At the Weskins Mansion.

"Albart. It's been more than a day… I hope they are fine…" says Caryl.

It's been too long since they left. Of course, I had anticipated this because either they would talk, that would take some time, or they would fight and come back soon.

The situation here gives the idea that they might be having some negotiations. I think there won't be anything to worry about. That is, I believe in her.

"They are fine. I can tell by intuition that they might be talking right now." I say.

"Father… Is Velkra-nee really going to be alright?" says Lucy.

Look at this girl. She worries too? Ha-ha.

I chuckle inside looking at her concerned yet somewhat cute expression.

"Oh, she'll be fine. You're not worried about Carmine?" I ask.

"If Velkra-nee is going to be fine then there is no need for me to worry about Nee-san. Velkra-nee would protect her after all." She says.

That is a good point. So her trust is based on Great Velkra?

"[Knock]" someone knocks on the door. Right now we are sitting in the Drawing room with a view of the garden. It is now a bright day as tomorrow was the day when they left.

"Who may that be?" says Caryl.

"It is me, Willis." Comes a voice from behind the door.

It's Willis. He must be here to ask us if we need something for refreshments. I had pulled an all-nighter so that I could get my piled-up work completed.

It was a pain to have that many documents. The ins and outs of the trade. The contracts that the merchants wanted to be approved. Some financials that I had to inspect. There are many people in this mansion that took the honor of having great Velkra's Blessing and my scholars and attendants are one of them.

A heap of paper that I had to organize with the help of my scholars. Honestly, there was even work from before Great Velkra came here. I suppose I have been slacking off a bit.

"Come in," I say.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt your tranquil time but would you like some refreshments?" he says.

"Hmm… I'm not sure…" I say.

I don't want anything right now. Maybe Caryl and Lucy would want something?

" Do you want something?" I ask them.

"Not really." Says Caryl.

"Nope." Says Lucy.

"Then forgive my intrusion. I'll go back to work." He says.

He goes out of the room after giving a courteous bow.

Us sitting here and relaxing is all because of Great Velkra. If she had not been here, we would be fighting the Demon Army right now.

Some people would say 'How can you be so calm in a dire situation like this?'. I'm sure there are nobles here that would be panicked after hearing the news. You can't mobilize an army in the shadows without letting anyone notice.

Of course, Youlias made an official announcement that informed everyone. There was a bit of panic in the morning but then the King ordered the civilians to gather in front of the castle in a hurry. Dealing with the unrest can be a King's problem too.

Once everyone gathered in front of the castle, us included. He started his speech that's basically saying,

'Hey! You don't need to worry about the army's attack! We have our great buddy on our side! And it's an Elder Dragon known as Velkra! She is taking care of them right now!'

I could hear the amount of humor that he wanted to put in that speech but he couldn't because it was an official one. His retainers must be exhausted because of his constant nagging to let him put a bit of humor in there.

After that, the commotion almost completely died. Cries of joy erupted when they got to hear that they had an Elder Dragon on their side.

But even after that, some nobles are still anxious. Why wouldn't they be? They are facing a situation where they don't know what will happen in the future or the situation that is on the other side.

Great Velkra still might be a bit inexperienced. I mean I am inexperienced too. All of us are. This is a first for us. We haven't faced a situation where a Demon's Army has tried to invade our Kingdom so we have no idea how to deal with it. This again gives us the idea of how much Great Velkra's Barrier is.

"[Knock][Knock]"

"Master Albart, It's me." Says Albart as he steps into the room with a faint rustle.

"What is it?" I ask.

"It seems that Mr. Zanim has awakened." He says.

The Dragon newt? I didn't get to see him after Great Velkra put him to rest. But my maids and servants are taking good care of him. I also heard that he seems to be going through some sort of evolutionary process.

"He says that he desires to meet you and is asking for permission," says Willis.

"So is he here now?" I ask.

"He is being dressed by one of our servants and maids." He says.

"Then bring him here once he is dressed. We are on an equal standing now that he has Great Velkra's Blessing. He does not need permission. You don't too." I say.

Since we are all on an equal level now, we must not need honorifics right?

"I'll bring him here. But serving you along with Great Velkra is my desire." He says.

So he doesn't want to be on equal standing with me?

"Do that," I say.

"Understood." He replies and steps out after giving a courteous bow.

"How is the baby?" I ask.

"Oh. I think it might be even sooner than we imagined. I felt a kick tomorrow." She says.

A kick?! This soon?! This is happening too fast!

"B-But isn't this going a bit fast?" I ask.

"It is. It seems that our evolution has changed many things. Or maybe it is the fact that these are the effects of receiving a blessing while being pregnant." She says.

It could be. The blessing could be the cause of sudden development. It's also pretty clear that the child also received the blessing along with Caryl.

"We better be ready then…" I say.

"Indeed." She replies.

"Is it going to be soon?" asks Lucy.

She had been listening curiously and now she is asking if it was going to be coming very soon.

"Yes my dear, It will be soon when you will meet your brother or sister, You'll be a big sister then." Says Caryl.

"Then I'll be like Velkra-nee!" she jumps with joy.

"I'm sure you are excited. She might be too. But she doesn't seem to catch a break. I think it's been chaotic ever since she has come to this world." She says.

"Is Velkra-nee tired?" Asks Lucy.

"She might need a bit of rest. She has been running around ever since she got here." Says Caryl.

Indeed. Great Velkra told us that she came to this world not long ago. Then there is her death in the otherworld. After that all the continuous things she had to go through. Now she is taking care of this matter. She will need to take a breath soon.

"Master Albart, He is here." Comes a voice from the other side of the door.

"He can come in," I say.

The door opens silently and a person steps through. The man is nearly human yet feels dragon-like. His hair is white silver-white with streaks of Three colors going through its ends. The colors that are namely Purple, Green, and brown must be his respective elements. His face is that of a beautiful man in his 20s. His eyes have pupils that match that of a dragon's just like we have. His eyes are green colored. His brows are heavy yet he doesn't have any facial hair. His body seems firmly built and he looks like he is in top condition.

He steps in with his hands clenched below his belt. He seems nervous.

"Excuse me." He says.

"Don't be that nervous. Come on. Sit here. We can talk." I say trying to sound friendly.

He looks at me with a confused gaze.

I know it's weird. I don't know what I'm doing myself.

He silently moves towards the sofa and sits on it nervously.

"Why so nervous?" I ask.

"You see… I wasn't like this when I came here…" he says.

"You mean… Human-like?" I say.

"Yes… so this is very new for me." He says.

"Then are you happy with it?"

"… Yes I am. My face resembles my Human Mother's now." He says.

I see… he must be truly happy then.

"So? what race did you end up after evolving?" I say.

"It seems that… I have evolved into a Greater Dragon…" he says.

A greater dragon from a dragon newt?

"Is that even possible?" says Caryl.

"I am confused too. Could it be that I had stronger dragon blood?" he asks.

His dragon blood is stronger than his human one. Great Velkra's influence caused it to amplify and allowed him to evolve into a greater dragon… I see…

"That might be that cause," I say.

He pauses to think about something.

"If I may ask… Where is Great Velkra..?" he says.

Does he not remember?

"Do you remember what happened?" I say.

He pauses once again and goes into thought. Then he lifts his head.

"I remember now. I tried fighting a demon and ended up on the verge of dying. That is when Great Velkra… Is she alright?!" he says.

"Don't worry. She is fine. She punished that demon. Right now she is in the demon realm." I say.

"The Demon Realm?! We need to go to her!" he stands up frantically.

"Calm Down. She has my daughter and Felia with her. They won't be needing our help." I say.

"!"

What?! What is this?!

A sense of dread runs through our hearts. We hold our chests in reflex and stand up on our legs all at once.

"Albart! Something is wrong!" says Caryl in a panic.

Something is very wrong! This is very frightening! My heart!

"Mister! It's Great Velkra!" says Zanim.

Great Velkra?! Did something happen to her?! It can't be!

"Mother… My heart feels all wobbly and afraid…" says Lucy.

Everyone in this room is panicking. The feeling of dread is not receding. It is still digging deep into our hearts.

"Master Albart! Something is wrong!" Comes Willis Bashing through the door. The door makes a crack sound and becomes unhinged.

"Calm down Everyone! We need to know what is happening!" I say.

At that, everyone calms down a bit. Lucy is crying and Caryl seems distressed. Zanim is pacing back and forth in the room with a hand to his chin.

Willis seems shaken so he is sitting down on the sofa which is very rare for him to do.

I am standing up and my very body is numb from all the unease.

"Albart… I think Great Velkra is in trouble. I can feel it…" Says Caryl.

It is for sure that this is something related to Great Velkra. But what is it…?

"Do you think so too?" Zanim asks me looking concerned.

"I am sure something is wrong," I say.

This feeling…. I want to cry…

"Master Albart. We must head to Great Velkra at once…" says Willis in a faint yet resolved voice.

This decision must be made swiftly. We need to go. This moment. To help her.

"Caryl. Lucy. You are staying here. Me, Willis, and Zanim will go to the Demon Realm." I say.

Caryl looks at me for a second to say something. I think she wanted to stop me in worry but her worry for Great Velkra outweighs mine. She truly loves her.

"Father. Take me too…" says Lucy.

I knew that she would want to go and help her beloved sister but she won't be able to.

"No Lucy. Be sure to work hard in your studies so that you won't be powerless like this time." I say.

These words might be a bit harsh but they will put a fire in her heart to be of use for Great Velkra.

"Let's go," I say.

[Wait. Everyone.]

We all stop in our steps.

"Who was that…?" asks Caryl.

"It's Twixie-nee!" says Lucy.

[Twixie-nee?! I like it…]

"Great Twixie?! Are you here? Where are you!" says Willis.

We can hear her voice but we cannot see her.

[Calm down people. Velkra will be fine. She was just a bit reckless.]

"What is wrong if I may ask…" says Zanim.

[Oh? So you're awake now? I am talking to every single person connected to Velkra through her blessing right now.]

"Indeed… Her blessing has not faded…" says Zanim.

[Why would it? She's not dead. It's just that there was a turn of events where she had to help the Demon Lord with her illness so Velkra took the illness upon her. She'll be healed in a day or two.]

"She took her illness?" says Caryl.

[Yup. She's dumb right? But it was the only way to save the demon lord. So don't worry! I'll call you back soon!]

"Wait Great Twixie! It's been already a day since you left! How many days will it take for you to come back?" I say.

[It's been a day…? But it's been hours here…]

It has been hours there…? But….

Wait… Great Velkra called this something back at the castle… Time… Dilation?

[I think it will take a few days for us to get back. What is the time of day there right now?]

"It's mid-day." Says Zanim.

[Then it has been roughly more than 12 hours since we left. It's been Nearly four hours here. So that means 1 hour here is three hours there. If we stay here for two days that will be… about a week we get back… just don't worry. The Demon Lord will bring back her army probably so that will solve the invasion! Bye!]

"Wait!" I say but she has already gone.

I wonder how she talked to us…

"Albart…" says Caryl.

"Don't be panicked. You heard what she said right?" I say.

"But even so… We can't help but be worried. This feeling does not allow us to be calm." Says Zanim.

"Indeed." Willis agrees.

"[Bam]!"

"Master Albart! We have a summons from the castle! The king wishes to speak to the Weskins at once! Something is very wrong!"

It's Lucius. He comes running to the room with his breath ragged.

"Let's go, everyone. Lucius, I'll tell you everything on the way." I say.

We must hurry because I have an idea about what is happening. The barrier might have gotten weakened.

"Can I come with you too?" asks Zanim.

He can. He is one of the people who have Great Velkra's Blessing. We cannot leave him in the dark.

"You can. And you don't need to be so formal with us." I say.

"O-Okay…" he replies.

Judging from what Lucius says, Youlias wants to talk to the 'Weskin' family. That includes us all.

"Lucy. You are coming too." I say.

"Yes, Father!" she replies in a serious tone.

We hurry to the carriages at once and Willis decides to come with us too.

After some time we get to the castle. I explained what had happened up until now to Lucius.

"Is that so…? No wonder I felt so much dread in my heart. I must say, we are connected to Great Velkra in every way possible now." He says.

"That much is true," I reply.

We are now walking to the Throne Hall. The retainer in the front is leading us to the hall. Once we arrive at the gate, he announces our arrival. The gate opens and we step inside the hall.

There is no one in the Throne Hall besides Youlias and his Family. This proves what he wanted to talk about wasn't what he wanted others to hear.

"Albart. Spare the formalities. The situation is dire. The barrier is about to fall apart. Is there something wrong with Great Velkra?" he asks.

He looks worried. Of course, he would be worried about his Kingdom. But the most worry that comes out of his aura is for Great Velkra. He has met her only once and look at his loyalty.

"It seems that Great Velkra was in a bit of trouble," I say.

"Is she alright?" says Prince Justias.

"She is fine now but it looks like it will be some time until she recovers. We were contacted by Great Twixie who explained everything as this," I say.

I tell him everything what we had been told by Great Twixie. The Royal Family gasps several times. Especially, The Queen seems to be most distressed.

"You do not need to fret over this," I say.

"You say that but the barrier is about to break…" says Youlias in a desperate tone.

"True…" says Prince Justias.

"What do we do…" says Zanim.

Youlias looks at him and Zanim flinches, thinking if he shouldn't have opened his mouth.

"Who might this be? It's a new face." Says Youlias.

I look back at Zanim who is standing along with Willis and everyone else.

"This is Zanim. He is the dragon newt that Great Velkra decided to take in after the Demon's attack earlier." I say.

"I see… so he got her blessing too… but he doesn't look like a dragon newt to me…" says Youlias.

"He went through his evolution phase," I tell.

"Is that so? Then do forgive me if I have offended you." He says.

"Please! I do not deserve your apology King!" says Zanim frantically.

"Ha-ha! But the barrier… We need to mobilize our army so that we can face the Demon Army if it manages to get here." Says Youlias.

"We must do that as a precaution indeed," I reply.

"You don't need to do that." Comes a voice from behind us.

Everyone in the hall turns around to look back. The gate Leading to the Throne Hall opens. There we see a silhouette walking toward us.

"I just put up my barrier to enforce the one Velkra put up. They won't be escaping now." He says.

The person's arms crossed and walking at a calm pace.

"!"

A chill goes down the spine.

"Who might you be if I may ask?" says Youlias.

The person comes out of the hallway into the throne hall.

"You don't know me? I'm Vejetar. The Wind Elder Dragon." He says.

At that, the King leaps from his throne to his knees with a fist to the ground. Seeing the king in that state, every soul in the room falls to their knees.

"The ones with Velkra don't need to kneel. They're my sister's after all." He says.

At that, we stand up and see that Great Vejetar is now sitting on the throne.

"I put up the barrier around the one Velkra put up. So you won't be needing the army." He says.

"I-Is that so…?" I barely get those words out.

"Yup." He says.

"But how did you know?" I ask.

"You see… I came to this Kingdom to tell her that we were all waiting for her in the Dragon's Valley and found out that the barrier here was too weak. So I supposed something had gone wrong. Then I remembered the surge of mana I felt from Alfera when I was in Dragon's Valley. Then I went there to find out that there was another barrier there and the army and a gate was there." He says.

"T-Then…?" I say fearing that it may sound rude.

"Then? I just racked my brain to deduce that Velkra must have gone to the other side. I put up another barrier just in case. If she didn't kill them, she must have done It for a reason. So I didn't kill them either. Something must have happened but she won't go down that easily. She'll be fine." He says.

"I see…" says Zanim.

"Oh? Is that you Zanim? You've changed in such a short time. I guess Velkra is even more powerful than me…" he says.

Zanim shuts his mouth. It looks like he didn't expect Great Vejetar to know his name.

"Bring me something to eat, will you? I feel like I'm getting a bit hungry." He says.

"At once!" Says the Queen as she calls for some retainers.

"But why not go help her, Great Vejetar?" I say.

He could've gone in there to help her.

"You see. I wanted to curry a favor so that my cute little sister would praise me. What would happen If I stay here and protect something she wanted to protect? Of course, she'll praise me. Ooooh how I'm so excited about that! Praise me Little sis!" he says.

I guess he has his reasons too…