Divine Beast Ascension

Chapter 377: Lord Draco’s Final Decision

Rhyner took in a deep breath as he slid into the booth without a word, sitting beside Lord Draco. Bradok and Vloz did the same, moving to the other side of Zelsh.

Isaac sighed while diminishing his essence. After a brief pause, he calmly smiled back at the towering king. “Zelsh, I’d like to ask you the same question. How is it that a role-model king can leave his region on a whim like this?”

“Ah, that’s due to my son’s recent ascension,” Zelsh answered with an amiable grin while sipping his drink. “He’s now an early-king, allowing me to take short trips now and again. And as Bradok’s long-time friend and client, I had to come see him and his clan’s new territory.”

“I see...”

“And what about you, Lord Draco? I haven’t seen you in years, not since the last tournament.”

“Well, certain matters have arisen in this territory, on such a scale that the quadrant has assigned a representative to come as well,” replied Isaac.

Acting shocked, Zelsh reeled back. “The quadrant?! Then... will this come to involve our region as well?”

.....

“That’s certain to happen. There’s a chance that Treeda is already aware of the situation and is likely looking for you.” Isaac took out a bottle of wine and a golden mug, filling his cup post haste. “Perhaps it’s best that you head back and assist her. If the circles are linked, I’m sure she’ll appreciate traveling via teleportation more than flying the entire distance.”

“If that’s the case, you may be right!” Quickly chugging the rest of his wine, Zelsh politely exited the booth. “Bradok, I’ll be right back!”

“Stop worrying about me and hurry back! We don’t want you in trouble on our behalf,” laughed the old gorilla.

“Right! And it’s been a pleasure to see you again, Lord Draco. I look forward to more shared training between my region’s best youth and your prefecture’s newest genius!” Zelsh added with a final bow.

Isaac smirked and nodded in response, not saying a word until after Zelsh was long gone from the restaurant. “So, tell me. Whose idea was it to train with the other region?”

“That was a mutual decision between the clan leaders and our academy director,” Bradok answered resolutely while waving to the incoming server. “A few bottles of your finest drink, please!”

“Of course! It’ll be our pleasure, Master Bradok!” The man happily accepted the order and rushed back with grace and poise, avoiding direct eye contact with those that were obviously the strongest at the table.

“So you’re all to blame? That makes things easy for me.”

“Excuse me, Lord Draco, but what is it that we’ve done wrong?” asked Vloz.

Eyeing the leopard, Lord Draco clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “You’ve ruined everything before it even started. How dare you do such things while we must prepare for the tournament!? How dare you ruin our odds!?!”

“My lord, we’ve committed no crimes,” Bradok stated. “In fact, such sparring was a great aid to Netra’s development. You’d expect her to reach her full potential without facing such situations? Would she not be eliminated at the prefectural round without experiencing these things beforehand? What’s wrong with letting her better understand the scale of the mortal championships?”

Annoyed, Isaac responded, “Either way, you’ve ruined our greatest chance at success in the tournament. How will you repay your prefecture for your failures?”

“We’ll continue to grow until we’re a pivotal border city, offering the best education in the surrounding territories, and regions with time,” said Vloz, smiling back at the server as they placed the bottles and glasses down at the table. “Our goals are not small. We wish to continue offering the greatest of candidates to the prefecture, even showing devotion while protecting the border as best we possibly can.”

“So you’ll double your efforts during the war for the mine?”

Lifting one eyebrow, Vloz asked, “And what of Netra? She’s not a secret candidate, regardless of your desires. Would such news not-”

“So Zelsh has seen her fight. What of it?” questioned Isaac, pouring his wine again. “That doesn’t mean the prefecture lords or the quadrant will see her in action, or know of her full capabilities.

“When Zelsh informs Treeda, she’ll likely keep it to herself as well, so as to prepare in silence. What good would it do to inform the other prefectures or the quadrant? For her sake, she’d just train and keep Netra in mind for the later rounds of the competition,” Isaac reseasoned. “So there’s nothing to worry about. Netra will remain our hidden gem until the final competition, the best possible outcome we can reach.”

Taking in a slow breath, Bradok asked, “Prefecture Lord Draco, would you please consider revealing-”

“I refuse. And I order you to cease questioning me about nonsense.”

“... So be it.”

The group began to eat and drink in silence, apart from Isaac’s remarks comparing everything to his capital city, belittling Iron Town with every half-sarcastic remark.

As the meal and drinking winded down, another massive pulse of energy sounded from the school’s teleportation circle. With that, Isaac cleared his throat and put away his empty mug and wine bottle. “Come, let’s go greet our first visitors!”

Speechless, the group followed their prefecture lord and reached the school grounds at a top speed. At the school gates, they stopped and found the recent arrivals.

“Lord Draco, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

Smiling wider than ever, Isaac offered a cordial bow. “Lady Inka, It’s a pleasure to see you again. I presume that you’ve come in Zrand’s stead?”

Nodding, the lady stepped forward, motioning for the man behind her to do as well. “That it is, Lord Draco. Please, forgive our unannounced arrival. But we were in a hurry after receiving word from the quadrant. We traveled to Toxic-shadow Prefecture first via circles and were lucky to meet Lord Treeda as she was leaving.”

Another flash of purple energy went off, bringing a smile to Inka’s and Isaac’s faces. However, the man behind Inka stiffened the moment he sensed the familiar energy nearby.