Chương 56: Chapter 55: Vesperite

The dual impact echoed through the royal garden, a sound best described as the percussion of inevitable consequences. Elina, the proud dragon, and Lina, the girl whose potential was as vast as the sky, stood side by side in the dirt. They winced, their hands instinctively flying up to nurse the identical bumps sprouting atop their heads. In front of them stood Vionette and Noa with their arms crossed.

Their expressions were a mixture of weary disappointment and the silent weight of people who had just realized their office had been turned into a pile of smoking gravel.

"You two…" Vionette began, her voice trailing off into a groan.

"Well… I mean…" Noa started, but found himself equally at a loss for words. He looked at the destroyed wall and then back at the two girls. An awkward silence settled over them. The truth was, Vionette and Noa couldn't find the moral high ground to deliver a proper lecture. They were the architects of their own chaos. To blame Lina and Elina for being reckless would be like a forest fire telling a candle to watch its temper.

Vionette lifted her gaze, gritting her teeth in annoyance as she surveyed the rubble of her personal sanctuary. She looked like she wanted to scream, but instead, she just let her shoulders slump.

"Whatever. We'll let it go this time," Vionette muttered, clicking her tongue. Elina and Lina, who had been rubbing their bumps with teary eyes, transformed instantly. Their faces lit up, their eyes turning into sparkling jewels of relief.

"Yaaay!" They high-fived each other with the kind of joy usually reserved for surviving a war.

"However—" Vionette's voice dropped an octave, a smirk cutting across her face as she locked eyes with Elina.

"I've decided that going to Aurelyth via a teleportation circle is too boring. So, let's take a ride instead, shall we?"

"I thought the same," Noa agreed, his own smirk matching Vionette's. Elina watched the two of them smile maniacally. She knew that look. The 'punishment' wasn't a pardon—it was forced labor.

The crimson dragon dipped low, her massive belly nearly brushing the emerald canopy of the forest's highest trees. Her wings were leviathans of muscle and scale, sending waves of pressurized wind crashing outward, scattering the forest's monsters into a panicked frenzy far below. With a powerful, rhythmic beat of her wings, Elina surged upward. A proud, draconic curve formed along her maw; even if she was being used as a taxi, she couldn't help but revel in the freedom of the sky.

"Yaaaay!" Lina's shout was instantly swallowed by the rushing currents. Her laughter trailed behind them like a silken ribbon as she threw her arms wide into the endless blue, a grin of delight spreading across her face. Behind her sat Noa, his left arm wrapped firmly around Vionette, anchoring her against his side. Despite the roaring air and the rhythmic thrum of dragon wings, she remained tucked against him, her breathing slow and steady. Cute…

Noa looked down at the sleeping white-haired woman beside him, his gaze softening into something tender. He idly twirled a stray strand of her sidelocks between his fingers, the white threads slipping through his grasp like silk. Vionette shifted slightly, her head settling deeper into the crook of his shoulder, her fingers loosely catching onto his clothes as if anchoring herself to him even in her dreams.

"We're here," Elina's voice rumbled within her chest. Below them, the capital city of Aurelyth stretched out like an intricate mosaic of stone and spire. Women lost their grip on the baskets they held, as she ran inside a house for cover. The men in the streets fell into defensive stances, their hands white-knuckled as they gripped their spears and swords, though their legs betrayed them with a frantic tremble.

"Is it… true?"

"The Crimvane Dragon?" Then, in a flash of shifting light, the massive shadow vanished. The dragon's silhouette collapsed into four distinct figures plummeting through the air. Elina caught Lina in her arms, snapping out smaller dragon wings to break their fall into a smooth glide. Next to them, Noa descended with the velocity of a comet, securely holding the newly awakened Vionette.

The ground spiderwebbed beneath Noa as he landed, absorbing the entire impact through his legs while keeping his arms perfectly rigid, ensuring Vionette didn't feel a single tremor. A second later, Elina touched down beside them, setting Lina on her feet.

"Great… now the ground is ruined because of you," Elina remarked, casually brushing a speck of dust off her shoulder.

"You're the one who decided to turn into your human form mid-air," Noa countered, rolling his shoulders as he gently set Vionette down. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"Couldn't you have used Aether?" She clenched her fist with an annoyed click of her tongue.

"And, was I supposed to land on the castle?"

"You could have lowered yourself and transformed near a roof!"

"... Oh." While the two argued, the knights of Crimvane stationed inside the Aurelyth castle rushed toward them. Vionette smoothed her hair and dress with practiced hands, surveying the encroaching guards.

"I am honored to meet you, Lady Vionette, Lord Noa, and the two misses," a female voice called out from the center of the formation. Noa turned toward the approaching dark-blue-haired woman.

"You seem to be the one in charge. What's your name?"

"I am Ance, My Lord." The knight stepped forward and knelt on the stone path.

"By the order of Lady Vionette through our Knight Commander, Kaelen, I have prepared all the required information."

"Well, that's certainly fast," Vionette noted with a smile, stepping up beside Noa.

"Get up, Ance. Walk us through this castle, then." The female knight looked up, her eyes—usually cold and indifferent—now alight with a hidden joy.

"Yes, please follow me." … Though they didn't inspect every corridor, they walked through the essential chambers of the castle, guided seamlessly by Ance. Finally, they were led into Demor's office. Lina and Elina entered first, their attention instantly drawn to the ornate paintings lining the walls. Ance followed them, trailing ahead of Vionette, Noa, and the accompanying knights.

"You said you gathered the information?" Vionette walked forward and claimed the main chair behind the desk.

"Let me take a look, then."

"Correct, My Lady." Ance extended a hand toward a subordinate, who immediately placed a ledger into her palm.

"Here are the documents you will primarily need." She approached the desk and handed the book over with both hands, accompanied by a subtle, respectful curtsy. Meanwhile, Noa wandered around the perimeter of the room, peering into corners as if searching for hidden compartments.

"Mmm…" Vionette spent barely a second glancing at each page, finishing the entire book within seconds.

"This looks promising."

"Yes, My Lady," Ance nodded.

"There are roughly 500 tons of Vesperite being mined per month." Hearing the exchange, Noa turned around curiously.

"Vesperite? What is that?"

"Vesperite, My Lord…" Ance clapped her hands, and in response, a knight entered bearing a green-hued ore.

"This is Vesperite. It has almost the same functions as iron, but it is more compatible with Aether and aura. This is just the raw ore for now. It takes about five tons of raw ore to forge a single Vesperite ingot." After the knight placed the stone on the table and stepped back, Noa, Lina, and Elina all gathered around to inspect it intently.

Elina opened her mouth, leaning toward the ore, but—"You can't eat it, stupid dragon," Vionette scolded with a disappointed sigh, to which Elina responded with a childish pout. Turning her attention back to Ance, Vionette added, "Alright, continue with your proposal."

"Yes, My Lady," Ance began.

"Through the Eryndor's connections, we can sell 100 tons of raw ore to lesser kingdoms, desperate merchants, or neutral territories." As another knight stepped forward to present a refined Vesperite ingot, she continued, "Then, we can smelt the remaining 400 tons into 80 ingots. We can sell 40 of those to wealthy kingdoms or elite merchants, and reserve the final 40 to forge armor for our own forces." She raised three fingers.

"This distribution should earn us roughly three million gold coins per month."

"Good, good. Great plan." Meeting Ance's winter-cold eyes, Vionette asked, "But can we forge enough armor in time for another war with only 40 tons?" Ance gave a confident nod.

"As long as a war doesn't break out for another three months, it is possible." Vionette closed her eyes in satisfaction before rising from her seat. She walked over to Elina, grasped her two horns firmly, and hoisted her into the air. Tired of trying to fight back, Elina simply folded her arms in defeat.

"It's time to move, you guys. Let's get going," Vionette said, setting the dragon-girl back on her feet. They exited the room while Ance and the remaining knights bowed deeply.

"My Lady," Ance's sudden call made Vionette pause mid-step. The knight walked toward her and handed over a separate sheet of paper filled with cramped text.

"What should we do about this? I believe this is a matter to be concerned about." Vionette scanned the page instantly, then met Ance's eyes with a smirk.

"The Church of Iosef?" Chuckling lightly, she handed the paper back.

"Don't worry, I already knew about this from someone. Just stay put for now."

"Yes, My Lady." Ance bowed once more as Vionette left with a wave of her hand.

The shop's bells rang with a familiar, melodic chime as the group of four stepped inside. Elina and Lina led the way, their eyes darting around the modern interior, taking in the glowing floors and brilliant lighting.

"Are we your favorite, or does Crimvane simply lack any competent tailor shops, Princess Vionette?" Nymira emerged from behind a rack of shimmering fabrics, placing a hand over her heart in a gesture that was equal parts mocking and professional.

"Or should I now call you," she added with a teasing tilt of her head, "'Your Majesty'?"

"So Roswell did his job and informed everyone?" Noa asked, leaning against a glass display case.

"Well now, let's talk about that while we wait, shall we?" Nymira gestured gracefully toward the staircase leading to the upper floor. … Noa slouched into a plush chair in the VIP lounge, resting Acheron against the low table in front of him. Beside him sat Vionette, quietly sipping a milkshake. Nymira sat opposite them, with her employee standing attentively nearby, ready to cater to the new rulers at a moment's notice.

"What kind of reaction did the civilians have to the news?" Vionette asked, her lips parting from the straw.

"Well…" Nymira smiled lightly.

"To be honest, we civilians don't really care much if the ruler changes. As long as the war doesn't bring danger to our doorsteps, one crown is much like another."

"Oh, don't worry," Vionette said. She set her milkshake down and leaned forward, her crimson eyes flashing with a sudden confidence.

"I will make you want to care." Make civilians care about the throne? Nymira leaned back, caught off guard by the raw ambition in Vionette's voice. She trusted the princess, but the rest of the kingdom? That was a different mountain to climb entirely.

"Nymira, you know, if you become my personal tailor, I'll provide everything else you need for this store," Vionette offered, her eyes narrowing slightly as she dangled the temptation.

"No need, Princess. I'm fine with how things are." Nymira waved her hand, rejecting the royal bribe with a casual ease that only she could pull off. Vionette closed her eyes, a small breath of defeat escaping her lips.

"Can't be helped, then." A moment later, the lounge door glided open, and an employee stepped through, followed closely by Elina and Lina.

"Yo! Did you finish putting in your orders for the festival?" Noa asked, stretching his arms over his head.

"Yes! It's going to be so cool!" Lina cheered, stepping forward and flashing a bright peace sign.

"Okay… and," Noa's gaze shifted to the dragon.

"Not bad." Elina stood proudly beside Lina, adjusting the patterned red obi sash that cinched her waist. She spun lightly, letting the pleated dark charcoal skirt flare out, the golden scale patterns on her wide sleeves catching the light.

"It is, isn't it?" Elina beamed, preening slightly under the attention.

"You like it?" Noa asked, offering a genuine smile.

"Hell yeah!"

"A dragon, huh… I swear, Princess Vionette," Nymira sighed, shaking her head in mild disbelief.

"Next time, you'll bring a Demon Lord in here."

"Just go with it," Vionette replied, ignoring the jab as she stood up.

"Alright, time to head to the castle."