Chapter 231: Something Smells Fishy

Chapter 231: Something Smells Fishy

Early Morning - Early Winter : Central Valtivar, Siratha

*fwoosh* *fwoosh* *fwoosh* Casually flying over the canopy, I started making my way back to Leif's estate, but I still had a lot on my mind. "Haah..." -Every time I feel like I am getting close to an answer.. ten more questions appear...-

To call it an annoying situation was an understatement since, even though I made some progress, I felt farther from the answers than I did originally. -But dwelling on things like that won't do me any good...-

Quickly shaking my head, I silenced my rampant theorizing and shifted gears. -Grandmother should be done with whatever she needed, so I should meet back up with her...-

Finally making it to Vilulf's treant, I lowered myself to the canopy and changed to my humanoid form.

*skshh* *tap* After sliding down a few absolutely massive leaves, I eventually landed on a small branch and started working my way down through the canopy.

Eventually, though, I landed on a branch with some unusual scars on it. -Claw marks?- It honestly looked like a dragon or wyvern had clawed the branch, but not only were they fresh, they were also too long to be something like an attack. -Did a dragon fall off?-

Using a bit of my aura to keep me pinned to the branch, I walked over the edge and looked at the estate below. -What the hell?-

Laying there in the courtyard with dried blood staining the ground around its head, wings, and legs was a fairly large dark blue dragon.

It looked quite mangled from what I could tell, but it slowly twitched as if it were on the verge of waking up. -Why are Grandmother and Leif just leaving it there?- Although I knew I would have no issue, no matter the reason, I couldn't say I wasn't curious.

Finally continuing to make my way down, I planned to go check out the dragon first, but ended up passing Leif's office and noticed the window was broken. -Hm? I still feel their auras.. what happened?-

Casually hopping over onto the window frame, I motioned Ilios next to me and looked inside to see everyone doing their own thing and not talking at all. -It seems they are done...-

*Vwoom* "So, how did things go?" My voice shredded the silence without mercy, causing everyone, including Leif, to jolt and turn to me.

Grandmother was quick to calm back down, but Leif and Alva were not the same.

Immediately dashing over to the window seal Ilios and I sat on, Leif and Alva groveled in front of me. "Apostle Leif Vilulf humbly greets the Lords!"

"Apostle Alva Aetla humbly greets the Lords!" Alva was visibly shaking as she held her forehead to the ground.

But it stopped the moment I spoke. "You may raise your heads."

Slowly looking up at me, Leif wore a look of worship and pride, while Alva stared at me in awe.

"Y-y-yes!" She gave a flustered response but seemed much more positive than before. "I will be sure to not let you down!"

Her oddly childish enthusiasm quickly raised my mood as Grandmother finally got up to the window and followed me out.

Quickly jumping up the estate and running up the trunk of the treant, we started working our way through the canopy until we got to one of the highest branches that could still hold my dragon form. *flash*

Finally letting Grandmother into my paw, I noticed her expression had turned troubled again. -Just.. what did they talk about?-

But that was a question that would be answered not long after we got in the air.

"Vasilias, I'm guessing you spoke with the apostles about what happened?" She wore a conflicted expression as she spoke.

"About the dragon, or about what you two discussed?"

"What we discussed."

I paused for a moment before glancing at her. "No, I actually didn't think much of it. I guess I assumed it was something that was mainly on the draconic side of things."

"Haah... It really should be, but sadly things aren't so simple."

-Hm?- "What do you mean? What did you find?"

"Well, as expected, there were dragons behind the information leaks over the past several years, but after looking at everything together with a timeline and everything, their motive became quite obvious..." Her expression continued to darken. "Whoever the group of dragons is, they look like they are trying to get the people of Siratha to view dragons like people, not monsters..."

-What?- I immediately glanced at her with a confused look. "Why is that so bad?"

Right after I said that however, the answer popped into my head, but it was too late. "It's bad because it means they're trying to integrate dragons into Sirathan society... They're trying to do what the Ouranós family did to the Forgotten Islands all those years ago, but this time.. they have things to gain besides land and money..."

My eyes went wide as I slowly started realizing the implications of her words. -Could they be...-

But my thoughts quickly came to a halt as I looked toward the mountains in front of us and noticed a group of elders the size of Grandmother eyeing us. -What the... A dragon at the estate.. and now here...-

It didn't take much to but two and two together. -Something.. is wrong here...-