"In that case, you must go through me first to get the bird."
Staring at the broad-shouldered man with dark orange hair, eyes and a beard, Drakon clenched his teeth. Inside his core, waves of immolating heat boiled, ready to erupt at a moment's notice.
He was furious.
How dare they reject his goodwill!
A thousand mana crystals was not an ordinary sum, even for Drakon.
Nevertheless, he thought it was worth giving away if he could build a good relationship with Celeste and procure the phoenix.
However, no matter how much he tried, he had been thwarted at every turn.
Drakon gritted his teeth, his gaze spewing fire.
At a glance, he could tell that Celeste's father was an Expert mage.
…And a strong one, at that.
The heir's instincts informed him the burly man was not to be messed with.
However… Drakon also had a staggering number of Experts at his disposal.
With one command, he could order them to storm the house, and then Celeste's father would have only one choice: surrender.
He was reluctant to use so much force, though.
Aside from the fact that it was a waste of manpower - personnel that could be put to better use, either guarding the citadel, purifying corrupted cores or slaying harrowing Defiled - Drakon did not want to burn down any bridges just yet.
He gnashed his teeth together, a hint of jealousy and envy pricking his heart.
If only he didn't have this blasted bottleneck, then he would have already become an Expert mage, and would not need to require the strength of his underlings.
…He alone should have been enough.
The sense of frustration Drakon felt increased.
The flames inside his core stirred, restless and on the verge of exploding.
As he inhaled, the sheer effort it took to clamp down on his rage made his body tremble.
Gritting his teeth, Drakon sent a hateful glare towards the Expert mage.
He saw Celeste sporting a deep frown from the side.
He sighed inwardly.
With a final cold glance at Alden, Drakon turned around and headed for the door, leaving a few parting words.
"This isn't over."
***
Listening to the fading footsteps of Drakon, a sense of relief washed over Alden.
For the time being, he did not need to worry about Ignia being abducted.
Although… based on the Ember heir's parting words, Alden knew he would have to watch his step.
'It's not like that's anything new. If anything, it'll just fuel my paranoia further.'
He sighed.
Overpowering that suspicion was a sense of gratitude so profound that Alden didn't know if he could ever repay Alistair. Although he had done his best not to burden the man over the years, the Guildmaster still willingly came to his aid every time, uncaring of the consequences.
During his youth, Alden had struggled to understand why Alistair went to such trouble… for someone who wasn't even his biological son. Gradually, however, he had accepted that it was just a part of who the man was.
Kind, caring, and most of all, reliable.
Shaking his head, Alden stopped his thoughts from going on a tangent.
He glanced at Celeste, Alistair and Elara before everyone let out a breath they had unknowingly been holding.
"What a relief… for a second there, I thought he had lost all reason."
Alden spoke, the tension visibly fading from his body. The white-haired young man slumped back in his seat, opening his arms to embrace his bond who flew into his embrace.
"That would have been very foolish of him indeed. Especially since he seems to want to establish a relationship with Celeste."
Elara replied and turned to face Alistair.
"Thankfully, your heroic father was here to save the day."
She then sent a loving look to her husband, who promptly returned one of his own.
"Ew! Mom, Dad, please get a room!"
Alden burst out laughing.
Alistair and Elara, meanwhile, wore bitter smiles.
However, they soon joined in the chuckling.
The earlier tension from the strained discussion faded away, replaced by a genial and pleasant atmosphere.
Basking in the familiar warmth of his cosy home, a bright smile adorned Alden's face.
He occasionally snickered, remembering the comical expression Celeste had displayed.
…It was one of deep horror.
Just recalling it made Alden's stomach clench, the urge to laugh growing larger and larger.
He clamped down on it.
Unfortunately, he couldn't hide the twitching of his lips.
He saw Celeste pout and throw a cushion at him.
Alden's smile widened, moving Ignia and himself out of the way of the projectile.
Time slowly passed in this manner, laughter and smiles all around.
The family of four were having a nice time, surrounded by warmth.
Soon, Alden was the only one left in the living room, alongside Alistair.
The two ladies had excused themselves, with Celeste wanting to study some herbology before beginning dinner, while Elara wished to check in on the plants growing in their garden.
The two men looked at each other briefly, their features turning solemn.
"You know he won't leave it at this, right? He'll keep trying and trying until he gets what he wants."
"I know."
Alden nodded, already aware that Drakon would not give up.
He mused that instead of a direct confrontation, the Ember heir would probably resort to more discreet measures.
'Brilliant…'
He sighed again.
Alden saw Alistair fidget slightly, obviously uncomfortable with something.
The young man's brow rose.
"What is it?"
"W-well…"
The Expert mage cleared his throat.
"Have you considered the possibility of Drakon using Celeste to lure you out?"
Alden's expression darkened.
His adoptive father was right.
There was a very real possibility the Ember heir would concoct a devious scheme involving Celeste to ensnare him into relinquishing his bond.
He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists.
"...I'm aware."
"In that case, even though it hurts me greatly to say this…"
Alden watched a pained expression appear on the older man's face.
"...I think you should consider leaving the Sanctuary."