Chapter 1: Dragon’s Blood
Ruri walked through the hallway of Sector One. It was crumbling apart, a shell of its former beauty. Piles of rubble littered the floor, and the blue sky above peered through the remains of the ceiling.
Ruri felt downcast and guilty over what she had done. Every pillar that stood in the castle was decorated with exquisite engravings, much as you would expect from where the mighty Dragon King dwelled—except now they all stood cracked and bent. The expensive-looking paintings that hung on the wall and the flower vases that adorned the halls were all mercilessly ripped and cracked, strewn on the floor. It looked like a tornado had passed through the area.
Ruri shuddered at the thought of what the total cost of damage was. She thought about giving some of the valuables in her pocket space to Euclase to be used for the cost of reconstruction later on. She had an abundance of paintings, flower vases, and furniture in there, all of which were probably gathered by the First Dragon King and Lydia. The sheer amount she had meant she would never use them all. Instead of wasting away, she figured that the items could be used in place of the damaged goods, if Euclase didn’t mind. Her pocket space held all sorts of items of varying quality—from run-down to regal—so they were perfectly usable so long as they didn’t clash with the aesthetic of the castle.
Reconstruction of Sector One would begin after Ruri departed for the Nation of the Beast King. She was set to leave tomorrow, so she needed to prepare. She walked to her own room and opened her closet. Her large belongings were stored inside of her pocket space, but she kept the smaller items and clothes she used on a daily basis in her room instead.
She took all those things and started throwing them one after another into her pocket space. Fortunately, nothing around Ruri’s room was destroyed, meaning the interior remained pristine, but since there would be a stream of traffic coming in and out in order to heighten security, it was better to leave as little in the room as possible. She had planned on taking her personal belongings with her to the Nation of the Beast King anyway.
“I guess this’ll do,” Ruri said as she packed the last of her things.
She then left Sector One and headed toward Jade’s temporary office in Sector Two, where Jade and the main aides of his court were currently gathered.
“Jade-sama, I’ve collected my things from my room.”
“I see. Then I’ll call in the peddlers so you can go with Joshua and pick out whatever you need. You’ll need to make preparations for your trip to the Nation of the Beast King. Also, Joshua will be accompanying you. After all, it’s better that you have someone close by your side, wouldn’t you say?”
“Oh, Joshua is coming too?” Ruri asked.
Ruri would have the spirits, but she feared the thought of going to an unknown land with someone she wasn’t close with. Hearing that it’d be a familiar face was a relief. Also, since the Nations of the Beast King and Dragon King had completely different cultures and customs from one another, it was reassuring to have Joshua, a well-traveled and worldly intelligence operative, accompanying her on the journey.
“Also,” Jade continued as he presented Ruri with a small glass bottle filled with red liquid, “take this with you as well.”
“What is this? It’s about as red as blood,” Ruri commented as she held up and shook the bottle, stirring the thick, red liquid.
“As you surmised, it’s my blood,” Jade affirmed in a nonchalant manner.
However, Ruri jumped in surprise, almost dropping the bottle out of her hands. “Your blood?! W-W-W-Why did you give me this?!”
Jade cracked an awkward smile. “Just calm yourself, Ruri. To be precise, it’s medicine made from my blood.”
“It’s...medicine? Okay, but this is still your blood, is it not?”
“Indeed it is. You are aware of the extraordinary resilience we dragonkin possess, aren’t you?”
“I am,” Ruri said, remembering their monstrous resilience—like brushing off stabs to the stomach or healing a normally fatal wound in a matter of days. Even when the fake Reapers came upon Ewan and stabbed him with that sword, he was moving around like normal. Even now, he was walking around as if nothing ever happened. None of the troops held back when they trained because there was no fear of them dying from “minor” injuries, so the training grounds were a literal bloodbath on a daily basis. However, since no other race was capable of keeping up with that level of training, the training grounds were separated for dragonkin and non-dragonkin.
“Dragonkin blood rejuvenates cells and has strong restorative abilities. Our blood makes our bodies powerful and extraordinarily resilient,” explained Jade.
“So, if you were to drink it or place it on a wound, would it heal injuries like a dragonkin?”
“Not taken as is, no. Dragonkin blood is far too strong for other races. This liquid is processed so that non-dragonkin can use it. If you use this medicine, it’ll immediately heal any wound—big or small. I want you to take it just on the off chance something happens. After all, I won’t be able to come along.”
“Oh wow. I didn’t know something like this existed. I appreciate this very much.”
The news of it being blood initially gave her a slight scare, but now that she knew it was medicine made from dragon blood like you’d see in a video game, Ruri marveled, (Ooh, very fantasy-like.)
“Handle that stuff with care, now,” Joshua added, joining the conversation. “I’d suggest not busting out that stuff in public, Ruri. The method for processing dragon’s blood medicine is a secret only known to dragonkin; they don’t sell that medicine at markets. It’s a rare item, and since it cures any injury, there’s tons of nations and people in power licking their chops at the prospect of getting their hands on it. If word got out that you had it, there’d be no shortage of people lining up to you, begging for it.”
“Huh? Are you serious?”
“Serious as serious can be. That’s why I’m warning you not to spill the beans about having it.”
Foreseeing the problems that came with the medicine, Ruri prayed that she never had to use it and then placed it into her pocket space.
“Just ask Joshua for instructions if you need them,” Jade said.
“Right,” Ruri replied.
“Welp, shall we go?” Joshua suggested. They needed to go to the peddlers’ location in order to prepare for tomorrow’s trip.
Ruri nodded and was about to reply to Joshua, but then Ewan, who was also in the room, stepped in front of Jade. “Um, Your Majesty!”
“What is it?”
“Would you allow me to accompany Ruri to the Nation of the Beast King as well?”
“I wouldn’t mind, but are you sure? Finn won’t be going.”
“Yes, I am well aware, Sire.”
Nobody who heard Ewan’s request could believe their ears. Ewan, brother complex extraordinaire who was constantly attached to Finn by the hip, was requesting to go somewhere away from Finn? Unbelievable. It might just snow tomorrow if this was any indication.
“Ewan, you’re asking to go away from Finn-san? Do you have a fever? Or is there a reason you need to go to the Nation of the Beast King?” Ruri asked.
Ewan fidgeted, his cheeks blushing.
“What’s with the reaction?” Honestly put, it was unsettling to her.
Whether Ewan picked that up from the look in Ruri’s eyes or not, he yelled at her in response as if he were covering up something. “T-There’s no hidden reason. I just want to go!” he said, turning back to Jade and taking a deep bow. “So, I implore you, Your Majesty!”
“Well, if you insist on going, then I don’t mind, but are you really sure? You won’t be able to come back until the castle is fixed. Which also means you won’t be able to see Finn until then,” Jade reminded him.
Ewan nodded firmly in reply. “Yes, I am fine with that.”
Since he was so set on going, Jade couldn’t very well refuse him. He allowed Ewan to accompany Ruri on her trip.
With their discussion over, Ruri, alongside Joshua and the hastily added Ewan, headed to the room where the peddlers were awaiting them.
“By the way, what are we buying to prepare?” Ruri asked.
“We might camp outdoors along the way, so we need stuff for that. Also, the Nation of the Beast King is hot, so we need some lighter clothes. Granted, they probably have stuff prepared over there, but...”
“Is there some issue with their clothes?”
“You’ve met the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King, right? That outfit is the norm over there. If they’ve got any clothes prepared, they’re most likely gonna be pretty similar.”
Ruri imagined the outfit that Celestine, the Beloved of the Nation of the Beast King, regularly wore. It was pretty much a dancing girl’s outfit. The skirt was made out of thin, wispy material that was almost completely transparent, and her low-cut crop top exposed her midriff. It was a scanty outfit that could only be worn if you were absolutely confident in your figure. Celestine, for example, had a great figure, so she filled the clothes out nicely. Ruri, on the other hand...
“Yeah, I don’t think I could wear that,” Ruri said, opposing the outfit out of embarrassment.
“Yup, I figured. That’s why we’re gonna buy some clothes. Also, we need some food.”
“They’ll have food over there, won’t they?” Ruri asked.
“Well, they do, but it’s pretty darn spicy,” said Joshua.
Ewan nodded profusely and furrowed his brow. “It’s not like it tastes bad, but their spices really hit you, so it’d be really rough to eat that every day. Humans aren’t accustomed to it, and since Ruri’s not used to it, we should probably get some stomach medicine for her too.”
“You’re right. Eating habits over there are altogether different from here, so we better get a hefty stock of medicine and rations.”
Ruri was fine with spicy foods to a certain point, but every day seemed rough. Following Ewan’s suggestion, they decided to go to the infirmary later on to pick up some stomach medicine.
“Oh, right. We’ll have to go to the city to buy food. What are we going to do?” Ruri asked.
The matter with the Church of God’s Light was yet to be resolved, and there was always the threat of them attacking again, which meant going into town was dangerous. It was so dangerous that they instead called the traveling peddlers to the castle for preparations for the trip. Ruri couldn’t go into town to buy food.
“We’re having them whip up a bunch of food in the castle kitchen right now. Aside from Ewan and me, a few soldiers will be coming along to act as bodyguards, so they’re making enough for them too. I’d venture that the kitchen is a madhouse right now.”
Since fixing the castle was going to take more than just one or two weeks, they would need that much food in reserve. Of course, they would be eating the food provided to them while abroad, but they would likely want an occasional bite of something familiar, seeing as how it was going to be a long stay. The food wouldn’t spoil if they kept it in Ruri’s pocket space either, so the more the better. Ruri just had to make sure to tell Lydia not to eat any of it without permission.
“If there’s anything you’d want to eat over there, you should go make a request.”
“Right. Well, I would like something sweet.” A daily dose of sweet indulgence was necessary. Ruri wasn’t familiar with their cuisine, meaning she was equally clueless about what their sweets had to offer, but considering their hot climate, she wanted some cold treats.
First the peddlers, then the infirmary, and finally the kitchen—as Ruri plotted those next few destinations in her mind, the three of them reached the room where the peddlers were set up.
The peddlers were probably informed in advance of their destination because most of the clothes they had prepared were light and bore some very Nation of the Dragon King-esque designs. While Ruri really wanted to get Euclase’s opinion on what apparel to buy, Euclase was busy with the aftermath of the last set of incidents. That being the case, Ruri relied on Rin and the peddlers’ own advice to make her selection. Then, she picked out all the essentials by listening to Joshua since he was used to traveling to various lands as an intelligence operative.
Ruri was in for a long trip, but she figured the people of the Nation of the Beast King would provide her with a warm and hospitable welcome once she arrived, so they would most likely also provide her with essentials for her stay in their royal castle. Therefore, she only needed clothes, since she wasn’t confident in the selection at her destination, and items that might be useful along the way to the nation. The accompanying soldiers were going to prepare the heavy equipment like camping tents, so Ruri actually didn’t have to pick much out.
Once she was done with everything, she placed it all into her pocket space. Then, following Joshua and Ewan’s advice, she made a trip to both the infirmary and the kitchen to pick up the remaining goods. With her preparations for the next day set, she decided to go to sleep early.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
After Ruri left his office, a stern-faced Jade gripped the report of the past incident as Euclase gave him news on a certain event.
“We’ve searched the castle, but we haven’t been able to locate him, Your Majesty.”
“And you’re saying they’re not still pinned under the rubble?” Jade asked.
“We’ve searched using the spirits, but there’s nothing under the rubble.”
“I see...”
A heavy silence fell over the room.
After the last incident, a dragonkin soldier went missing. According to the other accounts, that soldier was feeling sick due to food poisoning and was resting in the infirmary. Then, when he went to use the toilet, he disappeared off the face of the map. Jade considered that he just so happened to be around when Sector One was destroyed and was still pinned underneath the ensuing rubble, but Euclase denied that possibility. Of course, it was possible that he simply went back home, but he apparently didn’t do that either. No one knew where this soldier suddenly went off to.
“He couldn’t possibly be a traitor, could he...?” murmured Agate, whose voice echoed clearly in the silent office. This soldier had disappeared as soon as the case was closed. No one wanted to believe that a dragonkin would have taken part in this plot, but there was plenty of room for doubt.
Euclase, however, calmly refuted those qualms. “We can’t jump to conclusions just yet. According to that child’s story, another member of the Church of God’s Light was planning something behind the scenes. There’s a chance our soldier became embroiled in it, though.”
“Yes, but, I can’t imagine a dragonkin being subdued so easily,” Agate replied.
“Many of the soldiers around then were feeling sick from their food poisoning, so the possibility isn’t off the table.”
The effects of the poisoning varied from dragonkin to dragonkin, but those with bad symptoms felt languid and couldn’t wake from bed for several hours. That soldier apparently had enough energy to go to the bathroom, but who knew what would happen if someone had ambushed them while they were still sick.
“You mentioned that the Church of God’s Light was doing something behind the scenes, but do you know what that was exactly?” Jade asked.
“We aren’t sure yet,” Euclase said with a shake of their head. “The child has calmed down now, and he’s complying to our interrogation, but it’s clear he was a mere pawn to be disposed of at any time. Seems they only told him what he needed to know. However, there haven’t been any odd disturbances in the castle or in town. The only noticeable oddity is the lone disappearance of our soldier.”
“Have you informed Joshua and Ewan of that?”
“Yes. I’ve informed them to be vigilant on their journey since we haven’t uncovered their motives yet.”
“Good, in that case. Keep investigating the matter.” After a short pause, Jade sighed disappointedly and whispered, “I wish I could go along too...”
All of his aides gave him an awkward smile.
“You know that you cannot, Your Majesty. You have much work to do. If you were to leave the kingdom now, it would be a disaster,” Claus said, putting Jade down lightly.
“I am well aware of that,” Jade replied with a small glare, “but the thought of being apart from Ruri for who-knows-how-long puts me in a dour mood.”
“In that case, you would have been better sending her off to my mother’s house rather than the Nation of the Beast King. You could have gone to see her whenever you wanted.”
“It wasn’t really my choice to make. I wanted to do just as you suggested, but Celestine insisted.” Ruri had to be relocated from the castle for renovations, so Jade had suggested going to the Nation of the Beast King and sightseeing, but the one to initially propose the idea was Celestine. The reason for such was clear.
“I assume she wants to examine Ruri’s intimacy with Your Majesty, yes?” Euclase said.
“Celestine is not a fool like the Beloved from Cerulanda. She wouldn’t pick a fight with another Beloved, so it’ll be fine,” Jade assured. Though while she wouldn’t try to bump heads with Ruri, Jade could see Celestine eyeing her down as a means of observation. He was worried about what her plan was.
“What is the big idea here anyway, Your Majesty?” Euclase asked, drawing near Jade with squinted eyes.
“Big idea behind what?”
“That trinket around Ruri’s neck. That is a dragonheart, is it not? You’re not in a romantic relationship with her yet, right? How could you give her such an important thing if you’re not? Not only that, but Ruri doesn’t seem to comprehend the meaning behind it in the first place.”
“It’s a good luck charm. It’ll help me know wherever Ruri might be. And it will ward off any men that might approach her while I’m not around.”
Euclase and Claus both looked utterly bemused, having already predicted that being the reason. Normally, one wouldn’t just freely give away something that they only had access to once in their entire lives. Euclase and the other vassals of Jade’s court were terrified about the thought of Ruri entering into a relationship with another man despite having Jade’s dragonheart.
That being said, you probably couldn’t find a single demi-human willing to court Ruri while she was wearing that necklace even if you tried. It made Euclase feel a tad sorry for her. Ruri’s luck had run out now that a dragon had eyes for her, so Euclase secretly prayed that she didn’t fall in love with another man. If she were to fall for another, then the strongest dragon among all dragonkin would go berserk. Not even all the dragonkin in the land would be able to stop him. Sector One of the castle wouldn’t be the only place in ruins.
“If she’s wearing that around Celestine, then her assumptions about Ruri are going to become even stronger. I’m undoubtedly sure that she will notice the dragonheart,” Claus said in an exasperated tone.
Jade sighed deeply and said, “I just hope Celestine takes her rampage somewhere I can’t see it.”
“Ruri is a Beloved, so I doubt that she’ll be too harsh. Also, I believe those two get along quite well.”
“I sure hope so.” Jade recalled a few examples of Celestine swatting away any women who’d come near him in the past, so he couldn’t help but feel a little worried.
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