A Chance Alliance

AT THE BREAK OF DAWN, the girls and I made our way to the Adventurers’ Guild’s headquarters. We didn’t sleep a wink as we made our plans, but time was of the essence. Now that Silvano knows the dragon is gone, he’ll do everything to find me, and we’re not about to let him seize the initiative.

The moment he connects the dots and realizes I’m with the Thorns, the odds will be stacked against us. He’s still trusted by the Crown, the military, and the Guild, and he also has members of the Cult at his command.

With the current balance of power, if he targets us before we expose him, we’re screwed. I’d be able to fight back in my dragon form, but that’d mean having to kill hundreds, if not thousands of loyal troops.

That’s a bigger price than we’re willing to pay, so the girls and I spared no time or effort to put our plan into motion, immediately. As soon as we were ready, I swapped to my raven form, jumped on Cerys’ shoulder, and we made off to the Guild before the other adventurers showed up.

Alas, no plan ever goes without a hitch.

The guards greeted us without issue as we approached the Guild’s headquarters, but the moment we crossed the front door, we were greeted by some golden playboy in heavy armor. Judging by his high-quality gear and tempered posture, I’d imagine he’s a veteran adventurer.

“Yo,” he called out with a shit-eating grin.

By the Gods, we don’t have the time for this.

“Good morning, Erwin,” Amelia replied, stoic as ever.

“Oh yikes,” he said. “You didn’t sleep, did you?”

“Not a wink, and she kept all of us awake too,” Xana replied, flashing a devilish smile before whispering to Erwin’s ear... “She shared the bed with a man last night.”

“X- XANA!!” Amelia burst out, her composure now a smoking crater.

The catgirl didn’t lie, but boy did she do that one on purpose.

“Bwahahaha! I give, I give!” Xana begged, tapping Amelia’s arm as she hung from her armor in Amelia’s grip.

As for Erwin, the poor man was struck in shock. I could almost see a trail of smoke coming out of his head.

“What’s this?” another voice asked, female this time. “Amelia, did you climb the stairs to adulthood already? I never thought you’d beat Xana to it!”

“It’s— It’s not like that, Sophia!” Amelia stammered, burning red.

“Really?” asked the woman, not believing a word of it. “Then why do you look like you cried last night? Your eyes are still puffy, you know? Come here, you. Tell Sister everything, in succulent detail.”

And just like that, we got dragged away by this Sophia, thanks to Xana’s prank.

It’s exactly the kind of attention we can’t afford right now.

“Say, Cerys,” I quietly made a telepathic link with her. “Is she a spellcaster?”

Sophia is wearing a sorceress’ robe, and her magic aura looks potent. If she’s a skilled mage, I might want to keep my distance from her.

“She’s one of the strongest in Sylphadim,” she replied. “She’s the primary mage of Anathema, and the man next to us is one of their frontline fighters. Be careful, both have keen eyes.”

Damn it Xana, what have you done?

We were supposed to meet Godwin without drawing attention, but now we have two members of Anathema talking gossip with Amelia. If we screw up here, the whole operation could turn into a...

Hold on.

Now that I think about it, Silvano tried to poison us against them yesterday, didn’t he? He warned us not to trust them, and that was what tormented Amelia before my surveillance spell outed Silvano as the rat.

So if Silvano tried make us enemies, then it means Anathema is clean, right?

Ohh, that sly bastard. He has no idea how much this will cost him.

I still remember Amelia’s look last night, as she agonized about having to fight her cousin at Silvano’s behest. This was after Silvano shattered their relationship in the first place, and the guy had the audacity to do it again. Unbelievable.

“Is Mirabelle around?” I asked, surveying the area with my heart full of bad intentions. On my life, I’ll make sure Silvano has hell to pay.

“Yeah, she’s over there,” Cerys replied, unaware of my upcoming plot. “Why?”

Ah, I see the resemblance.

There’s a silver-haired woman standing against the wall by the lounge, heavily armed and armored, and she’s the spitting image of Amelia. If someone told me they’re sisters, I’d buy it.

“I’ll be right back” I told Cerys, before flying off on my own.

She’d probably object if I told her what I’m about to do, so I just winged it.

“John, wait!” she called out, but I ignored her.

“Oh?” Sophia said lightheartedly. “Your bird left its nest already?”

Cerys, in turn, ignored Sophia and came running after me.

Shit, I’d better hurry.

I flapped my wings hard and crossed the lounge, making a beeline to Mirabelle.

Mirabelle saw me approaching and bent her arm for me to land, like she was catching a falcon. She looked at me with a raised eyebrow, before turning to Cerys as she caught up with us.

“Problems with your familiar?” she asked, offering me in return.

“Yes, I’m so sorry,” Cerys replied as she tried to grab me, but I jumped off and took cover over Mirabelle’s shoulder.

“It’s okay, Cerys,” I assured, opening a telepathic link to Mirabelle. They turned to me in surprise as I elaborated. “I came here to introduce myself. My name is John. It’s nice to meet you.”

“What the…?” Mirabelle replied in confusion.

“Oh, by Faydan…” said Cerys, before pulling Mirabelle’s arm in resignation toward a more isolated corner. “I’m so sorry, Mirabelle. Please put up with him.”

“What’s going on?” Mirabelle asked, growing cautious as Cerys set up a soundproofing barrier. “If this is your idea of a prank, Cerys, it isn’t funny.”

“We’re dead serious,” I replied. “We’re short on time, so I’ll cut to the chase and show you what I am. Hold still.”

Cerys’ eyes widened as I loosened the veil hiding my mana. It was just at the bottom of my feet, but I allowed my magic power to flow unfettered into Mirabelle, painting for her an exact picture of my true nature.

Every muscle in Mirabelle’s body tensed up, like a hunter running face to face with an unexpected predator. Luckily for her, I wasn’t here to hurt anyone.

“Cerys, what manner of creature did you bring here?” she muttered in shock.

“I’m a dragon,” I replied with the truth. “I joined forces with the Rose’s Thorns to destroy the Cult of Croxas, and we’ve found who the traitor in the court is. We have a plan to expose and destroy him, and I’d like your help to deal with the fallout.”

Mirabelle stared at Cerys, begging for confirmation.

“It’s true,” Cerys said. “He saved our lives in the Forbidden Forest, where we were ambushed by cultists. We came to ask Godwin for help, but it seems John decided to involve you without asking.”

Yeah, she isn’t pleased about me running off on my own, and I don’t blame her.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “It wasn’t part of the plan, but we and Anathema share a common enemy. He tried to turn us against them just the other day, and Mirabelle has an old grievance with him that I’m sure she’ll want to settle.”

Once she learns the truth about the ambush on the King, she’ll be out for blood. Knowing that, who am I to deny her?

“Who’s the traitor?” Mirabelle asked. “We’ve searched everywhere for them, and come up with nothing but false leads. How did you find them?”

She’s raring for answers, and I’m eager to please.

“It’s a longer story than I can tell you in short notice,” I said. “But if you allow me to form a deeper connection with you, I’ll show you my memories. All of them.”

“John, wait,” Cerys replied, glaring daggers at me. “What do you mean by that?”

“Just what I said,” I confirmed. “I’d like to tell her the whole story about my origins, about the dragon, everything. There’s no telling what will happen once we set our plan in motion, so having Mirabelle in the know will be a safety net.”

“You just met her,” she pointed out, making a fair argument.

“Yes. Same with you, and Amelia and Xana,” I shot back. “But I’ve grown to trust you, and even now, Mirabelle is like a sister to Amelia. So I’ll believe in her judgment of character, and place my bet on Mirabelle.”

Anathema is the strongest S-Rank party in Sylphadim, and they’re on Silvano’s shit list. I’d rather take the risk and warn them about him, even if it means exposing myself. Besides, Mirabelle means a lot to Amelia. I’d never forgive myself if she got hurt because I turned a blind eye.

“Oh John…” said Cerys in resignation. “Fine. It’s your secret to keep, so if she’s willing to see, show her. Just respect her decision if she declines; you’re asking a lot.”

Yes, I’m aware.

Telepathy is a dangerous form of magic, especially if you allow someone else to delve deep into your psyche. If I had ill intentions for Mirabelle, I’d be able to plunder her mind like I did the cultist in the forest. She has every reason to refuse me… but I’m confident she won’t.

“Cerys,” said Mirabelle, squaring her posture as she stared at her. “Do you trust him? Would you put your life in his hands?”

The S-Rank adventurer focused her undivided attention on her, watching every minute detail that could betray a lie in her response.

“Yes,” Cerys replied without hesitation. “He may be crude and a little reckless, but I would trust him with my life any day. So would Amelia and Xana.”

“That earlier part wasn’t necessary,” I protested, struggling to frown as a bird.

“But it’s the truth,” Cerys said with a smile, before turning next to me. “You can trust him, Mirabelle. You’ll see it for yourself once you watch his memories, but Amelia and I have reason to believe he’s the Chosen of Faydan. He won’t betray you.”

Mirabelle gave Cerys a long, hard look before replying.

“Very well,” she finally said. “If it is the Lady’s will, then so be it.”

“Thank you, Mirabelle,” I said in humble gratitude.

“Show me what you’ve got, dragon,” she replied, crossing her arms. “Just know that, if you try anything on me, Erwin and Sophia will kill you.”

Heh, she’s scary.

But it won’t be a problem.

I’m being honest with my offer, and as Mirabelle opened her consciousness to me, I allowed my memories of recent events to pour unrestricted into her mind.