The Dragon Lord's Aide Wants to Quit [BL] Chapter 452: The Damp Towel

Now, all things considered, Prince Rowan figured it probably wouldn’t be so bad to work more closely with the MBE in the future.

Simply basing it on how they’d handled the battle arrangements so far, participating more actively in their affairs didn’t seem like the terrible idea he’d once considered it to be. Besides, with Riley Hale clearly holding a much bigger role in decision-making than his title suggested, they wouldn’t have to be nearly as concerned about leaving everything in the hands of that unpredictable lizard.

Moreover, despite their differences, Rowan had to admit that Kael Dravaryn seemed perfectly capable of separating his personal emotions from the job at hand. The golden dragon had been fighting with a remarkably clear head since the battle started, responding to changes in formation without hesitation and dealing with anything that breached their defenses before it could cause even greater damage.

Really, the only thing the Elven Prince didn’t quite appreciate was how that damned dragon apparently refused to answer whenever Rowan called him.

"Kael!"

Nothing.

Rowan had been trying to relay critical information they’d just received regarding the location of several strategic leaders among the enemy forces, but the golden dragon continued cutting down wyverns without so much as twitching in acknowledgment.

"Kael!" Rowan called again, louder this time.

Still nothing.

The bastard didn’t even look back.

Rowan’s eye twitched.

It would’ve been perfectly understandable if Kael had somehow gone deaf in the middle of battle, but considering the ridiculous senses possessed by dragons, there was absolutely no chance he couldn’t hear someone shouting his name from this distance.

Which meant the bastard was deliberately ignoring him.

Unfortunately, they were in the middle of a war, and Rowan really didn’t have time to entertain whatever petty issue Kael had decided to develop now. So against his personal judgment, and with a considerable amount of irritation, the Elven Prince finally called out the one thing he knew the annoyingly prideful bastard couldn’t possibly pretend not to hear.

"Dragon Lord!"

Only then did the man, who still hadn’t even bothered shifting into his full draconic form, actually turn his head.

How petty could one person possibly be?

Rowan genuinely couldn’t understand what someone like Riley Hale saw in that damned dragon, but whatever had attracted the rational human in the first place, it definitely couldn’t have been this guy’s rotten personality.

The high elf was already preparing some appropriately petty remark of his own as he deflected an incoming attack, only for the golden dragon to suddenly say something before he could.

"Speak. What’s your concern?"

Rowan Elowen, heir to the throne of Silvara, froze.

The golden dragon merely looked at him with a completely blank expression, seemingly waiting for an answer.

For a brief moment, the elf couldn’t give him one.

Because in what world would Kael Dravaryn ever speak to him like that?

The sheer absurdity of it caught the Elven Prince so completely off guard that he almost failed to notice another wyvern lunging toward him from the side.

Fortunately, the golden dragon in front of him did.

A flash of movement crossed Rowan’s vision before the attacker was effortlessly intercepted, its agonized shriek cutting through the surrounding chaos as its body was violently torn apart.

That horrible sound finally snapped Rowan back to his senses.

He instinctively braced himself for the scoff that would undoubtedly follow. Maybe a condescending snicker or some irritating remark about an Elowen being incapable of watching his own back.

Anything, really.

Instead, the golden dragon merely turned toward him and said, "Don’t get distracted. Keep your wits about you."

Then, as if he’d said nothing remotely unusual, the man immediately tore through another attacker stupid enough to come within reach.

Rowan stared.

No.

Something was wrong.

Very, wrong.

The golden dragon, apparently noticing that Rowan still hadn’t said whatever he’d been yelling for him to hear, looked back and waited for another beat.

"If you have nothing to say, then go."

That did it.

Rowan had already developed a tiny inkling of suspicion the moment that mouth opened and somehow managed to spew several perfectly civil words in his direction. He’d initially dismissed it, naturally assuming that the stress of battle had finally begun eating away at his sanity.

But this?

No.

At this point, he’d have to start questioning his own discernment if he continued refusing to acknowledge something so glaringly insane.

The Elven Prince narrowed his eyes at the golden dragon standing before him, studying everything from the man’s expression to his posture as though the answer might suddenly appear if he stared hard enough.

Just who the hell was this guy?

Because if that was really Kael Dravaryn standing in front of him, then Rowan might as well start calling himself human.

__

Meanwhile, elsewhere, one particular golden dragon suddenly felt his mood plummet for reasons he couldn’t even begin to explain.

It was such an abrupt and inexplicable feeling that Kael couldn’t help grimacing, almost as though someone with a death wish had randomly smacked him over the head with a damp towel. Naturally, that tiny change in expression didn’t escape the notice of the person who’d spent far too much time learning how to read even the smallest shifts in his face.

Riley immediately looked over.

"What’s wrong? Did you sense anything weird?"

It wasn’t an unreasonable question, considering they’d just finished getting rid of another group of wyverns stationed farther inside the base they were currently infiltrating. They’d already crossed well beyond the outer perimeter, and every step they took brought them deeper into enemy territory, so any sudden reaction from Kael was naturally enough to put Riley on alert.

But Kael didn’t actually have anything useful to tell him.

He frowned and extended his senses again, carefully checking their surroundings for anything he might’ve missed. There were more wyverns farther along the path they’d chosen, but he’d already sensed those earlier. Nothing had suddenly appeared within range, and as far as he could tell, there weren’t any immediate threats approaching them either.

The entire place certainly stank of practically everything anyone could possibly hate, but Kael had been tolerating that particular offense to his senses since the moment they arrived.

So what the hell had that been?

After another moment of finding absolutely nothing unusual, the actual golden dragon lord eventually shook his head.

"It’s nothing. Just a bug. Let’s go."

Riley studied his mate for a little longer, clearly wondering whether that was something they should actually be concerned about, but ultimately decided not to press the issue. Kael didn’t look alarmed, and Riley had something far more important demanding his attention anyway.

Namely, figuring out the quickest and safest way toward the heart of the wyvern base without triggering any of the traps they’d discovered scattered throughout the area.

They’d already gone through all this trouble to preserve the element of surprise. The last thing Riley wanted was to ruin it because someone stepped on the wrong patch of ground and announced their arrival to every damned wyvern in and outside Wyrmfall.

Unfortunately, what the black dragon didn’t know was that the entire base could’ve practically been considered one enormous trap.

And really, why wouldn’t it be?

For someone whose most important treasure was kept right inside her home, and especially for someone who’d spent countless years raiding everyone else’s homes, why would the Wyvern Queen ever leave her own territory without putting the strongest safeguards possible in place?

Rhazira wasn’t stupid.

She’d spent far too long protecting the one being she valued above everything else to simply leave him behind with a few guards and some ordinary defensive spells.

Which raised a rather important question.

Despite Mr. Winston’s box now being safely stored far away from both Wyrmfall and the MBE, how were Riley, Kael, and Lady Cirila still moving through the wyvern base without triggering those safeguards?

More importantly, how was the Wyvern Queen, who should’ve already sensed that something was very, very wrong with the home she’d left behind, still completely unaware of the intrusion?

In fact, while three dragons continued slipping deeper and deeper into the heart of her territory, Rhazira herself remained entirely occupied elsewhere.

Standing before the headquarters she’d never imagined she’d have any reason to personally visit, the Wyvern Queen looked upon it with growing anticipation.

After everything she’d endured and everything she’d sacrificed to reach this point, she figured it was finally time to make her dreams come true.