"You're leaving already!?" was Galileo's response to Richard's decision.

Richard sighed as he sat down beside Galileo, admiring how much taller he had grown, now towering over Leo.

Once it had been Galileo who had towered over him, and yet, the circumstances have flipped.

"You know I can't stay here forever, and neither can you. As an apprentice paladin, you have responsibilities to the church. " Richard gently reminded Leo.

Leo sighed in frustration. "I know, it's just... It was good to hang out again. I wish we could've hung out more." Galileo said frustrated.

It was amusing to see how frustrated Leo looked. It reminded him of how Leo got when things didn't go his way.

The dragon reassured the young man. "Don't worry, we can always meet up again."

"Will we? I'm not even sure how I'll find you after this. Will you even look the same? And you'll be in a different form, you might evolve, and-"

"Leo." Richard interrupted sternly. "Did you forget about the divine aura of Isis surrounding me right now?"

...

Silence

...

"Ah."

Leo closed his mouth embarrassedly.

Currently, Richard was practically overflowing with the blessing of Isis. Any priest of Isis who saw him would immediately recognize it, and any priest with real connections with a God would recognize some sort of bond.

"But, but how will I find it unless I'm nearby? If I'm not nearby, I'll never find you..."

Leo's words trailed off as he looked behind Richard' much to the dragon's confusion.

He looked behind himself, seeing nothing there.

Then did the divine aura change?

The system popped up, explaining the thing beyond Richard's perception.

[The goddess Isis has made it so that your aura will always be seen as a beacon for Leo to see. A gift to you]

Richard felt conflicted about that. Although he was glad that now Galileo could always find him, Richard wasn't sure why Isis did so much for him, something brought to the forefront by the current situation.

Isis gave him so much, and yet he had done nothing for her.

It left him with one worrying thought, one he almost dared not follow, but had to.

Did she feel like... she owed him?

Richard wasn't sure why, but this thought merely led to more worrying thoughts, so he put it aside to worry about later, something to deal with in due time.

"Now that that's been solved, I think we have something else that we need to talk about."

Shaking his head, Galileo looked at him alertly. "Yes?" he said, eager to interact.

"It's about your teacher." That attraction quickly changed to annoyance, though he quickly hid it.

Richard frowned. "I hope you're not treating Copernicus like that all the time."

"I listen." Leo said Sullenly.

"But you don't actively interact, do you?"

"I talk when I need to..." he sulked.

Richard sighed. "Leo... you do realize that Copernicus is trying, don't you? I know you don't hate him at the very least, given the amount of attention you pay."

Galileo looked conflicted. " I know but, you know how I feel about the order. He's a good guy but... ugh, you understand."

Richard nodded knowingly. "Yes, but just because he's part of the organization, doesn't mean you should hold it against him. Look, I'm not asking you to just start talking with him all of a sudden. Just a few more sentences every day when you're talking with him?"

Leo looked glum, but did respond. "Fine, I'll try. He's not a bad person anyway."

"And you know, allowing him to pat your head and call you Le-"

"-I refuse!" Galileo said firmly, and the dragon could see the young man would not budge on this.

Sigh

Good luck with that senior Copernicus.

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It wasn't the most tearful farewell. Frankly, only Leo and Richard were on close enough terms to be considered friends. The rest of them were merely acquittances, brought together by circumstances, so they weren't really that upset to separate.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

Devis didn't really feel a need to say much to Richard, knowing that the dragon would likely be watched by the temple of Jorvus, so he knew that he could always find him at a later date.

Scave had no dog in this issue at all, merely coming to represent his church and to see if he could glean the current status of Earl. And in both, he had accomplished his goals.

Copernicus had gotten approval from the man who was like a father to his student. Sure, Galileo wasn't allowing him to pat his head, but now he knew why Galileo was cold to him. And that, that was a good step to him.

Still, Copernicus thought as he quietly tried to pat Galileo's head-

"Stop" Galileo said coldly

- He wished he could pat his apprentice's mop of hair.

Galileo was very passionate on the other hand, hugging the far larger dragon, as Richard lowered his head to nuzzle Leo's entirety.

"Stay safe" Richard said softly, and Galileo snorted.

"That's my line. Don't take candy from strangers, hmm?" Leo said worried.

Richard rolled his eyes. "Do I look that stupid to you."

Leo said no, but shot Alexandria a quick look, one that said everything.

Watch him. Alexandria nodded in a sign of agreement.

The two hugged for a little longer, before Panda complained.

"Alright, that's enough. It's getting too damn mush around here, come on, we've got places to go." He said, as he separated the two.

"I'll miss hugging you." Galileo said, suddenly hugging the squirrel.

"Hay, hey! Stop that!" complained Panda, yet he did not struggle all that much, merely expressing a tired look.

When Copernicus looked over jealously however, he stuck out his tongue at him, something Leo could not see as he hugged the squirrel.

And with that, the two sides began to part ways.

One heading deeper into the mountains, and one finally taking his first steps out of the mountains.

Richard was uneasy with every step he took, feeling the same sense of unease he felt leaving the slimes, leaving the caves, and now, the forest.

And yet, that same sense of excitement persisted. Something so terrifying, yet tantalizing.

It was going to be dangerous and unknown, yes, but that unknown was exciting.

And the call of home was enticing.

Richard was finally going home. He was finally going to see what the world was like, no longer looking from behind a window.

To finally experience the cities he could only ever read about and dream of.

To see all the people he missed.

To see her.

He would no longer be a burden to her.

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Castle Thorsten

Once founded by the proud Grant Thorsten, descendent of Thor, all that remained was the hollow shell of a great military state.

In these lands lay an indomitable castle, made over 1000 years ago, standing proud in spite of all the disasters that it had weathered.

The castle was a desolate place, devoid of joy and livelihood. The servants worked quietly, for fear of angering the master.

Shrieks and wails echoed through the hall; the voice filled with a despair that was impossible to ignore.

Servants can be seen shivering as they passed that very door. The mistress of the house, as it were, more prisoner than mistress. No one bothered her, for there was nothing but despair in her, that terrified all, ensuring no one neared her door without necessity.

In this very mansion sat a marquis, a man that Richard would be loath to call father, the marquis of Thorsten, lord to a once proud land that had declined over the centuries.

He had blue eyes much like Richards, though they had dimmed and lacked the wonderful clarity Richard's eyes had.

His hair was a fiery red and white hair, tied into dreadlocks with his beard tended to as well. The red receded and rose, like the licking of flames, devouring the white.

He had thick, calloused hands, and a bearish body, starkly contrasting from Richard's thin, slender body.

As the butler entered the room, his harsh voice flowed from that mouth.

"What is the status of Lokson and his men?" came the gruff voice.

The butler bowed, his soft and elegant voice responded. "Dead, milord. The seer we hired to determine their fates confirmed their deaths."

When the group of bandits did not appear and instead the merchant's daughter returned, alive and well, the marquis had already reached out his hand, seeking to determine the fate of his men, disguised as bandits.

The base was empty, save for a few men left to guard the base. Lokson was nowhere to be found, and thus only the worst could be inferred, now proven to be true.

The marquis clicked his tongue in frustration.

"And what of the stone?" he asked, showing more worry in regard to this matter.

The butler responded once more, though hesitantly. "They claimed that they did not have the rock, and that it was lost due to the pursuit of bandits." He winced as the marquis slammed his fist onto the desk.

"Damn those lying bastards! Those bandits were sent by me! If they had lost the stone, then it would be in my hands now!"

As he screamed in frustration, a cackling laughter could be heard from that door, as if she reveled in the frustration of the marquis.

"Silence wench! Before I go in there and make you!" He threatened, hitting the desk once more.

The butler winced, quietly clenching his fists behind his back as the marquis' sharp voice rang through the house.

She quieted down quickly, and yet the frustration in him did not disappear.

Still frustrated, he spoke. "Forget it. We'll merely have to tell him that the stone was destroyed. We're already bringing him the bones of multiple dragons, so that should be enough." He said, waving his hand.

The butler looked hesitant. "Are you sure my lord? About all of this?"

The marquis answered without much hesitation. "Of course. I'm routing it through multiple towns and underground rings. The chances of us getting caught are near 0."

"Not that my lord... I meant, are you sure this is the right thing to do?"

The marquis turned to face him immediately. "There is no right thing here to do Tenus, not since the Gods abandoned us, and not since she damned my heir to death!" His voice went from a deep growl to a deafening roar.

"Right is no longer the question. The question is what it will take to make our house great again. If what it takes is a few wrongs, then it is a small cost to restore the lost glory of our ancestors."

He said, striding to the weapon on the floor.

A hammer, with a short handle sat on the floor, an altar built around it.

He gave it a slight tug, knowing the destined outcome.

The hammer would not budge. Once it would've, according to the will of the gods.

But now, if they had it their way, the hammer would never move.

"This was meant to be his destiny. We were promised! And then denied! If the gods will turn their backs to us, then it is only fair I do the same, no?!"

The butler remained silent.

Marquis Thorsten had no patience to discuss this topic anymore, choosing to prioritize the other major issue at hand.

"Tell me, what is the status of that girl?"

"She is still tailing our envoy." The marquis clicked his tongue at that.

"To think my son once had such loyal friends." Thorsten commented. before snorting.

"It is wasted here. Send someone to apprehend the dragonewt. We can't kill her thanks to her status, but it wouldn't do for her to interfere any longer. And the envoy is passing through our mining operations. If she destroys something there..." he paused, annoyed by the very notion.

"Things could ballon beyond our control."

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End of arc 1