novelDragon Demon Prince (7)
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Chapter 60 - Dragon Demon Prince (7)
9
He wanted his body to return as close to normal by tonight, but it wasn't progressing as he expected. It was always easier to ruin one's body. Recovery was always much more harder. Moreover...
"Hoo hoo hoot."
It was much harder because there was someone interfering with it.
As Azell had predicted, Kairen had come looking for him. Kairen immediately realized what kind of state Azell was in, so he didn't want to miss out on this opportunity. He insisted on a spar, and he won. Moreover, when both of them went to dinner with Arrieta, Kairen was acting giddy. Azell hated seeing such a sight so he spoke some words to Kairen.
"You feel good about winning against a sick person?"
"Sick? Where's this sick person you are talking about? Are you perhaps calling a hangover a sickness?"
"Ughhh."
Azell made a resolve to get his revenge tomorrow.
Arrieta spoke.
"Even the great Sir Azell can't win against a hangover."
"I have nothing to say."
"That reminds me, I guess you weren't able to make it happen."
Kairen let out a bitter smile at those words.
"Unfortunately, it turned out like this. Seigar is a bit busy..."
"He's heading out towards a battlefield in four days, so it was inevitable. Moreover, Sir Azell is in this state, so I thought it would be better not to push too hard to make it happen."
"What are you talking about?"
Azell was confused, so he asked the question. Kairen started to give an explanation.
"Mmmmm. I wanted you to fight Seigar before you leave the palace."
"With the prince?"
"Yes. However, Seigar's schedule is too busy. We'll look for another opportunity at a later date."
"You weren't even going to ask me if I wanted to?"
"If I suggested it and Seigar agreed to it, do you really think you could refuse me?"
"Well... I guess not."
"Since you already know this, what's the problem?"
"Jeez. You are a bit too much."
"Still, it is rare to see you turn down a fight. I thought you would want to have a go with Seigar."
"I really don't want to draw any more attention to myself from highly placed people. You said the prince covets talented people. This has a chance to turn into an annoying affair."
"That is the reason why I want you to fight him."
"What?"
"Seigar looks down on humans."
It had been awhile since Seigar had met his teacher. This was why he told his teacher all the stuff that had been weighing on his mind. From his words, Kairen discerned that Seigar was overestimating his own abilities. He also picked up that Seigar was dismissive of humans.
"Mmm. You are saying he is a bit extreme in his views. He considers humans to be weak."
"I think so, but it's a bit more nuanced than that. He knows humans are an existence that could fill his shortage of competent help. This is why he is looking for talented individuals. However... He basically thinks no matter how great a human is, the human would still be weaker than him. Even Arrieta and I acknowledge the child's excellence in terms of martial arts."
"Since one of you is a Dragon Demon and the other is a Dragon Majin, I can see why he would think that. However, isn't there a lot of people with sufficient skills in the royal knights?"
"There are some useful people. However, if we limit the selection to human knights, there's no one who could beat Seigar."
"Is that so?"
Azell was a bit surprised.
He was well aware of Arrieta's skills. When he met Seigar, he could tell his Dragon Demon magic was on the same level as Arrieta. However, he was young and he lacked real battle experiences, so Azell assumed he would be less skilled than her.
'So does this mean there aren't any knights that are stronger than the princess?'
He could guess the quality of the knights in this era by the information given by Giles and Boar. Still, it was quite shocking to him. There should be a lot of veterans amongst the royal knights, and there would be those, who made their name through their martial arts....
'How far has the standards fallen? Or was it only the Rulain kingdom's knights that was weak?'
Arrieta was most definitely strong. During the Dragon Demon war, however, there were plenty of Spirit Order practitioners who had been stronger than her.
Kairen spoke to Azell, who was lost in his thoughts.
"This is why I have to break that line of thought before it settles into his mind. Dragon Demon worshippers might take a shot at him. He might suffer a great loss if he didn't take them seriously just because his opponents were humans. However, this isn't something I can do."
"How about the knights under you?"
"It isn't as if there isn't someone who could fulfill that role. However, I wouldn't be able to call Seigar to my lands without a special reason. I also don't want to ask a knight to abandon all his work to travel to the far away capital just to spar with a child."
"I guess the knights of the Dukedom of Tranatos is more skilled than the royal knights?"
"I trained them myself. Isn't the answer obvious?"
"... Ah, yes."
Azell wasn't surprised at all at Kairen's shameless answer. Kairen snorted.
"Well, you can go judge their skills for yourself later. Anyways, that was the reason why I wanted you to spar with him... Unfortunately, the opportunity never presented itself."
"Hmmm. Aside from the royal knights...... What's the standard of knights in the entire kingdom?"
"There a good amount of skilled fighters. Aside from the knights in my territory, there are a lot of those who are loyal to their territory. They aren't associated with the throne since they aren't trying to advance their career."
"I see."
"There are some talented people on my lands that you might find interesting. You should look forward to it."
"It really does feel me with anticipation."
Azell was expressing his true feeling. After he woke up up from his sleep, he had been constantly disappointed by the human Spirit Order practitioners he had met. He wanted to meet proper practitioners.
Arrieta let out a bitter laugh.
"If I had it my way, I would like to be trained by teacher once again... It is too bad I don't have the time anymore."
"It sounds as if you are blaming for my short stay in the palace."
"That's exactly it. Since you are already here, I wouldn't mind if you stayed here for a long period of time. It would be great if you could guide me."
"I don't want to. Do you realize how many people bother me just for the chance to speak to me? It'll be hard for me to train you properly in this environment. When Seigar starts getting serious about his activities, you guys can alternate getting some time off. You can come when that happens."
"If that could happen, it would be great."
Arrieta let out a sigh. As the Dragon Demon Princess, her freedom was much more restricted than the members of the other royal families. The recent event made her realize the need to get stronger, but it wasn't something that could be solved in a short amount of time. She needed a teacher like Kairen to guide her, yet he was saying such words....
Arrieta didn't know this, but Kairen wasn't living a life of leisure. It was rumored that he didn't leave his territory often, but he actually traveled around various parts of the kingdom on Guardian Shadow business.
Kairen spoke.
"Anyways, you should learn a little from Seigar. It isn't guaranteed that the Dragon Demon worshipers won't try to kidnap you again. You have to increase the number of your subordinates."
"I've been thinking about it. However, Sir Azell kicked my proposal away so it's very unfortunate."
"I'm really sorry about that."
"Next time try saying that with a straight face."
Arrieta snorted.
Until recently, Arrieta hadn't thought about gathering troops directly under her. If she, the Dragon Princess, was kidnapped by the Dragon Demon Worshippers just because she was worried about others sacrificing their lives for her, then it would basically be putting the cart before the horse. This was why Arrieta had a change of heart.
Kairen spoke.
"I can't always be here... I'll send you some useful men from my domain. I have plenty of guys who are ambitious."
"Those kinds of considerations will be accepted by me with thanks. It is hard to gather people here."
As it had been expressed by Seigar when he met with Azell, it wasn't easy to gather talented people in the capital. The fact that Kairen would be sending useful people was a huge help to Arrieta.
Suddenly, Azell spoke.
"Isn't there someone close to the princess that fits the description?"
"Mmmm? There's someone like that?"
"It's sir Giles."
"Ho oh."
Arrieta's eyes twinkled. Azell spoke.
"It'll be hard to get someone employed by the throne. However, sir Giles is affiliated with the Western Border Guards, and I don't think there will be much push back if you ask for him. Also, Sir Giles has been part of the Western Border guard for a short amount of time."
"Hmm. I see... It's something worth following up on. What's your personal opinion on this?"
"If princess gives him the offer, he'll jump right over."
Azell gave a short summary about Giles' family situation. Arrieta nodded her head.
"Now that I know his situation, I cannot overlook this matter. I'll give him an offer tomorrow."
"Thank you. Also, Duke-nim."
"Mmm?"
"Can we delay our departure from the capital for four days?"
"Why so suddenly?"
"I have something I have to do now."
Azell laughed as he spoke.
10
Once Arrieta made a decision, she unhesitatingly went forward with her business. On the next day, Giles was called to the palace and was given the offer. He accepted the offer, giving his allegiance to the princess.
Giles was struck dumb as he arrived at Azell's quarters.
"What just happened?"
He had just finished taking the pledge of loyalty to Arrieta, but it didn't feel real to Giles. Everything felt like a dream, and he was worried about losing everything if he awoke from his nap.
Azell spoke.
"What do you think happened? Everything worked out well."
"Sir Azell."
"You don't have to worry about the aftermath. She is going to give enough supplies to the Western Border Guards so they'll be properly compensated. She'll give you a good salary, and you'll even be provided with a house in the capital. You'll have to be fitted with armor and uniforms befitting your new job...."
"Mmmm. I have no idea what I should say. First... I can only give my thanks to you."
Giles lowered his head. Since he had traveled with Arrieta, he had hoped to gain something out of it. Basically, he wanted to be noticed by someone in a high position. However, he never imagined everything would turn out so smoothly.
Azell grinned.
"I spoke to her since I was at the right place. If the princess hadn't witnessed your prowess during the trip, this wouldn't have gone as smoothly. Therefore, you don't have to thank me."
Azell raised his sword and flicked his finger against it. The blade rang out in a clear note.
"As I've said before, I'm going to leave here soon. Before I leave, I have something I want to accomplish so I called you here."
"You said you wanted to borrow me for four days... That's what I heard. What's going on?"
"I want to teach you something."
"You want to teach me?"
"You are quite outstanding as a martial artist, Sir Giles. You were able to become a Quadruple Master at your age, and that is an amazing achievement. Moreover, you have excellent mastery over your abilities. However...."
After he watched Azell speak, Giles suddenly felt a suffocating feeling.
'What is it?'
Azell was starting to look much more bigger. It was as if he was shrinking away from a powerful enemy. Azell's presence dominated his sight, and Giles could hear nothing except Azell's voice. Before he knew it, his body shrank in on itself, and he was breathing hard.
"You don't know the essence of the Spirit order. This is a problem. In the future, the danger faced by the princess may be much more sinister."
Giles was half submerged in a state of panic. Azell's intricate mental wave was causing confusion to Giles' senses.
In the next moment, the confusion disappeared as if water was flowing out at low tide. Giles' sense became less restricted. Giles spat out a false breath.
"Huhk."
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