“Her shadow consumed you two?”

“At first, yes. Wrapped itself around us like a cocoon, just like how monsters evolve. The goddesses didn’t really tell us anything, simply suggesting that Sensei ‘just do it.’ Well, it’s not like them speaking would help us. Every time they speak, I get this damn itch that feels like it's coming from inside my head. Muffled words.” While his story was intriguing, his constantly shaking leg and how giddy he seemed was pretty distracting. In addition, he was also drinking his tea like crazy. “Anyways, we didn’t turn into ‘shadow humans’ or whatever, but it still made us part of her shadow pack. However! Here is the—”

“Tatsuya, could just you, please—” Before Tatsuya could continue, Kyouya grabbed his shoulder and took away his tea. Then, after he made Tatsuya take some deep breaths to calm down, Kyouya just shook his head, but I couldn’t see him through his helmet. “Sorry, this is his coffee addiction in full effect after nearly a month of withdrawal. He’s hyperactive. It happened after our first month in this world, too, and he couldn’t sleep once he tasted it for the first time. I thought it was over, but it seemed his addiction was never gone to begin with.”

I was a bit flabbergasted at what Kyouya was telling me here, finding it baffling how much Tatsuya was relying on coffee, or in this case, fulinoe tea. It hadn’t happened once since we met, but it seems that was ‘cause we were supplying him with a daily cup of tea when we were still together. The usually socially awkward Tatsuya felt a bit too extroverted today.

“‘Nearly a month?’” I noticed, before turning my head over to our guest giver. A vampire so eye-catching, she seemed almost like the magnum opus of an artist.

“Three weeks, actually. Goddess Vivachel had asked me to have these two train with my knights. Well, she gestured, at least. I might be her descendant, but speaking with a god is still rather hard on my old soul.” The vampire, Vadisma, took a sip from her steaming brown tea, going against my expectations. I thought she would be drinking blood wine, or something, but she was partaking in the same drinks and snacks she placed before us.

“She picked us up after the Belzac forest got invaded by some grimgarians,” Kyouya added. “Sensei and Asaka-san probably attacked their base after we left. At least, that was the plan, since Sensei told us it was time to evolve her garms.”

“After that, we ‘coincidentally’ arrived at Port Annencia after a few days, or so.” Tatsuya eyed the still smiling Vadisma, making it clear it was all planned out by somebody, probably. “Just during the Elyonda fight, we were forced to stay on the island. In fact, outside of the transportation, the vampires really didn’t help much.”

“Stay your tongue.” A sharp voice came out of the vampire’s mouth, now no longer smiling. She placed her cup back on its saucer and on the table. “I see you don’t understand the hospitality I have given you. A host should respect her guests as long as they are under her roof, and I expect the same in return.”

“Tch!” Tatsuya’s energetic demeanor changed completely, clicking his tongue and glaring at the vampire. Meanwhile, Kyouya couldn’t help but shake his head, gritting his teeth as if would derail if he continued.

He probably didn’t want it to, but I was curious.

“What exactly—” But before I end my sentence, somebody else spoke up.

“This is why I told you to bring me with you, Hestia. Milder than the others or not, Vadisma is still a vampire.” It was Uzerra. “This is what happens when you treat them as nothing more than prisoners. The boys would, of course, be enraged. You probably treated them like thralls.”

“I gave them proper nourishment,” she answered.

“Hard bread, disgusting soup, and raw meat.”

What? My eyebrows wrinkled as I heard that from Tatsuya.

“As I said, proper nourishment.”

Tasianna sent a telepathic message, giving me some context on the matter. Thralls were basically only given kibble to to maximize their blood cell regeneration and keep them healthy enough for labor. As guests, they were given proper food, as Vadisma insinuated, but since vampires didn’t know how to cook normal food, the vampires instead offered what they would call “pet snacks.”

In other words, Tasianna, Yorshka, Duke Greenveil, and the boys were given the equivalent to doggy treats. Tasianna really wasn’t joking around when she explained the way the vampires viewed anyone who wasn’t a vampire. To them, the whole world was just filled with either “pets” or prey.

Looking into Vadisma’s eyes, I now could understand why I didn’t feel any warmth. She was just welcoming us like it was business. Maybe I even misinterpreted how those vampire knights treated Yorshka. It might not be respect, but just cold professionalism.

So these are vampires, huh?

It felt like I was just plunged into some dark fantasy story. The way the vampires had thralls and how they just treated them like farm animals, in addition to how these bloodsuckers viewed themselves. The appearance of this fortress was an actual warning to what I should have expected. The smile the vampire princess gave us was just a mask.

“So, before we speak of why I asked you here, tell me, Uzerra.” She turned over to the archerudite, glaring at him with a dark facade. If glares could kill, this one would freeze your soul. “Princess Hestia brought you here, but I did not ask for you. Why are you here?”

“Am I that unwelcomed?”

“You know nobody outside of me or the elders could possibly stop you from entering and exiting this place. It's even worse when you fall asleep and start blasting your spells!” Her scarlet brows stiffened as she said that, followed by her venom-tipped words. “You are a blight to Purchigchia, to my people, and to my eyes, Archerudite. Sleeping Menace. Unfaithful Low-Elf.”

“… Must you curse me even now? I told you, it was an accident. It was the first sign of my age catching up to me.” Uzerra’s eyes looked down at his tea for a moment, before he returned them back to the vampire. “Sorrow was affecting me then, as well.”

“Hmph!” She leaned slightly forward. “Time doesn’t always heal wounds. For the world’s most knowledgeable man, your years of living have not made you wise. When you enter your last slumber, remember this as your consciousness slips away into the eternal darkness of God Marsven: my daughter will destroy everything you hold dear. Aleistunum will fall. Your books will burn.”

What the f? What exactly did I get myself into here?!

“…” Uzerra stayed silent at that provocation, simply drinking his tea. “She will not destroy herself.”

???

I looked over at Tasianna and then to Tatsuya. While the former didn’t know what was going on, the latter grimaced as he nodded. He then pointed at the two, made a heart with his hands, before gesturing a cross sign.

… Am I understanding this correctly? I looked over to the growling Vadisma and the sleep deprived-looking Uzerra, before figuring out what they meant by “she.” Ok, I got myself into some family business. Why did I bring him here, exactly?

“Uhm, pardon me for interrupting.” To my surprise, somebody was actually brave enough to interject themselves into this staring contest. We all turned around, learning Renee was speaking up. “Can I assume all of our presences here, outside of Lady Hestia, are unwanted, Vampire Princess Vadisma? As such, may I propose we speak and discuss, instead of arguing? It would accelerate things along.”

“Oooh, the young human speaks the truth. How fitting that someone as young as her can see beyond the veil of arrogance clouding your narrow mind.” She glared at Uzerra with those words, but all he could do was yawn. Vadisma squinted in irritation, before calming herself to speak to the rest of us. “That is right. Igol has already informed me about the matter with the Predators on the ground. How may I call you?”

“Rhea Renee Sealight, your highness.”

“‘Sealight?’ Ahhh, a descendant of Yeostar. I had thought the family line was extinguished and was replaced by the Caimlaces, but it seemed my information was incorrect. Well, I am no ‘most knowledgeable woman,’ so, please, forgive me for my ignorance.” Even now, she was taking potshots at the poor high elf.

She then picked out a piece of parchment from a bag she was hiding underneath the table, handing it over to Renee. After Renee picked it up to read it, she noted how it was titled “Blood Debt.”

“Yes, a blood debt. We harmed your citizens, therefore you deserve, as the representative of your country, retribution for what happened. However, as they are my people, I cannot have you punish them. I will do so myself,” she spoke in a rather matter-of-fact tone, removing any traces of her animosity. “As such, you may ask for an appropriate recompense. I wish for our two nations to remain peaceful.”

I raised a brow as she said that, making me question why she was being so diplomatic.

Probably sharing my thought, Renee was equally as suspicious. “Yeos is currently quite weak. I do not need to say this, as you can see the state of our country from your window. Even if we were to engage in conflict, you know the Empire wouldn’t come to our side after all of this. Why are you being so lenient?”

“It is the duty of every rightful sovereign to rule and act fairly, no matter how powerful. Lady Rhea, do not presume I, or my race, are as debauched as those Predator bloodlings. Purchigchia is a neutral force, and we wish to remain as such … at least, as long as a certain someone is still alive.” She glared at Uzerra, again! Holy moly, this woman really hated that man. “But, aside from Aleistunum, I have no wish for disputes. As the leader of my race, I have a responsibility to maintain the status quo, so my people may live however they wish.”

“They fed on two people, Princess Vadisma. You denounce what the three did, but you insist your people may live however they wish,” I interjected, causing the woman to nod.

“I agree with what you said, that is why I will punish those under my rule. Or, are you also suggesting you, a dragon princess, should also take responsibility for the many feral dragons attacking innocent villagers and caravans and such?” she snapped back. “I speak of those living in Drascul, Princess of Dragons. The Predators, the Skyborne, and Royals. Not the people hiding amongst the land’s populace.”

Erm … I couldn’t speak back.

Seeing me silenced, she nodded and returned her attention to Renee. “Regardless, a blood debt is an important part of our culture. As their ruler, I only allow my people to feed on wild monsters and criminals. No comments on the latter, I presume?”

She glanced at me. At this point, I understood my remark probably reduced my standing in her mind. She probably thought I was some idealistic kid.

“None, of course,” Yorshka answered for me, noticing how my mood was worsening. “Criminals deserve punishment. How that punishment is enacted is reserved for the country in question.”

Vadisma smiled. “Yes, true. Having them act as a source of blood for my ever hungry populace means the innocents are protected. It is just right. That is why those three will pay … and I will pay for our country’s failure to control them. We are guests, but we harmed you. Ask, and I will pay. Help with buildings, reduction of the land’s mana accumulation, weapons; just ask, with reason, of course.”

“Thank you very much, your highness. I am glad we were able to resolve this without any issues.” Renee stood up to bow slightly.

“As am I. Now …” While Renee was writing down what Elyonda needed, Vadisma then turned to me. Her smile was as unfeeling as before, only this time, her eyes stared even deeper into me, almost as if to judge me. “You would wish to know why Drascul is still here, yes? Why have I transported your friends to this place? Why do I have your two otherworldly friends here?”

Renee twitched at those three last words. She probably already heard from Kyouya how they “came to this world,” so she probably could guess from context. Now, she probably was asking how we all knew them. I really should explain things to her.

In any case, I nodded to Vadisma. “Lord Uzerra asked me to come here. While I do have my own questions, I am more curious as to why you are interested in me. Is this about the boys?”

That was the only clue I had to follow. Sure, there was the fact I was a dragon and otherworlder, but what would she need from me, if she had the boys already? She could just ask them about Earth. What could she possibly gain from meeting with me, when her attitude up until now really didn’t seem like she cared if I was in her good graces or not?

“Partially.” She then leaned forward as the ends of her mouth went up. A shiver went down my spine. “How much blood would you like to pay for their freedom?”

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“What?!” Tatsuya and Kyouya blurted out.

[“Calm down.”] I sent that telepathic message to them, stopping them from doing anything we might regret. Right now, outside of Uzerra, none of us could antagonize this woman without incurring the full wrath of Purchigchia.

As such, I kept my calm. I knew this wasn’t the real reason why she invited me. If she had any clue as a ruler, then she should know dragon blood was considered extremely sacred by the dragonewts of Loatryx. If she wanted to stay neutral, as she said, then trying to anger the dragonewts and my family wouldn’t be too smart.

Not to mention, “rule and act fairly.” If she wanted to be more than just a common thuggish ruler, then she couldn’t just ask for my blood for their freedom. Not to mention, didn’t she mention how she valued her guests?

Let’s play this smart. I needed information, first. “So Lord Uzerra was right. They are your prisoners. Why? Goddess Vivachel was quite mysterious and we couldn’t speak much, but I didn’t take her to be hostile to us. Or, is this your own choice?”

“It would be mine, yes,” she confirmed. “My ancestor only gestured to me that I should train them. Whether I treat them correctly or not didn’t really come into the discussion. Of course, only criminals are thralls and blood cattle, so I decided to treat them like normal guests. Still, they’ve been here for a while. Too long. Doing nothing more than training and eating.”

“You didn’t present us with any other option. You didn’t even speak to us, up until now,” Kyouya revealed. “You sent all your orders through Igol. I understand we should show some gratitude, Princess Vadisma, but this is unreasonable!”

“Unfair, you mean! I brought a storage full of fulinoe leaves for this trip, but those knights told me we were only allowed to live where we were told and eat what we were given!” Tatsuya complained. “Dammit, Hestia, they even stopped us from speaking with Tasianna and Dame Yorshka a few times. When we finally got the chance to speak, we just arrived at Elyonda!”

“…” Yorshka turned her gaze over at Vadisma, almost to the point of a glare. “So that is the reason. I did wonder why they were so agitated when they spoke to me. Sir Grigori told me they were training and that you were keeping them in the castle for their safety because of Goddess Vivachel’s wish.”

Even the knights were in this mess, huh? Seems like those third-rate villains weren’t the only assholes in this flying junk.

“… I guess I should have acted on my instinct. I apologize, Tatsuya. Kyouya.” Tasianna bowed slightly.

“Same. I should’ve probably come over the moment I heard I was invited here. I guess the mess in Elyonda preoccupied my attention, when I had friends waiting for help up here.” The more I learned, the angrier I got at the vampires. I then turned to Uzerra, wanting to know if he knew about this.

He shook his head. “I presumed. No evidence, since I didn’t meet them. You heard her speak to me. Me randomly visiting her could be attributed to ‘Archerudite Uzerra is spying on us.’ That’s a reason for war.”

“A war we would love, snake,” Vadisma struck again. “How I would love to see your face when we burn down your library. That agony, the despair of losing years upon years of work. A millennia of work, reduced to ashes.”

Uzerra managed to stay calm the first time his library was mentioned, but the second time, now even more descriptive, was his breaking point. “If you’re so vehement about it, then I will respond in kind. You do not have a chance against me, Vadisma. Not you, not your elders. I could reduce your entire kingdom into ash. Only your moth—”

Vadisma slammed the table, breaking it in half as all the snacks and tea fell down, staining the carpet. “Do not speak her name, snake!”

She’s even prickly about any mentions of her mother? What exactly is Uzerra’s history with her?!

The two glared daggers at each other, sparks practically flying between them, only for the volatile atmosphere to fall apart when Uzerra began to yawn. His body suddenly jerked forward, holding onto the sofa’s arm to stop his fall.

“He!” Vadisma smirked, looking down at the mage as his breathing turned haggard. “I just need to wait. Then you, my only problem, will be gone. Or, will you strike first and break your wish to stay neutral from everything?”

“Grk!” Uzerra strained himself, pushing himself up. He grimaced at Vadisma, but couldn’t help but yawn.

What is going on with him?

“… How long, Lord Uzerra?” The one to ask was Yorshka, looking at the ailing elf as if she had him figured out.

“… A few more years,” he replied, closing his eyes until he corrected his posture. “A few more years, yes. More, if I just stay asleep.”

“… Can somebody tell me what’s going on?” I asked, prompting Vadisma to scoff at me.

“He is dying, young dragoness! Immortality is such a fantasy for those young humans, but little do they know how much of a struggle it is. A curse. To watch everybody they love slowly perish, vanishing from their lives.” My eyes widened at the mention of immortality. “A soul can only take so much abuse and only has a finite amount of space for memories. Things are different for the divine, but the gods are gods for a reason. And he? Well, Uzerra doesn’t have much time left. Sleeping away months just so he can continue living.”

… That’s why he’s sleeping so much? Because he’s trying to continue living? Then, what about Mother? Isn’t she sleeping a lot right now.

“Lady Hestia!” As I was having this thought, Tasianna immediately grabbed me, making me notice how I was shivering. “Empress Melloxtressa is strong. She has you. She might need to sleep, but I don’t believe she will vanish from your life with how fulfilling you are to her life!”

“She’s right,” Uzerra agreed, gesturing with his hand for me to calm down. “Soul deterioration affects the body, too. However, I saw your mother. A soul fits their vessel, and I don’t need to be knowledgeable to know hers is larger than mine. If she really cherishes you this much, then don’t worry. Happiness keeps you alive … On the other hand, you might want to worry about your father.”

Father? My dragon father? Wait, is he insinuating that he’s … dying?

If we were talking about abuse, emotional and physical, then Eltharion, Emperor of Kargryx, probably had it extremely hard. He witnessed his parents depart, he had to win a civil war by killing his siblings to obtain the throne and regain peace, and no telling how old he was. I hadn’t asked Mother. After Mother showed me of her memories of the Kargryx civil war, it would make sense if Father was … depressed.

… Dammit, why am I feeling sad for him? I don’t even know him! Urgh, is he … is he-he doing well?

True immortality really was just a fantasy if you weren’t a god. Over time, the passion of life would just dwindle away, right? If I were to turn immortal, there might be a time I would lose Mother. Lose Neill. Lose Tasianna and Saori. When that time came, Ellaine and Grimnir would have already died from age. The pain in my heart would always be there.

Death really was sad.

“Krk! True!” Vadisma broke my thoughts. “Happiness does keep one's soul clean and strong. It might not be as strong, but I, too, feel my eternal slumber approaching.”

“…” Uzerra went silent when he heard this, giving the woman eyes of pity but also of guilt.

Seeing him like this, Vadisma growled and turned her eyes away from him. She grit her teeth, showing-off her long fangs before she looked down to the ground. She then returned her eyes to me.

“You pass,” she stated plainly. “Whether you planned it or not, you caused my mood to sour. Don’t go to the negotiation table in a sour mood. Good job bringing this filth to my home.”

Not like I could say anything about that. I was starting to appreciate having Uzerra here, even if I had to continue listening to all this bad news.

“… Then, they are free to go?” I looked at Tatsuya and Kyouya, both hopeful this nightmare could end.

“… Princess.” After a couple seconds of silence, the vampire turned her attention back to us. “The real reason for your invitation was for something else. I want to ask what you did at Aureolis.”

“Aureolis?” Both boys looked at me with frowns, both asking the same question. “You were in Aureolis? When?”

“Well, some time during the siege, apparently. On the same day we arrived here,” Vadisma clarified, prompting me to ask her where she got this information. “I have spies. You know that boy Elrick, yes? Well, if a bloodling like him can sneak into Aureolis and become a paladin, then my experts can do it as well, and do a better job of it too. They saw you and another dragonewt. I presume your mother?”

They know.

But they didn’t know I was trapped inside a dimension hole. Outside of our group, nobody really knew about it.

Seeing me keep my mouth shut, Vadisma took it as her cue to continue. “You want to know why I’m asking this, yes? Well, if you hadn’t heard about it yet, then Elyonda really is completely defeated. In any case, it’s known inside the church that the pope has gone insane.”

“Insane?”

“He cries and shouts in the night of a huge spider-legged dragon and a giantess of a dragonewt. Crying out how they would find and kill him. Reap his soul! How thrilling, eh? The pope of the Church of Aurena has finally gone mad. Hehe, weak human.” Vadisma smirked, and from the way she was speaking, she probably didn’t know he was a demonkin. The Prince of Envy really was good with his disguise.

Insane, huh?

“Well, I won’t continue denying it. Yes, my mother and I were there for a moment, before we dashed back here.” She shared information, so I had to reciprocate. If I wanted more, I had to play nice. “So, why do you want to know more?”

“Because my spies know of that summit you are planning with the dwarves, child. The Artorians were good at keeping it hush-hush, but those dwarves aren’t known for subterfuge. Urgh, their drunken stupors make it easy to get information out of them.” No matter who she was speaking about, if it wasn’t a vampire, she would sneer at them. “An alliance, right? Well, that would attract attention from the Empire. And with the Empire, Aureolis.”

“You apparently did something to the pope. I know, so other people will figure it out too,” or something like that. That was the message I got from her.

“I wish to keep my people safe. This won’t lead to a war, right?” I couldn’t answer her, making her sigh. “Good. That is what I wanted. Information, just like Uzerra. If the pope is insane and this ‘spider-legged dragon’ and ‘giant dragonewt’ were you and the Empress, then he won’t stop. He will hunt you down. He will have plenty of reason to send the full force of the Knight of Aurena … including those ‘Heroes of Aurena’ whelps.”

This was bad. If you thought about it, the main reason why King Drangleic was so confident in the alliance working out was due to me. I could act as a figurehead of faith as a Champion to prevent the Empire from attacking Artorias once they renounce their vassalage.

However, if the pope hated me and had a proper reason—a casus belli—then it could all end up in a war. I didn’t want that. I witnessed the horrors of war through Mother and also the destructive nature of it through my own action during the siege. I didn’t want another war to start!

I used to think that the demonkins were my enemies, but not every one of them were terrible. They were still “human.” Vifi’Yok with her love of doughnuts and willingness to repay a debt to Amelia, or how Hee’Rlak sacrificed his life for the young girl.

I understood sometimes it couldn’t be helped. I had killed people who had lives and ambitions before. They weren’t faceless fodder like the feral monsters I hunted. Even then, in the Belzac forest, I had met beings like the kobolds, the orcs, and the wyverns. Everybody had a life. Everybody possessed the ability to feel joy. I didn’t want to reap it all, not only ‘cause I was an idol, but just ‘cause.

If it came to it, I will probably have more moments like when I fought Vifi’Yok. Those knights weren’t my enemy. The pope was—the Prince of Envy was our true enemy! If war was inevitable, then I had to do something to stop it.

… Fuck, now I sound like an idealistic hero. Urgh, cringe! You can’t save everybody, Hestia! Dammit. Understand that already.

As I was having a moral crisis about war, again! I heard Vadisma crackling, “Haha, oh Tatsuya. Kyouya. Who will you stand with? Oh, then again, this girl, this ‘Hestia Atsuko,’ was an otherworlder, too, right? Oh, you Japanese. Will you side with your friends, or with this girlfriend of yours?”

“S-she’s not my girlfriend!” Tatsuya cried something, but why was he taking her provocation? We had other things to worry about!

“Hoho! Go, leave my home. Enjoy those unique Jobs, you two.” Vadisma picked up the bell lying on the ground and rang it, summoning the butler into the room. We were then escorted out of this pristine white room of the ruler of the vampires.

“Unique Jobs?” I asked the boys.

“Right, we wanted to tell you this.” Kyouya scratched his helmet. “Instead of evolving or changing into shadow human, we somehow met some requirements and unlocked out Unique Jobs. I have [Shadow Squire].”

“And I got [The Rush] … Yeah, I know, it’s a lame name.”

“Cool! I got mine after the Divine Quest. How about we compare them tomorrow? I really want to get a full update on Saori and what you experienced.”

“Urgh, don’t make us remind ourselves,” both boys said simultaneously. Did they share a brain cell?

In any case, our bantering didn’t last too long since the eerie nature of this place was as terrible as always; actually, it got worse since I now knew who the vampire princess was. Without a question, I had a feeling she would become a problem in the future. She really just seemed chaotic.

As I was worrying myself about the possible wars that could erupt, I noticed Uzerra suddenly stopping. He was looking out of the window, which led to the castle’s courtyard. There, I could see a vampire girl with lime- and scarlet-colored hair, wandering the garden in an evening dress. I couldn’t really see her face from up here, but what caught my attention was how Uzerra was just staring at her.

“Lord Uzerra?” I spoke up, but it seemed my voice caught the attention of the girl as she turned around, revealing an almost mystifying beauty … almost like Vadisma.

She saw us for a moment before she hurried along, away from our sight. Once she was gone, Uzerra shook his head and turned around and called for his bed. He sat back on it and had it carry him, all while he took out a book from underneath his pillow.

“Don’t read,” he told me, so I backed away.

Who was that girl? I wondered, considering Uzerra was so entranced in her.

In any case, after we left Purchigchia with the boys, we returned back to the surface where Uzerra told Renee that he would repay me for sketching Neill’s [Battle Frenzy] by calling for mages to help out Yeos. He mentioned how he wanted to restore the diplomatic friendship between Yeos and Aleistunum, but under the condition that the country not break up again.

“… I cannot promise you that, but I can promise that it won’t happen as long as I am alive, Lord Uzerra!” Renee stated loudly, causing the mage to nod.

“Good. Write up the contract and what you need. Send it to Aleistunum with my seal, and they will handle the rest.” He handed Renee a bookmark and the seal. “Use the bookmark to return the seal. My bed will grab it for me. I will most likely not be around to answer you … I think I need to sleep. I feel … like I could nap for quite the number of years.”

Uhm, please, don’t. I really want to ask you stuff.

Well, little did I know that this actually was my last meeting with the man, as the next day, his island was gone. The vampire island also vanished from the skies, probably a good thing since we wouldn’t want vampires stalking everywhere. Hopefully I could meet Uzerra another time. I really hope he didn’t mean it literally that he would sleep for multiple years.

… Sadly, my worries wouldn’t end just with this.

“Hestia!” Tatsuya’s loud voice caught me off guard while I was working on rebuilding some houses. He then pointed at the skies, where I suddenly noticed a swarm of birds fly over us.

In the next second, something began falling from the sky. Tasianna caught two of them with floating ice and brought them down, revealing them to be paper. Actual paper, not parchment! And not just some empty, white paper, but they had words written on them as if somebody used a typewriter or something.

“Newspaper,” Kyouya, Tatsuya, and I blurted out.

The written parts on the two newspapers were completely identical, to the point you knew they were printed. When we took a closer look, we noted it was called “Imperial News Weekly: First Edition.” Just like an authentic one, it had stories written on every page, including what seemed like a word puzzle on the backside. Whoever did this really put their heart into it.

… Which made it even worse when we read out the front page’s story of focus.

“Bastards!” Tasianna cried out when she read the title.

“‘A New Threat to the Empire: Crimson Dragon Menace!’”

My hands tensed up.

“‘Destroyer of Yeos and Blasphemer! A crimson dragon with white shimmering scales had attacked Elyonda while it was being invaded by an army of monsters. Not only did this beast lead the army forward, it had also annihilated the renowned port of Elyonda with a single spell. In addition, reports show that this dragon had personally attacked the Pope! Under the orders of the Holy Emperor of Mankind, the Empire offers a bounty for the capture or any information on the whereabouts of this monster. Dragonslayers, we seek the swift live capture of this dragon. People and vassals of Folschreck, do not be swayed by the vixen’s dragonewt disguise! Behind the guise of a beautiful girl lies the might of a volcano!’”

Mother might have made us invisible, but that wouldn’t stop the Prince of Envy—the false pope—for shouting lies.

… Verdammte Scheiße.