The silence lasted for a few uncomfortable minutes. It was as if time had stopped.

"The one tied up is the original thief,” Kai’s calm voice cut through the frozen air. “He hid the egg in the Marrow Forest.” The Marrow forest was located at the common connecting point of the central, west, and southwest regions. Calling it a forest was unfair to Isle Forest, but it was not small enough to be called a groove. 

“The other one is the prince who found it there and took it along," He added. Kai was composed as usual. Although Ryuu had his back turned, he knew this. Kai was the only person he'd seen who could comfort people without changing his solemn expression. 

And also the only person who could talk to the strongest creatures with the same expression. That was why when Kai glared at him back at the lake, Ryuu couldn’t come up with an excuse. 

“And how are you part of all this?” The voice this time sounded much more tranquil than the overbearing one. 

“I’m merely a mercenary here to help a friend.”

“Is that so? Who’s the friend?” Ryuu shrunk back even more by instinct.

“I believe you’re putting your concern in the wrong place.” Another few seconds of silence followed before the voice was heard again. 

"Oeno, take that one away." The order was not as bad as Ryuu thought it would be. "Make sure not even a bone is left." Or not. 

Footsteps echoed through the place. "What is he so afraid of? Come forward." The voice had gotten closer. 

“Like I said, you needn’t worry yourself over this,” Kai interjected. Where he got the courage to deny a dragon could be put for research, but now was not the time for that.

“I believe it’s his job to give the report. You weren’t hired by Grey, were you? Let him do his job.” 

Ryuu was reluctant, but he complied. Not letting go of the cold fingers that were holding down his shaky hand, he stepped out from behind.

The majestic dragon was no longer here. Instead, an old man stood in front of him. The man reminded him of a scary professor, but that was still less scary. Ryuu bowed slightly before beginning to speak.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act rude." Ryuu's spiked-up heart rate slowly began to calm down. "I’m Aoi. Codename Scarlet Eye. I was dispatched by Grey to retrieve the egg,” he informed. 

“But a few things happened and..." Ryuu explained the details one by one. From the moment he stepped into the castle, the prince’s plan, the egg hatching, their master plan, the encounter with the #1 thief’s group, to everything important that happened, he explained one by one. 

“My mission was to simply retrieve the egg from the prince. Encountering the other thief was perhaps luck.” 

The dragon listened to his report patiently, before nodding and turning towards the next person.

Askr was next in line for interrogation. Although Ryuu had escaped his panicked state in front of the old man, Askr wasn't any less afraid of the polymorphed dragon than before. After all, it was still the same being on the inside.

“Now, what was your intention? Gaining favor from a dragon, or protection. I can’t fathom what went on in that head of yours.” The voice wasn’t as dignified as before. 

"I-I, you see-I—"

"He's an idiot!" Everyone looked over Askr's shoulder to see the young dragon who had just spoken its first words. 

"Oh, you already learned how to speak?" The elder dragon approached Askr, to get a closer look at the blue dragon. 

"Those were his first words," Kai explained. 

[System: You have witnessed a rare occurrence.] 

If Ryuu wasn’t still recovering from his internal crisis, he surely would have slapped his forehead red after hearing such first words. Now he could only thank heavens that he wasn’t the one receiving such comment. 

“So is he!” Nevermind. At least it wasn’t the first sentence. “He is smart, but still an idiot!”

The white dragon picked up the kid from the first idiot's shoulder. "Looks like you were well taken care of."

"I don’t know what that means, but they showed me a lot of things!" The contents of 'A lot of things' could be put into question. Questions that made even Kai look the other way. 

"Let's see." With a touch of a finger, a streak of light escaped the blue dragon's forehead. 

“What is this?” The curious dragon questioned. 

“It’s a memory thread. It lets me see everything you have seen so far, don’t fight it.”

Dragons really were overpowered...they could do just about anything. 

[System: You have—]

'Oh, shut up.'

[...

I see you have recovered from the shock.] 

Ryuu ignored the system and focused on the two dragons. 

"Hmm?" The old man hummed and looked back at Ryuu and then Kai. “I see what you mean.” 

“There’s more!”

As he looked through the memories of the child, things Ryuu didn’t include in his report showed up one by one. The old dragon calmly looked through them, wondering whether humanity was tremendously lucky or the other way around. 

With a sigh, he looked at Askr. "What to do with you..." Askr shrank back even more. He couldn't even muster the courage to plead for mercy.

"I want to keep him!" The blue dragon seemed to have an innate talent to make Askr sound like a pet. 

Was it better than ruling a kingdom though? If you put 'being a dragon's pet' versus 'ruling a kingdom in KS' on a scale, which would win? 

That was none of Ryuu’s concern.

[System: Mission cleared. 

The young dragon has been returned to his rightful place. You have successfully terminated a disaster. 

Congratulations.]

"Well, I ought to spoil you as your grandfather. Do take care of him." Ryuu found this whole conversation odd. But it seemed like Askr's primary issues had been solved. He seemed to have gotten his soul back after hearing the words. 

"We'll be on our way then." Kai was the first to make a move. 

“Wait! You’re leaving?” Askr and the blue dragon were in perfect sync. The two had formed a level of trust in Kai, unbeknownst to him. Askr saw him as an ally who chose to help him when no one else did. Although Kai did betray him in the end, Askr was still grateful. 

For the dragon, Kai was the only non-idiot he had met after opening his eyes in this world, other than Q-tip, the cotton fairy, who was, well, a cotton ball. 

Their thoughts were somewhat similar for Ryuu as well. Despite being short-tempered and self-destructive, it was Ryuu’s plan that saved Askr from both the kingdom and the elder dragon. He also taught the blue dragon things that should not be taught to a normal child. Well, even dragons didn’t teach such things to their offspring within months of their birth. 

But the child seemed to be pleased with his first teacher and his teaching anyway. 

So the two continued to look at the other two with expectant eyes. 

“Your Highness, I cannot speak for Kai, but I was only here for the mission. This is not a place for me to stay.” 

“I was also only here to help him with his task. We shouldn’t overstay our welcome now that it has been done,” Kai added. 

Askr couldn’t say anything over this. He wasn’t in a position to do so. However, the young dragon shifted his gaze towards the elder dragon. What he was trying to do was beyond them, but it seemed to work regardless. 

“Ahem. It would hurt my pride as the eldest dragon in the continent to let guests go without proper hospitality.” Was he trying to quote from a period drama or what?

“I appreciate your generosity. But we aren’t guests,” Kai remarked. “We wouldn’t want to disturb you.” 

“It’s disrespectful to deny an elder.” The White dragon commented.

“It will be far more disrespectful to impose on you.” 

“I’m saying it will be fine, so why wouldn’t it be?”

‘What in the world are these two doing?’ Ryuu didn’t see Kai as someone who would get into an argument, albeit a polite one. Yet the two were immersed in a conversation that could be summarised as a cycle of giving and rejecting an invitation. It was surprising how the dragon was still calm. 

[System: I would suggest you stop this exchange before it gets out of control.]

“Uh…stop it, Kai,” Ryuu whispered. “We traveled a long way. If it wouldn’t be a burden, I suppose we can stay for the day and leave at sunrise, if the elder allows it.” 

The white dragon smiled proudly. “Oeno, please lead them inside. Make sure to take good care of the guests, as well as the new residents.” 

The glass-like figure had reappeared at some point while they were busy with the interrogation. “Of course. Please, follow me.”

As they stepped forward, Ryuu realized he was still holding onto the fingers that had gradually warmed up. He let go abruptly and muttered an apology. "I was too distracted. Sorry."

“It’s alright. Go ahead, I’ll be right behind.” 

As the sun set outside, the group followed the beautiful glass dall deep into the dragon's lair, savoring the experience a few could get in their lifetimes.