"So this is the legendary Londinium," Jeanne mused, standing on a nearby ridge as she looked out over the sprawling mobile city in the distance. "It looks vastly more magnificent than Lungmen or Chernogobyl."
It was a truly awe-inspiring metropolis—the capital of Victoria, the pride of its empire, guarded by impenetrable walls that had never fallen to an enemy since the nation's founding.
"It's the imperial capital of Victoria," Talulah said, casting a helpless, slightly exasperated look at her friend as if looking at someone who lacked common sense. "How could you compare it to Lungmen or Chernogobyl? If you're drawing comparisons, compare it to Deity Grypherburg or the capital of Yan."
"I was just remarking on its size," Jeanne said, narrowing her eyes at Talulah's slight. She gave her a pointed glare until Talulah shifted uncomfortably under her gaze.
The two women and the dragon by their side stared down at the behemoth laid out before them. The city squatted on the plain, exhaling dense clouds of Originium-powered exhaust like a slumbering titan. Yet, beneath its grand exterior, Jeanne caught a subtle undercurrent of decay—a faint shadow of weakness clinging to its glory.
Even so, those world-famous walls were breathtaking to behold, especially with the massive defense cannons lining the battlements, their barrels glinting with lethal promise.
They didn't rush toward the gates just yet. Soldiers across Victoria were undoubtedly scouring the countryside for their whereabouts after hearing the rumors. Waiting a moment for the right time to show themselves seemed wiser.
"We didn't tell a soul about our route, and we picked half our stops at random," Talulah noted, watching the alert Victorian soldiers on the battlements with a frown. "How did they track our path so fast? Did we miss something along the way?"
"They have their ways," Jeanne shrugged. "Special intelligence networks, or maybe high-altitude drones we didn't spot."
"In that case, there's no point in sneaking around," Talulah said, stepping forward. "Let's walk right in. I doubt anyone has the stomach to launch a strike on us out in the open right now."
Though her words sounded bold enough, Jeanne noticed the subtle, almost imperceptible tremor in Talulah's posture—a nervous tension she was trying to talk her way past.
Jeanne didn't tease her. She simply shook her head with a gentle smile, holding Fafnir a little closer as she quietly hummed a soft tune while they approached the massive city.
She wasn't worried about Victorian forces picking a fight. Even if those city defense cannons opened fire, she could easily block the incoming strikes. And if Victoria chose to attack first... well, they would have to face the consequences. Neither she nor Talulah were the type to take hits without striking back.
If push came to shove, Jeanne reckoned those famously "impenetrable" walls might just meet their match today.
As they made their way toward Londinium, the defense forces spotted the incoming Originium vehicle on their fire-control screens, along with its passengers.
Within minutes, word reached the Grand Dukes and key figures inside the city: Talulah Artorius had arrived at the gates of Londinium. A decision had to be made immediately.
Should they allow her to step inside? Should they mobilize the military to turn the Draco heir away? Or should they charge the defense cannons and vaporize her where she stood?
Soldiers locked their artillery onto the slowly approaching car, waiting with bated breath for orders from above.
The Grand Dukes who received the report sank into heavy silence. The Nobles in the city prayed the Draco would be buried beneath the sands outside the walls, while the military commanders hesitated to drag their forces into such a sensitive political storm.
Before anyone could reach a consensus, the sky suddenly darkened.
A shadow fell over the plains as a terrifying beast manifested outside the perimeter, gliding steadily toward the battlements.
Every soldier on the wall lost their voice. They stared up at the massive dragon with golden eyes, paralyzed by the realization that a single impact from that creature could shatter their battlements into rubble.
A wave of raw dread swept through the troops—a fear far heavier than facing a heavy land battleship. Even inside the city, the bustling chatter died down into stunned silence.
Broadcasters who had been preparing to report on the "tragic end" of the Draco heir went completely silent the moment the live feeds showed Fafnir cutting through the clouds. The entire city seemed to hold its breath.
The only people who remained entirely unfazed were the members of Reunion, particularly those who had served under Jeanne or Talulah.
They were completely used to it. In fact, seeing the giant creature in the sky only reminded them of the small, energetic dragon they used to feed back at camp.
If they weren't trying to keep a low profile and working undercover, a few of them would have boasted to the locals, "Hey, I used to feed that big girl snacks back in the day!" Of course, saying that out loud right now would probably get them dragged off to an asylum.
Meanwhile, inside his private estate, Duke Wellington turned to the Draco standing beside him.
"Is something wrong, Lady Eblana?" Wellington asked, noticing her sudden, ragged breath.
"I... I feel a strange resonance in my blood," Eblana murmured, her eyes fixed on the screen. "If I'm not mistaken, that creature has a deep connection to the Draco line... It might even be a Draco Beast Lord!"
"A Beast Lord...?" Duke Wellington's eyes brightened as he studied the massive dragon on the screen.
While Beast Lords were occasionally documented among Liberi or Lupos , hearing of an Elder race having one was virtually unheard of. Yet looking at the creature's features, the physical resemblance to the Draco line was undeniable.
He recalled certain intelligence reports claiming the Aslan royal family had a similar creature by their side—a Beast Lord named Gawain.
"Still, no matter how powerful, it is ultimately just a beast," Wellington remarked calmly. "The Aslans fell all the same, to say nothing of the Dracos who lost the crown long ago."
He recalled how the Dracos were overthrown by the Aslans decades past; a single beast-kin hadn't changed the outcome of history then, and it wouldn't change things now.
While the city remained frozen in shock, Talulah and Jeanne continued their steady approach. Not a single soul dared to pull a trigger, terrified of provoking a retaliatory strike from the beast above.
Under this surreal, heavy atmosphere, the vehicle drew up to the gates of Londinium.
With a powerful beat of her wings, Fafnir kicked up a howling gale as she swooped low over the battlements before soaring off into the distant horizon.
The sudden gust nearly blew several defense soldiers off the high walls, sending them scrambling frantically to hold onto the railings to keep from plunging to the ground.
"Was that entrance really necessary?" Talulah asked, watching Fafnir fly off into the distance. She wasn't worried about the dragon's safety, but she wondered about the political splash it would leave behind.
"Don't worry, everything is under control," Jeanne smiled, stepping onto the solid ground beneath Londinium's shadow.
She looked up at the towering mobile city.
When you think about it, this is technically Talulah's birthplace... Does this mean I'm bringing her back to her hometown?