Whatever was written in Miss Amset’s reading, she never shared. No amount of prodding, warnings, or reassurances by the Pharaoh would change her mind, so the Pharaoh ultimately gave in and stripped her of any ties and duties to, or privileges from, the Theocracy of Tamery, including citizenship.

With barely a word to anyone after that, the now stateless former Major strode out of the room with a bitter, even betrayed, scowl.

Seeing the woman who led us so dutifully and steadfastly leave like this left the entire room in a difficult mood. Whatever celebratory feelings were leftover from my reward were finally smothered.

Nico awkwardly cleared her throat before speaking to the rest of the room.

“This is mostly speculation on my part, but I had the feeling that Miss Amset wasn’t actually upset towards anyone in this room? To me, it felt more like she was upset with the nation as a whole.”

Khemri gave a sad sigh.

“Whatever it is, it is her prerogative to react however she wishes. Knowledge of the future can be unpleasant or even burdensome, but I think that learning of some of its strands is never a bad thing. I believe that an ugly truth is always preferrable to a beautiful lie, and I’d wager someone as action oriented as the former Major would agree with me.”

While the room stewed over that, the Pharaoh stood up from her seat.

“Whatever the case may be, I ask that you remain kind to Miss Amset should you encounter her elsewhere. All we can do now is to respect her will and leave her be. Lord Rehu, your reward will be sent to your estate within the day, due to its private nature. Asten, my dear, follow me to my office. I imagine we have a lot to discuss, but the stack of documents awaiting my seal of approval cannot wait.”

With that, the Pharaoh and Asten each bid us farewell as they made their exit. That was the cue for everyone else to leave, with many farewells being exchanged. Before Durreg, Nico, and I could leave, Khemri tapped my shoulder to get my attention.

“One day, young dragon, you will wish to meet with me once more. When that happens, you will find me in the Temple of Renet here in Thebos.” He said.

“Hmm? No offense, but aren’t you a little too old to be promising a meeting in the distant future with someone?” I said.

Khemri laughed.

“None taken, young dragon, but don’t worry about me. I won’t croak till you come and visit – within reason, of course!” he said as he headed for the door.

That last bit got a snort out of Durreg. Before the man could leave the room, I threw out one last question that’s been bugging me for a while.

“Hey, old man! This isn’t our second meeting, is it?!” I asked.

Without looking back, Khemri chuckled.

“In more ways than you think, young dragon.”

With that, the three of us were left alone in the room.

***

With that done, Durreg and I went our separate ways with Nico. As she made her way back to her family estate, Durreg and I flew all the way back to the isles, where we each finally went home.

Waiting for me at the door was Mom and a human toddler sized Madeil.

“Welcome back, sweety.” Mom said.

“Wewcum bak.” Madeil waved.

“I am home!”

I quickly hugged mom then lifted Madeil into the air.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Look who grew up so fast!” I laughed.

Madeil looked from me to mom, then immediately burst into tears.

“Wait, why?!” I cried out in dismay.

Mom took Madeil from my hands and rubbed his back as he cried his eyes out.

“Your brother is still timid as ever, Kiara. He’s barely a few weeks old.” She chuckled.

“There, there.” She said, soothing Madeil until his crying settled down to a few sniffles.

Sighing in exasperation, I moved past the pair through the door.

“For my part in the tournament, the Pharaoh gave me something called an ‘ascendancy stone.’” I said, heading to my room to get out of my armor and into something more comfortable.

Mom’s head snapped my way in an instant.

“Kiara, dear, whatever you do, do not use it until we’ve had a proper discussion about it. Are we clear?”

I blinked twice.

“Is it really that valuable?” I asked.

“Of course, it is.” She said.

“Many dragons never even get one of these. Not only does it warrant a lot of consideration over its use, but it’s also rare enough that you might be able to exchange it for something even more valuable from someone else here in the Isles, especially since they’ve all come home for the time being.”

With that matter settled, I checked if there was anything else I needed to tell her about. Then the obvious one came up.

“Oh yeah, I’d like your help with a little something mom.” I said, carefully trying to act nonchalant.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” Mom asked, still holding up Madeil as she kissed his cheek.

“…I may have, sort of, kinda, accidentally gotten myself involved with a beast bond?”

***

“Unbelievable.” Mom gave out a tired sigh

We were sitting on the couch with my right arm’s sleeve pulled up. Madeil was looking on curiously as Mom’s inspection concluded.

“I am not an expert on beast bonds, but the circle tying the two of you together is all tangled up around your core like an unholy knot.” She said.

“Again, this is going to take a proper expert with beast bonds. I have good ties with a talented one, but getting a handle on them is going to take a few days. She’s one of the few dragons who decided against raising a child in favor – her beasts are enough for her. Still, I know where she is, so I’ll get in touch with her and get back to you.”

Huh.

“In the meantime,” Mom said, “why not focus on reaching your rank A evolution? You’re already more than powerful enough to go for it, if you can fight with low-ranked rank S creatures already.”

“But you just said the beast bond is tangled around my mana core. Won’t expanding it cause issues with that?” I asked.

Mom shook her head.

“Beast bonds and magic constructs aren’t like physical ropes or strings, dear. While it’s a bit of a mess trying to untangle your beast bond, it won’t affect your actual core.”

Excited at the prospect of evolving once more, I tried to temper my expectations.

“But where am I supposed to do that? Regular dungeons don’t recreate their creatures often due to the limited mana within them, and even the third layer of the Abyss isn’t exactly overflowing with rank A creatures. It’ll take a long time of constant fighting to reach rank A fighting other rank B monsters – not to mention the poor evolution choices I’ll get out of it.” I said.

Mom gave me a hesitant look.

“…You still have that seal the Adventurer’s Guild gave you, right?” she asked.

“…The one that lets me go past the sealed entrances to the fourth layer?! Yeah, I do! But didn’t you say something about us not needing the Gods’ permission to delve down there?” I asked excitedly.

“Yes, I did. I just have a few too many things piled on my plate now to take you to one of the gates sealed by us and teach you the Draconic Akashic magic circle needed to get past it. Just use the key you have to get past the gate you know of for now. More importantly,”

Mom leaned forward to look me in the eye.

“I don’t care how slow or unrewarding you might think the fourth and fifth layers are, but you’re staying within their limits. Got it?”

I had a sneaking suspicion that Mom’s question was rhetorical.

“Sure, but why? Isn’t the issue of encountering a rank S monster a moot point anyway since they spawn starting from the fourth layer?”

Mom nodded.

“The issue is two-fold. Like I told you once before, there is a wider range of power between rank S creatures than you have between rank A and rank F creatures. Rank S creatures spawn starting from the fourth floor, but they’re rare to encounter and are at the bottom of the rank S totem pole in power, so most of your encounters will continue to be rank A monsters. The further down the layers you travel, the deadlier and more frequent the rank S creature encounters become.” She lectured.

“The only reason I am agreeing to this at all is because you already took down a low-ranked rank S creature, you are a mana elemental with vast reserves of mana and powerful regeneration, and you can rely on your own rank S beast should push come to shove. There’s no guarantee you’ll be able to contend with the denizens of lower layers, so I am forbidding your descent there – the fifth floor should be more than enough challenge for you. If this compromise isn’t good enough for you, you’re more than welcome to stay home.” She said, raising an eyebrow.

“The fifth floor’s the limit, got it!” I said, rushing up the stairs to my room to wear the armor I had taken of merely half an hour ago.

“Kiara! If you get any funny ideas about descending to the sixth layer and then apologizing after the fact, there will be hell to pay. Am I clear?!” She said from the bottom of the stairwell.

A cold shiver went down my spine.

“Yeah, yeah, I got it!”

Finally, after all this complicated hubbub and shenanigans on the continent, it was time to go back to my roots – leveling in the Abyss!