Chapter 25: Proposition

Zelphyr and Draudillon sat down, opposite each other on the wide desk. Neither tried to take the large seat at the end, not out of respect, but rather it seemed to be pointless after Zelphyrs display of power.

A nervous smile was sat upon Draudillons face as she watched Zelphyr inspect the room.

In the end, her eyes widened as she saw Zelphyrs hand extend and a thick mist flood out of his hand. This mist quickly covered the room before rapidly dissipating. The Queen was confused before the confusion morphed into a heart wrenching anxiety. After all, Zelphyrs expression had turned cold despite him joking about the situation not 5 minutes ago.

"Now then, before we start. I would like you to reveal your true self"

Zelphyr spoke with an authoritative tone as he stared at Draudillon with stone cold eyes. It was proof that he would not accept any rejections.

Draudillons mind raced as it tried to process Zelphyrs demand. In the end, she sighed in resignation as she slowly started to unbutton her clothes.

Seeing this, Zelphyr released his aura, causing her actions to completely freeze as her body started to sweat.

"Not your clothes. Return to your true form."

His tone was the same as before, however this time, there was a hint of exasperation mixed in.

Hearing Zelphyrs slightly expanded demand, Draudillons eyes suddenly widened before her shoulders slumped in relief.

Moments before, she had steeled herself to offer up her body to keep Zelphyr from rampaging. Yet, it seemed to have stemmed from a misunderstanding. On the other hand, a slight amount of alarm entered Draudillons mind as she thought about his demand. From this, it meant he had seen through her form change. This was not something a simple Dragon Lord could do.

'Just what is this guy'

She thought to herself as she stood up.

Holding her arms out wide, she closed her eyes as her body started to glow a bright green. Slowly, her silhouette started to change, similar to when a doppelganger was shifting appearances.

After a couple of seconds of silent waiting, the bright green glow rapidly fading, revealing a completely different person. Stood before them was a beautiful mature lady with the same violet hair as before, however rather than it being upon a a girl with a childish face, it was now on a seductive lady whose looks rivalled Narberals.

Of course Zelphyr was impressed by her looks, however he was used to good-looking women as every female in Nazarick had their charm. Well most of them.

Her figure was one that rivalled Albedos, an hourglass figure with large breasts and a butt that clearly showed itself despite her dress.

Due to her magic, it seemed her dress had changed as well to accommodate the different form. Now she was wearing a crimson dress with black trimmings on the edge. It was perfectly suited for her title, the 'Dark Scale Dragon Lord'.

"Happy now?"

She spoke with an elegant tone. Her fear had lessened slightly as she resumed a more regal attitude.

"Indeed. It is only polite to talk with full honesty. May I ask, is that 'Wild Magic'?"

His curiosity was piqued as he noticed the strange type of magic Draudillon had used. It was unlike the Yggdrasil magic Zelphyr was used to and it seemed to be pretty powerful as rather than a simple illusion, it was an entire form change that restructured her body.

"Of course, by this, you mean you do not possess Ancient Magic?"

Draudillon voiced her question with a frown of suspicion.

"That is correct. I have no Ancient Magic as of yet. My life has been dedicated to martial skill and tier magic."

Surprise filled Draudillons face as she heard his response. After all, a Dragon Lords main strength came from their knowledge and age. Therefore, someone as strong as Zelphyr should have a lot of experience and likely be at least a couple of thousand years old, yet he had not achieved Ancient Magic and she had never heard of his name. Although she was not as strong as True Dragon Lords, she was still a descendant of one, thus she was privy to quite a lot of information most Dragon Lords were.

"Are you not a True Dragon Lord?"

Zelphyr increased his aura as his tone turned sharp.

"What makes you think that? I have no need for Wild Magic right now when my own magic can crush armies. Tell me, if I am not a Dragon Lord, why does someone much weaker than I proclaim themselves one?"

Sweating profusely, Draudillon stumbled back slightly in shock. Shaking her head, she desperately tried to explain herself before it was too late.

"No, no, no I didn't mean it like that. I was curious as to how someone as strong as you has not unlocked Wild Magic in their bloodline. After all, I am only just over 70 years old and I have achieved it. From my Great-Grandfathers knowledge, I was under the impression True Dragon Lords achieve it after a certain age"

Zelphyr was quite interested in her knowledge. After all, it seemed she had gained some knowledge from her Great-Grandfather, despite never truly speaking with him. He highly doubted her Great-Grandfather, a notorious pleasure seeker amongst the True Dragon Lords, would take the time out of his 'busy' schedule to educate one of his Great-Granddaughters thoroughly.

As a result, Zelphyr arrived at the conclusion that the dragons of this world must have inherited memories.

'This is something I would like to study in detail... I wonder what would happen if it was my child'

His curiosity flared as he continued down the thought, alas it was cut short when he heard Narberal growl slightly.

"Enough Narberal, she is correct. Whether or not your brethren classify me as one is not of any bother to me, rather my strength surpasses them. Should they have an issue with it, they can come and discuss it with me."

Draudillon gulped as she heard his declaration, after all, it was essentially a challenge to the rest of the dragon race who may disagree with him. This was a death sentence to anyone without the strength to back it up.

"Lord Zelphyr, I am sure those overgrown reptiles are not worthy to be your practice partner. Should they come, your subordinates will easily dispose of them."

Surprisingly, Narberal spoke without being addressed to. This was out of character for her unless they were in a one to one conversation, however as he watched her eyes, he noticed a hidden threat concealed within.

'This girl really does not like others'

He sighed internally before turning a small smile to her.

"You're right Narberal, I am sure they will. Now then, regarding Wild Magic, I know how to achieve it, it is simply that my method of unlocking it is different to others. That is all I will say for now. Lets take a seat once more"

Saying this, Zelphyr put a stop for now on the subject of magic and urged Draudillon to take a seat.

Once they all were settled, Zelphyr got straight to the subject he had travelled for.

"It seems your country is in a tight spot no?"

The Violet Queen showed a strained smile before releasing a sigh.

"I am going to drop all pretenses. Our stature is too different and any political manoeuvring will likely be seen through by you. Our country is currently in a drawn out war with the demi-humans of the the Beastman Country, so we are struggling to function properly."

Zelphyr was slightly shocked by the honesty of Draudillon, nonetheless, he supposed it was due to the position she had been put in so far. From what his intel showed, this war had been going on for many years and the harvests of the people had been growing progressively smaller.

While the Baharuth Empire attacked the Re-Estize Kingdom annually to weaken them, the Beastman Country had taken a different approach and put constant pressure on the Dragon Kingdom through constant skirmishes. This meant the Dragon Kingdom had to constantly move their forces around the country and use the countries own arable land as a battlefield.

"I am aware. It seems those animals are putting up quite a fight. Although it is to be expected when over 80% of your own forces are made up of humans."

A slight frown appeared on the Queens face as she heard Zelphyrs blatant disrespect towards her citizens, however she knew beings of power such as Dragons do not look kindly on the weaker races, especially after they supported the 'Six Great Gods' crusade across the continent. On the other hand, the Argland Council State was a collection of Dragon Lords and other races who have chosen the path of co-existence with each other.

"They have been plaguing our lands for a couple of years now but we cannot seem to deal a large enough blow to stop them."

Draudillon spoke with a sorrowful voice as she recalled all of the lost souls in the prior battles. In fact, it had been enough to activate some of her strongest magic, however she refused to use her citizens as mere batteries to charge her spell.

"Indeed, it is surprising you have lasted this long. Now then, shall we discuss our future relationship from this point forward?"

Draudillon tensed as she nodded to Zelphyr suggestion. In her mind, she was not too trusting of Zelphyr, after all he was strong. However, right now she was not in a position to be so high-handed and deny the potential assistance her country requires. As a result, she decided it was best to listen to his proposition and then decide how to deal with him.

"I can provide troops and resources of large quantities. Of course it will not be for free, however I would like to know your plans, should you receive my assistance."

He lent forward, showing he was listening.

The Queen sat in contemplation for a couple of minutes, as this was a very heavy decision that she usually made only when discussing it with her own subordinates.

"I don't have a plan right now, I would have to discuss it with my subordinates first as they assist me in all of my decisions."

A small snort of derision sounded out from Narberal as she looked mockingly at Draudillon.

In her mind, she was laughing at this 'Queen' who could not make decision by herself, whilst her opinion of her master increased as he made his own decision with the confidence befitting a ruler.

Ignoring Narberals hiccup, Zelphyr replied.

"That is fine, I would like to suggest you officially declare war and specify a time and place, then meet them in battle. We will provide support and this will be the most decisive way to cripple your enemy and allow for a better harvest. Nevertheless, this is your choice. Narberal and I will be returning in 4 days, I hope you and your subordinates have made a decision by then."

Saying this, Zelphyr stood up and ended the conversation. Narberal followed, with a small smile on her face.

"4 days Queen of the Dragon Kingdom."

With that last comment, Zelphyr opened a gate and stepped through with Narberal close behind.

Draudillon stared slack-jawed at the portal that had opened up in front of her eyes. In her entire lifetime, she had never seen someone use portal magic like that, rather it was rare for magicians to be able to use flight magic. Alas, the Queen flopped onto the sofa with a tired expression.

A couple of minutes after Zelphyr left, a frantic looking aged man burst through the door. His clothes were dishevelled and his eyes were filled with fear.

Upon the sight of his liege, he collapsed onto the ground in relief.

"*Huff* You-You're safe *huff*"

Draudillon smiled slightly at the sight of her usually composed Prime Minister showing such a sight.

"Were you worried about me?"

She spoke in a teasing tone, however was met with nothing but a cold expression as the Prime Minister straightened out his appearance.

"You're the Queen, the country would collapse should you go missing."

His apathetic response irritated her, but she was glad he had the countries best interests in mind.

"We have a lot to discuss"

Hearing his Queens words, he nodded before closing the door.