For several seconds after Lucien answered, the room remained completely silent.
Not tense silence.
The exhausted kind.
The kind shared by people realizing a problem had officially beco too large to ignore.
Outside, the distant roar echoed through the mountains one final ti before fading beneath the storm winds.
Seraphin slowly looked between everyone in the chamber.
Lucas was studying the ceiling like it personally offended him.
Malen had crossed his arms while very deliberately avoiding eye contact.
Gandalf appeared deeply interested in his tea.
The younger investigator finally spoke first.
"...There really is a dragon."
Nobody answered imdiately.
Which, unfortunately, answered the question anyway.
Lucien rubbed his forehead slowly.
"This conversation beca complicated faster than I hoped."
"That implies you hoped it would happen eventually," Seraphin observed calmly.
Lucien looked toward him.
"I hoped the dragon would learn restraint first."
From the corner of the room, Gandalf muttered: "A foolish hope."
"Thank you, Gandalf."
"You are welco."
The younger investigator still looked mildly stunned.
"I thought the reports were exaggerated."
"They were," Lucas answered tiredly. "Aurethar is larger than the reports."
That did not help.
At all.
Seraphin leaned back slightly in his chair, though Lucien noticed sothing interesting imdiately:
The investigator wasn’t panicking.
Concerned, yes.
Alert, definitely.
But not fearful.
Useful trait.
"Let understand this properly," Seraphin said carefully. "There is an actual dragon sowhere near Elarion."
Lucien nodded once.
"Yes."
"And you’re saying this calmly."
"Panic seed unproductive."
Fair point.
The younger investigator looked genuinely conflicted now.
"My Lord... dragons destroy kingdoms."
Malen finally spoke.
"This one mostly insults people and steals furnace heat."
Gandalf snorted into his tea.
"That is sohow accurate."
The investigator stared at them.
"You’re all treating this like a difficult house guest."
Lucas answered instantly.
"Because that’s exactly what it feels like."
Before anyone could continue—
The chamber doors suddenly opened.
A servant stepped inside quickly, visibly nervous.
"My Lord..."
Lucien already looked tired.
"What happened?"
The servant hesitated.
"...There’s sothing on the western wall."
Silence.
Then Lucas closed his eyes imdiately.
"Oh no."
A few minutes later, half the fortress had gathered along the western battlents.
Snowstorms rolled heavily across the valley while guards nervously stood beside the walls staring outward toward the mountain cliffs beyond Elarion.
Or more specifically—
At the massive golden dragon currently lying across part of the outer watchtower like an oversized cat.
Aurethar looked completely comfortable.
One enormous wing hung over the side of the wall while smoke drifted lazily from his nostrils into the freezing air.
The watchtower beneath him creaked ominously.
Workers nearby kept sneaking glances before pretending not to.
Aurethar noticed Lucien approaching first.
"Oh good."
The dragon lifted his head slightly.
"You have guests."
Seraphin stopped walking.
The younger investigator looked monts away from questioning every life decision leading to this mont.
Because seeing dragon rumors written in reports was one thing.
Standing ten ters away from one was very different.
Aurethar’s golden eyes shifted lazily toward the investigators afterward.
"...Tiny royal people."
The younger investigator froze completely.
Seraphin, however, stepped forward calmly despite several nearby guards visibly questioning his sanity.
Interesting man.
The dragon watched him curiously.
"Hm."
Aurethar lowered his massive head slightly closer.
"This one doesn’t sll terrified."
"Should I?"
The dragon considered that seriously.
"...Reasonable answer."
Lucien stepped between them before the conversation beca catastrophic sohow.
"Aurethar."
"Yes?"
"Why are you on the wall?"
"I was observing."
"The wall is cracking."
"That sounds like an engineering problem."
One of the nearby guards quietly whispered: "He said that last ti too."
Lucas looked emotionally exhausted already.
Seraphin continued studying the dragon carefully.
Ancient mana pressure rolled subtly through the air around Aurethar even while relaxed. The sheer presence alone explained why frontier patrols panicked during sightings.
This wasn’t so lesser beast.
This was a true dragon.
The investigator finally asked the obvious question.
"How?"
Lucien answered honestly enough.
"We ford a contract."
The younger investigator imdiately looked horrified again.
"You WHAT?"
Aurethar looked deeply pleased by the reaction.
"Yes."
The dragon stretched slightly, causing the watchtower to groan in pain.
"He was interesting."
"That is not enough explanation!"
"It was for ."
Malen stepped beside Lucien afterward.
"To be fair, none of us fully understand why he agreed either."
Aurethar looked offended.
"I possess refined judgnt."
"You set three roofs on fire this month."
"Progress requires sacrifice."
Gandalf pointed accusingly.
"That is MY phrase."
The dragon ignored him completely.
Seraphin watched the interaction quietly.
And the more he watched—
The stranger this territory beca.
Workers weren’t fleeing from the dragon.
Guards weren’t panicking.
One child near the lower courtyard was literally waving upward excitedly.
Aurethar noticed and waved one claw back carefully.
The child scread happily.
The investigator stared at that for several seconds.
"...Your people are used to this."
Lucas sighed.
"They adapted faster than we did."
Aurethar suddenly sniffed the air once.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly toward the western ridges.
The playful mood faded imdiately.
Lucien noticed first.
"What is it?"
The dragon lifted his head fully now.
"Movent."
Malen’s expression sharpened instantly.
"Beasts?"
"No."
Aurethar’s golden eyes narrowed further.
"Humans."
The wind howled sharply across the walls.
Several guards straightened imdiately.
Seraphin glanced toward the distant snowy ridges but saw nothing through the storm.
Lucien’s voice beca colder.
"How many?"
The dragon remained silent briefly.
Then—
"Enough that they are hiding poorly."
Malen’s hand moved toward his sword instantly.
Lucas looked toward Lucien.
"My Lord..."
Lucien’s eyes remained fixed toward the storm-covered mountains.
Because deep down—
He already knew.
Soone from the south had finally decided to investigate Elarion without permission.
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