"By the way, Your Highness, aren't you supposed to be exploring the Gate of the Apocalypse right now?" Lux asked as he trailed behind Aur, who was leading him to the guest room prepared just for him.
"Calling me Your Highness after fighting side by side with me sounds stiff," Aur replied before giving Lux a smile that would make any lady swoon over him. "Just call me Aur. I've been calling you Lux, so it's only fair that you call me by name as well."
"But…" Lux glanced at Piccoro, who was walking beside them with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Since His Highness has given you permission to call him by his name, you should just obey and be honored for receiving such treatment," Piccoro replied. "Such privileges are not given to just anyone, so you better be thankful for the grace that he has given you, filthy Low Lander."
Lux wasn't offended by Piccoro's taunts and instead found it very tame.
After all, he had been stuck with Hereswith for two whole weeks. Compared to his grandmaster's profanities, the Dragon Born's ridicule felt just like a passing wind.
"You asked me why I didn't go to the Gate of the Apocalypse, right?" Aur said. "Originally, the plan was for me to go there, along with the Rankers of the Crystal Palace. However, after hearing from Aunt Augustina that you would be coming to our Domain, I decided to stay and let my subordinates handle the exploration by themselves.
"By the way, how did you manage to leave the Dungeon without appearing at the Gate of the Fallen? Piccoro waited outside the gate for nearly a month, you know?"
The black-scaled Dragon Born's lips twitched after being reminded of the wasted time that he had spent, waiting for the Half-Elf to exit the Dungeon.
Just like Aur, he was curious about how the Half-Elf was able to leave without leaving the Dungeon the normal way.
"Um, about that, after I left the Dungeon, I was teleported to a different place," Lux said with a calm expression on his face. "Since I was already outside the Dungeon, I returned to the Outer Reaches in order to handle a few things in my Guild Headquarters. Then, I returned to my home world to have a family reunion.
"Actually, I just returned from Solais, and the first thing I did was come here to the Crystal Palace to ask the Steward for protection against the Divine Army of Light."
Piccoro remained silent as Lux explained what happened on his side after leaving the Dungeon.
As a Saint, he knew that the Half-Elf only spoke half-truths. Even so, since Aur was around, he decided to no longer berate the red-headed teenager for making him wait for nearly a month.
"The name of your world is Solais, right?" Aur inquired. "What is it like? All of you Foreigners can visit our world, but we are unable to visit your world. Sometimes, I feel that it is a little unfair."
"Well, I have only seen a bit of Solais, so I can't really give you a good description of it," Lux answered. "I grew up in Wildgarde Stronghold and stayed there for 16 years. You can even say that I have seen more of Elysium than I had seen Solais. Here, I can go anywhere I want without worrying about the miasma that is spreading at the borders of our territories."
The Half-Elf then told the Dragon Prince about his life in Wildgarde Stronghold, as well as the frustrations he had in the past due to his weak body.
Naturally, he neither told Aur about the God of Games nor about how he managed to recover from his weakness. He only mentioned that he had a fortuitous encounter and that it allowed him to finally come to Elysium, where his adventure officially started.
"The Kingdom of Gweliven?" Aur pondered. "The name isn't familiar to me. But I'm a bit jealous. You can travel to different places whenever you want. As for me…"
Aur trailed off and didn't finish his explanation.
Lux understood that, as the Prince of the Crystal Palace, the places he was allowed to go to were very limited. Not only that, even if he were allowed to go out, he would always be surrounded by countless protectors that would ensure his safety.
"Your Highness, the outside world isn't as safe as you think," Piccoro commented. "As the sole Heir of the Crystal Palace, your safety is of the utmost import—"
"Enough, Piccoro," Aur stated. "I understand. You don't have to worry about me."
"Yes, Your Highness." The Dragon Born bowed apologetically to his Prince.
A few minutes later, they finally arrived at their destination.
The Half-Elf thought that Aur would leave as soon as he showed him his temporary lodgings. But on the contrary, the Dragon Prince stayed inside the room and asked Lux to tell him about his adventures in Leaf Village.
Of course, Aur didn't forget to ask Lux how he was able to acquire the Dragon Token, which he had temporarily turned over to Lady Augustina for safekeeping.
"Hahaha, you fought against Kobolds?" Piccoro laughed. "You're lucky that the Cadmus Guy didn't snap your head off. If I were in his shoes, I wouldn't think twice about doing it."
"Well, I am on good terms with the Kobold Tribe now after that incident," Lux replied. "In fact, they were one of my first Guild Members. They are even helping me gather resources for my Guild."
"That's the only thing they are good for." Piccoro snorted. "Dig, dig, and dig. They are like those Dwarves that have nothing better to do than burrow under the Earth. Um, Dwarves, as of late, have learned to explore above the ground as well. Their ability to not get lost in the places that they have traveled before is a very remarkable ability."
Lux could tell that Piccoro looked down on anyone aside from the Dragon Race, but he was fine with that.
Cethus was the same in the past, but now, the Dragon Born had become less arrogant… at least when he was with them.
"So, ever since that day you cleared the Dungeon, you have had the Dragon Token in your hands, right?" Aur asked with a calm expression on his face. "You also said that you have summoned K-Keoza twice. That means that you can only summon him one last time?"
Lux nodded. "Yes. He said that I could call out to him three times. There was a time when he helped me of his own accord even when I didn't ask for his help. If he hadn't, I don't know what might have happened to me. Back then, I was consumed by the lust for vengeance that I don't have much recollection of what happened. All I wanted to do in my berserk state was to kill people."
The Half-Elf noticed that Aur and Piccoro were very interested in the stories about Keoza. Because of this, he told them about the times when he asked for the Crystal Dragon's help, as well as the advice he had given to him whenever he needed it the most.
"You are lucky to have received His Maje—I mean, Keoza's Dragon Token." Piccoro cleared his throat. "I'm sure that you would have long been dead if you hadn't acquired it due to how stupid and weak you are."
"Well, you're not wrong," Lux nodded. "I owe Keoza a lot. With him by my side, I feel like I have a good luck charm that will help me overcome the obstacles that stand before me."
"Hmph!" Piccoro snorted, but he didn't say anything to the Half-Elf.
Aur, on the other hand, smiled and asked Lux to continue his tale about his adventures in Solais.
Seeing how enthusiastic the Dragon Prince was, the Half-Elf decided to continue his tale until the sun had set over the horizon.
When Aur left the room, he thanked Lux for his time and promised to accompany him in exploring their Capital City, Rex Zariza, when morning came.
The Half-Elf thanked Aur and Piccoro for their hospitality before retiring for the night.
His Master, Gaap, had left the Half-Elf to talk to some old acquaintances and promised that he would be back as soon as possible.
Since the Halfling still hadn't returned, Lux thought that he might be doing a lot of catching up with the Dragon Borns who owed a lot of debt to his Grandmaster, Hereswith.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦