[Elleyzabelle’s point of view]

 Our arrival on the Elf Continent proved to be quite unexpected not only for the local authorities but also for the people living there in general. While my knights may have been a bit unaware of the gazes we received, my sharp senses caught the gases of both fear and curiosity aimed at us.

We had wings on our back, horns on our head, a tail, and were taller than most of them. Our armors and weapons were made by the genius blacksmith Alkelios Yatagai, who had become something similar to a subject of worship among the dwarf smiths, so they stood out more than we initially believed they would. To the discerning eye, our equipment could be called with absolute pride a true national treasure.

Sir Seryanna and Sir Kataryna may not have been aware of this because they got used with one another, but it was hard to ignore the glances the local soldiers and knights gave them. Even my own clothes were enchanted with spells for protection and comfort, so they were filled with Magic Energy, but their style was the one found in Albeyater. It was elegant and refined, with very few frills and more light colors. From what I saw, the el’doraw preferred mixed colors on the darker side together with a style that made it seem as though their clothes flowed down on them. Armors were simple in aspect for the most part, almost as if they were trying to stand out as little as possible.

This may have been due to the inherent sense of inferiority the el’doraw had towards the elves. Although, I was a bit on the skeptical side when it came to how much their species was altered by that Mad God. While they looked similar to elves, their skin changed colors depending on their emotions, they were better suited to fight at night, and their expertise in magic was not one that was lacking. It was quite puzzling for me, and I could not understand why would this Mad God went through the trouble of changing this aspect about them instead of trying to make them more powerful and obedient towards him? Not even from a crazy person’s perspective this did not make any sense.

I made a mental note about this so that when I would return to Albeyater I could ask the opinions of the experts in the Seyendraugher Palace and maybe even those from Embryger. As the oldest nation among the draconians ones, I held the hope that they would have some sort of legends regarding this Mad God. I had my doubts that an entity this powerful could have simply slipped out of everyone’s mind unnoticed.

While the situation with the el’doraw was what it was, my curiosity about the elves was growing with each passing day. How different were they from the el’doraw? How much different was their own culture from Albeyater’s, and how were they going to look at us when we arrived at the border? Would they show the same reaction as the el’doraw did when we docked in their port, or will they have a completely different reaction?

Depending on this, I would have to change my strategy with regards to how I interacted with them. So far, with the el’doraw I could only be an observer and ask what I did not know or was curious about.

This being said, there were quite a few things that caught my interest while we traveled. The el’doraw had a special drink called zabus, which they enjoyed as a light drink. It resembled a wine, but it had bubbles in it. Kataryna called it sparkly wine, but this might have been just due to the way the drink looked inside a transparent glass.

This type of brew was not the only thing we could import from Ledmerra, there were also a lot of different local fruits and plants, including peaches, melons, sugarcanes, and sylaz or silver bananas as a Human Hero called it back at the inn. Spices and herbs were also on the list, there were many condiments unique to Ledmerra, which I was certain would spark the inspiration in our cooks back in Albeyater.

There were two major trade routes which we could implement right away: from the Dragon Continent to the Elf Continent then to the Dwarf Continent and the Relliar Continent, ending back at the Dragon Continent. The other route was going the other way, thus, the elves and el’doraw could enjoy goods that could be found only on the other continents. The [Purse] rings were particularly useful for a trade route like this since they could carry a lot more goods than the cargo bay of a ship and even store them for longer periods of time. However, seeing the speed we were sailing at, we might end up seeing the products from a complete route in one or maybe two years from the initial time of the departure. For now, there were many traders who would end up willing to go just from Albeyater to the Relliar Continent and the Dwarf Continent then back. The official trading company of the Royal Family should be the one to handle the long journey.

I was already thinking about various plans we could implement in order to make this possible. Unfortunately, sailing between the Dwarf Continent and the Elf Continent was the most dangerous one as the boats could easily meet with the human navy and there were also the dangerous monsters we encountered along the way. Having two Breakthrough-ers equipped with Alkelios’ armors and weapons made it safe for us, but other traders would not be able to consider themselves this lucky.

Maybe traveling between those two continents was still far more dangerous than it should be?

Besides these perishable items, there were also other interesting things that we could import from Ledmerra. Furniture was one of them.  I noticed this when we went to visit the City Lord of Offspray and when we stayed at various inns along the way. The el’doraw made use of an intricate and delicate form of carving to give their furniture a unique look. The wood used for them was also a bit darker than the one used in Albeyater. Importing either finished products or even the prime materials themselves could be a good opportunity for business as well.

While the el’doraw did not seem to be that interested in jewels and precious ores, they seemed to be in need of raw iron, copper, tin, and other base materials. When I asked if they didn’t have any mines around these parts, Callipso replied that they do, the only problem was that they were very difficult to access, while those who were closer happened to be in caves that spread under the oceans, making every single strike with a pickaxe a chance for cave flooding to occur. Earthquakes were also common around these parts, although we didn’t happen to experience any so far, so mining underwater was again even more dangerous.

As for precious ores, they mined very few of those so as to not end up catching the attention of the greedy humans. The human nations were well known for invading one another when it happened for one of them to strike riches. The Dragon Continent had no such problems, however.

As far as culture was concerned, I had yet to get a good grasp on it. Once the deal with the elves was done, I planned on sending someone to do a more in-depth research on it. Who knows? Maybe there were some interesting stories and plays the dragons and dragonesses of Albeyater might find interest in. Enriching one’s culture could end up as a benefit on the long run.

Now, if only we could successfully acquire the Elf Queen’s Tears of Joy, we would be one step closer towards completing the antidote for the poison afflicting mother. What the humans did to her was simply far too cruel and if it was not for Alkelios, we might have ended up losing the capital once mother died. Having a Breakthrough-er Lich who could summon undead after causing a wide explosion that would kill thousands would have been a distraction we could not afford.

The moment my father heard about it, he knew how important Alkelios’ aide in all of this was. Without him, there was no other who could safely complete the potion that could save her. Maybe Seryanna and Kataryna were not aware of this yet, but those in the Royal Family were deeply concerned about this.

We did not tell Alkelios, but we did try to find alchemists who could brew that potion, but all those who heard about it either refused to work on it out of fear of failing or simply admitted that gathering the ingredients was far too dangerous and without a proper previous experience in brewing this complicated potion, the precious ingredients could end up wasted. Even if they were not, there was absolutely no guarantee that they would have succeeded since none of them had ever seen this potion. Even their masters were completely confused by it and claimed that the difficulty in brewing it was heavily underestimated. Just because a potion is within the range of a certain skill level, this did not guarantee a success. On the contrary, they could end up being the top geniuses in the country with the highest skill among their peers, if they never tried to brew the potion before or had a detailed explanation on how to do it as well as recorded failures and successes of the past, chances of succeeding were extremely low.

Sometimes, it was a blessing that Alkelios wasn’t aware of his own abilities, but other times... it was a curse for those who would try to imitate him. This was the reason why father raised the awareness on the potential danger of Human Heroes in our Kingdom. All were to be registered with the guild and helped to adapt and integrate in our society. Each one of them could end up as precious as a top-of-the-line expert in their respective fields. This extraordinary potential was best used in our favor rather than against us.

The more experts that Albeyater had, the more chances the country had to be led towards a prosperous future.

I continued to ask as many questions as it was politely considered from the Royal Knight Callipso Emerdel, but during our stays at various inns, I ordered Tanarotte to go to the nearby cities, towns, and villages and collect all sort of information she could. The dragoness, despite her goofiness, was an expert spy when it was needed.

From what she gathered, most Human Heroes were located at the capital of Ledmerra, in Meshin, and among the information we obtained from Callipso, nothing seemed to be out of miss. The rumors about our arrival already spread to the capital, and most likely had reached the Anui’Yahna Empire as well. The chances of an official escort arriving at the gates of Vazar Border Town were quite high now. Actually, that would be the polite and respectful thing to do, and so far, the rulers of the elves didn’t come out as being the type to forego the greeting of a foreign royal.

The Ledmerrra Kingdom, however, was not as peaceful as we were initial told to be. The border up north was in constant threat of monsters and the waters were rarely safe to sail upon. This situation was quite similar to that in Albeyater, but the thing which I was somewhat expecting to be true turned out that it actually was. Tanarotte was able to find out that the discrimination between elves and el’doraw was there. Elves saw themselves as superior to the el’doraw and the annual tribute consisted of the things the former were taught to be ‘useless’ for them.

This situation might have arisen from the appearance of corrupt officials throughout the centuries, however, this discrimination was also extended to the Human Heroes, who had even more trouble with the elves than they did with the el’doraw. While the latter were somewhat acceptant of their presence here, the others were rather imposing on them.

As for the goods they could trade and the culture they could share, it appeared that I was a bit lacking in my own observation, Tanarotte took notice of various items the commoners might be very interested in, such as innovative household tools and even a new form of crops that were similar to the rice and corn I was accustomed with.

I took note of all this information the dragoness gathered for me, and I made sure to keep it stored within my own personal [Purse] ring. One day, I asked Tanarotte as to why she pretended to be a goofball in public and continued to bother Kataryna like that.

“Your Highness, nobody is going to take notice of the sneaky actions of the group’s clown. At the same time, I can tell that my interactions with Lady Kataryna aren’t as dangerous as they seem. She is a very skilled dragoness who has my complete adoration and admiration. She is smart and far more cunning than I am! If anything, your Highness, the fact that I am still completely unharmed and able to do my duty at every moment’s notice should be a clear sign of that fact that all of these apparent violent outbursts are nothing more than a form of my Lady’s playful affection towards me!” she declared with a bright smile and a flustered expression on her face.

I could not tell if she was an idiot in love, a dragoness with a weird fetish, or if those two dragonesses were indeed far more sneaky and cunning than they appeared to be.

About two weeks after we left Offspray, we finally arrived at the gates of Vazar Border Town. While we were waiting for processing at the long entry line, Kataryna noticed that I was lost in my own thoughts and asked:

“Are you worried about something, your Highness?”

“Hm... No, well... yes.” I looked down for a moment.

“May I ask what you are worried about?”

It was a difficult thing to answer right now, but at the same time, keeping it in probably did me no good. Right now, was the perfect opportunity to share these thoughts of mine since we were alone in the carriage. Sir Callipso and Sir Seryanna were guarding us from outside and soundproof magic was something any one of us could activate on a whim.

“Well... After we finished our job on the Elf Continent, we will have to return, right?” I asked her as I looked up into her eyes.

“That would be the logical thing to do, yes.” she nodded “Why? Are you thinking about staying here?” she asked me, narrowing her eyes at me.

“No.” I shook my head “It’s just that once this will be done, I would have accomplished something that no one else from any other country on the Dragon Continent was able to... I created trade routes and alliances with foreign nations across the oceans...” I said as I closed my fist and held it close to my heart.

“This would be important, why?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

“Technically, I’m of marriageable age... and I have yet to either send a list of potential marriage candidates or look for one myself. Most of my sisters are already either married or engaged, and I am one of the few who had yet to do so. To makes matters difficult, my political and military power has grown significantly after both you and Alkelios joined my side, and with Brekkar’s recovery, I am essentially one of the most promising noble ladies of Albeyater...” I told her.

“Indeed, while you and Alkelios are just bound by a political marriage, you are, by all means, an attractive target for the other noble houses of Albeyater as well as those from abroad. Are you afraid that you will be buried under a pile of proposal letters like Seryanna would have been if not for your mother’s interference?” Kataryna asked as she tapped her chin.

“Indeed.” I nodded “But what worries me the most isn’t the fact that I would receive an endless string of letters from all sorts of pesky nobles.” I shook my head and then looked into her eyes “Rather it’s the fact that I will receive a letter that would far outweigh all of them put together, a proposal which even my mother would find troubling to refuse.”

“And the political marriage with Alkelios wouldn’t be able to act as a barrier for it, correct?” Kataryna furrowed her brow.

“No, it wouldn’t.” I shook my head “Unfortunately, there have been many cases in the past where a political marriage was broken off in the favor of another. In order for this one to hold, not only would my achievement have to be great, but Alkelios, when he would return, he would need to achieve something that would simply shock the entire Dragon Continent.” I explained.

“Elleyzabelle, aren’t you exaggerating a bit with this? Who could even make such a proposal and why bother? I could understand if the ones around you were simple nobles, but you have Breakthrough-ers. Alkelios, especially, he is not someone any dragon or dragoness would dare to mess around with, Breakthrough-er or not.”

“The Emperor of Embryger, the Crown Prince of Embryger, a King from any other Kingdom on the continent or their Crown Prince could request my hand in marriage, and a union like that would help cement a powerful connection between our two nations. Of course, you understand that such a request would not come from those dragons but rather from the dragonesses behind them, the Empress of Embryger is especially cunning in matters like this. I doubt she doesn’t already know the true nature of my marriage with Alkelios.” I explained.

“When you put it like this, it does sound bad.” she let out a sigh and leaned back on her seat “So, when Alkelios returns, if he makes an even bigger achievement than his previous ones, you could reject those proposals?”

“For most of those I just enumerated, yes, however, for someone like the Empress of Embryger, I would probably need to show a proof of love.”

“A proof of love?” Kataryna raised an eyebrow at me.

“If I find someone to love and marry for a non-political reason, then she would most likely not try to intervene in this, since it could be viewed as her trying to intervene in the plans of the gods, but… I can only see Alkelios as a brother, definitely not as a lover.” I shook my head.

“Then, it’s easy. Just find yourself a lover!” she laughed.

“So says the dragoness who hasn’t found one in centuries.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

Kataryna stopped laughing and tossed an icy glare at me. The chill was felt all the way to the marrow of my bones, and I needed no other warning that to let me know that I went too far with my words.

“I apologize.” I bowed my head “I shouldn’t have said something like that… it’s just that I don’t know how… I have never been in a relationship. I never fell in love with someone, so I don’t know how.” I excused myself.

“Sigh, I forgive you. Little whelp, you should know, at least, that my circumstances were not normal at all. As for how to fall in love… well, you just have to allow yourself to do so. With friends like me and Seryanna around, we won’t let you go astray or get fooled by some scammer.”

I looked up at her and blinked twice.

“You won’t let me go… astray? Do you think something like that would even be possible?” I raised an eyebrow as I saw no way that someone like me could ever fall into such a disgrace.

“Love is strange, mysterious, and tremendously powerful when it comes to changing people. Seryanna became a Breakthrough-er capable of defying her King’s orders. Alkelios fought against all odds to become a Breakthrough-er in what could probably be the shortest time in recorded history and then quite literally threatened to destroy Albeyater if Seryanna was not freed from her shackle called Draejan. Iolaus went against his religious teachings to get back together with Kleo, a dragoness of an opposite scale to his.” she showed me a small smile as she glanced outside for a bit. “And then there’s me.” she looked back at me “A dragoness lost in what may have been an endless cycle of grief, he befriended me, he healed me, and then slowly made me fall in love with him. It took a weird dwarf ritual to get me to understand this, but it did happen in the end.”

“It seems like the Nundaba Ritual gave all of us a small push forward.” a small smile formed on my lips, but it vanished just as quick as it appeared.

“Yes, but don’t tell Seryanna this.” Kataryna showed me a wry smile “Although, I became aware of my own feelings, I’m still not certain I wish to pursue this matter… Maybe when I see him again, I’ll be certain…”

A moment of silence fell within carriage, with only the clip-clop sounds of the hooves and the rustle of metal armors being heard. Outside, the clouds were passing over us without care about our problems. Unlike us, they were free to simply float around, only from time to time changing their shape and color to suit the emotions of the gods above.

“Kataryna... do you think my worst fears will come true?” I asked.

“At this point, I don’t know.” the silver-scaled dragoness shook her head. “What I do know, Elleyzabelle, is that you might be overthinking this matter. There is no telling what will happen in the future, not to mention whether or not those royals will even think about sending you a marriage proposal. Besides, you are forgetting a particularly important thing!” she smirked.

“What?” I asked as I tilted my head to the left and furrowed my brow.

“No matter who sends you the marriage proposal, you will always have the right to refuse. If they do not like it, you can just tell them that if they desire your hand, then they first have to prove their might by going through your Breakthrough-er knights!” she laughed.

I stared at her for a moment and then I let out a small laugh as well, since it would have been impolite to laugh out loud.

“You are right, maybe I am overthinking it.” I said as I wiped off a tear.“