~ Chapter 40: Drakaria ~

[Alkelios’ point of view]

Two days after we left the inn at the edge of the Great Chasm, we finally saw the giant walls of Drakaria.

This moment strongly reminded me of a Fantasy movie where the hero arrived at the top of the hill and in the far reaches saw the dazzling city which marked the end of his long journey. A few streaks of sunlight passed through the clouded sky, offering a beautiful touch, while the cold wind rustled our clothes. A single neigh escaped the tired Khosinni, and Kataryna stretched her back.

“WOW!” I said as I looked at the breathtaking scene.

“To see Drakaria like this for the first time, you are indeed lucky, Alkelios.” pointed out Kleo and then let out a sigh.

I blinked surprised and looked back at her.

“Don’t mind her. The first time when she arrived in Drakaria was scorching hot and she was gasping for water.” Seryanna said with a giggle.

“What about you?” I asked.

“Hm, it was at the beginning of winter, right before the fall of the first snow, so... it was the same as when looking at the city during a normal day of autumn?” she tilted her head to the left.

On the Dragon Continent, the weather around the Dragon Kingdom Albeyater was mostly temperate, but temperatures were lower to the North and higher to the south, but you would have to travel a really long distance to notice the change. As for the duration of each season, it appeared as though Spring, Summer, and Autumn were all of about two to three months long each, with the Winter season being the only one spanning over three months. They didn’t mark a certain day when one season began and the other ended, they used the change of the climate itself.

Thus, when the first snow fell, winter began, and when spring flowers showed their heads, it ended. Summer was marked by the apparition of the Dios fruit, which were similar to cherries, but grew in shrubs. Autumn began with the fall of the first leaf. Overall, they had about 10 months. At least if you were to go by how the dragons counted them.

The humans apparently had 12 months, while the dwarfs had 6 months, one for each time the two moons in the sky were aligned, with the biggest one standing behind the smallest one. To be fair, I only recently noticed that this world had two moons... Up until now, I honestly believed it had only one. For some reason, I simply felt that it SHOULD resemble Earth in this aspect, so I never actually bothered to... well... look up in the night sky.

Similar to how the months of the dwarfs were longer than those of the dragons, for an elf, a year had only four months or seasons. The same was for the relliar species, where the year was measured by the beginning and the end of their two biological seasons: mating and non-mating.

As for how I came across this curious piece of information, I just thought I should ask the ladies... After all, several weeks have already passed since I arrived in this world, I couldn’t remain clueless forever.

The end of the current year and the beginning of the new one was something all sapient species agreed on because it was something given to them by the Gods, apparently. That day coincided with the end of the 6th month of the Dwarfs, so the alignment of the two moons was always a good marker for this.

Well, leaving this complicated thing aside, we were now approaching the city’s gate at a moderate pace. The main road we were on was connected with others that came from the North from this side of the Great Chasm.

Drakaria was a city surrounded by tall white walls, reaching up to almost 30 meters in height if not more. It looked heavily fortified and more centered towards repelling aerial assaults rather than ground ones. Such a strange priority in defense was natural if one considered the incredible ability of the draconian species to shift from a humanoid form to a flying full-beast or half-beast form.

The Seyendraugher Palace was located on a higher ground than the first wall, with another one separating it from the rest of the city. From outside, or rather atop the hill we were on, I noticed that despite showing off an exquisite craftsmanship and beauty of design, the palace was heavily protected by four large towers placed on all four corners.

From the North, a river flowed towards the city, splitting into two as soon as it reached the outer walls. One arm flowed around the outside wall, acting like a moat and ending with a small lake, while the other arm went South, following a parallel line to the Great Chasm.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t see any more details than that, but I had a feeling it was separated into parts similar to how the ancient cities of Europe were, meaning into a Noble Area, Merchant Area, and a Commoners Area. At least, that was what I presumed. Once inside, I was going to ask Seryanna more details about it, for now, we just had to get past the gates.

“Eijeer Nayus Nerver Il.” the redhead dragoness said, and a glowing yellow light formed around her body, emanating from her armor.

This took me by surprise, especially since I was riding behind her. A little warning would have been nice, but once it was over, something changed.

“What just happened?” I asked surprised.

“I released the Illusion Spell that hid the emblems on my armor. They represent my rank, status, as well as affiliation to the Third Princess, whom I serve.” she replied.

Pulling back a bit, I was able to see it more clearly.

The emblem showed a gray shield with a steel sword hidden behind it. The tip was pointing to the sky and the simple hilt could be seen at the bottom. On the shield, a white lily flower bloomed. Two green leaves were placed on both the right and left side of the pure and innocent-looking flower. It was a rather interesting design, but very hard to draw in my opinion.

“Why is the sword hidden?” I asked.

“To represent what the Princess stands for, which is Defense over Offense.” the dragoness explained.

I didn’t feel the need to inquire further on the matter, but I was guessing that by revealing this emblem, Seryanna was now declaring to the world that she was back on active duty. The guards at the gate would probably not risk giving us any trouble in regard to letting us pass through. At most, they would ask a few questions or make us wait in line. With a bit of Luck, they wouldn’t even question my species, or so I thought.

To my surprise, as soon as they saw us, they saluted and let us pass through the gates without even raising a single question. I heavily underestimated the power behind that emblem.

The moment we entered the city, a sea of dragons appeared before us. Normal people who went about their daily lives, many wearing armor, while others casual clothes. There was no tension in the air as there was back in Toros. People didn’t shoot a nasty glare at us or more like... they avoided us. The guards saluted as we passed by, and the children raised their heads up in curiosity. The power of the emblem was certainly strong, but it made me wonder why she didn’t display it until now. It would have made passing through the previous settlements much easier.

“Was that OK?” I asked after a few moments, raising an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?” Seryanna asked.

“What happened back there. Weren’t they supposed to ask us for some sort of identification or demand an entry fee?” I pointed with my thumb over my shoulder.

“No. As soon as I made my emblem visible, it was clear that I was of a higher rank than those guards. As a knight in the service of royalty, I am exempt from state taxes and can even order City Guards as I desire, but only to a certain extent. However, I have no authority over the Palace Guards, only the Royals do.” she explained.

“Plus, many other privileges, right?” I asked.

“Indeed.” she nodded.

“Usually, the entrance fee in Drakaria is of 5 copper coins for one night, one silver coin for an annual pass, and one gold coin for a permanent residency. Unless you are a noble, then it’s half. If you are working in the Palace, then it’s free.” Kleo explained.

“But why did we all pass for free?” I asked.

“Because you are with me. The knight and their company may pass for free.” Seryanna said and then pulled the reins of the Khosinni, leading us to a street on the right.

“Where are we going, by the way?” I asked.

“To a good inn I know of in the Adventurer District.” she told me.

“Adventurer District?” I was surprised to hear those words.

Today I was full of questions and almost no answers.

“The city of Drakaria is separated to the North in the Adventurer District and the Merchant District. If we went on the other road that led to the left, we would have arrived in the Workshop Area. From there, we could have arrived in the Market Area and then entered the Merchant Living Area. The Workshop Area, Market Area, and Merchant Living Area all form the Merchant District. To the South of here, we can reach a gate that will lead us to the outer Workshop Area, the Slums, and Worker Living Area.” she explained in a calm tone of voice, which reminded me once more that only a modern earthling like me could be surprised by what they found common and natural.

“The Royal Palace is surrounded by the Noble Area, where most of the upper classes of nobility live, such as Dukes and Viscounts.” Kleo added to that explanation.

“I think I get the picture.” I nodded.

“The inn where we are going to is located in the Adventurer District, and it’s right next to the Guild Hall. They have good management there.” Seryanna nodded.

“Why are we going there and not the Palace?” I asked.

It was a normal question from my point of view. I honestly, didn’t see a reason why we couldn’t.

“Because while I can get you past the city’s gates, you can’t enter the Palace without a summon from one of the nobles or royals working there. Unless the Princess will specifically call out for you, you are not allowed to enter.” Seryanna explained calmly.

“Oh...”

I guess I spoke out of term here? I wondered.

For me there wasn’t any big difference between nobles and commoners, but those around me certainly didn’t see it that way.

“Do not worry. Just stay out of trouble and await my return. I will come back as soon as my meeting with the Princess is over.” she told me with a small smile.

I nodded in reply.

“By the way, you always need to stay at an inn when you are summoned by the Princess?” I asked.

“No.” she shook her head “Because I am her Royal Knight, I have a proper chamber in the Palace.” she replied.

“Bummer... Guess we won’t sleep together tonight?” I asked resting my chin on her shoulder.

“I apologize.” she looked down.

“Don’t worry about it! Go and do your job!” I gave her a kiss on the cheek and showed her a smile.

She nodded in reply.

Not that long after our little chat, we finally arrived at the inn. It was filled with adventurers by the looks of it, and they even had a stable too. Speaking of which, these rental Khosinni weren’t needed to be returned to their previous place in Toros. Apparently, it didn’t matter where we stopped. As long as we specified from which stable we got the Khosinni and then signed the return form, we were good to go to rent another one. Since being attacked by bandits and encountering dangerous monsters was a foreseen thing, we would pay a fine of several silver coins in the case of the loss or death of the Khosinni.

In exchange for all of these fees, we could rent and return the beast to any official stable in the kingdom. But as a result, we couldn’t buy one unless it was from a licensed vendor, and we always had to carry the ownership certificate with us, otherwise, the moment we stepped into a random stable, it would get confiscated.

We first took care of our Khosinni and then entered the inn. The dragons inside, all Awakened from the look of things, shot us a quick gaze and then returned to their conversations. Most of them were adventurers, but among them, I spotted a group of four soldiers and even a few dragons who looked like traveling peddlers.

The establishment itself was quite big, resembling a Victorian Age mansion on the outside and a classy restaurant on the inside. I would guess that it was capable of holding more than 100 dragons at its tables. With two stories above the ground floor, it also had an impressive number of rooms, almost like a modern-day hotel. Then again, it was placed right next to the Guild Hall, so it was natural for them to have more customers than others. More dragons meant more money, and more money was the purpose of every thriving business out there.

Regarding the furniture, most of it was made out of a type of dark-brown wood. It was sturdy and with a scent of food and booze already infused in it. Compared to the last inn we visited, the one outside of Toros, this one was not so well decorated. Several carved wood statues could be seen here and there, but not all of them were in top shape. One had a cut at the front, another had blood stains on it, while another had its head turned black from fire. The fact that the owner didn’t change them could only mean that there was some history behind them and maybe he was waiting to tell it to those interested.

As usual, the bartender and innkeeper were using the same counter. One dragon had a bunch of glasses and bottles to his left, while behind the other one was an entire board filled with the room keys hung in nails. Having a reception office seemed like a waste of time for the dragons living in this kingdom.

With Seryanna guiding us, we walked up to bar.

“Good day, Bayuk, Collentra.” the redhead dragoness greeted them.

“Sir Seryanna! A pleasure as always!” the dragon named Bayuk replied with a big grin on his face.

“Oh my! Sir Seryanna, welcome back! How was your journey to Tomeron?” the innkeeper dragoness asked with a smile on her anthropomorphic head.

Yup, that one was female. She had a tail too, but no wings. Her scale color was a pale green.

To my shame, I initially thought that she was a he. I was 100% certain of it, but it appeared as though I had yet to come to understand the beauty standards of dragons.

“It was pleasant.” Seryanna nodded.

“And these are?” Collentra asked as she looked past her shoulder, straight at us.

“Adventurers and friends I have made along my journey. This one, however, is my younger sister. Do you remember Kleo?” she asked them.

“Kleo? You mean that little mischievous girl?” Bayuk asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Acha~” the dragoness in question hid behind Kataryna.

“Hahaha! You still owe me for the prank you pulled when you were five!” Bayuk reminded her with a bright smile on his lips.

“I’ll... pay up for it.” Kleo replied with a wry smile.

“No need to, honey. This old lizard tail may have had a harsh tone back then, but he wasn’t that upset about it.” the innkeeper dragoness said as she shook her head.

“I understand...” Kleo nodded.

They didn’t seem to be worried about her being a black scale, and the guests here weren’t glaring at us so far.

“I have a few rooms free, as you can see.” Collentra tossed a finger over her shoulder at the key rings hanging on the wall.

“The soldiers didn’t give you any trouble?” Seryanna asked as she furrowed her brow.

“No.” she replied shaking her head.

“Thanks to her highness, the Third Princess, they have no authority over this place. We made it clear that we will accept anyone willing to pay, but adventurers and those affiliated with her party are always first in line. That emblem you told us to hang on the wall over there sure came in handy several times.” Bayuk showed us a wry smile and then pointed at something behind us.

When I turned around, I saw a wood carving of the same emblem as the one now visible on Seryanna’s armor, the sword hidden behind a shield with a lily flower and four leafs on it.

“These fellows seem to be close to you two.” Kataryna pointed out.

“They were good friends of our parents.” the redhead dragoness replied.

“That’s why we always keep a spare room just for her family in case they ever drop by.” Collentra pointed out.

“I appreciate your kindness, but it’s not needed to offer us special privileges of any kind.” Seryanna said as she shook her head.

“Nonsense! This is my business and if I say I will always keep a spare room for the children of my good friend, I will do so!” Collentra said pointing a clawed finger at the ceiling.

The dragoness already made up her mind, and I highly doubted we could change it.

“Our business...” Bayuk corrected her.

“Yes, yes, dear.” she nodded and patted the dragon on the shoulder.

“Anyway... How many nights, Sir Seryanna?” Bayuk ignored his wife.

“For the time being, a week is fine. We will pay more if we need to stay more.” she explained.

“I understand. Will you be using your room?” Collentra asked.

“Kleo will. I need to report at the Palace. So, that will be three rooms in total.” the redhead dragoness said showing three fingers.

Hearing that made me feel a bit sad. I knew it was normal for a Royal Knight to take up residency somewhere close to the Royal they were assigned to protect, but deep down, I wanted for her to ignore that rule and stay here with us. It was a bit selfish of me to ask that of her, so I didn’t even dare mention it.

“Alright. Here you go. That will be three silver coins. Meals are not included.” Collentra said as she gave us the keys.

“That sounds cheap.” I remarked.

“Adventurers have a special discount. On top of that, you are together with Sir Seryanna. It’s only natural that I add another discount to it!” the dragoness replied happily.

“We basically get ZERO profit because of this, but not like we lack the spare rooms.” Bayuk pointed out and tossed a glance at the keys on the wall.

“Indeed. For us it is just business as usual.” Collentra smiled.

“Speaking of which, why did you ask about the soldiers, Seryanna?” I looked at the dragoness as I remembered the earlier talk.

“Judging from the situation back in Toros, I presumed that this new rumored general was going to overfill the city’s inns with his troops. Sometimes it happens.” she explained.

“You mean Sir Draejan Andrakaryus Doesya?” Bayuk asked.

“Yes, that’s him.” Seryanna nodded.

“True, one of his goons came over a few days ago and ordered us to empty the rooms for some of his commanders. I shrugged, pointed at the emblem at the back and told him that I have orders from her highness, the Third Princess, not to listen to such requests. They went silent and left, but one of them said something...” Bayuk looked down, and I could see a sign of worry in his eyes.

“What did he say?” asked Seryanna.

“He said... ‘Not for long.’. I can’t help but wonder if something is going on back there at the palace.” Bayuk replied as he scratched his beard.

Seryanna looked at the emblem hanging on the wall and narrowed her eyes just a little. I could tell something was wrong, and I wasn’t the only one.

“Is something the matter, sister?” Kleo asked.

“I don’t know... but something doesn’t feel right about this new general. I am quite certain that grandfather informed his Majesty about his current condition, so why is this general taking over?” she wondered.

“Maybe someone is plotting something behind the King’s back or forced him in some way to make this decision?” I expressed my opinion, although I had no idea how politics worked in this country.

“That...” Seryanna clenched her fists, furrowed her brow and looked down at the floor.

“What’s wrong?” I asked when I saw her like this.

“I apologize, but I need to head over to the Seyendraugher Palace right away.” she shook her head and then stormed towards the exit. She stopped midway and turned around. “Will you be alright?” she asked me as she looked into my eyes with an expression marked by worry.

“Don’t worry, sister! We have a Breakthrough Awakened with us and Alkelios too!” Kleo smirked, trying to reassure her.

The dragoness nodded, but her worry didn’t vanish.

“A Breakthrough Awakened?” Collentra blinked surprised as she looked at Kataryna.

The silver scale in question simply shrugged like it wasn’t such a big deal.

“Yup, we’ll be alright. You can go and take care of your knightly business. When you want us to meet just send a word.” I showed her a smile.

She nodded, but before she vanished out the door, she approached me and stole my lips in a quick assertive kiss.

“Take care.” she told me with a caring smile.

After she left, I turned around and saw both the innkeeper and bartender looking at me with gaping mouths. Actually, there were a few dragons in here who were also staring at us as if struck by lightning.

“What?” I asked furrowing my brow and tilting my head to the left.

“You... Sir Seryanna... HOW?!” Bayuk was the one to break the ice.

“It just happened.” I shrugged like it was nothing.

“Oh my, what interesting guests we have this time.” Collentra giggled.

I found myself to be a bit confused by their reactions, but after a moment of thinking, I realized that being in a party with a Breakthrough Awakened as well as a knight like Seryanna wasn’t something that could be called common even for dragons. It was just that we got used to each other and didn’t really mind it that much. For everyone else, we were quite the interesting combo.

As for me... I probably looked like the most normal out of all of them. Besides, I was a human too, which in itself raised even more questions.

[Draejan Andrakaryus Doesya’ point of view]

 I looked through the window of my private chamber at the gates of the Seyendraugher Palace and saw Sir Seryanna passing through in a hurry.

“So, the pawn has arrived at last.” I smirked.

It was by no mere chance that she was here at such an important time. The so-called tournament was only a way for me to reorganize my troops, and a pleasant show for the audience. Dragons valued strength, and I intended to drill this fact into their skulls. Those who wished to climb up the ladder of society were required to have the strength to do so.

Of course, unknown to the others, this was also a means to weaken the faction of my aunt, the Third Princess of Albeyater. I had no official quarrel with her, but the way she did things was unbecoming of a dragon. Even her emblem spat shame on our species.

Nonetheless, she was of royal blood and my own aunt, but this in itself allowed me to take hold of one of her most prized assets... Brekkar’s army.

Since the old man fell ill, I had constantly made sure to pull all the possible strings to acquire the seat of a General. If I failed now, then my next chance would be in several hundred years or if I was lucky when one of our generals fell in battle.

I was unwilling to wait that long, but also not stupid enough to launch an attack on one of the kingdom’s prized assets. Weakening our army would be akin to weakening myself.

“Sir... I believe I have some news of interest...”

The one who spoke was at the entrance... No, to be more precise, he had just teleported inside this room. There was only one individual who could do this.

Turning around, I looked at my slave, the human hero with a teleportation ability.

“Speak, Kronius!”

“Yes, master.” he bowed “The one who is accompanying Sir Seryanna is a human hero like me. I believe he holds a strengthening-type skill. When we battled, I could cut him with my sword, but when I punched him, I nearly broke my fist.”

“So far, you said nothing of interest.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“This... human kissed Sir Seryanna.” he smirked.

My grip around my sword’s hilt tightened, and I let out a pressuring aura.

“A human did what?” I asked in anger.