Chapter 149
As the carriage rolled through the bustling streets of Orario, Bahamut provided Draco with a brief overview of the meeting.
Initially, Draco was taken aback by the considerable influence that the dragon gods held in the mortal world.
However, upon reflection, it made perfect sense.
Dragon kin were created in the image of the dragon gods, so it was not surprising that the gods possessed similar, if not greater, powers, even with their arcanum sealed.
In fact, Bahamut could be considered the strongest goddess in Orario, at least with her arcanum sealed.
She had the capability to kill any other god by herself, provided there was a legitimate reason, and very few adventurers could subdue her.
This realization shed light on why Chronepsis had chosen to send Bahamut to the mortal world.
Still, Draco pondered why Io and Aasterinian didn’t just take care of him themselves.
Clearly as dragon gods, they were more than capable of doing so.
Why had the responsibility been given to a mortal family? What were their circumstances? Had they already returned to heaven? These questions swirled in Draco's mind.
He couldn't help but wonder how different his life would have been if he had never met his current family.
Would they still be alive and happy?
Would he have been spared the deep-seated hatred he felt for the one-eyed black dragon that resided in a corner of his heart?
“Draco, Draco!” Bahamut’s voice cut through his spiralling thoughts, snapping him back to the present.
“Huh?” he replied, still slightly dazed.
“We’re home!” she exclaimed, a hint of cheerfulness in her tone.
“Oh,” he responded, momentarily perplexed.
He hadn’t even realized they had arrived.
The horses, it seemed, were well-acquainted with the route, guiding the carriage with an air of confidence.
“What’s on your mind?” Bahamut asked, her tone shifting to one of genuine concern.
“Just some silly thoughts on what-ifs,” Draco admitted, shrugging off the weight of his earlier thoughts.
“I see. I thought you had fallen into shock after hearing everyone’s aliases,” Bahamut muttered, a hint of relief in her voice.
Draco’s brow furrowed as he tried to recall the conversation.
Had she mentioned aliases? His mind felt hazy, as if he had been operating on autopilot while Bahamut spoke.
‘Wait, does that mean that our aliases were bad enough that it could drive a person into shock?’ he wondered but opted to let the thought slide for now.
“Don’t tell me you weren’t listening to me at all,” Bahamut said, narrowing her eyes at him, a playful yet threatening glint in her gaze.
She had noticed his perplexed expression.
“I’m really sorry, I wasn’t,” Draco admitted, his voice tinged with sincerity.
He decided that it was better to apologize than give excuses.
An awkward silence enveloped them as Bahamut regarded him with a feigned menacing look that turned unnervingly serious.
“I really am sorry,” he reiterated, feeling the weight of her gaze.
With an exasperated sigh, Bahamut muttered, “You make it really hard to stay mad at you.”
“Thank you,” he replied, relieved.
Thwack!
“It wasn’t a compliment!” Bahamut exclaimed, her tail lightly swatting him as she headed toward the door.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming inside?” she asked, standing at the entrance.
“Not yet, I have to go get the others and return the carriage,” he replied.
“Oh, then take your time,” she said, a hint of elation creeping into her expression.
Draco noticed her sudden shift in mood.
‘Great, I have more time,’ Bahamut thought, relishing the opportunity to delay the inevitable conversation with the children about their aliases.
She envisioned the chaos that would undoubtedly follow, and as much as she loved them, she needed a moment to breathe.
Draco, oblivious to her inner turmoil, watched her retreat into the house before he turned back to the carriage.
Free from the weight of her presence, he climbed aboard and directed the horses toward the western gates.
He needed to gather the rest of the family and return the carriage.
………………………..
As he journeyed through the streets, Draco donned his trusty cloak, grateful for its ability to shield him from the prying eyes of passersby.
The attention he had received all day was becoming tiresome.
To his surprise, he ran into the Astraea familia: Alise, Kaguya, and Ryuu, who were returning from their patrol.
Of course, they wouldn’t have recognized him; he had changed significantly since their last encounter.
However, he was compelled to stop when he noticed his family—Clair, Vasiliki, Eleni, and Dimitra—walking alongside them.
‘What a coincidence,’ Draco thought, marvelling at the unexpected meeting.
Before he could call out to them, Vasiliki spotted him first.
“Draco nii! Over here!” she called, rushing toward the carriage and patting the horses, who immediately recognized her.
Alise, Kaguya, and Ryuu perked up at the mention of his name.
It had been some time since they last saw him, and the transformation was striking.
“Wait, is that really your brother?” Alise asked, her eyes wide as she took in his new stature.
He appeared much taller and broader than they remembered.
“Yes, it’s a long story,” Dimitra replied nonchalantly, offering no further explanation.
Without another word, Dimitra, Eleni, and Clair made their way over to him.
Draco maneuvered the carriage to the side, trying to avoid blocking the road.
“Are you girls heading home now?” Draco asked, his eyes scanning for the boys, who he soon spotted approaching far in the distance.
“Yeah, we figured it was about time to return. It’s been more than three hours. Are you heading somewhere or did you come to get us?” Dimitra inquired, peeking into the carriage, searching for Bahamut.
“I came to get you all,” Draco replied, a smile breaking across his face.
“Oooou, that’s great! I don’t have to walk all the way home!” Eleni exclaimed, joyfully hopping into the carriage.
Vasiliki immediately took a seat beside Draco, while Clair and Dimitra settled in the back.
“Hey, Draco!” Alise called from a short distance.
“Alise, Kaguya, Ryuu, it’s been a while!” Draco replied, sliding his hood back to reveal his face fully.
“So this is what you’ve been hiding under that cloak all this time? What exactly are you?” Kaguya asked, her curiosity piqued.
Alise and Ryuu were momentarily speechless, taken aback by his striking appearance.
Ryuu studied him, intrigued by his resemblance to elves, while Alise was captivated by his charm.
Many of the Astraea familia girls had often speculated about what lay beneath Draco's cloak, and now they had their answer.
“You can think of me as a humanoid dragon; the official name for my race is dragon kin,” Draco explained.
“Oh, I’ve never heard of that before, but it sounds powerful,” Alise remarked, her eyes sparkling with interest.
“Yeah, we are,” Draco affirmed, pride swelling within him.
Kaguya observed him with keen eyes, her thoughts racing.
‘Look at this cheeky handsome boy,’ she mused.
“That aside, you look a lot taller and muscular than before. What happened?” Alise pressed.
“I simply grew,” Draco replied, a playful grin tugging at his lips.
“Like I would believe that! It’s okay; everyone has their secrets,” Alise teased, laughter dancing in her voice.
“Anyway, we need to get going now. We have to switch patrols with the next team. Feel free to join us sometime; our goddess seems to be friends with yours, so it wouldn’t hurt to cooperate sometime,” Alise offered, a friendly smile gracing her features.
Draco was taken aback by the unexpected invitation.
He had been hoping to forge a closer relationship with the Astraea Familia but had never imagined such an opportunity would arise so soon, especially without any news of their recent level up, which hadn’t been made public yet.
Although they had shared a misunderstanding in the past that nearly led to conflict, it was far better to have allies than enemies.
Their assistance could prove invaluable in the future.
They were still young and naive in their concept of justice, but that was going to change in the coming new year, the evilus would teach them the lesson.
“Hmmm, I will take up your offer sometime,” Draco replied, genuinely considering it.
With that, the Astraea Familia bid farewell and continued on their path, leaving Draco with thoughts of potential alliances.
‘In the end, Ryuu said nothing,’ he noted, intrigued by her continued silence.
Shortly thereafter, the boys—Michalis, Nikolaos, and Vasileios— caught up and joined the carriage, before Draco resumed the journey home.
The ride was filled with light banter as they recounted their evening adventures, laughter echoing in the cool night air.
Once he dropped off everyone, he headed toward the Nekomata inn to return the horses to their stable.
Upon arriving home yet again, Draco was surprised by the silence that enveloped Bahamut’s house.
He had anticipated a lively commotion, but the stillness was palpable.
It seemed that after dropping them off, everyone had retired for the night.
Understandably, the day had been hectic, and they needed rest to be prepared for resuming dungeon activities the next day.
Interestingly, they appeared more excited to continue exploring their newly acquired abilities following their level-ups than to ask their assigned aliases from Bahamut, who for some reason was already asleep or pretended to be.
However, Draco suspected they would come to realize the implications of their new titles the next day when they visited the guild.