Adventure Awaits! Huzzah! 29

“A banquet…?” Himmel tilted his head, he had never been more confused. “Are you seriously inviting us for something like that?”

It was insane. Himmel understood that dragons were not mindless beasts of course, but he also understood that they were very much humanity’s greatest enemy. At least that was the case in Archanea, where many human countries had been conquered by dragons.

The unknown dragon nodded. “I don’t see why not. I’m curious about how you all came to be.” Ah, so he wanted to interrogate them?

That Himmel could understand. If he just fought and killed them right here and now, he would never get to understand why a bunch of dragon blooded brats — and a dragon blooded milf — were in his territory.

And hey, Himmel was more or less on the same boat as him, because since when was Celica one of those dragon blooded people!? The reincarnator had always known that Alm had a brand, he just had never known from which bloodline that came from, but the fact that the queen of his country somehow had one too was unbelievable!

Duma and Mila… The dragon had all but said that Celica smelled of Mila, and he had called Alm a child of the Father.

Well, maybe Mila had blessed those of Zofian royal blood, but how the hell did Alm have a connection to Duma of all people!?

The dragon continued, getting just a bit closer to Himmel. “So, what do you all say?”

Alm, maybe trying to end tensions, sheathed his sword. “That’s fine with me. I’m hungry after winning so much.” He put a hand on the back of his neck. “And I’m curious about all this Duma talk too.” He had always denied having Holy Blood. Himmel was guessing that he would have liked continuing to do so.

The next one to sheathe his sword was Himmel. “I’m fine with it too. Sorry for coming at you with guns… swords blazing, I thought you were about to eat my friend.”

The Reincarnator understood that sheathing his weapon in front of this giant lizard could probably be seen as stupid. In his defense however, he didn’t think his Silver Sword could do much of anything in the first place. So instead it was better to act as weak as possible, a defense mechanism to show he was no threat.

Celica sighed. “Yes, I suppose that is for the better…” She stole a glance at the audience, looking at Julia and Clair who had stayed behind. “As long as you do not attack us, we shall remain friendly.”

The dragon snorted. “Hah! It seems your blood is not the only thing you inherited from Mila! You sound just like her as well!” That had to be the craziest compliment a priestess of Mila could receive. “And what about you, woman of Naga?” He gazed at Deirdre.

Himmel’s mother had stayed silent, and she was still silent until now. And so, Himmel could only conclude that she was scared of this dangerous monster.

Or at least, that’s what he concluded at first. When he looked at Deirdre’s eyes however, he saw nothing but defiant resolve. As if she was going to fight the dragon right here and now.

The dragon’s eyes changed to match hers. If she would fight him, then he would kill her. “Your answer, woman of Naga?”

“I… will accept your invitation, of course.” In the end, she relented.

And just like that, the dragon’s tone became inviting and jovial once again. “It is good to see you don’t share the same foolishness most of your kin have!” Was he talking about others with Naga blood? “Anyhow, let us stop wasting time and feast!”

Himmel could only hope he would not be the main course.



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A group of soldiers had walked them from the Arena to a castle.

And Himmel meant it when he described it as a castle. It was clearly not a place built with luxury in mind, but one built to resist a military siege. In other words, this place was the military heart of the town.

It also made for a pretty good place to scream at Alm. Actually, all places on the planet would have probably been good for that goal as far as Celica was concerned.

“What were you thinking!?” The soldiers had left them alone, so Himmel’s queen could shout all she wanted.

Although Himmel would have not been surprised to learn the soldiers were standing outside of the door. He also seriously doubted Celica had not considered that opportunity. In other words, the future Queen of Zofia just didn’t care if she was overheard right now. That was how brightly her anger shined.

Alm didn’t back down at the screaming though, he was made of sterner stuff than that. “I was thinking I was going to make some easy money in the arena. And I did that. I wasn’t exactly expecting a dragon to show up.”

Celica began poking his chest. “And…!? You think this is about the Manakete?”

Alm clicked his tongue. “Tch. I was hoping it was. Look, I haven’t killed anyone, and I haven’t gotten killed, so let’s just drop this issue already—”

“No, we won’t simply drop the issue!” It was kind of amazing that Alm ever thought that was even a possibility.

Still, while Himmel agreed with Celica, this was perhaps not the time for it. He was guessing that at any time they would get called for that feast, and then it would be showtime. His dumbass friend could get punished later.

So, Himmel interjected. “Celica, let’s leave that for later. We have bigger fish to fry right now.” He put a hand on his chin. “Do you think that dragon will really just serve us some nice food?”

Celica took a moment to recompose herself, and shook her head. “I doubt it. And to be honest, I don’t even know what he’s talking about, saying I smell like the Mother of all people…” She stole a glance at Deirdre, and whispered. “Well, there is that…” She was still hesitant to tell Deirdre about her origins as the queen.

But there was no time for that. “I think at this point we might as well tell her, we have to decide what we can, and can’t say to that Manakete, after all.” He glared at the door. “Though we should probably whisper about it.”

Anything that the guards learned could be used as a weapon against them. Himmel had no delusions of being in friendly territory.

Deirdre awkwardly interjected. “Tell me what exactly…?”

Celica narrowed her eyes. “Yes, what exactly do you have in mind, Himmel?” He could read what she meant.

The Future Queen was asking whether she should just tell Deirdre about her own lineage, or if she should also reveal what had happened to the last person of her lineage.

It was a dangerous decision to make, one that Himmel didn’t know if he could carry. However, seeing as he had been the one to put an end to the Alm bullying session, he supposed it was only fair. In his meager defense, he also wished the Alm bullying session would never end.

“Let’s tell her about your identity, and that’s all.” It was already a dangerous maneuver to reveal anything to Deirdre. She didn’t need to know that they were super criminals. Even if Celica would soon clear their name.

“Very well then.” Celica raised no objections.

If nothing else, Himmel was guessing that this wouldn’t come off as much of a shock. Mostly because everyone was still way too focused on the dragon.



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The Manakete had not just asked them to enter some room where they would all eat. Before that, preparations had to be made.

Himmel was split from Celica and Deirdre, and only Alm remained by his side. It wasn’t for any nefarious reason however. It was just because the servants of the castle, common maids and the like, were dressing them up.

The Reincarnator shouldn’t have required much work, not when he was already dressed like a noble. Nonetheless, the maids gave him a new set of clothing. And hey, if it was free, then he couldn’t complain. Alm meanwhile, took more work.

Before long, they had met the standards of the castle’s master. It was time for dinner.

Himmel and Alm entered a massive dining room, accompanied by many servants. And from another door, Celica and Deirdre did the same.

The moment Himmel saw Celica, his breath was taken away. Normally she dressed like… well… a priestess, which was undoubtedly still a good look for her, but he had gotten used to it. Now however, she reminded him that she was a princess, and one soon to be queen. 

His childhood friend also looked immensely uncomfortable. She had never been someone who wanted to dress as anything but a priestess in the first place, after all.

And Deirdre… Himmel had no comment to make about her. Something about the woman almost made her look magical, and whatever clothing she wore could never affect that presence.

There was one final important thing about their attire… They were all still carrying whatever weapons they had when they entered the Arena. Himmel did not know if the Manakete was arrogant, or simply trying to be accommodating, but the end result was that the Reincarnator still had his Silver Sword.

After they arrived, the Manakete did, from yet another door.

This castle had certainly not been built with giant lizards in mind, there were no doors that such huge monsters could travel to. But that didn’t matter right now, because that very same monster had assumed the form of a human. Something that apparently all Manaketes could do.

Much like them, the dragon was dressed like a noble, although… Something about him seemed unrefined. Himmel couldn’t quite put his finger on just what exactly, but the feeling was there.

The dragon smiled. “So, let’s start eating then!” They began sitting down.

Himmel knew of Archanean etiquette, at least to a certain extent that is. However, Kris had definitely prepared him more for handling Jugdral. Which is why even though he was trying to look educated, he was probably failing.

At least he was doing better than Alm. Celica and Deirdre were both trained in their own forms of etiquette, but his poor childhood buddy was just a villager.

Since the Manakete didn’t raise any issues with it though, it probably didn’t matter. Instead, Himmel focused on what he actually cared about… could he talk, or would that come off as way too rude?

What were the limits Himmel couldn’t cross while here?

In the end, it was Alm that decided to test those limits. “Hey, can I talk or is that way too rude?” He asked, as if he hadn’t already been eating like a boar.

Not that Himmel blamed him. This food was delicious! He wanted to eat like a boar too!

The dragon thankfully took no offense, snickering. “Of course. What fun is a silent feast? Besides, I have things I wish to ask you all.” As expected. There was no way they wouldn’t get interrogated.

Alm cleared his throat. “Okay, so I’m just gonna come out and say it… Who are you anyways? You showed up out of nowhere and just kind of dragged us here without even telling us our name.” Yeah…

But Himmel was pretty sure he knew who the dragon was, and he shared his suspicions with the group.

The Manakete quickly confirmed those suspicions. “I am Galerius, the governor of this… city.´” It was the man the soldiers had warned Himmel about back when he first stepped foot in Port Brilehaven, the one who he should never cross. “A loyal servant of Lord Medeus.”

The Manakete gazed into Alm’s eyes. “And who are you, anyways? I did not expect Duma to ever share his blood with anyone…”

Alm shrugged. “Me neither. I seriously discovered about this today.” He raised a hand, and began clenching his fist. “I’m not even a Duma Faithful. I’m from Zofia, like everyone else there, I worship the Mother.” His words had power.

Mostly because they were true.

They all genuinely didn’t know how in the fuck Alm had Duma’s blood. Himmel could make theories about how his childhood friend was the son of the emperor of Rigel or whatever, but in the end those would be just theories. Hell, that even applied to Celica. She may be Zofian royalty, but nobody had ever told her that apparently came with Mila’s blood.

Alm let out a sigh. “I guess it explains why I have always been so strong, though.” He sounded sad about it.

Right now Himmel was sure his friend had some dumbass idea of how he was a cheater or whatever. As if that mattered, when his [I]rival[/I] was the greatest cheater of them all. Himmel had the power of being a grown ass man after all.

The Manakete snorted. “Truly? I suppose I can believe a story like that coming from one who shares blood with Duma.” Was he calling the Father a dumbass? “But what about the rest of you?”

Celica put a hand on her chest, and went first. “I was raised alongside Alm, so I was just as clueless about all of this as him.” Once again, a lie that wasn’t really a lie.

The problem came when it was Himmel’s turn.

He took a deep breath. “As for me… I am a bastard child of Sigurd of Chalpy.” In the end, there would be no denying his connection to the Crusader Baldr. Nor would he be able to deny his connection to the throne of Jugdral.

Galerius could apparently smell the dragon blood within Himmel, after all. So the best course of action, as far as he was concerned, was simply telling the dragon that the Reincarnator was just a bastard. Still someone important, but not someone with an actual claim to any throne.

After he spoke, it was Deirdre’s turn. “And I am his mother… My father was a womanizer, so I too am a bastard.” Definitely not an empress. Yep.

The empress card was a complicated one. If they revealed it, would the Manakete kill them right there and then? Would he take them as hostages against Jugdral? Would he return them to Jugdral as a sign of peace? They didn’t know, so they decided to not use it.

Maybe they could reveal it later, if they ever became sure of what results it would have.

Those weren’t the only things the dragon would ask of course. He would ask them why they had come here, and how they all had met… All complicated things to answer, but Himmel had no choice but to comply as best he could, while revealing as little as he could.

Except, that ended up not being what the dragon cared about at all. “I see… Well, to be honest I am not interested in the origins of you all. All I care for is your blood.” Not surprising…

The Manakete continued. “There are those among my kind who consider your type to be an insult to our species. I do not share that line of thought.” He crossed his arms. “In fact, I pity you all. Dragons born inside of human flesh, incapable of escaping from such a cruel fate.”

Oh. So that’s why he had yet to kill or imprison them. Normally Manaketes saw humans as inferior, but Gallerius didn’t see them as human in the first place.

That didn’t mean he had good things planned for them, however. “Which is why I won’t question you all any further. Feel free to enjoy your dinner and not worry about such things… There is one thing you all will do however. I will tell Lord Medeus about those who I have shared food with.”

Himmel tensed his body. This guy may have found them to all be dragons or whatever, but would the conqueror of Archanea think the same?

The Manakete put a hand on his chin, and responded to what Himmel had worried about with ease. The Reincarnator had been easy to read. “Of course, that will mean you all will fight in the current war. Lord Medeus is not one to waste precious resources. A fine chance to win glory, is it not?”

As if there was any glory to be won from what Medeus was doing.

It went without saying that Himmel wasn’t gonna accept fighting a foreign war. Not when the objective was enslaving other humans. The Reincarnator may have seen himself as not exactly the greatest person in the world, but even he had lines he would not cross.

He’d sooner take his Silver Sword and— It was best to not go along those thoughts lines. This was not the time for it.

And yet, it was hard to do that, when he could clearly see the expressions of fear in his friends' faces. And worse, the expression of rebellion. If he wasn’t okay with this, then he couldn’t even imagine how wrathful his heroic friends were feeling.

Deirdre, perhaps seeing where this was going, tried to disarm the tension of the room. “Lord Gallerius… these… These are children. Not fit to fight in wars—”

The dragon cut her off. “It matters not whether one is an adult or a child, nobody is ever fit to fight in a war. And yet, it must be done nonetheless. For the glory of our kind.” He chuckled. “And besides, I fail to see how any normal human would ever take down someone of our kind. All of humanity’s legendary heroes have long since fallen.”

He started boasting about it. “I’ve helped with my fair share, you know? I was there, melting down the walls of Archanea, stomping down disgusting worms, men, women, children, all of it. For if nobody is ready for war, then there must be no shame in introducing it to every single one of those lowly creatures, don’t you think?”

Himmel drew his sword and got up. “You sure seem proud of killing those people. Now, are you ready to try it on someone who can actually kill you back?” …Hah…

The Reincarnator had kind of known it would come down to this from the moment he was invited for this feast, and yet, he still felt kind of like a dumbass. Still, there was no denying that he would rather be a dumbass than someone who would help massacre people during a war for slavery.

The dragon glared at him, and clicked his tongue. “Tch. I should have known, those with the Blood of Naga are always like this.” He began transforming right in front of them.

Himmel jumped towards him and swung his sword. 

Maybe that prophecy was about to become reality, and maybe Himmel would die here. If he was to die again however, then Himmel knew he would at least die fighting a bastard that didn’t deserve to live in the first place.



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AN: Emblem Micaiah sex… I kind of want to do a fic about a harem of Emblem Rings… That might be too similar to that Konosuba fic though.