"About time you return," Cethus scoffed after hearing Lux's inquiry. "Aside from your Kobold friends mining underground, nothing else has happened while you are gone. Only today have we gotten some pesky country bumpkins who do not know their place."
Cethus gave Valerie, as well as her two handmaidens, a sidelong glance before turning his attention back to the Half-Elf, who had just returned from who knows where.
"You really should fix that high and mighty attitude of yours, Cethus." Lux sighed. "One day, you will get into trouble for looking down on everyone."
"That day will not come." Cethus scoffed. "I am a member of the Royal Guard. Who dares to challenge the authority of the Dragon King?"
Lux shook his head helplessly before looking at the three guests that he had not met before now.
"I apologize if Cethus has been rude to the three of you," Lux said with a smile. "His mother accidentally dropped him when he was still an egg, so he's a little whacked in the head."
To his surprise, the plain-looking girl giggled after hearing his words. She then looked at Cethus with a pitying look as if she finally understood why the Dragon Born didn't look so smart.
"Well, I'm sure his mother didn't mean to drop him when he was still an egg, so I'll be the bigger person and forgive him for his trespass against me," Valerie said with her arms crossed over his chest.
Ali and Ari, who were beside her, immediately praised her for being an understanding and magnanimous person.
Cethus, who was listening to the side, snapped and grabbed the Half-Elf's shoulder, gripping it tightly.
"Oi! Just who was dropped when he was an egg?" Cethus asked with a glare as he increased the power of his grip.
He knew that Lux was just an Apostle, so he was planning to teach the Half-Elf a lesson that he shouldn't mess with a Dragon Born like him.
However, to his surprise, Lux just arched an eyebrow as his shoulder was grabbed by Cethus, who had the intention of breaking his arm.
Although it couldn't be seen on the surface, red dragon scales covered part of Lux's arm, preventing the Dragon Born from using his strength to break it.
"Are you done?" Lux asked after a minute had passed. He then unceremoniously pried the Dragon Born's hand from his arm, making Cethus look at him in disbelief.
"You're now an Initiate?" Cethus looked at the Half-Elf with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Yes," Lux replied.
Cethus couldn't believe that the red-headed teenager who was weaker than him had suddenly risen to his Rank in a short period of time.
The Dragon Born was only in the middle of the Initiate Rank, but his position as a Royal Guard allowed him to move unhindered anywhere in Karshvar Draconis. Even Rankers didn't dare to challenge his authority because of who he represented.
However, Lux was different. He was someone that the Crystal Dragon, Keoza, had recognized, allowing him to have full control of the Island granted to him by the Dragon King.
Cethus might be able to bully him when he was still weaker than him, but now, things would change.
Lux was no longer an Apostle, but an Initiate who was on his way to becoming a Ranker!
After getting his fill from looking at Cethus' shocked expression, the Half-Elf glanced at his three guests and made a gesture for them to enter his castle.
"Since the three of you are our first guests in my Guild Headquarters, allow me to offer you some refreshments," Lux said with a friendly smile.
"Can we also tour the castle?" Valerie asked.
"Sure," Lux replied, "but there is nothing much to see right now. The castle has just been built and it doesn't have any decorations inside. The most we have are a few tables, chairs, and beds for the Kobolds that are currently staying inside our headquarters."
Valerie was slightly disappointed because she thought that the interior of the marble castle was just as majestic as its exterior. Even so, she was still thankful that Lux agreed to her request to tour the interior of the castle.
"It is I who have come here without any announcement, so I will just enjoy the experience," Valerie commented. "By the way, my name is Vale... Valencia. These two ladies here are my handmaidens, Ali and Ari."
Valerie didn't want others to know her real name, so she decided to use an alias. Her reason for visiting the Outer Reaches was to meet the Half-Elf, whose notoriety had traveled all the way to the capital of Karhsvar Draconis, making her very curious about him.
"Ali thanks you for accepting our Mistress' requests," Ali said as she gave Lux a brief bow.
"On behalf of my Mistress, Ari thanks you for your hospitality," Ari stated as she also gave Lux a brief bow.
Lux bowed back and introduced himself to his three guests, who had come all the way to tour his guild headquarters.
"My name is Lux Von Kaizer, and I am the Guildmaster of Ars Goetia," Lux announced. "This cute Slime on top of my head is my daughter, Eiko, and the Half-Elf beside me is Gerhart. As for Cethus... well, you already know him, so let's skip his introduction."
Cethus, who was treated as an extra, glared at the Half-Elf, but he no longer made any moves to apprehend him.
Earlier, he had used almost his full strength to break Lux's arm, but the Half-Elf didn't even budge, making him feel that the Half-Elf's strength might have even surpassed his.
Lux then took a step forward and placed both of his hands over the main entrance of his castle and pushed it open.
The giant doors made of marble made rumbling sounds, but they parted, welcoming their Master as he returned to manage his Guild.
Half an hour later...
"Uh... this tea tastes bland," Valerie complained after sipping the tea that Lux had made for her. "You're not good at preparing tea, aren't you?"
"No," Lux admitted. "But, I am confident about the taste of these cookies."
Lux offered the cookies that were made by Rose from the Rowan Tribe.
Valerie picked one and took a bite. A second later, a very satisfied expression appeared on her face as she continued to eat the cookie that was offered to her.
"This is indeed good," Valerie said. "Can I have another?"
"Of course."
"Thank you."
After offering the plain-looking lady another cookie, the Half-Elf took one and offered it to Eiko, who had crawled down onto his shoulder.
Eiko happily munched the cookie, making Valerie look at the baby slime with great interest. Even Ali and Ari found this interaction between Lux and Eiko very endearing to their eyes.
"Um, I'd like to confirm something. You said Eiko a Slime?" Valerie inquired as she continued to look at the Baby Slime, who was about to eat another cookie.
"She is a Slime," Lux answered. "Is this your first time seeing one?"
"Yes." Valerie nodded. "There are no Slimes in Karshvar Draconis. C-Can I touch her?"
Lux glanced at Eiko, and the latter nodded her head. Since the Baby Slime didn't mind getting touched by Valerie, the Half-Elf decided to grant the plain-looking girl's wish.
"Don't squish her, okay?" Lux warned as she presented Eiko to Valerie. "She might attack if you squish her too much."
"Okay," Valerie replied as she used her finger to lightly poke Eiko's cheeks, making the baby slime giggle. "She's so soft... and jiggly."
A few minutes later, Eiko sat on Valerie's lap, while the young lady patted her head to her heart's content.
She had never seen a Slime before, but she had heard many things about them. According to the book she read, they were one of the weakest creatures in existence and were most often killed by the young land dwellers as part of their training.
Because of this, she didn't think much about them.
However, after Valerie saw how well-behaved Eiko was and how the baby slime giggled every time she lightly squeezed her cheeks, she wondered if she could also get a Baby Slime as a pet that was just as cute as Eiko.
Cethus, who had also entered the castle alongside Lux, observed the Half-Elf from a distance away.
He was dying to ask Lux how he had gotten stronger in a short period of time, but his pride wouldn't allow it.
'I'll pay closer attention to you now that you're here,' Cethus thought. 'If you really have a secret for how to become stronger in a short period of time, I must find a way to learn it as well.'
Cethus was the weakest member of the Royal Guards.
Truth be told, all the members of the Royal Guards were A-Rankers and above.
The only reason why he became a Royal Guard was due to his grandma's outstanding merit and loyalty to the Dragon King. If it weren't for that, Cethus wouldn't have received an exception to enter the ranks of the King's personal guards.
Although many of the members of the Royal Guard weren't too thrilled with their King's decision, they still reluctantly accepted it because the Dragon Born's grandmother was truly an outstanding individual.
She was one of the SSS-Rankers of Karshvar Draconis and had stayed with the Dragon King even before he was crowned the King of all Dragonkind.
Cethus was painfully aware that his position and influence were all because of his Grandma's efforts, so he didn't want to disappoint her.
However, even after becoming a member of the Royal Guard, Cethus' Rank stagnated.
No matter how much he trained, he was unable to accomplish the missions that members of the Royal Guard should be able to do.
Just like all organizations, the Royal Guards had a merit system in which they could use points to exchange resources from the Royal Treasury.
Because of how tough the missions were, Cethus was unable to gain any points. He was too proud to beg his grandma for resources and didn't dare to ask for pity from the Dragon King.
This was why, when he was assigned to become Lux's observer, the Dragon Born decided that he would do his best to accomplish his task.
After all, he thought that observing the Half-Elf and his Guild was a very easy thing to do, allowing him to finally gain the merit points he would need to increase his rank.
But now, Cethus had completely forgotten the merit point system as he eyed the Half-Elf who was talking to the plain-looking girl that he had called an Ugly Duckling a while ago.
'Whatever secret you are hiding, I will be sure to discover it,' Cethus thought. 'That way, I can show those who look down upon me that even I can become strong if I put my mind to it!'
A faint smile appeared on the Dragon Born's lips, as he imagined a bright future waiting for him.
He wasn't aware that high above the skies of the Outer Reaches, the Old Lady who had summoned a walking stick earlier was looking down at him with a calm expression on her face.
She had already put her walking stick away, but her hands weren't empty.
The Old Lady, who earned the nickname the Bloody Berserker during her younger years, was lightly tapping the palm of her hand with the sandal she was holding.
Everyone in the army was quite familiar with this sandal because aside from the walking stick that she used, this was the tool that made many Dragons and Dragon Borns weep bitter tears.
There was even a rumor going around in the army that when the Dragon King was still young, the old lady had used the sandal to give him a good beating, making the latter fearful of her.
Naturally, these were just rumors and the Dragon King neither denied nor admitted that such a thing had happened in the past.
The High-Rankers, who were standing by her side, felt pity for the Dragon Born, who still didn't know the hardship that awaited him. They were sure that when Cethus discovered whom he just called an Ugly Duckling, he would definitely drop to his knees and beg for forgiveness.
After all, Princess Valerie was the spoiled daughter of the Dragon King.
If the Golden Dragon, who sat upon the Draconian Throne, knew of what the Dragon Born had said to his daughter, Cethus would definitely wish that he could turn back time, so he could be a little nicer to the plain-looking lady, who had the power to make the Dragon Born kiss his bright future goodbye.
