The duo returned to the separated room in the East Wing together and calmly exited, walking through the halls of the palace with no particular destination.
Damien wanted to introduce Astoria to Elena, but that would have to wait until after the banquet ended, so for now, they were going to enjoy just a bit more alone time before returning to the tasks at hand.
The first to see them were the very physicians who watched over Elena while she was comatose in the cocoon. They didn't approach or say anything outright, but both Damien and Elena were more than powerful enough to hear them whispering and gossiping to each other.
What they didn't expect, however, was for the gossip to spread like wildfire!
The palace was in an incredibly precarious situation right now. Everyone was finally winding down from the great war that just barely ended, which meant any and all pieces of good or juicy gossip were passed from jolly denizen to even jollier denizen with the speed of nervous response!
The rumors got so big that they even entered the banquet hall and the Emperor's ears, by that point becoming so out of proportion that Damien and Elena were painted as some sort of group sent from a mysterious God Clan to audit the Golden Dragons!
The result was a summon from the emperor, who currently gazed at the duo with mild surprise coloring his eyes.
He had called them into the banquet hall, and while it was awkward, they were now sitting at the head table together with the royal family, including Astoria, who was watching Damien with eyes wider than saucers.
"How do the two of you know each other?" The Emperor asked with genuine curiosity.
Damien glanced at Elena and grinned, turning back to the Emperor.
"How could we not? We're husband and wife, after all," he proclaimed proudly.
Bang!
"WIFE?!"
An abrupt exclamation came from the side, where Astoria had slammed her palms against the table and stood up in shock.
"Eh? What's wrong with that?" Damien asked.
"Hnngh…" Astoria whined as she slumped back into her seat. "Master, why can't you be single?!"
"Why should I be single?"
"So I can snatch you up, of course!"
"What are you on about?"
Damien grabbed Astoria's ear and pulled, making her wince in pain.
"Ow, ow, ow! I was just joking! Master, please spare me~!"
"Spare you? Give me one reason why I should spare you."
"Umm, because I'm your favorite disciple?"
"You're my only disciple."
"Which makes me the favorite!"
"Glib-tongued brat. Who taught you to speak like that?"
"Teehee~"
Damien let go of Astoria's ear and subtly healed the red spot with his trait while she giggled to herself.
On the side, Elena raised her brow as she looked at the young princess.
Astoria also looked over after feeling her scanning gaze.
Elena's eyes were serene and without ripples like a secluded lake. It was especially intimidating to Astoria, who was currently in the position of a daughter meeting her new stepmother.
Soon enough, Elena shifted over, sitting next to Astoria
"H-hello," Astoria greeted, slightly bowing her head.
"Mm, you must be Astoria, right? I've heard a lot about you from Damien. What do you think, he's a big bastard, isn't he?" Elena entered the conversation with a small grin.
"B-bastard?!" Astoria exclaimed, hurriedly covering her mouth and glancing around to make sure nobody heard.
Elena's grin turned sly as she continued: "Right, right. I've known that bastard since we were kids, so I'm more aware of his tendencies than anyone. If he ever bullies you, just call me over. I'll be sure to put him in his place for you."
Astoria's eyes widened.
She even teared up a little.
"M-mistress!" She exclaimed.
"Eh?!" Elena gasped in shock.
"Mistress!" Astoria repeated again, jumping into Elena's arms and hugging her tightly.
"You're right! Master is the biggest bastard in the world! You must get justice for me!"
"Pfft…hahahahaha!"
Elena laughed brightly at Astoria's antics, understanding why Damien was so animated when he talked about her.
A harmonious atmosphere formed around them as they began to converse about this and that, glancing over at Damien every once in a while and giggling.
As for the man himself, he'd been pulled into another conversation with the emperor now that such a development had taken place.
"So in the end, it turned out like that. Fate is truly strange, isn't it?" The Emperor commented as Damien gave him a brief overview of his and Elena's past.
"I guess so. I'll definitely have to thank Fate for this one, since I doubt our meeting would've happened so easily if it wasn't for its aid." Damien responded with a smile.
"Mm, however, it seems you'll have some issues completing your side of the Mana Oath?" The Emperor teased.
"Ehhh, let's not sweat the small stuff. I'll make it work somehow," Damien mumbled, looking away sheepishly.
"I also believe you will," the Emperor said. "Truly, I must thank you for what you've done for both my daughter and my domain. Even if I give you the Genesis Bead, I don't think it'll suffice."
"Then give me some more," Damien replied instantly, money signs lighting up his eyes.
"Hahaha, I like a man who knows what he wants. Then, shall I show you the reward I've prepared?"
"You were being serious?"
"We Golden Dragons never lie."
Damien grinned. To say he wasn't curious would be a lie. A reward chosen by the Golden Dragon Emperor himself couldn't be something simple.
"Then, what are we waiting for? I'd like to see just what our gracious emperor has prepared for me," he proclaimed with mock sarcasm.
Whoosh!
It happened before his brain could adapt. It wasn't spatial transmission, but Damien was somehow transported to an entirely different space in a single moment.
"This is…"
Damien squinted his eyes as the scenery revealed itself to him.
He was in a small grove in a forest. Trees lined the horizon, and the vicinity was decorated by several beautifully intricate statues depicting different dragons and domineering figures.
In the midst of these statues was a small and almost unnoticeable path that led deeper into the forest, towards "something" whose aura was attracting Damien like a tantalizing snack.
He followed the path until he eventually arrived before a large spring of deep, azure blue water. A translucent waterfall crashed into the spring, but despite its force, not a single ripple was formed on the water's surface.
"This is the Ancestral Dragon Pool, one of the three sacred lands of our clan."
The Golden Dragon Emperor's voice resounded from a location unknown, reverberating through the strange realm.
"Ancestral Dragon Pool?" Damien echoed, activating his All-Seeing Eyes and gazing into the water.
ROAR!
"Woah!"
He immediately stepped back as a wave of ferocious draconic intent overcame him, pressuring the dragon bloodline hidden in his body.
And in that same instant, his mind was submerged in a wave of uncontrollable excitement.
The Golden Dragon Emperor's following words did nothing to calm his raging emotions.
"The original purpose of the Ancestral Dragon Pool is to cleanse bloodlines and build the perfect dragon body for those who enter it, but though you have traces of dragon bloodline in your body, you are not a true dragon, thus this effect will not be particularly useful to you…"
"...in truth, this is the first time an outsider has entered this sacred land. In most cases, I would not deign to allow such a thing, as doing so would be useless to non-dragons, however, you are different. I do not know why, but my intuition tells me you will gain some unexpected boons if you enter the pool."
"You will have 7 days. After this, we must set off for the Grand Assembly, and you must also leave for the Ancient God Clan to do the same. What benefits you obtain will be entirely up to you. From this point onward, I can only wish you luck."
Damien grinned.
His grin widened with every passing instant as he did everything he could to suppress the urge to dive straight into the pool.
He looked up into the sky, hoping his gaze would reach the Golden Dragon Emperor.
"Emperor, make sure to take one last good look at me before I go in. In a week when you see me again, I'll show you what a true heaven-defying genius looks like."
Finally, with his words all said and his spirit raging, he let go of his inhibitions…
…and jumped.
Splash!
