Chapter 26: Rising Threats and Secret Underground Pathways
Late in the afternoon, heading into the evening in Dion’s domain, Luna, who had successfully returned, was busy handing out clothes and food supplies to the villagers. Dion, Mei, and Sheila were helping her distribute the goods. Right in the middle of handing out food,
"Oh, right! Dion, your golems brought this back," Luna said, a look of worry crossing her face as she handed a parchment scroll over to Dion.
Dion unrolled the sheet. Sheila and Mei quickly stepped up behind Dion to read along, while the golems took over the task of handing out groceries to the villagers. The moment their eyes hit the page, the expressions on Dion’s, Sheila’s, and Mei’s faces shifted. The scroll was an official bounty poster depicting a terrifying, massive black dragon dubbed a calamity dragon, along with a staggering reward printed at the bottom for anyone who could bring it in dead or alive.
Naturally, Dion, Luna, Mei, and even Sheila, who had previously witnessed Gina in her giant dragon form, knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the bounty was targeted directly at Gina. Dion turned his head to look at Gina, who was perched on his shoulder staring right back at him. Suddenly, Sheila scooped Gina off his shoulder into a big, tight hug.
"What is this nonsense?! How could anyone want to hunt down a dragon as adorable as this?" Sheila asked, snuggling Gina against her chest.
"Kyuuu?" Gina squeaked in confusion, tilting her head up to look at Sheila.
"The paper says... calamity dragon... Didn’t Cleo say back then that she’d cover up this whole incident from the Lutherias Kingdom?" Mei asked Dion.
"Things were a bit chaotic at the guild. I dropped by the guild earlier to check on those two golems because they were taking so long to get back. Turns out they were just staring blankly at this poster on the quest board. According to the receptionist, the Royal Mage from Lutherias had just arrived with her expedition party, gathering clues about a black dragon flying north," Luna explained, stepping in to share what she knew.
"The Royal Mage from Lutherias? Who’s that?" Sheila asked, still hugging Gina, who seemed quite content in her arms.
"Cleo. It has to be her. Right, Dion?" Mei asked Dion once more.
"Seems that way... which means Cleo is looking for Gina now... But why? There’s no way she blabbed everything to the king. I know Cleo, and she’s not the type to break her word," Dion answered, deep in thought.
"Yeah... I’m positive she wouldn’t sell us out to the crown. She made a promise, and I know Cleo never breaks a promise... Remember back in Minatheras, when Rene messed up and accidentally lured out that eight-headed hydra, almost getting all those adventurers killed?" Luna asked.
"I remember," Dion replied.
"Back then, only Cleo and I knew that you were the one who took down the hydra using that form, the same one you used to stop the stampede the other day. But when the guild questioned her, Cleo didn’t say a single word, right?" Luna asked convincingly, clearly wanting to place her trust in Cleo.
"Yeah... I remember. She didn’t reveal anything to the guild inspectors back then," Dion said.
"And then that loser Rene took all the credit for your work... Ugh, so annoying," Luna replied, pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Drop it, there’s no point bringing that up now. I’m sure Cleo has her reasons. Let’s just trust her," Dion said, comforting Luna.
"What on earth are you guys talking about?" Sheila asked.
"Yeah... I’m completely lost," Mei added.
"Oh... sorry about that. We were just talking about something that happened while we were adventuring on a joint quest with Cleo," Dion replied.
"Right, right... don’t worry about it," Luna added quickly.
"Setting that aside, this is serious business. If the guild posted a bounty, that means every single guild branch across all the kingdoms has received the exact same notice, especially with a calamity dragon classification and that massive price tag," Sheila said thoughtfully.
"Sheila’s right. It looks like we need to be on high alert," Mei added.
"Alright, one step at a time. Let me finish distributing the supplies to the villagers first, and then we’ll sit down and discuss our next move," Dion said.
"Got it!" Luna, Mei, and Sheila replied in unison.
They went back to work, Dion included. However, underneath his calm demeanor, Dion was thinking about many things in his head.
"Hmm... this means we desperately need proper defenses... First those bandits this afternoon who were also carrying bounties, and now the Adventurer Guild has officially posted it on the quest board. Anyone could show up here at any time... Man, give me a break. Why does it always turn into a mess like this? All I wanted was to live a peaceful, comfortable, and quiet life," Dion thought in his head.
Dion glanced over at Luna, who was chatting cheerfully with an elderly man receiving clothes and food supplies. Once the distribution wrapped up,
"Luna, tomorrow we’re heading back to the capital of Thetor. I want to visit Aetherias to buy weapons and armor there," Dion said.
"Huh... you want to buy weapons and armor?" Luna asked, startled.
"Yeah. I could forge them myself, but I need materials first. While I’m still gathering energy, we need temporary gear," Dion answered.
"Hmm... alright, we’ll head out first thing tomorrow morning," Luna replied.
"Sheila, Mei, please keep an eye on the village while we’re gone," Dion said.
"Leave it to me!" Sheila said with a broad smile, flexing her arm.
"You don’t need to worry about a thing. I completely agree with your plan—we definitely need defenses," Mei replied.
"Ah... one more thing. If possible, start training any villagers who can fight in basic combat or martial arts. We need to be able to defend our own domain without relying on anyone else," Dion said seriously.
"Got it! I’ll put them through boot camp starting tomorrow," Sheila replied enthusiastically.
"I’ll help out as well," Mei replied with a smile.
"Thanks, you guys," Dion replied with a smile.
With that, they returned to their tasks. Dion joined in, handing a few sets of clothes and spices to a mother nearby.
"Just hold out for three more days... once the cooldown on Mechanical Crafter and Gunner ends, I’ll build watchtowers and soldier golems," Dion thought in his head.
***
Around the exact same time, in the capital city of Minatheras, blam! Aria pulled her shop door shut and turned to head inside. But before she could take a single step,
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone began pounding violently on the wooden door as if trying to break it down. Aria turned back, lifted the heavy wooden bar, and pulled the door open. She was startled to find a nobleman flanked by three armed soldiers standing right on her doorstep. The nobleman wore knightly armor but carried himself with an air of insufferable arrogance, holding a handkerchief over his nose as if disgusted by his surroundings. Seeing this, Aria stepped outside her shop and pulled the door shut behind her, standing with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Can I help you?" Aria asked suspiciously.
"Are you Aria von Thorias?" the nobleman asked.
"I am. Who’s asking?" Aria asked, looking the nobleman up and down.
"I am Viscount Frederick von Gervas, First Commander of the Royal Knights. I received word that I could purchase slaves here. I require a large workforce to construct a bridge crossing the crater lake that connects the Minatheras Kingdom to the Lutherias Kingdom," Frederick answered, speaking behind his handkerchief.
Aria’s expression instantly twisted into confusion, her eyes narrowing in rising anger. She glared at Frederick while pointing directly at her shop sign, which bore the clear emblem of an anvil, a hammer, and a ring.
"Take a look at my shop sign. Does an anvil and a ring look like the symbol of a slave trader to you?" Aria asked in irritation.
"Hey! Watch your mouth! Multiple witnesses have seen slaves freely entering and exiting this shop!" one of the soldiers shouted.
Frederick raised a hand to silence the soldier, then stepped forward until he stood right in front of Aria. He leaned down slightly, staring into her eyes, though he kept the handkerchief firmly pressed to his nose.
"Listen to me carefully. Your operations are already known to us. If word gets out, your head will become a decoration in the public square. So I strongly suggest you act wisely and cooperate with us. Right now, I need a massive labor force to send to the border to secure our kingdom’s stake in building that bridge," Frederick said in a quiet, measured voice. Aria could clearly spot his sinister smirk hiding behind his handkerchief.
"I have no idea what you’re talking about," Aria replied firmly.
Frederick studied Aria’s face, which showed no trace of emotion other than pure anger. Stepping back, he ordered his soldiers to stand down and turn around, but he threw one last glance over his shoulder at Aria.
"I’ll be keeping a close eye on you, Aria von Thorias," Frederick said.
Once Frederick and his soldiers had departed, Aria stepped back inside and locked the front door. She paused to reflect for a moment before stepping behind her counter and heading into her back workshop. Walking behind her main anvil, she pulled aside a large canvas tarp resting on the floor. Behind the canvas tarp, there was a hidden door. Summoning all her strength, Aria pulled back the heavy iron latch to throw the door open, then descended down the stairs. A subterranean tunnel illuminated by flickering torches stretched out underground like an escape route. Reaching the end of the corridor, she pushed open a broken wooden door.
Beyond the door lay a massive cave that housed an underground village where freed slaves lived in safety, wearing clean clothes and building wooden cabins as homes for their families. At a glance, the community numbered roughly forty people, ranging from young children and working men to women and the elderly. The moment they spotted Aria standing at the doorway,
"Lady Aria!"
The former slaves immediately gathered around her, their faces reflecting deep gratitude for the shelter she had provided them over time. Seeing Aria’s somber expression, one of the female former slaves spoke up.
"Is something wrong, Lady Aria?" the former slave asked.
"Pack your belongings. We’re leaving tonight. Now that the route to Lutherias is open, we can reach Thetor in just two days. I have a much larger estate over there where no one will ever come hunting for you," Aria answered.
A heavy silence fell over the room. The former slaves immediately understood the urgency, reading the absolute seriousness in Aria’s eyes, and began packing their things with Aria helping them prepare. But in her head,
"Dion... is from Thetor, right? Maybe if I go there, I can meet Dion again," she thought in her head.