Galileo winced as he watched how efficiently Devis dealt with the black beast.

Despite its best attempts and its great strength, it could not compare to the strength of a paladin like Devis. He felt bad since the beast had clearly expressed a disinterest and wariness.

Had it been only him and his teacher, they would've likely just ignored it. For all the flack that Galileo gave Copernicus for his ways, the kindness of any paladin of Isis was obvious with his every act towards those in need.

Boom!

The paladins acted near instantaneously in response to the approaching presence as they jumped back, with Copernicus quickly pulling Galileo out of the way.

The smoke did not clear, but instead intensified, slowly shifting from smoke to fog, and then clouds.

But these clouds could not hide the blessing of divinity.

For the light of Isis shone through the clouds.

It emphasized the silhouette of the two dragons as they quickly fled.

'That will not hold them long.' Noted Achil as he quickly followed the now silver dragon as he had shifted back into knight form since Achil would be unable to catch up with his faster speed baron form.

"Long enough, hopefully." responded Richard as Achil nodded, both understanding that their only chance of safety was if the wyrm Alexandria intervened, or if the god crab Karkinos got involved, and both involved alerting them.

His hopes were dashed quickly as not long after they ran, he saw the clouds quickly swat aside by the mysterious people in question.

Three people adorned in the attire of three different temples, and yet all were paladins.

The fourth was dressed in the official attire of an apprentice, with the emblem of Isis on his shoulderpad.

"Richard?"

A whisper came, and the voice was so similar, one that he felt like he had heard before.

The face was obscured, and Richard knew many people at the main temple of Isis, so he ignored it.

On the contrary, that merely panicked him, because it meant that they were specifically here to find him.

Any chance they could escape now was squashed, especially now that 3 paladins were here.

Paladins were always a minimum high B, if not low A, and many throughout history have been recorded being on equal scope to dragons throughout history.

The paladin of Isis stepped forward as he put down his blade and raised his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"Look, I hear you're a pretty reasonable guy. You know the name Copernicus right?

Copernicus.

An extremely famous paladin of Isis.

If Peter was the shield of Isis, then Peter would be Isis' sword, culling all those who stood before him.

His feats may be less than Peter than a wide margin, who was reported to have fought two dragons and won on his own, but that did not make him any less formidable than the other paladin of Isis, as the man who fought a sapient hydra and was able to force it to a standstill, and even earned the respect of many fellow paladins.

Despite being the sword, he was a warm and kind man, a stark contrast to the cold and stalwart Peter.

A man with a warm heart.

And that was why Richard managed to lower his guard for a bit.

The second the paladin of Jorvus Mars stepped forwards however, his attitude changed immediately, as Richard stepped backwards, throwing his wings up instinctively.

Devis walked towards the dragon, stride even, as he demanded. "You'll be coming with us Richard, do not resist." His gauntlets hummed softly, showing Richard what the man had no hesitation in doing if he resisted.

Devis Statum, of the temple of Jorvus Mars.

The temple of Jorvus Mars was simultaneously one of the most vital temples to the administration of the empire and the apprehension of criminals, but also one of its greatest weaknesses.

It was well known that the temple of Jorvus Mars constantly tested the competence of the ruling government, whether that be by causing dissent, spreading negative rumors, and even supporting enemies to the throne.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Of course, it was all rumors, but rumors that were on the verge of being reality, unproven by only a lack of evidence.

It may seem two sided, to both work within the government, but to also support the government's dismantling, but the temple controlled the extremity of the rebellions, keeping them manageable. It was simply Jorvus' Mars philosophy. If you are incapable of suppressing dissidents, then a better government would be instated. It was this way that the royal family was firmly held in check by this temple, ensuring the royal family never grow corrupt, for fear of being toppled by their patron .

That doesn't mean all emperors were good, merely competent.

They were also suppressed by the other temples, who have maintained a strong support for the empire, and in this way, the temples and the royal family were held in check.

The fact of the matter was that the temple of Jorvus Mars was untrustworthy, and dangerous.

It was unlikely for the paladin to act wrongly in front of these 2 paladins, much less one of Anubis, but that didn't ease the worry in his heart.

Richard had no intent of merely heeding the words of such a dangerous man, for Richard knew of the Statum family, who were known for their brutality in carrying out their master's order.

The fallen guardians.

Seeing that Richard had no intention of complying, he tutted. There was no smile on his face, yet a glint remained in his eye, a glint that made him shiver.

"They told me that the human Richard was a calm and calculative person, but seeing you risk your neck for this monster and to act this foolishly shows me that becoming a beast has clearly changed you."

"Now you'll have to suffer before we bring you in."

He raised his fist, but before he could do anything-

"WAAAIT!" a loud familiar voice came from the paladin apprentice who ran to stand between the paladin and the dragon.

Galileo couldn't let his friend get hurt. What kind of shitty friend stands by and watches as their friend gets beat half-to-death?

"Leo?!" Richard asked, surprised as he recognized the voice of a longtime friend, his face obscured by the helmet.

Richard would be happy to see Leo, were it under different circumstances. Unfortunately, he was a bit distracted by a very big problem in front of them.

"Move." commanded Devis, as Richard could sense his impatience with his friend, yet Leo did not budge. Richard could see the worry on Copernicus' face as he slowly began pulling his blade out, clearly preparing for the worst, while the third paladin Richard did not know merely watched quietly.

"Hit me, and you've hit the paladin of another temple. Richard taught me that's called a "political crisis"! " he said confidently.

It certainly was, Richard admitted, but-

"That only counts if you were a full-fledged paladin. As it stands though, you're merely an apprentice paladin. One who's defying the orders to investigate the reincarnator Richard. At worst I'll be reprimanded and forced to make a formal apology to the temple for killing you. Now move out of the way, or-"

"-Or what?"

Came a menacing, echoing, voice as the slithering shape of the thunder monarch came into view, her voice full of power as she glared at the paladin.

Richard had never seen sister Alexandria like this, coiling and writhing with power, as the mana all around them felt charged, as the frill behind her neck splayed out dangerously. It was-

'Beautiful' Breathed Achil, his face glowing a soft red.

-awe inspiring was what he was thinking, but sure. Beautiful.

"Pray tell, what will the paladin of Mars do on my territory, to my charges, within my territory? I did not realize the god's had grown so bold within my idle time. Do they think now that my master is gone, that I am weak? Have they forgotten my role in the fall a mere few centuries ago?"

The sky darkened ominously as lightning struck in the background, roaring furiously, as the land cracked.

Hissing could be heard as large serpents that Richard hadn't seen up to this point appear, encircling the three of them, isolating them from the paladins.

Galileo looked nervous as he watched the situation unfolded, but Richard didn't do anything. He wasn't used to being the one who comforted the others physically.

Devis' face changed as he became more polite. "Of course not, thundering serpent of the ranges. My apologies, I did not realize that the dragons were under your protection. However, Richard was already marked by Isis-"

"-Then let Isis' paladin make his statement, for what disobedient son speaks for his mother?" Her voice boomed as she scorned the paladin of Jorvus Mars, son of Isis.

Fists clenched, Devis reluctantly stepped back, as Copernicus stepped forwards.

"I just want to say sorry. You know how paladins of Jorvus are." he began, acting polite, yet casual,

Sister Alexandria nodded her head. "Indeed. Pains in the ass. That does not pardon his actions on my territory regardless." She narrowed her eyes.

'A formal apology. From the temple of Jorvus. I expect a formal payment ready when I come to collect it"

Devis looked upset, and about to speak up, but was promptly smacked over the head by Copernicus.

"Deal!" he said, as Scave chuckled, dimly glowing, the deal agreed to under the eyes of Anubis, as Devis could only grit his teeth, watching the deal unfold without his input.

She scanned the three of them. "You may have your interview within my home. Try anything, and you will see how I crushed a tenth of the empire."

Devis begrudgingly nodded, placing his mission above his personal issues, as Copernicus bowed and Scave shrugged in agreement with the statement.

The storm receded, and the serpents pulled back, though the serpents stayed within view, as if emphasizing their presence.

Achil limped over to sister Alexandria, seeming almost pitiful as he rubbed against her side. He meowed pitifully, bearing none of his presence or defiance from earlier.

"Are you alright? What did they do to you?!" she cooed as she fretted over the young dragon, who had a dumb look on his face, one he hid well as he showed his wounds pitifully. A rather sneaky dragon.

Richard on the other hand, was reuniting with an old friend.

The Atlas armor dissipated, revealing the bright white dragon with streaks of red they had been looking for, prompting Galileo to take off his helmet, both seeing each other for the first time in years.

Those grey eyes, and the wavy brown eyes were a nostalgic sight for Richard, as he realized how long it had been since he had seen his friend off as he left for apprenticeship. Had it really been 3 years since he sent him off?

And for Galileo, despite how different his friend had become, he could still see his friends through it all. The piercing light blue eyes and those white scales perfectly mirrored his snow-white hair and sky-blue eyes.

There was a weird silence, as the two struggled with what to say. So much to say, so much to express. Too much even.

And finally, words were spoken.

"So, walking on your own. It's pretty cool right?" Leo asked awkwardly, as he recalled how much Richard hated being helpless.

"Walking's pretty cool." Richard agreed awkwardly.

And then they laughed, laughed at their own awkwardness, and the sheer absurdity of the situation.

Their friend was back.