Chapter : 120
Chapter : 120
"You are a lifesaver, Naomi," Ken said happily, taking a quick bite of the sandwich. "This is exactly what I needed. You are officially promoted from boss lady to sandwich provider."
"Don't push your luck, Ken," Naomi smiled, turning around to head back to her own room. "Get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day. We have a lot of points to make up."
"Goodnight!" Ken called out cheerfully.
He stepped into his dusty, slightly lumpy bedroom and pushed the heavy wooden door shut. He reached down and turned the metal lock until it clicked securely into place.
The moment the lock clicked, the goofy, lazy smile completely dropped off Ken’s face.
His posture changed instantly. He stopped slouching. His back straightened, and his sleepy, half-closed eyes sharpened into a cold, completely focused stare. He walked over to his small wooden desk, set the grilled cheese sandwich down carefully on a napkin, and let out a very long, quiet sigh.
The fun and games of the day were officially over.
"Those masked thieves are really starting to annoy me," Ken thought to himself, staring out his small window at the dark capital city. "I put in a lot of effort today to make sure Princess Iris got that glowing rock safely. I did the acting. I did the illusion. I even did the running. And then some random guys in black masks just drop from the ceiling and ruin the entire plan."
Ken crossed his arms over his chest. He really didn't care about the politics of the Succession War. He didn't care who sat on the throne. But he did care about his peaceful life. Right now, Princess Iris and the elite girls were deeply upset. When the girls were upset, the whole house was tense. When the house was tense, Naomi yelled more, Sayma stressed out, and Laxmi randomly set things on fire.
A tense house meant Ken couldn't take his afternoon naps in peace.
"This mysterious fourth party is actively interfering with my relaxation schedule," Ken decided silently. "They made my teammates sad, and they made me do unnecessary math. That is totally unacceptable. I need to find out exactly who they are and what they are doing."
Ken stepped back into the absolute center of his small bedroom. He needed to gather information, but he certainly wasn't going to put on his shoes, walk out into the cold night air, and play detective himself. That sounded like a terrible amount of manual labor.
Instead, he decided to use a much easier solution.
Ken raised his right hand. He didn't chant any loud magic words. He didn't draw any glowing circles on the floor. He simply tapped into a classic "Anime Logic" trope in his mind. He formed a very specific, sharp hand sign with his fingers and silently activated a high-level summoning spell.
The air in the tiny bedroom instantly grew heavy. The shadows in the corners of the room seemed to stretch and twist, pulling together right in front of Ken's bed. There was no bright flash of light, and there was no loud explosion. It was completely, perfectly silent.
From the dark, swirling mass of shadows, two distinct figures stepped forward into the dim moonlight of the room.
The first figure was absolutely massive. He was a towering, heavily muscular human male who looked like he spent twenty-four hours a day lifting boulders. He wore ancient, dark traditional armor that looked like it belonged in a samurai movie. But he wasn't entirely human. Thick, jagged, dark red dragon scales ran down his massive arms and covered the sides of his neck. His eyes were bright, burning gold with sharp, vertical reptilian slits.
This was Ryu. He was a legendary contractual spirit coursing with the blood of an ancient dragon.
The second figure could not have been more different. Stepping out of the shadows beside Ryu was a breathtakingly beautiful woman. She had long, flowing, dark emerald-green hair that shimmered like water. She wore a sleek, incredibly elegant dark dress that hugged her curves perfectly. Her skin was flawless, and her eyes were a deep, mesmerizing shade of violet. She moved with a liquid, effortless grace that made it seem like she was floating rather than walking.
This was Leviathan. Despite her stunning human appearance, she was actually the terrifying Demon Queen of the Serpents.
The moment Ryu fully materialized in the room, his golden eyes locked onto Ken. The giant dragon-man immediately dropped straight down onto one knee. He hit the floorboards so hard that Ken actually winced, praying the old wood wouldn't crack and wake up the girls down the hall.
Ryu slammed his massive fist over his heart and bowed his head deeply.
"My glorious, undisputed Master!" Ryu announced. His voice was a booming, dramatic baritone that sounded like a theatrical stage actor giving the performance of a lifetime. "You have called upon your humble servant! I have crossed the void of shadows to stand before you! Tell me, Supreme Ruler of the Universe, who has dared to earn your wrath tonight?! Give me a name, and I shall turn their very existence into a pile of smoldering ash for your amusement!"
Ken immediately rushed forward, waving his hands frantically in a shushing motion. "Shhh! Ryu, keep your voice down! The walls in this house are incredibly thin! If Naomi hears you yelling about the universe at midnight, she is going to come in here and yell at both of us!"
Ryu kept his head bowed, lowering his booming voice to a highly intense, aggressive whisper. "Forgive me, my Lord! I merely overflow with absolute, fanatical devotion at the sight of your magnificent presence! I am ready to destroy your enemies! Just point the way!"
Ken let out a tired sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. Dealing with Ryu was always exhausting. The dragon-man was fiercely, blindly loyal, but he treated every single minor inconvenience like it was an epic, world-ending battle between good and evil.
Before Ken could give Ryu any instructions, a soft, melodic laugh echoed through the bedroom.
Ken turned around. Leviathan had completely ignored the formal greeting process. Instead of bowing, the gorgeous Serpent Queen had casually wandered over to Ken’s lumpy bed. She sat down on the mattress, leaned back against the pillows, and stretched her long legs out with an elegant, lazy grace.
"Oh, Ryu," Leviathan purred, her voice smooth and dripping with seductive teasing. "Must you always be so horribly stiff and loud? Our darling master did not summon us to listen to you scream like an angry watchdog. He clearly wants some quiet company."
Leviathan patted the empty spot on the mattress right next to her. She flashed Ken a brilliant, highly flirtatious smile, looking at him through her long eyelashes.
"It has been a while since you called for me, my sweet Master," Leviathan teased, her violet eyes shining with mischief. "If you are finally feeling a little bit lonely in this dreary, dusty house, why don't you just unsummon the scaly brute over there? You and I can spend the rest of the night keeping each other entertained. I promise I am much better company than he is."