Just as I’d told the others about the kill message, a distant voice called out to us from beneath the mountain. We turned to look downhill at its source, and we saw nearly a dozen people, including an oddly familiar beastwoman.

[Megalodonwoman Lv. 13 – Sentinel of Tyr Lv. 132]

Uh-oh.

Just as I was about to turn around and get the others to run after me, the people below all jumped up to where we stood. I immediately summoned my mana blades, and the other three behind me tensed as well, summoning their weapons in nervous anticipation. Seeing that, one of the people next to the megalodonwoman raised his hands in a gesture of peace.

“Hey, hey, hey! Relax, we’re not here to attack you!” the young man said, dropping his harpoon in what was probably a gesture of good faith.

Or a trick to lower our guard.

I appraised him, and I didn’t like what I saw.

[Merman Lv. 3 – Leviathan Slayer Lv. 109]

Keeping my mana blades ready, I asked in a tense voice.

“What are you here for if you aren’t trying to arrest us?”

The megalodonwoman answered for him.

“The council froze your warrants and sent us after they received intelligence regarding a large-scale attack on the city by a necromancer. We were told that you were the source, and that you were in the mountains preparing to raid the Assassin’s Guild’s base. We were asked to verify your claims, and act appropriately from there.”

An old woman in a wizard’s robe spoke next.

“If you were telling the truth, then we’d work with you to do what we can against the Assassin’s Guild.”

I appraised her too, and it seemed even grimmer.

[Gale Kin Lv. 14 – Storm Bender Lv. 193]

“And if you judge that we weren’t…?” Jezibel asked.

A bald, large, middle-aged man carrying a massive battleaxe scoffed.

“Cut the crap, you criminal scum. You’re just filthy murderers, and it’s only a matter of time before this little charade reaches its conclusion and we drag you to your cells. Let’s just save on ti- Huh? Wasn’t there supposed to be five of you? Where’s the falconman?”

The atmosphere tensed for a moment before a woman in her early twenties kicked the belligerent prick.

“Stop antagonizing them for no reason, you bloody imbecile! I am the one who decides whether they’re lying or not. While you’re at it, since when did adventurers like you give a damn about the law?!”

The two began to bicker, and the tense atmosphere shattered at the immature display.

“…Seriously? That’s our back-up?” Nisos raised an eyebrow.

Another use of appraisal showed that despite acting like children, the two in question were just as powerful and dangerous as their colleagues.

[Avatar of Strength Lv. 9 – Berserker Soul Lv. 87]

[Mistwoman Lv. 12 – Fog’s Light Lv. 116]

I took in the rest of them, and they were all just as powerful.

All of these people had rank C and rank B evolutions with classes to match, and the old woman was rank A.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

The fat bastard actually pulled through.

I thought in wonder, only to be interrupted by Nicotris’s voice.

“Thank you all for coming, but you’ve missed the fight. We wiped out the Assassin’s Guild and the undead army they had prepared.”

The berserker laughed at her words.

“Oh really?! Just as we catch you, the threat’s no longer there? What’s next, a leviathan swarm heading for the port?!”

“If you don’t believe it then follow us to their base and see for yourself!” Jezibel yelled back at the man.

As Jezibel was screaming back at the rude man, the sound of flapping wings grabbed our attention.

Ati finally came back, landing next to Jezibel behind me.

“What’s going on here? Do you know these people?”

***

A short while later, we ended up taking the city’s elites back to the cave, where they saw the remains of the battle.

Hours of interrogation later, the team salvaged whatever was left of the necromancer’s mutilated head as proof before taking us back to the city, where we were subject to hours more of intense interrogation.

By the end of the day, they finally let us go and offered us rooms meant for state guests and visiting nobles. Then they asked us to stay for an award ceremony the day after tomorrow, which meant we had a day we could spend however we liked.

“Oh my goodness, I am beat.” I said, jumping face first into one of the beds in our room.

“At least we got to clear our names earlier than expected; I thought that this was going to take up to a week.”

I flipped over on my back and spread out like an eagle on the soft, fluffy mattress.

“At least we got to stick it to the bald bastard. The look on his face when he realized we were telling the truth was so beautiful I could almost taste it!” I snickered at the man’s expense.

Jezibel stood at the door, seeming reluctant to enter the room. Nicotris looked at her questioningly, and the girl obliged her.

“Are you sure I can share a room with you, Lady Sept? I know Tameryians in particular care about toeing the line around social classes. I could sleep on the couch outside if you’d like?”

Nico laughed and shook her head.

“I owe you my life, Jezibel. I won’t have any of that. If you still insist on not sharing a room with me because I am a noble, then I’ll go and force the boys to sleep on the floor in the living room and give you their room before I let you do that. Also, no more ‘Lady Sept.’ Please address me by my first name from now on.”

Jezibel’s eyes widened slightly before she smiled and nodded.

“Hey, what about me?! My mom’s a noble too, but you never call me Lady Azoth!” I protested.

Jezibel rolled her eyes.

“The one time I referred to you as ‘Ms. Azoth,’ you asked me to call you Kiara instead. Also, I didn’t know dragons even had social classes!”

I shrugged.

“I mean, yeah, my mom’s apparently a big shot, but her position wasn’t inherited. She’s the Duchess of the water-attributed dragons, and she gained her position through strength. So even if she’s noble, that doesn’t mean I am too. At least, not until I take her or some other noble’s spot in a challenge.”

Nico hummed.

“Fascinating. It looks like your nobility weeds out the incompetent on its own. I knew all dragon nobility were powerful, but not that it was built on strength.”

I shrugged.

“Well, not exactly. The challenges aren’t always about fighting, though they often are. They can be based on other criteria, such as making discoveries in magic research. We are a race of sorcerers, after all. My mother’s predecessor was the Water Dragon, and she said she had always been more powerful than him. But she also said that the Water Dragon’s mastery of water magic was unparalleled by any other water-attributed dragon, which earned him his title and his position as Duke until the day he died.”

“Soooo, that means I don’t actually have to call you Lady Azoth, right?” Jezibel said.

“That’s all you got out of that?!” I yelled, and the other two started laughing.

***

Some time later, we all settled down to go to sleep.

“Remember you two, we’re going shopping tomorrow. No guys either – it’s a girls day out!” Jezibel said.

I groaned.

“Oh my gods, please no!”

“We left all your clothes with the Maiden on the Serpent’s Throat, Kiara. You are not attending the award ceremony with the same clothes you’ve worn for days on end!” Nico said pointedly.

“The last time you said that you paid a bloody fortune for tens of outfits! If we didn’t need to meet up with the others at the guild, who knows how long you would’ve kept torturing me?!”

“Don’t be a big baby. Besides, Jezibel’s here with us, and we’ll also have fun.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Like seeing the local attractions.” Jezibel said.

“And eating out.” I added.

“We could visit the city’s markets – this is the biggest trade city on the continent.” Nico said.

“And we could also eat out.” I nodded sagely.

“We can go and ride some of tamed sea monsters for fun. Our country’s called the Beast Nation for a reason.” Jezibel said.

“And we could eat out after that.” I said.

“Do you have anything other than eating on your mind?!” Jezibel asked hysterically.

“Of course I do, I like fighting, magic, and getting stronger!” I retorted.

“You’re hopeless.” Jezibel shook her head and laid back in her bed.

“No, you’re hopeless.” I retorted.

“No, you!”

“No, you!”

“No, yo-”

“ENOUGH! Now go to sleep so that we don’t end up waking in the afternoon!” Nico yelled and turned off the lights.

She then turned away from us and covered herself in her blanket.

Jezibel shrugged and pulled up her own blanket.

Minutes later, the other two finally slept, judging by their slowed breathing.

I pulled up my own blanket and prepared to go to sleep; but before that, there was one last thing I had to do.

“No, you!”