their inventions and crafts, which they deployed in a hurry, left only a scratch on their Mystic Skins.”

While Erin enjoyed hearing some history, the triumphant and vain smirk Olivia had was vexing to her eyes. But she couldn’t say anything about that as being proud of one’s ancestors was something natural.

Lyra, on the other hand, wasn’t that interested. She even yawned halfway through. “That’s great and all but when are you going to tell us about the difference between a True Dragon and a Dragon-kin?”

Olivia’s parade was doused by Lyra’s insistence. She glowered at Lyra but ultimately said nothing of her curtness. “A True Dragon refers to a Dragon of a pure bloodline. Wyverns, Salamanders, Komodos, Drakes, Serpents, they are all distant descendants of Dragons. They are Dragons out there who looked no different than a True Dragon but they are at best only three-quarters of Dragon blood. They are severely weaker than and inferior to a True Dragon. We called them False Dragons.” 

“False Dragons?” Lyra muttered. “I have never heard of them.”

“You wouldn’t have. Among the common minds, these False Dragons are known as and categorized as lesser Dragons, middling Dragons, and greater Dragons. Make no mistake, their denotations are merely references of their levels, not the amount of True Dragon blood they have in them.”

Erin smiled wryly at Olivia’s peculiarity with the “True Dragon blood” part.

“A Dragon-kin is always a True Dragon but a True Dragon is not always a Dragon-kin. Do I have your understanding?” Olivia asked.

Erin nodded. “I see.”

“I don’t,” Lyra said.

Olivia sighed. “I don’t expect a human to.”

“Oh ho? Was that an insult?”

“Merely stating the facts,” Olivia retorted with a faint grin. “Perhaps your head is only filled with the pleasures of the flesh.”

“This bitch...” Lyra seethed. “It seems I have been too lenient to a stranger.”

Erin rolled her eyes. Another fight had started before she realized.

“Incoming,” Siv muttered quietly but the winds carried her words to all of their ears.

The two ceased their bickering and readied themselves for the imminent threat.

“Erin?” Lyra called.

“I don’t know where they are but there’s definitely something ahead, something strong… divine even.”

“Apostles?”

“It’s the most plausible given their ability to hide from my senses.”

“Mine too,” Olivia murmured. “This is bad. Their levels might be as high as mine, or higher.”

“I can’t smell anything too but my bestial instincts are telling me of a great threat ahead.”

“Allow me,” Olivia said and stood on the back of her horse. “Please take care of Lucas.” With that request, she leapt into the air, unleashing her true form of an azure-blue Dragon, taking flight into the skies.

“At least, we have eyes from the sky now.” Erin sighed. “Great Spirits… is a peaceful day too much to ask for?”

Lyra readied her bow and arrows. “An opportunity for growth.”

“You sound excited.”

“That’s because I haven’t truly got a real chance to test out my new skill and I have levelled up quite nicely from the Demon yesterday. Hopefully, this time our opponents have someone or something of my level.”

“Hopefully,” Erin repeated in a faint grumble. “It is what it is… Let’s do this.”

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