Chapter 513 – Educational Crash

After enjoying the pleasant atmosphere in the underground village for a little longer, Asterios shared one more kiss with his draconic lover and left the pair to tend to their responsibilities. He had interrupted them in the middle of a meeting, in the end. It was nice of them to show him around the hidden settlement, but they still had a lot to do.

Reaching into his bonds with the rest of his mates, he tried to get in touch with the remaining two he had not paid a visit to yet. To his surprise, neither answered immediately, his mental touch going unnoticed. Or possibly ignored.

That made Asterios intrigued. He wasn’t so conceited to think that they would all drop everything they were doing to answer his summons, but from personal experience, he knew that would be the case most of the time. Not just out of respect or some kind of obligation, but even just so that they could spend more time together. The girls wouldn’t pass up a chance to do that, some more enthusiastic about it than the others.

Between Tina and Silvia, the former seemed off-world, so the decision on who to check on next came easily. With a simple thought, he plunged into the darkness that surrounded him in the wooden corridor, which he was making his way through, and quickly transferred himself through Kraedorion’s lands. It was just a blink for him when the light of the day fell upon his face once again, spreading comfortable warmth over his skin.

Then, he noticed that the temperature was rising incredibly fast, and something else was falling right towards his head too.

Ast’s heightened senses allowed his body to react without delay, and his hand shot up to catch the dangerous object nearly effortlessly, his whole arm covered in scales in mere moments. A brightly glowing crystal staff smacked into his palm, a wave of amber fire rolling off his figure harmlessly.

When the hot obstruction dissipated, he met the assailant’s gorgeous eyes directly, admiring the dancing fires that glimmered in their irises. The connection made their pupils shrink in shock.

“This…” Asterios glanced over his shoulder at a blackened stretch of ground behind him. “...brings back memories.”

His gaze wandered briefly over their surroundings, recognizing the small courtyard as the one he had initially stumbled upon the fiery princess. Even the crumbled bricks where the sword he had avoided back then were left untouched, serving as a kind of abstract memorial.

“That might be what pulled me in to make a stop here.” Silvia exhaled softly, withdrawing her weapon. “Sorry.”

“I’m okay.” He turned to her with a smile. “It’s almost like we are back at that day.”

She returned the smile, glancing at the damaged wall too. “The day that changed everything.”

“That it did. And do you want to hear something funny?” Asterios chuckled, receiving a curious look in return. “Suanori was sure I could handle the king and anything else in this castle. But there was one specific warning she gave me. Can you guess what it was?”

Silvia tilted her head thoughtfully, then shrugged her shoulders.

He cleared his throat and did his best impression of their guildmaster friend. “Whatever you do, stay away from the princess. And how did that one go?”

She laughed openly. “I nearly split your head open by accident.”

“Some things don’t change, do they?” Asterios grinned, making Silvia roll her eyes at him.

“Yes, it’s nearly the same. Though also completely different.” She took a peek at herself with a reminiscing expression.

That caused him to raise a brow at her.

“This illustrates greatly how things have changed. How I have changed.” Silvia flexed her fingers repeatedly. “I was what’s known as a Battle Mage, weaving spells directly on the battlefield, thus my stamina and endurance were higher than any other casters. Yet, I had to be careful not to drain myself with physical duels and expose a weakness, better working from the backline.”

Raising her eyes, she found his and peered into them calmly.

“Now, your appearance marks nearly the fourth hour that I’m spending on mirroring the same exhausting exercise from back then, which should have rendered me unconscious after about forty minutes,” she continued. “By just being one of your women, I’m developing further than human limits dictate. I’m evolving. Surpassing every wall and obstacle. With no end in sight.”

Asterios stepped closer and slid his palm over her smooth cheek. “You don’t give your elemental half enough credit.”

Silvia placed her hand over his, squeezing it fondly. “And who was the one to awaken it?”

It was his turn to roll his eyes at her.

Before he could respond, she was already cutting in as he was opening his mouth. “You play a bigger role in our lives than you imagine. All of us would indeed be more than fine without you, but you can’t deny how good your influence is on us. I know that it might feel like something demeaning when I say that just being with you is enough to bring us to the heights of our potential, or even past it, but I assure you that it’s not. Being able to receive such unbelievable support is a blessing, and it is the effort we put into exercising it that lets us spread our wings for real. Such a gift would be wasted if left unattended. And tend to it we shall, as it is both our duty and our desire. That is why this isn’t a one-sided trade of our existence for your power.”

They stared at each other intently for a minute.

Asterios was the first one to break the link with a light sigh, followed by a tiny smirk. “There’s another thing that’s changing. I can’t seem to win any argument against you ladies anymore.”

A delicate flush crept up Silvia’s noble cheeks. “Tina isn’t the only one who can express herself more candidly. We might all be reaching the point of having enough of letting you put yourself down for us.”

“I’m not—” He tried to counter her claim, but paused as her exquisite lips scrunched a little into a pout. “I guess that’s fine. I might actually need someone to keep me in check the deeper I delve into my ancestries. And I have a feeling that any part of my retinue with draconic ties won’t have the gall to question a superior True Dragon.”

She brought her lips up to his for a loving peck. “We will make sure there is always someone to give you a little opposition here and there. As long as you don’t punish our audacity too harshly.”

The last part was added with a coy smirk, bringing one out of Asterios too.

“Unfortunately, I think Grea would be into that.” He chuckled, drawing out a snort from his flaming princess.

“If only.” Silvia looked back at him meaningfully. “Her competition is growing fairly quickly.”

It took him a moment to decipher her message, which made him groan quietly.

“Does every single one of you view her like that?” Asterios swiped down his face. “It’s been like a month or so since we pulled Noir out of her gilded cage.”

“And she chose to spend almost every minute of that freedom by your side.” Silvia let out a dignified snicker. “Take that as you wish.”

“I’m literally her only source of trusted information around here…” he muttered to himself.

“If that’s what you believe.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and twirled around to tidy up the training arena.

Even though those were his own words, Asterios wouldn’t be too inclined to believe them so easily, as his keen mate had pointed out. Noir was shrewd, clever, and cunning to the extreme. She would have found ways to collect intelligence while limiting her interactions with him to the minimum if it bothered her. Yet, she did the complete opposite most of the time. And their recent discussion about the operation in the mountains further supported that notion.

Done with her practice, Silvia began walking away, and Asterios joined her side, knowing she would appreciate his company.

“I heard an interesting rumor.” He initiated a casual chat to pass the time. “You guys seem to be locked in a fierce competition with the elves.”

Silvia caught on to his allusion right away. “Queen Civienne must have told you. Or rather, bragged about being ahead, nearly at the finish line.”

“And is she wrong?” Asterios inquired.

“We might be a bit… behind,” she admitted. “Marrying a princess in place of an alliance is unfortunately not enough of an established bond anymore.”

He took her hand and brushed over her skin with his thumb. “If it were up to me, that would already make me way happier than I could imagine.”

She ducked her head, hiding the cordial smile that snuck on her face.

“Maybe. But in the eyes of the public, we don’t really have a reason to submit, like the elves. And Father is rather intent on finding one, not willing to be left in the dust when you inevitably come out as a True Dragon. The incident during the celebrations did help increase the awareness of your greatness amongst the populace, and we pretty much handled the unruly nobles, if you would like to know, but that’s hardly enough,” Silvia shared. “Even demons have the argument that your father practically taught their ancestors how to live in those lands.”

“And to think I was once sure I was decently good at laying low.” Asterios smirked.

“You had to. But, not anymore.” She squeezed his fingers reassuringly. “Anyway, I think the current version is to somehow tie our elemental progenitor to you due to how I seem to be unlocking more and more of their qualities the longer I stay around. So, don’t be surprised when he one day runs up to you with some outlandish theory that is impossible to make heads or tails of. Especially with Miss Kindra encouraging him to ride on that fantasy.”

“Good gods…” He shuddered, making her grace him with a rare giggle. “Perhaps bringing those two together wasn’t as good of an idea as I first assumed…”

“You reap what you sow.” Silvia patted him on the back, and they slipped into her old chambers.

It might not have been ages since he had visited the place, but Asterios was nevertheless hit with a gust of nostalgia. Those flashbacks hit him the most when his eyes wandered over to the tall, mighty dresser with a mirror.

“This brings up memories every time,” Asterios said.

She walked up to the stylish wardrobe and grazed the wooden surface. “It’s like a reminder. Each time it enters my sight, I’m reminded that… I have someone who truly loves me.”

The tips of her hair began sparking visibly, and he didn’t miss that detail. Having an idea what she might be so engrossed in, he caught up to the twinkling lady and spun her around. She readily raised her chin to meet the upcoming kiss and joined their lips with an appreciative hum. Shortly after their passionate exchange began, the sparks became bigger and brighter, until they ignited her crimson-amber hair into one flaming mane.

They parted for breath, staring each other in their eyes, which gleamed with dancing flames, and Silvia’s face was tinged with rosiness.

“Betrayed by my own body. Again.” The fiery princess displayed a satisfied smile, contrary to her harsh words.

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who has to deal with that,” Asterios commented.

She needed only a single glance down before pulling him in for something fierce again. Opportunities to let go like these were scarce with how busy they were. So, neither of them wished to let it go to waste.

But there was a limit to everything.

Asterios stepped back after a while, and the fire that took over his beloved mate dimmed a tad. “I think we should slow down before things become too… heated.”

“As much as I would like to disagree… I do have places to be.” Silvia exhaled slowly, returning to her usual appearance. “And so do you. I’m not the last one, am I?”

“You make it sound bad that I left Tina for the end.” He pursed his lips.

“Well, we are all about to gather in a few hours, so I think we can both agree that you managed to avoid such a fate.” Silvia daintily fixed her hair, cast one more loving glance at him, and excused herself from her chambers.

Returning his gaze forward, Asterios noticed that her alluring figure had been burned into the wood during their abrupt makeout session, leaving another mark his royal fiancé could remember him by. In some way, it was now a mirror to her soul.

Finally getting ahold of Tina, he brought up the crimson gate and stepped through the spatial corridor.

※※※

Stepping out of the dark red passage, Asterios was much more careful and paid additional attention to his surroundings. It paid off as he appeared in mid-air, the gate suspended between a few floating islands made of rock and grass. His wings materialized in a flash, and he glided to one of the nearby platforms, getting his bearings in the current environment.

One thing was clear, he had ended up somewhere in the Lesser Dragon habitat. However, his Summoner girlfriend was nowhere to be seen, the crimson archway already closing itself after serving its role. He was sure it was more of an afterthought of its owner, who had to change locations in that short moment.

And surely, not long after, Asterios felt a shockwave that unsettled the nearby pieces of flying stone, including the one he was standing on. A loud roar followed it, and a silver-scaled serpent came rushing in. Right behind it was a buzzing imitation of its glory made of literal lightning. The latter crashed into the former, and the duo went spinning until they hit an uninhabited island.

Two electrified breath attacks emerged from within the natural formation adorning the suspended rock, clashing together multiple times. Violent flashes illuminated the surroundings each time they crossed paths.

With another explosion, this time closer to the center, one elongated figure was blown away and soared straight at Asterios. He took one step to the side and let the gray Lesser Dragon smash into the earth, digging a deep trench with its forced landing.

“Damn it…” Rusi cursed under her nose with a low growl. “What kind of freak gets this good after just a bunch of spars…”

The freak in question joined them shortly, hovering in front of the island while surrounded by the electrified framework. Tina’s war face dropped the instant her eyes registered the newcomer on their battlefield, and she dismissed her transformation in a blink, sinking to the ground with a massive grin.

“Ast!” The short girl threw herself into her beloved’s arms and rained kisses all over his face.

“Get a room…” Her draconic familiar huffed in annoyance, shifting down into a humanoid form.

Tina, true to her vow of being honest with herself, didn’t pay any attention to Rusi’s attitude, continuing to snuggle with Asterios openly. He happily ruffled through her hair, knowing she loved the fluffy pats.

“I see your training is going well,” he said to finally break her out of this vicious cycle of affection.

“Ah, it’s going great, but I can see how the scene you’ve just witnessed might have painted an unrealistic picture of my current capabilities,” she responded, taking a step back, but not far enough to escape his reach, continuing to enjoy his caresses.

“How so?” Asterios frowned.

“I did just land a solid hit on Rusi, but it wasn’t a finisher, and given an hour or so more, I would have gotten my butt kicked instead.” Tina offered her companion a respectful nod. “I’m learning fast. Perhaps too fast. I burn myself out in this form very quickly. You must recall the state you found me back after that distraction we caused in Umbra’s realm. I’ve gotten only a bit better.”

Only now did he notice the slight shaking that troubled her lithe frame. And it wasn’t caused by the occasional arc of lightning skipping over her skin and clothes.

“That’s only because you refuse to draw strength from your mate.” Rusilthea groaned as she stretched her aching muscles. “I wouldn’t stand a chance if not for the restrictions we set up for these fights.”

“The same argument could be used with you drawing strength from me.” The azure-haired girl crossed her arms under her ample chest. “We are practicing our own limits here, and it’s not a shame to admit that you have me beaten in most cases, including experience and instincts.”

“Not for long.” The roguish Dragon lady arrived at their spot, turning to peer at Asterios. “This pipsqueak is going to surpass me in no time at this pace. I might be boasting a Storm Dragon lineage, but her lightning makes even my bones rattle.”

“You feel stronger than during your first duel at the summoning attempt too,” he pointed out, making the unruly rebel click her tongue.

“Then she should be using me more rather than having me sit on the sidelines.” Rusi glared at her mistress. “Having a chance to peacefully attend classes and learn from a pair of great mentors is nice and dandy, but I’m a familiar first, disciple second, am I not?”

“Sorry…” Tina’s hands dropped to her waist as she squirmed sheepishly. “Old habits die hard and all that… I’m just too used to being a frontliner…”

Asterios deployed some more pats her way while glancing at the unamused female. “She didn’t mean to neglect you. As you already know, we humans might tend to be a bit too considerate for our own good sometimes. Even I, being part True Dragon, happen to still trip over this. I can promise you that your chance to assist us will come soon. Last time, the location was just a bit too troublesome.”

“Good.” The short-haired woman squinted at them, then flashed a fanged grin. “I’m running out of things I can boast about to my peers. They need to know who is at the top of the exchange program.”

He shared a chuckle with his lovely girlfriend.

“And how are things going regarding that? And everything else in the nest?” Asterios queried.

“If you are worried about Jellal and the fallout from that drama, you don’t need to. The public opinion shifted in a matter of days. He is now treated like the scum that he is.” Rusilthea spat to the side. “Though there’s a new issue that is now plaguing our small oasis in the clouds. Also connected to the mentorship system.”

“Did an opposition finally form?” He stroked his chin ponderingly.

“Worse than that.” She let out a tired sigh. “Everyone is so in love with your initiative that there hasn’t been a single disciple taken from our nest by the traveling mentors. The brats became so demanding that it stuns even the most open-minded teachers. Not to mention that no one wants to leave anymore, intent on waiting their turn in the program you introduced.”

Tina snorted cutely next to him.

“What’s more, the rumor already spread to the closest nests, and we are getting more and more visitors interested in checking it out, which brings an even bigger number of mentors here.” Rusi rubbed her eyes slowly. “Nestmother Rhufija isn’t amused. They are turning our home into a tourist attraction. Not that she blames any of you, of course. It’s just annoying. She even unintentionally let it slip that it’s all backed by a True Dragon, and it still didn’t get them to back down for long.”

“It’s no wonder when all the students are talking about during their free hours is how they wish they could experience the teachings even more.” Tina shook her head. “Maybe it’s time to spread our influence to those other nests. Start letting out some feelers and see how that goes.”

“That could help.” Her familiar agreed without hesitation. “And Jellal could finally begin his pilgrimage under your watchful eye. At least for a few stops.”

“We’ll put that up to a discussion. Nothing guaranteed, though,” Asterios replied. “We are expanding a lot, so there’s a chance, at least. Making more connections would be good.”

“Alright! Enough for a break!” The short Summoner smacked her fists together. “I don’t have much time before our strategy meeting, so let’s get to it! You were teaching me about spinal movements when we were interrupted! What’s next? I need to understand everything about Lesser Dragons to fight like one of you!”

The corner of Rusi’s lips lifted a tiny bit. “You could have just taken the win, shortie. But, as you wish. I’m going to wreck your shit, mate present or not. Get that ass ready.”

Without a word of warning, the two lunged at each other, assuming their previous forms mid-tumble. Asterios watched them roll off the island before they snaked through the air while exchanging blows.

Hopefully, the Nestmother was aware of their lively training here. Otherwise, the duo might get in some trouble for damaging her precious settlement without permission.

Not that it was his problem.

They were grown-up ladies. They could handle the consequences of their actions.

Plus, he had better things to do before the mentioned gathering.

Like taking a look at how his favorite dungeon was growing.