Alden stared at Drakon and Swifty, barely keeping his composure in check.
He ground his teeth together, wondering how shameless the red-haired scout could be. Not only did he try to steal Ignia from him, but he also called for backup from an heir to one of the Four Clans.
An individual… who was notorious for his materialistic tendencies.
As he assessed Drakon's laid-back posture, Alden inwardly frowned.
He wondered why the Ember heir was so relaxed.
It was as if he was very confident of his success.
…Which was strange, considering no attempts to negotiate had even been made.
'That means he is either an arrogant fool, or he has something that could swing the discussion in his favour.'
Alden's frown deepened.
He did not like what he was seeing.
At all.
When he had opened the door, he was startled to find the Ember heir - Drakon being unmistakable in his fiery red robes symbolic of his clan, and his eye-catching pupils mixed with red, yellow, and orange hues - standing with the rapacious red-haired scout.
What's more, Drakon was also being genial and polite.
…Something which disturbed Alden greatly. It was extremely rare for that to happen.
The only times it did were when the Ember heir was either wary of the other person's status, or when he was scheming.
In this case, it was probably a mixture of both.
However, Drakon was probably more likely afraid of upsetting Celeste and not him.
As he recalled the time spent in mandatory school during his youth, Alden's suspicion increased.
Raising his guard, he awaited Drakon's words that would begin the negotiation process.
Taking a sip of scorching mead, the red-robed heir seemed like he had all the time in the world as he slowly savoured the exotic drink.
"Ah, that hits the spot."
Alden suppressed his impatience, subtly biting his tongue.
Just when he felt the visitor would never speak, Drakon finally put down his drink and turned to face him, a small smirk on his lips.
Alden resisted the urge to twitch.
Across from him, Drakon slowly straightened, his gaze turning sharp.
"I have come here today after receiving some alarming news…"
Alden internally rolled his eyes at the farce, hoping to get it over with as quickly as possible.
"It has shocked me deeply, and quite frankly, worries me greatly as well. As the heir to one of the Four Clans, I believe it is my responsibility to inform you of nearby danger. Who is to say what happened won't occur again?!"
Drakon raised his voice and gestured his arms, attempting to look like a paragon of justice.
To Alden though, he just looked like a blithering fool.
Celeste and her parents sent confused glances toward the Ember heir, wondering what in the Asterons he was talking about.
Seeing that, Drakon's expression turned sorrowful.
"Ah, it's too much for me to say. Swifty will have to be the one to tell you the news. I hope you don't mind?"
"It's alright."
Alden saw Celeste's brows knit in a frown, a mix of skepticism and suspicion swirling in her gaze.
As he turned his head to look at the scout, the white-haired young man braced himself for the absolute lie about to escape Swifty's mouth.
"Well, I-I…"
The greedy flame wielder stammered.
He coughed as Drakon shot him a glare veiled under an encouraging smile.
Alden almost laughed aloud, his cheek twitching from the effort it took to restrain himself.
He watched with amusement as Swifty took a deep breath and opened his mouth, a similar expression to Drakon's making its way onto his face.
"As part of a scouting party, I and two other scouts were assigned a mission to record how many Dryads we encountered during a brief journey in the Wilderness. The reason for this, of course, is their increased presence in Nature's Grove, particularly around the special fields of the Zephyr Clan. At first, our task was smooth sailing. However, on our trek back, we came across a demon disguised in human flesh!"
At this, the scout's face visibly paled. His very being seemed to tremble with fear.
Taking a sip of the fiery-red liquid, Swifty let the alcohol calm his nerves.
"We continued to travel, unaware of the demonic being in our midst. Eventually, we neared the Sanctuary's Barrier, and just when we thought we had made it to safety, we were suddenly under attack. But not by some Defiled abomination! The demon had bared his fangs at us, and all we could do was resist. Even then, I only survived because Charmy and Scar heroically laid down their lives so I could escape and warn you of the danger!"
Alden blinked, amazed at how the shameless scout had twisted the story to make it seem as though he and his colleagues were the good guys. Swifty's downcast expression appeared to add further credibility to the tale.
Shifting his gaze, Alden observed Celeste's brows furrow further, obviously perturbed by the narration.
She nodded politely to her guest, before taking her turn to speak.
"I'm sorry you went through such a rough ordeal. If I may, who is this demon you speak of, and what does it have to do with my family?"
Swifty pursed his lips and slowly lifted his finger.
"That demon…"
He paused.
"...is him."
And pointed at Alden.
***
"Al, is this true?"
Celeste bit her lips, inwardly startled by Swifty's admission.
While she had a distinct feeling that the story was a little embellished, the thought that her childhood friend could take a life so ruthlessly filled her with unease.
"It was self-defense."
Hearing Alden's unfazed reply, she unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
"They attacked me first, seeking to end my life. I only did what I had to do to survive."
Celeste nodded.
"That seems fair."
Stroking Ignia softly, she was about to conclude the matter when Swifty suddenly spoke up.
"False! Anyone can see that you're biased!"
She bristled at the comment.
"Why? Do you disagree with his statement? Do you have any proof to back up your claims?"
Celeste tried to keep her tone neutral but failed.
Her brows furrowed further, as a sliver of annoyance leaked in her tone.
"Yes, I do!"
Taking another sip of scorching mead, Swifty sat up straighter and glared at Alden.
The scout seemed to draw strength from the alcoholic beverage, for just then he pointed an accusing finger at her childhood friend and growled.
"That demon… has a dangerous power belonging to the Void!"