Chapter 60
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Summons
Just a few steps after leaving the room where Night Watch had been kept, Felicia abruptly stopped and turned around.
Ingong, who was walking slightly behind with Caitlin, looked at Felicia as if to ask what was wrong. Felicia hesitated, then opened her mouth.
“Hey, do we really not have any time? I'd like to at least give this floor a quick look-around. It'll make it easier to explore the rest when we come back next time.”
Her face was filled with genuine disappointment.
At Felicia's somewhat wheedling tone, Silvan let out a short sigh. For once looking like a proper older brother, he said admonishingly,
“Felicia.”
“What do you think, Shutora?”
But her voice drowned him out. Felicia kept her pleading gaze on Ingong, who furrowed his brow and answered.
“Well, like Seira said, ten days is a pretty generous amount of time. And Felicia has a point. It would be a shame to leave just like this, wouldn't it?”
This was an Elder Dragon's lair, after all.
The party had explored quite a few places related to Elder Dragons, but this was the first time they had visited a lair in person.
In the case of the great Enkidu, they had visited his treasury, not his lair. As for the Watcher Ainkel, they hadn't even managed to visit a place that could be called her ruins.
As Ingong took her side, Felicia's face brightened, as if she'd been energized.
“See? You think so too, Shutora, right? It's just such a shame to leave so abruptly, isn't it?”
Perhaps because of her disappointment and desperation, Felicia was more emotional than usual. It was an incredibly cute sight, but Ingong forced himself to remain composed as he continued.
“But like you said, we'll only be able to give it a quick look. I'd guess we've only seen about half of this floor. We can't afford to be delayed for several days, can we?”
He was making an educated guess based on the scale he'd seen on his mini-map.
Of course, this was a source he couldn't reveal to the others, and his own guess could have been wrong, but to the party, his words were as good as fact.
“Felicia.”
With everyone else in agreement, the isolated Silvan called Felicia's name again, only to be ignored once more.
Felicia crossed her arms, tilted her head, and let out a troubled hum before speaking.
“Hmm, then maybe just for today? We can tell Lord Amita we'll leave this evening... I mean, tonight.”
It wasn't a carriage; it was an airship. While it might be an imposition on Silvan's crew, they could travel at any time, whether night or dawn. Resting wouldn't be an issue either. They could simply rest in their quarters while the airship was on the move.
Felicia pursed her lips and gazed at Ingong with pleading eyes. Delia, who was just as interested in exploring ruins as Felicia, looked at him with a similar expression.
Would Ingong give his permission, or not?
As all eyes were on them, Silvan once again felt a sense of isolation.
In this situation, shouldn't he—Silvan, the eldest, the owner of the airship, and Felicia's older brother—be the one they were asking for permission?
Why on earth was Felicia asking permission from Shutora, the youngest prince?
As Silvan writhed with a sense of dissonance, Ingong let out a sigh and a helpless smile.
“I suppose that would be fine.”
They just had to return to the Demon King's castle within ten days. A half-day's difference was unlikely to cause any major issues.
And truth be told, Ingong was also curious about the areas they hadn't yet explored.
They had obtained Night Watch, the armament of the Fierce Kaltein, so their primary objective was complete. Still, it would be a shame to leave with only that one item.
‘We might even be able to find more information.’
Records about the extinct precursor race.
Information about who attacked the Fierce Kaltein's lair.
Neither was immediately important, but there was no harm in finding out.
The moment Ingong gave his permission, Felicia clenched her fists and hopped in place, her face as bright and innocent as a child's.
“Yes! Awesome! Let's go explore some more!”
“Felicia.”
Silvan called out to Felicia for the third time. This time, instead of ignoring him, she did something even worse.
“You can head back to the airship, brother. You know how to use the magic tool for breathing underwater, right?”
At her cruel dismissal, Silvan's shoulders slumped.
“I'll just come with you.”
“Suit yourself.”
Felicia turned away briskly, humming a tune as she headed toward an unexplored passage. As the others followed, Karak gently patted Silvan on the shoulder.
“Chin up, Prince.”
Being consoled by an orc—and Shutora's aide, no less—was deeply uncomfortable, but Silvan couldn't bring himself to scold Karak for his impertinence.
Was it some kind of irresistible charm?
It was, after all, genuinely comforting.
Karak clicked his tongue, patting Silvan's shoulder a few more times, and Silvan trudged onward with a sullen expression.
&
Following Felicia's lead, the party explored Kaltein's lair for about three hours and reaped some handsome rewards.
They found no more armaments on par with Night Watch, but they did acquire several useful artifacts, a substantial amount of gold and jewels, and—from Felicia's perspective—archaeological materials far more valuable than gold.
Although they couldn't find any more records about the extinct precursor race, Ingong was satisfied. Thanks to Felicia, who had thoroughly learned the Sword Duke's lessons (?) on dungeon delving, they had managed to secure a considerable amount of treasure.
They had already amassed a good deal of treasure, but when it came to treasure, the more the better.
Just as their allotted time was running out, they discovered a staircase leading to a lower floor. Felicia's expression shifted from disappointment to outright sorrow, but delaying any further was out of the question.
For some unknown reason (?), Silvan was also quite dejected. The sight of the dark elf siblings looking sullen side-by-side was strangely cute, yet pitiful.
However, Ingong urged Felicia on with a firm expression, and the party managed to leave Kaltein's lair on schedule.
“Weigh anchor and set the sails! We return to the Spider Forest at once! Fly, fly, my Black Flame Dragon!”
The moment he stepped onto the airship's deck, Silvan roared to the heavens as if releasing all his pent-up frustrations. It was an eccentric display, but also his usual routine, so his crew hurried to prepare for departure without a word.
Another half-day passed.
In the darkest hour before dawn, the party arrived at the Spider Forest.
“You could have just come in the morning. What the hell is this nonsense at this hour?”
At the entrance to the small shrine, Amita, nestled in Daphne's arms, swore under their breath with sleepy eyes.
Instead of asking if raccoons weren't naturally nocturnal, Ingong turned his gaze to a welcome face standing beside Daphne.
“I've returned, Your Highness.”
“I'm back as well. Good work, Karma.”
Karma smiled back at Ingong's reply, but her expression seemed a bit awkward. After all, everything had been resolved while she was away calling for reinforcements. It seemed she was disappointed that, in the end, she hadn't been of any help.
Karak gave her a comforting look, and Karma offered a bashful smile.
Just then, Daphne, still holding Amita, widened her eyes as she looked toward the Black Flame Dragon.
“Is that... could it be a dragon?”
The silver scales seemed to emit a light of their own.
Amita narrowed their eyes, then shook their head from within Daphne's embrace.
“No, that's a sea serpent. The beast that could be called the master of the Sun Lake. So that's what became of it.”
They clicked their tongue, but their voice held a note of satisfaction. Their mood seemingly improved, they asked the party in a rather cheerful tone,
“Anyway, what brings you here at this hour? Did something urgent happen?”
There must have been a reason they'd pushed themselves to leave the lake, knowing they would arrive in the middle of the night.
Felicia stepped forward to answer.
“Lord Amita, something has come up, and we must return to the Demon King's castle at once. We apologize for the imposition; we were in a hurry to pick up Daphne and Karma.”
“Hm? Returning to the Demon King's castle? Then what about the equipment I was supposed to make?”
They had only just begun the work, so there wasn't a single finished piece yet.
Karak blinked and asked.
“Hey, Master Raccoon. Do you do deliveries, by any chance?”
“Nonsense! I might consider it if you came to pick it up, but me doing deliveries? Don't be ridiculous.”
Amita wasn't some neighborhood smithy; they were the greatest blacksmith in the world. Deliveries were out of the question.
Karak grinned as if he'd expected that response, then asked again in an insinuating tone.
“Then how about coming with us?”
“What?”
“You have to protect that Final Flame anyway, right? Instead of hiding out in some strange place, why not just come with us? There's no safer place than the Demon King's castle.”
Having said his piece, Karak shot a subtle glance at Daphne. Catching his meaning instantly, Daphne quickly added her support.
“That's a wonderful idea. Please come with us, Lord Amita. Won't you?”
“A wonderful idea, my foot! This only benefits you!”
Amita narrowed their eyes and roared. But Daphne, having grown accustomed to Amita over the past two days, didn't even bat an eye. She suddenly put on a sad face and let out a mournful voice.
“I love being with you, Lord Amita. Don't you feel the same way?”
It was a transparently manipulative ploy, but one that was impossible to resist even knowing its nature.
For some reason, Ingong was reminded of Silvan. He silently watched Amita, his lips sealed. As expected, Amita grew flustered.
“W-well, it's not that...”
There it is. They're halfway hooked. Felicia quickly approached Amita.
“Lord Amita, I want to spend more time with you, too. Right, Caitlin?”
“Yes, it goes without... No, Lord Amita is amazing.”
Caitlin's 'amazing' was, as always, amazing. Amita flinched, momentarily clutching their chest.
But Amita was not so easily swayed by a bit of flattery. They leaped from Daphne's arms, glared at the assembled women, and shouted.
“Hmph! No! I will not be tempted!”
Their stance was quite firm. Daphne let out a sigh and changed tactics.
“Lord Amita, didn't you say you needed to adjust the Ninth Prince's armaments?”
“Huh? Daphne, what do you mean?”
Ingong asked in surprise, and Daphne replied in a calm tone.
“You said that while they are fine armaments, they haven't been properly calibrated yet. You also mentioned wanting to adjust them to perfectly suit His Highness the Ninth Prince.”
These were the armaments of an Elder Dragon, no less.
Ingong turned to Amita in a hurry.
“Lord Amita?”
“Ugh, still no!”
It seemed the prospect of working on an Elder Dragon's armaments was a great temptation for Amita as well.
Ingong looked down at Amita for a moment, then suddenly broke into a grin.
“Please wait a moment.”
With that, he disappeared into the shrine. A short while later,
The moment Ingong returned to the shrine's entrance, Amita leaped into the air. Blinking with a startled expression, they glanced back inside the shrine and cried out in bewilderment.
“Gasp?! Really?!”
Naturally, there was no reply, but it seemed Amita heard one. Their shoulders slumped as they mumbled their understanding a few times before letting out a long sigh. They turned to Ingong and roared.
“You scoundrel! What in the world did you do to the Final Flame! Why is the Final Flame telling me to go with you!”
Amita's tail thumped angrily against the ground.
But Ingong simply gave a relaxed smile and said to Amita,
“You'll be coming with us, won't you?”
“Ugh... I have no choice.”
It was an order from the Final Flame, after all.
Publicly, they posed as the user or guardian of the Final Flame, but in reality, they served it.
Amita sighed once more and said,
“The Final Flame needs time to prepare for the journey, so we can't leave right away. Its separation from the ley lines isn't complete yet. The earliest we can depart is noon tomorrow.”
“Understood. The crew of the Black Flame Dragon needs to rest as well, so that works out perfectly.”
None of them had slept during the midnight flight. Resting from now until noon would relieve their fatigue, even if it meant reversing their days and nights.
As the conversation wound down, Silvan, who had been cautiously observing, sidled up to Amita. It seemed, from the way things were going, that everyone in the party was set to receive a piece of equipment from the blacksmith.
“Excuse me, Lord Amita, could I also have an armament...?”
“What? Why should I? Huh? Why would I do that!”
Amita snapped as if they'd been waiting for this, and Silvan quickly retreated.
“Ah, never mind.”
Amita was an acquaintance of the Sword Duke, after all. Silvan had no desire to get on their bad side over something trivial.
“Chin up.”
Karak clicked his tongue and patted Silvan's shoulder. Silvan nodded with a dejected look.
&
The next day, at noon.
Having finished their preparations, Amita stood before the small shrine, thumping their tail on the ground in a huff.
“Don't laugh! I said don't laugh!”
Amita wore a small wooden box on their back like a pack. The jet-black wood was inscribed with several golden magic circles, making it clear at a glance that it was no ordinary object. On a raccoon's back, however, it simply looked like a cute accessory.
“A raccoon with a backpack is so cute.”
Caitlin murmured, and most of the party nodded with delighted smiles.
Ingong suppressed a laugh and asked,
“Lord Amita, is the Final Flame inside that box?”
“It is. So you must treat it with respect.”
With that, Amita thumped their tail on the ground a few times, then hopped aboard the Black Flame Dragon.
After bidding farewell to Keplang, the guardian spirit of the Spider Forest, the party delayed no further.
Its jet-black sails unfurled, the Black Flame Dragon slowly gained altitude. Felicia, who had been teasing the temperamental Amita, approached Silvan as he stood posing at the prow. Something about the way he held himself seemed different.
Despite everything, Silvan was a good older brother, and he and Felicia were close. To others, Silvan might have looked the same as always, but not to Felicia.
“Silvan, what's with that look?”
Normally, Silvan always tried to strike a cool pose. But now, he was different. He stared into the distance with a somewhat lost gaze, then offered an awkward smile in response.
“Because we're on our way to see Chris.”
How many years had it been since their last reunion?
The Black Flame Dragon caught the wind. Carried on its currents, it flew toward its destination: the palace of the Lycanthropes.
The land where the Seventh Prince, Chris Moonlight, and the Fourth Queen, Elaine Moonlight, resided.