The White Cat That Swore Vengeance Was Just Lazing on the Dragon King’s Lap - Volume 7 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The New Guard

Some time had passed since everyone had returned from the Nation of the Spirit King to the Nation of the Dragon King. Gibeon, the young man they’d brought back to the kingdom, was quickly getting used to life at the castle, perhaps due to his friendly personality. He also gained respect for Heat and would occasionally travel down to the shop Heat frequented—the one run by Ruri’s mother, Riccia.

Ruri couldn’t help but roll her eyes at how Gibeon always came to respect the wrong people. In fact, she wanted to ask him what part of Heat he actually respected. Were they just resonating as fellow womanizers?

Not only was Ruri worried as to whether Gibeon would cause issues for other people, but so was Jade, the person who’d decided to bring the young man back with them in the first place. Thanks to Riccia, though, who’d been keeping a watchful eye on Gibeon at the shop, Gibeon had been on his best behavior.

When Ruri would ask Riccia about him, she would reply, “He is a very good boy!” Perhaps Riccia had a knack for being an animal trainer, because it wasn’t just Gibeon who was affected by her influence, but Heat as well, who was as docile as a lamb while in her presence. Though she was Ruri’s mother, she was a frightening force to be reckoned with. Ruri had asked her mother the secrets to her success, but Riccia would simply smile and not answer. Nevertheless, Ruri could take solace in the fact that Heat and Gibeon were both terrified of Riccia behind her back.

Although Joshua had been assigned to keep tabs on Gibeon when Gibeon first started leaving the castle, the surveillance on him had been lifted, given the current situation and the fact that he was doing a fine job helping Euclase with their work.

Not only had Gibeon infiltrated the Nation of the Spirit King’s castle, but he’d also kidnapped a sacred beast cub, special animals that were under the nation’s exclusive care. He’d even taken Ruri, a Beloved, as a hostage. On the other hand, Gibeon was originally the prince of a kingdom, and because he’d done whatever it took to survive after the collapse of his homeland, there was a margin for sympathy. Although everyone had been on the lookout for him to cause problems because of his ridiculous track record, it seemed that Jade had trusted Gibeon enough to remove the secret security he had on him.

As an aside, Joshua, who’d been watching Gibeon around the clock, was pleased as punch that he was free at long last.

Unfortunately, whenever Riccia wasn’t around, Gibeon would hit on women without a second thought, and today, as usual, when he spotted Ruri, he came running toward her with arms wide open.

“Aah, there you are, my beloved Ruri~! It’s me, your wonderful lover, Gibeon!”

Ruri twitched in fear as she sensed Jade’s mood souring beside her. Whether Gibeon couldn’t see Jade’s expression or he was just plain ignoring it, he ran straight over and...took a kick from Jade square to the stomach.

“Oof!”

“This is my Ruri!” Jade declared, looking at Gibeon as if he were an insignificant worm. “She has never been yours for even a second. Now, stay away from her.”

While Ruri didn’t mind Jade dealing with Gibeon, she did hope that Jade would stop constricting her in his arms as if he were trying to physically prove that she belonged to him. It was making it hard to breathe.

“Waah, Ruri~! The Dragon King is bullying meee!” Gibeon cried, doubled over. He reached out his hand toward Ruri...but Jade mercilessly stomped on it and started grinding his heel. “Gaaah! That really hurts! That hurts, no joke!”

“Then be gone and never be seen again,” Jade replied.

Ruri had lost count of how many times she’d seen this exact exchange. Considering that Gibeon never backed off, it almost appeared as though he was actually enjoying the situation. Rumors had been floating around the castle that he was a huge masochist, and Jade being Jade, he would always end up entertaining Gibeon.

“Ha ha haah...” Ruri’s dry chuckle turned into a sigh as she watched what had become a part of her daily routine. She then shot an exasperated look at Gibeon, who’d finally gotten back to his feet. “I wish you would just give up already if you know you’re going to get beat down every time.”

“As your officially approved lover, I can’t let this little obstacle get the better of me,” gloated Gibeon with a smug look on his face.

That, unfortunately, only worsened Jade’s mood, and he shouted, “You’re not officially approved for anything!”

“Now, now, Jade-sama, settle down,” Ruri said. She was worried that he would burst a blood vessel sooner or later. “This is just the way Gibeon is, so if you keep getting angry every single time he acts this way, then you’ll never see the end of it.”

“Yes, I know. I know that, but...” Jade trailed off, trying his best to contain himself.

Sadly, Gibeon couldn’t take a hint, and he wasted Ruri’s effort in no time. “Yeah, if you keep getting angry like that, Ruri will get fed up with you~! Oh, but then again, if that does happen, then I guess it’s my job to tenderly comfort her as her lover. My arms are always open, after all~!”

Ruri’s eyes widened in shock as Jade silently picked up his sword.

“Uh-oh, this is bad,” Gibeon said, seeming to finally understand that he’d taken things too far. He grimaced and ran away like a bat out of hell.

Jade tossed his sword at Gibeon’s back mid-stride, but the barrier around him deflected it, and it ended up sticking into the wall beside him. Although its force had been diminished by bouncing off the barrier, the sword stuck deep into the stone wall. It had so much initial force behind it that it made one wonder how hard Jade had thrown it. The attack would have skewered Gibeon for sure if he hadn’t been blessed by the Spirit of Light.

“Tch, it missed,” Jade grumbled, clicking his tongue in extreme disappointment.

Naturally, the blood drained from Gibeon’s face. “Wait, wait, wait! You actually tried to kill me by throwing that, didn’t you?!”

“Of course,” Jade admitted.

“Is that any way for the Dragon King to act?! Your approval rating with your subjects is gonna tank if you keep up that narrow-minded attitude, you know!” Gibeon fussed, albeit timidly and from a considerable distance away, but once he saw Jade pull another sword from his pocket space, he quickly fled.

Jade clicked his tongue in disappointment yet again while Ruri awkwardly chuckled. Jade then turned his attention to Ruri, staring intently into her eyes before taking her into a very deep and public embrace.

Only dragonkin were passing by the area, so no one even batted an eye at them for getting affectionate in the middle of the flow of traffic. It was a common sight among the dragonkin, after all. Actually, Jade’s shows of affection were apparently milder than others of his race. Ruri was curious how other mates maintained their marital relationships, but if their actions were even more intense than Jade’s, then she would probably need to muster up some courage before asking.

“It was a mistake to bring him back with us. Maybe I should ship him away now. No, actually...” Jade suddenly turned to Kotaro, who had been standing next to the pair. “Lord Kotaro, are you any good at assassination?”

It was quite an unsettling question—one that should never have been asked.

“Yes, since I am the Spirit of Wind, that is my forte. I am willing, so long as it is necessary to protect Ruri.”

Jade silently nodded, but Ruri naturally couldn’t be willfully oblivious to all of this.

“Jade-sama, Kotaro, what are you two plotting?!” she questioned.

“Ruri, that cad will only cause you harm. We should get rid of him while we can, don’t you think?”

“I concur,” Kotaro added.

“Well, I don’t! Don’t you dare do that, Kotaro! Got it?!” Ruri said sternly.

Kotaro dropped his tail, his shoulders slumping, and reluctantly said, “Grr... If you insist, Ruri...”

“That goes for you too, Jade-sama!”

“Fine...” Jade looked extremely conflicted, but after a long pause, he begrudgingly nodded. However, dissatisfied with taking things lying down, he suddenly spoke as if genius had struck him.

“Yes, I’ve got it. I’ll assign you a personal guard, Ruri.”

“Huh?” Ruri uttered.

“I’ve been considering the idea for a while. Ewan also suggested that I assign you someone who could keep you under control, since you’re so needlessly active.”

“Ewan, you twerp.”

Ewan apparently still had a chip on his shoulder from when Ruri had gone out and about in the Nation of the Spirit King without any consideration. She could understand where Ewan was coming from, but having a guard with her from sunup to sundown was too stifling.

“Jade-sama, that won’t be necessary. I have Kotaro and the other spirits,” she assured him.

“No, spirits and people see things differently. While I know you’re in good hands with the supreme-level spirits, I think you’ll need a guard all the same—one of the same sex.”

“You mean a female guard? A dragonkin?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

As far as Ruri could recall, she’d never seen a female dragonkin soldier. Several of the maids who attended to her personal needs were dragonkin, and female soldiers of different races were around, but she’d never met one that was a dragonkin. She frequented the dragonkin training grounds in Sector Five, but all she ever saw were men.

“There is someone like that around here?” she asked. “I’ve never seen a female dragonkin soldier myself.”

“Dragonkin women are strong, of course, but there is a clear gap between them and the men,” Jade explained. “Also, in contrast to the men, most of them are more docile and dislike fighting, so it’s uncomfortable for them to undergo the same training as the battle-crazed men. Consequently, the majority of female dragonkin end up being officials or maids, but that doesn’t mean none are soldiers. While they rarely show up at the training grounds, they indeed exist.”

“Oh wow, is that a fact?”

“There’s actually a capable female soldier that’s scheduled to return from the Imperial Nation soon, so I’ll assign her to you.”

“Are you sure you should be deciding that on the spur of the moment? You should really ask what she would like to do first. I would feel bad if she were assigned to be my guard if she didn’t want to be.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. I’m sure you two will get along just fine. Once she arrives, I’ll arrange for you two to meet so you can feel each other out.”

Days later, Jade came to Ruri’s room, a tall, slender woman behind him. She was most likely the female soldier that he had been talking about.

The slacks and jacket-style military uniform suited her very well, and she reminded Ruri of one of those classic stories of beautiful women disguised as men. Her long, lustrous red hair was pulled up high into a ponytail, which complemented her looks further and accentuated her refined elegance. She was so sleek and beautiful that Ruri found herself entranced at the sight of her.

“Jade-sama, who might that be?” Ruri asked.

“This is the guard I spoke of before. Her name is Rutile. She has been away in the Imperial Nation for a few years and just returned today. That must be why you’ve never met her before.”

Rutile flashed a smile sweet enough to charm even a woman and bowed before Ruri. Ruri hurriedly rose from her seat.

“Very nice to finally meet you, Lady Beloved. My name is Rutile.”

“I’m Ruri. Everyone just calls me Ruri, so that will do. I prefer to be called by my name rather than ‘Lady Beloved.’”

Ruri had grown used to being referred to as simply “Beloved” or variants of such, but she felt more comfortable with her actual name. Since one wouldn’t refer to someone they were close to by their title, Ruri wanted Rutile to get used to calling her by name if she was going to be around Ruri all the time as her personal guard.

“Very well, milady,” Rutile replied.

“Oh, and could you drop the overly formal speech as well? Unlike Celestine-san and the Nation of the Beast King, everyone in this castle speaks to me in a more casual manner, so no pressure.”

Rutile stared at Ruri’s face, then, in the next moment, she smiled cheerfully at her. “I’ll do just that, then, Ruri.”

Despite being a woman herself, Ruri’s cheeks flushed in reaction to Rutile’s winning smile.

“Wow, she’s gorgeous,” Ruri murmured, giddy from the beauty before her—a beauty different from someone like Euclase. She even felt the urge to call her “onee-sama,” a term only reserved for the most beautiful of younger ladies in her world.

Jade, on the other hand, furrowed his brow and gave Rutile a stern look. “Rutile, don’t seduce my Ruri.”

Rutile looked stunned, then broke out into laughter. “Tee hee. I’m not someone you should be feeling jealous of, Your Majesty.”

“You are popular among everyone, regardless of race. Too popular, in fact. I asked you to guard Ruri because I thought you’d get along, but perhaps I hired the wrong person for the job?” Jade uttered, seriously pondering his decision.

Ruri panicked. “No, Rutile-san is just fine! Absolutely, positively fine!” Ruri desperately pleaded for Rutile to stay despite knowing nothing about her as a person yet. Her intuition was telling her to not let Rutile get away.

“If you insist, then I’ll assign you Rutile, but be careful. Rutile is a tremendous flirt.”

“Pardon? What do you take me for, Your Majesty?” Rutile asked with a wry grin.

Ruri felt she more or less got the gist. Rutile’s charm was so intense that a mere smile from her was enough to make one abandon their thoughts and agree to whatever she said.

“Well, whatever. You must be tired after just getting home. You can start guard detail after taking a few days off, so why don’t you go see Finn?” Jade suggested.

Rutile thought about it for a second and then nodded. “Right, I think I will. Given the time, I assume Finn is at the training grounds?”

“That he is.”

Ruri was curious about the exchange she’d just overheard. “Is Rutile-san friends with Finn-san?” she asked, assuming that must have been the case since Finn’s name was dropped right away. However, the response she received was not what she’d expected.

“Finn is my fiancé,” Rutile replied.

Ruri’s brain couldn’t comprehend what she’d heard for a second, but after a short pause, she blurted, “You’re his what?!”

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

After their introduction, Ruri accompanied Rutile down to the training grounds.

“Are you really, really engaged to Finn-san?” Ruri asked over and over, incredibly skeptical, but she was met with the same affirmation every time.

“Yes, I am. Is it that hard to believe?” Rutile asked.

“No, it’s not hard to believe, it’s just that I’ve never heard Finn-san mention anything about women in general.”

“That’s to be expected. Finn always has a guard dog with him, one that gets in a very bad mood whenever I’m brought up,” Rutile replied with a light chuckle.

Ruri knew immediately who she was referring to. “Aah, right. Ewan has a pretty bad brother complex.”

Ewan was the type of guy who took being called “Brother-Complex Extraordinaire” as a compliment rather than a dis. She could understand why Finn never talked about women. After all, when Finn had been her guard when she first came to the nation, Ewan had lashed out at her when he found out that she was a human woman. What a death-defying thing to do to a Beloved. If he’d done that in the Nation of the Beast King, they would have had his head.

“By your reaction, I take it Ewan is the same as always?” Rutile asked.

“Yes, he follows Finn-san anytime, anywhere,” Ruri confirmed.

“Well, I can’t wait to see him, then.”

“You ‘can’t wait’ to see him?”

“That’s right.”

Ruri thought that Rutile would be more annoyed to see Ewan than anything. As Finn’s fiancée, it was probably unbearable having such an incessant brother-in-law. Ruri knew she herself couldn’t take it, at least. That was one extra headache she definitely didn’t want to sign up for. While she could deal with Ewan as a friend, she could safely say that she couldn’t tolerate him as a brother-in-law. She could only imagine Ewan tagging along on dates and raising a big, mood-killing stink.

As their conversation started winding down, they arrived at the training grounds in Sector Five. The sight of blood spraying all over the grounds had become business as usual for Ruri—a fact that frightened her. As soon as they scanned the area, they found Finn.

Ruri shouted at the stern-faced soldiers in the midst of training, and one of them noticed her—or more specifically, Rutile—and their jaw dropped. The uproar tipped off Finn, who looked over to the source of the commotion. Once he saw Rutile, his eyes went wide.

“Finn,” said Rutile as she made a beeline for him with a tender smile across her face.

Ruri held her cheeks in anticipation. She couldn’t hide her excitement about this potentially emotional reunion between two separated lovers.

As Ruri watched with bated breath, Rutile picked up the pace toward Finn, then pulled the sword at her hip and swung it down at him. Before the blade connected, Finn blocked the swipe, their weapons unleashing a loud metallic clang across the grounds.

Ruri was speechless. All she could do was utter, “Huh?”

As she stood in place, stunned, the two enjoyed a rendezvous far removed from the emotional reunion between lovers Ruri had hoped for. Actually, based on Finn’s arduous expression, it might have been just Rutile enjoying this little soiree.

Though Ruri couldn’t understand why this was happening, she noticed the other soldiers gathering around, hooting and hollering in excitement.

“So I guess Rutile really did come back.”

“Look how happy they are. I bet Finn is thrilled.”

“Of course he’s happy. His fiancée is back with him.”

Ruri vehemently disagreed with the pair of conversing soldiers. They weren’t locking arms in sweet bliss; they were locked in a bitter battle to the death. Ruri started to question her own senses as she failed to understand how they looked thrilled over anything.

Just then, a familiar voice came from a distance. “What do you think you’re doiiiiiing?!”

It was Ewan. He must have used his canine-like sense of smell to sniff out that his beloved older brother was in danger, because he was barreling toward them at breakneck speed.

“Who’s the fool who dares draw their blade against...my...brother...?” Ewan trailed off and suddenly slowed his pace upon seeing Rutile, who’d stopped clashing swords with Finn and turned around to look at him. “M-Ms. Rutile...? But why?!”

Despite Ewan’s pale face of dread, Rutile flashed him an invigorating and refreshing smile. “It’s been so long, Ewan. Still acting as Finn’s little tagalong per usual, are you?”

Finn sheathed his sword with a look of resignation as Ruri approached him.

“Um, Finn-san, are you all right?” she asked.

“Oh, it’s you, Ruri. Don’t worry. It happens all the time.”

“All the time?” Ruri repeated, her cheek twitching as Finn grinned awkwardly.

“Rutile is more battle-hungry than most dragonkin women. And, well, that is exactly why she can make it as a soldier. That exchange just now was Rutile’s way of saying hello.”

While Ruri could spot a lot of issues with their lovers’ reunion, seeing as how Finn wasn’t worried about it, it seemed best to let sleeping dogs lie. Maybe? Ruri couldn’t really decide.

“Gaaaaaah!”

Ewan suddenly screamed. Ruri and Finn turned to see Ewan flying into a wall on the opposite side of the grounds. He collided with said wall and got stuck in it, his eyes spinning around in his head. Some unsettling pops and cracks came from his body, which made everyone wonder if he was all right.

“Huh? Wha?!” A cold sweat dripped from her brow as Ruri struggled to figure out what had just happened.

Meanwhile, Finn gave Ewan a look that only a disappointed older brother could. “Ewan messed up again, did he?”

“Um, Finn-san... What just...?”

“Ewan probably got his just deserts for getting snippy with Rutile again. He does have a reckless streak in him whenever I’m involved. But it’s fine. Happens all the time. You needn’t worry, Ruri.”

“I ‘needn’t worry’...”

Despite being told not to worry, she did just that as she watched Rutile walk over to the wall and drag Ewan out by the lapels. She then proceeded to swing his body around and around. Ewan’s terrified screams echoed through the training grounds—a visual and auditory show that no one could possibly ignore. This, above all else, sent Ruri’s first impression of Rutile as a beautiful lady crumbling in no time.

As Ruri sifted through her shattered image of Rutile, Ewan approached death’s door with each swing. Rutile finally let go, and he went soaring through the open skies, eventually hitting the ground like a beat-up old rag.

“Urghhh.” Ewan groaned, the sad sound barely reaching the gathered crowd.

The soldiers began to talk among themselves.

“Yeesh, she’s as ruthless as ever.”

“Would have been more peaceful for Ewan if Rutile had never come back, wouldn’t it?”

“That Ewan knows he can’t stand up to Rutile, but he insists on attacking her? It always ends up like this.”

“They say that Rutile is the strongest after Finn, so it’s bound to happen. Ewan is just a dummy.”

The onlookers were gossiping up a storm, but none of them were going to jump in to help. Or rather, none of them dared to jump in.

Rutile slowly walked over to Ewan, who lay face down on the ground, and lifted him up with one hand, flashing that captivating smile as she said, “I think it’s great that you adore Finn so much, and I commend you for warding off other women, but I advise you not to lump me in with those intrusive flies that need swatting away.”

“Urk...”

“Am I clear?”

“Yes, Ms. Rutile.”

Satisfied with his answer, Rutile smiled sweetly before tossing—no, dropping—him on the ground like a sack of garbage. Ewan lay motionless, as if to say that he didn’t have the strength to move.

Rutile left him and walked back with a jaunty skip in her step, smiling at Finn as she said, “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Finn glanced at Ewan, and his face contorted into a conflicted grimace.

“U-Um, Finn-san? Is Ewan...” Ruri began.

“He’ll be fine from that,” Rutile answered. “I just gave him a little attitude adjustment.”

“‘Attitude adjustment’?” Ruri repeated.

Everyone knew it was much more than that, but no one tried to correct her. Ruri had a hunch that this was going to be a daily occurrence at this point.

Feeling sorry for the young man just lying listlessly on the ground, and with no one else going to help him, Ruri went over to collect him.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

In Jade’s office, where his aides were assembled, the newly returned Rutile handed Jade a letter from the Imperial Nation. It was from the imperial consort, Corundum, and it stated that Adularia had fallen ill. The rest of the letter contained a sincere request for the medicine made from dragon blood since no other medicine was having any effect.

After reading the letter, Jade passed it over to Quartz, who was standing beside him. Quartz, the previous Dragon King, had only met Adularia a few times in the past, which made sense considering that Adularia had ascended the throne after Quartz stepped down as Dragon King and left the nation. Still, considering that he was often left as Jade’s stand-in whenever Jade was absent, he also needed to know the contents of the letter.

As Quartz scanned the note, Jade asked Rutile, “Is Adularia’s condition that bad?”

“It would seem so. While I was not able to meet her in person, His Imperial Consort said that she couldn’t even get herself out of bed.”

A grim shadow fell over Jade’s face. “And no medicine is working?”

“No, and the medical care in the Imperial Nation is just as advanced as ours. I am certain that if we were to send over our doctors, the results would be the same. That is likely why they’ve resorted to asking for a drug said to cure any wound or sickness.”

“Yes, that does make sense.”

Only dragonkin knew how to make the special medicine with dragon blood, which was why it was such a precious commodity. So much so, in fact, that not even the top leaders of nations could obtain it on a moment’s notice. However, because this was a request from an allied nation and a close friend, there was no reason to refuse. Also, all of this couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

“Currently, the first and third imperial princes are silently fighting for succession through the nobles,” Rutile explained. She was very familiar with the nation’s politics due to her stay there. “The emperor has not yet named a crown prince, so if anything were to happen to her now, it could spark a huge war.”

“What about the other princes?” Jade asked.

“The second prince has just finalized arrangements to wed a princess from a neighboring nation and marry into her family, so I doubt he is after the throne, especially since he wanted this marriage of his own accord and not because of political reasons.”

“And the fourth?”

“The youngest prince is apparently gentler, quieter, and more timid than the other princes, so the nobles have deemed him unsuited for the role of emperor. As a result, he doesn’t have many nobles in his corner. The battle for the throne is likely to be waged by the first and third.”

“So I see.” Jade pressed his temples as if to suppress a headache. “If Adularia were to die now, then it would majorly impact the surrounding nations as well.”

Rutile nodded. “Yes, I agree, Your Majesty.”

Jade looked at each of his aides, and they all nodded, unanimously agreeing as well.

“Then let’s hurry and give them the dragon’s blood,” Jade decided after gauging his aides’ reactions.

“Wait a second,” interrupted Quartz. “This illness that the emperor is afflicted with... Did you ask about her symptoms in detail, Rutile?”

“N-No, I’m afraid I don’t have much medical training, so I didn’t ask. Although, I am sure that they will give you a full description if you so inquire. Is there something on your mind, sir?”

“Well, Master Quartz?” Jade asked with a bewildered look.

“I believe the symptoms were briefly mentioned in the letter, but was that not sufficient?” Rutile prompted.

“They’re similar,” said Quartz.

“Similar to what?” questioned Jade. Quartz’s intense expression was causing him and everyone around him to feel uneasy.

“To the symptoms leading to Seraphie’s death,” Quartz finally answered.

Everyone was taken aback by Quartz’s response.

Seraphie had fallen ill despite being Quartz’s mate. Once one became a dragonkin’s mate, they were supposed to become sturdier and less susceptible to illness, but she’d succumbed all the same. Not only that, but Jade had heard that the cause of her sickness was never identified and was incurable even with the dragon’s blood on hand. As a result, Seraphie ended up dying—a fact that everyone in attendance was well aware of.

Tension began to race through the air.

“Then again, if I’m worrying too much, disregard me. But if she doesn’t improve even with the dragon’s blood, then...” Quartz trailed off.

Jade had never even considered that the dragon’s blood might not cure Adularia. If it didn’t, then they would be out of ideas. Even for dragonkin, medicine made from dragon blood was used as a last resort.

One could only imagine what was running through Quartz’s mind at the moment. His expression was stiff, and his eyes were filled with sadness and pain. Everyone present could tell that he was most likely thinking of when he lost his wife, the person he loved more than anyone else in the world.

Just then, Seraphie phased into the room from Quartz’s ring and took him into her embrace. Although devoid of her physical body and her warmth, she squeezed Quartz tightly with her arms, assuring him, “I’m here for you, Quartz. I’ll always be with you.”

“Yes, you’re right. You are right here,” Quartz replied, gently smiling down at Seraphie before looking forward again. “Sorry. I got a little personal there, didn’t I?”

“No, don’t worry,” Jade replied. “It was justified. We’ll ask him to keep us up-to-date with the situation, just in case.”

“Yes, that would be somewhat assuring. After all, it’s not certain that it’s just a run-of-the-mill illness,” Quartz noted, tapping his finger on the last paragraph of the letter.

Jade nodded, his expression stern. “You mean the Reapers, correct?”

The letter from Corundum also contained information of concern aside from Adularia’s sickness.

“Yes, the part that says there were signs of the Reapers being in Adularia’s bedroom,” Quartz confirmed.

Jade knit his brow.

The order of assassins, the Reapers, were a group that accepted any request so long as they were paid, and they always carried out their jobs without fail. It was said that if one were a target of the Reapers, one was as good as dead.

Some time ago, Ruri had been targeted by assassins, but they’d turned out to be a couple of fakes impersonating the Reapers. Corundum said that he knew of the fakes, which made it hard to determine whether they were dealing with the real thing or not this time around.

“He mentioned that there was proof they’d been there,” Quartz reiterated.

They said that whenever a Reaper took on a job, they always left a paper with a drawing of a black sickle with their target, and they’d found one of these drawings near Adularia’s pillow. Whether this was the handiwork of a real or fake Reaper, someone had definitely entered the emperor’s room under tight security—a feat which must have sent chills down the spines of Corundum and his aides.

“Do you think that this Reaper slipped in some sort of poison?” asked Jade.

Quartz shook his head. “I can’t say anything for certain, but if that is what’s going on, then that actually works to our advantage. The dragon’s blood can cure poisoning, after all.”

“Good point,” Jade muttered, silently praying that would be the case.

And so Jade shipped the elixir made of dragon blood off to the Imperial Nation.