Chapter 50: Advance forward.
"Sigh… why are you all smiles and rainbows?" Kyriaki asked from the boy chuckling beside her as they walked towards the survivors. He glanced at her several times as if he was extremely pleased and lightly followed her without answering.
They were returning after their private conversation.
And the first person to greet them was someone unexpected.
"Y-you-"
It was the High Priest. Stuttering like an uneducated teenage tug Infront of a gangleader.
"Yes, Me." Kyriaki just walked past him, shooting him a less-than-kind look in the passing. Even her mocking was calm and elegant. Euclid chuckled once again and asked in whispers.
"Who's that?"
"Trash."
"Ah, I see." Euclid too, calmly accepted her assessment. They were openly using Common Language so that everyone could hear.
"Did you have…Ahem—a good conversation?" Marina, who Kyriaki had grown closer to as her first human companion, approached them at that moment.
"Yes we did." Kyriaki responded in a passive tone.
Even as they spoke, Marina's deep green eyes were sneaking glances at Euclid. Kyriaki chose to ignore the curiosity bubbling inside those forest-like eyes. In her opinion, it was too much work to even waste energy on this matter.
Marina continued to glance at Euclid as if she was admiring an artwork of a famous painter. Until Mrs.Romanov put her hand on her shoulder to speak to them, Marina did nothing but stare.
"By the way Kyriaki, is this person—"
"Well, as you can see…" Kyriaki sensed the Wolf King and the deer-boy approaching. But instead of giving them any attention, Kyriaki's yellow diamond eyes unconsciously searched for Ocean Blue.
Euclid, who smiled faintly at her, turned to Mrs.Romanov.
"And who might you be?" His tone was stiff, almost cold. The formerly smiling boy had vanished and a cold and arrogant boy was gazing at Mrs.Romanov.
The difference was so great that the few people gathered around immediately noticed it.
Kyriaki was momentarily speechless. People normally say she had very bad mood swingings, but isn't Euclid worse?
She couldn't help but admit once again, Euclid and her were similar in many ways.
"Oh, apologies for the late introduction. My name is Tatiana Lyubov Romanov. And this is my husband, Paul Vasiliev Romanov." The wolf couple bowed their heads respectfully. The others were no longer surprised by their overly polite demeanor towards the newcomers.
"By Romanov…" Euclid raised the corner of one of his eyebrows and looked at Kyriaki with a questioning gaze.
"The Wolf King and Queen, Rank M and SSS+ in order." Kyriaki gave a short explanation in Drakonic, making Euclid genuinely surprised.
"Haven't you two been missing for six years?" He asked from the Wolf King with slightly bewildered expressions. The wolf couple smiled bitterly at his question.
"Indeed, we've been trapped here for three years in Void time now."
"Since there's no way to exit this place…"
At the wolf couple's words, Euclid shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
"Well that's true. Only we have the authority to freely travel between the five planes. Though, I wonder how our GDC radars didn't catch a glimpse of the two of you. They do rescue searches in the Void Plane twice a year with the cooperation of ADC." Euclid stroked his chin with an astute observation.
"...they do?" The Romanov couple blinked, hearing this for the first time.
Kyriaki sighed as she watched them look at her with a slight skeptical look. She hadn't mentioned it thinking it was unnecessary. The best it might do would be making them sad for their unlucky life.
When Kyriaki nodded her head, confirming Euclid's words, the two wolves pressed their lips together with resigned looks. Perhaps their age must have made them halt their bubbling emotions, they said nothing.
However, Euclid wasn't done making them miserable as he continued with an indifferent voice.
"And I heard your son has been searching for both of you all this time. He hasn't even taken his rightful position yet, saying his father would come back soon."
Kyriaki facepalmed herself, wanting to punch Euclid for the second time in one day.
How could she not?
At that news, the wolf couple looked at Kyriaki as if they were children who badly got hurt during PT, came back home early to rest, just to hear the secret of their birth from their parents' private talk the moment they entered the house.
"H-he did?" For the first time since they met, The wolf King showed so much emotion on his face as he spoke in a trembling voice. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper.
Kyriaki nodded once again.
Euclid had already spilled the tea and now looking at his neat nails as if he had done nothing wrong. The mess he created was dropped on Kyriaki's shoulders.
As a result, she had to clean up that mess.
"It's a bit troublesome because GDC reported that there were too many conflicts within your pack. Since we don't interfere with people's choices unless it was a War that could put Mitherr-ge in danger, all we could do is monitor the situation. But one thing is clear, he won't give up until the day he dies and you know it."
Wolves were born loyal.
And wolf beastkin were even more so.
The successor and the only son of the Wolf King—the future grandfather of Wolf Hero who single handedly defeated an Arch Angel to protect his pack—he too was a very loyal wolf.
Although the Romanov Wolf bloodline's time to shine hasn't come yet, Kyriaki had already taken into account that she might as well make them in her debt for a smooth future. She even made sure to take some photos of them together for future uses.
"..."
"..."
Meanwhile, the wolf couple fell into silence.
Marina and Oscar exchange looks.
They couldn't understand what they spoke since they deliberately used Drakonic and Wolf tongue. Moreover, Kyriaki didn't directly mention anything even before since the Wolf couple hid their true identity.
However, it seemed that the two of them had a rough guess who they were.
After all, Wolf beastkins were a one big pack under one ruler. And those with the title "King" among beastkin were quite famous. At least their Royal Family name was well known.
In that sense, Romanov was an uncommon and a famous name within beastkin society. And Humans might also hear about them occasionally. Oscar, who was a part of that same beastkin society and Marina who was an adventurer that had seen many things, would have had their own suspicions.
Clap!
"Alright, enough with those matching looks with the Void sky, it's time to eat!" Kyriaki clapped her hands once and smiled brightly.
At the sound of E in eat, the survivors perked up their other two Es; ears and eyes.
Snap!
With a snap of her finger, all kinds of food flew out of her smart watch inventory.
Euclid widened his eyes.
"You've been feeding them?"
Kyriaki shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing. Marina instead, spoke cheerfully.
"She's been taking care of almost everything. From health to protection.. literally everything!"
"That's…so like her."
His blue eyes sparkled as he glanced at Kyriaki. Marina glanced between them several times and narrowed her green eyes, then slowly back down as if a fish slipping from a net.
That was how a dinner in the Void Plane started.
As Kyriaki disturbed food, Euclid followed her like a duckling following his mother. His response to occasional glances were cold, his actions almost rude. While Kyriaki was elegantly haughty, Euclid felt like he was born arrogant, like a tyrant king.
This continued for a while before Kyriaki abruptly paused.
"Ria?" Euclid tilted his head adorably. Short gasps and silent exclamations answered his every action.
But Kyriaki was facing a difficult situation at the moment, unaware that the people she saved had become fanatics of a dragon other than her.
"I…don't have water." She mumbled softly.
She had collected some water barrels from kobolds a week ago. But they were now empty. At most, she could scrape some water for two people. That was all.
Kyriaki tapped the croissant basket, deep in thoughts.
Then as if something came to her mind, she lifted her lowered head and looked straight at Euclid. Perhaps sensing what's in her mind, he froze and averted her eyes, only to lock eyes with humans around him.
Euclid's blue eyes grew colder the more he looked at those worn out eyes.
"Eucee…" At the soft and gentle calling, Euclid flinched. He did his best to not make eye contact with Kyriaki like a child afraid of punishment from his mother.
"Eucee?" Kyriaki was persistent.
"Sigh…" Finally, unable to withstand her invisible pressure, Euclid sighed loudly enough for everyone to hear and half heartedly lifted his index finger.
Blue mana gathered on the top of his finger and slowly transformed into clear water.
"Please be careful to not exceed the given amount. My Mana density is harmful to humans if one consumes too much of it."
A cold voice like the frostbite of harsh winter came from his adorable lips. But when his eyes met the Yellow diamonds, they softened.
"Did I do well?" A sweet voice, far different from the cold one she heard earlier, reached Kyriaki.
"Yes," she nodded, remembering her twin brother. "Should I give you a reward for a job well done?"
"Hehe."
When the charming boy smiled so prettyly, it seemed like a thousand flowers bloomed behind him. If he had a tail, he'd be wagging it like a helicopter.
Watching this, Marina bent her waist and covered her lips with a hand, leaning on Oscar.
"Hey, there's a rival for you." Her voice, barely above a whisper, wasn't hard for Kyriaki to hear. But as always, she ignored it as she rummaged through the inventory to look for a fitting reward while Euclid distributed water to survivors.
"I can't compete with that beauty, I'll just give up." Meanwhile, Oscar twisted his freckled face and focused on eating as if he wanted to devour the whole world like the Sin of Gluttony.
The evening quietly went by with eating and resting.
Kyriaki took care of the survivors, almost like a tusundere mother. Marina joked around with people, trying to break the invincible silence. Oscar looked displeased by something, tossing dry branches to the bonfire from time to time like throwing his enemies out of the window. The Romanov couple still looked pale and sorrowful. Even so, they still took it upon themselves to take the first guard duty of the night.
When all people went to sleep except for the two guards, Euclid finally approached Kyriaki.
She was sitting under a tree a bit far away from the bonfire, watching people sleep. She looked tired. Whether it was mental fatigue or physical fatigue, only she would know.
Euclid flopped right next to her and pressed his back to the hard tree bark, flashing a charming smile her way.
Kyriaki, unimpressed, gave him a look and stood up with effortless grace.
"Where are you going?"
"Anywhere but here."
"Why? Aren't you tired?"
"I can endure. We both can."
After all, they were Dragons. Endurance was instinctive to them. However, Euclid seems to view things differently.
"But giving your body some rest would be ideal. Who knows what kind of monsters we might face tomorrow?"
"I can handle it." Kyriaki's unwavering golden eyes looked at him without blinking. Under the gloomy sky, those mesmerizing eyes glowed slightly in a neon glow. It was subtle, but enough for Euclid to notice.
"Really?" Yet, he asked as if he didn't see her emotions in her eyes.
"If I can't, The wolves can."
"I saw a group of A rank Horned-Gorillas a few kilometers away from here. What a waste. I thought you were handling everything under A rank to hoarder core energy, seems I'm wrong."
An A rank monster was still a bit tough for Kyriaki to handle alone. And a group of them was out of questions. No matter how powerful she was as a hatchling, she was still weak when the opponent was outranking and outnumbering her.
"..." Kyriaki stared at him with a poker face. But her eyes told another story. She was truly considering what he was saying.
Seeing that, Euclid's smile widened.
"Com'on now, I have the perfect solution."
He speared his arms as if asking for a hug, not breaking eye contact with Kyriaki. On the other hand, Kyriaki tilted her head, her expression confused.
"What are you doing?" She asked, her voice flat.
"Asking for you to hug me and rest, obviously." Euclid spoke as if it was obvious, like the sun rises from the east and Koreans love kimchi. A fact. An obvious one.
"Did you hit your head somewhere?" Kyriaki recoiled as if she had witnessed a cringy couple in the subway after a long day of slave-work. Her face was an absolute mix of disgust and disbelief.
Euclid however, merely chuckled as if he was enjoying her expressions.
"Check out my new cloak and you'll agree."
Kyriaki frowned at his knowing smile. She didn't like it one bit. She also didn't like the dark blue cloak he wore.
It was fit for his five-year-old body, with a golden pattern on the hem. From outside, it looked fashionable. Almost luxurious. It suited him. And that was the exact reason why she didn't like it.
However, she could instinctively feel the dense mana surrounding the cloak. Her dragon senses already knew it was no ordinary luxury item.
An artifact.
A high-ranking, valuable one at that.
'System. Do the thing.'
[...]
[Ding!]
[Poseidon's Sea Cloak
Category: Artifact
Type: Sentient
Rank: L (Low)
Effects: +100% water affinity, +100% waterproof, +25% control over water attribute mana, +25% strength boost near water, +25% agility boost near water, Ability to adjust size and length to user's preference, Ability to come back to the user's possession instantly when separated, Ability to float on water, Ability to turn invisible in water for ten minutes with a one minute cooldown, Ability to absorb water and release it as mental fatigue recovery and muscle relief mana.
Description: A cloak made for Poseidon, the first head of House Agyris, by the High Dwarf king as a thanks for saving his wife during the God's War. Made out of thousand merfolk tears and the God of Sea's life essence. Said to have been coveted by Thanasios for centuries. It chooses its wearer.]
"I'll let you use it as a payment for giving me advice and also as a form of apology for killing your tool."
Kyriaki fully turned to face him as she crossed her arms. She started at Euclid's grinning face for a moment with a not-so-impressed expression before speaking.
"Take it off."
"Huh?" Euclid, bewildered, asked with imaginary question marks floating above his head.
"Take it off so that I can use it." Kyriaki said in a no-no sense tone.
"...are you threatening me?"
"I am merely using my authority as the Crown Princess."
"That's abuse of power!"
"So what are you gonna do? Complain to my dad?"
"...so wicked."
"Anyway, take it off." Kyriaki uncrossed her hands and extended one as if demanding something that had always been hers. Her eyes, wicked as if she was taking revenge, made Euclid shudder for a second.
"I can't." Euclid shook his head, his white hair flowed like fluid water as he moved his head.
"Why?"
"Did you read the description properly? It says 'It chooses its wearer'. Even if I give you this, the cloak won't accept you without me present."
"..." Kyriaki honestly knew. She just wanted to argue for the sake of messing with him, as a petty revenge for messing with the Romanov couple.
Because her Stigma was released, she felt more at ease now. Enough to fool around like this.
"You at least need to maintain your mental fatigue. You haven't slept even before the day of the crimson moon, have you? It might have a negative effect on you. We can't take unnecessary risks now, can we?"
Kyriaki wanted to argue. Her pride told her not to give in so early. But Dragons were rational and logical before they were prideful. And so, Kyriaki quietly flopped on his lap and curled up like a cat before closing her eyes.
Euclid, startled, held his breath as if he didn't expect her to give in so easily.
Frankly, he absolutely didn't think she'd sit on his lap and treat him like a pillow. At most, he thought she'd just sit next to him so that she could lean on him.
Although it was a pleasant surprise, Euclid quickly recovered.
He then happily wrapped his arms around her as he covered their bodies with his cloak. Both in his dragon and human forms, Euclid has always been a bit taller than his fellow hatchlings. And here, he took advantage of that fact.
They closed their eyes, hugging each other like kittens. However, neither of them were sleeping. Just pretending to sleep so that the outsiders won't be suspicious wasn't so hard for them. They quietly and meticulously absorbed the unique mental fatigue recovery mana the cloak released from the blue fabric.
But both Kyriaki and Euclid knew that this kind of "sleep" wouldn't make a big difference. A dragon, after all, had to sleep in their true form to call it a true sleep.
∆ ∆ ∆
Days flew like an arrow out of the bowstring.
Another two weeks passed, marking a month of stay in the Void Plane for the team KyrioswithoutKyrios-13.
Two out of the entire team were moving towards the Tower of Hunters.
And the only remaining teammate; Levana's movements were constantly monitored by the reunited two teammates.
The places they were dropped were different. Kyriaki found herself at the southwest of the continent, while Euclid was in the center. Ethan was between them. But Levana, she was the only person who was able to be near the Tower of Hunters from the beginning.
But the problem was, Levana was moving away from the Tower. Precisely, she was rapidly moving towards them without any rest.
Due to carrying many survivors, Kyriaki's movements were slow, however Levana was different. Since she was alone and had assassin techniques, it was only natural for her to conceal her presence to avoid monsters and move swiftly.
"Is she stupid?" Euclid coldly evacuated the little dark elf after observing the map for a while.
"Eucee…" Kyriaki shook her head, calling his name in a tone that said he shouldn't badmouth someone that was not there.
"Am I wrong? I bet she never thought about the Prime-Dimensional Gate near the Tower."
"It can't be helped, I advised everyone before that regrouping and making plans are the first thing to do after force separations. We actually followed that rule at first separation too, don't you remember?"
"Tch…still, she's wasting energy doing this, if she found shelter somewhere and wait for us—"
"She must be anxious." Kyriaki lowered her wrist, removing the map from her sight as if she was slightly troubled. Her gaze was lingering in a certain direction. Euclid also followed her with a short sigh.
"How much time until we meet?" He asked.
"Thirteen minutes and forty seconds at this pace."
"Then we can take care of the uninvited guests before the welcoming party, right?" Two slim swords manifested on Euclid's adorably tiny hands.
The grey wolf ears on Mr.Romanov's head twitched as he gazed at the weapons. Ignoring it, Kyriaki also summoned her demonic sword.
"Mhmm…"
"Are you planning to level up this time?"
"Perhaps."
"It's getting harder and harder to level up."
"Yeah…"
Kyriaki couldn't deny it. She glared at the distance where dust was making sand storms as if nature had gone mad.
The leveling system in this word depends on Core energy.
Everyone who can use weapon art, magic or skills has a core. Be it a beast, monster or a person. The energy of a core varies from a person to person and a monster to monsters.
Every rank has a fixated amount of core energy. And to level up, one has to absorb energy from another's core. This was the reason people hunt monsters and monsters hunt people.
It was all to gain core energy and become powerful.
And the amount of core energy to level up changes each time someone levels up.
For example; A G ranker to level up sub ranks, they need 100% core energy. For an F ranker, it was 250% core energy. And it changes as their rank goes up.
For Kyriaki, who was at D+ sub rank she needed 1000% core energy to access the stage of C rank. And the problem was, she could no longer gain any core energy from monsters five sub ranks below her. And even if it was at the five rank threshold, she was able to only get a feeble 0.01 amount of core energy.
This would only worsen when she reached rank A. It would be harder and harder the more she craved power.
And for some people, they might face something worse. Something that they call a bottleneck where they can't rank up even if they kill millions of monsters.
Thinking that she was at least lucky enough to ascend to DT rank as a dragon, Kyriaki sighed a relieved sigh.
"They are coming…" Marina drew her bowstring with force, mumbled with bloodshot eyes.
[Wind Eagle Saga: First strike: Wind Bullet]
The tip of the arrow head glowed sky-blue.
And the battle began, just like any ordinary day.
∆ ∆ ∆
"GDC = Guardian Dragon Center
ADC = Ancient Dragon Council."
—From the book