A Dragon Idol's Reincarnation Tale

“What we got, what you get, ‘scale friend.’ You want us to work on your coin when we can lose shipments at sea? Plenty of boats need cargo. Plenty of them are willing to patch up holes with small boats like us,” the levianewt sailor scoffed at Apsala, acting standoffish as he commanded his crew to unload boxes full of trade goods.

“This wasn’t the deal! You signed a contract with our shop, and that went through the guilds! Alchemists and merchants guild! By the God of Oaths himself, you slight our honor!” Apsala snapped, casting a shadow over the shorter, but bulkier, levianewt.

Despite her height, the scalekin wasn’t impressed, simply shrugging as he pointed at the boxes placed next to them. “You heard me when we signed: the pay is low. You knew the risks when you worked with us ‘weeders.’”

“Ahh, they are smugglers. Probably pirates, as well,” Wendriosa stated. Well, she was more or less a local, in a way, so no need to be surprised by how she knew the lingo around here. “‘Weeders’ is one of the many ways ‘bottom feeders’ call themselves. You should understand that term, right?”

“Rats,” Vifi answered.

“They ‘eat’ and take whatever is left at the bottom, or prey on weak targets,” Nong added. “Caedhul is a massive maritime empire, after all. This gigantic port dwarves anything in the world, and not even our empire or the human one can contend with Caedhul when it comes to the number of ships. Warships, merchantmen, and plenty of luxurious transport vessels. You have people living underwater and on their boats, and that means moving sea ports that use ships like towns, or insecure villages in unsettled seabeds. Everything is too big, and so some bits will become easy for ‘weeders’ to weed out.”

The overall theme I’ve been hearing about Caedhul was that it was far too big to fail, but also far too big to properly stop all types of corruption, crime, and chaotic bloodshed. Yet, Caedhulens thrive on these facts, and were all bound by their faith to Plesia. Sharing the same culture of power as us dragons and drakes, leviathans and adamantoises saw Plesia as the one true goddess of the depths, and the most terrifying thing you could encounter in the deep abyss.

And due to all of these, “sink or swim” mindsets live rent-free in many people here. Or, at least, it applied to these “sailors” standing before me.

“She is your friend, correct?” Wendriosa asked, prompting me to nod and tell her how she taught me how to act as a medic. “Hmm, I see. Nongramos, hold onto the runes for me. I’ll speak with that ‘fine’ man.”

“Remember, don’t beat people up.”

“Ahahaha! You are the last person to say such a thing, my dear younger brother. I personally like to resolve issues peacefully.”

“Ha, you’re speaking as if you weren’t a Kargryxmor, elder scale.”

“Huh…” Tasianna and Vifi uttered as they looked at Neill and me, causing both of us to scowl ‘cause we knew exactly what those two were thinking!

Rude!

Ignoring the clobbering that was about to happen inside the subspace—not really—Wendriosa walked over to the discussion, instantly drawing the “weeder’s” attention. His raised tail and fins snapped down, while his eyes widened in shock. Noticing his change in demeanor, Apsala turned around, only to copy his behavior to the T.

“Risks of breaking contracts, I see? Hmm, I do have to agree that the risks lie in the hands of the unprepared, when it comes to business,” Wendriosa stated as she stopped walking, causing quite a few sailors, including the “weeder’s” companion, to just drop what they were holding to run. “Though that only matters if you don’t get caught. If that were to happen, then the power to punish the one enacting the risks lies in the hands of the… righteous and strong, no? Even on the seas, order should be preserved.”

“T-true scalekin!” The levianewt dropped onto his knees, bowing his head with his tail tucked in between his legs. “I—”

“‘Will pay the lizardman her due.’ There is enough scum floating on the surface of this port. Clean it up.” Wendriosa raised her index finger in a pretty holier-than-thou fashion, as if to show her time was more valuable than the person in front of her.

As she stated, she resolved the situation with words, but Nong didn’t seem too impressed when he started to whistle. From the mood of the port, I guess that was what he wanted to warn Wendriosa about. A Kargryxmor wasn’t just a, ahem, troublemaker, but also someone known to attract eyes… similar to how Neill and I would become the center of attention most of the time.

In Wendriosa’s case, this mostly applied to the leviathans, adamantoises, and a few of her ‘fans.’

“Don’t worry about me, but I think you should probably say hello to a little acquaintance of yours,” Wendriosa said as she pointed in my direction, causing Apsala’s mouth to widen.

Seeing my big sister waving at me while walking towards the people staring at her, it really seemed like she wanted to keep me away from all the drama surrounding her. Well, at least, until we had to confront the big bad manipulating her faction… and also the big bad on the other side, who has a grudge against Mom and me.

Though that was all for later. For now, I had a friend to greet.

“Apsala! Elder scale!” I shouted, waving my arms around like an inflatable tube man.

It must have looked weird coming from somebody behind a portal, carried around by a green-feathered peacock dragon, but to Apsala, seeing me was enough to ignore all of that. Nong, being a gentleman, walked over and looked down at the levianewt, commanding him for the rest of the items as “Wendriosa ‘asked.’”

Once the levianewt and his sailors unloaded the formerly agreed-upon amount, Apsala gasped before thanking Nong with a bow, probably already understanding his race from the situation. Well, it didn’t help that I was addressing him pretty casually. Using his [Aerokinesis] to carry the crates, Nong asked Apsala to follow him so she, Tasianna, and I could finally have our long-awaited reunion.

“You are a Kargryxmor princess, young scale!” Was the first thing Apsala said the moment we had a moment of peace. Was she about to tell me that I was a witch, as well?

“Ahhh…” I grinned, uncomfortably, remembering that she and the lizardmen only knew that I was a dragon, not a Kargryxmor dragon, though. “Well, back then, it technically wasn’t too relevant to my identity. Didn’t think it was even worth mentioning, to be honest. Anyway, you know already?”

“The empire and the republic both announced it; have you forgotten?” Nong asked, looking a bit worried, although his smirk suggested he was being sarcastic.

“I know, but I didn’t, well, come here expecting her to know, you know? I mean… even admitting it is quite embarrassing.” I scratched my neck, feeling a bit under pressure, before deciding to ignore Nong when Tasianna started chatting up Apsala.

“Your scales are glistening,” the former complimented, causing the latter to giggle.

“What sea breeze and plenty of fatty fish does to a scalekin, Tasianna! The baths in the upper city are also absolutely luxurious, to the point that they mix-and-match bath salts from faraway lands every single day. You never know what effects they will have on your body until they announce it. And it is free to enter!” Apsala laughed, looking far more relaxed compared to… any other time I’ve seen her. As she said, it seemed the last three years have been incredible for her. “But, honestly, we can talk about myself all we want later. I am more curious about all of this.”

She gestured at the portal, including pointing at the people inside it, including my party.

“You already know her, so things shouldn’t be too hard,” Neill said as she tapped her horns. “That’s Nongramos, and I’m Fargryneill. Her older brother and sister.”

Apsala closed her eyes as her smile widened, nodding a bit before she turned around, looking at Wendriosa talking to the leviathans and adamantoises in Draconic. “I see… so that really was—”

“Most people can identify the eldest prince and princess of Kargryx, since they are practically treated like their royalty. Pretty similar to how our nests do it,” Nong interrupted. “And yeah. We had our own business here, but our little sister wanted to meet an old friend, and she immediately noticed you despite a nearly three-year separation. Honestly, that just makes me curious, no?”

“Nothing too complicated, really, Your Highness. Our lady is simply good at remembering her friends!” Beth answered in my place. “Their farewell was quite sudden, if I remember correctly. That probably left a bad taste in everybody’s mouths.”

“Oh, you know?” Apsala widened her eyes.

“We were the ice wyverns from back then,” Shay answered, causing Apsala to gasp. “My name is Shayatierus.”

“Bethlieranha! We joined Lady Hestia a while back when she was still on Altrust. Well, we joined her mother as her retainer, but, while not officially, we are practically the young highness’s guards, at this point. We didn’t manage to say it back then, but we do apologize for the grievances we caused,” Beth added before the twins both bowed.

“I-I see. To be honest, that day left all of us in shock, but the ill feelings have faded over the two years since we separated. Still, thank you for saying that. Then, does that mean the—”

“We did not get along,” I interrupted, talking about Asterios. “He… chased us into the human kingdom my party was traveling through, and he only became more deranged, compared to when we first met. I guess it didn’t help that we fled from the wyverns, but he didn’t want to find any concession, even with the escort mission canceled.”

“I understand. You really have experienced a lot, young scale. I won’t admit to knowing all your exploits, but the few times I did try to inquire, the name ‘Hestia Atsuko Kargryxmor’ did appear in a good light. Mostly through dwarven and dragonewt mouths when I visited the others on the Caedhulen colony.”

“They aren’t here with you?”

Apsala shook her head. “We need to earn money, and Caedhul needs people to populate their land towns and cities. They can survive on plenty of crops and aquatic food, but not everything they want to eat and enjoy can be grown in the ocean. It is far more efficient to settle arable farmland and produce those products themselves, instead of relying on the elves and Carmaniate for them. Caszcur and the rest rented some wetland area close to the Saelariel forest. You know where we come from, right?”

“A swampy land. Of course, I would remember that! Ah, I see! By Carmanian crops, you probably mean things from your swampy lands. Good for you!” I grinned, although I did feel a bit sad that I couldn’t meet all my old friends here. “Are the kids doing well? Slazzaila and the rest, I mean?”

Apsala burst into a giggle, nodding vigorously with her tail tapping the wooden floor. “Young scale, you are the newborn amongst them. Jokes aside, yes. They have grown into fine young whelplings. Still too young for what Caszcur and our other artisans would want them to do, but they are doing fine helping us women with our chores. I do feel lonely, sometimes, but the money I make in Lecullius far outweighs everything. The potions I send over benefit everybody, and visiting them whenever I can, I feel like everything I do helps build up our new home.”

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“Ah, so joining the alchemist’s guild wasn’t just part of that threat?” Tasianna asked, looking quite intrigued.

“Not at all. When I was trying to find work using my, well, ‘alchemy’ skills, a workshop needed people to man their shop as a clerk. Months passed, and they recommended me to a friend on Lecullius, and that is how I started becoming an actual alchemist, instead of a salve maker. Well, I still work as a clerk when we’re commission-less. Managing our supplies is part of my duties,” she explained, before waving her hand up and down, looking like she was dismissing something. “Enough. We’re back to me. I want to know about you. What is… this?”

“The portal?” I grinned, pointing up. “Magic. Remember the [Storage Magic] I store all your stuff? This is another System spell part of [Space-Time Magic], but my personal runesmith managed to create this for us—a small subspace using the [Room] spell, that allows us to enter it through these rune portals. I’m its manager, and I can also use it for some very fun things. Can’t say too much—”

“Just blurt it out. Nobody can hear us,” Nong interjected, prompting Tasianna to nod and point at the wind flowing around us. “Did it the moment we started.”

The subspace’s existence was fully revealed by my show in Coral Beard, and with the number of levianewts, elves, and dwarves who visited us, the knowledge should have spread. That was why I was a bit nervous to meet those mages’ guild members, since they were most likely on Frozen Nest to ask me about it.

The fact that I could teleport with [Room] was still not too well-known. The demonkin knew I had [Room], due to my battle with the number two Warbringer, but they’ve never seen me use it to teleport around. I only used it to fight in two places at once, and only while I was within the subspace, slinging spells through the two openings.

I could tell Apsala the first part, but the second part should remain obscure from most people.

“You’re the best, Bro!” I gave him a thumbs-up, causing Apsala to shudder slightly.

“Uh, am I supposed to not know this?”

“It wouldn’t be good if you mentioned it to others,” Vifi jumped into the conversation. “It’s for our safety, after all. This secret, I mean. Oh, and the name is Valeria. One of the new members of ‘Aurora,’ as our leader here likes to call it.”

She’s using her human name? I thought as all of us turned to look at her, causing the demonkin woman to shrug.

[“The people in the know already know, but I don’t want to create more questions. ‘Why is a demonkin with you?’ type of questions. It’s your reunion. Introducing myself as ‘Valeria’ isn’t wrong since it’s the name I chose when I deserted.”]

If that was her wish, then I had nothing to argue about. I turned back to Apsala.

“The [Room] runes allow us to move from one opening to the other, or in layman’s terms, it allows us to teleport,” I explained. “My group here is in Frozen Nest, right now, but with some mana, I can teleport them all ot Caedhul in a matter of a snap. In fact, Tasianna could visit you right now.”

Tasianna nodded before going through the portal, causing me to panic a bit before she reminded me that she had the highest mana pool amongst the Aurora members when I was in my humanoid form. I still beat her as a dragon, but not by a ton anymore after she became level 151. Furthermore, what if she lost a bit of mana? She could recover it in moments, the moment she drank a potion or used her wardress’s enchantments.

“Would you like to join?” Tasianna asked before her head turned to the city, mumbling how beautiful it was before giving a silent prayer to Plesia. Even after everything, she still hadn’t given up on her faith. “You are right. The sea breeze is quite splendid to breathe in.”

“Isn’t it?”

“The mana here is splendid.”

“Hehe, hearing you say that made me remember how cute you were in your fairy form. I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to say this, since you are older, but you’ve grown a lot, not just your appearance, just like Lady Hestia, Tasianna. It makes me long to see how Saori is doing,” Apsala said, causing me to giggle a bit.

“Oh, same here. That woman still hasn’t entered the subspace in a long time. Oh, right! Apsala, do you remember the virigresses we met?” I asked, prompting her to nod. “Yeah, they didn’t really get along with you guys, but I think they still enjoy meeting you. They managed to find a way out of the forest, and we reunited, as well. One of them, Rajah, is still with Saori, and you don’t know how much I want to cuddle with him right now! Pah, it’s absolutely unfair with how much she is hogging my cat from me!”

“A-ah, I see? That’s too bad?” She raised her brows.

“Right?” I groaned, feeling a bit peeved before Tasianna returned to the subspace to soothe me. “In any case, I think she should be doing fine. Maybe less ‘controlly’ compared to before? She’s far more okay with risks and doing what is necessary. Hmm, she’s also taken on a more leadership position, just like Tasianna and me, but she should still be the same Saori as before, at least, that was what I felt when I last met her.”

“Then that is good to hear. Not everything has to be resolved right now, as long as we can reunite, everything will work out.” She smiled, making me feel like things would just fall in place in time. “You also have to visit the other scalekin, but for now, you have me to handle. Haha! And, don’t worry, I don’t speak much with the other scalekin, so what is discussed here shouldn’t fall into the ears of anybody unsavory.”

“You lived here long enough, you know that isn’t true.”

Our heads snapped to the side to see Wendriosa entering the air bubble, having finished her discussion with the leviathans.

“Hello, I believe everybody should have introduced themselves. My name is Wendriosa.”

Apsala bowed, lowering her tail. “Your Majesty.”

“Rise. You are my youngest sister’s friend and a valuable acquaintance to her. People who make the lives of my siblings easier are welcome to address me casually,” she said, although nobody would actually follow through with the last part. Apsala, as expected, remained rigid. “As such, let me give you some advice now that you live here—in the ocean’s abyss, only Plesia rules. I believe most Carmanians have some interactions with Marsven, so I hope that illustrates my point well.”

“I-I understand, yes, thank you. It is just that nothing bad has happened to me or anybody around me. I know there are plenty of people willing to swindle and ‘skim the surface,’ but… I would rather not think about it.”

Can’t avoid it all the time, though. It will come to bite your tail, eventually, Apsala. You should know how days can just be ruined by a single moment.

“Complacency is not good while you’re on the seas. Lecullius is safe for anybody not willing to rise to the surface, but you are doing it now without your intent. Being associated with my sister will change your life, because some true dragonkin do not like the sixth empress-mother and her daughter—your friend here.”

So not giving the lizardmen [Hestia’s Retainer] really was the right move in the end. Thank goodness…

Apsala staggered a bit, going silent as she tried to understand the situation, though before she could say anything, Wendriosa continued.

“Would you have anywhere to go that is away from Lecullius and Caedhul’s open sea? In land, maybe?”

Even I started to get nervous, but Wendriosa was doing the right thing since this also involved the second Event Quest.

“I talked to Hestia about where we lizardmen settled. A patch of land we rented.”

“If possible, I would like you to move there until the Event Quest is over. You should have seen it, right?” she asked, prompting Apsala to nod. “Everybody knows, and those true dragonkin I just talked to are involved in the matter. Us speaking here is like spraying blood to attract sharks, and if you do not have a solid vessel, then you should avoid it at all costs.”

“I-I’m sorry for that. I didn’t think that part through,” I apologized, wincing as I felt guilty about being the one to ruin Apsala’s life, this time.

“No, everybody should be prepared to settle on land for the time being,” Wendriosa chided. “But everybody is treating the threat as if it won’t destabilize Lecullius. The law not to battle within this city is not a divine mandate, but one made by the people living here. When irritation of the other side finally explodes, not even the depth guards and the city’s blessed can stop all the conflict. I did not stop you from meeting your friend, because I am here to give them the warning to ‘move before the ripples turn into a monsoon.’ On Miononbolax, Father is now actively trying to deter a civil war. Nobody is doing it here. In fact, Plesia is even advocating for it. A draconic civil war will happen, and it will color the ocean red, not the sky.”

I gulped as I looked at Nong, who didn’t seem all too surprised by this. This was, after all, the meaning of the second Event Quest.

Wendriosa turned back to Apsala. “It might hurt to unroot you from your current life, but—”

“I already know that too well, Your Majesty. We lizardmen have lived through plenty of Carmaniate’s tumultuous eras. Migrating away from battles is something we were taught to do, even if… I never had to do it until I was turned into a slave.” Apsala turned to me with a wide smile. “No need to worry, young scale. To be honest, I was planning on visiting everybody soon, so this just gives me a reason to do so earlier. Your sister is right, though… I didn’t really think too much about the Event Quest because… everything just continues to flow as if a boulder wasn’t just thrown into the waters. I’ll hurry. Ships leave every day, but tickets are expensive to buy if we do it at the last bell.”

Apsala was about to grab the crates, only for Nong to stop her. “I’ll help. You live in the inner city, right?”

Apsala nodded.

“Great.” Wendriosa clapped. “We were planning on going there anyway. This trip is also to give my little sisters a chance to see what Lecullius is like. And that also includes the food! You must try some fish spichal—curry, as the Altrustians like to call it. The dish with some sea rice or paddy field rice is worth paying for with your scales!”

“Is there one without anything fishy? Including fish sauce and oil?” Vifi raised her hand, catching Wendriosa off guard since she didn’t know Vifi’s dislike for anything smelling like salty fish.

“O-oh, if that is the case, then I know a good tavern that does that. They only serve curry, but either with fish or beef. They’re actually quite close to where I live,” Apsala said, sealing our next destination.

“So, even the mighty sea-faring merfolk, nagas, and levianewts still crave for land meat, huh?” Vifi snickered.

“You’re just curious what bread they will be using,” I said, causing Vifi to shrug with a smile.

“Bits of bread make soups and stews even better. I want to be full after a hearty meal, okay? Just let me sample the local grain, and you can enjoy your fishy stews, all—Hee?” Vifi suddenly froze in place, with only her eyes moving around until they widened like a goldfish’s. She stomped her foot down as she screamed, “Hee!” before trying to dash forward, only for Shay to grab her by the shoulders to stop her.

“Wrong exit!” he said, causing her to snap her head to me.

“Donut, teleport me over!” she ordered.

“Wha—”

“Get your catalyst out and teleport me over!” she demanded, prompting me to jerk my hand to the side and cast [Storage Magic], grabbing one of my solar core catalysts.

Vifi laid her hand on the catalyst before red lightning started sizzling around her feet. Before I could ask her what she saw, Vifi’s disappeared before I could stop blinking, leaving a trail of lightning behind and a loud wooden crack, as if somebody had hit hardened wooden planks with a sledgehammer.

Looking outside the subspace, all of us saw a deep footprint left behind on the docks, with another drilled into the metal walls of the inner city entrance. The crowd all jerked from those two explosive sounds, leaving many befuddled since Vifi just couldn’t be seen at this point.

“She found a demonkin!” Nong said before he flapped his wings and jumped towards the entrance, already pursuing with Vifi.

That quick?

“My Lady!” Shay and Beth stood in front of the portal, eyeing me with a clear request.

I winced but granted it anyway, pulling my other two solar core catalysts to teleport both of them into Lecullius. As the twins charged forward, Tasianna gave me a short bow before she joined them, having already been teleported over. Though before she could move anywhere, Wendriosa grabbed her by the arm.

“Under no circumstance are you allowed to let them critically injure the opponent!” she commanded. “Do you still remember the law I mentioned? No aggression. You may enter a ‘drunken fight’ or fisticuffs, but stop those fools if they are aiming for mortal wounds, especially keep an eye on Nongramos.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“We’ve already registered all of you on visitor permits for now, since they wanted all of you here in person. Don’t sabotage it when I need your presence here!”

“Rely on me, Your Highness. My lady.” Tasianna nodded, prompting me to do the same, before she created an ice disc and jumped on it, using it like a hovering mat to catch up to our agile allies.

Wendriosa groaned, furrowing her brows as she shook her head in annoyance. “I apologize, Apsala, but we might have to postpone our trip.”

“It is fine. Please, don’t worry about me.”

“Thank you.” She then turned to Neill and me. “Hestia, Fargryneill, let’s go. We have to soften any damage those rash idiots will cause!”

“Already have a plan!” I replied before pulling out my recorder. “Hopefully Vifi and Nong can control themselves…”

Neill groaned, worry painted on her face. “We are so fucked.”