Chapter 301 I'm bidding the Imperial Dragons goodbye?
White Dragon Labyrinth Exploration Arc.
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(POV: Lumiere)
As soon as the Imperial Dragons came, they planned on leaving.
Another portal materialized before us, Klaus, smothered by both Eunaria and Laura who clung to him affectionately, shifted his attention towards me.
"Looks like this is where we part ways," he stated calmly.
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I processed his words. "You guys are leaving already?" I remarked.
Laura, her head held high with an air of superiority, turned to me with a sly smile playing on her lips. "Oh, don't worry. If you miss us too much, it's okay," she taunted, her voice still with that same condescending arrogance.
A response of disagreement escaped my lips almost immediately.
"I don't," I replied firmly, trying to brush off her provocation.
The response came almost as fast as she said it.
Cenis stepped forward, a calm and composed expression adorning her face. "Actually, we were meant to come here," she explained.
A puzzled expression crossed my face as I questioned their purpose.
"You were meant to come here? Why?"
Cenis nodded. "Yes, our presence here is crucial. If we hadn't intervened, it would have had profound consequences for the entire cosmological framework of our existence," she explained.
Ravenna, visibly perplexed, spoke softly to herself, trying to process this newfound information. "Wait, how does that even work?" she murmured.
Chuckling lightly at Ravenna's confusion, I turned to face Cenis and suggested, "I suppose you'll have to take Ravenna along as well or seal her again, huh?"
Now, I was against that, but there was nothing I could do.
Just because I was lucky didn't mean the same could be said for Ravenna.
Curse Kings were still generally hated.
At my remark, Ravenna's hair fell across her face, effectively masking her expression.
She lowered her head.
"W... Why would you say that and laugh?" she questioned, her fists clenched tightly.
There was vulnerability and heavy sadness in our voice.
Realizing my mistake, I hurried to clarify my intentions.
"No, that's not what I meant, Ravenna. I just—"
I began explaining, only to be abruptly cut off by her dismissive response.
"Whatever," she muttered, turning her attention to Cenis. "If you want to take me with you, go ahead. It's not like I have the strength to fight against you," she conceded.
Why did I even say that? It was an absolute jerk move. I should've known how she felt about this place even with how calm she was. After all, I saw her past, how lonely she was, leaving her here for another century would mentally destroy her... And yet I said that for some stupid reason.
If I'm being honest, if I was Ravenna I'd have slapped me.
Rather than speak any further, I decided it was best to keep quiet.
He turned to face her fully, tilting his neck and letting out a satisfying crack. After sighing calmly, he shrugged gently and coolly remarked, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot how much I should despise Curse Kings. Maybe it's because you guys are so incredibly weak that I almost forgot you were here."
Why does he always have to find one manner or the other to brag...?
It was getting annoying, too annoying.
"That's enough, Klaus." Cenis turned her sight to him.
Klaus gently clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Why should I? Curse Kings are the ones who endlessly love to flaunt their power... Shouldn't I let them know their place?"
Ravenna stood there, her shoulders slumping under the weight of sorrow. Without reacting to Klaus? words, she kept her gaze fixed on the ground. Maybe it was just me, but I could've sworn I saw tears welling up in her eyes.
In a barely audible voice, she murmured, "It's not like I chose to be a Curse King."
My fists clenched at her quiet admission.
I wanted to speak up, to defend her, but before I could utter a word, Klaus interrupted, tauntingly asking, "So, are you going to get angry now? I thought you were the type to fight for women."
His words stung like a slap across the face, igniting a fiery rage within me.
"..."
I gritted my teeth, ready to unleash my pent-up fury.
"Oh come on, Lumiere, we can fight you know... You can release some of that anger of yours. I'm sure you'd be able to scratch me once out a several hundred million times, or maybe even less, if you get lucky..."
Klaus gently laughed again.
"You should be proud of that much, at least..."
Cenis stepped in front of me, shielding me from Klaus' provocation.
But I didn't need another woman defending me... I just didn't want to do something that I'd regret.
Cenis? eyes held a stern warning as she addressed him, "That's enough, Klaus. You've said more than enough today."
Unfazed, Klaus let out a mischievous chuckle, his smirk never faltering.
"Hah, I suppose you're right," he conceded, and so casually too.
He acted like what he said seconds ago was trivial to him, and maybe he perceived himself strong enough that it was.
Klaus yawned nonchalantly, his arms tucked behind his neck, as he addressed Ravenna. "To be honest, there's no point in keeping you in this labyrinth any longer," he said, his words coming out with casual indifference. Ravenna's head lifted, a glimmer of hope in her voice mingling with a sense of disbelief.
"Really...?" she asked.
A warm smile graced Klaus' face.
"Well of course, I mean you've been trapped here for almost a century, it'd be better if we let you go, even Rivka wouldn't be so heartless that she'd want to let you rot here..."
Cenis chimed in, turning to Ravenna. "And you above all know how your soul is feeling right now."
Ravenna placed a trembling hand on her chest. "Yes, I know."
Feeling the weariness of standing, Laura interjected, "Let's get going, big brother."
Klaus affectionately patted her head, acknowledging her restlessness. "You're right, Laura, it's time to go," he agreed.
Cenis signaled her intention to leave, but before she could take her leave, Ravenna reached out and grabbed her right hand.
Cenis turned to her in surprise, her eyebrows raised in curiosity. "Hn?"
Trembling, Ravenna expressed her gratitude.
"Thank you so much, Cenis. I'm truly grateful," she whispered, her voice barely above a breathy murmur.
Cenis' smile widened. "No problem at all, Ravenna. I have to go now," she replied softly, gently extracting her hand from Ravenna's grasp.
With a final nod, Cenis approached Klaus and the other Imperial Dragons.
"I can't wait to see you in a few months' time..." Cenis told me.
"A few... Months?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Nevermind..." she replied.
Startled, I realized I still had unanswered questions.
"Wait, Cenis, I still have some questions," I called out.
"Oh, would you look at the time..." Cenis looked at the nonexistent sky.
"THERE'S NO FRIGGIN? TIME!"
She gently cocked her head and said, "Oh, my bad."
"Oh yeah," Klaus remembered. "Could you greet Stellaria for me?"
"Wait... You know Stel—"
They vanished.
Bastards.
Ravenna stood there, her face concealed by a veil of silence, my eyes wandered over her form, searching for any indication of her emotions.
I still screwed up though.
Before I could reach out to comfort her, Ravenna suddenly spun around and enveloped me in a tight embrace.
Startled, I stood still, unsure of how to react.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier," I blurted out.
Ravenna's voice, muffled against my head, wafted up in a gentle reply, "I don't care about that anymore."
Ravenna's embrace tightened, her arms holding me close as tears welled up in her eyes. Silent tears trickled down her cheeks, dampening my hair.
"You're finally free," I murmured softly.
Ravenna nodded, not wanting to let go.
Her breasts were pressed against my face, but I could manage that.
With a gentle smile, Ravenna pulled back slightly, her eyes meeting mine.
"Um, could we...stay like this for a while?" she asked.
"Your breasts are on my face though."
"It's fine."
"Then of course."
I was happy Ravenna was free.
But there was still something strange about it all.
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