"Oh, no, no, no," Aldrich said, shaking his head. "I literally just got back."
Veliona grabbed both of his hands in hers. "Come on, please? We probably won't have to fight anything. I just need a holy knight to accompany me so my father can stop worrying so much."
Aldrich groaned. He really didn't want to spend his short break going on another misadventure with her. He'd had enough near-death experiences for a while.
Behind them, the door to his father's office opened slightly, and Alastair stepped out. "Oh, you're still here. Perfect, I need a quick word."
He gave a surprised bow once he noticed the princess was present. "Your Highness, to what do we owe the honor?"
Veliona quickly let go of Aldrich's hands. "So sorry for the unexpected visit, Sir Alastair. I just needed a quick word with Aldrich."
"No apologies needed. You are welcome here anytime," Alastair replied. He began to retreat back into his office. "I'll leave you two to it then."
Once the door closed, Aldrich moved to follow. "I should really… see what he wanted."
"But—" Veliona insisted.
"We can talk about it later, I promise. Bye."
Aldrich slipped into the office and shut the door, leaving the princess and her attendant.
Veliona sighed.
A lone figure approached, clad in crimson armor and wearing an easy smile. A sickly sweet smell of roses wafted through the hall.
"Greetings, Princess."
Veliona was a bit startled by his sudden appearance. "Oh, hello, Sir Larian."
Larian gave her a bow, his eyes never leaving her face. "Apologies, I couldn't help but overhear your… request. If my dear cousin is too busy, I would be delighted to accompany you."
Veliona hadn't been expecting that. "You would? I had assumed a knight of your prowess wouldn't have the time."
Larian's smile widened. "I always make time for princesses. Please, come with me. We can discuss in more detail."
He offered her his hand. Veliona wasn't sure how to respond, so she just took it and let him lead her away.
×
After an awkward meal with the king, Levi excused himself and made his way out of the castle. He had a lot on his mind.
[So... we're still planning on killing that Kazuki guy, right? Abaddon asked.]
"We never were." Levi answered. "Especially not now. So many other people would die."
[That's a price I'd be willing to pay.]
"Including us." Levi added, exasperated.
Abaddon was silent for a few seconds, as if weighing his odds.
[Maybe at the moment I would, but once we find the rest of my soul I'll be all set.]
"Speaking of the rest of you soul." Levi started, changing the subject. "Do you have any more siblings causing trouble in the world that I should know about?"
[Those two topics aren't related in the slightest.]
"Just answer the question." Levi shot back.
The dragon didn't speak for a few minutes, debating whether to answer or not. Or maybe just trying to recall what he remembered.
[I know as much as you do. He could tell the boy wasn't satisfied by that though, so he sighed and continued. There are seven of us. The seven dragon princes of the hells, they called us.]
"Wait a minute, you're a Prince? Of hell?" Levi asked, surprised. Then added. "That's real?"
Levi had reached the inn at this point. He climbed the stairs, walked into his room and shut the door.
[Yes it's real. And it sucked. Mostly because of Him.]
Levi sensed a a hint of anger in the dragon's voice. "Is this the same 'Him' that cultist was talking about?"
[Lucyfer. Self proclaimed king of the hells and all round annoyance. I got tired of Him, and the rest of them. So I left. Decided to claim a new realm all for myself.]
But they didn't seem to have worked out too well for him, Levi thought. But telling him that would probably make him mad.
[I can hear your thoughts, you know. I am quite literally in your head.]
Levi flopped onto his bed. "So you just... left? You guys can just do that?"
[I can, because I'm better than them. Abaddon answered in a gloating voice. Anyway, since we disbanded Belphegor's idiotic cult, we should be free of them.]
Levi wasn't so sure about that. He had a lot more questions but he could feel his eyelids growing heavy. "Does that mean heaven is real as well?"
But before the dragon could answer he had already drifted off to sleep.
×
"So," Larian said, leaning against the wall of the empty room he had led Veliona and Arissa to, "please do tell me the details of your little trip."
Veliona complied. She wanted to visit Myrn, a town located a few hundred miles from the capital. The town was known for the Moonglaive bloom, a magical flower that only bloomed once every thousand years, rumored to grant any wish.
Whether that was just a rumor or not, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her. However, her father deemed it unsafe to travel at this time due to a group of some sort causing trouble in the region.
"You must think me silly," Veliona sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "wanting to go through so much trouble just to see a flower."
"On the contrary," Larian replied, his grin broadening, "I am somewhat of a flower enthusiast myself. And this 'wish-granting' flower has piqued my interest. I would be delighted to assist."
Veliona nearly shook with elation. "Really?! Even with the cultists around?"
Larian dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. He had heard of them—harbingers of Naut, mere nihilistic nobodies. He could handle them.
"Cults are a dime a dozen these days," Larian responded. He took Veliona's hand gently and kissed it. "Fear not, Princess. I will ensure your safety."
"Uh, th-thank you," Veliona stammered, taken aback. The knight released her hand. "Can we… leave tomorrow then?"
Larian's smile grew. "Of course, I look forward to it."
Veliona nodded and began to leave, pausing to cast a final glance at the knight, whose gaze remained fixed on her.
"Until then, Princess."
×
Early the next morning, Veliona laced her leather boots, preparing to depart for Myrn with Sir Larian. Her father had relented once Larian assured him of his escort.
With her hair tied back and her dagger sheathed at her hip, she was ready. Yet, on her way to the stables to meet Larian, Aldrich intercepted her, breathless as if he had run from his family's estate.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
He gestured for a moment to catch his breath, then straightened. "You can't go anywhere with Larian. You can't trust him."
Veliona, arms crossed, rolled her eyes. "You didn't want to go, and he graciously offered to accompany me in your stead. I can't just back out now, even if I wanted to."
"But he's evil!" Aldrich insisted, desperation in his eyes. "Why can't anyone see that? He's brainwashed you."
Veliona sighed, exasperated by his petty jealousy. "Being charming and brainwashing are two different things. Though I can see how they might seem similar to someone who isn't."
Aldrich recoiled, stunned. Veliona was surprised as well, she hadn't meant for it to come out like that.
"Okay, ouch. But I'm telling you the truth. He told me himself!"
Veliona wasn't budging. So then Aldrich insisted on coming with them, to keep an eye on Larian. She declined.
"Relax," she said, brushing past him. "We'll be back in a ten-day. Gods, you might need this break more than I realized."
Aldrich stared defeated as she made her way to the stables. He sighed and turned to leave. He might as well go see what Levi was doing, since he was already in the city.