Dragonlord

Ep 207. As Soon As I’m Out Of This Mess. (5)

Ep 207. As Soon As I’m Out Of This Mess. (5)

Beyond the echoing shouts of Senon’s occupants, a glowing blue portal shimmered to life in the barren land beneath.

Serenis was the first to step out – indifferent as usual, as if she’d never been detained in the first place. Iris followed suit with slightly heavier breaths, feeling the strains of her mana usage.

But while the first two stepped out relatively collected and unconcerned, the ragged boy trailing behind them was jumping up and down in excitement.

“Finally, it’s been forever! Would’ve taken a lot longer to dig my way out.”

As the boy failed to hide his excitement of breathing fresh air again, Iris warily eyed the young prince, seemingly surprised by his reaction.

“It almost sounds like you’ve been locked up there your whole life. How long were you held for, exactly?”

Leon pursed his lips at the question. His gaze fell towards his own hands a she began counting the days with his fingers, slowly counting the days he’d spent at the airborne keep.

“Let’s see…two…four…six…’bout a week?”

“That’s ‘forever for you?”

“Sure it is. You can do so many things in a week – one of the first things you learn as royalty is the value of time.”

“Fair…enough.”

As the enforcer conceded Leon’s point, the young prince returned a sheepish grin, scratching his head in embarrassment after.

“And as royalty, I should be rewarding you both for getting me out of there, but…I really don’t have anything to give right now.”

Being the descendant of a ruined royalty, Leon didn’t exactly have much to begin with – especially after having been detained.

But being aware of the boy’s circumstance, both Serenis and Iris let out a small snort instead.

“It’s nothing to be concerned about. Look after yourself.”

“She’s right. And on that note…I know I said you’d be on your own after, but do you even have a place to go? If you’d like, you can at least accompany us to the nearest town.”

While smiling at the enforcer’s offer, Leon slowly shook his head. His gaze first drifted towards the eastern horizons of Karia – then towards the walled border of the west.

“Haha…if I did that, I’d probably end up getting caught again. Don’t worry – I know Karia like the palm of my hand. Getting caught at Senon was just a one-time thing.”

“…Well, if you say so.”

After exchanging brief nods, Leon proceeded to hold out his hand towards the two strangers.

“Instead, I’ll ask you two again – are you sure you don’t want to come with me? We all have the same goal in bringing Letherien down from her place. We could work together.”

This time, Iris was hesitant to answer. She still straddled the fence between leaving the young prince out of such matters, versus discovering what secret the elven monarchy had held behind the Twelve’s eyes.

But when she looked to the dragonlord at her side, Serenis was already shaking her head at the elven prince.

“The current divinities are a result of my own past faults. I would loathe to seek help from a child for it.”

“…”

Admittedly, Leon didn’t understand half of that.

But then again, he thought dragons were a myth, so what did he know.

“…Fine, fine. But I won’t forget you getting me out of that cell, at least! I’ll make sure you’re both rewarded later. As soon as I’m out of this mess.”

Hearing the elf’s hearty reply, a faint smile formed over the dragonlord’s expression. She returned another curt nod as she turned to take her leave.

“Very well. We’ll look forward to it.”

“Stay safe out there, little prince.”

As Leon waved goodbye, the two strangest individuals he’d ever met soon took their leave. He watched the two until they were completely out of sight, watching them fade into the eastern horizon.

And only when they were completely gone, the elven prince let out a long, exasperated sigh, stretching the back of his neck with as his body finally began to relax.

“…Looks like they’re gone. Now, then…”

Raising his hand into the air, Leon snapped his fingers once – as per usual.

And following suit, a shadowy image emerged from the lurking shadow behind Leon. Despite being a mere fleeting image, the figure stared intently from the darkness into their owner, studying their little form from head to toe.

“…Your highness.”

Afterwards, the figure quickly lowered himself to one knee, raising his gaze to meet the elf’s.

“I’m relieved to see you in peace. We were getting quite concerned for your safety…”

“Haha, you had every right to be. I got caught by the royal guards in Senon. Was locked up for the past week.”

“Senon?! I’ll immediately-“

When the image began to stir, Leon immediately held out one hand, shaking his head to stop whatever his subordinate was trying to attempt.

“Woah woah woah, hold it. It’s nothing to be worried about. I managed to get out now. Besides…”

With a smug grin, the young prince reached into the rag covering his skin. The boy soon produced what seemed to be a dusty green pearl from within, holding it out for the figure to see.

“I found the last piece before getting caught. Who knew it’d be inside Senon?”

For a brief while, the shadowy figure remained frozen in place. Their intent stare focused on the dusty gem, examining its every surface to test for its authenticity.

But soon enough, the figure lowered his head once more.

“…An auspicious occasion. My heartfelt congratulations to you, your highness.”

“It’s a little early to celebrate.”

After pocketing away the gem once more, Leon looked towards the eastern horizon where Serenis and Iris had disappeared to – and the land far beyond it.

“I’ll return to Lufen as soon as I can. Now that I’m free, it’s only a matter of time before Letherien finds out about the Root.”

“…I will make sure that such days are as delayed as possible.”

“Haha, you’re always a big help. How’re things progressing over there?”

“Everything’s been proceeding apace, both on Letherien’s and our own ends. She remains unaware of any abnormalities that the Root has incurred, focused on her own little war antics. As for the Root, once the final gem is in place, restoring it fully should take no more than a moon.”

Leon’s grin widened at the series of good news. But as a sudden thought struck his mind, the young prince slowly began to rub his chin, narrowing his eyes as he lost himself in thought.

“…Mm. Actually, that’s too long. Make it so that it’ll function a week after my arrival…no, three days.”

This time, it was the shadowy figure that was confused.

“Is that not far too rushed? I don’t believe there’s any reason to make such haste. It could warrant Letherien growing aware of our efforts.”

“She’ll be occupied. Far too much to notice anything we do.”

Leon delivered his answer with complete certainty – which only confused his subordinate even further.

Understandably so. Even Leon himself still found the dragon’s presence quite ridiculous.

“…From what I can tell, Letherien’s going to be up against quite the adversary soon – we’d be stupid not to take advantage of that.”

“An…adversary?”

“Mhm. I’ll tell you more about it when I arrive. And this time…we’ll reclaim the throne.”

Royalty in name. Fugitive in reality. Heir to a throne that have long been forgotten, and the prince of a theocracy where monarchy holds no meaning.

No longer will such statements hold true. It’d end at his own generation, together with the effort of his trusted subordinates – and an unexpected helping hand from a time far past.

This time, they’d reclaim their forgotten history.