CHAPTER 12 A — Dragon Courtship Is War

Hey. Scorin here. Yeah—this isn't Sophia, so you're going to have to deal with me for a while.

I arrived at my brother's castle in the Neutral Kingdom—the place where I was born and raised. The air here always felt cleaner, like the sky had rules and expected you to obey them. I barely made it inside before I got jumped by my nieces and nephews. They always gave me a hard time whenever I visited. But after spending time with Sophia…

I finally understood the truth.

They weren't "energetic."

They were jerks.

"GET BACK HERE!"

One of them ran off with my glove like he'd stolen a relic. From above, Vaelrick watched the scene as if it were entertainment.

"Ha-ha!" he barked. "Look at you getting along with the younger generation!"

"I'm being assaulted," I muttered, lunging for my glove.

Vaelrick laughed harder, then clapped my shoulder with a grin wide enough to be a warning.

"My wife made a delicious meal tonight," he said. "Come. Dinner."

"That sounds lovely," I replied, forcing myself to be calm.

Vaelrick's eyes glittered.

"And," he said slowly, "you mentioned you've been seeing someone."

…Yeah.

Trap.

Dinner started warm. It ended violently. Vaelrick praised me in front of his family like he'd been saving the speech for months.

"May I remind you," he said, lifting his fork like a scepter, "your uncle here—my younger brother—this young dragon…"

His kids stared.

"…is one of the best in our father's troops."

He didn't stop.

"Top of his class in the Knight Academy. Flight theory. Tactical simulations. Weapon drills."

His wife smiled faintly, as if she already knew.

"Border commendations," Vaelrick continued. "Operations with no casualties. Duel record still clean."

The kids looked at me differently now, like they'd remembered I wasn't just an uncle they could steal from. Vaelrick leaned forward, grin bright.

"So," he said, "to what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

I swallowed.

"I need your blessing," I said.

Vaelrick's grin widened.

"Mhmm! Sure. Anything."

I nodded like this was a troop report.

"I intend to ask for the right to court Sophia Valac properly."

The fork in Vaelrick's hand snapped. His wife stood immediately. The children moved instantly. They evacuated the table as they'd practiced for this exact disaster. In less than two seconds, I was alone with Vaelrick. He vanished from his seat.

BAM.

His face was inches from mine.

"ARE YOU MAD?!"

The next thing I knew—

CRASH.

We went through the wall. I woke up in rubble. Stone dust drifted down like snow. Vaelrick stood over me like a mountain that had decided it was tired of being scenery.

"You said her name," he said slowly.

I sat up, coughing. "Yes."

Vaelrick's eyes narrowed.

"Say it again."

I opened my mouth—then closed it.

Smart.

Vaelrick inhaled, furious, and began chanting as if he were reciting an old law.

"Oh, Dragon of the East. Dragon of the West. Dragon of the North and Dragon of the South… hear my call."

Gold light gathered.

A Dragonic claymore manifested in his hand. Not sharp. Not meant to kill. A dull discipline blade.

"The dragons wish to discipline you," Vaelrick said flatly.

I coughed. "Of course they do."

Vaelrick stepped closer.

"That saint must have charmed you," he snarled. "Or should I call her a witch?"

"Relax," I groaned.

"SILENCE!"

He raised the claymore.

"I've had it up to here with Malphas," he snapped, "and now his daughter is stealing my younger brother from me?"

"I'm not stolen," I said, forcing myself upright. "These are my honest feelings."

Vaelrick stared at me like he was searching for damage.

"You know damn well you don't understand feelings yet, boy," he said.

I went quiet.

Vaelrick's eyes narrowed further.

"Her father is already in your head, isn't he?"

I couldn't lie to him. Not my brother.

"…He told me she would grow into something worth protecting."

The air changed. Vaelrick's grip tightened around the dull claymore.

"So that's what he seeded in your brain."

I coughed.

"For the record," I muttered, "I wasn't exactly free before this either. Mother kept dragging me to meet young dragon women."

Vaelrick blinked once.

Then sighed like that, somehow making everything worse.

"So you dug your own grave."

"Great," I muttered. "Thanks for understanding."

He raised the weapon over me, gold light burning brighter.

"Seems the dragons are ready to beat the hell out of whatever Malphas planted in you."

Vaelrick pointed the dull claymore at me.

"Fine," he said. "If you want to do this, suit yourself."

Then his tone shifted into something colder.

"I'm going to have to call off the engagement I was setting up," he muttered. "This will be bad. A pain in the ass."

Relief hit me so hard my body betrayed me.

I exhaled—and collapsed back into the rubble like a dramatic idiot. As my vision dimmed, a new window flickered into existence in front of my eyes.

Not the Ledger. Something else.

A neutral, cold system message.

[ TRAINING STATUS: ENFORCER CANDIDATE ]

[ ALERT: CALAMITY DRAGON INBOUND — 3 DAYS ]

[ COST IF NOT SLAIN: SOPHIA VALAC — DEMONIC SAINT ]

I tried to blink it away.

It stayed.

Vaelrick's shadow fell over me.

His voice rumbled, low and absolute.

"You're not leaving," he said.

I swallowed dryly.

"…Yep," I rasped.

"Saw that one coming."

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