Chapter 474 – Imperfect Perfection

In the end, it looked like Noir wasn’t willing to be as forgiving with her assault on the others as she seemed to be with Asterios. Perhaps it was a matter of some kind of respect, with him having bested her already. At the same time, she was most likely able to sense that he could take much more abuse before it became actual abuse, so even if she wasn’t as lenient with his mates, her attempts were still noticeably more vicious towards him.

That was why, instead of landing a hurtful punch like those she often aimed at Asterios, Noir found a good opportunity to grab the other woman’s tail, yanking it back. Such motion caused the demon lady to stumble and fall, with the savage girl landing atop her in a flash. After a few tumbles, the smaller but feistier one found herself on top, pinning her scarlet-skinned prey’s wrists above the obscene female’s head.

No hammering or pounding followed, just a fair deal of beastly growling.

“Save me, husband!” Grea moaned with a helpless tone, batting her lashes at him and the others. “I’m being attacked by a ruthless predator! She’s going to eat me! Oh no!”

“You brought this upon yourself, you bitch!” Noir snarled.

“I only wanted to protect my dear’s decency!” The oppressed woman whined. “It is you who keeps gawking at his handsome visage!”

“I wasn’t staring at him because he is handsome!” Her vexed captor scoffed.

“You think he is ugly?” Grea squinted icily at the Dragon girl.

“That’s not what I said!” Noir roared in frustration.

“Then you do admit you do like what you see.” The sly demonic female smirked.

“I said I wasn’t—” The raging draconic woman paused after spotting her grin. “Grrrrr! You are just… Just so… Ugh!”

Huffing vehemently, she abruptly got off of her captive and marched away in Ast’s direction.

“Why do you even keep that thing?!” she glared at him from slightly below. “It’s as annoying as the skies are wide!”

“Excuse me, there’s only one person who can treat me like an object and it’s not you.” Grea rose from the ground too, rubbing her wrists.

“Shut up!” Noir spun at her. “Don’t think you are safe just because I can’t hurt you seriously! You don’t want to see what I’m capable of when you piss me off for real!”

She received a wink in response, rolling her eyes at that.

“Are we done here?” Ast’s favorite mischievous professor strolled up to him.

“Yeah. Are you done with your fun?” Asterios raised a brow at her.

“Yep.” Grea snickered and pressed a quick peck to his cheek. “Thanks for this brief opportunity to dabble into my old ways for the summoning. Now, I would like to turn back into my responsible self and enjoy something more productive. I feel like we are almost there with the portals.”

“You do need to take regular breaks and I need to ensure you are taking them.” He stroked her cheek tenderly. “Bring me results and there will be a reward.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” She showed a brilliant smile. “Good luck with the grumpy lizard, girls! I’m off!”

Waving at all her sister-mates, she opened a gate back to the castle and disappeared into it. The person in question grumbled under her breath, crossing her arms.

“Althea, would you mind?” Asterios turned to his mentor.

Another doorway emerged from the ground and the ladies gracefully filed in. He gestured at Noir to follow, the Dragon girl glaring at the passage suspiciously for a moment before she stepped through too. Not giving the universe any chances of playing pranks on him on either side of the portal, he was right on her heels.

They appeared in Althea’s lair, somewhere on the forested side. Noir had to shield her eyes with her arm after such a drastic switch in environments. The sunlight coming through the transfer crystal was quite invasive. The ladies almost expected her to hiss audibly.

When Asterios emerged after them, her eyes widened and she gaped at him in shock.

“What?” He frowned, looking himself over.

“You went through the gate?” Noir asked incredulously. “Not through the breach?”

“Yeah?” Asterios glanced between his mates unsurely.

“Wasn’t the main limitation of Summoning Magic that the Summoner couldn’t do that?” She tilted her head at him.

“Yes? I’m a True Dragon, though,” he replied, but she still looked perplexed. “That’s where the altered ritual comes in that weaves the draconic influence our kin can—oh…”

That was when he realized that it wasn’t their kin but his father. It was his research, and the reason why he had taken in Kaguya at first. Or he had stumbled on it by accident after the summoning and perfected it in her realm, where they had found his notes on the topic. This wasn’t something commonly known amongst True Dragons.

And thus, Black most likely didn’t know either.

With Noir staring up at him in confusion but also bearing that already familiar piece of wonder in her curious eyes, Asterios stood in front of a difficult decision.

Would he conceal the fact that this was something his father had come up with and thus most likely utilized for his survival and other goals? Or would he choose to put his trust in his new companion and hope she wasn’t going to give him away at her earliest convenience?

The lie was inevitably going to come out at one point, certainly not winning him too many points with her.

And, technically, he could demand her to swear to never share it with anyone.

So, Asterios chose to gamble once more and brought forth a copy of one of the transcripted journals and held it out to the shorter girl.

“My father noticed a connection between a Summoner’s bond and a True Dragon bond with their retinue, especially on the intimate True level. I can traverse through the gates into any realm my familiars have access to. It’s been my main form of travel before I mastered the realm slicing about two months ago,” he explained calmly.

She accepted the book with a surprised expression, then unhurriedly opened it. Her narrow pupils jumped from place to place as she gave the pages a few quick glances. Her face grew more astonished the more she read, until she frowned deeply.

“This… With this I could… If I bring… She would be so stupefied… Finally, I would be able to win one ove—” Noir’s slowly rising distant gaze caught his figure in her field of vision and she froze.

Her eyes snapped to his.

The profound intelligence swirling in her gray irises made it apparent that she just realized what he had a moment earlier. As valuable as this information was, it could put his father in mortal danger. In the worst-case scenario, him and the others too.

Noir bit into her lip hard enough to almost draw blood, looking down at the notes again. With tense arms, she closed the journal and held it to Asterios, turning her face slightly away like the object in her hands was the epitome of temptation she had a hard time resisting, sneaking furtive peeks at it continuously.

“Collecting familiars from inferior species is not really my thing,” she declared with a haughty tone. “One day, I’ll master clawing through dimension as you do, which is a far superior technique, much more suitable for a True Dragon of my caliber.”

“Do you dislike that Master makes use of it?” Miria inquired curiously.

“Are you going to put words in my mouth too?” Noir growled at her.

“That wasn’t my intention!” The panthergirl raised her furry hands placatingly. “I was just wondering!”

Scoffing to the side, the Dragon girl turned around. “The strong can do whatever they want. I’m not going to question the methods he used to get this powerful. I can do the same with my own means.”

Asterios plopped a hand atop her head and ruffled through her wild hair. “She’s right. Not everyone is compatible with every path. Otherwise, you all would be Summoners too.”

Snarling, Noir yanked herself out of his grasp, staring daggers at him. He offered her an apologetic smile. Raising her nose into the air, she looked away.

~I’ll keep this to myself,~ she added through their bond. ~You offered to keep my secret too so it’s only natural.~

Deciding not to answer in words in case she felt like he was mocking her, he acknowledged her goodwill with a barely perceptible nod.

“Let’s give our new friend a short tour of our domain,” Asterios said out loud. “Then, we will talk about the main reason we’ve sought your help, Noir.”

“Fine.” Noir grunted.

And so, they started their stroll through the charming woods. Birds sang their pretty songs while the distant river hummed peacefully. Every time he and the ladies came here, they felt an urge to just lay in the grass and relax. It seemed like the worst place to focus on one’s studies, but there was just something in the atmosphere that aided teaching and learning when in the proper mood.

Suddenly, there was a mighty crack, followed by a prolonged creak, then finally a resounding thud.

Everyone glanced over their shoulders and found Noir staring back at them questioningly, her tail moving away from a tree by her side that was shattered in the middle.

“What was that for?” Asterios asked.

“Everything is so perfect here it just annoyed me.” Noir stuffed her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket. “It all seems so natural and serene, but when you see past that, it’s obvious how fake and artificial it is. The distances between the trees are not random. Someone made it this way, sculpting it so precisely to their wishes it’s sickening.”

She was a truly sharp one. Not many people who visited this place had the mind to notice such minute details and arrangements.

“You are right. It is an imitation.” Asterios nodded firmly, causing her to smirk triumphantly. “And I’m the one who made it as a lair for my mate.”

Noir’s gleeful expression dropped.

He surely wasn’t the only one involved in its construction, but he was amongst the first ones to insist on seeing it done, and personally had gone through the original designs of the old place to enhance them as much as possible, crafting the best version for his beloved mentor.

The surprised female didn’t move as he approached, her face stony as she met his gaze and watched what he was going to do.

“Pick it up,” Asterios ordered.

Blinking owlishly, Noir glanced aside at the fallen trunk and back to him. No further clarifications came, so she moved to the wooden log, stabbed her transformed claws into its bark, and lifted it effortlessly.

“Bring it here,” he continued.

She followed his command and pressed it into his extended palm after turning it upright, hovering it over the jagged stump.

“Hold it down,” Asterios instructed her.

Using a commendable amount of control, Noir connected the two pieces and kept her hands steady.

He closed his eyes and dove into himself. Tia’s appreciative smile fluttered through his mind as she answered his call and aided his third source in guiding her restorative energy according to his wishes. It felt like she stood by his side while a golden sunny glow radiated from between his skin and the bark. Some more soft creaking followed as the injury mended itself and the tree became whole once more.

Examining his job afterward, Asterios smiled and turned to walk away.

“That’s it?” Noir called after him, making him stop.

“It?” He peered back at her.

“You are not going to punish me?” She spread her arms.

“No?” Asterios stared at her.

“Why?” Noir snorted.

One reason was that she had been teased quite a bit and thus definitely experiencing quite the inner turmoil of emotions, but the other…

“Do you regret what you did?” he inquired.

“No,” she denied instantly.

“Are you going to, if I punish you?” Asterios put his fists against his sides.

“No.” Noir mirrored him.

“Would you do it again even after I did?” He watched her carefully.

“Yes.” She showed a feral grin.

“Then, there’s no point.” Asterios shrugged.

“What?” Noir’s nose wrinkled. “So, I can do basically anything as long as I don’t show remorse?”

Sighing deeply, he placed his palm over his face. “Are you really from an Onyx lineage?”

“Yes!” She started growling.

He peeked at her through his fingers. “Then aren’t you supposed to excel at analytical thinking and scheming?”

“You—”

“So why is it you are unable to figure out that, instead of wasting my time and effort on giving you meaningless punishments right now, wouldn’t I rather bid my patience to scrutinize you to the very depths of your soul and locate the one or two things that will actually hurt when I take a jab at them so you can finally learn what it means to feel regret?” Asterios dragged his palm the rest of the way down.

Noir shuddered at the cruel glare he cast at her from up there.

“Do not take my inaction as weakness.” He let out a low, menacing growl. “It will be the last mistake you make.”

Swallowing thickly, she lowered her head, which bobbed lightly afterward.

Inhaling slowly, Asterios faced the others again. “Don’t fall behind.”

The girls gathered around him as the tension gradually evaporated from his system.

~That was so scary…~ Tina commented, then offered him a faint, reassuring smile. ~Your aura was so strong and oppressive…~

~Hopefully, it wasn’t too much.~ He grunted, a trace of second thoughts surfacing in his mind.

~It was just the right amount, from how it looks,~ Selene commented, glancing back at the girl following them closely.

~You were just like my father when he needs to lay down the law.~ Silvia squeezed his arm. ~It’s not an easy thing to do, but sometimes necessary. I’m glad you are able to do it. You won’t be a weak ruler. And we already knew whatever True Dragon joined us, they would need a firm hand. At least in the beginning.~

Accepting their words of support, he soon fully recollected himself and reached out verbally to Noir so she wouldn’t feel ignored, starting to talk about the underground cavern they were in. Everyone pitched in and they chatted about various aspects connected to the hidden lair. She wasn’t as talkative as the others, but she wasn’t sulking or withdrawn either, even sneaking some cautious glances at Asterios now and then.

They stumbled on the clearing used for the lessons and found Phatru giving a lecture to her disciples, including Rusi. The stormy student was the first one to notice the presence of another True Dragon, squinting daringly at the black-haired woman. Others soon took note of their audience too and a few people showed signs of anxiety in front of an unknown predator.

To her credit, Noir glowered back at them only a bit, holding her tongue from cussing at the lesser beings.

Asterios explained their mentoring initiative briefly, and as cold as his new friend appeared, it was clear she was listening and absorbing the knowledge. She herself knew that information was power and learning was often the key to it. And right now, she had a nice opportunity to find out more about Lesser Dragons from other realms than hers basically for free.

Not to disturb the younglings too much, they left the clearing and showed her a few other key landmarks, including the cottage. Then, they split up, the ladies relegating themselves to their duties. Tina and Silvia went to handle the upcoming celebration. Miria and Selene moved to check on adventuring matters. Bryn returned to her own world while Althea decided to fulfill her mentor role in the meanwhile.

That left just Noir and Tia with Asterios, the latter slipping back into his source to create an image of privacy, giving him a chance to focus solely on his fresh familiar.

“Still think it’s so artificial it’s sickening?” He chuckled as they gazed out into the lair, catching her flinch. “I’m not mad at you. Speaking your honest thoughts isn’t a crime or even an offense usually. Damaging the tree was the not-nice part.”

She scanned his face for signs of deception then sighed. “It reminds me too much of home… Our fortress is perfect in every aspect too… All according to her plans… It just hit me right in the face after coming through the gate…”

Asterios hummed to himself. He could see how her excitement could have been crushed, her having high expectations of how the place past the spatial tunnel would look.

“Give me your hand,” he said gently.

Noir blinked at him but offered her palm. Darkness swallowed them, her eyes widening in startlement. A moment later, it receded, their surroundings changing from a bright forest to dark bricks of stone as they stood inside one of the castle towers.

“Shadow Transfer?” The Dragon girl looked impressed. “You have discovered so many abilities for someone barely out of his infant years.”

That made him laugh. A man in his twenties barely out of his newborn phase. But, in her eyes, it might as well be accurate. For a True Dragon, he truly was young, just beginning his journey through adulthood.

“Look over there.” Asterios gestured with his head towards the nearby window.

Turning away from him, she actually gasped at the sight spanning before her eyes. Almost in a trance, she moved closer to the windowsill and leaned outside. The way her tail flicked around while she took in the scenery of Glimmervale from high up was kind of adorable. But, he chose to keep that information to himself.

“Welcome to Glimmervale, the capital of Dragon Valley, the nation we established not that long ago.” He stood by her side. “You can find many races here like humans, elves, dwarves, demons, and so on. We are working on a way to bring in more from other realms, like beastfolk from Miria’s dimension. There are a few Lesser Dragons already, as you have seen, who are serving as our enforcers. This place technically had no Dragons before that due to them leaving after a big war which they were losing.”

“Losing?” Noir peered back at him. “Were they really low in numbers or what?”

“Our artificers came up with something called Spellslingers, empowered weapon artifacts like the one you saw me wield during our duel. Those were lost to time as much as the Dragons so only a few pieces remain here and there. And some people who know how to make them.” Asterios winked slyly. “I can show you what those babies can really do during one of our fights. As long as you issue a normal challenge once in a while.”

“That was one time!” She slugged him in the arm with a growl. “You are not going to let me live that down, are you?”

“Me? Not so much. Others? It might take a while.” He snickered. “You brought it upon yourself with that outrageous contest.”

“I had no other choice!” Noir scowled, then grumbled to herself while crossing her arms. “You are able to suppress my bloodline, so there’s a high risk that a normal battle will end just like the first one. Mother always whines that all the males are subpar and they never stand up to task, unable to last any respectable time. I saw my chance and I took it!”

Not wanting to agitate and embarrass the spunky girl anymore, Asterios just stroked his chin.

“Since I don’t really know you, I can’t say I’m fully confident in beating you at that. It is a fact that I haven’t been with a True Dragon before.” He mused out loud. “At the same time, you don’t really know me. And I’m not being conceited by pointing out that I’m not exactly just like the mates your mother might have been meeting.”

Thinking over his words for a moment, she scrunched her lips. “Fair point.”

“Especially considering the Arch Dryad’s vitality coursing through my veins,” Asterios added.

“Ah, it can be used like that?” It suddenly dawned on her and she caught her hair desperately. “Fuck! I almost gave myself to you on a silver platter again!”

“Keep thinking. I bet you’ll come up with another clever ploy.” He laughed while patting her on the back. “For now, come on. Let’s take care of business and I can show you around the city. Your first task begins just around that corner.”