Legacy of the Dark Sage

Kyran knew he could be reckless at times, but he would not cause discord that could potentially jeopardize his own plans— at least, not intentionally. He also considered how the Dragon Emperor, his aides, and the rest of the Array Saints working on the new array would react if he appeared there with Alta and Leif.

Not wanting to cause unnecessary drama, Kyran made sure to warp inside Raya's tent while extending his concealment range to hide Alta and Leif's aura and presence.

As a matter of fact, he did not have to conceal their aura and presence because they were aware of what would happen if the dragons knew about them.

While two of the Dragon Emperor's aides had already known about their presence and they had likely reported it to the former, knowing they were there and suddenly appearing before them were two entirely different things. It was not wrong to think that they would react more strongly to the latter than the former.

Kyran's expression turned grim as he noticed a familiar presence inside the tent even before they appeared. If possible, he would have changed the location in a split second to avoid that person, but in the end, he steeled himself and hoped for the best in the sudden turn of events.

The person in question was none other than Aillos.

As Kyran expected, Nothum and Eissen had already reported Alta and Leif's appearance. Aillos was already aware of Leif, but learning that Kyran had brought another mage from a hostile clan surprised him.

Thus, Aillos decided to handle the situation himself to avoid any unnecessary discord.

Fortunately, Aillos's aides were aware of the current situation and were the ones responding to any unexpected discoveries on their radar.

As the one governing the whole plane, Aillos should have been made aware of Kyran's arrival. Unfortunately, the latter had a way of concealing himself, and if Aillos was not paying attention, he could easily miss him.

Moreover, Kyran tends to enter and leave the plane through paths using the Void's nature– portal or warp– making it harder to detect him unless Aillos was actively using his Draconic Eye or Divine Sense.

Aillos sensed the activity and magic fluctuation from the portal and felt that Kyran would appear soon. He also sensed Ames hurrying toward the portal. However, she was not the only one who noticed the portal's activity. Nothum and Eissen did as well, although they were a few steps behind Ames.

Aillos contemplated going, but ultimately, he chose to stay put and let Ames handle the rest. Besides, compared with Ducal, Nothum and Eissen could still be reasoned with even if they also had reservations about Ames's other family.

'Hm?' Aillos perked up when he sensed Kyran's hesitation before ultimately appearing before him. He could not help but chuckle at having learned that the latter could also detect presences within the location he was about to warp.

"It's good that you did not run away," Aillos greeted, looking at Kyran with a slight smile.

Kyran, who usually wore a blank expression, could not help but frown slightly at Aillos's teasing.

Before he could respond, Alta, Leif, and Myst knelt on one knee and greeted Aillos.

"We bow before the Dragon Emperor."

"Greetings, Milord."

Alta, Leif, and Myst greeted Aillos, respectively, with the former two using the same greeting.

Aillos waved his hand dismissively at the three while looking at Kyran with raised brows, "At least the people you brought with you know how to show respect."

"…"

Kyran chose not to reply. He did plan on greeting Aillos, but the latter teased him as soon as they appeared, and he lost his chance to do so.

"Care to explain why you brought a Blade Dancer mage with you?" Aillos got down to business at once.

Kyran was not complaining, though. He preferred it, in fact.

"I don't want to waste time by telling you what you already know," Kyran started. "I'll skip the part about what The Emperor did in the Blade Dancer plane."

"Thus far, what happened there is considered a rumor," Aillos told Kyran before the latter could continue. "The plane remains off limits due to the unstable magic energy fluctuation in the area."

Kyran did not respond because Ruin already told him about that when he was trying to convince him that they had worked together.

Ruin explained that because Lucian manifested in his true body, the magic energy around the Blade Dancer Plane became unstable. The plane also entered its self-preservation phase after a quarter of its land was destroyed and turned into a place akin to a danger zone.

The clans affected by what happened in the Blade Dancer plane gathered and formed groups to explore the plane. Their objective was not to learn what became of the Blade Dancer Clan. Rather, they wanted to save their clan members who got caught in the crossfire and managed to survive.

Unfortunately, because of the condition of the surrounding area and an abnormal influx of magic fluctuation, getting near the plane was a huge task.

Alta looked as if she had eaten something she could not swallow. Her face paled as she looked at Kyran and said, "I-If the plane is off limits, then how did you…"

Aillos caught on to her words and looked at Kyran with narrowed eyes, "You don't need to concern yourself about wasting my time. I want you to tell me everything that happened."

Kyran frowned and was about to reason out, but Aillos cut him off by saying, "Tell me everything. Starting from your little detour at the Junction Port."

Kyran's brow twitched slightly. He did not expect Aillos to know about that bit. Then again, Aillos seemed to possess a far scarier insight than his father and probably knew everything he did before returning.

Sighing in resignation, Kyran relented and said, "Alright. But it will really take some time. I hope your people outside will not do anything before I finish."

That was right. Kyran wanted to explain the gist of the situation because he already noticed Ducal and the other dragons outside paying attention to what was happening inside the tent. They were still doing their work with the array but also listening to their conversation.

Such a feat was not hard for the dragons because of their naturally enhanced senses.

"They won't," Aillos assured Kyran.

Upon hearing his assurance, Alta and Leif were relieved. Like Kyran, they were already aware of the other dragons outside and felt their pressure.

"Alright."

Kyran told Aillos what happened, for the most part, up until when he changed the Blade Dancer Clan's Grand Array to transport them to another plane.

Aillos remained silent throughout Kyran's explanation. His expression did not change, nor did he ask any question. Even when Kyran finished, Aillos still remained silent. The only difference was that his eyes were looking at Kyran as if he could see right through him.

"So The Emperor is still unaware of your real identity."

"If you mean about me being the humanoid dragon he was after as well, then yes."

"However, he doesn't seem to be convinced that the Void Master who appeared before him was you."

"...Yes."

"Let's have a more detailed discussion on that matter later," Aillos said after contemplating for a moment. He then turned his attention to Alta and Leif, who had been quietly listening to their conversation.

"I take it that you accomplish what you set out to do, regardless of the unexpected events that happened."

Kyran failed to respond at once because he was surprised that Aillos had realized that his main objective when he left more than half a month ago had been the Blade Dancer Clan all along.

When Kyran did not respond, Aillos glanced back at him with a wry smile.

"Was it really shocking that I know what you had in mind?"

"...I am surprised. But I wouldn't say it was unexpected."

"Hm... seems like there is someone in your family who managed to inherit a dragon's insight."

"...My Father did."

"... Interesting."

"..."

"And? Why would you bring her with you instead of Geir or Zigor?" Aillos asked while gesturing toward Alta.

"..."

Kyran was once more at a loss for words at Aillos's question. He only told him what happened up until transporting the Blade Dancer Clan in the unnamed plane and had not even said anything about Geir or Zigor, so why was he bringing them up?

Then again, Geir was the Clan Head, while Zigor was his predecessor. It was normal to bring either of them to the Dragon plane if Kyran wanted them to become acquainted with the rest of his people properly.

Nonetheless, Kyran was still surprised that Aillos would bring them up, especially Zigor.

"I may look younger than Geir, but I have lived almost as long as ZIgor did," Aillos told Kyran as if reading the latter's thoughts again.

"I don't think it's appropriate to take them yet," Kyran replied with a sigh.

"And it is okay to bring her?"

"I told her I have a way of fixing her soul thread."

"Ah..." Aillos nodded his head. "I see."

He looked at Alta again before looking back at Kyran. "Are you really fine with others knowing of her existence?"

Alta understood Aillos's words and could not help but frown. She knew he was not referring to her when he mentioned 'her.' Instead, he spoke of her as part of the others.

"Not just to others, I'm not."

"You deemed she is an exception."

"She has enough capability to protect her, at least."

"I see. You wanted to use gratitude to invoke her loyalty and protect her."

"...Yes."

Though how Aillos phrased it did not sound nice, that was pretty much what Kyran had in mind when he offered to fix Alta's soul thread. He needed someone who could protect Cyneah and believed Alta to be a good candidate.

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