Chapter 750 Resolve To Win
"Sit."
Before the mighty presence that was before him, Adrien Chase had no choice but to obey.
He had been escorted by Dragons to this place—the grand office of a Lord—so the least he could do was obey the simple instructions given to him by the one he came to see.
The one who was thoughtful enough to grant him an audience.
"Huu…" As Adrien sat on the rather comfortable seat, doing his best to observe his surroundings without taking his attention away from the entity before him, he maintained his smile.
The office was splendidly designed—possessing streaks of purple, blue, and black. The carpet was exquisite, and the quality of furniture was unlike anything that could be found in any human or elven settlement.
In fact, it was almost reminiscent of Earth.
The room had an air conditioning Enchanted Item, as well as Enchanted Items for lighting, among other very useful utilities. By all means of comparison, it was not too dissimilar from a modern office.
"So… how are you enjoying the Empire so far?" The man before him asked, his voice deep and his tone smooth.
It almost felt like the clap of thunder, though.
"I just arrived on the Continent, Sir. I haven't had much time for sightseeing or anything of the sort." Adrien rightly responded, bowing his head politely in order to pay as much respect to the figure as possible.
He found that this method usually worked on those in high authority who perceived themselves as greater than those they granted an audience.
Just as expected, his actions eased a bit of the tension in the room.
"Is that so? I understand then…" Adrien was yet to take a proper look at the Lord before him, but he could see his outfit.
He wore a polished black and purple suit—one that spoke of incredible wealth and prestige. Of course, it was enchanted—as was practically every other accessory that the man donned. He had an earring in one ear, a chain, and a few rings, from what Adrien could decipher.
Adrien made sure to observe all of this very subtly.
"I will have to leave very soon, since I have a rather important meeting to attend to. So, raise your head and let's conclude this as quickly as possible."
"Understood."
Adrien lifted his eyes and witnessed the handsome and perfectly crafted face of the Dragon Lord before him—The Storm Dragon Of Trembling Skies.
"Now then… where to begin."
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Vai'zel was a rather pragmatic one—a sharp contrast to the regular prideful Dragon that existed within the Empire. Even among the Lords, he possessed a particularly sharp wit, coupled with an attitude that calculated all actions and outcomes based on utility. How useful or advantageous a position was determined whether or not he would subscribe to it.
It was the same reason he decided to grant the human before him an audience despite the more important things he had on his plate.
'I just got news on the deaths of those three, and I have to soon leave for the meeting that is being held to explain their demise and discuss the other pending matters.' Vai'zel thought to himself as he made a short sigh.
He certainly had his own thoughts concerning the deaths of his colleagues, but it wasn't like he didn't see it coming. The other Lords also probably had a fair idea what happened as well.
At the moment, however, the Storm Dragon Lord chose not to dwell too much on the matter. Instead, he offered his full attention to the human before him.
'Adrien Chase… when my Generals first reported their unanimous decision to take in an exceptional human who sided with them against the Elves, I was slightly curious, but didn't give it much thought. But…'
Somehow, Adrien had managed to garner even more of his attention over time.
'In the final fight, even though it ended in failure, he even fought off the hero of the Elves. I saw the footages, and I have to say… he's pretty impressive.' And all of this was not even accounting for the fact that the boy had Necromancy as a Skill.
He was too interesting to pass up.
"So, what do you want, Adrien?" The Lord finally asked, his eyes burrowing deep into the azure irises of the boy.
"I… would like to be of service to the Empire… to you. If it is possible, I'd like to integrate myself with your society and become one of you."
"One of us? As a human?"
Adrien nodded his head, not showing any hesitation to make clear what he wanted.
'I like that!' Vai'zel grinned to himself.
This human showed a lot more backbone than most Dragons that he knew.
"And what exactly can you offer to the Empire that would make us consider you?"
Adrien smiled the moment he heard the question, a move that made Vai'zel even more intrigued by him and excited to hear his response.
"I did a lot of research before coming here. I know about the true origins of the Dragons… as Otherworlders not native to his world."
'Ohh?' The Lord's eyes widened considerably.
"But you are not the only ones. The humans have also resorted to using your kind to battle you… by Summoning Otherworlders. I am an Otherworlder, and there are even more like me in the United Human Alliance."
"For real?" Vai'zel nearly gasped, incredibly amused by the information he was receiving practically for free.
Now it made sense why the humans were suddenly turning the tides in their battle against the Dragon Armies placed in the Western Continent.
'To think they had that kind of secret… how fascinating!' However, what was more fascinating was the fact that this human was able to figure out the identity of Dragons as well as sell out the trump card that humanity possessed.
"You were summoned to protect the humans of H'Trae, yet you would betray them? Why?" Vai'zel asked, licking his lips as he did so.
"Because I believe the Dragons will ultimately win this war. And in that respect, it doesn't matter what side I was summoned to, or what I need to do to achieve the desired result… no matter what, I intend to win."
"Oh? Fascinating!"
"...."
For a few seconds, silence existed between both Otherworlders—Dragon and Human—as they were locked in a seemingly ended staring contest.
The first to blink was Vai'zel, all due to the loud laughter that burst out of his flapping lips.
"You're quite amusing, you know that?"
"I am glad that I was able to amuse you, Sir."
"Oh, please. It's fine, Adrien. I quite like you already, so there's no need to keep up the formalities."
"Does that mean I can call you by name?"
"Hey! Don't push it. We're not that close." Vai'zel said this with a bit of aversion, but there was no rage in his tone.
It was simply a reaction of pride—something present within all Dragons, especially among Lords.
"Understood!"
"In any case, I am willing to give you a chance to prove your worth and join the Empire. But first, Adrien, you will have to go through rigorous training and education to properly serve the Empire."
"I completely understand sir."
"You do? You sure? It won't be easy. All your fellow comrades will be Dragons, and you will have a long way to go to prove your worth to everyone around you." Vai'zel hammered down the point, but none of that seemed to deter the boy.
Adrien simply smiled and nodded, parting his lips in sheer resolve.
"Whatever it takes."
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[Conclusion Of Arc 5: Land Of The Elves Arc]
~Notice: Prepare Yourselves For The Next Adventure That Will Take You All By Storm!~
{The Dragon Academy Arc will now begin…}
A/N: I sincerely hope you enjoyed the Arc, since most of it was a setup for the upcoming Arc and it had less action than the Arc before it. Still, I had a lot of fun with the story, and I hope you did too.
See you in the next one!