Caught off guard, I hesitantly approved it. I’m still not sure how they did it, but the images were shockingly flattering. Apparently, one of the servants had taken them while I was mid-conversation. Did I really strike that pose? Or had they “reworked” it somehow? Either way, I was told the approved image would be used to project a 3D version of me in the main squares of the major cities—until a full set of statues could be sculpted based on it.
That, I was told, was the procedure. The old statues of K’Hordock would be moved to public parks alongside the kingdom’s other historic rulers, and mine would take their place in the squares.
I hadn’t realized the orcs were so organized about these things. I left the room with mixed feelings. This “Queen of the Orcs” thing… was starting to get a bit too real.
Oh well. Hopefully no major catastrophe strikes before I return. Maybe keeping tighter control over them - like Drackar does with his tribe - isn’t such a bad idea after all.
With those thoughts in mind, I left the council to handle the day-to-day business and set off for home.
As I took off toward Orcmound, I glanced down at the ravaged terrain left behind after my fight with the dragon—and there it was, still curled up on its side. The sight made me pause.
I sighed. I couldn’t leave it like this. So I swooped down and got closer, and I instinctively felt it, his fear, confusion, and a desperate need for comfort.
“Oh well, little one… how do you feel?” I asked gently as I approached.
Even in my demon form, I had to stand on my toes to reach behind its ears. But the moment I started scratching it, I swear it began to purr. Like a cat. A dragon. Purring... or something like that.
I blinked, then chuckled, and climbed up onto its neck to get a better angle. While I was doing my 'work', Lili suddenly materialized beside me.
“I think I could heal him!” she chirped.
I snorted and raised a brow. So she’d decided to separate on her own, had she? Insolent little sprite. But she just grinned at me, utterly unfazed by my admonishing look.
I huffed. I couldn’t stay mad at that butterfly. Besides… she was still me. Wasn’t she?
The dragon opened one eye to glance at her, then closed it again, remaining still—its low, rumbling purr uninterrupted.
“How would you do that?” I wondered, looking at the sprite.
Lili flipped midair in an excited tumble, either to show off her enthusiasm or simply as a flourish to accompany her brilliant idea.
I did know white magic—thanks to the way I’d been formed, with bits of White Flower’s knowledge embedded into my very being. But my own magic had always leaned too dark to cast white spells properly.
Only after learning to channel White Flower’s own magic had I been able to wield white magic - though not without some side effects, like letting me utterly drunk.
But since my last evolution, my black magic had grown so overpowering that I could no longer keep Flo’s white magic separate. The result had been... the undead Alice.
I had no intention of risking anything like that. Who knows what undead flesh can do to a living being?
So what exactly was she planning to try?
“If we work together, we should be able to do it,” Lili said. “You can cleanse the black magic from me, right? That’s a much smaller focus point than trying to purify your entire body. Meanwhile, I should be able to tap into White Flower’s reserves and cast the white magic spell.”
Hmm. That wasn’t such a bad idea…
“And if you mess up?” I asked, arching a brow.
“You’ll sense the spell’s quality and can shut me down if I lose control,” she replied, confident as ever. “So? What do you say?”
I shrugged.
“Could be worth a try… What do you think?” I added, turning my attention to the dragon and giving it a light tap.
It nodded.
I wasn’t sure how much of the conversation it had understood—but it definitely seemed to like Lili, for reasons beyond me.
We proceeded with the healing, and to my surprise, it worked remarkably well. It was easier to cleanse my magic from around her tiny body, and in this coordinated effort, we accomplished far more than I could have on my own.
“I did it! I knew it would work!” Lili exclaimed, zipping up into the air to give me a high five. But as I raised my hand to meet hers, she simply dropped like a stone, and I had to catch her mid-fall.
She was completely drunk—snoring within seconds in the palm of my hand. I giggled and carefully placed her on my shoulder, ready to reintegrate her… but not before getting a full, wet tongue slap from a very happy and affectionate dragon.
A tongue the size of my entire body, even in demon form!
“Oh, come on,” I muttered, wiping my face with the back of my hand. “So, do you want to stay around here?” I asked the dragon.
The answer I got was… confusion. Tentative, uncertain.
“Or do you want to come with us?”
This time, the response was clear and enthusiastic.
I sighed.
Great. I’d just adopted a new companion.
One that likely needed at least a whole cow per day just to stay alive.
As I saw his happy face and the tip of his tail wagging like an oversized puppy, a sudden inspiration struck me.
“Do you want to play fetch?”
He looked at me cautiously curious.
I mean, I had materialized all kinds of weapons and armor during the earlier fight, surely crafting a ball wouldn’t be a stretch?
So I conjured something resembling a tennis ball and hurled it away. It flew off with a sonic boom at a steep thirty-degree angle.
“Go fetch!”
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For a heartbeat, he just stared at me in surprise. Then, with a bark-like growl of glee, he launched himself after it, kicking up a cloud of gravel and dust that left me half-buried.
Several seconds later, he landed in a full-body skid, flinging even more debris over me. He dropped something at my feet - possibly containing the mangled remains of the original ball - and let out another rumbling bark.
I conjured a second ball, this one larger, and tossed it. His enthusiasm grew exponentially with each throw, and with each increase in size.
By the third and fourth throws, I was crafting expandable, fluffy balls that could inflate mid-flight with a bit of mana manipulation, and swerved on chaotic, zigzag trajectories. The erratic paths only seemed to delight him more.
It was hard to describe the pure joy radiating from him as we played. And harder still not to feel it myself.
Half an hour later—and what felt like a million thrown balls—the terrain around us looked like it had been hit by an earthquake, a tsunami, and a twister all at once. But we were both filthy, exhausted, and blissfully content.
Amazing how relaxing a simple game of fetch can be.
“All right, my friend, let’s go home,” I said.
In response, he leaned in and gave me another massive tongue sweep across my entire front.
I chuckled, shaking my head in disbelief after I wiped my face clean with the back of my arm.
“Riding him will get me there faster than flying on my own,” I thought to myself. “I really need to study how he does it. I should be able to at least match that speed.”
Then a thought struck me.
Wait a minute, if I want to return here later, Lightfire is instant! Shouldn’t I place one of my lightfires here now, so I can come back quickly? Maybe even test the spell again—while I’m here?
I stood there, mulling it over.
I called up the Lightfire spell’s setup interface and once again visualized the nine Lightfires I had inherited from Flo. They appeared before me like glowing markers neatly arranged in an invisible field, spaced evenly apart in a grid.
At first, I’d assumed the different “colors” I perceived were some kind of magical coordinates—but no. It was more like an organizational scheme within the spell’s memory. The actual coordinates were already embedded in each saved instance of the spell. That’s why they always appeared evenly spaced from one another—like icons arranged on a neat, magical desktop.
I cast the Lightfire setup spell and saved this spot - right in the middle of this churned-up, gravel-covered battlefield.
A tenth marker appeared, aligned neatly in a new row. I could also see another seventeen empty slots, waiting to be filled. Whenever I needed, I could now instantly teleport right back to this place.
Pretty damn cool!
*
The Lynx lay stretched out on his belly atop a hill not far from the castle, hidden from view. His massive head rested on his front paws, and a low, unhappy grumble rumbled from his chest, something between a growl and a whine.
Alice stepped out of the shadows a few paces away, emerging beneath the trees before quietly making her way toward the giant feline. He had felt her approach but didn’t flinch or turn his head.
“What’s wrong, my friend?” she asked gently.
He let out a deep sigh, lowering his head even further.
She leaned against him, resting a hand on his shoulder and stroking him softly.
“I think I must be cursed,” he said finally, voice heavy with sorrow. “There has to be a curse on me—one that's been there for a long time. All my friends… every last one of them—lost, dead, or kidnapped.”
Alice raised a brow. Was she not one of his friends?
The Lynx drew another long breath and finally turned his head to look at her.
“You died, didn’t you?” he said with a small shrug. “I was nearby, and still… I couldn’t save you. Tina’s been captured, and I’ve lost her trail. White Flower, the one I left the forest with, is gone. Will I ever see her again? I doubt it. Cala? I can’t even feel her anymore. The soul link leads to a lost plane. She’s just… gone.”
He sighed again, low and weary.
Alice didn’t speak. She just kept petting him gently, scratching behind one of his ears. He grinned at the touch, despite himself, then gave a slight shrug.
“Even that little idiot Spartacius is gone,” he continued. “We haven’t even checked what happened to him. He probably sacrificed himself trying to save us... and what do we do?”
“I did die,” Alice finally said, her voice light and teasing. “But I’m back. And I’m here, scratching your scalp.”
He turned fully toward her and pushed himself against her, holding her close. She giggled, surprised—and pleased. It still warmed her heart to know he didn’t flinch from her undead form. He’d shown her that time and time again… but some part of her still needed the reminder.
“You’re back thanks to Lores,” he said with a sigh, “but that doesn’t change the fact that I couldn’t stop them from killing you…”
“Stop blaming yourself,” she replied gently, then added with a hopeful smile, “We’re lucky we have Lores! She’ll bring back Ju and Tina, just wait and see!”
Lynx lifted his head and glanced at her for a moment, then let it drop back onto his paws.
“Yes… we have Lores,” he murmured.
Alice raised a brow. “You don’t trust her?”
Lynx gave a soft chuckle. “Oh, I do. That’s what scares me.”
Alice paused her scratching and huffed. He glanced up at her again as she pressed on.
“Care to explain?”
“What am I even good for?” he muttered. “Nothing. All I do is rely on her. But she’s a demon, okay? She was already scary when we first met her, but now… she’s way beyond us. She must’ve digested a whole city of souls to get that kind of power. And still—I trust her. Completely. That’s what terrifies me most.”
Just as he said that, Lynx caught sight of something in the sky. He tilted his head, blinking in disbelief.
“What did she do this time? Wasn’t she just going to investigate?”
*
As I approached Orcmound’s Castle, I spotted Lynx and Alice sitting together in a glade on the crest of a nearby hill. I decided to join them.
Guiding my dragon down for a gentle landing, I saw that neither of them was paying attention to me, they were both staring wide-eyed at the dragon.
“It’s bigger than Sid!” Lynx exclaimed, blinking.
Alice tilted her head. “Hi, Lores! Any news about Ju?”
“Hey, guys,” I greeted them with a sigh. “Ju’s not with the orcs. That message was a mislead. But I know where she is!”
“Oh!” Alice asked quickly. “Where is she? Do you need our help? You really shouldn’t try to do everything alone!”
I shook my head. “Divination.”
Alice frowned. “Uh. That can be even more misleading…”
I shook my head.
“No... That was her. I saw her.” I paused, then added, “I’ll let you know if I need help. First, I need to pinpoint the location precisely, then we can make a plan.”
“Wasn’t it the same with Hologomora?” Lynx muttered. His gaze shifted toward the dragon, who was watching us with wide, curious eyes. “I see you didn’t come alone. Care to explain?”
I took a deep breath.
“Oh. This is Gorogorak Donegg—which means ‘the Black Terror of the Thunderous Sky’"
“Can he speak?” Alice asked.
I shook my head and turned to the dragon.
“Goro, Alice will take care of you and tell you what to do. You’ll listen to her and to Lynx, okay? They’re wiser and will help you figure out how to live around here.”
Goro's eyes lit up and he nodded eagerly.
I glanced back and saw the confusion on Alice’s face.
“Alice, he’s your charge now. I called him Gorogoro, but if you don’t like the name, feel free to change it. I think he won’t mind.”
She blinked a few times, clearly trying to process everything. Then a smile tugged at her lips.
“Did the orcs run out of cows and hand him over before he started eating their stallions?” she said, chuckling and shaking her head in disbelief.
A weak note of protest came from the dragon.
I shook my head again.
“Don’t worry, Gorogoro, Alice is only joking. I’m sure she’ll find you the sweetest cows in the whole province.”
A happy grin spread across his massive face.
“So,” I asked, glancing at the two, “what were you talking about?”
Alice raised a brow, then shrugged and turned to me.
“We were just talking about our... missing friends,” she said. Then she tilted her head, her tone more thoughtful. “You know, we never checked on Spartacius. Back then, he tried to save us, and he lost the ring in the grotto. I wonder what happened to him. We couldn’t go back before, but now… once things settle, maybe we could have a look?”
I sighed and scratched the back of my head. She had a point, Spartacius might need help too.
“I’ll try to check on him once I reach the other continent. When I go after Tina, I’ll try to make some inquiries about him too.”
At this, Lynx let out a grumble and raised a giant paw like a student asking to speak in class.
“You know,” he said, “if Tina was captured by those damn dwarves and not sent to the Golden Empire like we first thought, it might be even harder to get her back…”
I raised a brow. Well, that might’ve been an exaggeration: nobody had ever escaped the Golden Empire’s palace.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You may want to talk to your ghoul about it. And maybe fix his neck while you’re at it.”
I blinked.
“You talked to the ghoul? What does he even do? And what did he say?”
“He fixes armor and weapons. Or makes new ones,” Alice said brightly. “He’s really good at it!”
Lynx nodded. “He’s convinced their god lives there and knows everything. According to him, nobody can enter or leave the city without the god’s approval.”
I rolled my eyes.
“That must be the high priests playing for power. I thought they had a republic, not a priestocracy…”
“Priestocracy?” Alice echoed.
“I mean a religious state.”
Lynx shook his head.
“Oh, no, no. He definitely thinks the god itself acts—sometimes directly, sometimes through people. And not always through priests.”
I huffed and shook my head.
“Yeah, sure. We’ll see. But first, I’m checking on Julietta!”
“Are we expecting guests?” Alice asked suddenly, her eyes on the castle. “There’s a carriage approaching right now...” She pointed into the distance.
I turned to look. There was indeed some movement on the road leading to the castle.
“They have two flags,” Lynx said. “One is the King’s, and the other… I saw that emblem with that baron from the zeppelin...”
“Baron Esterghom? What would the old man want?” I muttered.
“If it’s flying the King’s flag, doesn’t that mean he’s on an official mission?” Alice asked, glancing at me.
Was the baron working directly for the King? That would make sense—but not in the way of a typical spy or diplomat. The old man hadn’t given off that kind of vibe. Still, who knew?
I squinted, trying to make out the banners, but it was too far for my eyes. So I cast <
“Yep. It’s the baron. He’s definitely on some kind of mission. I’ll go check.”
“Hey, is there more to the dragon story?” Lynx called out just as I turned to leave. “The orcs just told him to follow you?”
I shrugged.
“I’m the new orc queen, it seems...”
In the silence that followed Alice raised a brow, but before she could say a word Lores was already gone. She turned, sighed and exchanged a glance with Lynx, who simply shrugged—then turned to the dragon.
“Hungry?” he asked.
The dragon nodded eagerly, and a grin spread across Lynx’s face.