Ndulou successfully stabilized the erupting Mayon,
He then landed in front of the coiled Fetahaya. The Dragon was curled up in a ball that made Ndulou feel guilty about what he had done to the innocent guardian.
Fetahaya took a light nap while waiting for Ndulou to clean up his own mess.
It's the first time in a long while that the dragon feels exhausted. Ever since he possessed the dragon's body, he had never faced an opponent that could inflict harm on him. Even Ernesto could not give him wounds like Ndulou did.
He healed himself. His wounds and burns are all gone now. All he needs to do is to rest and replenish his mana exhaustion. (1)
Ndulou silently walked closer to the dragon and observed its body.
"Why? Feeling guilty?" the dragon asked him without opening his eyes while still curled up.
"Sorry," Ndulou gently apologized.
"Kid, don't let your emotions control you. You almost killed my people." Fetahaya opened her eyes and looked straight at the child's gaze.
Ndulou tilted his head and looked at the dragon. "So you don't have any emotions while killing those at the palace? They're human too."
"Of course, they are not my people. Why do I have to care?"
"Huh?"
"Kid, it's their guardian's fault that they don't take proper care of their people."
"There's another dragon at the palace?"
Fetahaya chuckled at the innocent child in front of him.
"The King. The king failed to do his job properly. He is not watching his own child. His child messed up my territory and killed a lot of my people."
"Your people? But the Cornelio's want to subjugate you too. They formed a separate troupe to catch you."
The child knew how the citizens of Cornelio territory perceived the dragon as a threat that selfishly dominated the whole Mayon.
"They don't need to know"
Ndulou made a short gasp. He looked at the dragon with admiration as he thought [He is protecting them in the shadow? He doesn't even need anything in return?] He then sits down on the ground to rest. He doesn't feel any pain, but he is dizzy from exhaustion.
"Then Sir Dragon"
"Call me Ate Fe, Ernesto calls me that"
"Ah, umm, Ate Fe? Not kuya?" (2)
The dragon chuckled once more. "Kid, it's a long story, but I am actually female. I cannot show you my other form since I lack mana."
"Okay? Then Ate Fe, how did you meet Ernesto?"
"Ah, he came here to fetch something, but he is a very interesting child, so I followed him."
"You followed him?"
"Yes, do you remember the yellow-green-haired maid he came with?"
"the weird looking maid?"
"HAHA! child, do I really look weird?"
"Huh? Is that you? Why do you wear old-fashioned clothes?" Ndulou wanted to ask the maid about her fashion sense, but never got the chance to do so.
"I think that clothes are much better than today's clothing"
"Is that so?" His eyes felt heavy. That is why his responses are becoming shorter.
"Come here, child."
Fetahaya opens his arms, telling him to come inside.
"If you want to rest, it is safer here."
Ndulou agreed with the dragon that the forest is still dangerous because there are still other beasts other than the dragon. He badly needed rest and could not teleport back home, but he felt like he could trust the dragon. The dragon is now weaker, but not weak enough to be beaten down by other lower beasts.
He walked closer to the dragon and lay down in Fetahaya's arms. "Wake me up if you feel uncomfortable"
"Okay, rest well"
Ndulou closed his eyes and comfortably rested in Fetahaya's arms.
...
At the same time, at Marquis Oliva Castle...
"The Marquis is requesting Sir Ndulou's presence. The royal family is also here," Damian stated as he tried to get past Lucas, who was blocking his way from entering Ndulou's room. The royal family traveled to visit the Marquis territory to send their gratitude personally.
Surprisingly, the second prince is looking for the baron's son. The prince is requesting a discreet meeting with Ndulou Miyano, but it's impossible to drag the child out of his room.
"I see. I will let my master know. Please go. I know there are a lot of things you need to do."
Damian gave up. He fixed his collar and left the hall. The Marquis' butler thought that Ndulou was still emotionally unstable and didn't wish to leave his room.
However, the truth is that Lucas was hiding the absence of his master. He didn't want to trouble the grieving Marquis.
He was standing guard at the door, but he didn't notice that his master had left. He doesn't know where to look for him. He teleported to the Baron's house to check, but Ndulou was not there. He tried his best to think of the possible places his master might go, but he realized that he didn't yet know the people that his master was acquainted with. He only knew that Ernesto and his master were close.
He clenched his fist, hating himself while guarding the door of an empty room.
…
At the guest's room…
"Where's the child?" The second prince asked.
Damian looked at the Marquis first before bowing in front of the second prince.
"I apologize, your highness. He cannot leave his room yet, due to his current state."
Damian doesn't know how the prince will react since he doesn't know much about the prince.
The late crown prince was the front liner of the royal family and overshadowed the second prince. The only information regarding Prince Felip is his soft and kind image. This led the king to not entirely trust him because he is gullible and weak-hearted. The king is skeptical about passing the crown prince title to the second prince. But none of these things is true for the real Prince Felip Jhon Nidea.
Prince Felip tapped the armrest while thinking about the child. He wanted to meet the child because he interpreted Ernesto's condition to help him as a request to protect the Baron's son.
"I'll go meet him." He decided to personally visit Ndulou's room. The Marquis did not disagree and guided him to Ndulou's room.
…
"What is this? Why are you still blocking the door?" Damian asked Lucas loudly while the Marquis and the second prince were at his back. Lucas is still refusing to allow anyone to enter the baron's child room. Cold sweats are running down his back while he is thinking of a way not to reveal the empty room.
[Should I just ask them for help?]
The Baron was already aware of the disappearance of his son, but he didn't make a move and just shrugged his shoulders after hearing the news.
Lucas sees the Marquis as more father-like to Ndulou than the Baron.
"Actually, the master is missing." He timidly stated.
"Missing? What do you mean by that?" Marquis Oliva pushed Damian out of his way and held Lucas's shoulder.
Prince Felip noticed that the Marquis' reaction was quite unfitting for a concern about a baron's child.
[Is the Marquis close to the child too?]
"I was guarding the door since he asked me to leave him alone. I checked on him minutes later, but the room was empty. The windows are also locked from the inside, so I guess he used a teleportation magic tool. "
Jose Oliva let go of Lucas's shoulder and remembered the magic tool he had given to the child, and thought about what the child might be thinking.
"No way! Did he go to Dragon?" he anxiously stated.
"Sir Oliva, why would a child go there?" the second prince asked.
"Ah! It's possible that the master might want to meet the dragon!" Lucas is trembling as he realizes that Ndulou might want to avenge Ernesto's death.
"But isn't it suicide if you go there alone?" The prince believes that the idiotic actions of the child are useless and asks, "How will he even fight the dragon?"
The prince is the only one who remains calm while Lucas and Jose Oliva are trembling from anxiety and cannot answer the prince's questions.
"Hey, did you report this to the Baron?" He asked again.
"Yes, your highness."
"How did the Baron react to this?"
"Baron Miyano is aware that his master is missing, but he won't look for him either." In fact, Lucas asked for the Baron's help first, but the baron was very unconcerned about his own son.
"That shithe-" Marquis Oliva almost cussed the baron and managed to hold himself together.
"Ahem! Damian, send off a search team"
"To the Mayon, sir?" Damian asked confusingly, "But master, if he really did go there, isn't he dead already?"
The Marquis was aware of this fact, but he continued to deny that both of his sons had been killed by the dragon. [What's the point of separating him from me if he's going to die young anyway?] he wondered, as he felt worst at the thought that all his efforts to protect his eldest son from the family curse had been futile, and yet he received a different path to his death.
"Huh? Ernesto?" Lucas suddenly mumbled. "y-you're alive!?" The three of them looked at Lucas with confusion. "Sir! Ernesto is alive! "
"Are you insane?" Jose Oliva looked at the servant with qualm.
"He just used telepathy to talk to me! He said the coffin was suffocating him! Let's hurry!" The servant's gloomy eyes sparkled and suddenly filled up with hope.
[If Ernesto is back, he will surely find master!] The Marquis and Prince Felip aren't sure if the servant is telling the truth, but they can not question him more as Lucas casts a teleportation spell for the four of them and they instantly reappear in front of Ernesto's coffin.
The whole coffin is closed because they only open it at night while the funeral hall is empty because Marquis Oliva limited people from seeing his son at a specific time of viewing only.
As Lucas rushed towards the coffin, it revealed the still cold and lifeless Ernesto.
"Isn't it a bit too disrespectful to play with us like this?" The Marquis pushed Lucas angrily off the side.
"No sir! I really heard him!" Lucas protested
"Father"
All of them froze where they were standing when they heard Ernesto's voice. They turn their gaze to him, but the 13-year-old child is still lifeless and his eyes are closed.
"Son?" Marquis Oliva hastily held the cold hands of the child, and his eyes started to tear up.
"Y-you're back right?"