Chapter 3: Road Trip and Sleepover?! (Wow! :O)

Lower Wind Month, 9th Day, 600 AGG

Tap Tap Tap.

Draudillon's eye twitched.

Tap Tap Tap.

"Could you please stop that gods-damned tapping?"

"Oops," Seph's finger halted above the stool of the carriage window. "Sorry."

"Couldn't you just fly?" Draudillon rubbed her forehead. Sephyrelia had insisted on riding with her in the carriage, rebuffing all her attempts at bringing up alternatives.

In the end, Seph had taken the form of a human—and somehow retracted her wings and halo, though the shoulder orb remained where it was—and Draudillon simply introduced her as a priest from the Theocracy sent as part of a long-term relief effort to avoid raising questions about her background.

"I wouldn't get there any faster," Seph hummed in consideration. "Since I've never been to Duke Carthalo's territory before. I'd probably get lost or something."

"Right, you did mention that," Draudillon grumbled as the carriage hit another bump. Over the past few days, the two engaged in plenty of small talk to pass the journey. Seph had made an offhand remark about being able to cast『Gate』, a spell Draudillon had never heard of before.

Naturally, she was rather shocked upon learning that it was of the Ninth-Tier, a realm that was so far beyond the abilities of mortals that it wasn't even funny. Even the genius wizard Fluder Paradyne could only reach the Sixth-Tier of magic.

Draudillon had the feeling that Seph didn't particularly think this to be something amazing, given by how she went off on a tangent about food of all things.

To be honest, she would have thought Seph to either be lying about her capabilities or completely insane if she hadn't already had an intimate experience with the angel's unrestricted aura. The fact that Seph herself took such a nonchalant stance while divulging something so… incredible was another indicator of honesty. It was like she didn't understand why it was a big deal at all.

Quite frankly, she was glad that the delegation would reach Uncle's estate by evening. Seph had been an enthusiastic conversational companion, and her own stressful overthinking wasn't helping matters either. Praise the gods for vehicular enchantments and the smooth ride they facilitated, for if the journey had been rough, Draudillon doubted her sanity would've been kept intact.

"Speaking of which," Draudillon curiously probed. "You're capable of at least Ninth-Tier magic, but you don't seem to think that's something amazing."

"Mhm," Seph sprawled out over the carriage sofa. Draudillon forced herself not to stare. "Is that weird around here?"

"Like I said before, Sixth-Tier is the limit as far as I know. Anything above that is reaching into the realm of myths," Draudillon paused, considering her next words. "The amount of studying that must have been required beggars belief."

"Well actually, I didn't really study that much," Seph yawned. "Like, the only studying I ever did was probably just figuring out what all my spells did."

"How could it possibly be that easy?" Draudillon muttered to herself, a twinge of annoyance running through her. Even she had her limits when it came to being made fun of. "If it were that simple, we'd have more godlike spellcasters than we would regular people."

"I don't know," Seph shrugged. "Things just worked differently where I came from, I guess."

'But could it really be that different though?!' Draudillon kept her internal screaming to herself and decided to change the topic lest she suffer a mental breakdown. "Anyhow, why were you so insistent on coming along with me?"

Seph stiffened.

"Um, just worried," she turned her face away. "Because, y'know uh, the Beastmen and everything you talked about. N-Not anything weird!"

'Weird?' This whole situation was already weird! Draudillon shook her head in exasperation.

"If you say so." Strangely enough, the lack of a straight answer didn't bother her as much as she thought it would. It would be odd to be completely honest with someone you'd known for less than a week after all.

"S-So anyways!" Seph clapped her hands together as she tried to change the topic. "What were we coming here for again?"

Draudillon resisted the urge to drag her hand down her face. "I told you the morning we set off."

"Oh," Seph cupped her chin with a contemplative look. "I forgot."

'This woman…' Draudillon took a deep breath. "We'll be asking Duke Carthalo to deploy some of his soldiers to other critical locations."

"You said that was your uncle, right?" Seph got up from her prone position. "Why do you two have a bad relationship anyways?"

"It's…" Draudillon bit her lower lip. "A little difficult to explain."

"Ah," Seph looked apologetic. "Just ignore that then."

Draudillon nodded absentmindedly. She used to adore her uncle as a child, but ever since she had awakened to her potential for Wild Magic he had grown more and more distant.

The death of her parents had only caused him to completely cut off contact save for the occasional curt report on the border's situation.

Perhaps circumstances could have different had she—

"Your Majesty," she was brought out of her ruminations by the voice of the Royal Guard who was riding outside the carriage. "We are about to arrive."

"Final—mmph!" Seph's excited voice was muffled by Draudillon's hand. "Mmmrgh!"

"Before we meet the Duke," Draudillon leveled a serious look right into Seph's eyes. "I would ask that you not make a scene."

She waited for Seph to nod before removing her hand and addressing the guard outside. "I see. Thank you for the forewarning."

Draudillon then changed to the child form that so many in the kingdom knew her by as Seph watched on with interest.

"What?" she resisted the urge to squirm under the angel's stare.

"Oh, I was just interested in how your clothes shrunk with you," Seph scratched her nose. "Cool stuff."

"...Aren't you wearing magic items too?" Draudillon asked helplessly. It was difficult to tell whether she was joking or not. "All magic items change to fit their users. And you saw me change the first day we met right? Did my clothes fall off then?"

"Hm," Seph looked down at the floor of the carriage with a contemplative expression. "I didn't notice."

Draudillon made a strangled sound of disbelief. Did acquiring the power of Ninth-Tier magic addle the angel's brain somehow?

The two rode in silence after that, one absolutely oblivious to the frustration she had inflicted upon the other.

'Hah… It's been years since I've met Uncle face to face hasn't it?' A frown crept across Draudillon's face as her mind drifted to the reason for their visit. There weren't many vassals she shied away from nowadays, but issues related to family were always complicated to say the least.

'Let's just get this over with.'

"Welcome, Your Majesty," the white-haired butler bowed. "The Duke will be with you shortly."

"Then we'll wait here…?" Draudillon raised a questioning eyebrow towards the butler.

"I apologize for my rudeness. This servant's name is Motril Gimeno."

"Then we'll wait here, Gimeno," Draudillon dismissed the butler with a nod before taking a seat on one of the sofas in the antechamber. The Royal Guards continued to stand vigilantly while Seph looked around awkwardly, unsure of whether to stand or sit.

After a few minutes of tense waiting, one of the younger Royal Guards could no longer take the delay.

"Your Majesty. For the Duke to be this impudent, he really must have forgotten his place!" The youthful guard saluted Draudillon. She held back a sigh. "Simply give the word and—"

"And what?" She cut him off. "Arrest him? Replace him? Invoke sanctions? Those are all terrible options even in times of peace, much less now.

"Guard Captain," the dragon queen looked at the stern man in ornate armor. "I had not thought that such… boldness would come from the mouth of a Royal Guard."

"He will be disciplined upon our return, Your Majesty," the Guard Captain lowered his head before directing a dirty gaze at the youngster who stiffened his back and blushed in response.

Draudillon imperceptibly shook her head. She could only hope that her guards would be able to display more of their usual self-control when Uncle arrived.

She took a quick peek at Seph. To her shock, the angel appeared surprisingly tranquil whilst preoccupying herself with observing the surroundings.

'She looks really good while doing—ahhhh, what am I even thinking about at a moment like this?'

Unfortunately, Seph chose that moment to catch her peeking. To Draudillon's mortification, the angel smiled and gave a small wave. In front of all the Royal Guards.

She quickly turned her head away and prayed for Uncle to hurry up. Perhaps the gods existed in some shape after all, for the butler chose that moment to reenter.

"The Duke will see you now, Your Majesty."

Draudillon gestured for the Royal Guards and Seph to stay behind as she rose and followed Gimeno to the sitting room.

She was guided into a room that could be considered cozy were she not here for business. As things stood, the compartment felt stifling.

Though she had rebuked the younger guard earlier, he had made a good point. The poor reception was unusually insulting—especially considering her status—and while she wasn't offended by any means, it certainly did not bode well for the coming talk.

Draudillon glanced around at the decorations. Plenty of mounted heads—mostly wild game, but some monsters too—and a panoply of weapons, bones, and a few helms that she assumed were war trophies.

It felt disquieting in a way. Almost as if Uncle was judging her lack of military success.

No, it was definitely that. This setting was far too obvious to be implying anything else. Draudillon straightened her back. There was a time to show weakness, and that time certainly wasn't now.

Uncle—no, Duke Carthalo—walked in and gave her a condescending look before sitting down on the divan opposite to her.

"So it seems that what I've heard about this… form you have decided to take is true," his mouth lifted in a near-sneer. "Now, for what reasons have you decided to grace my lands, Your Majesty?"

Draudillon shrugged off the insult. It wasn't anything she hadn't heard whispered before, but to hear it from the Duke stung a bit deeper than she'd like to admit.

"Fort Adelemus requires—"

"Stop," the Duke lifted his hand and cut her off. "What you're asking for is impossible. It is difficult enough to defend my borders with my resources as they are, much less so if I had to send good men and women to the fort."

"Duke Carthalo," she fought back the urge to scowl. "If Adelemus falls then—"

"Yes, yes, yes," he scoffed. "If Adelemus falls, then the Beastmen will have a clear path to the heart of the kingdom. And what about it? Do you expect me to sacrifice my own domain?

"If you're truly having such a difficult time, then why not rely on that Holy Knight of yours?" his gaze sharpened. "After all, isn't that the reason you've given up your dignity? So that you could lay it at the feet of that pond scum, hm?"

"That pond scum is one of the main reasons why the border hasn't been as pressured as it would have been," Draudillon shot back, squashing the small voice inside her that agreed with Uncle. "Even if our treasury was in a better state, acquiring a long term contract with anything or anyone on the level of an Adamantite adventurer team would be a difficult task. Unless you somehow have had success in petitioning our neighbors?"

Duke Carthalo snorted. "That hardly changes the truth. Haven't two cities already fallen in the northeast despite his efforts? And you know better than to ask about the sentiment of our human compatriots. Either way, I'm afraid you've wasted your time here, Your Majesty. It would be a different story if Oriculo was under immediate threat, but abandoning one front for another makes for a poor solution here."

"I see where you're coming from and can't bring myself to completely disagree, but allowing them to make any more headway up north would result in an unimaginable number of deaths."

"Then use your Wild Magic," the Duke shrugged. "If the Beastmen are going to slaughter that many people then would it not be better for them to give up their lives in one last stand?"

Draudillon felt sick to her stomach. In the end, it always came back to this, didn't it? Allow the Beastman Country to slowly whittle down her kingdom or consume over a million of her citizens' souls for a last-ditch attack?

No matter what she did, Hell was her destiny.

'If only I was strong enough to bear the cost of the dirge myself.'

"I…" her mouth suddenly grew dry. He was right, wasn't he? If they were all going to die anyways, it really would be better to go out fighting than being eaten alive.

Duke Carthalo closed his eyes and sighed. "You're still too soft. In that respect, you're like your mother."

'Why bring up mother now?' A sense of annoyance pervaded Draudillon. Uncle's demeanor had immediately mellowed upon mentioning her late mother: his sister. The comparison felt unnecessary.

"Your Majesty," he opened his eyes. "The vassal I had sent to Oriculo—I presume he's returning?"

"Yes," Draudillon was unsure of where he was going with this. "I'm surprised we arrived before him."

"Indeed," the Duke scratched his beard. "I had him sent to Fort Adelemus. He's no Cerabrate, but his presence ought to shore up the defenses for a good while. This is as far as my help can extend, Your Majesty. If that is all…?"

"I see," Draudillon's mouth twisted into a wry smile. "Thank you for your service to the crown, Duke Carthalo."

'So he predicted that I would petition for aid and already decided on his course of action…' Being outplayed and having it rubbed in her face was unpleasant, but this was far more preferable to complete rejection.

"It is my honor, Your Majesty," Duke Carthalo got up from the divan and bowed. It was a credit to his acting skills that Draudillon wouldn't have guessed he was mocking her were it not for their conversation just now. "Seeing as it's already late, I will have my servants lead you to your rooms for the night."

"We shall impose on you for the time being then," Draudillon nodded and followed the Duke as he led her back to the antechamber.

"How odd," the Duke mumbled to himself. Draudillon raised an eyebrow. "To think you would have gotten so close with the Theocracy to bring one of their priests along with you."

'She's not a Theocracy priest though,' Draudillon stayed silent. Allowing news of an unknown element to spread had the potential to birth unease in the populace. Better for people to believe that Seph was just another Theocracy agent than for them to learn she had literally popped up out of nowhere.

'Perhaps this could even be a way to bait the Theocracy into sending more aid… Though that would be a rather risky gambit.'

She could use Seph to garner curiosity from the Theocracy, but selling her out like that felt… wrong. Like she was betraying some sort of unspoken trust.

'Uncle's right. I've gotten soft.'

"—and you win if you have the most sets!" The doors were opened, and Draudillon was welcomed to the sight of Seph waving around a stack of cards in front of the Royal Guards. "Oooh, you're back already?"

In spite of the bothersome conversation earlier, Draudillon found herself smiling. "There wasn't much to discuss, and the Duke and I were able to quickly come to a consensus. Speaking of which, what were you doing?"

"Ah, Priestess Sephyrelia was teaching us how to play 'Go Fish', Your Majesty." the young guard from earlier eagerly responded. "Perhaps we'll have time to play it now that you've taught us the rules, Priestess!"

"No," Draudillon was surprised at how forceful her voice came out. "We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning, so it would be best if you all got some rest."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the guards—and Seph—saluted her. Gimeno, who had been standing off to the side, stepped forward and took the lead.

"If you would, I will lead you all to your quarters for the night," Draudillon nodded as her retinue followed suit. "I assume that the Priestess will be housed in her own quarters…?"

"She will be quartering with me," Draudillon ignored the perplexed look the butler gave her. "There are topics of import that need to be discussed between her and I."

"...as you wish, Your Majesty."

" 'Kay, see all you guys later!" Seph waved to the guards as they were directed elsewhere by another servant.

"So… 'Go Fish'?" Draudillon raised an eyebrow at Seph as they followed Gimeno down a hallway.

"Oh! Did you want to play too? So how it goes is you want to—"

"Here are your quarters for the night, Your Majesty. Priestess," Seph pouted at Gimeno cutting off her explanation. "If you desire anything, then please just ring the bell."

"Noted," Draudillon inclined her head in thanks before walking into the room, Seph in tow. Once the butler was out of sight, the angel dove onto the bed.

"An enthusiastic showing," Draudillon noted, closing the door behind them. "You seem a bit less reserved than when we were at the castle."

"Hm? That's 'cause it was your room right? This is more like," the angel hummed in thought. "Like a fancy hotel or something!" She merrily rolled around on the bed.

"Do you ever run out of energy?" Draudillon tiredly smiled as she shifted through the closet for appropriate nightwear. The wardrobe was stocked full; it appeared Uncle really did expect her to come. "You've been quite spirited ever since we've met."

"Nope!" Seph popped the 'p'. "Don't need to sleep, and everything has been super interesting and new."

"I'm glad you're having fun," Draudillon rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth as she withstood the wave of exhaustion that came with shifting back into her original, mature self. "With all that said, are you unable to teleport back?"

"Huh?" Seph stopped rolling. "Oh. Ohhhh."

"You forgot. Either way, to leave now would be to insult the Duke's hospitality," Draudillon stated, unimpressed, and raised one of the provided nightdresses. "Could you turn away for a moment?"

"O-Oh, yeah, okay!" Seph flipped over so her face was pressed into a pillow. " 'm nth loohghn."

The dragon queen sighed and took off her dress—magic items were awfully convenient, to allow the easy removal of an otherwise complex outfit—before slipping on the nightdress.

"I… would not have any objections if you wish to rest upon the bed," Draudillon couldn't bring herself to force Seph to sleep elsewhere, especially not after that lively—and endearing if she were being honest—display.

"You sure?" Seph peeked at her from over the pillow. "N-Not that I'm going to do anything weird! Yu—Sephyrelia will be on her best behavior, yup!"

'And now I want to retract what I just said…' Draudillon kept that thought to herself and instead said, "I trust you won't do anything untowards."

With that, she climbed into bed and under the covers as she did her best to ignore the fidgeting presence of her unfortunately attractive but very ridiculous bedmate.

"Draudillon?"

"Yes?"

"What's your favorite food?"

"Huh—What?" Draudillon snapped her face towards Seph. "How is this relevant to anything?"

"It's, well, this feels like a sleepover a-and," Seph hid her face under the duvet. "... I wanted to get to know you better."

An awkward silence stretched between them.

"I'm so sorry, thatwasareallydumb—"

"Asturian meat and bean soup. I've always found it comforting."

Seph's head poked out from under the blanket. Slowly, she blinked as her lips curled into a small smile.

"That's cool. I've never had that before, but um, maybe we could get that sometime?" she asked hopefully.

"Perhaps," Draudillon tiredly acquiesced. "And you?"

"Me?"

"Favorite food."

"Oh, oh! Taiyaki ice cream, for sure!" Seph tried to sneakily wipe away her drool. "It's like this fish-shaped pancake wrapped around this, this, um…"

"Chilled sweet?" Draudillon guessed. 'Ice cream' was an unfamiliar term, but it did sound similar to sweet snow.

"Yeah! You guys have that around here?"

"It's an ill-afforded luxury," Draudillon felt her smile die down a little. "Perhaps one day when this war is over."

"Oh, sorry for bringing—"

"You don't have to apologize for that," Draudillon closed her eyes. "The war is hardly your fault."

"..."

Conversation over, Draudillon rolled over to face the other side, leaving Seph to her ruminations.

'Gods, the last time I'd shared a bed was with mother and father decades ago before they —'

"Good night," Seph whispered, pulling her out of her downward spiral.

'Did it always feel so warm?'