Chapter 400: Let’s leave now
Jorma had been pacing around the fort ever since they had left him there.
His mind struggled to comprehend what Luke could possibly be planning, or whether the young man would even return alive. Every outcome he considered seemed to end in bloodshed, and none of them favored Luke.
The woman, the Queen, was known to be immensely proud. Countless men had desired her, and countless men had met their demise pursuing her. Her beauty had drawn suitors from far and wide over the years, but the fate awaiting those who mistook her allure for vulnerability had always been the same.
The moment Luke had made his wish, Jorma had assumed their negotiation was over, along with whatever relationship he had managed to establish with Agatha.
Yet, as surprising as the day had already been, the Queen had actually allowed the battle to take place. Perhaps she had been certain Luke would lose. Truthfully, Jorma had believed the same.
Regardless of whatever effect this strange place had on the human, Luke was still human. And as far as Jorma knew, no human in history had ever faced a dragon one-on-one and walked away alive.
What had happened in that courtroom was something Jorma knew he would never forget for as long as he drew breath.
And then... the Queen had led Luke into her chamber.
’Would he be spared?’
Jorma’s thoughts twisted uneasily.
’No, wait. Would I be spared after all this?’
The Queen might eliminate him simply for having witnessed her in such a vulnerable position. A dragon had lost a battle against a human. To a royal dragon, such humiliation was not something that could simply be overlooked.
But what if she decided to erase every trace of what had happened?
What if eliminating the witnesses was easier than allowing the truth to spread?
Somehow, Luke’s demise had begun to feel like the only possible outcome.
And now, it was his turn.
Jorma had only just begun considering how he could leave the fort without making an enemy of the Dragon Queen when suddenly,
"Oh, you’re still here, old man?"
A familiar voice reached him.
Jorma froze.
His lips parted as he stared ahead in disbelief. Luke was standing there, casually waving at him.
Alive.
Completely unharmed.
’How in the world...’
Jorma was about to speak when Luke interrupted him.
"I know you might have questions, but let’s get out of here first. The Queen is temperamental, so she might execute you if she changes her mind."
Jorma needed no further invitation.
He immediately seized Luke’s hand.
The next instant, the two vanished from the fort.
...
"Agh..."
Luke staggered the moment they reappeared, reaching out to grab the trunk of a nearby tree to keep himself upright.
The effect was instantaneous.
The moment he left that domain, the strength that had filled his body seemed to drain away. His limbs suddenly felt heavier, his thoughts grew sluggish, and even remaining on his feet required effort.
It was as though he had been dragged down from the peak of his condition and thrown straight into a state of intense fatigue. His muscles felt dense and unresponsive, while the fog settling over his mind made it difficult to gather his thoughts.
Luke leaned against the tree for support, breathing heavily as he waited for his body to adjust to the sudden change.
"Hey, are you okay?" Jorma asked, watching from the side without touching him.
Luke nodded, then redistributed his stats into Endurance and gulped down a Recovery Potion to soothe the sensation.
There was no doubt about it. The two moons had blessed him to such an extent that his normal stats had begun to feel like a burden.
Within that domain, he had felt so liberated and light that the sudden urge to return had already begun to take root. But then he reminded himself of Monica and the others, and realized there were far more important things than strength.
He needed to finish what he had started and return to them.
[Time Remaining: 4 hours 36 minutes]
When he checked the time, he realized that more than five minutes must have passed in that world. It was not enough time for them to become seriously worried about him.
Sighing, he turned toward Jorma.
"I had a chat with her. It took a whole lot of convincing, but she agreed to speak with the Patriarch."
Jorma’s eyes lit up.
"Really? She would? But wasn’t she on bad terms with her mate?"
Luke shrugged.
"She made a promise, and considering her pride, I believe she’ll find a way to convince them."
Jorma exhaled slowly.
"You believe the war can be prevented?"
"Hardly. There isn’t much time left. I don’t think even the Queen could make such a drastic change."
Luke was hopeful, but even the Queen herself had warned him that the dragons would not simply calm down without something being done.
So, for now, there was only one thing they could do.
"All we can do is hope they change their minds and forgive humanity."
Jorma gave him a wry smile.
"Forgiveness and dragons don’t exactly belong in the same sentence... but I understand."
The old man exhaled another long sigh before muttering,
"Now let’s see how this ends."
Luke nodded. He could only hope they would reach some sort of compromise and agree to tell humanity to settle their tribe far away.
The system had clearly asked him to protect humanity, so perhaps this would be the decisive move.
"Well, since I don’t have anything else to do here, I should probably leave," he muttered under his breath before turning toward Jorma.
He would much rather spend some time with the woman downstairs than remain in this forest.
However, just as he parted his lips to speak,
[Task: Reach the Elven Realm]
[Reward: Lunar Sickles]
"...."
Um, system?
~~~
A/N:- I hope this arc is enjoyable till now. The system had been a little weird because well, things got fucked up real bad
Anyway, drop a comment.