~ Chapter 39: On our way to Drakaria ~

[Alkelios’ point of view]

 I messed up...

No, I didn’t just mess up... I failed completely!

And I had no idea why in the first place. Looking back, there shouldn’t have been ANY reason why I couldn’t get it up? It was like my body simply rejected the very thought and idea of being together with Seryanna... or was this an excuse as well?

I couldn’t figure it out, I couldn’t understand why that happened... and no matter how hard I tried to think about it, there were less and less reasons on account of which I could have ended up in that situation. The more I tried to, the more I saw myself as nothing but a pathetic loser.

To put it in simple words, I began to harbor a certain disgust for myself... for my human side.

After Seryanna fell asleep, I couldn’t close my eyes. Being unable to understand why something like this happened, eaten up by guilt and remorse, I couldn’t fall asleep. I stood by her side and cuddled her in my arms. She didn’t try to move away from me, on the contrary... throughout the night, she was unwilling to move away no matter how hot it got.

Looking at her like this, I knew she didn’t want to let me go, but there was also something inside me that refused to release her. Just like when she started crying... At first, I wanted to run away in shame, but my arms refused to let her leave my embrace. It was like my body had a mind of its own... No matter what, letting go of her was a big NO.

Thus, the night passed by without me catching a single wink of sleep.

The following day, she woke up but didn’t say a word. We remained in each other arms like that for almost an entire hour before she moved and gave me a kiss. I welcomed it like a hungry beast and squeezed her in my arms tightly.

“Do you love me?” she asked me after our lips separated.

She wasn’t looking at me in the eyes.

“Yes.” I replied without a single moment of hesitation.

With a small smile on her lips, she lowered her head on my chest and then whispered to me “I’ll wait then...”

Hearing her, the guilt went up by several levels. It strangled me from the inside, but the worst part was that I had no idea what I thought myself to be guilty of. I was a fool or maybe an idiot not to be able to realize this much, but such was human nature.

Sometimes the easiest of answers are the hardest to spot even if they are sitting right under your nose... I thought, remembering what father once told me.

At noon, we got dressed, ate a quick meal and then went to say our farewells to the generous merchant who let us stay in his home for two nights.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay for another night?” he asked while most likely thinking of the potions I would make for him in exchange.

“Yes. We appreciate everything you did for us, mister Vanazalez, but it’s time for us to resume our journey, especially now that Seryanna’s all healed up.” I replied with a smile.

“Is that so? Well, when you return to this town, if you’ll ever need a place to stay, don’t hesitate to drop by my shop! I will gladly welcome you!” he said with a big smile.

“We will take your offer into consideration next time we’re in town. Goodbye, mister Vanazalez!” I said and then we parted ways.

The longer I stayed the more potions he received for free, each one probably costing more than a rent at a local inn. However, it was far more comfortable and secure here than there. I also didn’t mind making them as long as I wasn’t using my own ingredients.

What I did notice, however, was that I was in a real need of some sort of [Purse] ring as well. Maybe something like an [Item Backpack]? If I ended up stumbling upon a situation where I needed to make something, I was helpless unless someone offered me both the materials and the lab.

In games, there was always the convenient menu of Item Creation, through which, with just one click, you could create the most complex and powerful of items. In some of them, you would need to be ‘around’ a lab, not directly interact with it.

Once me and Seryanna arrived at the gates, we saw an almost unending line. Countless dragons were trying to leave Toros, but only the healthy ones were allowed to do so. After all, the next settlement after this town was the capital of Albeyater Kingdom, Drakaria. They certainly didn’t want anyone bringing the Dragon Flu there.

As such, all we had to do now was wait in line.

When it was finally our turn, we were stopped by the guards.

“Wait, I remember you two! She was sick, go back!” he glared at us.

“That’s a bit rude. Does she look sick?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“I saw her with my own eyes. She was coughing and sneezing!” he rebuked.

“Is she sneezing and coughing now?” I asked him.

“She’s keeping it in!” he glared.

“Are you accusing me of lying?” Seryanna asked as she glared at him.

“Yeah! That’s what I’m doing! You’re lying! So, what are you going to do about it?” he said with a big smirk on his face.

Seryanna unsheathed her sword and then pointed it at him.

“How about I send you to jail for insulting a Royal Knight?” she suggested.

“What? You think your lies are going to work here? Huh?” he asked.

“Well, I’m pretty sure if you are going to keep this up, you are going to end up dead, so why don’t you call your supervisor here before that happens.” I advised him.

“You think I’m afraid of a drago...”

BONK!

His words were cut short as someone knocked him out from behind.

“For one of my men to act so rude in front of a Knight. How shameful.” a tall dragon wearing a full-plate armor said as he grabbed the unconscious guard by the scruff of his neck.

“Are you the one in charge here?” Seryanna asked as she lowered her sword.

“Yes. My apologizes, Sir Draketerus.” he said and made a small bow in front of her.

“You know of me?”

“Of course. I was there when his Majesty gave you the honorable title of Royal Knight under The Third Princess of the Dragon Kingdom Albeyater, Elleyzabelle Sojourn Seyendraugher. At that time, I was dressed as a noble who was merely lucky enough to attend the ceremony.” he said with a smile.

“May I ask your name as well?” Seryanna asked.

“Of course! I am Baron Theryan Overdaken! The head of the guards in Toros.” he replied with a smile.

“I will remember that name.” she said as she sheathed her sword.

“Thank you, it will be an honor.”

“Then, I will presume there is no reason to hold us here at the gates, is there?” Seryanna asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

“Of course not! You show none of the symptoms, so you are free to pass through the gates. Have a safe journey, Sir Draketerus!” he said with a smile.

While I was staring at them dumbfounded, the guards moved aside to let us pass. I quickly followed in the redhead’s steps until we were both outside and walking towards the bridge crossing over the Great Chasm.

Seeing it for the first time, it was a rather impressive sight to behold. The long, white bridge stretched from one side to the other of the Great Chasm. Strong, enchanted white stones were assembled perfectly to form this incredible construction, although, without magic, it would have certainly crumbled to pieces by now. The crest of the kingdom found on its flags was engraved at every 10 meters on the sides, while a magic crystal constantly shun light over it. The fire-engulfed sword was imposing and menacing. It inspired strength, but also courage in my opinion.

The first time I saw a flag of the kingdom was at Brekkar’s house. It was in one of his storerooms. If a passing by maid didn’t tell me what it was, I wouldn’t have recognized it now as we crossed this bridge.

Behind us, the tall walls of Toros stood as a final defense against anyone or anything who would dare cross the bridge illegally. Imposing and strong, they also separated one side of the kingdom from the other. It was as if saying that once you crossed this bridge, you were expected to encounter a whole new and far more dangerous world.

“It’s... deep.” I said as I looked over the edge at the abyss of the Great Chasm.

It was like staring into the gates of Hell. I was expecting any moment now for a monster of some sort to jump out and drag me down there.

I gulped.

“Watch your step.” Seryanna warned me.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to fall.” I said as I stepped away and returned to her side.

Looking into her eyes, I took her hand and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Are you still upset with me?” I asked.

She looked down and then back at me.

“I don’t know if I’m upset... I don’t know what happened...” she said and shook her head.

“Neither do I... I honestly don’t know...” I said as I looked down.

“Thank you...”

I blinked surprised.

“For?”

“Not letting me go.” she showed me a smile.

I embraced her.

“I didn’t because I love you...”

“I love you too...” she replied and returned my embrace.

After we shared a kiss, we continued to cross the huge bridge until we reached the other side.

Over there, we found a big inn, the stables for the Khosinni, and several campsites.

“So many dragons...” said Seryanna as she looked around.

“Yeah, they are probably waiting for someone they know in Toros. It’s better to wait for them here than to risk getting sick.” I remarked.

“I do not deny this fact. I wonder where Kataryna and Kleo are though?” she wondered as she looked around.

It was the same for me, I couldn’t see them.

“Let’s go inside. Maybe they are waiting for us in there?” Seryanna suggested.

“Sure.” I nodded.

The two of us walked to the front door of the inn and stepped inside. It was a three-story building with a stable connected to it and several rooms. It was more of a noble’s mansion than a traveler’s inn. Inside, the whole place was decorated with wood sculptures and lit up by several magic crystals. If my math wasn’t wrong, there were at least 30 tables in here spread across the whole floor. Most of them were occupied with two or more dragons. Six waitresses were running back and forth from the kitchen, holding trays filled with food or tankards of mead.

There were two bartenders managing the drinks, but of the two of them, one was a dwarf.

For the first time ever since I was dropped in this world, I saw someone who wasn’t a dragon. On the inside, I was almost squealing with excitement, but at the same time, my curiosity skyrocketed. I couldn’t help but wonder how and why they were here.

Just to be safe, I asked Seryanna “Is that a dwarf?”

“Yes.” she nodded.

“How? Why is he here?” I asked surprised.

She giggled “I think someone like you is more of an unbelievable sight then him.”

“How come?” I asked.

“Humans are at war with the dragons, while the dwarfs have a neutral standing with us. They are mostly merchants and craftsmen, so it’s natural that you will find many of them scattered throughout many kingdoms. Human parties and elfin parties especially seem to employ them for their toughness and ability to fight with ease in otherwise tight corridors for others. Dragons do the same with tricky dungeons. Or at least, that’s what he told me.” she pointed at the dwarf who was filling up a tankard.

With a smile on her lips, she approached the bar, and I followed right behind her.

“George, how are you doing?” she greeted him.

“Hm? Ah! Seryanna! Good to see ya, girl!” he replied with a bright smile.

To specify, this dwarf didn’t have a big stuffy beard or incredibly thick limbs and fingers. He looked just like a human shrunk down by a third of the average size, but with a slightly bigger head. His muscles were thick and firm, and his forehead filled with wrinkles. A long ponytail tied his long gray hair on his back, and he wore simple linen clothes.

After he filled the tankard, he placed it on a tray alongside seven others.

“Table six, Lili!”

A cute dragoness waitress with chestnut twin tails and freckles came up to the counter and picked up the tray. She gave me a wink and then left.

“Ahem!” the redhead caught my attention with a cough.

Huh? Why is she looking at me like that? I wondered.

“So, why are you here, Seryanna?” asked George the dwarf.

“We are headed for the capital. Have you by any chance seen a black-scaled dragoness in black clothing with a silver-scaled companion?” she asked.

“Oh? Those two were with you?” he asked surprised.

“You know them... or rather, what did they do?” she narrowed her eyes at him.

“They rented the last room here at the inn, a real luck if you ask me, then last night they were having a drink and a bunch of big brawny dragons started a fight with them.”

“A fight?” Seryanna raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah, a fight. They were just a bunch of horny bastards who thought the silver-scaled was an easy pick. The girl told them she’s taken already...”

This time, I was the one who asked “Taken already?”

“Yeah, and then they got a bit rough with her, which ended up in them getting beaten up like a bunch of beginner adventurers. I’d say, but that dragoness is one powerful woman!” he nodded to himself.

“Of course, she is. So, where are they now?” Seryanna asked.

“I think they are still up in their room. Are they your companions?” he asked.

“Yes.” she nodded.

“Well, then I can tell you the room they are staying in. It’s on the second floor at the very end of the corridor on the right. You can’t miss it.” he smirked.

“Thank you.”

We left the bar and headed upstairs. Just as the dwarf instructed, we found the room with ease because on the opposite side was the bath. We knocked two times, and Kleo was the one to open the door.

“Sister!” the happy dragoness jumped in Seryanna’s arms.

“Good to see you too, little sister.” she replied.

“Oh? You two are finally out! Well, with Alkelios there, I was certain you wouldn’t stay sick for too long!” Kataryna said as she walked up to the door.

“Good to see the two of you. How was your stay here? And yes, it didn’t take that long. It was just a simple cold.” I shrugged.

Hearing me, Kataryna began to laugh.

“As expected of you!” she said.

“We were fine, nothing to worry about! Shall we go now?” Kleo asked.

“Yes, although, how are the meals here?” Seryanna asked.

“Pretty good. Shall we go downstairs and order something?” Kataryna asked.

“I’m game with it!” I said with a smile.

“G-game with it?” Kleo looked at me a bit confused.

“It’s an expression... it’s the same as saying: I agree with your suggestion.” I explained.

“I see... weird.” she tilted her head and then unhooked her arms from around her sister’s neck.

“Let’s go, then!” Kataryna said and walked out, locking the door behind her.

Thus, we all headed downstairs to grab a bite to eat before heading off for the capital. The food was acceptable, but some extra spices wouldn’t have hurt.

[Seryanna’s point of view]

 For me, it was a bit awkward to act like the night before never happened. I still felt at fault for what happened, but this raised another question: What would happen once I became an Awakened?

Most dragons changed their appearance completely when they went through their Awakening process, so it was highly likely for me to end up with a pair of horns, a tail, maybe a pair of wings, and a lot more scales on my body. Such an appearance would have been seen as undesirable by a human.

If right now I wasn’t attractive enough for him, then would he come to hate me in the future?

This made me wish for the first time in my life that I didn’t awaken and remained as human as possible. I grew to love and cherish Alkelios that much, yet... it made me feel awful that I couldn’t offer him everything he wanted... that I wasn’t perfect for him.

With these feelings in my heart, I could barely enjoy my meal. The others were having fun, and Alkelios enjoyed it as well, but for me it felt like they were in a whole other world.

After we ate, we had something to drink and waited about half an hour for the food to settle in our stomachs before we got up and went to the stables to rent three Khosinni. I rode with Alkelios, while Kataryna and Kleo had their own separate beast.

Several hours after we left the inn, we arrived at our first campsite. We cooked for ourselves a simple meal and then we trained together. I tried to put up a mask and show that there was noting wrong with me. Alkelios didn’t seem to have noticed, but once he went to wash himself, I pulled Kleo and Kataryna to the side.

With a heavy heart, I told them what happened during the time we were separated.

“This is... unexpected.” said Kleo.

After hearing me out, she wasn’t in the mood to pull a joke on me.

“Yes... For something like that to happen.” Kataryna shook her head.

“I know... Since then, my chest keeps hurting and I keep wondering if maybe he simply doesn’t see me as good enough for him...” I said as I looked down at the crackling fire.

“I don’t think that’s it.” Kataryna said shaking her head.

“But... even I know something like THAT wasn’t supposed to happen!” I retorted and looked into her eyes.

“It depends. When I was still young, I had one or two males who ended up in a similar position, but unlike Alkelios, they all blamed me for not being pretty enough or some other nonsense like that.” she shrugged.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

“Ah! That reminds me, Iolaus one time also went limp. It was the day after he Awakened, I think... Since then, we haven’t done it.” Kleo said scratching the back of her head and then added “He has a lot of nights to catch up. Hehehe.”

“Kleo, wipe your drool off.” Kataryna said.

“Ah! Sorry!” my little sister then laughed.

[Somewhere far away from them.]

[Iolaus’ point of view]

 I suddenly felt the glare of a hungry predator and quickly turned around.

There was nothing there... not even a bug.

“What was that?” I wondered as I felt my skin crawl.

It was like I suddenly stepped inside a den of wild hungry sheep who were waiting patiently for the right moment when they could pounce on me and then rip me to shreds.

“I-It’s p-probably just my i-imagination... Haha, yeah.” I said with a forced smile.

For some strange reason, I felt as though my body was in danger and all of my instincts were triggering signs of alarm.

Thinking that there must be something wrong with this place, I turned around and started running away as fast as I could. Whatever was chasing after me, hunting me, stalking me, I had to flee from it before it was too late!

[Back to Alkelios’ group. Seryanna’s point of view]

 “So you are saying... stuff like this happens?” I asked them.

“Yes. It’s not that out of the ordinary.” Kataryna shrugged.

“He also didn’t blame you for his little accident, like saying you aren’t pretty enough or that you aren’t a human like him.” Kleo pointed out.

It was true, he simply apologized and hugged me until I stopped crying. Maybe I overreacted?

“Now that I think about it, this whole thing could be due to stress?” Kataryna said as she scratched her head.

“Stress?” I asked with a frown.

“Yes. I mean, he’s a human surrounded by dragons all the time. The last member of his species he found tried to kill him AND his friends. From what I came to understand, up until recently, he never had to worry about his own life or that of others. It’s quite possible that he lived an extremely sheltered life, to the point where he didn’t even get into a real fight until he met you, Seryanna.” Kataryna explained.

“Isn’t that a bit absurd? Although... He did tell me that the place he came from didn’t even have something like magic.” I said and looked down at the fire.

The frown never left my face because I kept thinking hard about this, trying to understand what was wrong with me or him.

“We also need to take into consideration his age. Compared to us, he’s like a whelp who barely hatched out from his egg. No matter how you look at things, everything is moving at an abnormal speed even for us... That being said, we dragons have a very long lifespan in comparison to the humans, who mostly die off before their fifth decade. I mean, I’m already 759 years old. You are not even two centuries old, and Kleo here has yet to reach her first.” Kataryna pointed out.

“This year, I turned 127 and Kleo 78...” I said.

“You are literally children when compared to me! Hahaha!” she laughed.

“No, you are just an expired fossil.” Kleo rebuked in a calm tone of voice.

“Watch it!” she flicked her forehead.

“Unu~!” Kleo groaned and rubbed the sore spot.

Their joke made me giggle, which was a first since we got back together.

“But yes, Seryanna... just relax. It was probably just due to stress. Give him some time, some space to breath. Don’t pull him into any dangerous situation, otherwise, he might snap...” she recommended.

“Snap?” I asked surprised.

“Yes. That boy probably isn’t even aware of it himself, but he’s clearly on the edge...” there was a sad look in her eyes as she said this “I can feel this every time I spar with him. He never puts ALL of his strength into the blow, and there were many times when he flinched or closed his eyes as I was about to strike. That’s clearly a sign of him not being used with dangerous situations... or battles at all. These things take time...” she said and then let out a sigh.

“There’s also the ‘male pride’ you have to consider.” Kleo told us with a smirk.

“Indeed. As I said before, most men, be them dragon or otherwise, hold on tightly to their male pride. They apparently can’t afford to show a sign of weakness in front of females, especially those they fancy. I have seen many idiots fight in front of me just to prove their...” she made a nasty face and said “...worth. Bleah! Like that would ever catch my interest.” she rolled her eyes.

“I don’t think I understand...” I told her, furrowing my brow.

Most of the times, dragons just ignored me. Besides Alkelios, none truly showed to fancy me. As such, I never had the experience of having a dragon flaunting over me or trying to impress me in any way or manner.

“You are just a bit dense, sister.” Kleo patted me on the head with a pitying look in her eyes.

I tossed her a glare, and she pulled back.

“So, Alkelios never acted like the typical dragon or human males?” I asked.

“Yup! That’s why I can say that there’s nothing wrong with you, and he himself doesn’t think so either. Not being beautiful enough or whatnot is all just a foolish thought of yours. He might not be perfect, but keep in mind, Alkelios is neither a dragon nor a regular human. He barely learned how to fight and is still struggling to adapt. I wouldn’t be surprised if he will make some stupid mistake sooner or later.” Kataryna said and let out a sigh.

“I see... but what if he makes a mistake?” I asked.

Looking into my eyes and using a serious tone of voice, she replied “You will undoubtedly feel hurt. It’s not going to be pretty either. He’ll probably show you the worst side of himself.”

I gulped.

“Then... what should I do when that happens?” I asked.

“You? Nothing.” she shook her head “You just need to bite hard and keep yourself together. No matter what he says, does, or how he looks at you, just remember that at that moment, he’s probably at his lowest point in his life. It will also be a test for you as well... If you can still love him after that, then let alone the King, I doubt even the Queen herself will be able to separate you two.” she showed me a soft smile.

“So, I just need to hold on, but what about him?” I asked her. “What if he doesn’t change back to his usual self?”

“That’s where we come in!” she showed me a smile.

“I don’t understand.” I furrowed my brow.

“No matter what side of himself he’ll show you, he’ll probably have a hard time afterwards. When I see it as the right time, I’ll make sure to straighten him up one way or another. After all, we are his friends, and he’s lucky enough to have me who has achieved a Breakthrough and already witnessed plenty of similar situations throughout my long life. I’ll be able to get through to him, don’t worry! You just need to be strong during that moment of crisis!” she patted my shoulder.

“And what if... even after all that, he doesn’t change or... worse... stops loving me?” I asked her, a bit fearfully.

“Then... I will kill him.” she replied coldly.

“What?” I blinked surprised.

“If he will become so broken that not even I can do anything about it, instead of letting him turn into a madman, I will do him a favor and kill him with my own hands. This way neither us nor the kingdom nor anyone else will have to fear him or suffer because of his power going haywire.” she declared coldly.

I gulped as I looked into her eyes. There was no lie in her words. That was her plan and desired course of action. Since she achieved a Breakthrough, I couldn’t even say that I could do anything to stop her. Then again, if Alkelios ever ended up in such a pitiful state, I didn’t believe I would have wanted to see him suffer that way.

“Still, it isn’t like this is what I truly wish for... That’s the worst-case scenario. Given his Luck, I do not think the gods will let him reach it, especially since neither of us wish for it.” she showed us a weak smile.

“Yes... I do remember him wishing to have all the time he needs in order to decide whether to ask my hand in marriage or not. Maybe all of this drama is a direct result of that?” I wondered as I remembered his clumsy words from back then.

“Could be. After all, he wants to have not even one spec of doubt in his heart when he reaches a conclusion, right?” Kataryna asked, to which I nodded “Then, this whole thing is undoubtedly a test... A very crazy luck-based test of will and I hope... of love too.”