All is Fair In Love and War, Especially if it’s After the Same Person!

“This is ridiculous,” groaned Arashi.

Kiai turned to the Quetzalcoatl princess and tilted her head innocently. “Are you feeling alright? You’re unnaturally grumpy. Is there something bothering you?” she asked Arashi.

“Yeah, you,” said Arashi.

“Acchan!” reprimanded Tatsuya.

“I really don’t like people who think they know what I’m like and think that they can associate with me because of that,” said Arashi disparagingly. Kiai took one look at Arashi and let out a small giggle. “W-What the hell are you giggling at?” exclaimed Arashi with flustered cheeks.

“Oh, nothing,” said Kiai with a smile. She then opened her arms and said, “Now then, why don’t you come into big sister’s arms? I don’t bite.”

“Huh?! B-Big sister?! You’re kidding me, right?!” shouted Arashi.

“You know that a Quetzalcoatl has met their match when their feathers are ruffled,” said Shurai.

“And this bird has her feathers standing on end!” said Sunaji with a laugh.

“W-What are you all talking about?!” demanded Arashi.

Tatsuya had never seen his childhood friend act like this before. Actually, he had, once, when they were really young. But Arashi had always been one to keep her cool and never lose her head over anything. Instead, she would manipulate the situation to suit herself. Tatsuya could think of many times during their childhood when Arashi had found herself in a situation that had her in unfortunate positions, only to flip it around and make someone else (usually Tatsuya) suffer the misfortune while she got away without a scratch. For example, there was one time during their childhood when they were both sitting at the park bench and eating ice cream. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a bird flew down and was ready to attack Arashi for her ice cream. She had heard the bird making its descent and cleverly asked Tatsuya to show his ice cream to her. The bird came down, snatched Tatsuya’s ice cream, and flew away with it. Arashi spent the entire time after the attack laughing at Tatsuya’s tear-soaked face from having his ice cream stolen by a bird. But this time, she was acting very different. Tatsuya didn’t know if the two princesses had a history together or not, but Arashi was apparently very put off by the Wyvern princess.

“Acchan, what’s wrong?” he asked Arashi.

Arashi glanced over at him and looked away. “People like her give me the creeps,” she said in a quiet but audible voice. “They get very touchy-feely and psychological and I just don’t like that.”

“Do you hate all Wyverns?” probed Tatsuya carefully.

“I…. It’s complicated,” she answered back after much hesitation.

Kiai looked at Arashi and couldn’t help but feel a little sad. She had thought that she could make friends with all of the princesses, but it appears that the Quetzalcoatl princess doesn’t feel the same way, at least towards her. Kiai was a sweet girl and she never intends to make enemies out of anyone she meets. She bowed her head with a small smile and said, “I apologize if I had made you uncomfortable. That was never my intention.”

Arashi didn’t say anything in reply.

“Alrighty then,” quickly said Tatsuya. “Onwards with the tour!” He added a little laugh at the end to try and lighten up the mood a bit.

“What are you? An overworked father trying to get his family to enjoy a road trip?” said Takara with a sneer.

“One more word out of you and I’m taking away your cereal privileges when we get back home! Hah hah!” announced Tatsuya in a fake cheerful voice with a matching smile.

The group continued on with their tour. Tatsuya took Kiai and the group to see the school that Aika had took him to on his first tour of the kingdom. He then took them to see the kingdom’s religious sector. In fact, everything that he had led them to on this entire tour was a complete replication of his first tour of the kingdom with Aika.

“Wow,” said Kiai with a smile. “I had never seen the Draco temples before.”

“Their architecture is very much different than ours,” said Kanjomizu.

“It’s not as glorious or magnificent or elite as our temples, but it is very interesting nonetheless, I guess,” said Takara arrogantly.

Tatsuya chopped her on the head and said, “Show some respect.”

“Stop hurting my head with your plebeian hands!” cried Takara, rubbing her head.

“Should I also take away your precious action figure that you had begged me to buy for you and forced me to spend all of my monthly allowance on?” he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

“No! Not the newly minted, limited edition, Gold Magi with the sun-god helmet and golden silk cape and amber-encrusted sun blade, based on the character’s own ‘Titan God Form’ that was first unveiled on episode 61 of ‘Ruella Ruella Magi Mahou Senshi’ during her fight against the demon sorceress Lilylith after Lilylith had rendered the rest of the Mahou Senshi immobile and almost broken Red Magi’s mask to reveal her true identity, forcing Gold Magi to come to their rescue!” cried Takara in one breath. “It cost me 38000 yen (about $259 USD)!” she said in a dramatic fashion.

“It cost me 38000 yen!” cried Tatsuya in reply.

“Taka-chan, be a good girl,” Shurai told her friend.

“But Shacchan,” whined Takara.

“Now, now, no more fighting,” said Kiai, and she pulled all three of them into a giant group hug. Shurai, Takara, and Tatsuya felt their body becoming lighter and warmer as if all of the stress that they had had completely disappeared and they were finally free of a large weight! Kiai let them go and the three of them wore relaxed, almost idiotic grins on their faces. “Now then, shall we go see some of the temples?” she asked the group.

They all went down to check the temples and shrines and even entered some of them to worship and pay their reverence. As they did, Tatsuya learned more about the Celestial Dragons and who they were. He had also discovered that each of the princesses had an inclination to worship specific gods more so than others: Kanjomizu showed extreme reverence for Mizuchi, the Celestial Dragon of healing; Arashi displayed strong piety to Yume, the Celestial Dragon of dreams and fortune; Takara unabashedly kowtowed to Orichalcos, the Celestial Dragon of foresight and prophecy; Shurai exhibited deep veneration for Anjing, the Celestial Dragon of memory and secrets; Sunaji submissively prostrated herself before Alita, the Celestial Dragon of reality and truth; and Kiai dutifully expressed devotion to Amora, the Celestial Dragon of love. Based on their actions, Tatsuya wondered if this stemmed from their respective tribes rather than of their own person.

As they exited out of the temples, a guard from the castle hurried towards them. The guard was breathing hard as if he had been rushing to get here. He had his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. Tatsuya was about to say something to him when the guard finally caught his breath and immediately kneeled down. “His Highness, the King, requests your return,” said he guard. “He wanted me to relay to you that he desires the audience of both you and Princess Kalira in his throne room.”

“Did he say what for?” asked Tatsuya.

“It is to discuss the impending march to meet the Okami kingdom in the Hyperborean Mountains,” explained the guard.

They followed the guard back to the palace and Tatsuya and Kiai quickly made their way to the king’s throne room. They entered and found the king waiting for them along with the other three Dragonborns, Nobi, Dex Lecter, Zazo, and Alekso. Once everyone had gathered, the king made the following announcement, “The time is nigh for our planned treaty exchange with the Okami tribe on the battlefield.”

“I must say, it is a little unexpected to have the Okami tribe agree wholeheartedly to this exchange so quickly,” said Alekso. “They’re normally a very reclusive bunch and it usually takes a longer amount of time for them to give their reply considering important matters.”

“At least they have agreed to hear us out and go along with our desire for peace,” said Dex.

“This may be the first time we have actually agreed on something together,” came the general with an eyebrow raised in self-amusement.

“The Okami king and queen granted me an audience with them and agreed to our terms after I talked them through the plan,” explained Shen. Shen had previously met with the Okami tribe to discuss this planned exchange while Tatsuya and Ralus Khyber were fighting for Aika’s love. This was why he only appeared right at the end of the incident leading up to the final duel between the two contenders. Upon arriving back in the Pyroignis Empire, Shen was appalled to discover the farce that Ralus Khyber had put into play. Luckily, he was able to make it in time to help Tatsuya in his fight against the corrupted noble.

“It has been decided that we shall meet on the battlefield one week from today,” said the king. “In the days leading up to it, I want to have our troops ready in case an unavoidable altercation occurs. Alekso, I want you to take five groups of ten soldiers. I give you the authority to choose who they shall be.”

Alekso quickly kneeled down and bowed before the king. “I am gracious for your blessing, My Liege! I will not shame you in any way nor will I disgrace the Draco tribe and the name of our Father! If I do, I shall offer my heart to the goddess Ammit in hopes to regain your honor.”

“Very good,” said the king with a stern nod. He then turned to Tatsuya and Shen and asked, “May I please ask you two to provide protection to our troops and to Princess Kalira?” Tatsuya and Shen both nodded their heads in answer. “It is important for the princess to act as the witness to our treaty,” said King Rexus. “With her as our witness, we will have the full support of the Wyvern tribe to uphold this treaty.”

“I will do my best to assure that peace can be brought to both tribes,” said Kiai with a respectful bow of her head.

“I am grateful to you and your tribe for your support,” said the king with a reassured smile. “As for the rest of the group, I have decided to send along Dex Lector and my son. The minister will be there to discuss the terms of the treaty along with Nobi.”

“I will also bring some of my people along, too, to act as additional support,” said the prince.

“Yes, that’s a good idea,” agreed King Rexus. The king mentally double-checked the plan and, satisfied with it, said, “Thank you, everyone, for your time. You are all dismissed.”

Ralus woke up with a start. Sweat ran down his neck in streams and his heart was thumping in his chest in an uncontrollable panic. The last thing he remembered was being painfully incapacitated by a very sharp blade. His stomach began to ache insufferably as the moment replayed in his mind and he clutched it with both of his hands. He was more bewildered than relieved to discover that he had miraculously survived that fatal encounter, as indicated by the unrelenting downpour of sweat dripping from his face and neck.

A quiet groan caught his ear and he turned to find his father lying on his bottom against the wall. “Father!” cried Ralus. He quickly tended to his father and found a very nasty scar across his neck. Judging by how deep it appeared to be, it must’ve been dealt by a very sharp blade. The duke had his hand rubbing the side of his neck the entire time as he slowly came to. He lightly opened his eyes and quickly declined into a coughing fit that really scared Ralus.

Ralus quickly rubbed his father’s back and worriedly asked, “Father, are you okay? Do you need water?”

The duke pushed his son back and gruffly said, “I’m fine! I’m not dying!” He let out a sigh and regained his composure. “Where are we anyway?”

“I’m not sure,” answered Ralus.

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” said Duke Khyber quickly. “Let’s think of a way to get out of here.”

“Oh, leaving already?” came an unexpected voice. It made them flinch and Ralus unconsciously let out a girlish yelp. Yong appeared from the darkness and showed himself to the two prisoners. “We were just going to get to know each other,” he told them with an innocent smile.

Ralus and Duke Khyber were taken aback by the little boy who was speaking with such fearlessness before them. And although he was nothing more than a child, the Khybers somehow felt a very intimidating aura emanating from him that made them want to buckle at the knees. They exchanged apprehensive expressions and said nothing back to the boy.

“I was getting really bored as I waited for you two to wake up, you know,” said Yong with pouting lips.

Seeing how the boy was mocking them made Ralus really angry and he furiously asked, despite his father’s attempt to stop him, “Who are you? Why are we here? Where are we, anyway? Is this some kind of joke to you? Give us some answers, dammit!”

In a flash, Yong disappeared into the mist and reappeared very close to Ralus’ face with his head tilted and a very unsettling smile on his face. “Do you really think that you are in any position to make demands?” he asked in a soft yet hair-raising voice. “I could’ve left you for dead, you know,” he told them with a wide smile and matching wide eyes. “Actually, that was what I intended to do. But you see, you two possess information that is important to me and a few others.”

“W-Who?” asked the duke apprehensively.

Yong turned his head to the duke and flashed him a child’s smile. “Oh, there are a lot of people who would pay for this kind of information.”

“The Dragonborn! This is to help him, isn’t it!” shouted Ralus hotly. “You’re one of his friends, aren’t you?!”

Like a snake, Yong slithered his head back to Ralus and placed a finger on his lips, shushing him. He slowly shook his head with a cryptic expression on his face that made the hairs on the back of Ralus’ neck stood up. “What makes you think that I’m on his side?” he asked the duke’s son. He brought his hands behind his back. “I mean, sure, I helped him a bit with his battle against the Yellow Terror, and even his little duel against Shen, but I only did the first out of boredom and intrigue and the second because of a little bet I made with a friend. You see, I’m not interested in the Dragonborn’s battles or his destiny. I couldn’t care less if he lives or dies, if evil wins or good prevails, if the universe is protected or destroyed the next day. I am a being of pleasure and leisure. The only thing that has my attention right now is the Dragonborn’s growth.”

“Then why did you bring us here?” asked Duke Khyber. “You don’t intend to kill us, do you?”

“Like I said before, I just need to know some information,” said Yong. “Information from a couple of high-ranking nobles with very close ties to Ouroboros sells for a lot, you know? Although, I don’t really care about money.”

“Then why do you want to question us?” asked Ralus suspiciously.

“That’s an easy one,” said Yong with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’m bored. Also, causing gossip and chatter that could lead to even more chaos and amusing events seems like fun.”

“Who are you?” asked Duke Khyber slowly.

Yong bowed like a gentleman and introduced himself, “I am Yong, from the Kingdom of Baekje.”

“Yong? Kingdom of Baekje?” asked Ralus with a frown. He had never heard of those names before and he became infuriated. “Stop messing with us!” he demanded.

Yong quickly lost his smile and snapped his fingers. Immediately, Ralus’s lips became shut and the noble found it impossible to open them. It was as if they were magically glued shut! “You should learn to only open your mouth when it is needed,” said Yong with a disgusted look on his face.

“Please, have mercy!” begged Duke Khyber. “Let my son go! Release him from this curse, please!”

The Celestial Dragon looked at the duke and then smiled darkly. “I’ll do it on one condition,” he said. Duke Khyber immediately nodded his head to show that he was ready to accept whatever it may be. “Get on your knees and bow down to me with your forehead touching the ground,” commanded Yong.

The duke was taken aback by this request. But seeing how humiliating his son had become before this person’s evident inhuman powers, he knew that he must submit to this person for the sake of his own pride as a father. Ralus saw his father slowly getting down on his knees and tried hard to voice his opposition as a series of incomprehensible mumbled noises. Duke Khyber ignored his son and got down on his knees and bowed all the way down until his forehead touched the ground.

“Good,” said Yong. “Now, repeat after me.” He closed his eyes with a big smile on his face and recited the following pledge: “In the name of Draco, I forsake my Father’s name and I hereby renounce my piety to the Three Lords: Senshi, Shori, and Yunqi.”

Hearing those words elicited a knee-jerk response from the duke and he quickly looked back up in horror at Yong. “I can’t!” he told Yong. “Please, allow me to do something else! I beg you!”

Yong snapped his fingers and Ralus let out a very painful muffled scream as the sound of loud crackling could be heard coming from his body—his very bones were being broken and shattered from the inside. The duke almost had a heart attack from seeing his son being tortured so inhumanely and seeing the tears coming down from Ralus’ eyes told him that he must do this. Duke Khyber must discard all of his honor as a Draco and become a heretic for the sake of his son. He threw his head onto the floor and quickly recited back, “In the name of Draco, I forsake my Father’s name and I hereby renounce my piety to the Three Lords: Senshi, Shori, and Yunqi!”

“From this day onwards, I shall serve the Celestial Lord Imoogi as my new divine Father! I pledge to be his eternal mortal slave for the rest of my trivial life! His words are my command and if I, in any way, defy his orders, I shall be struck down by divine lightning and die a thousand deaths in the realm of Ammit and become reborn in my next life as a frog!” continued Yong cheerfully.

The duke didn’t think twice before repeating everything that Yong had just said. He didn’t dare to raise his head back up until Yong told him to. When he did, Yong exploded in a fit of laughter that echoed through the hall. He was clutching his stomach as he rolled onto the floor and letting his voice ring out and bounce off the walls. His mirth and glee was like that of a little child’s and it took him a very long time before he settled down. When he finally did, he wiped a tear from the corner of his eyes and said, “I couldn’t believe you actually did that! You must either be very desperate or just plain idiotic to do something like that!” He let out another stream of continuous laughter.

As the Celestial Dragon was laughing, the duke’s face was consumed by horror and he became paler than a sheet. He really felt like he had just died and was now leaving this world to be burned for this blasphemy he had just committed. Oh, how his own ancestors will surely disown him in the next life to leave him to forever burn in the flames of impiety!

Yong had calmed down by now and he released Ralus from his torture. The first thing that Ralus did was console his father. His father was pale like a ghost; it was as if his soul had left his body. Ralus angrily turned to Yong and yelled out, “How could you?! You will pay for this, you hear?!”

The Celestial Dragon just shrugged his shoulder at the threat. “Anyway, it’s your turn now,” he told Ralus with a mischievous smile.

“What the hell are you going on about?” hissed Ralus.

“You better hurry if you want to save your father,” warned Yong with his finger waving in a tutting motion. He then flicked his finger in the duke’s direction and the duke immediately began to gasp heavily for air. The duke had his hands on his own neck and struggled to breathe.

“Father!” cried Ralus. “What did you do to him?!” he demanded Yong.

“Just a little experiment called ‘How long can a mortal survive in an environment with very thin air?’,” said Yong innocently with a not-so-innocent smile.

“You bastard!” cursed Ralus.

“Maybe I should thin the air even more?” thought Yong aloud.

“You—!”

“Oh, I know! What if I instead did an experiment where he breathed poison instead?” said Yong with a bright smile.

Hearing those words made Ralus experience a hole in his stomach and his knees were ready to buckle. He fell to his knees and dropped his forehead to the ground. And with a heavy heart, he repeated his father’s pledge renouncing his tribe’s gods for another. Once he was finished, Yong made the duke able to breathe normally again.

“Good job!” praised Yong. He then flashed them a very chilling glare with a matching maniacal smile. “I’ll enjoy running you ragged as my personal slaves,” he said with a lick of his lips.

“W-What do you mean?” asked Ralus fearfully.

“You’ll see soon enough,” said Yong with a cryptic chuckle. “Now, let’s get on with why you’re here. Tell me, what is Ouroboros’ big plan? I can tell that something big is going to happen between the two tribes, but I still need to fill a few holes before I can get the big picture. I mean, it would be easy for me to get this information by blending in with the group of messed-up brain-dead heretical revolutionaries, but I think that it’s more interesting to just meddle from the sidelines. Now then, tell me everything you know.”

Ingrid sat down the cup of tea on the table and retreated back without a word. Amora took the cup and sipped it. She then turned her attention back to Aika and smiled. “The tea is wonderful,” she told the princess.

“T-Thank you,” said Aika. She then quickly shook her head and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“To help you,” said Amora with an innocent smile.

“Help me?” asked Aika in disbelief. “Who do you think you are? Amora, the goddess of love?” said the princess with a churlish laugh.

Amora bowed her head and said kindly, “A pleasure to make your acquaintance, princess.”

Those words took a few seconds to process in Aika’s mind before she quickly stopped laughing and shouted, “For real?!”

Once again, Amora bowed her head and said kindly, “I am Amora, Celestial Dragon of Love, and I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Aika couldn’t believe it. The color drained from her face as the realization that she had committed such blasphemy before a goddess took hold. She felt paralyzed and her body shivered with fear; her face was frozen in an expression that was in between terror and dread. “I-I-I-I-I-I…,” she chattered like a malfunctioning robot.

Amora laughed and the reaction quickly broke Aika out of her stupor. “Oh, don’t worry about it,” she reassured Aika. “I’m not like some of my colleagues. Me, uptight and merciless?—heavens no! So really, it’s fine. Why? Did you think that I was going to turn you into a pig or something?”

Aika gulped and chuckled nervously. “I truly apologize for my actions,” she sincerely said with a bow of her head.

“Thank you,” said Amora kindly. Her face suddenly became serious and she said in a terrifying voice, “Next time, I’ll turn you into a rat.”

“W-What happened to being turned into a pig?!” blurted out Aika in terror.

“Oh, a girl like you is too cute to be turned into a pig,” reasoned Amora in her kind voice. “Besides, a rat is cuter than a pig. Especially when it desperately tries to avoid being stepped on and dead.” That last statement was given in a cruel manner with sadistic overtones.

‘She’s scary!’ exclaimed Aika fearfully.

“Alrighty then!” said Amora cheerfully, clapping her hands together. “Princess, why are you trying to make this difficult on yourself?” asked the goddess. “You’ve already had your love accepted by your beau, received a confession from him, and your relationship looks like it’s actually able to progress smoothly now.”

“I know,” moaned Aika. “But there’s a new obstacle.”

“No, there is not,” argued the goddess. “The only obstacle is the one you conjured up yourself.”

“Hey, I’ve already decided to accept the love of the other girls too and share my Darling with them,” said Aika. “But now, it’s getting ridiculous!”

“Love is not as easy as it seems,” said the goddess. “However, it’s not very complicated either. Love is a very flexible emotion that can fan the flames of passion, but it can also fuel the fires of hatred. It takes on many forms and is as complex as the mind itself, yet it is one of the most primal feelings all living beings understand.”

“I guess,” sighed Aika.

Amora saw the Draco princess’ depressed face and shook her head. She put a finger under Aika’s chin and gently brought her face up until they were eye-to-eye. “I am sure that you have heard the various legends about the Dragonborn, correct? Not just any Dragonborn, but the one spoken about in the legends about Armageddon.” Aika nodded her head. “Then surely you have heard that the Dragonborn of legend is destined to have thirteen wives, correct?” said the goddess. Again, Aika nodded her head. “Now, if your beau is the Dragonborn of legend, then it is his fate to have thirteen wives. What will you do, then, if this is his destiny?”

“I….” Aika didn’t know exactly how to respond to that. Amora let her go and Aika thought about what the goddess had said. If Tatsuya is perhaps the Dragonborn of legend, then that would mean that Aika will more than likely have to share him with twelve other girls. Twelve other girls! The idea made her a little uneasy. She isn't the most selfish person and is willing to share almost everything she has in her possession, but when it comes to the person she loves, she can’t bear the thought of not having him all to herself. It was in the nature of Dracos to feel possessive towards anything they felt passionate about. Their passion and the object or concept for which they direct it towards give their life meaning. Aika was afraid of losing this sense of meaning that was a part of her ever since she discovered what it was she wanted to be passionate about. But if it’s her Darling’s destiny to have more lovers than just herself….

“Love is better to be shared than to be kept selfishly for yourself,” said the goddess wisely.

“You’re right,” agreed Aika after a little hesitation. She made a disappointed face and let out a groan. “Ah-ah! I guess I’ll have to share my Darling with a big-boobed nymphomaniac hippie, in addition to a rebellious hussy, a lazy glutton, a phony hick, a spoiled brat, and a directionally-challenged basket-case.” She then smiled to herself and added, “I hope they can also accept a hot-blooded clingy warrior princess into the mix, too.”

“Well, as they all say: ‘All is fair in love and war. Especially if it’s after the same person!’” said the goddess.

“Right,” said Aika slowly.

Amora turned around and walked up to the door to take her leave. Ingrid opened the door and the goddess turned her face halfway back to Aika. “Don’t go ruining your chance at love now, princess.” With that last statement, the goddess left the room.

Aika heaved out a huge groan. “Why do I have to suffer so? Hey, Ingrid, tell me.”

“Princess, please take the goddess’ words to heart,” pleaded Ingrid.

“I guess,” said Aika with a sigh. “Well, I’m not going to ruin my chance at love with Darling,” she said confidently with renewed cheerfulness. She stretched her arms and exhaled a refreshing sigh. She then grabbed the door and walked out. As soon as she was in the hallway, she noticed voices coming her way and turned to see Tatsuya walking together with Kiai. “Darling!” she called out happily.

Tatsuya turned to Aika and held up his hand in greeting. Once the three of them were together, Tatsuya asked, “Are you feeling okay now?”

“Of course!” replied Aika.

“I was really bummed when you couldn’t join us this afternoon,” said Tatsuya. “I had to show Kiai around the kingdom and the other girls joined us, but it was kind of hard without you around. I mean, having you there to help with the tour would’ve been a real lifesaver!”

Hearing these words made Aika’s heart flutter. She couldn’t believe that her Darling actually needed her help! This was the first time that he had shown any kind of desire to have her by his side at all! ‘Is this what true love is?’ she asked herself.

“Princess Ashira, I apologize if my words or actions have offended you in any way,” said Kiai with a bow of her head.

Aika’s moment of being smitten vanished and she was brought back to reality by Kiai’s words. “Oh, no, I’m fine,” she quickly reassured the Wyvern princess. “You don’t have to apologize for anything. I was just being childish and a fool.” She added a little lighthearted laugh after the last sentence to try to prevent the mood from devolving any more than it needs to be.

“Well, I’m glad to see you feeling better,” said Tatsuya. He smiled and Aika could feel her chest warming up.

“We should meet with the other Dragonborns to discuss plans for next week,” Kiai told him.

“Ah, you’re right!” Tatsuya held up a hand and said, “Anyway, I got to go now. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

“Wait, what’s going on next week?” Aika quickly asked them. The way the Wyvern princess was acting very secretive with her Darling was very suspicious. Aika felt extremely uncomfortable about what it was that could be going on between them.

Tatsuya and Kiai exchanged expressions before explaining the situation to Aika. “Next week, we will be leaving the kingdom for the peace talks with the enemy,” Tatsuya told her.

“Next week?!” exclaimed Aika in wide-eyed surprise.

“I’ll be acting as a retainer for Kiai,” explained Tatsuya.

“I will be acting as a witness for the meeting,” added Kiai.

Aika felt like she had just been slapped in the face. How did she not hear of this?! Her heart began to beat very quickly as the thought of her Darling going off in the sunset with the Wyvern princess and not looking back vividly played in her mind. She would be all alone in unbearable darkness and misery! No, she couldn’t let this happen! Without a second thought, she quickly declared, “I’ll be going too!”

This declaration surprised Tatsuya and he wasn’t sure that he had heard her correctly. “Come again?” he asked her with a tilt of his head.

“I said that I’ll be going too!” repeated Aika confidently. “I’ll also act as a retainer for the princess.”

“But—,” protested Tatsuya.

“I’ll go ask my father for his permission right now!” Aika quickly countered.

Kiai wore a very large smile and bowed her head. “I will be grateful to have the one they call the ‘Goddess of Victory’ as my retainer,” she said reverently with a gentle and sincere voice.

Again, Tatsuya heard Aika referred to as such. What was the story behind this name? Just what about her made her the Dracos’ ‘Goddess of Victory’? He was already familiar with her skills in combat and magic, and knew her to be very strong, but he just couldn’t figure out the reason for her nickname other than the fact that she was the tribe’s princess. He knew of other people that he would say were far stronger than her, though he couldn’t be exactly sure since he hadn’t yet seen the full extent of her abilities; but based on what he had already seen, he found it hard for himself to acknowledge that epithet of hers. There must be something that he was missing, he was sure of it. The idea intrigued him and he was a little excited to have discovered something new about the Draco princess, though subtle that excitement may be.

Without leaving room for any possible opposition, Aika quickly made haste to her father to tell him of her decision. She smiled happily to herself at the thought of going on an adventure with her Darling. How long has it been since they did something together? After everything that had happened, it seemed like quite a long time. She turned the corner and, having had her eyes closed due to her own excitement, bumped into someone.

“My apologies, princess,” said the voice.

Aika quickly opened her eyes and her brows furrowed into a scowl. Bowing before herself was Dex Lector. “What are you doing here?” she asked him sharply.

“After being dismissed by the king after our meeting, I had decided to spend some time in the courtyard gardens,” said the minister. “I hope that I hadn’t offended you by doing so.”

“The courtyard gardens are on the opposite wing,” Aika told him with suspicious eyes.

“Oh, really? My, after having spent some years as a minister and coming into the palace as part of my duties, I still have yet to familiarize myself with the palace’s structure,” said the minister with a ditzy laugh.

“I have no time for small talk, minister,” she said, adding a very acidic bite to his title, “but I need to go speak with my father.”

“Oh! Of course!” said Dex, quickly shuffling out of the way and bowing his head in reverence to her.

Aika took one look at the sycophant minister and uttered a “hmph!” And then she quickly went on her way. She hadn’t even made it to the other side of the hallway yet when Dex Lector said something that made her shudder.

“I can’t wait to serve the princess on next week’s journey,” came the minister.

Aika slowly turned back around and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“We’ll be working together one week from now,” said Dex with a smile. “It will be an honor to travel with the princess and the Dragonborn of the human realm together.” His voice had become very unsettling and creepy, and his smile grew even worse. “I can’t wait for next week. It’s going to be very fun.”