Page 194

Late Evening - Late Fall : The Golden Lotus, Northern Market District (Valtivar)

"Are you.. really a dragon?" She became anxious the instant she asked the question, as if she didn't know how I would react to it.

But I could only tilt my head. "What do you mean?"

Glancing towards Bjorn's room, she casually put up a silencing barrier. "I know from Amara that you're supposedly a pure dragon-like she is, but... your aura..."

-Hm?- "What about it?"

"Your control, your amount of aura.. even how it makes me feel..."

"Does it make you feel bad or something?"

"Well... It just makes me feel.. inferior.

.. Not like, strength wise, but more.. existentially.

.." She hung her head with a gloomy expression.

"Even if I am a half-breed, the inferiority I felt from Sir Myles Kalfas's aura all those years ago cannot be compared to yours.

.." She looked away from me as she spoke.

"I just find it hard to believe your aura could belong to a dragon. .."

"Hm." But unlike what she was likely expecting, instead of getting offended, I was simply surprised.

-To think she could figure it out from just that.

..- Figuring it wouldn't matter since Bjorn wasn't around, I dissipated the light magic hiding my eyes and horns.

"How's this for proof that I'm a dragon? "

As she slowly turned to see what I was talking about, her eyes widened. "..wait... YOU'RE AN ELDER?!" Her cheeks immediately turned rosy from embarrassment.

"Pffft-haha! No, no. Technically, I'm only 15." -I'm actually 23 if I include my time in that bubble in Kaelallan though...-

But even if I said I was 23, it wouldn't have made a difference. "It's possible to awaken your true form that young?!" Yolanda's jaw was already hanging wide open.

"Haha, I'm just a unique case. Don't think too deeply about it."

"Don't think too deeply about it?!" *Wham* Slamming her hands down on the table, she gave me an upset look. "You awakened your true form over 100 years before Bahamut! The strongest and most talented dragon to ever exist! How are you so nonchalant about that?!"

Her reaction made me want to laugh, but she said something that stuck in my mind.

-Bahamut wasn't always a god?- Although it sounded like something obvious, with the way most dragons treated him, he was portrayed as something closer to the creator of the dragon race. "How old was he when he awakened it?"

"It was on his 121st birthday. How do you not kn-" *Click*

-She's back earlier than I expected...- Turning to the door, I saw Ilios happily trot inside with Amara in tow.

"Hey, buddy." Quickly running up to my seat, he jumped up on me and started rubbing his head into my chest. "Haha, good boy." -Thankfully, she doesn't look injured...-

Likely noticing my aura scan through her body, she dissipated the light magic around her to reveal a large amount of dried blood on her clothes.

-She really didn't hold back, huh...- Looking at her saddened expression, it was obvious what the result of her 'interrogation' was. -To think that hunter somehow survived and still had the audacity to keep a scale...-

Wanting to try and cheer her up a bit, I pulled out a seat at the table and brought over the half-empty barrel of Piotita.

Yolanda didn't react so calmly though. "Amara?!" Completely throwing our conversation aside, she hopped up and dashed over to Amara. "What did you do?! Are you alright?!" She sounded like a worried younger sister.

"I'm alright, Yolanda... I just.. had to confirm something for myself.

" Her expression seemed to warm up a bit as Yolanda hugged her waist, but it just turned troubled again as she looked up at me.

"Do you have a moment to talk, Vasilia- Huh?

" Her troubled look turned to shock the instant she saw me pouring myself a glass of Piotita.

"Oi! You can't just drink the rest of the barrel while I'm gone! "

As I put the glass to my lips, I gave her a taunting look. "Then you should come have some before I finish it all."

Her saddened expression immediately subsided as she hurriedly grabbed another glass and poured herself a cup.

I felt an odd sense of accomplishment having cheered her back up so quickly, but little did I expect, my taunt was a bit more effective than anticipated.

*gulp-gulp-gulp* She ended up drinking several glasses back to back before uttering a single word.

"Haah." *Slam* As she slammed the empty wooden mug onto the table, she looked me in the eyes with a playfully angry look. "How dare you threaten me with this divine drink."

I could only smile as the faint sadness and guilt in her eyes finally faded completely. *sip* "I'm glad you're back safe, Amara."

Her cheeks turned red and she averted her eyes the instant I spoke, but a moment later, she glanced back up at me. "T..thank you, Vasilias..." She sounded a bit embarrassed to thank me, but it didn't last forever.

We quickly move on to light-hearted discussion after that, discussing whatever came to mind while avoiding anything related to the half-breed kid and the hunter. But the topic was eventually directed back at me.

"You know.. I've always wondered... Why do you always 'wear' light magic to look demihuman, even in private?" Amara gave me a curious look as she set her glass down.

"Hm? What do you mean? I can't exactly show this to many people." I tilted my head a bit and pointed to my horns.

"No, no. I mean the ears and tail... Why do you bother trying to disguise yourself with it, like now?"

-Huh?- *sip* "I'm not disguising myself at all right now though."

The instant I said that both Yolanda and Amara clammed up, but Amara seemed to think I was joking.

"Ha-ha, very funny." Her sarcasm was palpable, but when she finally saw my serious expression, she had a rude awakening. "Wait, you aren't kidding?"

I casually shook my head and moved my ears a bit. "My ears and tail are real."

As if she still refused to believe me, she got up and leaned across the table.

Thinking there was no reason to continue hiding it from them, I decided not to move away from her approaching hand.

*Puff* Her expression froze as her fingers finally touched my ear. "So you.. aren't a dragon?" Her voice sounded cold and lifeless, but it only lasted an instant. "Wait, but that's impossible..."

Thinking she was turning down a dangerous road, I decided to put her back on track. "I am indeed a dragon. I'm just.. an oddball of sorts."

"Wait, so what race are your parents?" She continued to pop in and out of deep thought as she spoke.

"They are both pure-breed dragons. Didn't I tell you that before?" But even though I spoke with my usual confidence, it took several seconds for her mind to finally catch up to speed.

Her face scrunched up from confusion as she went to speak. "H..how do you have both demihuman and draconic features if.. you're a pure dragon? It would make more sense if you just said you were a dragon with mostly demihuman blood, but even that would just raise more questions..."

"Hm." Thinking about how to word it understandably, I decided to just go for it. "Well, although I was indeed born as a pure dragon, my genetic- I mean, my race was altered a bit by an artifact not long after I was born."

Finally managing to calm down some, Amara seemed to be looking more like herself again. "An artifact?"

"Yeah, it was something my father received as a gift after helping the Holy Empire in some conflict. He didn't really know what it was or what it did for a long time, but that was when I hatched and ended up touching it."

Finally starting to believe me again, Amara looked like she was trying to figure it out with me, but that was when Yolanda finally chimed in again. "So if the artifact changed your race.. what did it change to?"

"Ah, I think I'm technically part Dragon, part Ancient Fenrir." I said it casually, but the instant it met their ears, their eyes went wide, and faces paled. -Did I say something wrong?-