"Lord Vahn, thank you for meeting me despite my failure to inform you of my visit. I am Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself, Second Princess of the Kingdom of Re-Estize..." expressed Princess Renner, rising to her feet, pulling up the sides of her pale blue dress, and performing an impeccable curtsy as Vahn entered the sitting room where she and her companions awaited.
"I may not respond well to summons, but meeting those who have come to visit me in person costs me nothing but time," Vahn responded, making his way toward the group with relaxed movements before taking a seat on the crimson-cushioned, faux-gold-backed sofa across from Renner's. The boy called Climb frowned deeply and clenched his fists upon seeing him act with such disregard, but the youth dared not speak out of turn before a man whom his Princess showed deference.
Raising her head and maintaining a practiced smile, Princess Renner gestured to her two companions in turn, stating, "Allow me to introduce you to Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra and her companion, Evileye. I'm certain that Lord Vahn has already surmised as much, but they are the leader and a member of the Adamantite-ranked Adventurer Party, Blue Rose.
"It's a pleasure to make Your Lordship's acquaintance. And thank you for providing aid to this Kingdom and its people..." Lakyus expressed, offering Vahn a slow, affirming nod while holding his gaze with her sharp and clear blue eyes. The fact that she was able to stand and presumably sit next to Princess Renner indicated that they were close friends.
"Are you really a Dragon...?" questioned Evileye, standing off to the side and observing the interaction with crossed arms.
"E-Evileye! Do not be rude to His Lordship...!" Lakyus exclaimed, her eyes widening to their limits. She knew how candid and sharp-tongued Evileye could be, but she didn't expect her to question Vahn's status as a Dragon to his face.
"It's a reasonable question from where I'm standing," Evileye maintained, her concealed, blood-crimson eyes scrutinizing Vahn behind her mask as she noted, "While the composition of his power is very strange, he doesn't seem much stronger than Princess Renner's Knight."
'She must have an ability that allows her to ascertain a person's Level...' Vahn surmised, smiling in amusement.
"Miss Evileye has keen insight..." Vahn hummed, eliciting reactions from bewilderment to mild curiosity as he confirmed, "In my current state, my power isn't much greater than a Gold or Platinum-ranked Adventurer. But even if you were to gather hundreds of them together, they would not be able to best me. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"The amount of power that Lord Vahn can muster at any one time is capped, but you can continue to output that amount of power almost indefinitely. Is that it?" Princess Renner asked plainly, hitting the nail on the proverbial head with extreme ease.
"That is correct..." Vahn affirmed with a nod, holding Princess Renner's gaze as he teased, "Golden hair must vest people with great intellect in this Kingdom..."
"That still doesn't prove that you're a Dragon," Evileye asserted, her tone and body language making it clear she doubted everything that Vahn was saying.
"Oh? And how would you like me to prove myself? And what do either of us gain by me doing so...?" Vahn asked, materializing an elegant, kyosoku-style armrest and resting his right elbow upon it as he held Evileye's gaze behind her mask with a relaxed but dauntless smile.
"Lord Vahn, please forgive my colleague. She can be a little blunt, but I can assure you that she means well. More to the point, we didn't come here to question your identity but to request your assistance in a matter of grave importance..." Lakyus expressed with a notably cramped smile. She had, in fact, brought Evileye along with her to ascertain whether Vahn was what he claimed to be, but she hadn't expected the latter to call him out to his face.
Piggybacking off of Lakyus's words, Princess Renner revealed, "This very evening, a surprise coalition between the Kingdom's Knights and several trustworthy Adventurers will be staging attacks on bases belonging to the contemptible criminal organization known as The Eight Fingers. I believe that Lord Vahn is acquainted with the group?"
"I've had my fair share of run-ins with them," Vahn confirmed with a nod.
"I am sorry to hear that..." Princess Renner expressed, closing her eyes, cupping her hands over her stomach, and offering an apologetic bow as she expressed, "The Kingdom should have never permitted such a group to spread its influence within our borders. If Lord Vahn can help us rectify this oversight by providing Healing and Support Magic to the members of the raid teams, I swear to do everything in my admittedly limited power to ensure such evil is not allowed to take root a second time."
"If Lord Vahn participates, there will surely be far fewer casualties on both sides," Lakyus appended, discarding her momentary awkwardness for a charming smile.
"Mmn...very well, then. If nothing else, this should help clear the doubts some have about my capabilities..." Vahn responded evenly, directing his gaze at Evileye, who continued to bore holes into him with her gaze. She didn't give the impression that she would suddenly attack, but he could sense a simmering hostility radiating from her—the kind of hostility born from an associative hatred.
'Does she hate men? Or is her hostility directed at Dragonkind...?' Vahn wondered, his eyes narrowing imperceptibly. The others present might not have noticed, but he could feel a familiar aura from Evileye. He was almost certain she was a Vampire, but her state felt unnatural compared to Shalltear and her Vampire Brides. She reminded him of the Bount from Bleach—someone who absorbed souls rather than blood.
"Oh, I can't thank Lord Vahn enough for agreeing to assist us! Please, if there is anything you would like to request as a reward, I will grant you anything within my authority~" Princess Renner expressed, bringing her hands flat together and beaming radiantly.
"Material rewards are generally useless to me, but if the Kingdom finds my aid satisfactory, I would accept land or a plot within the capital where I can construct a workshop or dojo. I haven't made a decision, but I was thinking of passing on some of my knowledge and skills before continuing on my journey," Vahn revealed.
"Oh, how fortuitous! There is sure to be some pushback from the Noble Faction, but I shall petition my father personally to allow Vahn to spread his knowledge as he pleases~!" Princess Renner chimed merrily, looking even happier about the prospect of Vahn spreading his knowledge than about his assisting with the raid.
"The Kingdom will surely benefit from the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of a Dragon..." Lakyus affirmed with a nod, her pale green eyes looking at Vahn with newfound appreciation. She had presumed he was the arrogant type, but while his demeanor certainly lacked decorum, he was reasonable and cooperative. It was apparent that he thought very highly of himself, but he never overtly spoke down to them or attempted to put them in their place. Rather, even when Evileye was rude to him, he took her lack of tact in stride...
"And what could a Dragon as powerful as a Gold or Platinum-ranked Adventurer possibly teach? You're clearly talented to be able to take on a human appearance, but you can't be more than a few decades old if I've never heard your name," Evileye asserted, once again making things more awkward than they needed to be.
"Implying that you're decades old..." Vahn countered with a smile, causing the tattered crimson cloak veiling Evileye's diminutive frame to bristle and billow as her Magic Power surged.
"Evileye...!"
"Princess Renner...!"
Though he knew he could do little to protect Princess Renner from a high-tier spell in such a confined space, Climb still moved to shield her. Meanwhile, Lakyus moved to stand in front of Vahn.
"Calm yourselves. It's not as though I was actually planning to attack. I was just making it clear that being a Dragon didn't necessarily make him the most powerful person in the room..." Evileye contended nonchalantly, retracting her power. The fact that Vahn hadn't so much as flinched in the face of her clearly superior might bothered her, but she just assumed he was good at concealing his emotions.
"You're definitely stronger than most," Vahn affirmed, causing Evileye's right eye to twitch as he smiled and added, "But if the two of us were to fight, you would be surprised by how little magic power a person requires to best those limited by systems and convention."
"If you truly believe that, then, once this incident is behind us, let us have a match. We'll see exactly which of us is lacking..." Evileye responded, her voice low, filled with suppressed emotion. She was tempted to reveal that she had overpowered and even slain several Dragons—including a Dragon Lord—but she knew arrogance like Vahn's could only be quashed through the use of force.
"If you insist," Vahn responded, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes or exhale exasperatedly from his nose. Instead, he turned his attention to Princess Renner and noted, "Given the time, I imagine you came here on your way to meet with those participating in the raid. If so, you should be on your way. I will follow shortly."
"Then you must already know the location of our rendezvous point or possess an ability that allows you to locate specific people, bypassing conventional anti-detection measures..." Princess Renner surmised with a smile, prompting Vahn to, very slightly, raise his right brow. The truth was that he could use The Path's Map Function to designate and track targets within the range of his senses. To facilitate this, he had spread hundreds of Flying Thunder God Seals throughout the capital during his exploration, each functioning as a kind of signal repeater that expanded his coverage to the entire city and an approximately ten-meter area surrounding Gazef Stronoff.
'She has an exceptional intuition...' Vahn noted, his smile broadening as he all but confirmed Princess Renner's conjecture, professing, "I like to know the layout of the places I dwell—even temporarily. It makes moving freely much easier."
"Then we shall depart promptly and proceed with the expectation that Lord Vahn will appear and render his assistance as he sees fit~" Princess Renner expressed, punctuating her singsong words with another flawless curtsy. Her carefully chosen words had effectively given Vahn the license to act independently of the rest of the raiding parties, provoking reactions of surprise from Lakyus, frustration from Evileye, and honest stupefaction from Climb.
"It appears this nation would benefit from some progressive reforms. You would make an excellent successor to your father, King Ramposa..." Vahn hummed, surprising the other three and causing Princess Renner's eyes to narrow into an expression of mirth as he rose to his feet and extended his hand as a courtesy. Princess Renner smoothly entrusted him with her own, allowing him to bend forward and plant a kiss on it, sending a wave of pale gold across her body.
"You—what did you just do to Princess Renner...!?" exclaimed Climb, a wave of panic washing over him as he knew he wasn't Vahn's match. Yet, even as his hands and body trembled, he postured as if he were prepared to draw his sword.
Raising his head, Vahn revealed, "I have gifted you with my blessing. It will only trigger once, but if you're ever in danger, it will protect your life from all harm for ten seconds. Now, go forth. Liberate your people from those who have denied them the birthright of freedom. And should you choose a similar path for yourself in the future, my doors are always open to those who seek to better the world before their passing."
"I lack such ambitions, but I shall keep Lord Vahn's words in my heart and cherish them always..." Princess Renner expressed, folding her hands over her lap and offering Vahn a polite bow rather than a curtsy.
"Then I hope that when I inevitably meet your brothers, they're at least half as capable..." Vahn hummed, offering a slow, approving nod before standing with his hands behind his back as the group bid their farewells and departed. Seconds after they had, the space within the sitting room became tense, filled with a kind of static only the most magically attuned could hear.
fwoom
Following the appearance of a black and purple portal, the familiar figure of Demiurge emerged, his usual devilish grin in place as he offered a low, almost theatrical bow. Then, following a cursory exchange, Vahn listened with an impassive expression as the Demon explained Nazarick's personal plans for the evening...
...
..
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