[Vol. 8] Chapter 288: Bonds, Promises, and Continuation
Because only Xiao Guang can activate the dragon scale, all matters of contacting the other side naturally fell to her. After finishing, she would sort out the messages and pass them on to her master to keep things efficient.
This plan originally had no problems, but recently Violet noticed that every time Xiao Guang contacted Cielru, she would show the same kind of worried expression she was showing now, hard to hide and heavy with thoughts. Sometimes, she would even turn her back to Violet, activate the scale alone, and secretly do something. But when asked, she would stammer and never explain clearly. It was very strange.
In fact, this didn’t start only after she began dealing with Cielru, the White Dragon King. Back inside that ancient dragon maze in the ruins, after Xiao Guang resonated with that mysterious silver dragon scale, Violet had already seen the first signs of this behavior.
Since the very beginning of their journey together, Xiao Guang had always been absolutely loyal to Violet, her trust in her was no less than in Hen. So even though Violet had long noticed her strange behavior, she never forced her to give a clear explanation.
The problem was, the priestess couldn’t directly communicate with Cielru and ask what they talked about. For this one and only source of information, she could only try to indirectly test Xiao Guang’s attitude from time to time.
She thought that this time would be like before, with the dragon girl brushing her off vaguely. But to Violet’s surprise, after putting away the dragon scale, Xiao Guang simply stayed quiet, leaned into the black-haired girl’s hand as she stroked her, swished the tip of her tail against her pants leg, and then took the initiative to speak.
“Master, have I been causing you trouble lately?”
“Silly girl~ What nonsense are you saying? My Xiao Guang is the most worry-free dragon in the world.”
The dragon girl shook her head, looking unusually serious.
“Master, you don’t have to comfort me. I may not be as smart or quick-thinking as you, but I’ve always been trying my best. In fact, based on your usual way of doing things, this time you should have left me in the Theo Province to secretly watch over and protect those kids. After all, with our contract, we could teleport at any time, splitting up like that would be more efficient.”
“But this time, you brought me directly to the Empire’s Capital, giving up the chance to watch over and protect Eudora and the others. That means, in your eyes, the one who needs company and care the most right now isn’t them… it’s me.”
Hearing her calm and almost emotionless words, the priestess was silent for a moment.
“......”
After a while, Violet slowly withdrew her hand from the dragon girl’s golden hair. She looked up at the sky, then lowered her gaze again. Her expression and tone didn’t change at all. Her voice was still calm, like she was stating something that was simply true.
But the meaning in those words was enough to move even a girl who had already become a Dragon God.
“You little fool, there’s one thing you must always remember, you’re my partner. The most important partner in the whole world. Your existence can never be replaced by anything else.”
“Your master is a selfish person. To me, even if you put the whole Theo Province, or even everyone in the entire world together, none of them would be even one ten-thousandth as important as you. That was true in the past, and it will still be true in the future.”
“So your matters are my matters. We are one. How could you ever be called a burden?”
“M-Master… wuwuwu…”
It was as if something deep and sensitive in her heart had been touched. The dragon girl’s eyes welled with tears as she leaned into the black-haired girl’s arms, like a puppy afraid of being abandoned. In fact, since she had reunited with Violet, Xiao Guang had not shown such vulnerability for a long time.
But Violet didn’t say anything or ask further. She simply patted her back lightly, giving her the simplest yet most genuine comfort.
Violet didn’t know exactly what Xiao Guang was worried about, but she could feel her intense unease and confusion at that moment. It wasn’t the fear of a strong enemy, but rather… a deep fear of losing something extremely important.
“Master, can you promise me one thing?”
“What is it?”
When the girl responded, the little dragon girl lifted her head. Her golden eyes, burning like fire, glimmered with light, but her expression was more serious than ever before.
“I promise you, no matter what happens in the future, no matter how things change, I will always stand by your side. So… please don’t leave me, okay?”
“…Ha.”
Violet was silent for a moment. She didn’t give a verbal promise. Instead, she let out a soft breath, raised one fair little finger, and held it out toward Xiao Guang.
“Do you remember? Back when Little Light was about to merge her divinity with you, I made a pinky promise with her, promising that no matter what, I would take her to see all the wonders of the world with her own eyes, and let her do the things she wanted to do. I’ve kept that promise. And now, since my other silly girl has the same worry, why don’t we make a promise too?”
"Master, I’m not a little kid anymore..."
Even though her small mouth was pouting in slight protest, the dragon girl still honestly lifted the tip of her tail upward and gently hooked it around the black-haired girl’s fingertip.
She wound it quite tightly, the smooth platinum-colored scales brushing against Violet’s skin and making it itch slightly. Being so close, the orchid-like scent of the dragon girl drifted into her nose. It was a smell she had long been familiar with, yet this time it seemed to bring the priestess an indescribably different feeling.
Perhaps sensing the gaze so close to her, Xiao Guang, usually confident and spirited, found her cheeks tinged with a faint blush. Still, she loudly declared,
“I’m the elder sister, so you have to tell the difference between us!”
“Alright, alright~”
The priestess replied with gentle indulgence. For dragons, their tail was not only a powerful weapon but also one of the most sensitive spots only their closest partner was allowed to touch. Having been with Xiao Guang for so long, Violet naturally understood the meaning behind such an action.
“Then, let’s make a pinky promise now. From today on, as long as my Xiao Guang is still willing to call me her master, I will always stand with you. Alright?”
“If you lie, you’re a puppy!”
“If I lie, I’m a puppy~”
“Hehe!”
As if a long-held burden had been lifted, the dragon girl’s face finally bloomed with a genuine smile. She once again rested her head lightly on the black-haired girl’s shoulder, cherishing this rare peace and warmth.
But after just a moment, her throat let out a barely audible murmur, almost like a quiet grumble.
“Master… I want to be a bit closer to you. At least, I can’t let those sneaky cats get ahead of me… okay?”
Understanding the meaning behind this sudden courage, the priestess froze for a moment. Looking down at the dragon girl’s flushed face, so red it seemed like it might drip blood, she opened her mouth but in the end said very little.
“Alright.”
“…!”
The dragon girl’s eyes widened in disbelief at the straightforward answer, a flicker of regret flashing through her golden eyes.
If she had known it was this easy, why would she have waited until today!?
“Then… then I…”
Although she usually boasted fearlessly and her hands, feet, and tail were never exactly well-behaved, when it came to taking the initiative after getting permission, this usually bold and predatory dragon girl suddenly found herself awkward and unsure what to do.
She lifted her head high, staring at the black-haired girl’s soft, pink lips for a long moment. Her blush deepened, and in the end, she only dared to give the lightest kiss, like a dragonfly touching water.
Immediately after, she ducked her head like a child caught doing something wrong, though the big tail behind her swished rapidly, betraying her overflowing shyness and joy.
“T-This makes me the first one, right?”
“Ha~ Of course…”
Violet was just about to say more when, from not far away, a barely audible voice filled with annoyance floated over, breaking the tender mood between them.
“Tsk… after all that, this is it? That’s so bland. Not even as good as me and Rosie…”
Both girls, still in each other’s arms, froze at the same time before turning their heads in sync. In the distance, the bedroom window of a certain princess had been opened a small crack at some unknown point. A round head quickly ducked back inside like a thief, but the owner failed to notice that a tuft of bright red hair was still sticking out past the window ledge.
It was very much like covering one’s ears while stealing a bell.
Several large “#” marks practically appeared over the dragon girl’s head. Her happily wagging tail instantly stopped. Violet cleared her throat awkwardly, forcing herself to let go of the fleeting, beautiful moment and patting her pet’s shoulder lightly.
“Alright, let’s go. We still have business to take care of.”
“No way! Master, do it again! Just once!!! How dare a mere mortal talk about us like that! So annoying, so, so, so annoying!!!”
In the end, Violet still never figured out the real reason why the Dragon God remained so grumpy.
She still didn’t ask. If Xiao Guang didn’t want to talk, the priestess would never force her to do anything.
Maybe tonight, the dragon girl would choose to give her the answer in another way, or maybe she would keep this secret buried in her heart forever.
But in the end—
What was it that truly mattered?
……………………………………………
The Frederick City.
That night, in a remote manor on the outskirts of the city, several figures gathered in a hidden chamber, quietly discussing matters that could not be made public.
They all wore large cloaks that completely hid their appearances, revealing not even a bit of skin. Their heights and builds varied, some were short like dwarfs, barely a meter tall, while others were so tall that their heads nearly touched the ceiling beams, forcing them to hunch slightly to move around indoors.
It was obvious, they were not ordinary humans.
No lights were lit in the room. Like the night outside, it was pitch dark, but that seemed to pose no problem for several of them. Only the faint glimmers of different-colored eyes shone from beneath their hoods.
“The time is almost here. How are your preparations?”
“No problems on my end. The coordinates have been calculated. The moment the time comes, we can move immediately.”
“Same here.”
“Yes, everything is ready.”
One after another, the figures responded, except for one.
This person’s build and height were no different from a normal human, yet they remained silent. Only when most of the others had turned their gazes toward them did they finally speak.
Surprisingly, the voice was a clear and pleasant woman’s voice, but there was also a faint trace of helplessness in it.
“Those two parts we lost long ago due to an accident, the Emperor of the Austre Empire sent his elite forces to retrieve them. The plan should have been foolproof, but apparently something went wrong, and they didn’t manage to get them. I’m afraid there will be some flaws when the time comes.”
The moment she said this, the other figures began murmuring to each other.
“Tch… useless. I knew those mortals couldn’t be trusted.”
“Bai, I recall that plan was personally evaluated by Lord [Void Spirit]. There shouldn’t have been any problems. Where did the change happen?”
The woman called Bai explained in a deep voice.
“Based on the accounts of the few survivors who escaped, it’s very likely that the one chosen as the Hero by the Goddess of the Holy Empire was the one who ruined things. I even suspect that the goddess herself personally intervened.”
“You must understand, even though the gods of this world are not true gods, they still possess rule-based powers on par with the Lords. Mortals cannot possibly stand against them. It’s understandable, but I didn’t expect the other side to act so quickly, and to precisely find one of the weak points in our arrangements.”
Once her words fell, the figures began talking again.
“The Hero… When Lord [Void Spirit] calculated fate and said that the so-called divine trial might become an obstacle to our great plan, I didn’t believe it. But even after sending [Humble Humbold] personally to stop them, he still ended up dead. And now, this quickly, there’s already another disruption. These so-called gods are truly troublesome.”
“I heard [Towerf] was also killed by some mysterious enemy not long ago. What’s that about?”
“Enough. That has nothing to do with our mission. The priority now is to help this country’s emperor take the throne. Without support from within, the Lords’ plan will be hard to carry out. The Twilight Council won’t be easy to deal with.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“Actually, the impact isn’t too big. What was lost back then was only a small part. Even if we can’t gather all the pieces, it will only be slightly flawed, it can be fixed slowly. The real problem now is that we still don’t have enough sacrifices. The source power is too rare. Even with all the known parts gathered, it still won’t be enough. After all, this is the [Ring of Heaven and Earth] we’re talking about.”
“Bai, you’re the one in direct contact with the other side. Any ideas?”
The woman’s voice came again.
“As a matter of fact, there is an excellent plan now. If it succeeds, it will not only perfectly solve the problem of lacking source power, but also remove a major threat to the plan. This operation has already begun, but it’s extremely difficult, and I’ll need help from all of you in certain parts.”
Her voice lingered in the darkness for a while before falling silent again, leaving the others murmuring in surprise.
“Heh… That’s a crazy plan. But it’s worth it. In that case, I’ll help.”
“I’ll help too. If it means completing the grand plan, I don’t care if I’m destroyed in the process.”
“Good. Then… let’s act, for the continuation of the world.”