by Virlyce
“It’s simple, really,” Mr. Skelly said, still wearing his full plate armor. “The empress is on top. Below her, there’s her vassals—the nobles. Below the nobles, there are knights, and below the knights, there are the commoners. That’s how things were run back in the north way before that dragon filled with worms arrived. Adventurers rose up from amongst the commoners because the knights were a bit overbearing. I’m guessing the noble who escaped to this land was a purist and quashed all adventurers.”
Tafel’s brow furrowed, and Alice smirked, nudging the demon’s side. “Are you considering overthrowing the empress now?” Alice asked, her voice smug. “Look at her oppressing the common people and preventing them from moving up the social ladder.”
“Well, that’s not really the empress’ fault, you know?” Tafel asked. “She inherited a faulty system, and she might not have the power to implement a change.”
Alice sighed. “I’m not sure why you’re so adamant on defending her,” she said before shaking her head. “You—”
“You’re pretty adamant on starting a war,” Tafel said, cutting Alice off. “Don’t forget about our agreement.”
Alice clicked her tongue. “I won’t. I look forward to the day that I become the leader of this party,” she said. “Then it could finally display its true potential.”
“Oh?” Tafel raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I don’t know how to lead a party? I don’t want to hear that from someone who was isolated from her previous one.”
“You’re really going there, huh?” Alice asked, her face darkening. “Is that how you want to do this? Shall I nitpick your faults as well, Ms. Dependent on Vur?”
The cup that Tafel had taken out of the portal shattered as her grip tightened. “I am not!”
Vur’s gaze went back and forth between the two women. Alora poked his side and whispered, “Something creepy is happening.”
Tafel and Alice both whirled around to glare at the polymorphed dragon. “How are we creepy!?”
Alora blinked. “Eh? I wasn’t talking about you two though?” She pointed at the only window inside the room that was opposite the door. A curtain was covering it. “You don’t feel that?”
“Feel what?” Alice asked, furrowing her brow as she walked over to the window. “If there’s something right outside this window that’s going to try to scare me when I open the curtain, I’m going to kill it.” She spoke in a loud voice towards the window, “You hear that?”
Tafel rolled her eyes. “Don’t be stupid,” she said as she grabbed one end of the curtain and flicked the whole thing to the side. There was nothing there. A faint red glow illuminated the horizon, coming from above the fortress walls. Tafel shuddered as her rune, that was previously hidden, materialized on her forehead, flickering twice. “Emile!?” Her brow furrowed. “Wait, no, that’s not him. It’s not Susan either.”
Vur’s head appeared by Tafel’s shoulder. “Is there a dragon?” he asked, staring at the red glow in the distance. “It feels like there’s a dragon.”
Alice frowned at the two before squeezing next to Tafel and pressing her face against the glass. “Now I feel obligated to say something like there’s a lion out there, but I really don’t feel anything. That’s probably not a normal festival bonfire light, right?”
“Perhaps something sketchy is happening,” Mr. Skelly said. “There’s no good reason to turn undocumented people away from a fortress unless the inhabitants of the fortress are doing something that can only be seen by certain people.” He nodded. “Let’s go take a look.”
“Yeah,” Tafel said, walking away from the window, “let’s go. I want to know what this feeling is.”
Alice sighed as she followed after Tafel. “Guess we’re going then.”
Alora and Vur stared at each other as the three left the room. “They really don’t treat you as the leader, huh?” she asked. She slapped his back. “Have some more self-respect. If you’re a dragon, you have to be in control! Unless you’re the lazy kind who likes letting other people do things for him so you can sleep for longer. Oh my god, that’s it, isn’t it? You’re just like my dad.”
Vur blinked as Alora rushed out of the room, leaving him all alone. He lowered his head and tapped on the rose tattoo on his chest. “Is there something wrong with wanting to sleep for longer?”
“Only when you sleep for days at a time,” Stella said, her voice weary. “Vur, do you know how hard it is to lock this stupid genie up? He struggles too much! And he keeps on looking at me with these eyes that say, ‘tie the rope harder.’ If you don’t make your wish soon, then I’ll really feed him to the dragon in your head.”
Vur sighed and turned towards the open door. Maybe Alora was right. He wasn’t respected as the leader of the party because he didn’t act like one. Then all he had to do was get to the glowing red light first and his party would realize they should’ve followed him there instead. He opened the window, stepped onto the windowsill with one foot, and leapt outside, transforming into a dragon as he soared through the air. On his way up, his tail accidentally destroyed a part of the building they were staying in, but he didn’t seem to notice.
But the guards down below did. They screamed and shouted, causing lights to pour out of the previously unlit buildings. Men rushed out of the barracks but froze in place upon seeing Vur fly overhead. They exchanged glances and agreed to pretend they hadn’t seen anything without even saying any words, retreating back inside. There were a few guards who rallied together, including the guard captain, but at that moment, a second dragon appeared in the middle of the fortress without warning, destroying multiple buildings as it stumbled around in surprise. Then it roared before shouting, “Vur, wait for me!” and flew into the air, leaving behind a group of terrified guards and three baffled people.
6
Two men wearing breastplates that had the crest of intertwined tigers emblazoned on them were chatting in front of a pair of metal gates. Beside them, a man wearing a suit was sitting on a chair next to a torch, a cup of ale in his hands. One of the guards glanced at the road; a lone figure was walking towards them, but they were still quite some distance away. “Which noble is that? He doesn’t even have a steed.”
“Probably some backwater knight,” the other guard said. “Even dumb kids can be knighted these days, you can’t expect all of them to have horses.”
The other guard chuckled while the man wearing the suit shook his head. The chuckling guard leaned back against the fence, knocking against the latch that held the metal gates shut. “Do you think the demon lord is really going to show up? The banquet’s almost over.”
“Her?” the other guard asked, rolling his eyes. “No chance in hell. If I were her, I’d be too ashamed to show my face. She’s driven the empire into the ground with her policies; it’s a miracle no one’s tried to assassinate her yet. She’ll stay locked up in her palace, ignoring every invitation as usual.”
“Shut your trap,” the man in the suit said, glaring at the guard. “The grand duchess said the empress was attending. She wouldn’t lie, and she most certainly wouldn’t make me wait out here if the empress wasn’t actually coming.”
The guard snorted. “Would you even recognize her if she showed up? I bet you’ve never seen her face in person.”
“I’ve seen her before,” the man said in a low voice, practically snarling. “If you say another word, I’ll have your head delivered to your family before the night is over.”
The other guard removed his back from the fence and straightened his posture. The person traveling down the road had come within earshot. She was a woman with dark-red hair and green eyes. She wore a traveling cloak that covered every inch of her body except her head. It trailed along the ground, even her feet hidden underneath the fabric. With every step she took, metal clanking sounds rang out, each footstep resounding in the guard’s head. She stopped in front of the dazed guard; when there wasn’t a response, a frown appeared on her face.
“S-sorry!�
�� The guard flinched and sucked in his breath. “Your invitation, madam?”
The woman’s frown deepened. She pulled open her traveling cloak, revealing a set of pitch-black armor, and rummaged around. After a brief moment, she closed her cloak, her hands empty. “I must’ve dropped it.” She turned her head towards the side, her eyes flickering when her gaze landed on the man in the suit. His face was whiter than snow, his cup on the ground by his feet, alcohol seeping into the earth beneath his chair. “Aren’t you Apollonia’s nephew?” She gestured towards the closed gates. “Let me in.”
The man in the suit dropped to his knees, knocking his chair over in his haste. “Yes, Your Imperial Majesty! Please, forgive my men for not recognizing Your Imperial Majesty right away! Their eyes are clearly useless—I’ll have them gouged out and delivered to Your Imperial Majesty’s doorstep before the sun rises!”
The empress made a face as the guards dropped to their knees, knocking their foreheads against the ground while shouting for forgiveness. “Don’t do that,” she said. “You’ll dirty my palace.” Her brow wrinkled as she squinted at the man in the suit, whose sweat left visible patches in the fabric. “Oh. No wonder why I thought you looked so familiar. You were there when my brother accidentally killed himself on the sword I was holding in the garden. You hid behind a bush, didn’t you? I only realized after seeing your terrified expression.”
“Your Imperial Majesty!” a voice shouted from beyond the gates. Hurried footsteps echoed through the night, and Grand Duchess Apollonia appeared from around a bend. She strode to the gate and undid the latch, letting the metal swing open as her escort that was behind her finally caught up. “Look at how late it is; I thought you weren’t coming.”
“While I was walking, I was distracted by the smell of something nice and lost my way,” the empress said, her expression neutral. “Someone was roasting fish over a campfire.”
Are you a dog? Apollonia thought as a dark expression appeared on her face. “You said you walked here? From the palace?”
“Yes. You know about my motion sickness, don’t you?”
Apollonia’s eyes widened. “The palace is over four mountains away. When did you set out?”
“This morning.”
“…You must be tired.” Apollonia nodded. “Either way, you’re looking well for someone who’s traveled all day. I expected you to look more haggard from all the responsibility that comes with being the empress. If someone saw you, they would think you weren’t working hard at all.”
The empress’ expression remained neutral. “You’re looking well for someone who’s almost fifty years old, Grand Duchess. Please teach me how to put on makeup one day.”
Apollonia’s eye twitched as a vein bulged on her forehead. She took a step back, gesturing towards the path that led towards the mansion in the background. “Come, let me show you around. All the nobles have been waiting for you.”
The empress shook her head. “I’m not interested in the banquet.”
Apollonia froze. “Pardon?”
“You’re summoning a devil to get rid of me today, aren’t you?” the empress asked. “I’m here to kill it. I don’t like playing games in the shadows. Let me teach you what it means to be powerless in the face of real strength.”
“…Where did you hear that?” Apollonia asked, raising an eyebrow. “No, I suppose it doesn’t matter. The summoning ritual is taking place in my northernmost fortress. It’s too late for you to stop it.”
“I spoke properly,” the empress said, her eyes narrowing as she drew her sword. “I didn’t say I was here to stop the ritual. I’m here to kill the devil after it comes out. But aren’t you afraid of death? You’re plotting to overthrow the empress.”
“Why would I be afraid if you kill my clone?” Apollonia asked, a smile blooming on her face. “By this time tomorrow, you’ll be dead. I—”
The empress’ sword flashed, and Apollonia’s body shattered like an image in a broken mirror. The fragments dissolved into motes of light that drifted up towards the night sky. The empress swept her gaze over the guards and Apollonia’s nephew before walking past them, exiting the gate. When Apollonia’s nephew was about to take in a breath, the empress whirled around and glared at him, causing him to choke on air. She sheathed her sword, a clink resounding through the air.
Apollonia’s nephew trembled as he raised his head, meeting the empress’ gaze. He flinched at another sudden clinking sound coming from the empress’ waist. His eyes wavered before he shut them tight, praying to the god he hadn’t thought about for years to save his life. “P-please, don’t—”
“Stop.” The empress’ command cut through his sentence. She frowned at the rancid smell that assaulted her nostrils and took a step away from the man who had just soiled himself. “Look me in the eyes.”
Apollonia’s nephew’s eyes shuddered as they opened.
The empress stared at him for a moment. “Which way’s north?”
The man’s arm trembled. He raised it and pointed towards the road leading away from the mansion. “T-that way.”
The empress nodded and followed the man’s finger, not saying a word as she turned her back on him and left.
***
Daniel stood in front of a large window that had its curtains spread wide open. Outside, a group of six magicians were spread out in a circle in the backyard of the property. Daniel frowned as the magicians painted glowing red lines in the ground, using up a thick liquid from a barrel that they had created earlier. Nearly half the grand duchess’s fortune had been used up in creating that liquid. It made his chest hurt when he thought about the ingredients inside.
“Daniel.”
Daniel flinched and turned around. Standing on his table, there was a miniature person, Apollonia, who was flickering in and out of existence. Daniel dropped to one knee. “Grand Duchess,” he said. “The ritual is proceeding as planned.”
Apollonia’s image flickered as she sighed. “However, the banquet hasn’t proceeded as planned. That crazy, barbaric demon lord killed my clone,” she said while inspecting her nails. “I told her the ritual was taking place here. She said she’d let the ritual finish because she wants to kill a devil. Accommodate her when she arrives, but make sure she dies to the devil when she fights it. I don’t care about the methods you use: poison her, maim her while she sleeps, stab her in the back mid-fight, anything goes as long as she dies, understood?”
“Yes, my liege,” Daniel said, his expression unreadable. His face was still pointed at the floor. “I will punish her for killing you, even if it was just a clone. There will be—”
Screams rang through the air. Daniel shot to his feet, drawing the sword by his waist. A moment later, an earth-shaking roar echoed through the night, bringing silence to the whole fortress. Faint words drifted into his ears, but he couldn’t quite make them out. He whirled around, pressing his face against the glass of the window. The six ritualists outside were crouched down, covering their heads while trembling.
“What was that?” Apollonia asked. “Has she already arrived?”
“I’m … not sure,” Daniel said, a deep wrinkle appearing on his forehead. He opened the window, but before he could jump out, Apollonia’s image climbed up his arm and onto his shoulder. He glanced at her before lowering his visor. Then he leapt outside, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. “What happened?”
The six ritualists remained crouched, unmoving, and a heavy thumping sound answered him instead. The thumps resounded like a heartbeat, growing louder as time passed. The treetops swayed as gusts of wind pushed against them. Daniel raised his head and froze in place. A massive dragon was hovering above the backyard, every flap of its wings causing miniature tornadoes to form on the ground with a booming sound.
“You … didn’t summon that, right?” Apollonia whispered. Even though she wasn’t present in her real body, her projection was pale and shivering from the pressure coming from the dragon’s glare.
The dragon’s
head swiveled a few times as if it were looking for something. It landed on the ground, ignoring the trembling men, and brought its head closer to the barrel of glowing red liquid. Its nostrils widened as it took in a deep breath through its nose, sniffing the fumes coming from the barrel. Its head tilted a few times before it sniffed again. It blinked before turning its gaze onto the men, who were frozen like statues. A low growl echoed from its throat. “What is this?”
“Daniel,” Apollonia whispered directly into her trusted retainer’s ear, her face passing through the metal helmet. “Can you slay a dragon?”
Daniel nearly collapsed. “That’s impossible, my liege. Knights only kill dragons in stories.”
“Hey,” the dragon said, its tail thumping against the ground. The house shook, and the men fell over. “I asked a question.”
“That’s—”
Before one of the ritualists could respond, another dragon crashed into the ground from above, knocking over the trees and destroying a part of the house. Luckily, the first dragon had lifted the barrel off the ground or the contents would’ve spilled over. Daniel swallowed his saliva. “My liege, what do I do?”
Apollonia’s head turned to face the first dragon. Then it turned to face the second dragon. They were so large that she couldn’t keep both of them in view at the same time. “Daniel, just do your best to survive. The ritual doesn’t matter anymore. I can’t lose you.”
“What’s that?” Alora asked, pointing at the barrel in Vur’s paw. “Juice?”
“I don’t know,” Vur said. “It smells like dragons though, right?” He lifted it, bringing it close to Alora’s face.
Alora sniffed it a few times before wrinkling her snout. “It smells like Dad after he sheds some scales,” she said. Her brow furrowed. “It smells exactly like Dad’s shed scales….” She turned towards Daniel and plucked him off the ground, dangling him above the treetops as she brought him close to the barrel. “Oi, what’s in this? Dragon scales, right?”
