Dragonlord

Ep 200. If You Don’t Want It, Then… (1)

Ep 200. If You Don’t Want It, Then... (1)

Ep 200. If You Don’t Want It, Then... (1)

The very edges of the airborne fortress.

Above the clouds within the deity of creation’s peaceful abode, a series of heavy breathing caught her attention.

As she turned, the deity could soon see a returned shadowguard: a member of her most trusted elites, eager to carry out their deity’s orders.

...Or so it should’ve been. But instead of their usual composed self, this one’s expression was ridden with cowardly fear, their body shivering as if they’d just seen a ghost.

“L, Lady Letherien...!”

Letherien’s eyes quickly narrowed at the shadowguard’s unsightly display. And in fact, it wasn’t just her that was displeased by the shadowguard’s lack of composure.

Aldon abruptly arose from his seat. A pair of menacing eyes glared down at the returned shadowguard, his voice mirroring his liege’s growing annoyance.

“How unsightly of you, Zalde. Explain yourself.”

“Aldon! R...reinforcement. Enemies have appeared at Kavir.”

“Reinforcement? Addressing such threats was the very purpose your squad elected to remain, was it not?”

“It was beyond our abilities...I barely managed to escape myself.”

Should Zalde have been even a single step slower than he was, the elf may very well have joined the desert as a grain of fine, ashen bones.

But despite his subordinate’s distress, Aldon’s expression only contorted further.

“Hmph. And how large was this reinforcement? A hundred?”

“...Three.”

“Three?”

Even Letherien’s expression visibly contorted with ridicule at the last answer.

And now, Aldon’s voice was practically a bellowing roar.

“You mean to tell me that three enemies was all it took for you to flee like a coward?!”

“T, two were nothing! Skilled mages perhaps, but nothing noteworthy. But the last one...a, a horned woman was among them. She bested Captain Keldrin with ease, and...and...”

While Zalde continued his stuttering expression, Aldon’s eyes began to study the shadowguard proper, finally taking notice of something he should have right away.

‘His equipment is gone.’

The equipment that Letherien herself had bestowed upon them were nowhere to be found on Zalde’s person. Even what little remained of his armor was razed and torn.

Furrowing his brows, Aldon then spat out his next question.

“...Your equipment was taken as well?”

However, Zalde quickly shook his head in denial.

“No, they weren’t taken. They were...they were all destroyed by that woman’s magic.”

“...What?”

As Aldon momentarily found himself at a loss for words, a short silence filled the skyward fortress.

“Zalde. Is there anything else you wish to report?”

“...No, my liege...”

“I see. Then, would you be so kind and step over here now?”

“...?”

As even Aldon stepped aside for Zalde, the shadowguard cautiously approached the deity, his face ridden with confusion.

But when he finally came to halt at Letherien’s side at the edges of the fortress gardens, his deity beamed warmly towards him, pointing down at the ground – or lack thereof.

“Not quite. One more step.”

“...Pardon?’

“You’ve still another step to go, Zalde.”

One step or half a step, Zalde was standing on the very edges of an airborne fortress: there was nothing but wide-open skies before him.

And as he finally understood the meaning of his deity’s words, Zalde immediately collapsed to his knees with a panicked face, his hands clasped together in a prayer-like manner.

“L, Lady Letherien, please show mercy...! There won’t be any further mistakes from hereon!”

“Good. I hope you don’t make any in your next life.”

“...Please! I, I can still be useful! If you but grant me one more chance, I swear to prove myself useful again!”

“...”

“Lady Letherien, p-“

Crack!

“...Huh?”

Before Zalde could finish his haphazard pleas, the elf felt something hard driving into the side of his waist.

But although a sharp pain gnawed at his side from his crushed ribs, the pain didn’t even register within his mind.

Instead, all he could notice was Aldon’s outstretched foot, growing smaller and smaller in the distance above him.

“...Aldon...!”

Though it was far too late, Zalde’s hands pointlessly reached outwards in a vain attempt to survive.

But soon enough, even the series of bitter curses faded into the clouds beneath.

“...Haha.”

With a satisfied smile, Letherien gradually returned to her seat.

“Thank you, Aldon.”

“My pleasure. Karia has no place for defects.”

Having regained her perfect serenity, Letherien then brought her cup of tea back to her lips.

A quiet tune filled the atmosphere as the deity softly hummed to herself.

“No. That it doesn’t.”