Lynx turned his head toward the castle and huffed.
“They're beating the big drums! Does that mean Drackar already knows about Lores?!”
He tilted his head and glanced at Alice.
“This might get interesting. Don’t you want to see how the orcs react to the news that Lores is their queen? I bet there’s going to be an awesome show in the castle yard in a few minutes!”
Alice ran her fingers through her incendiary red hair and sighed.
“And what am I supposed to do with him?” she asked, pointing at the dragon, who blinked in response. “Weren’t you planning to go hunting with him?”
Lynx shrugged.
“I was talking to both of you! Once we’ve had our fill, we can go celebrate with a feast by the river. I know a spot with big, beautiful black buffaloes,” he added with a grin.
The dragon’s eyes lit up as it nodded, flashing a line of sharp teeth in an eager smile.
Satisfied, Lynx turned to Alice and scratched his chin with a claw, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.
“You should ride him and land somewhere on the castle's yard wall. It’ll add to the general confusion… ah, I mean the entertainment value.”
Alice chuckled.
“You really think we should?” she asked, turning to the dragon. “You won’t be bothered by all those orcs?”
The dragon blinked, clearly unfazed.
Lynx jumped to his feet, his tail flicking toward the castle.
“If everyone agrees, then let’s go! Hurry up, we’re late for the show!”
*
As the carriage rolled into the castle yard, Baron Esterghom dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief. It had been a long day, and he was truly, deeply tired. Hopefully, the formalities would be over soon, and he’d finally get a chance to relax.
He frowned, wondering what all the ruckus, the blaring horns and booming drums, had been about. Were they announcing his arrival?
But now the carriage was being guided toward the back of the yard, and even more orcs were gathering, shouting something enthusiastically in their rough language. They thumped their chests with gauntleted fists or brandished weapons in the air.
What in the blazes was going on?
Were they preparing for war?
Was this some kind of show meant to intimidate him?
If so, well… it was already working.
As the carriage finally came to a stop, he considered opening the door, but resisted the impulse. He was representing the King; someone should open the door for him and show the proper deference. Anything less would be an insult.
For a brief moment, he regretted never learning Orcish, he had no idea what they were shouting.
He turned toward the palace maid accompanying him—a high-ranking one, or so he’d been told. Level eighty-four. He couldn’t identify her; to him, she was just two question marks.
“What are they waiting for? What are they saying?” he asked.
Just as he spoke, a massive shadow swept across the yard. He blinked, confused. A cloud? But it had passed too quickly...
His eyes widened in shock as he spotted the source of the shadow: a giant dragon had landed on the far side of the yard's wall... with a woman riding on its back.
A shiver ran down his spine. A dragon rider? By all the gods, what was happening?
A wave of surprised exclamations rippled through the crowd, but as the dragon settled onto the wall and the woman raised a hand in greeting, a chorus of cheers followed.
They knew her.
And then he felt the presence.
His breathing quickened, the pounding of his heart growing louder in his ears. He had to make a conscious effort to steady himself. Only his skill
Beside him, the pale maid murmured,
“All hail the queen?”
It took him a moment to realize she was answering his earlier question.
He tilted his head to glance outside. That was the orcs’ queen? What a coincidence for her to arrive at the barony just now!
“How many queens does their king have? One? More?” he asked.
The maid, supposedly a specialist in orcish society, just gave him a confused look.
He sighed. And they called her a specialist?
Despite the headache-inducing presence pressing in on him, he glanced back out the carriage window. But when he tried to identify them, he cringed involuntarily.
The queen showed as two question marks.
The dragon? Three...
What kind of hell had the King sent him into?
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Did His Majesty know the orc queen would be here?
He glanced at his precious passenger—who only shrugged.
She was another two-question-mark monster, and he suddenly felt very small. Surrounded by monsters.
*
At first, I was confused. The yard was packed with agitated orcs, yelling, thumping their weapons, mages firing spells into the air.
As I materialized near Drackar, there was a brief moment of stunned silence… then the noise doubled in volume.
When I saw their eyes, I genuinely feared they might fall to their knees. Do orcs even kneel? I think Drackar once told me they don’t, but still, the sheer level of adulation was overwhelming.
I don’t like exaggerated submission. It makes my skin crawl.
I had work to do and problems to solve. I wanted to roll my eyes and have a quick word with Drackar, but then he said:
“My Queen, please… let them have their moment.”
He knew. They all knew.
I took a deep breath. How did they find out this fast? I had still hoped to speak with Drackar first, to ask his advice before everything became official.
Another deep breath. Let them have their moment...
I never liked being the center of attention. I never knew how to act when all eyes were on me. Every time it happened, I just tried to hush it away and move on as quickly as possible.
But Drackar was right. Even if the moment was technically about me, it wasn’t for me. It was theirs.
They were celebrating their queen.
I tilted my head, watching their show. Yes, all the spells and noise made for an impressive sight, but honestly? It could be done much better.
I reached out to Yisila, the spirit of the domain.
Fireworks are meant for the night, I thought. That’s when they truly shine. But it was still broad daylight… well, nothing that couldn’t be fixed.
With Yisila’s help, I took control of the protective shield surrounding the barony. And that shield, fortunately, could be darkened.
A sudden darkness fell over the yard. Surprised yells echoed from below.
Oops. Maybe not total darkness, huh? I should leave small holes in it, like stars.
Hey… it really does look like a night sky full of stars!
Drackar glanced at me for a moment, then relaxed and smiled.
A hush fell over the yard for a couple of heartbeats, then the talking resumed, and a few spells shot into the sky. Now, with the darkened barrier above, it was much more spectacular.
I raised a hand and sent two ice bolts streaking upward, white-blue lines that arced high before exploding in distant flashes of brilliance. Then I sent four. Then six. Then eight.
The oohs and aahs from the crowd grew louder with each burst.
In the back of my mind, I felt Yisila’s excitement. She was enjoying this little experiment of ours.
Let’s make it a show to be remembered, I thought.
And she answered. My spells began to mirror themselves on the surface of the barrier above, sparkling against the false night sky.
I followed with red firebolts, then more, layering colors and combinations.
And she answered.
More and more bolts lit up the sky, giant explosions, serpentine fire weaving across the false night. It was exciting. Surprisingly exhilarating. She had her own ideas, too—nudging me, asking for more.
It caught me off guard, realizing she was enjoying the show.
Can a spirit tool enjoy something? But how could I question it, when I could already feel it?
It was thrilling. Joyful. I chuckled aloud and let my imagination run wild. And she answered again, escalating the game.
I had rivers of mana to spend, and we were both reveling in it.
The spells grew more intense. The sky bloomed with ever-larger, ever-brighter explosions, colors shattering outward in thunderous waves. Lightning arced from horizon to horizon, stitched across the barrier like cracks in the sky.
The rivers became a deluge.
But I could have kept going for days, and barely felt the drain.
I heard someone cough nearby and turned to see Drackar. He shook his head slightly, his eyes flicking from side to side. I followed his gaze, and saw their faces.
Ah. Maybe I’d overdone it a little.
Still, I wasn’t about to stop without a proper grand finale.
With a final flourish, I cast a magnificent supernova, bursting outward from the illusion of a giant dragon made of fire, soaring across the sky and covering half the heavens in blazing light.
The show needed a finish, didn’t it?
In the awed silence that followed, I let the darkness slowly dissolve, allowing sunlight to return, warm and golden, over my domain.
It took them a while to recover. Someone said something to me, but I barely heard it, my attention had shifted to the baron’s carriage. I felt something there... a presence... a familiar one!
As the orcs erupted into cheers again, I turned sharply to Drackar.
“She’s here?” I asked, stunned.
Without waiting for an answer, I dissolved into shadow, crossing the hundred-meter distance in less than a second.
I reformed beside the carriage and threw open the door.
Inside, my eyes met hers. Ju was smiling at me.
I barely registered anyone else. I focused on her.
“Julietta?” I breathed.
“Nice show you put on for my reception,” she said with a grin.
*
Minutes later, we were alone in a room, staring at each other.
“What’s wrong with you?” she asked. “You’ve been very rude to the baron…”
I couldn’t care less. I tilted my head, eyes fixed on her.
“Tell me again what happened,” I said, my breath still uneven, though my heartbeat had finally started to calm.
She sighed and gave a small shrug.
“May I sit down?” she asked, then lifted her head. “And maybe have a glass of water? I’m really thirsty. I don’t have my inventory anymore, so…”
I rolled my eyes and called for a maid to bring water, and cookies, too.
Once Julietta had settled into a chair and taken a long drink, she began to explain, for what felt like the hundredth time.
“As I said, I was taken prisoner by a group of orcs…”
Her story was simple and straightforward. She’d been captured by orcs, ones who followed a leader named K’hordock. They had tortured her. Then the King’s men had rescued her.
I stood there, unable to digest it. My mind just… stalled.
Is this Julietta? My Julietta?
Yes. She was.
I could recognize her without question. I knew every hair on her head, every pore on her skin, every subtle fold she once tried to hide. She was Ju.
Is she being controlled? Acting against her will?
No. She was free.
Is she lying to me?
Why would she lie?
And no, she wasn’t lying.