"Why are you staring at me? I don't breathe fire."
Tsk. Useless. A dragon that couldn't even spit flames. He had no choice but to pull out a Fire Pot, smash it, and ignite the spark. The campfire roared to life, banishing the cold. The uncomfortable mix of sweat and rain evaporated. The four of them settled around the flames.
Torrent munched happily on rowa fruit at the cave entrance. Throne scanned the group and couldn't shake the feeling—too many women. Why were they all women? He'd managed to recruit two men, but one hadn't shown up, and the other vanished halfway.
"Your Highness, this isn't my fault."
Throne shrugged off the blame, unfolded the map still carrying Melina's scent, and spread it on the ground. He scratched his head, studying the details.
"We're here, north of Sellia, in the middle of the great mountain range. Beyond this lies the plateau where the dragons gather. No wonder Radahn hasn't conquered it all these years."
The dense forests and jagged peaks were a nightmare for any large army. Dragons didn't care about front lines or supply routes—they could swoop down and sever them at any moment. Trapping them was the only way to bring them down.
"How much strength does Greyoll have left?"
"She's at about eighty percent, but her power will decline after this," Lansseax replied, spreading her hands.
"Find me a cloak. It's freezing."
You get cold too? Throne almost retorted but held his tongue. Her outfit was scandalous—low-cut, midriff-baring, noble yet provocative. She constantly swayed in front of him.
He pulled a brown cloak from his spirit-calling ring and tossed it to her. As a destroyer of clothes, he always carried spares.
"I don't have time to wait for Greyoll to weaken completely. There's too much to do. We're only in the second half of Caelid. Hey, what are you doing?"
Lansseax clutched the cloak, took a deep breath, and smiled with terrifying satisfaction. Throne's skin crawled.
"It smells nice, though a bit too fragrant."
"That cloak belonged to Melina."
"No wonder. It smells wonderful."
She glanced at Melina, who stared blankly for a moment before shuddering and scooting closer to Millicent. Damn. This old dragon's just messing with our heads, isn't she?
Throne mourned for Melina for three seconds, listened to her and Millicent's quiet complaints, and buried his face in the map. The area was vast—stretching from the northern coastline to the southern mountains, encompassing the Bestial Sanctum peninsula and the Divine Tower of Caelid.
Originally, Greyoll should've been confronting the Redmane forces near Fort Faroth. But after a crushing defeat, she wouldn't dare stay there. The scattered dragons would eventually return to their nest. In other words—time was tight. Throne rubbed his throbbing temples.
How were the four of them supposed to search tens of thousands of square kilometers? And there was another problem.
"Greyoll wouldn't fly back to Crumbling Farum Azula, would she?"
"Do you think Crumbling Farum Azula is something you can just fly back to?"
Lansseax scoffed, raising her arms, finally looking serious.
"Our homeland is located within a rift in space-time; even for me, returning there is a major undertaking."
A space-time rift? That made sense. 'Black Blade' Maliketh hid inside it, making him nearly impossible to find.
"So, can you go back and call some friends to help?"
"No. And now, you owe me a favor."
Tsk. So petty.
Throne knew that Lansseax had been forced to act earlier; otherwise, she could have just stayed out of it and let Greyoll join the brawl. This is troublesome. Blaidd wouldn't have gone to look for her already, would he? Given the wolf's pathfinding ability, it's best not to hold any expectations. The start of this second half was a bit rough, but he didn't regret declining Radahn.
As the General Radahn, he wouldn't leave any hidden dangers for himself. He couldn't rush. There was more than just dragons in northern Caelid. If possible, he should try not to stir up trouble. His gaze fixed on two locations: the Divine Tower of Caelid and the Bestial Sanctum. These places held entities that shouldn't be provoked.
The drizzling autumn rain caused a light mist to appear at the cave entrance. Inside the warm cave, Lansseax was filing her nails, Melina and Millicent were whispering to each other, and Throne had fallen into complete silence. The main goal of coming to Caelid had been accomplished.
Actually, leaving Greyoll behind wouldn't be a big deal, but he was the type of person who liked to see things through to the end. 'Participating in the Radahn Festival only counts as entertainment. If I leave Caelid, I could only go to the bottom of the Siofra River to check on that group's progress, but it's only been half a month; going there would just be a waste of time.' Throne rubbed his chin, thinking about how to maximize his time. After much deliberation, he decided to keep going.
The first half was mainly to make contact with Radahn, while the second half was to connect with the dragonkin, preferably dragging Lansseax, that fun-loving dragon, into the water. After interacting for so long, he realized the dragon woman didn't mind being used.
Beneath her lazy, salted-fish-like exterior, there was still some ambition deep down; otherwise, she wouldn't have come to Caelid at all.
"It's just that the Divine Tower and the Bestial Sanctum are best left untouched, especially the latter. I don't want to be targeted by Maliketh this early."
Throne knew his own limits very well.
With his current strength, he could handle demigods—if he couldn't win, he could at least run away. But if he encountered the 'Black Blade', it would be a dead end. That was, after all, the shadow beast of Marika, the entity that sealed Destined Death. So, where are you hiding, Greyoll? His gaze swept over the map again and again. A few seconds later, he stopped this useless behavior.
Of course he had to go find the dragon; looking at the map was useless.
"Let's do this: tomorrow morning, we'll split up to search for Greyoll. If we drag this out, changes are inevitable."
Melina, who was complaining to Millicent, looked up and asked with some confusion, "Split up?"
"One team will head north from the west, and the other will search north from the east. This will double our efficiency. Use this to communicate along the way. If you find her, don't rush to attack; wait until everyone has gathered before starting the fight."
Throne held up a calling-sound mask; he hadn't used it much since getting the puppet. Melina's expression was a bit strange. Wasn't this using the Lunar Princess as a messenger? When did Throne get so bold?
"Are you sure that person won't be humiliated??"
"This is official business, and the situation is urgent. Ranni understands that."
Actually, Throne didn't know, but thinking that he and Ranni were almost at zero distance, humiliation or whatever wasn't the first time; she might have already gotten used to it. He just knows how to bully the serious Lunar Princess.
Melina also knew that Ranni was the type to say one thing but do another, but when it came to serious matters, she never dragged her feet. Just like before in Sellia, as long as Throne requested it, she was willing to jump out and cast Dark Moon.
"How should we split up?"
"Millicent and I will be one group, and you and Lansseax will be the other."
"Absolutely not!"
Melina refused on the spot, taking a glance at the dragon woman who was peeking at her, feeling a chill run through her entire body.
"I will absolutely not stay alone with her!"
"She can be trusted now; she won't do anything to you."
"It has nothing to do with trust; it's just, it's just..."
Melina couldn't answer either.
In any case, this dragon woman gave her a sense of threat and a bit of displeasure.
"Sigh, don't overthink it."
Throne didn't want to split them up this way either, but there was no choice. There were only four people in total, and someone as stubborn as Millicent was more easily led astray.
Sometimes being a blockhead was a benefit; at worst, she could just put on a deadpan face and ignore Lansseax. The latter, losing interest, would instead focus on the work. But since Melina was unwilling—
"Then how about this: I'll be in a group with her, and you and Millicent will be in a group. That should be fine, right?"
"That's even worse!"
Just as unhesitating, or rather, even more intense than before. How could Melina let Throne stay alone with the dragon woman? Her instincts told her the latter was extremely dangerous.
"Fine, I'll go."
She spat the words out through gritted teeth. Throne shrugged. Actually, he didn't care, but if Melina and Millicent were a group, their combat power wouldn't be enough.
If an accident happened and they couldn't hold on, he would have to rush over. As for Lansseax? Whether she was just talking big or was truly an old pro, he would find out if he just tried.
"Then that's settled. Everyone get some rest early; we have to travel tomorrow morning."
Throne yawned. This day had been too long, leaving him exhausted.
But there were too many people present, and he didn't have the nerve to ask for a lap pillow. Removing his helmet, Throne simply rested his hands behind his head, letting his high-speed brain slow down. He immediately started to drift off. Today he had fought a strong enemy, then drank heavily with Radahn; he was truly tired and drunk. He just vaguely felt there was something he hadn't finished.
Had he forgotten to report to Ranni? Whatever, he'd talk about it on the road tomorrow. The campfire flickered, and the man's snoring could be heard. Even Torrent lay on the ground, sleeping while moving its mouth, as if chewing on rowa fruit in its dream.
Melina, Millicent, and Lansseax stared at each other, all a bit angry that Throne, this iron-willed straight man, had left them in such an awkward situation while he went to sleep. Not long after, the outgoing dragon woman broke the silence: "You two should sleep first. For humans, today wasn't easy."
It was more than just not easy. Melina and Millicent's clothes were covered in blood.
It could be said they had fought from noon until evening; they didn't know how many enemies they had cut down.
"I am not human; sleep has no meaning to me."
Melina stood up and tossed the cloak to Millicent.
"Get some good rest; you are a patient."
"I can still hold on. How about I take the first watch?"
Just as Millicent tried to get up, her shoulders were pressed down.
"Don't be stubborn. Maintaining your state is a basic skill for a warrior."
The young girl was expressionless but exuded a powerful aura. Millicent blinked, realizing she couldn't win against the other, and had to lie down. She had barely touched the ground for a few seconds before she started snoring. She must have been exhausted to the extreme, and she still had to be tormented by the Scarlet Rot.
Melina showed a hint of gentleness. She had a very good impression of this strong young girl, even feeling an instinctive sense of closeness. She also found it a bit strange; logically, the two hadn't spent much time together, but their synergy in battle was perfect, and falling asleep so quickly also showed that Millicent trusted her and felt very safe.
"Millicent is quite interesting, but the ending might not be very good. Friendly advice: don't get too attached."
The dragon woman's playful tone emerged, causing Melina to arch her slender eyebrows.
"Don't think I didn't notice, but that is not a reason for indifference."
"Why?"
"Throne promised me he would solve it, so there will definitely be no problem."
Lansseax turned her head and saw Throne, who was sleeping like a log. At least at this moment, she couldn't find any sense of 'reliability'.
"You trust him that much? That's right, someone like you wouldn't be sleeping like a log in Caelum. The more I interact with him, the more interested I am in Throne..."
"You know me very well??"
"A little. When I'm bored, I like to explore secrets, so of course I know a bit more than the average person."
The dragon woman propped her head up, her eyes like stars.
"I found you strange the first time I saw you."
"What's strange about me?"
Melina was stunned.
"Like a person, rather than a cold tool. It's clear that Throne quite likes meddling in other people's business, even though tools are more useful than people."
Lansseax no longer had a hint of her lazy, fun-loving demeanor. Stared at by her, Melina subconsciously looked away, but this feeling only lasted for a moment before the dragon woman opened her mouth and yawned.
"Alright, alright, these things are too heavy to talk about. Are you really not sleeping?"
Melina was actually mentally exhausted too, and she fought off her sleepiness, saying, "If I sleep, will you obediently keep watch?"
"Of course not. I'll just test for you whether this male is strong or not. Don't worry, this will be good for you..."
Before she could finish, Melina had already pounced, straddling the dragon woman, and roared fiercely, "You dare!"
Lansseax was neither afraid nor angry, just lying on her back, looking at the furious young girl with an expressionless face.
"Melina, you are too much like a human. This will bring calamity."
Tools wouldn't get angry over such things, and neither would business partners or companions react so intensely.
Melina froze for a moment, and deep down, a sense of fear seemed to well up, combined with what Millicent had said before. What is this... Doubt, hesitation, and fear all flooded into her mind. But at that moment, the dragon woman pinned to the ground suddenly laughed—a frivolous, slightly lewd smile. She grabbed the hand Melina had placed on her chest and licked her lips.
"You like riding people so much? Sure, I'm not picky."
In an instant, the young girl sprang up as if electrocuted. Her usually wooden expression turned horrified, and she kept rubbing the back of her hand, as if trying to wipe off something unclean. What is she doing? What does she want to do?? Melina had the urge to draw her two Black Blades and jump on her to fight for her life.
The hesitation and fear from just a moment ago vanished instantly, or rather, there was no mind left to think about those things. Lansseax seemed to have never said what she just said, licking her lips again: "You attacked first, you know. Don't blame me."
Melina gritted her teeth and really reached for the dagger at her waist. But at this moment, Throne had already crawled up and rubbed his eyes.
"Hey, what are you doing? Starting an internal conflict before we've even set off!"
"She, she just..."
"Yeah, what did I do just now? Feel free to say."
Lansseax looked as if she were inviting her to go ahead, making Melina instantly at a loss for how to speak.