Discussions P.1

Zelphyr and Narberal were currently stood once again before the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom. Had it not been for the other ministers and officials in attendance, it would have looked like a repeat of their initial meeting. Nevertheless, this time, the faces worn by the residents of the Dragon Kingdom were strained as they tried to hide the unpleasant feelings welling inside them.

Contrary to them, Zelphyr sported a large grin filled with an unfathomable meaning. The grin alone made the ministers even more uncomfortable as they thought about the future to come.

Feeling the strained atmosphere, the Queen cleared her throat lightly and addressed Zelphyr.

"Welcome Lord Zelphyr, although it has only been two days, it is a pleasure to see you again"

Zelphyr was impressed by the acting skills of the Queen as he could already feel the turmoil within her easily. Despite her mess of emotions, the Queen still maintained a pleasant smile as she spoke.

"It is my pleasure to be back, Queen of the Dragon Kingdom. I am sure these past 2 days were much longer than usual"

The grin remained on his face as he spoke, causing the Queen to feel a tinge of annoyance. Evidently, Zelphyr seemed to enjoy their current situation.

"Certainly, big decisions were made as I am sure you could guess. Would you like to get down to business?"

Zelphyr nodded as he turned his gaze around the room, looking at those in attendance.

"That will be for the best, it seems our presence is quite disturbing to some. Let us be rid of introductions, all I need to know is whether these men are trustworthy"

Draudillons eyebrows raised slightly at his statement. While she had not met many Dragons before, she was aware that they looked down upon the weaker races. As a result, she was slightly startled as to why Zelphyr needed the trust of lower beings.

"These men are ministers of the Dragon Kingdom who have remained fighting even as we started to suffer overwhelming defeat. I trust them with my country, is that enough?"

Zelphyr gave an impressed look to the few men standing on the sides of the throne room.

"Interesting. I must say I admire such loyalty. That is good enough for now, just know that I have a severe dislike for snakes. Should I find out one has slithered its way in, I shall skin it alive personally"

Gulps followed by stumbles resounded throughout the room. Complimenting them but following it with a deadly threat sent shivers down the spines of those in attendance. Even the Supreme Commander, a man who has survived countless wars and faced the killing intent of thousands found it disturbing.

"That is fine, since none of my men would ever betray the Dragon Kingdom or its allies"

Zelphyr nodded, closed his eyes and looked down at his shadow. When he opened his eyes, a being of indescribable shape had popped its head out. Its deep red eyes looked up at Zelphyr, awaiting for his words.

"You know your mission, go"

The Shadow Demon hummed before sinking back into his shadow.

The members of the Dragon Kingdom looked on with pale faces, unable to take their eyes off of the situation happening before them.

Eventually, Draudillon came back to her senses and hastily asked her question.

"L-Lord Zelphyr! What was that!"

Due to her shock, it seemed more like a command than a question, alas Zelphyr decided to ignore it considering the absurdity for these people.

"A subordinate of mine, they are pretty good at information gathering and monitoring. However, they can only go within a certain distance of me. I am having these fellows check something for me, nothing harmful to you Lady Draudillon, in fact it is helpful to the Dragon Kingdom"

Although he had given away some useful information such as the existence of the Shadow Demons, he had lied about their abilities. Shadow Demons were perfect for information gathering as they could work independently using the shadows of anyone, meaning they were unrestricted by distance or material defenses. Quite frankly, there were very few defenses these demons would be stopped by in this New World. Due to this, Zelphyr felt it was necessary to give a bit of information to his supposed ally whilst masking it slightly so the information is not lethal to them.

"I would like to ask what their mission is in our Kingdom, however I have a feeling that it is a fruitless question"

Zelphyr just smiled, not answering or replying. A dejected sigh left her mouth before she addressed him once more.

"We got side-tracked once again, shall we all move to a meeting room, I am sure it will be more comfortable for the coming talks"

Zelphyr clapped his hands before holding them behind his back.

"Certainly, that is a brilliant idea. While I am fine with standing, it is very ungentlemanly of me to force my beautiful subordinate here to stand"

Draudillon looked on with dead eyes as she heard his frivolous words. Especially since they were about a lady who managed to defeat her elite guards without breaking a sweat. Such a person would not have an issue standing for hours if necessary. Nevertheless, she kept her comments to herself and stood, making her way to the meeting room. Her subordinates followed with nervous steps. Meanwhile, Narberal was looking at her Lord with a contemplative expression. Her eyes expressed her happiness for the worry her Lord held for her, however she felt inadequate as her Master had such a pitiful worry about her.

"Narberal, do not take it the wrong way. I am aware of your abilities and know you're not weak so standing is no issue for you. It is just my personality to not let a lady experience anything uncomfortable"

Zelphyr quickly cleared up any misunderstanding Narberal may have as he saw her conflicted aura. As a result, Narberal was relieved to hear his words, nevertheless, she was confused as to what discomfort could be caused by standing. Seeing this, Zelphyr sighed with a light chuckle before following the Dragon Kingdom ministers.

Much like before, Zelphyr had joined the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom at her meeting table, this time however, nearly all of the seats were filled.

"What is your decision?"

Without waiting for anyone to speak, Zelphyr asked the big question. As much as he enjoyed conversations, he did not want to waste his time should they reject.

In response, Draudillon bit her lower lip slightly before speaking with a level tone.

"I, Draudillon Oriculus , Queen of the Dragon Kingdom, hereby request assistance from Lord Zelphyr, the Ruler of Nazarick."

Zelphyr smiled pleasantly at her words as it essentially was a plea for help rather than a alliance proposal.

"Of course it is in my best benefit to assist you, now then, shall we discuss the terms of assistance?"

The ministers tensed at his words, as this was the moment they had been waiting for. After all, depending on what is decided next, will likely decide the fate of their country.

"That would ease us greatly"

Draudillon smiled at his words, however a sickly feeling overcame her body slightly as she felt the gravity of the situation pressing down on her.

"State what assistance you need, I will answer accordingly"

Starting the conversation about the aid, Zelphyr lent back slightly on the chair and waited for the other party to muster up their courage. All heads snapped to the Queen, waiting for her cue. Feeling the expectant gazes of the ministers, Draudillon nodded before staring at Zelphyr with a serious expression. An expression often worn by those facing a dangerous foe in battle.

"First of all, is the talks of resources. As I am sure you're aware, the Dragon Kingdom is rapidly losing its supplies, to the point that our fields are quickly growing damaged."

Pained expressions grew upon everyones faces as they listened to her words, it was clear that they regretted letting their country develop to this point. Meanwhile, Zelphyr sat listening quietly with an amiable smile upon his face, as though he hadn't heard a single upsetting word.

"Foodstuff are a guarantee. Get your ministers to prepare a list of the quantity needed for the immediate future so that your armies and citizens remain fed for the coming months. We will prepare that for now and we can discuss a more permanent solution for the future when your situation is better"

Zelphyr immediately responded without delay as though he had practiced his lines in front of a mirror for a week.

Truthfully, it would be a lot more sustainable for Zelphyr to assign a small task force of druids and magicians from Nazarick to fix the fields of the Kingdom and potentially increase the output of the crops. Nevertheless, that would be wasteful of the opportunity provided to him. Currently, the Dragon Kingdom is in a position that will make it heavily reliant on Nazarick, meaning he will have a lot more control than if he helped them out with a sustainable idea that gave them future independence.

"That easily?"

Draudillon looked at Zelphyr with heavy suspicion. Not for a second did she believe he would hand over such valuable resources without a price tag attached.

"Of course, Nazarick is wealthy in resources. Such a minor cost will not impact us, besides, it is a small price to pay if it helps our new founded friendship develop no?"

Sporting a mischievous expression, Zelphyr brushed off Draudillons suspicion with ease.

"Now then, that settles foods. We can do the same with weaponry for now. Nazarick will provide materials for repairs on equipment, as I am sure your men's arms are also just as worn out as they are."

Everyone on the Dragon Kingdoms side were shocked by how generous Zelphyr was being. Although they were 'allies', this level of initial assistance was something not even the most benevolent of rulers would hand out.

"Lord Zelphyr, while I am appreciative of your generosity, I struggle to believe it"

Zelphyr held his arm out to the side in response, causing confusion for Draudillon. However it was immediately cleared up as she noticed Narberal silently gnashing her teeth with an infuriated look.

"Calm, Narberal. Suspicion is good, it helps the weak survive. Now then, to answer your suspicions, I am preparing you."

Ignoring the 'weak' comment, Draudillon questioned Zelphyr.

"Preparing us for what? I thought this was aid for our current war?"

A small smirk appeared on his face as he answered, his eyes staring at Draudillon, intent on observing her reactions.

"Oh it is, it's preparation to finally end this war, and the start of a new era of revenge, doesn't that sound fun?"

Silence dominated the meeting room.