By the time I made my way downstairs, darkness had already begun to fall.
In one corner of the garden, Ermo and Velmora had set up a hammock, swaying lazily in contentment.
In the opposite corner, Scatroj and Enwoybi were whispering to one another, their faces looking even more somber than usual.
Giving Ermo a distant nod, I slipped between the two whisperers.
Crouching down, I asked, “What’s the occasion?
Why all the secretive whispering?
And I don’t see Kaju and Ramia anywhere?”
Enwoybi turned to me with a bitter smile.
“They are dueling.”
Not caring all that much, I leaned forward slightly.
“Is there a problem?”
Scatroj took a deep breath, covering his face with his hand.
“There is a problem, my Kaan.
There are far too many problems…”
Raising an eyebrow, I scrutinized them both.
“Actually, I had something to tell you guys as well, but…
out with it.
What is this massive problem of yours?”
Enwoybi made a dismissive gesture with his hand.
“Dull political matters, my Kaan.
Forget about it for now.
What were you going to say?
Tell us that first.”
Nodding in agreement, I recounted everything I had discussed with Luna upstairs, detail by detail.
As I finished my sentence, a deep, thoughtful “Hmm…” escaped Enwoybi.
Leaning back, I said, “So, that’s how it is.”
Both of them leaned back simultaneously.
Looking into the empty space as if staring at a map, Scatroj muttered, “This situation is going to make things even harder.”
Enwoybi, addressing him, replied, “But it had to blow up at some point anyway.
If this chaos unfolds under our control, it will definitely play to our advantage.”
As I continued to look at them in confusion, Enwoybi took a deep breath to clarify the situation: “Your plan makes sense, Kaan, but there are some major complications.
The Dragon King sent Scatroj and me an official invitation letter to the Global Council.”
“Oho…” I muttered, grasping the gravity of the situation.
Scatroj chimed in: “That’s why Ermo and Velmora are lounging around so comfortably out there right now.
After all, once they return to that council, they won’t be finding a breath of fresh air like this around here again.”
“Of course,” I said quietly.
“Security measures, welcoming protocols, political balances…
It’s going to breed a mountain of work for us.”
They nodded in agreement.
Enwoybi added, “We were actually planning to bring these coup and half-breed matters straight to the table during that council.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“Angels and dragons are absolute, mortal enemies.
If we bring this matter there, they will certainly take it seriously.”
Scatroj’s face darkened completely.
“And that is the real issue, Kaan.
If the dragons get involved this clearly, the gods will intervene right behind them.
And we don’t yet fully know the gods or the boundaries of this universe.”
Looking at him, I asked a direct question: “When?”
Scatroj’s previously relaxed expression instantly shifted into military sternness.
“Six months from now.
And they specifically added to the letter: during these six months, absolutely no war is to be waged on the world; everyone will maintain their own preparations.”
Laughing, I stood up.
“Well, I certainly didn’t receive such a letter.” Taking a few steps, I continued, “Then my plan is clear; within six months, I must do what I said and win the Dragon King’s favor.
If he invites me to that council as well…”
Before I could finish my sentence, Scatroj cut me off bluntly: “And if he does, what then, Kaan?
Do you think everyone is just going to listen to you?”
I simply laughed off his outburst, completely disregarding his words.
“Perhaps the Dragon King knows things we do not,” I said.
Scatroj rolled his eyes.
“You know better than I do how savage and unyielding dragons are.
Especially the powerful ones…
Velmora is an exception, granted.
But do you really think the other ancient dragons would listen to you?”
My face fell slightly as I accepted the reality.
“They wouldn’t,” I admitted.
Enwoybi stepped in to soften the mood: “It’s fine, Kaan, we will support you either way.
What Scatroj means is that the dragons won’t lift a finger until things reach the absolute brink.
Clearing my throat, I looked straight into their eyes.
“Do you think…
if a war broke out against the dragons, we would win?”
This time, Scatroj’s voice carried a freezing, relentless tone: “In a potential war, there would be only one winner: the gods who never joined the fight.
And we cannot risk that.”
I placed my hand on my chin, lost in thought.
“But what if there is a polarization, a rift among the gods just like there is among us?
We could turn that to our advantage.”
“We were just talking about exactly that before you came over, wondering what we could do,” Enwoybi said.
Then, Enwoybi snapped his fingers.
“If our assumptions are correct, they might link Oberon’s death directly to Kaan.
They might offer him a succession, or perhaps something far greater, to seat him in Oberon’s vacant throne.”
Laughing, I interrupted: “What if the very god whose successor I become seeks revenge on me?
How can we know?”
Scatroj was just about to start a sentence with, “A god would not engage in such a waste of power…” when he abruptly stopped.
Clearing his throat, he gave Enwoybi a subtle, knowing glance and said, “We’ll talk about this later.” Both of them stood up out of nowhere.
Just as I was about to turn around and ask, “What’s going on, what are you hiding?” I saw Luna standing behind me.
She wore a noble elven dress embroidered with silver that hugged her contours, contrasting sharply with the darkness of the night.
The cold, proud blue of her eyes shimmered beneath the moonlight.
Reflexively covering my agape mouth with my hand, I quickly straightened up.
With every step she took toward me, I felt myself begin to sweat slightly under the weight of her raw nobility.
Stopping right in front of me, she bowed slightly with a grace befitting a queen, and took a seat on the chair opposite me.
Looking at her with a slight smile, I said gently, “Does this nobility…
mean ‘yes’?”
She nodded slowly, looking into my eyes.
However, the moment she sat down, she threw her mask aside.
Grimacing, she said with utter petulance, “I’m hungry.”
Unable to resist her sudden shift in demeanor, I laughed.
“I take it some of the things we discussed upstairs have cleared up in your mind?”
She fixed her gaze directly upon mine; the ruthless, raw determination brought on by the truth spell within her resonated in her voice: “If I can take my revenge on those traitors, if I can protect what remains of my people…
I will do anything for it.”
I nodded in approval and mentioned tomorrow’s tournament.
The moment she heard the word tournament, her eyes lit up.
“A fine spear wouldn’t be bad,” she murmured, her gaze sharpening with a hunger for power.
Resting my chin on my hand, I found myself getting lost in her wild, noble beauty.
I was abruptly snapped back to reality when Luna gave my face a light slap.
“Are you sleeping on your feet?” she asked, staring at me sharply.
Turning my head slightly, I smirked.
“I…
Your beauty is simply intoxicating, what can I do?”
She rolled her eyes.
“You do realize I am only using you for my own purposes and revenge, human?”
When I nodded in confirmation, she leaned back.
Placing her hands on her legs, she scrutinized me and whispered, “You are an interesting human.” I could clearly see the desire for power in her eyes.
She paused for a moment, forcing me to face that raw contradiction: “But what if…
I want you for myself forever?”
Noticing the sudden sense of possessiveness and hunger for power within her, I let out a soft chuckle.
As if trying to hide her embarrassment at my laughter, she hardened her voice: “I will claim you completely, Kaan.”
I nodded slightly to tease her.
Standing up, I asked, “Would you like something to drink?”
A faint, sweet smile appeared on her face.
“Something cold wouldn’t be bad, Kaan.”
I placed my hand over my heart theatrically.
“Wow…
Finally saying ‘Kaan’…”
Just as I was about to turn away, I noticed that beneath the fabric of her dress, the unseen parts of her skin were beginning to be covered by a thin layer of ice; she was struggling to control her mana.
Taking a step closer to her, I lowered my voice to a protective tone meant only for her ears: “You don’t need to force yourself for nothing here.
I don’t expect you to topple worlds right now.
Just be yourself, that’s enough.”
Without waiting for her to reply, I walked over to the kitchen.
When I went inside, I saw Enwoybi and Scatroj grabbing a snack by the counter.
Ignoring them, I began pouring cold lemonade from the pitcher.
Meanwhile, Enwoybi looked at Scatroj and purposely began speaking loudly:
“I read a manga the other day, Scatroj, let me tell you…”
Smirking beneath his mustache, Scatroj caught the pass: “Which manga was that?”
Slamming the lemonade glasses onto the counter, I leaned my hands against it.
“Come on, boys, are you having fun at my expense?”
Both of them burst into a hearty laugh at the same time.
However, once their laughter died down, their faces returned to that familiar military sternness.
Enwoybi cleared his throat, turning serious: “Kaan, jokes aside…
You know how those old stories that mirror your situation usually end, don’t you?
They usually end in disaster.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I know.”
Scatroj walked over, placed his hand on my shoulder, and gave it a squeeze like a true friend.
“It’s fine, bro, we understand you.
We’re just worried that something bad might happen to you.
You know as well as we do that there are still tons of dark things in this reality that we haven’t discovered or solved.”
Enwoybi joined in: “If a problem arises in the future, if you need help that you can’t even tell us about or handle on your own…
don’t hesitate to come to us.
We are here.”
Thumping Scatroj firmly on the back, I smiled.
“Don’t worry, nothing will happen to me.”
In a cautious and skeptical tone, they said, “Well, if you say so.” As I was leaving the kitchen, Scatroj called out behind me: “Don’t forget!
The tournament starts tomorrow morning right after breakfast, be ready!”
Leaving the kitchen, I returned to the balcony to join Luna.
As I handed the cold drink to her, she softly muttered, “Thanks.”
Just then, a sharp cry of pain from Ermo rose from the back corner where the hammocks were.
While swaying in the hammock, Velmora had delivered a hard kick to Ermo’s flank, sending him flying straight onto the grass.
Landing face-first, Ermo dusted himself off and glared at me.
“Damn it, Kaan!
You could have brought us some of that lemonade too, the least you could do is ask!”
While I laughed at him, Luna took a noble sip of her lemonade.
Wiping the corner of her lips with the tip of her finger, she locked her eyes onto mine: “I accept everything you said.
If I am not a corpse right now, it is thanks to you…
but I am also in this state because of you.
Therefore, we must sign an official contract.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“What kind of contract is that?”
Luna began listing them with stark seriousness: “Rules like not sleeping in the same bed, not flirting with anyone else while married, or not being rude to me…”
Taking a large gulp of my lemonade, I smirked.
“No problem, I accept them all upfront.”
Luna looked at me in surprise.
“Where does this confidence of yours come from?”
I opened my hands wide in a relaxed manner.
“I don’t have much left to lose, that must be why.”
Nodding in understanding, she lowered her eyes.
“I know the feeling…” she said, her voice dropping suddenly with the grief of her family.
To break the heavy atmosphere, I said, “The tournament is tomorrow morning.”
Her face instantly regained its former liveliness.
“Can we ask for gold as a reward?” she asked, her eyes gleaming.
Laughing, I made a move to hold her hand, but she slapped my hand away sharply.
“No touching without permission either!”
I shook my head helplessly.
“If you are worried about your tribe and your future, don’t be; I’ll handle that.
Let’s win the tournament tomorrow, then you just need to tell Scatroj whatever it is you want.”
A brief, tranquil silence fell between us.
Meanwhile, Ermo grumbled as he opened the door and walked inside.
However, the moment he saw Velmora glaring at him from the hammock, he swallowed his words.
Slowly approaching the hammock, he offered the lemonade in his hand to Velmora.
Velmora pointed sharply to the grass beneath her: “You couldn’t even be half the man Kaan is, Ermo.
Now go sit over there on the grass and think about where you went wrong.”
Unable to contain herself at this sight, Luna burst into a clear chuckle.
As Ermo slouched down onto the grass, he turned to us in protest: “Hey, what are you laughing at!”
Swaying gently in the hammock, Velmora added from behind: “They’re letting you off easy.”
Slowly, I stood up.
I took one last look at Luna, who was watching me with surprised eyes.
“I think you’ve been through a lot lately, Luna.
You need to rest.
If you need anything, you can tell me, I’ll do whatever it takes.” Then, lowering my voice slightly, I added, “If you feel hesitant to ask me…
you can tell anyone here, they are not strangers.”
She nodded in approval but said nothing.
I left the room and headed toward one of the empty, quiet rooms on the upper floor of the mansion to gather my thoughts and practice some meditation.