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The first impression I got of Drakenstead was that it was equal parts terrifying and awe-inspiring . Even the air itself appeared to grow heavier as we approached the massive, jaw-like gorge—a sensation I often experienced when I happened to run into one of the Wicked Forest’s more powerful creatures .

It was a sense of presence, an invisible pressure that superior life forms exerted simply by existing, and it came from the village’s inhabitants . Many of them were in sight already . They were flying around in a panic, seemingly because they had realized that Lefi had returned .

“Until we depart, do not leave my side, Yuki . I do not believe that you will be in danger, but I wish to remain by you to ensure your safety . And I know well that Enne intends the same . ”

“Mhm . Standing guard . ”

“Will do . Thanks, both of you . ”

I knew through and through that compared to dragons, I was nothing but a weakling . I was going to need to sit tight and let Lefi do all the heavy lifting . Enne was always going to have to be there as well, just in case, as it basically wasn’t possible for me to go all out in a fight without her . Talk about a pathetic showing on my part...

Upon arriving at the village’s entrance, I stopped wallowing in my own misery in order to better observe my surroundings . It was exactly as Lefi said . The dragons barely made anything . Only a few tools and structures were strewn throughout the entire settlement . But if anything, the lack of artificial creations only served to add to the atmosphere .

Something about this entire area almost seemed holy . The way the mountains shot beyond the sky led me to think of Olyumpus, Ida, Othyrus, and many other places of worship, places in which gods separated themselves from men .

The community was actually spread out over a rather large amount of space . The dragons lived on the mountain’s various cliffs and ledges, in which they’d dug holes large enough to fit their massive frames with ease . Some of them even extended outwards to support a sort of outdoor living space . Aside from the scaffolding that made these spaces possible, there was only a single, obvious artificial structure, a dragon-sized flight of stairs that led far into the mountains . It’s almost like this whole place is some sort of shrine .

Naturally, my eyes found themselves caught by more than just the scenery . The dragons that occupied it constantly pulled my gaze . All in all, there seemed to be somewhere around 150 of them .

Though literally all their eyes were on us, none dared to speak, let alone approach . They were much like the Wicked Forest’s dragons in the sense that they looked at Lefi with a mix of awe and fear, with the biggest difference being that, here, both emotions seemed much stronger and more pronounced .

“So this is where you grew up?”

“It is where I spent my first six hundred years . ” The humanoid dragon spent a few moments gazing upon the valley before raising her eyes to the sky . “Upon departure, I wandered the world for another hundred in search of a new place to make my nest . That particular century was one that I spent aiding the old fool that you know as the Spirit Lord . ”

“Wait, you were helping him? With what?”

“His duty is to maintain the order of the natural world through the elimination of those that seek to disturb it,” she explained . “Do you recall that Hadean Helldrake we spoke of?”

“Yeah?”

“I was to eliminate it and other similarly powerful foes in his stead should he ever fail . ”

“So you were basically a merc?” I frowned while nodding in approval . “That doesn’t sound too bad . Honestly pretty cool if you ask me . ”

“Mhm . Very,” agreed Enne, telepathically .

“If the two of you believe so, then I suppose I’ve little choice but to one day thank him for the opportunity . ” Once we reached the center of the village, Lefi took a bit of a turn to the left . “This way . There is one we must meet . ”

Following her lead eventually led us to an old dragon, who unlike the others, only raised his head to look at us once we approached . Every part of his appearance screamed ancient . His scales were dull, their lustre lost with time . His claws were cracked and dry, and his eyelids were wrinkly and droopy . Even his beard, which was tinged grey and white showed naught but signs of age . But his eyes alone were different . They burnt with a passion so fiery that they alone were able to make him seem the human equivalent of several decades younger .

“Now... who do we have here?” He spoke slowly, softly, majestically even . But though he used a tone not too different from Lefi’s, his voice lacked the near divine quality that hers so obviously carried . “It has been many long years, Leficios . ”

“Hmph,” Lefi snorted . “And I see that, despite the passage of time, you have yet to die, Rhodunus . ”

At a surface level, her words appeared to be filled with venom, but they contained no real hostility . It seemed that, despite all appearances, she didn’t actually dislike him .

“I have every intention of living for another three thousand years . ” Rhodunus blinked several times in succession . “But... while I am exactly as I was, I see that you are not . The change in your size is the most surprising thing that I have seen in a millennium . ”

“That is no part my fault and ten parts yours, all of yours,” responded Lefi . “Here, change is too infrequent, and your expectations too unrealistic when placed alongside the happenings of the world at large . ”

“Truly... our way of life is one that rarely walks alongside change . ” Once he finished responding to her, he turned to me with a long, curious gaze . “So this... this demon lord, he is the one that showed Gyogarr to his grave? I was convinced that it was you who eliminated him . ”

“I took no part in his demise . It was, in its entirety, my husband’s doing,” she said, as she glanced at me . “Gyogarr was but an annoyance . What manner of incompetence was it that led you to allow his departure?”

“There is... little to say in our defense . We are sorry for any of the trouble that we caused . A peculiar individual, an outsider, had influenced him to behave recklessly . I will be refraining from a more... detailed explanation for the time being, as it would be quite a lengthy one indeed . ” The ancient dragon paused for a moment . “Truth be told... I never thought that you would one day find a mate... especially not after your departure . ”

After reopening his eyes, he let out a hearty chuckle and turned back to face me yet again .

“I am Rhodunus... the eldest dragon that inhabits this village . Might you tell me your name, Dragonlord?”

I took a moment to both return a solid, unwavering gaze, and to analyze him .

***

General Information

Name: Rhodunus

Race: Ancient Dragon

Level: 89?

***

Wait . Seriously? Holy shit... this dude’s on level 900’s doorstep . He isn’t Lefi tier, but still... Talk about absurd . The thought prompted a whole sequence . I soon realized that I had the tendency to compare anything stronger than me to my beloved wife, which seemed a bit odd, if anything . Eh, her fault for being batshit OP .

At the end of the day, what mattered was that the dragon was so powerful that crushing me would take him no more effort than swatting a fly . I should probably stay on guard while we’re here, just in case .

“I’m Yuki, nice to meet you,” I said . “Oh and uh, if you don’t mind, I was actually hoping to ask you something . ”

“If it is something that I can answer, then by all means . ” said Rhodonus .

“How old are you, exactly?”

“Hmmmm...” He lowered his head and closed his eyes, as if to reflect on a long distant memory . “I cannot tell you exactly, as many of my older memories have grown vague and hazy . But the oldest event I recall is one from six millennia ago . And since then, there have been ten... yes, at least ten major shifts in the cultural paradigms of the races . ”

Six thousand years? Six thousand!? Man... that is a long time . It certainly is way more than long enough for countless empires to rise and fall . I wonder how many ancient legends he’s in... Hell, his age is probably worthy of a legend in and of itself . Like, man, Lefi’s lived a long time, and talking to her about time always makes me feel that she’s basically been around forever, but this guy makes her look like a child .

“So...? To what do we owe the honour of your visit?”

“Well uh... one thing led to another, and I kinda ended up becoming the Dragonlord, so I figured I should probably drop by to say hi,” I explained . “Oh, and I married Lefi, er, Leficios, and that sounded like something you guys might want to know about too . Soooo yeah, here I am . ”

“The latter is of much more importance,” said Lefi, smugly . “I wished to return so that I could demonstrate that, contrary to your beliefs, I have been wed . ”

The old dragon chuckled .

“I see, I see... I am glad that you are much... more cheerful than you were before . ” He cast her the sort of proud, deeply emotional gaze that one would a daughter upon her wedding . “Welcome home... Welcome home, Leficios . And I welcome you too with open arms, King . Now... let us begin by carving your name into the Dragonstone Ledger . ”