novelraw Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Aiden plunged a claw into the sack.
Jingle.
The sound of shifting coins was exquisite. What a beautiful sound. A dry, reptilian chuckle rumbled in his chest.
He lowered his head, his crimson eyes fixing on the glowing sigil on his right claw. It was time to contact the ephemeral species. He lifted his claw, and crimson threads of mana spun into existence, plunging directly into the sigil.
*****
In a pavilion overlooking the garden, a petite figure in a black gauze dress sat upon an ornate red chair. Thea, her hands clad in black lace gloves, held a teacup and saucer, her gaze fixed on the two women who had just ceased their sparring.
Why did it end so suddenly? she wondered. Her eyes flickered to Isolde's right hand, which was glowing with a faint crimson light. Ah, I see. The red dragon has contacted Isolde again.
She placed the cup back on its saucer and handed it to an attendant named Nora, who received it with both hands. Thea then rose from her chair and walked toward the two duelists.
They had been sparring on the main garden path of the Valerius Estate, its ten-yard width giving them ample room to maneuver. As she drew near, her eyes fell upon the slender waist outlined by Isolde's form-fitting white combat attire.
Thea's arms opened wide, and she wrapped them around Isolde from behind. She buried her face in the cascade of golden hair, a faint, clean fragrance filling her senses. In that moment, all the world's tiresome matters—the endless calculations, the political machinations—simply faded away. This was easy. This was peace.
“Thea, what are you doing?” Isolde asked, a gentle pressure pushing against Thea's arms, though she made no real effort to break free.
“Just let me hug you,” Thea murmured into her hair. “It won't cost you a pound of flesh.”
At the sound of her lady's playful tone, a smile touched Linda's lips. It was a wonderful thing, Lady Thea meeting Lady Isolde. Linda had watched the change in her mistress over this past year. The precise, unfeeling machine had slowly given way to a person of genuine warmth and emotion.
Hearing Thea's coquettish whisper, Isolde relaxed completely. “I'm covered in sweat, you know.”
“I don't mind. We can bathe together later.” Thea lifted her head from the golden hair, resting her chin on Isolde's soft shoulder. “By the way, was it him?”
“Yes. Mister Aiden said he needs my help with something.”
As the words left her mouth, the familiar, searing heat returned to her right hand.
“Thea…”
The arms around her waist loosened. Thea looked at the hand glowing with crimson light, a flicker of curiosity in her sharp eyes. What could the red dragon want with Isolde this time?
Isolde lifted her left hand and grasped the red mana thread extending from the sigil.
…
“Mister Aiden?”
The ephemeral species responded as quickly as ever, her voice bright with unconcealed delight.
Aiden stared at the sigil on his claw. “I am here, contractor.”
“Mister Aiden, what do you need Isolde to do?”
So her name is Isolde, he remembered vaguely. Right, she mentioned that once.
“Contractor, I have a batch of magical weapons. Can your people take them off my hands?”
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…
“…Can your people take them off my hands?”
A flicker of disappointment crossed Isolde's face. When it came to magical weapons, she was out of her depth. She lifted her head and looked at Thea. In the year they had known each other, the understanding between them was mutual.
“Thea,” she said, her face breaking into a radiant smile. “Mister Aiden says he has a batch of magical weapons. Will your family take them?”
“We will,” Thea answered simply.
Isolde glanced down at the sigil on her hand, her eyes sparkling. Her smile grew unconsciously, and a soft flush rose to her fair cheeks.
Seeing this charming display, the corners of Linda's lips turned up. Behind her, the attendants Nora and Cora hid their own smiles behind their hands.
“Mister Aiden,” Isolde said, her voice slightly strained. “Thea says they will take them.”
…
Thea? Her servant, perhaps? The thought was dismissed as soon as it formed. A mere servant is of no concern to him. His fortune is what matters.
“Contractor, open a portal. I will send the items through.”
“Mister Aiden, how large should the portal be?”
“A standard portal will suffice.”
The voice on the other end went silent.
A few seconds later, a surge of orange mana erupted from the sigil on Aiden's claw. It swirled into a vortex, which, after a few rotations, violently expanded into a shimmering portal, two yards wide and three yards high.
The ephemeral species is quite efficient, he thought, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes.
He wove threads of his own mana into the air, creating four thick, crimson tendrils that hovered before him. They shot forward, plunging into the orange portal. The gateway immediately began to flicker and distort, destabilizing as if it might collapse at any moment. The instability lasted for a few tense seconds before it settled. The portal was now stable, its orange hue completely replaced by a deep, swirling crimson.
Excellent, Aiden thought, his eyes fixed on his handiwork.
He lowered his head, looking at the two bulging sacks on the floor. With one claw on each, he lifted them and unceremoniously shoved them through the gate.
…
Jingle.
Two large sacks tumbled out of the portal, landing with a heavy thud on the green flagstones of the garden path. All eyes were drawn to the dark, blood-soaked cloth.
Only Thea's gaze remained fixed on the portal itself. A summoning portal should only allow the passage of the summoner's familiar, she mused. But once it turns red, it can transport other things… including, as I recall, a white and a blue dragon. Is this his unique ability? It's a power that twists the very nature of summoning magic. What bloodline does he possess? Is he a descendant of the Fifth, or perhaps even the Sixth Crown?
Her gaze shifted to Isolde, who was now opening the bags with Linda's help.
You are a very lucky woman, Isolde.
…
“Mister Aiden, the items have arrived.”
Hearing the confirmation, Aiden's body went limp. He flopped onto the ground and shuffled to his right, pressing his side against Bianca's flank. The cool white scales were surprisingly pleasant.
“Good. Contractor, have the coins and magical weapons exchanged for gold.”
“Of course, Mister Aiden, but that may take some time.”
“That is fine. Contact me when it is done.”
“You can leave it to Isolde, Mister Aiden!”
He willed the mana link to sever. The connection broke.
His jaws stretched open in a massive yawn. Hah… I'm sleepy again. A growing dragon needs his rest.
His heavy, crimson-scaled eyelids slowly closed. I hope the short-lived contractor can handle things by the time I wake.
His consciousness sank into darkness.
Hooo…
A deep, rumbling snore filled the cave.
…
In the garden, a small crowd had gathered around the contents of the two sacks. A mountain of silver coins was mixed with a smaller amount of gold. An assortment of weapons—swords, longbows, shields—was strewn about, some of human make, others clearly of beastmen design. There was also a great deal of jewelry. One piece stood out: a pendant made from a tusk, with a red magic crystal set in its center. It pulsed with the strongest mana of the lot.
Every single item, from the coins to the weapons, reeked of stale, cloying blood.
Isolde knew little about magical artifacts, so she looked to Thea for appraisal.
That red dragon… Linda thought, grimly surveying the hoard. Did he wipe out an entire beastmen tribe and several high-level adventurer parties?
Meeting Isolde's questioning gaze, Thea stepped forward. Her eyes immediately locked onto the beastman pendant. She picked it up. It was large, the tusk from which it was carved nearly as long as her own finger.
“My lady, be careful of the tip,” Linda warned.
“You worry too much, Linda.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Thea continued to examine the pendant. A two-star magical item. The runes are inscribed on the crystal itself. A pity it's cracked. It's useless now.
She put the pendant down and picked up a gold coin. Wiping away the bloodstain, she revealed the emblem stamped upon it: a lion's head. So, these are beastmen coins. From Stonefang, then. Why would he have gone there?
“Thea?”
Isolde's voice broke her from her thoughts. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed for a moment, then relaxed. “What is it, Isolde?”
“Will your family take these?” Isolde asked, a hint of timidness in her voice. If Thea refused, she would have to find another buyer, and she desperately did not want to disappoint Mister Aiden.
A small, fair hand reached out and gently pinched Isolde's soft, round cheek. Isolde did not pull away.
Satisfied, Thea smiled.
“We'll take it all.”