Chapter 127: Loyal Wyvern
[Kira POV] Year 5, Day 207
Kira finished watching the broadcast about her brother's follow-up adventures.
Kira found herself genuinely impressed. [Master is a badass. Had no idea he was capable of something like this. Manipulating four maids into attacking Aldric while keeping complete plausible deniability? Masterclass-level work — everyone in Central knows what he did, and nobody can prove a single thing.]
This fame would help them a lot. Currently in Borderwatch and nearby areas, Master was mostly known for his charitable actions with orphanages. Kind elf. Generous master. Easy target.
There were already rumors moving around that Master was a kind fool. Some of their partners had tried using it — requesting meetings with him directly, hoping to extract concessions and exploit his kindness for whatever they could take.
After today though? She was quite sure everyone would think several times before trying to cheat this fox.
Yes. Clever fox. That's what people would think about Master now — publicly charitable and kind, but capable of manipulating that same public space into murder attempts with no proof ever sticking. The perfect balance of warm image and hidden teeth.
And he'd done it for her — protected and avenged her, destroyed her brother publicly while appearing completely blameless himself.
Kira actually felt her loyalty spike at the thought. Her will to serve Master deepened with the realization that he'd absolutely earned this devotion.
But her brother Aldric — how sick could someone be? Cutting a loyal servant's tail again and again on a systematic schedule, using it as a proxy for the sister he couldn't reach. For her.
Only thinking about it made chills run over Kira's tail. Dragon tail now, but still. She'd had a nasty tail wound as part of her adventurer career, and she wouldn't inflict that kind of systematic torture even on an enemy.
And her brother? Bastard. She kept finding more reasons to go mess with him — every new fact about his cruelty stacking onto the justification for continued revenge.
This maid was beastkin like her, vulnerable in the same ways. She didn't even want to think about what-if scenarios — what if Master or Mistress had turned out cruel like Aldric, what if they'd used her for sick games?
More chills. No. She was loyal. Master Void might be harsh or even punish her, but his treatment was always fair and measured — never cruel, never the kind of systematic torture that Aldric ran.
And Mistress? With dragon awakened, Kira had much better understanding now. The main worry was that Mistress and the Twins might now think she was fair game for those playground trips. Combat training. Where they constantly beat each other half to death. Or so the stories went. Sparring. "Playing."
[Please don't invite me to the playground. Please don't decide I need combat training and start beating me half to death on a regular schedule. Please.]
Then she heard a new broadcast announcement.
"The bet between Raja Razorclaw and Kira Razorclaw has been canceled by order of the judges panel in light of massive third-party intervention and public sympathy considerations."
[Victory officially confirmed — brother humiliated and the entire revenge plan delivered.]
Almost instantly after the broadcast, seed communication from Cassian, leader of Black Wings. «Master Void would like to return to Borderwatch soon. Can you please come join us in the VIP area?»
Kira thought about it — her priorities, her remaining obligations, the things still needing resolution before they could leave.
«I need to say thanks and goodbye to my wyvern first. And sort this name situation properly. Will try to make it as soon as possible. Shouldn't take more than an hour.»
«We're waiting,» Cassian confirmed. «Understand you need to take care of your mount. Dragon rider obligations. Take your time.»
Kira thought about order — Bad Boy first, then the name card. Plus she had no idea how to actually play the name card she'd prepared with such careful scheming. All that strategic planning, and now her secret weapon needed an actual execution method.
In the end she just decided to figure it out when she got there — improvise on the spot and trust her dragon instincts to land it right.
She walked, then ran toward where her loyal wyvern was being treated.
The massive hall held wounded wyverns and dragons spread across it, with a small army of healers and handlers moving between them — organized chaos working through the post-race casualty list.
She found Bad Boy quickly. Dragon senses made his location obvious, the connection between them turning tracking into a single pull on her awareness.
As soon as the wyvern noticed her, he raised his head — happiness radiating off him, tail moving despite his wounds.
Kira patted him gently with affectionate gratitude. "Sorry I left earlier like that. You were a real hero out there — saved me, protected me, loyal beyond what I could have asked for."
She paused to check on him. "Did they take good care of you?"
She looked at the wounds. They all seemed externally healed already — closed and sealed by quality treatment.
She patted more, and Bad Boy really liked it. He leaned into her touch, seeking more contact and connection.
Kira continued talking with what she knew was life-changing news for him. "I also made a decision. You're coming with me to Borderwatch — that's my home. As soon as I get back, I'll prepare a proper dragon dome for you. Space, comfort, everything you need."
A visible wave of excitement and happiness flowed over the wyvern — understanding clicking into acceptance, then into joy at finally having a home and family to belong to.
He licked Kira from happiness, repeatedly and enthusiastically — covering her face and hands, reaching for every part of her he could.
Kira remembered how this had happened last time at Dragon Sanctuary — how she'd panicked, misunderstood, and ran away from his friendship offer.
That wouldn't happen ever again — no more misunderstandings, no more rejecting what he was actually offering.
She happily patted more and accepted the licking, returning affection and proving through every touch that she understood now, valued him, wanted this connection between them.
But they were on a clock with obligations waiting.
Soon Kira stepped away reluctantly. "Sorry, boy. But I need to go, and you need to heal properly. We'll see each other again in a few weeks — once you've recovered enough to fly home."
Bad Boy looked a bit sad but understanding. He clearly knew the wait would be worth it for what came after.
Kira had already taken a few steps away when she had an idea — a useful one she didn't want to forget.
She walked back to Bad Boy. Put her hands on him and pushed mana through — enough to kill most humans instantly, but harmless to dragons and even beneficial.
True dragon mana, carrying her own essence and signature.
With this, her instincts told her she could find Bad Boy anywhere on this continent — track and sense his location from any distance. Over time it would leak out and fade, but that probably took months. She had no plan to wait that long anyway. She'd see him again soon, much sooner than the natural fade-out.
Then she scribbled a note to X — a quick, direct business proposition.
Officially, X and Dragon Sanctuary owned Bad Boy. Legal ownership with official registration and proper documentation.
In the note, she made a more than gracious offer to buy him at a fair, generous price.
But she also added extra motivators on top. Like offering health check access to an actual true dragon — herself. X would be very interested in the research, and honestly she was interested too. Nice to get a proper check while she barely understood her own dragon abilities — what was normal, what was dangerous, what needed attention. X could tell her, hopefully, and they'd both benefit.
She also buried some borderline threats in polite language. X's access to 22 might become limited if cooperation wasn't forthcoming. Implications wrapped in concern, pressure disguised as friendly suggestion.
[Don't really believe problems will happen. Bad Boy is still just a wyvern, even if he's a bit unique. But stacking incentives never hurt — make refusal difficult, make acceptance easy. Standard negotiation tactics.]
She handed the note to one of the Dragon Sanctuary staff nearby. Someone she recognized from training sessions there. Someone who'd promised to deliver messages to X promptly.
They took it and confirmed they'd deliver it immediately.
Kira walked out. Mission one complete.
As soon as she got outside the treatment hall, she pulled a cleaning artifact from her spatial storage and activated it.
Hair, face, dress — all clean instantly and thoroughly through the magic.
Ealdred had commanded every maid to carry one of these as emergency equipment. Not as good as actual washing, but in a pinch it could save the day and preserve professional appearance.
The thing made a disgusting tickly feeling when activated — like insects crawling over your skin or magic fingers touching everywhere at once. Uncomfortable and unpleasant, but necessary in moments like this.
Some maids had actually used their own money to buy upgraded models with better sensations and more comfortable activation. This was the basic model provided to everyone — functional but distinctly unpleasant.
But Kira had never bothered upgrading. It was an emergency item for her, rarely used. They had a nice bathhouse at home with proper facilities for real washing, and this thing was just backup for true emergencies.
[Like now. After a very long day where she clearly didn't look professional anymore. She needed to look presentable again, like nothing had happened at all. Emergency use justified.]
Now to finish the naming issue for good — one more hit against brother, no point leaving prepared ammunition unused.
Kira walked back toward the VIP areas. Not sure where to find her brother. Was he even conscious right now? Capable of talking? Or still recovering from having 40% of his body removed?
But then luck smiled.
One of Hob's servants came running, recognizable by the distinctive black suit uniform — the professionally tailored high-quality kind only Hob's people wore.
Name visible on a small plate attached to the uniform. "Pony 42."
Kira almost wanted to laugh. Or maybe cry.
[Numbers instead of names. Already a big issue for Master. We need to prepare Void somehow so he doesn't get shocked when he sees 20-30 girls with "Pony number" designations later — once Hob and Drek arrive in Borderwatch with their staff, those numbers become visible and Master's slavery trauma will trigger hard.]
[Problem for later. Deal with it when it happens — can't fix everything in advance.]
Pony 42 spoke, sounding tired — maybe from running, maybe just from the long day everyone had been having. "Lady Kira. We have the information you requested."
Kira felt confused for a moment. Then remembered. [Oh. The massive dragon mana signature. The black hole energy. Asked them to identify who sat there.]
She took the paper the servant offered. Read it.
Delegation of the Crown Prince of Zihan Dynasty.
[No idea what or where Zihan Dynasty is. Never heard the name before — clearly not in the Republic or anywhere nearby, somewhere else entirely.]
"Zihan Dynasty?" she asked. No better way to get information than asking directly.
"Lady Kira, it's a land far beyond Cloudy Continent — distant and foreign, entirely different from anything around here."
Kira could understand the direction from that, but it didn't help much. Still no real context or understanding of who these people were.
So she asked almost on instinct. "Do they have any relations with true dragons?"
Pony 42 answered. "Lady Kira, I don't believe so. Zihan Dynasty is a massive stronghold of the Church. And a country of human supremacy—nearly 100% of the population is human. Dragons wouldn't like places like that. Unwelcoming." She paused, then added more context. "Plus dragon worship has historically been a non-human thing — humans never really took to it as a religion."
She thought for a moment, then added more. "Plus, I worked for centuries in The Bureau of Favorable Outcomes. Still have some dealings with them — it's the kind of organization you never really leave once you've joined."
A small dark smile pulled at her lips, the smile of someone who knew too much. "They also help coordinate dragon tributes and relations. Never heard anything about dragon activity in Zihan Dynasty through any of those channels — no tributes coming out, no connections coming in, nothing at all."
Kira decided to skip it. [Whatever the source of that energy was, it's not related to me. Could be some other dragon in hiding, or maybe a powerful item — dragon tear, artifact, magical weapon, who knows. Not my problem to solve today.]
But then she almost laughed internally. "The Bureau of Favorable Outcomes."
One of the most mysterious organizations inside the Syndicate. Their literal function was to pay bribes to everyone and anyone to make sure results aligned with Syndicate preferences. Manipulation, corruption, and influence-buying at continental scale.
This agency also had other funny names used among the populace in various jokes. "House of Corruption" was the most common. Almost no public information about them existed, so they were the source of endless rumors — speculation and conspiracy theories that doubled as popular entertainment.
But Kira looked at Pony 42 differently now, with sharper attention and real respect.
A beautiful merfolk — old, though how old was anyone's guess. Could be 1,000-plus years if she had access to gold elixir. And someone who'd worked in something as mysterious as "The Bureau of Favorable Outcomes" probably had access to Syndicate's super-secret resources, or got it through the goblins. Either way: potentially ancient and deeply connected, valuable beyond her pony role.
And while she didn't look very strong, Kira's dragon instincts warned that this one would be hard to kill — Pony 42 looked slippery in a way that suggested no attack would land cleanly on her. Like she had no clear "I" to target, some technique or something she'd done to herself making it impossible to lock onto a complete person.
Kira focused her dragon senses on Pony 42 and found something so strange that the question spat out of her mouth before she could stop it.
"You're a virgin?"
Pony 42 smiled. "Yes, Lady Kira. Our arrangement is different — I need purpose, and there's never any boredom around here."
This made some sense. [There are techniques that remove parts of the self. Something as mystical as The Bureau of Favorable Outcomes might easily use them on their operators — would also explain why she looks so slippery to my senses. You expect a full person, but pieces missing confuse the perception. Probably makes weaker people unable to perceive her properly at all if she chose to hide.]
She decided to test the connection further. "House of Corruption," Kira said. "Hob seems to be selecting his servants well. Quality over quantity."
Pony 42 laughed genuinely. "Lady Kira, I'm actually part of Drek's stables. Or rather, that's the official designation — but I don't take on the pony arrangements like the other girls. Just the work that comes with the uniform. And yes, they select carefully. Master Drek often laughs that if he wanted simple slaves, he could buy them in bulk—cheap and available."
Her chin lifted slightly with visible pride. "Everyone our masters have decided to keep close permanently has earned that honor with skills beyond being a pony. Connections, expertise, the kind of real value that makes them worth keeping around."
Kira's respect for the goblins kept climbing. [Those goblins keep proving more useful. Competent servants with real capabilities — not just pony games. And I shouldn't judge other people's choices. These girls probably aren't that different from any high-end servant, they just have strange pony arrangements added on top. Their business, their lives, not my place to comment.]
Pony 42 bowed slightly. Almost deferential. "Lady Kira, we're all happy you decided to grace us with your presence. Hob and Drek already asked us to help you any way possible. Minus self-destructive acts, of course."
She paused like she was choosing her words carefully. "If I may ask something... you don't look to be part of any big dragon family. So if you ever end up in conflicts with others of your kind — dragon politics or territorial disputes — please keep us out of it. We really can't help there."
Kira answered fast and certain. "Don't worry. No plans for conflicts, and I don't sell out friends. Dragon politics stay my problem. You stay safe."
Then she shifted to business mode. "Do you know where Aldric is? And can you get someone with broadcasting equipment? Recording crystals."
Pony 42 pulled out a communication device and spoke into it briefly, coordinating the arrangement on the fly.
Soon responded. "Lady Kira, this way please."
Kira followed. Then asked while walking. "Do you know if he's conscious? Capable of talking? Or still sedated?"
Pony 42 used the communication device again, talking with someone to get real-time information.
She answered after listening. "Lady Kira, we don't know his exact state. But there's a mage with him — one of the healers, an older human male with red hair. Give him 10,000 gold and ask him to wake Aldric up. As long as it doesn't kill Aldric, he'll take the gold and do exactly as asked. Reliably bribable, that one."
Kira was honestly impressed. [How do they know something that detailed? Which specific healer takes bribes, exact price point, willingness to bend rules? Extremely useful knowledge. Goblins have real information networks. Or maybe it's the Bureau—House of Corruption providing intel to valued allies. Either way, deep and effective.]
Soon a small crew with broadcasting artifacts joined them — crystal recording devices and a professional setup ready for whatever came next.
And not long after, they arrived next to a door. Guarded by those same two minotaurs who'd paraded her around the arena before with that chain.
Kira's mood turned predatory. [Oh. This should be interesting. Let's see if they recognize me, if they're smart enough to be polite, and whether revenge becomes necessary or professionalism prevails.]