As expected, everyone else began gathering around to discuss with Nobina what exactly happened. When Nobina explained it to everyone, the reactions were mixed. Most of them wanted to know what Nobina and Fay planned to do about it, considering making enemies of the dragons would be a horrible idea. The faster the conflict was resolved, the better. Then again, there were a lot of problems regarding making contact with the dragons.


    “The dragon mountains are deep within the North,” said Harton, stretching his arms. “Reaching there on foot would be a nightmare. Unless you were a dragon, of course. Even then, if either me or Sina goes anywhere close to Garival, we’ll be burned to a crisp by either the older dragons or dragon guards. The worst case is running into the Dragon Royal Guard, who could defeat us in a snap.”


    “Then what are our options Harton?” asked Nobina, who was still trying to figure out a plan.


    “I do know of a path we could technically take to ‘walk’ to Garival. It would take a decent amount of time, and it’s not guaranteed to be safe, but flying would get us caught and killed.”


    Nobina turned to Fay, who gave a shrug.


    “We could always return to Navira and then try to discuss the matter with the princess. Of course, I’d hate getting her blamed for this matter, considering I’m part of the reason the dragons might turn hostile. However, we don’t have many options,” said Fay, trying to think of a plan herself.


    “You two have plenty of time to think of something,” smiled Harton. “Our child doesn’t hatch for another day, so discuss amongst your companions. Oh, and we need to discuss bringing along Pausers. Despite how strong they are, if they approach then there’s a high chance that the dragons turn hostile regardless. It would be like bringing an army to the doorsteps of another kingdom.”


    They turned to Pausers, who gave them a curious look. Moments later, they went into Nobina’s special bag, with Harton’s eyes widening right afterward.


    “Oh. Fascinating. If they stay in that bag, then we can’t sense them. That does explain why we never sensed Echo or your other companions,” nodded Harton.


    Sina, who was listening to them this whole time, gave a small huff of fire.


    “I swear, you humans cause us too much trouble,” she commented before resting her eyes.


    As she began to fall asleep, Nobina began wondering how long it would take for Sina to fully rest up.


    “Ah what a beauty,” said Harton, his hand against Sina. “Despite how hostile she is, Sina is being quite open with her feelings right now. Normally, she’d just call me an idiot or talk about her hatred of those other dragons, but now she’s just talking about hating humans. Isn’t that great?”


    Nobina and Fay didn’t respond, merely letting Harton enjoy his moment with Sina.


    “We’ll… be right back,” said Nobina. “We need to discuss with Immana regarding the situation.”


    “Oh. Go right ahead,” he nodded, not looking at them at all. “Let me know what the plan is so I can begin preparing. It’ll be a long trek to Garival and its best we leave as soon as our child is born.”


    With that, Nobina and Fay left Harton and Sina alone. Lila, who was there, would stand by in case Harton or Sina had something important to say. However, all of them knew that she was really just going to make another case to spar with Harton.


    “I swear that girl causes us too much trouble,” sighed Helios.


    “That’s a wild S-rank for you,” chuckled Mimiki. “Always willing to do what they want, even if it causes trouble for others.”


    “We wouldn’t become that problematic at least,” nodded Cain.


    “So true,” laughed Marve, nodding his head.


    As the group reached the scout room, they noticed a few of the adventurers were standing by as guards. When they took notice of the group, they let them in without issues. Once inside, Nobina could see that Immana was already using this place as her own headquarters. The other adventurers, including Casi and the other S-rank accompanying Immana, were working on looking through the documents, stopping when they caught sight of Nobina’s party.


    “Ah. Nobina,” said Immana, waving their group over. “We’ve been meaning to talk to you away from those dragons. Please, all of you.”


    Nobina’s group lined up on the other side of the table. Once they were sorted, Immana began leading the discussion, pointing one of her fingers on the map.


    “So far, we expect the group of adventurers of Aunai to arrive tomorrow. Once they are here, we should have sufficient firepower to make an informed decision regarding disposal of those two dragons,” nodded Immana.


    “Excuse me,” said Fay, drawing a slightly irritated look from Immana. “Do you really intend to try to kill those two dragons, even if it means causing the death of so many adventurers.”


    Immana shook her head.


    “I understand the sentiment of wanting to preserve lives, but leaving rogue dragons alive will only end badly. You’ve already made enemies of the dragons, and I expect you have a plan to deal with them,” said Immana, tapping her arm.


    “We do,” said Fay. “We will travel to the Dragon Mountain Garival with Harton and apologize for our earlier actions. Hopefully it goes well, and we resolve the most urgent issue. Once that is done, we’ll work on resolving the matter regarding Harton and Sina.”


    “And you expect me to trust that the dragons, beings that have lived for thousands of years at most, will just… forgive you because you asked?” replied Immana, hoping for a better answer.


    “We don’t have any other choice. The longer we wait, the more we risk retaliation. Regardless of whether they accept it or not, its better than any alternative I can think of,” responded Fay.


    Immana thought about what Fay said for a good minute, her gaze falling on Nobina a few times. Eventually, she sighed and nodded her head.


    “Then so be it. I will convince the remaining adventurers to stand down. As for your plan, what will become of Sina? Surely you aren’t just going to let her go free,” said Immana, keeping her eyes on Fay.


    “We have an agreement. We’ll let her go, and they won’t harm humans unless threatened,” said Nobina. “As much as it’s hard to trust their words, Harton swore on his soul to keep that promise. That should be sufficient, right?”


    Immana turned to Casi, who nodded.


    “Right. Dragon promises are the most trusting of all promises. A promise that could kill if broken. I would trust Nobina to handle the matter if Harton is indeed joining them on their journey.”


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    “I swear, all you people give me headaches,” sighed Immana. “But if what Casi is saying is true, then you have my approval of the plan. When do you three plan to depart.”


    “Once their child is hatched,” responded Nobina.


    “Excuse me. Did you say child?” asked Casi, her stare focused on Nobina.


    “… Yes?” smiled Nobina.


    Nobina could see Immana merely shaking her head, turning to Casi moments later.


    “Note down everything said. Get every detail from everyone here. Once this matter is resolve, I hope you’re ready to speak to Lord Kasanta directly Nobina and Fay,” said Immana, giving a rather irritated smile.


    Both of them gave a nod.


    “Good. Now then, please handle the rest of your mission independently from our operation. We will be working on restoring the town to working order and preventing any conflict with the dragons. Your group should continue to monitor the dragons until their departure. The rest of your group should return to Navira, while you three depart for the dragon mountains. Got it?” said Immana in almost an order.


    “As you wish Lady Immana,” bowed Fay, followed by everyone else.


    Once the group departed, Immana shook her head.


    “I honestly don’t even know if you’re worth the trouble you bring Nobina,” sighed Immana.


    The group returned to their various positions, with Fay and Nobina once again keeping watch of Sina and Harton. Sina was fast asleep, with Harton spent the time discussing the details of the plan with the two of them.


    Soon, day turned into night. However, before the two could depart, Harton waved them over.


    “What is it?” asked Nobina.


    “I believe the egg will hatch a bit sooner than expected. Do either of you mind waiting the night?” smiled Harton.


    Fay was giving a suspicious look, but Harton immediately waved his hands.


    “There is absolutely no reason to suspect malice,” smiled Harton. “Once the egg hatches, we can depart as soon as possible. I rather not deal with more humans, as I the feeling more on the way, right?”


    “That is correct,” said Nobina.


    “Then please. Come with me,” motioned Harton.


    The two of them followed Harton down into the basement, where the egg was still resting on the bed. Nobina could sense the magical energy being drawn into it, both in awe and slightly terrified by how much power was gathering in one spot.


    “Surely it’ll be a boy,” commented Harton, taking one of the chairs and lying back. “Anyway, one of you take the first shift. I shall rest my eyes till the hatching.”


    “Do you need a lot of sleep to regain energy as well Harton?” asked Nobina.


    “Of course,” he responded back. “I cannot recharge my skill usage unless asleep.”


    “Seems like you’re a bit loose talking about your weaknesses,” chuckled Fay.


    Harton gave a small chuckle as well before speaking back.


    “Please. All living beings have skills that need to be recharged. That is the way of Paths.”


    Nobina gave a nod. Despite how powerful dragons were, she fully expected they had limits to their own powers as well. It was a reminder of how power had either cost or limited usage. Not only that, but even powers without any notable downside might not be strong for combat at all. Nobina was merely lucky, one of two of her powers was combat. It meant that she could train her body to an extent that she would otherwise not be able to do so.


    As the two sat there, Nobina and Fay began having a more casual discussion. Most of it was regarding Nobina and her time in the world.


    “You really have to tell me how things were with you,” said Fay, kicking her legs up and down as she sat in her own chair. “I’m sure you had some many experiences worth chatting about.”


    “Not as much as you,” Nobina chuckled. “You’re an S-rank. You’ve probably seen so many people and been so many places. I… I’ve only been here for… what. Like maybe a few months? I’m honestly not sure how long it’s been with how much there’s been to do every day.”


    “See? I told you that you have a lot of interesting stuff to chat about,” said Fay, acting as if she caught Nobina downplaying an actually amazing journey.


    Both of them looked at each other before laughing, nodding their heads. The rest of the time was spent with Nobina explaining her journey from the start, omitting anything important due to Harton still being in the room. Midway through her talking, Nobina didn’t notice her finally falling asleep.


    “Nobina,” called Fay, waking her up. It only felt as if a moment passed to Nobina, yet she couldn’t be too sure.


    Nobina tried to get her bearings before noticing Harton and Fay standing in front of what appeared to be a cracking egg. Soon, the shell of Harton’s child began to give way to a dragon, emanating a decent amount of magical energy.


    “Oh my god… he’s… he’s beautiful,” said Harton, jumping in joy. “Our plan was a success! He’s absorbed the magical energy. We still need to confirm it, but I’m sure Arthur has a rare Path.”


    “Congratulations,” smiled Fay. “May Arthur grow up to be a kind dragon who doesn’t wish to harm humans.”


    Harton gave a nod.


    “Right. I rather him not live a short life and incur the wrong human’s wrath. With the hatching done, we must depart immediately. Of course, I know that you likely need some rest because your humans, but time is of the essence,” said Harton, heading to pick up his child.


    As he approached, the baby dragon finally fully broke out of his shell. Their eyes opened, locking onto Nobina as she gave a gentle smile. Immediately, they flew out of the egg and landed in Nobina’s arms. At the sight of that, Harton froze.


    “Oh… Oh dear,” he responded.


    “What’s wrong?” asked Nobina, petting Arthur as they snuggled against them.


    “I forgot the small detail that dragons… tend to treat the first people they see as parents. Clearly Arthur recognizes me as his father since I was the only male in the room, but they might consider you and Sina as mothers,” he smiled innocently.


    Nobina turned to Arthur, who merely kept snuggling against her.


    “Well… surely this won’t be an issue, right? After all, dragons are smart, and Arthur should eventually just learn Sina is his true mother. Right?” asked Nobina, hoping a bit she was right.


    “Sure,” responded Harton, merely smiling. “Anyway, please gather the things we need Fay. Nobina likely will not be able to separate from Arthur until Sina can gain recognition as his mother.”


    “What do you mean?” asked Nobina, moving to Harton to hand Arthur over. When she did extend her arms, Arthur moved even closer to Nobina, refusing to leave her side.


    Nobina was speechless as Fay sighed and put a hand against her shoulders.


    “Take care of Arthur well Nobina,” she said, leaving to get their gear.


    “It’s not funny Fay!” cried Nobina, causing Arthur to laugh.


    After Harton was done packing a bag full of items, Nobina, Harton, and Arthur made their way out of the house and to the front. Once there, they found themselves greeted by Sina, her gaze sharp on Harton.


    “You idiot,” she said, noticing Arthur being in Nobina’s arms. “You really let someone else take my role of mother.”


    “Is it really that serious?” asked Nobina, wanting someone to take Arthur away from her.


    “That’s how dragons are Nobina,” said Sina, trying to hold in her frustration. “We see the first two people we meet as parents. Sure, Arthur will eventually acknowledge that I’m really his mother and that you were only there at the wrong place, wrong time. However, he will always have that tiny bit of him wanting to be with you. That, and it’s going to be a pain raising him if he doesn’t acknowledge me as his mother.”


    “Oh god,” sighed Nobina. “I’m…”


    “It is that fool’s fault,” huffed Sina. “Arthur might be upset with me as I raise him alone, but he’ll eventually acknowledge me as his mother.”


    Arthur, who was snuggling against Nobina, stared at Nobina before turning to Sina. When their eyes met, Arthur went back to snuggling against Nobina.


    “This is going to be a long decade,” sighed Sina.


    It didn’t take long before Fay returned with their bags. When it was time to go, Nobina attempted to hand off Arthur, but they desperately resisted trying to go with her. It was only when Echo, who hopped out of her bag, communicated with Arthur that he finally relented and went with Sina.


    “I wish you three safe travels,” said Sina, preparing to take off with Arthur.


    “Be safe my love! We shall be back before you know it!” yelled Harton.


    With a powerful flap of her wings, Sina was off, heading to the northwest. At the same time, Nobina and Fay saw Mimiki approach the group.


    “Are you guys heading out already?” asked Mimiki. “Not even a goodbye?”


    “Mimiki,” said Nobina, giving her a hug. “We should head out as soon as possible before more trouble can rear its head.”


    Mimiki gave a nod, returning the hug.


    “I know… I just… Be safe, ok?” she asked. “We will do our best to apologize for our actions on your behalf. Best case, everyone forgives everyone, right?”


    Nobina gave a nod. The two continued to hug each other for a good minute before finally separating. Once they separated, the three finally began preparing for their departure.


    “I’m sure Lila will despair that her two sparring partners are gone,” said Nobina as the three of the began to head out.


    “Wait,” said Fay. “What about Giggles?”


    “Right,” said Nobina.


    The three of them took a quick detour to Giggles, who was standing close to where Sina was. Nobina walked up to them, explaining what their plan was. Luckily, Giggles seemed to understand, giving a positive squeak before going back to sleep.


    “Ok. Now we are ready,” said Nobina, seeing the sun starting to rise.


    It was a new day, yet the three of them had a long journey ahead of them. Part of her was tired of traveling, but there was a sense of joy that this journey would only be for the three. She knew it was the best chance for her to get to know more about Fay, as well as to get stronger herself.


    “Off on new adventures,” smiled Harton, who also seemed excited for the trip.


    With that, the three departed from the town, starting the first part of their journey.