Chapter 74
As they walked towards the surface, Lyra couldn't help but steal glances at Draco.
There was an undeniable curiosity burning within her, and she seemed determined to unravel the mysteries that surrounded him.
Ryuu, too, appeared intrigued by Draco and his familia members, but she remained silent, observing the interactions unfold.
Unable to ignore Lyra’s inquisitive gaze, Draco finally addressed her.
“Is there something you wish to ask?” he inquired, his tone smooth and measured.
Lyra a bit startled by him speaking first, cleared her throat, summoning her composure.
“I was simply curious about your names,” she replied, adding a hint of bashfulness to her voice.
Draco considered her request for a moment, weighing the merits of indulging her curiosity.
“Hmm, I suppose we are not quite that close yet, but no harm in a simple introduction,” he mused.
“My name is Draco, and these are my familia members – Clair, Michalis, Eleni, Nikolaos, Dimitra, Vasileios, and Vasiliki.” he introduced, gesturing to each of his companions.
“Draco, an intriguing name,” Lyra remarked, her brow furrowing in contemplation.
“Are you, by chance, an elf?” she ventured, her gaze drawn to the subtle features visible through Draco’s cloak, reminiscent of the elven race.
Ryuu’s ears perked up at the mention of elves, and she found herself tuning in more closely to the conversation.
Draco shook his head. “No, I am not an elf,” he replied, his expression unreadable.
Lyra’s expression shifted to one of mild frustration.
“Then what are you?” she pressed, her curiosity refusing to be quelled.
Draco’s lips curled into a enigmatic smile. “Well, I am something that you would not believe existed,” he responded, his words laced with a hint of mystery.
Lyra’s expression shifted to one of annoyance.
“If you don’t wish to tell me, just say so. There’s no need to speak in riddles,” she huffed, her tone almost petulant.
Ryuu, too, felt a slight sense of disappointment at Draco’s evasive response, but she remained silent, observing the exchange with a curious gaze.
Draco was aware that revealing his existence too soon could have unintended consequences.
Undeterred, Lyra pressed on with her queries.
“Anyway, that aside, what familia are you from? What is your age? Your level? And what was that skill you used on us earlier?” she rapid-fired, her curiosity insatiable.
Draco remained silent, refusing to answer any of her questions.
Frustrated by Draco’s reticence, Lyra decided to take a different approach.
‘Tsk, I will have to use that’ Lyra thought.
Stepping closer, she reached out and grasped his arm firmly beneath his cloak, her small frame pressing against him.
“Why won’t you answer me, Onii-chan?” she asked, her voice dripping with false sweetness and her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Alise, who had been walking ahead, struggled to suppress a laugh at the scene unfolding behind her, while Ryuu simply averted her gaze, feeling a pang of embarrassment on Lyra’s behalf, clearly uncomfortable with her antics.
Both Alise and Ryuu understood Lyra’s personality.
She had a mantra which she applied to her everyday life which was to learn and use everything, so they could somewhat understand why she was trying to gain information from Draco.
Aware about this, Draco's lips curled into a sly smile as he responded.
"Well, my dear little sister, whom I never knew I had until now," he purred, his voice low and enticing.
"It's not wise to pry into Onii-chan's secrets, but if my Imouto insists, Onii-chan might have to... spank her." he replied.
Alise, Ryuu, Clair, Eleni, Dimitra and Vasiliki’s faces flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and surprise at Draco's unexpected response, while Michalis, Nikolaos and Vasileios gave a thumbs up.
Lyra was a bit startled by his response, but she still pushed on.
"But what if your Imouto gets spanked?" she countered, her voice surprisingly steady.
"Will Onii-chan then tell her everything?" Lyra asked.
Draco paused in his steps, turning to face Lyra fully.
With a gentle touch, he tilted her chin upwards, his crimson eyes burning into hers.
"Well, Imouto will have to let Onii-chan do a bit more than just spanking if she wants to know Onii-chan's secrets," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.
"If you know what I mean." he added.
Lyra's eyes widened, and she quickly released Draco's arm, stepping back.
'Tsk, what's with this person?' she wondered, realizing that her attempts to extract information had been futile.
Ryuu, witnessing the exchange, quickened her pace to catch up with Alise, feeling a strong sense of embarrassment and discomfort.
'I never thought that I would meet someone more vulgar than Lyra,' she thought, shaking her head.
Lyra, realizing that she would be unable to extract any meaningful information from Draco, resigned herself to the back of the group, her frustration palpable.
The hallway soon fell into an uncomfortable silence until, the sound of Michalis' laughter broke the tense silence, as he struggled to contain his amusement at the unexpected exchange.
"Pfff, hahahahaha!" he chuckled, earning a disapproving glare from Lyra.
The lines that came out from the mouths of both Draco and Lyra were just too embarrassing to endure.
The same sentiment was shared by the rest of the Bahamut familia members - Clair, Eleni, Nikolaos, Dimitra, Vasileios, and Vasiliki - but they managed to hold it in.
Thwack !
"Shh, stop being loud!" Nikolaos hit Michalis on the head, pointing at the glaring Lyra from behind.
Michalis quickly shut his mouth, and silence once again reigned between both groups.
It didn't take long to return to the surface with the Astraea familia escorting them.
The rest of the journey was made in silence, with tension visible between the Bahamut familia and Astraea familia members.
As soon as they reached the surface, the Astraea familia led them straight to the guild.
The walk to the guild wasn't long, but the attention drawn when they arrived was something Draco didn't like.
He could hear hushed whispers of the other adventurers in the guild.
"Hey, who are those people with the Astraea familia?" a person whispered nearby.
"I don't know, but they must be important for the Astraea familia to be with them," another replied.
"I think I know that cloaked person. Remember what happened around a week ago in the guild?" a third person whispered.
“Which one, there are two of them” another asked, referring to both Draco and Ryuu.
"Oh, you mean the fight?" another replied.
"You can't call that a fight, the other person got beat with a glare by that cloaked person," yet another said, pointing at Draco.
“Ooooh, then he must be strong” another responded.
Draco, uncomfortable with the attention, couldn't help but try tuning them out.
Lyra, observing his discomfort, couldn't resist the opportunity to poke at him.
"Seems like you don't like attention," Lyra said, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Well, being an attention whore isn't necessarily a good thing," Draco replied, his tone slightly defensive.
'That's what got your familia killed in the future,' Draco thought to himself.
"Tsk," Lyra muttered, ignoring him once again.
Quickly spotting Rose, Draco walked up to her booth and requested a private room to conduct the interrogation.
Rose was a bit skeptical at first, but as their guild advisor, she felt responsible for them, so she pulled some strings to get a truth device.
In no time, Draco and his familia were declared innocent, and Elias' custody was handed over to the Astraea familia.
Since they were in the guild, Draco also sold their magic stones, a bit disappointed with the earnings of the day.
As they exited the guild, Alise, Ryuu, and Lyra stopped them to apologize for their mistake.
"It's okay, misunderstandings happen all the time," Draco replied.
"To think that you were all just level one's," Lyra muttered in disbelief, glaring menacingly at Draco.
She had found out from Rose that the Bahamut familia had only been dungeon diving for a little over a week.
"I never said that I wasn't a level 1," Draco countered, his expression unreadable.
"Ahem," Alise interjected, "If you ever need the help of the Astraea familia, just look for me," she offered, her voice sincere and her gaze warm.
Draco considered the offer, not showing how ecstatic he was forming a connection with the Astraea familia.
The Astraea familia were known to be capable and trustworthy, and he couldn't deny that their assistance would be invaluable in the future.
"Thank you, Alise," Draco replied, his lips curving into a warm smile.
"We might take you up on that offer sooner than you think," he added, his tone laced with a hint of amusement.
Draco knew that their paths were likely to cross again, and he relished the opportunity to engage with the Astraea familia further.
Lyra, still glaring at Draco, couldn't help but feel a twinge of grudging respect.
Despite his young age and apparent level of experience, he had navigated the tense situation with a surprising degree of maturity and finesse.
Lyra couldn't help but acknowledge the shrewd intelligence and quick-wittedness that he displayed, even if she was loath to admit it openly.
Noticing Lyra's intense gaze, Draco simply couldn't resist the urge to tease her one last time before their departure.
A mischievous glint danced in his eyes as he addressed her.
"My dear Imouto, your Onii-chan will be leaving now," Draco said, raising a finger to dramatically wipe away a fake tear.
"Take care of yourself until we meet again. Onii-chan will always love you." he said.
Lyra's face scrunched into a scowl, and she promptly spat on the ground in response.
"Ptui," she growled, the annoyance evident in her voice.
'I take everything back,' Lyra thought, her initial respect for Draco quickly evaporating in the face of his playful antics.
Draco couldn't help but chuckle at Lyra's reaction, finding amusement in the way she reverted to her, feisty self.
'It's funny when you know Lyra is around 16 years old,' he mused inwardly, the contrast between her outward demeanor and her actual age not ceasing to entertain him.
"Well, I suppose we should be on our way," Draco said, turning to his familia.
The Bahamut familia began to make their way through the bustling streets of Orario, their footsteps echoing in the distance as they departed.
The Astraea familia watched in silence as the young group disappeared from view, their curiosity piqued by the intriguing encounter.
Alise couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation and intrigue about the Bahamut familia.
Their potential and their story had captured her attention, and she was certain that their paths would cross again.
"I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of them," Alise murmured to Ryuu, her gaze fixed on the direction the Bahamut familia had taken.
Ryuu nodded in agreement, her eyes thoughtful and contemplative.
As the Bahamut familia made their way back to their home, their minds were consumed by the events of the day.