Chapter 17: Go, Little Fire Dragon!
If you can’t solve the problem, solve the people causing the problem!
Abyss wondered if his constant grave robbing and secluded necromantic research in the Shadow Realm had made his thinking rigid. He hadn’t even considered such a straightforward and effective solution until Flora reminded him.
“So… I’ll use my abilities to discreetly remove Princess Leona from her coffin…” Abyss said, glancing at the still-dazed spirit.
The spirit quickly turned its face away. “I don’t know anything.”
“Then, with the resurrected Princess Leona, we’ll head straight from here to find the Empress, who most likely cursed her. Once we solve the problem with the Empress and her subordinates, the tomb guardians in the village can continue living their lives without the constant threat of being hanged,” Abyss said, growing more excited as he spoke and clapping his hands. “My goodness, I love this approach. Why should we be so subservient when we’re the strongest necromancer and Divine Arts user on the continent?”
Flora smiled. Abyss’s affirmation and his words pleased her.
“We have a month. That should be enough time,” Abyss calculated, counting on his fingers. “It takes half a day to reach the Imperial Capital from here. I think a month is sufficient—unless something unexpected happens while we’re solving the problem.”
“Only half a day?” Flora interrupted Abyss’s thoughts. “The Imperial Capital is quite a distance from here. It would take us at least a week to get there on horseback.”
“A week? Oh, you mean by horse?” Abyss blinked, then patted Flora’s head. “My silly Flora, you don’t think I only have one horse, do you?”
“Eh?”
Abyss smiled and snapped his fingers, pulling them both into the Shadow Realm. He then gently stroked one of the rings on his finger.
A long, drawn-out roar, seemingly echoing from ancient times, reverberated in Flora’s mind. As the roar grew louder, the sky gradually darkened. The sun was clearly shining brightly in the sky, unobstructed by clouds, but its brightness was noticeably dimming. Powerful magic stirred up a fierce wind, whipping around them, sweeping away the snow on the ground in the Shadow Realm and making their clothes flap loudly.
“What kind of magic is this?” Flora asked, staring at Abyss’s hand in astonishment. A blue light was spreading from the ring at the center of his palm. The growing power made Flora feel a sense of pressure, even an urge to use Divine Arts to protect herself.
“Don’t worry, it won’t harm you,” Abyss said to Flora, raising his hand high. “Come out, Little Fire Dragon!”
The light in his hand grew brighter, then detached itself and continued to expand in the air until it hovered above them like a small mountain. The light then began to take shape, solidifying into a gigantic creature with flapping wings.
“Responding to my master’s summons. Master, I am a Frost Wyrm, not a Little Fire Dragon,” the colossal creature in the sky boomed in a voice like rolling thunder, but its tone was filled with resignation. “It’s been two years. You should really get my name right, Master.”
“You were a fire dragon when you were alive,” Abyss chuckled. “Although you were on the verge of death when I first met you, I still prefer to call you Little Fire Dragon.”
“…Master, what are your orders?” The colossal creature overhead gave up on reasoning with Abyss, flapped its wings, and slowly descended. The immense wind pressure forced Flora to hold down her hair to prevent it from being blown into a mess.
Only then could Flora see the creature clearly: its entire body was covered in ice-blue scales with a thick layer of frost, its massive wings shimmered with magical runes, its four legs were as thick as millstones, its head was the size of a bull, and two blue flames burned brightly in its hollow eye sockets. White mist constantly puffed from its nostrils with each breath and word. It was a dragon!
“Let me introduce you. This is Flora,” Abyss said, placing a hand on Flora’s shoulder. “Flora, this is Little Fire Dragon. As you can see, he’s a dragon.”
“Dra… dragon?” Flora covered her mouth, trying to maintain her composure. “Weren’t dragons extinct a thousand years ago?”
“They’re not extinct. They just found a hidden sanctuary on the continent. With humans becoming increasingly powerful, it’s not easy being a dragon these days,” Abyss said, pointing at the dragon’s snout with a smile. “The dragons foresaw that their entire bodies, from skin to bone, could be made into weapons and armor that humans coveted, so they orchestrated their disappearance long ago. According to their plan, they would only emerge to save the world when the apocalypse was near.”
“Miss Flora,” Little Fire Dragon said, despite its mountainous size, it was as docile as a mare in front of Abyss. “So, you’re Master’s family?”
“Yes,” Abyss nodded.
“Follower! Follower!” Flora corrected, blushing.
“Oh, I’ll address you as Mistress from now on,” Little Fire Dragon said with an ingratiating smile on its massive face. “Greetings, Mistress.”
“Alright, that’s enough for introductions. We’ll need you to fly us somewhere later. Get ready,” Abyss said, not mincing words with the dragon.
“As you wish. Please summon me whenever you need me,” Little Fire Dragon said obediently, nodding its enormous head. Abyss raised his hand, and the dragon transformed into a beam of light, disappearing back into his ring.
“So, with this little fellow’s help, reaching the Imperial Capital in half a day shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Abyss said to Flora, hands on his hips, with a hint of pride. “Little Fire Dragon is a very reliable partner. As long as I regularly give him shiny things to add to his collection, he never slacks off during work.”
“You actually have a dragon…” Flora stared at Abyss incredulously. “Just how many secrets do you have?”
“It’s not really a secret,” Abyss said, waving his hand dismissively. “It’s just that I have too many things. If I brought them all out, it would take half a day to explain them all. It’s the same if I just take them out when I need them. Speaking of which, shouldn’t we be leaving now? I haven’t met Princess Leona yet. Although I’ve seen her portrait, those painters are too abstract.”
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