The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] Chapter 445: Spoken Promises

The already hesitant merfolk forces, exhausted both physically and mentally after everything they’d witnessed over the past several days, continued their slow march toward Silvara.

Truthfully, many of them had been quietly grateful that the elves had chosen to keep the great barrier standing. It prevented them from simply crossing the waterways or forcing their way through with magic, giving the merfolk combat leadership the perfect excuse to delay their advance for as long as possible while claiming they were merely looking for a way around it.

Unfortunately, there was only so much time they could buy for themselves.

Not when the wyverns suddenly returned.

The sky darkened as countless grotesque figures burst from the clouds, descending toward the sturdy barrier with enough speed and force to make them look like a black rain falling upon the elven frontier.

"Fall back!" Merfolk commanders roared across the ranks, their voices laced with unmistakable panic. "Everyone away from there! Move!"

The soldiers didn’t hesitate.

By now, they had already learned that the wyverns cared little about distinguishing friend from foe whenever they became fixated on something.

Sure enough, the abominations dove straight toward the barrier without the slightest regard for those still beneath them. Bodies reinforced by stolen parts slammed into the shimmering wall one after another, each impact producing a deafening crash that rattled the surrounding forests. High-pitched screeches echoed through the air as wave after wave of violent mana detonated against the protective barrier, only for much of that force to ricochet outward and vaporize anyone unfortunate enough to remain too close.

Meanwhile, on the other side of that protective shield, the combined forces of the MBE, the elves, and their allied factions continued pouring mana into the formation while reinforcing damaged sections as quickly as they appeared.

An elven scout hurried toward the command position, nearly tripping over himself before stopping in front of Prince Rowan.

"Your Highness!" he reported breathlessly. "The barrier won’t last much longer! Even with the teams reinforcing it on the spot, they’ve figured out that concentrating all their attacks on a single point would be the best way to wear it down!"

As if to prove his words, a sharp cracking sound echoed across the battlefield.

Everyone instinctively looked up.

The first web of fractures had appeared across the once flawless barrier, spreading outward with alarming speed.

Prince Rowan tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword before turning toward the golden dragon standing calmly beside him.

He didn’t ask.

He simply searched Kael’s face for any further instructions.

Like their entire travel, this guy said nothing. He simply gave a single, firm nod.

But that was fine. That was all the confirmation Rowan needed, after all.

Drawing his blade in one smooth motion, the High Elf Crown Prince raised it toward the heavens and bellowed across the waiting ranks.

"All forces! Draw your weapons! Brace for impact!"

The fractures raced across the barrier.

Then, with a thunderous crash that sounded like an entire mountain of crystal shattering at once, the immense shield protecting Silvara finally gave way. Countless fragments of solidified mana scattered across the battlefield like glittering rain before fading into nothingness.

The breach had finally opened.

Without missing a beat, a black tide of hooded figures surged through the opening, their screeches shaking the air as they hurled themselves toward the waiting alliance.

Talons met with fangs.

Magic collided with magic.

And at long last, the battle for Silvara truly began.

__

Elsewhere, Riley stood by the window, quietly watching the sky darken after sending the children and his parents away. The last thing he saw before the portal closed was all four of them waving back at him, and somehow, that simple memory refused to leave his mind.

He’d sent the Hales and the two dragonlings to the Black Dragon Crypt together. None of them had wanted to part ways, and Liam, despite having tears welling in his eyes, tried his absolute hardest not to cry because he didn’t want to burden anyone. It was such a Liam thing to do that Riley almost laughed if not for the tightness in his own chest.

Then as if to comfort the precious boy, Orien, that cute duckling, quietly waddled over and grabbed his hand.

"It’s okay," the little golden dragonling said with complete seriousness. "They already said it won’t take long."

He frowned thoughtfully before adding, "And even if we give them extra time because they’re very slow, it should still be fine."

He sounded as though he’d genuinely spent a great deal of time calculating it.

"In the meantime, we can keep logging our working hours and earn more money if we work really hard. Since that’s the case..." He looked toward Riley with a tiny pout tugging at his lips. "...they can take their time a little."

For all the confidence in his words, he was still just a child.

His cheeks were slightly puffed out, his mouth stubbornly pursed, and his eyes quietly searched Riley’s face as though asking whether he was thinking about it correctly.

Seeing that expression, Riley couldn’t help but reach over and gently ruffle both boys’ hair.

He didn’t want to lie to them.

Not now.

But after everything they’d done to make sure this wasn’t some desperate suicide mission, there was one thing he genuinely wanted to promise.

"If you both do a really good job, we’ll even consider increasing your allowance for protecting yourselves and—"

He never got to finish.

The two little younglings suddenly threw themselves at him.

Riley instinctively wrapped his arms around them, closing his eyes as he held them close. He quietly breathed them in, hoping to remember this feeling no matter what happened next before softly saying, "We’ll come back."

He tightened the embrace ever so slightly.

"We’ll come back for all of you."

The black dragon was sure he was saying that to comfort them but probably more than that, he was saying it to himself.

After all, he wasn’t the type to break spoken promises, was he?