Late Morning - Early Winter : Elder Hall Housing District, Northern Bahamut
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"So.. what's going on?" Walking into a sizable but isolated room in one of the many compounds, I closed the door, and found a place to sit.
"Haah, alright, I guess I'll start from the beginning." Amara let out a stressed sigh as she sat down across from me. "A couple of months ago, Holcyon Aetos, a very well-known judge in the upper courts, brought a case to the elder hall. I don't know the details of it, but when he was about to present his part of the story, a messenger barged in and announced that his son was killed."
"What does this have to do with you?"
"Well, it turns out he was one of the dragons Ilios and I killed when we destroyed the Helvig estate."
-Ah...- My mind immediately flashed back to my discussion with the interrogator in Siratha. (Chapter 201) -Is that why they were so interested in the estate being destroyed?- "So is the interrogation about accusing you of killing him?"
Seeing my expression turn sour, she quickly stopped me. "N-no!"
Vounó just gave me an odd look though. "I'm not sure if you know or not, Vasilias, but killing another dragon is only restricted in Bahamut and The Forgotten Islands. In most humanoid nations, you won't receive any formal punishment for killing another dragon, no matter their standing or your motive. With some exceptions, of course."
An image of the interrogator I met in Siratha popped into my head immediately. -But, I guess he was trying to act like a Sirathan official at first, so maybe him threatening me with execution was just an act...- I was still a bit annoyed, but I eventually continued. "So if it isn't that, what's the investigation about?"
"We aren't exactly sure since nothing official has been released, but based on the recent events, we can take a decent guess."
-Hm?- "What recent events?"
Amara interjected immediately. "Did you not have to go through the insane security at the space rune between here and Siratha?"
"Huh? I didn't take the space ru-" But just as I was about to say no, I remembered something. -The excessive security around the prison... Was that not for the prison?- It made way more sense that the seemingly excessive reaction was for something like border security instead, but at the same time, if that was the case, it would be incredibly troublesome for me if I was caught. -I guess I can only hope they didn't get a good look at me...-
"Vasilias?" Amara gave me a worried look, which hastily pulled me from my thoughts.
"Ah, right. Sorry. I got a bit lost in thought." I was a bit flustered but tried to quickly calm back down. "I didn't actually take the space rune, but I did run into the excessive security. What about it?"
Amara and her mother awkwardly glanced at each other before eventually continuing. "Well, the security seems to be gathering the identities of everyone coming from Siratha, whether flying normally or taking a space rune, with anyone in any relation to nearly a dozen or so noble families being brought here to be interrogated."
-Huh... It honestly sounds like they're still trying to find the betrayer in that other investigation, is that all it is?- Although I still had my doubts, it's what I felt was most plausible. "Is there any correlation between the families brought here?"
"Not exactly. Some are extremely wealthy, and some are fallen nobles and half breeds. It is a mixed bag, to say the least."
-So they're sweeping in a bunch of people before thinning them out...- But while I thought to myself about what could be going on, there was a knock on the door. *knock-knock* -Huh?- Sending some of my aura through the door, I noticed a presence I recognized. "I got it."
Slowly getting up and opening the door, I met eyes with an armored, orange-scaled dragon wearing an exhausted expression.
"Is Vasil- Oh, there you are..." He sounded like he hadn't slept in months.
"Orion?" -Is he alright?-
"Haha, it's good to see you. Anyway, now isn't the time to talk. The Missus has called for you."
-She knew I was here?- Glancing back at Amara and Vounó, I saw them both staring at me in shock. -I guess they know who he is too...- "Let's continue this talk later, alright? Hopefully, it shouldn't take too long."
Finally walking outside without another word, I gently closed the door and started following after Orion.
We quickly ended up taking to the air after that, flying back to the main estate before landing again a few seconds later.
"You look exhausted. Are you alright?" I was honestly a bit worried for him.
"Yeah.. just.. a lot of work. You don't need to worry though, I finally get a few days to rest starting tomorrow."
"Oh that's good. I thought I was going to have to ask grandmother to give you a break."
A warm smile quickly came to his face as he let out a lethargic laugh. "Haha, she takes care of me, don't worry." He paused for a moment to open the door to the estate and lead me into a long hallway. "In any case, there's been a report floating around this morning saying a dark-scaled dragon was seen flying over the prison, coming from Siratha." He glanced back at me like he already knew. "If that was you, you should be alright, but try to lay low for a couple weeks to let things settle down."
-So they didn't get a good view of me... Good...- I wanted to let out a sigh of relief, but quickly got sidetracked. "Right, about that, what's up with all the insane security with people coming from Siratha?"
His expression darkened immediately. "The Missus will fill you in on that. I don't exactly have the authority to say anything."
-So it is something serious...- "Alright." -Would a betrayer in foreign intelligence really garner this kind of a reaction?-
I idly thought about it as we continued to walk until, eventually, we came up to a door that read: 'Interrogation Room'
-So she's the one doing the interrogations?- *knock-knock*
"You may enter."
*Click* Promptly opening the door, I walked into a surprisingly large but mostly empty room with a single desk, too large for a human, but far too small for a dragon, completely loaded with papers. -Good lord, that's a lot of paperwork...-
But just behind it was Grandmother, sitting there and looking at a few dozen papers she held in the air with her aura.
She looked nervous and stressed, to the point that she didn't even notice when I filled the room with my aura. "It's been a while, Grandmother!" Quickly making sure the door was closed so no sound could escape, I walked toward the desk.
"Hm?" Almost immediately after hearing my voice though, the stress on her face seemed to wash away. "It really was you!"
Although I was still a bit worried about her previous expression, I quickly set my worries aside for a moment to walk up and give her a gentle hug. "It's good to see you again, Grandmother."
"Haah..." She let out a sigh of relief as she gently rubbed her cheek against mine. "It's good to see that you're safe and healthy..." We stayed in that position for quite a while before she eventually released me and sat back down. "So, how was your trip to Siratha? I heard a report saying you got into some trouble with the young Chalkos."
I couldn't help but smile when I heard her joyful, motherly tone. "It was an experience for sure. I definitely have quite a few stories to tell."
"Oh? Now you have me excited to wrap up my work!" The genuineness of her excitement made my heart melt, but I had to restrain myself.
"Before that..." Mustering up the courage to try and put on a serious face, I tried to look her in the eyes. "Grandmother, I have something to ask first."
"Hm?" She tilted her head slightly after seeing my expression. "What is it?"
"Hooh..." I let out one final breath before finally letting it loose. "Was it really necessary to make me learn that I'M PART GOD, WITHOUT ANY WARNING?!"
An awkward, but sly smile immediately came to her face.
-SHE ACTUALLY KNEW?!-