Cyron's Lair (1)
Selena was on the verge of despair from never getting a single moment of rest, while Bagan simply watched Razetta being dragged away with a satisfied smirk, thinking she deserved it. Of course, he had no intention of actually leaving her to her fate.
When Protavist had shown up, Bagan had carefully memorized that mana signature. The octopus-headed guardian probably never imagined that Bagan would be strong enough to track him down.
'I didn't even know I could do this until now.'
Thanks to diligently spinning his core even inside the dungeon, he felt like he'd taken another clear step forward. Because of that, he had no worries at all right now.
He'd marked Protavist's mana and overlaid it with his own to create a path. The process was happening almost automatically, so Bagan turned to the anxious Selena and spoke.
"First, just hear me out. Up until now, we've lacked proper justification."
Bagan lifted Selena's chin, raising the woman who'd hung her head in defeat after Razetta was taken and no one was left to grant her any rest.
"Yeah, so…"
She recovered faster than expected, her mind clearing as she demanded an explanation from him.
"…It might actually be a good thing that Razetta was taken. She has to experience it herself to understand. If Cyron really likes her, he won't hurt her. While that's happening, if we rescue her, Razetta will finally understand your struggles and give you some time off."
In truth, this was nothing more than simple revenge rather than some grand scheme, but to lift the spirits of the woman whose shoulders had slumped so low, he didn't hesitate to say it.
And surprisingly, Bagan's plan was perfect. When she thought about it, it made sense. Razetta simply hadn't gone through it herself yet, so she couldn't understand Selena's feelings.
'After this, I'm definitely going to get that break.'
Selena's eyes burned with determination as she stared at the mountain of Razetta's unfinished work.
"But… how exactly are we supposed to find Lady Razetta?"
The moment she tried to act on that determination, she hit a wall. All Selena knew was that Protavist had flown off at the speed of light through a window that had been ripped out. To her, that was just another problem that needed fixing immediately.
So Selena found herself tasting despair once again.
"There's nothing we can do."
"It's fine. I memorized his mana signature just in case something like this happened. He's going pretty far, though."
Even while talking to her, Bagan was pouring his power into tracing the trail so he wouldn't lose Protavist. A mage being able to multitask like this is basic. With that thought, he waited for Protavist to stop in one place.
"What? I knew you'd be able to do it!"
Overjoyed, Selena's armor dissolved as she threw her arms around Bagan.
"Ah, yeah. Sure."
Bagan tried to remember how long it had been since someone had hugged him. He hadn't even done it with Sally, and while Arien occasionally acted spoiled, she only ever went as far as having her head patted.
'I don't think it was like this with Barret either.'
In other words, this was the first time Bagan had ever been hugged by a woman.
"Ah, sorry. It's a habit from when good things happen with Lady Razetta…"
"No, it was nice."
'Especially since she's beautiful.'
He swallowed the rest of his words, and the two of them stepped back to straighten their clothes. They lingered in an awkward atmosphere for quite a while until Selena's next words finally broke the tension.
"Then, um, let me know the moment you pinpoint his location. We'll chase after him with a warship."
"Mm."
Selena was thinking of operating one of De Marinda's warships for the first time in a while. Whether it was due to Razetta's greed or a genuine desire to protect the citizens, the navy was the one area where they spent money like water.
De Marinda, which had needed to strengthen its ships to earn money, had attracted the best shipbuilders capable of creating top-tier warships. As a result, they now had over fifty such vessels.
When you considered that other port cities barely had fifty fishing boats in total, it spoke volumes about the dignity of De Marinda's navy.
And the quality? De Marinda's warships had reached a level that rivaled dwarven craftsmanship. They were galleon-class vessels with over thirty crew members per ship. They were equipped with devices for crossing rough seas, and their durability was so incredible that they could keep operating as long as they didn't take on water and sink. With three masts and three sails, their speed was astonishingly fast for their size.
They could truly be called the best navy in the world.
"I'll go inspect the warship for departure. Just send word to the harbor."
With those words, Selena left. She hated work, but she had a tendency to handle anything she was given with excellence. In situations like this, she became incredibly reliable.
'She's pretty cool.'
Seeing her like this made Bagan feel like he was finally looking at the Selena he knew, and it filled him with fresh emotions.
That aside, after she left, Bagan fell into one particular dilemma.
'How do I get Razetta out of there?'
Since it was a kidnapping, rescuing her wouldn't be that difficult. The problem was that the opponent was a dragon.
'I can't kill Cyron either.'
Even if he tried again, it probably wouldn't work. Palamus had already been past his lifespan and weakened, but Cyron was still a perfectly healthy male dragon.
After pondering for a long time, Bagan finally nodded and muttered.
"I guess that's the only way, huh?"
A sly smile spread across Bagan's face.
Meanwhile, Protavist, who had kidnapped Razetta and dragged her to the lair, stepped into the nest where Cyron lived.
The lair was a magnificent temple deep beneath the sea. Around the temple were the ruins of what looked like destroyed houses, making it clear that this place had once been a village or city. But now it served as Cyron's lair, and since it created a mysterious atmosphere, he hadn't bothered to clean it up.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
Protavist used a special power to restrain Razetta while allowing her to breathe underwater and preventing her from opening her mouth. At first he'd left her mouth free, but she'd learned every curse word under the sun and used them to annoy him, so he'd sealed it shut.
"Mmmph! Mmph!"
Figuring that opening her mouth now would just lead to more swearing, he set her down in front of one of the temple's pillars.
"……"
Razetta immediately went quiet. She already knew they'd arrived.
"Have you finally decided to stay quiet?"
Razetta didn't move a muscle. But Protavist took her silence as tacit agreement and released the restraint on her mouth.
"Ugh, you bastard! You fucking—"
"Looks like it's still not time yet."
Protavist walked away with wet, slapping footsteps between the temple pillars. Outside the pillars, seawater churned violently, but inside there was no water at all—just a wide passageway. Continuing deeper through the passage would finally lead to Cyron's lair, known as his true nest.
It was an unwritten rule that a dragon's lair must never be revealed, so they were usually heavily concealed. The reason this one was made so easy to reach was simple: the temple itself was located several tens of thousands of meters below the sea. At that depth, reaching it should have been impossible. And even if someone managed to get there, Protavist was standing guard.
'This is Master Cyron's lair.'
With deep reverence for his lord, he moved carefully. The passage featured stairs that gradually descended. For a dragon's staircase, it was quite narrow, but it was wide enough for two or three humans to pass comfortably. That meant even the bulky Protavist and the following Razetta could move through it together.
After descending the stairs, they immediately entered a vast cavern. Beautiful blue brick walls surrounded the space, and in the center lay Cyron with his tail curled around himself.
The cavern was large enough to accommodate even a dragon's massive body, which said everything that needed to be said.
"You've returned. Another failure today, I presume. It seems Razetta truly despises this body."
What kind of dragon would be so gloomy over failing to win someone's love? It was a sight that really didn't suit the mightiest and strongest being in existence.
"My lord, please look at the woman I have brought. I am certain she will please you."
Protavist had deliberately not mentioned that he'd brought Razetta, hoping to surprise the sulking Cyron.
"Did you bring another siren as usual? This body already feels guilty for invading the sirens' city in the past and turning it into my lair. I told you not to do it again."
Indeed, Cyron's lair was the former Atlantis. The current Atlantis existed in another sea, but in the past, it had been located right here.
Cyron hadn't even looked at Protavist, assuming he'd simply captured another siren. But then—
'Hm? This aura…?'
The aura he sensed was nothing like a siren. It was very cold, yet pure and fragrant. Sometimes sharp like a blade, but the more one looked, the more beautiful it became.
'Like a blue rose… You…'
Cyron immediately unfurled his tail and turned his head toward Protavist.
"Ahhh, my dear, you have finally come to this body."
He had seen Razetta. And upon noticing her bound state, Cyron roared.
"Release her at once!! What are you doing?!"
Knowing that the roar wasn't born of genuine anger, Protavist undid her restraints and bowed his head.
"Aaaaaargh! So you really brought me here! You fucking… bald-headed, tentacle-sucking octopus bastard! I can't even boil you into fucking sushi, you perverted piece of shit!"
Razetta was absolutely furious.
"My dear, you must have suffered so much coming all this way."
Whatever rose-colored glasses Cyron was wearing, he interpreted her rage as distress.
"You're a fucking bastard too! Take a hint already! I've rejected you enough, you insane perverted dragon asshole!"
"It seems thorns have grown on your tongue, my dear."
"If you wish, I can restrain her mouth once more…"
"Now now! There is no need. This too is a spicy charm of its own."
Completely ignored, Razetta felt like she was losing her mind as the two continued their conversation.
'Why is everyone here a fucking lunatic?'
Just as she was thinking there wasn't a single sane person around, Cyron gently wrapped his tail around her.
"Wha—? Hey! Hey!!"
He wasn't using much strength, but Razetta was lifted by the tail and brought into Cyron's embrace. Then Cyron changed form. Using Polymorph, he returned to the human shape she'd seen before.
Razetta was now held in his arms.
"Ah."
Though a white cloth draped from his chest muscles down to his lower body, his upper torso was practically bare. She'd tried to avoid looking at his face by turning away, but his embrace carried a fragrant scent.
"My dear, this form should be a bit more comfortable for you."
Even his speech pattern had changed. He had truly decided to love Razetta with all his heart.
"Th-that…"
Razetta couldn't get her words out properly. Because of that, Cyron assumed she was simply feeling shy.
Protavist, watching from behind, also thought things were going well. After all, Cyron's ultimate technique—the sudden embrace—seemed to be working perfectly.
However—
"Stop it!! You crazy bastard!!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Completely unaware of their misunderstanding, Razetta pounded wildly on Cyron's chest. Her strength was weak and caused no damage, but Cyron's heart had already been shattered in two.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize you hated it this much…"
Cyron released her and apologized. Seeing him fidget awkwardly made him look rather pitiful. But that was that, and hate was hate.
"Enough! What are you going to do?! You dragged me all the way here—what the hell do you even want?!"
She had a mountain of work waiting for her. What could he possibly want after kidnapping her like this?
She understood that Cyron liked her. But if she didn't like him back, shouldn't that be the end of it?
"I wish to live together with you."
"Ptooey! Just die already!"
Razetta was making her disgust blatantly obvious, but Cyron's broken heart was still beating.