"Was that really necessary? It could've gone waaaay worse, you know," Ilka spits out, floating next to Kael as he walks.
"Didn't you say you saw potential in her?" Kael mumbles, tapping his screen. "She's going through an identity crisis. Normally, I wouldn't interfere but..." he exhales, rubbing his forehead, "You said she has potential in magic arts." 'Ilka is judgmental as hell; if she says Nova has potential, then it's worth the investment. As long as she follows the instructions, everything should go according to plan,' he thinks before taking a seat. 'I'll end up behind everyone within two months. Ugh...' He slaps his face. 'I'd love to train, but I won't get a chance.'
Leaning back, Kael looks up at Ilka. Ilka taps her chin, glaring at Kael with eyes like a predator. "Hmm... not bad, hmhmhmhmhm, as expected from my disciple." She grins with a self-satisfied nod, her hazel hair swishing back and forth.
"What's with the glare?" Kael asks, catching her mid-air with his fingers and poking her face with his index finger.
"H-hey! Show some respect! You little—!" Breaking free from his grasp, she crosses her arms. "Tsk, to think I was proud of someone like you. I'm going insane," she groans. 'This damn bastard, as disrespectful as he is, his growth is no joke. How was he so weak when I woke up? He should've been able to get by just fine without my teachings. His growth seems to be partly genetic, so his body should've naturally strengthened itself even with the curse,' she thinks, raising an eyebrow. "Ugh... whatever, no point in having useless thoughts," she mumbles under her breath with an exhale.
"What? Why do you keep making faces?" Kael asks with a yawn.
"Hmm? Talking to yourself? Have you gone crazy?" A familiar voice interrupts.
"I'm on a call," Kael mumbles with a toneless voice.
From behind him, someone jumps onto the couch across from him and stretches out with a satisfying groan. "Hmm... Everything's done," she mumbles under the cushion, her white hair gleaming under the light.
"Good morning, Ayla."
"Yeah yeah, you're welcome by the way. Do you know how annoying it was to deal with the elders? You just had to make yourself the center of attention," Ayla grumbles, her face still planted down. With a pop, she flicks a bottle open and sits up, taking a long sip of wine. "Ugh..." She wipes her mouth and looks at Kael with a groggy face. "So, are you finally gonna tell me what you're up to?"
Hearing her, Ilka yawns and looks up. "She's on the roof," she smirks, sitting on Kael's head. 'Does she have to act like a child?' Kael wonders internally, glancing up.
"Get off the roof and sit down," he says in a tired tone. After a minute of no response, Kael tilts his head and leans it on his arm. "Get down here, Naiarië."
Hearing this, the princess flinches. "H-how... I was hiding perfectly," she stutters, sitting down next to Ayla. "Ughughghh, why are you so mysterious? You didn't even use anything to detect me." She holds her head as it swings back and forth.
"What a weirdo, heh," Ilka smirks. "She reminds me of someone stupid," Ilka says, closing her eyes and laying on Kael's hair.
"You act like a kid; that's why you're so predictable," Kael mumbles before tapping his holographic screen.
"Okay, okay, you win. Now why did you call me?" Naiarië gives up, slouching down. "I know I'm the best, but I'm sure you didn't call me to hang out... unless," she stands up with a smile, "if that's the case, I'm so down. I know lots of fun places." She leans in inches away from Kael's face, her electric blue eyes wide open.
"No, I don't have time to waste," Kael mumbles, pushing her away.
"It's not wasted time if we have fun," she grumbles with a frown, sitting down next to Ayla.
"Cough! Cough! Oh shit, this is good," Ayla manages to say. 'Dwarven wine is the best,' she licks her lips. "So, why did you need this running catastrophe?" Ayla says, forcing wine down the princess's throat.
Naiarië sputters, coughing as she tries to swallow the wine. "Ugh, why do you always do that?" she complains, wiping her mouth.
"Because it's hilarious," Ayla chuckles, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "Now spill, V. What are you up to?"
"You," Kael points at the princess.
"Me?" she asks excitedly, pointing at herself. "Hmhmhmhm, see Ayla, I am the best," she declares cockily, swinging her lavender hair to the side.
"I'm not done talking," Kael mumbles with a sigh. "You need to get in contact with your brother."
The princess bites her inner cheeks. "Him? That lazy idiot? Seriously?" she exhales. "Whyyyy him? I can do anything he can, and more," she says confidently, grinning mischievously. 'Hehehehe, I'll make you fall in love with me, secret agent~' she thinks, smiling warmly.
"No, I need him," Kael states, glaring at her.
"H-hey come on~ give me a chance~ He doesn't even want to help Mother out. Let me help you," she insists, trying to get closer, but Ayla holds her by the hair as she drinks.
"This has nothing to do with your mother," Kael sighs, tapping a screen and sliding it over to her. "Your brother is being forced to participate in a guild expedition into a dungeon. I need to enter that dungeon for a last-minute task. However, the person in charge of the expedition is the adventure guild master herself, and creating a fake identity that can get past the vice guild master's eye would take some time."
Ayla nods, hearing him. "So you want to use him to get yourself into the dungeon as a student? Smart," she says, opening a new bottle and forcing some down the princess's throat.
"Cough! Cough! Dammit, stop that!" Naiarië wipes her mouth and turns to Kael. "I see what you're planning, but that won't work. He was forced into the party by Father. The guild members themselves don't like him, which is fair since he's a lazy piece of shit. There's no way they would let him bring anyone along." She shrugs, pulling Ayla's hair back painfully with a smirk.
"I'm basically considered an honored guest to the other elves. Telling him the king asked for this as a learning experience should do the trick. Don't worry about the guild, I'll deal with that. You just need to make sure he takes me along with him," Kael states, closing the screen.
Naiarië scratches her head with a heavy exhale. "Okay, okay, by when do you need this?" she groans unhappily. 'He's refusing my help. Is he not attracted to me? Wait, is he even a he? A secret agent... it could be a girl in disguise,' she concludes internally, glaring carefully at Kael.
"Now," Kael says, standing up.
"What!? Now!?" Naiarië jolts up, confused. "What do you mean now? I need to plan for this, give me at least three days. Do you think he's just going to go with it?" she says, frustrated, rubbing her face. 'Maybe he's not even human. The agent could be a different race,' she thinks, her mind racing with possibilities.
Reaching into his pouch, Kael grabs a small vial. "Dragon blood, although it's premature. Your father can use this to decrease the amount of blood essence he's using. It'll help him out for one month. You're only getting one vial since the dragon was angry I took her blood without permission. Your brother wouldn't ask your father regarding me. Let's go meet him now."
Kael turns to Ayla, who is in her own world, drinking from three bottles at once. "You... stay here and do whatever it is you're doing..."
"Sureeee," Ayla burps, licking her lips. 'I can't believe she's supposed to be the responsible professor...' both the princess and Kael think simultaneously.
"Tsk, fine fine, let's go see that stupid idiot," the princess says, annoyed, snatching the vial before Kael could even consider taking it back.
"Good luck~ I'll be here if you wanna drink, besty!" Ayla calls out, her voice a mix of amusement and intoxication.
The princess scratches her head. "I can never tell when she's drunk. I'm not crazy, right?" she asks, turning to Kael.
"No... she's different. Sometimes it's noticeable, other times she's calm. Dwarves use mana when they distill their alcohol. Depending on the purity and quantity, results can vary," Kael mumbles, explaining.
★ ★ ★ ★
The area is serene and picturesque, with two single trees standing tall, their dark red wood contrasting beautifully with the vibrant red leaves. Between the trees, a hammock is strung up, swaying gently in the breeze.
Kael whistles from afar. "Remember, I'm just a student who wants to enter a dungeon. As long as you lie to him, everything will work out," he says, stretching.
"Yes, yes, you don't have to tell me twice," Naiarië mumbles with an exhale, walking closer to the hammock. When they reach it, she smacks it. "Get up, you lazy animal," she clicks her tongue.
"Hmm... I'm sleeping," a groggy voice complains, covering himself with a blanket.
"You're the worst," the princess mumbles, annoyed, rubbing her temples before cutting the hammock, making him fall to the ground. 'Oh shit, he really is handsome...' Kael thinks, looking at him. The man has beautiful, soft, messy golden hair with white tips and silver-blue eyes that shine under the light.
"What the hell is the big idea, sis? I thought we agreed you wouldn't bother me," he mumbles with a yawn, standing up to his full height of 6'5".
"Why are you sleeping? You're supposed to be prepping for the dungeon," she says, looking at him from head to toe.
"Hmm... Oh yeah, I forgot," he mumbles under his breath, stretching with a satisfying pop.
"Oh mother earth, please give me patience," she sighs under her breath. "Okay, this is V. Because of his great performance, the elders asked Father for permission to send him to a dungeon."
Hearing her, her brother shakes his head. "No, no, no, no, I'm not going to take care of a kid." They stare at each other for a few seconds before she exhales.
"It's not a choice. Father said to take him with you." Turning to Kael, her brother gives a firm no. "No way, he's a kid. It's not going to be some simple dungeon, you know. And plus, the guild master hates me. Go find someone else," he groans, falling back to the ground and slowly drifting off to sleep within a minute.
"Yeah, I don't care what you have to say. It's Father's order," Naiarië says, walking away and rubbing her eyes. "See you, kid."
After a couple of minutes, she's fully out of sight, and the area becomes quiet again. Kael walks up to the hammock and sits down next to her brother. 'I'll wait for him to start moving,' Kael thinks, closing his eyes and circulating his mana at a rapid pace.
'Why is he still here?' the prince wonders with a yawn as he sits up from his nap. "Hey kid, can you just go away?" he asks, making eye contact.
"I'm sorry, I can't. I've always wanted to see a dungeon," Kael mumbles, opening his eyes.
The prince scratches his head. "Ugh... this is bothersome. Come on, I'm trying to sleep. Go find someone else to take you." He mumbles, thinking, 'This kid is strange... I have no choice, I'd rather not talk to Father,' as he stands up. "Alright, kid, if you wanna go to the dungeon, that's fine. You can follow me, but there's a high chance they won't let you go, and if they do, I won't be protecting you."
Kael follows him as he starts walking. After a bit of walking, they reach a gate where the prince casually adjusts it and changes the location. As the gate stabilizes, a foggy forest can be seen past the gate. "This is your last chance to back out, kid," he mumbles, turning to Kael with his lazy face.