Father then removed the ring from his finger. It was a magic ring, passed down from one emperor to the next through the generations. The ring had no real effect on the wearer, other than to grant them a portion of the emperor's authority. In other words, it came in handy when the emperor needed to designate a proxy.
"Traugott Lakes Aadler. I hereby decree that you shall act as my proxy. Go to the southern region and present the holy sword to its master."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Trau managed to respond without awkward embellishment for a change.
I exhaled with relief.
A messenger had entered the throne room during that time and immediately announced, "Your Majesty! A sea dragon has appeared in the Grand Duchy of Albatro! The Adventurers' Guild is looking for Master Silver!"
"I guess it's time."
"I will assign a regiment of the Imperial Guard as bodyguards, but if anything should happen take care of my son, Silver."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I will return him without a scratch."
"If I must have a bodyguard, I must say I would have preferred an attractive young woman."
"There's an imperial knight who's just your type in the southern region. That'll have to be good enough."
"I pray she is not too strong. Women like that hold no attraction for me."
Elna would fly into a rage if she got wind of that, I thought to myself as Trau and the rest of our party headed off to the Adventurers' Guild.
5
A few days earlier, Leo and the fleet from Rondine had finally arrived in Albatro. So as not to create alarm, only the ship with Leo and the grand duke of Rondine entered the harbor, where they were welcomed ashore by the grand duke of Albatro.
"Thank you for coming, Carlo."
"These are dire times. It was never a question."
The two grand dukes formally shook hands. It was a historical event for the rulers of two countries so long at war, and when it ended without issue, tensions eased among the two naval fleets warily eyeing one another just offshore.
Leo and Elna also sighed with relief at the successful completion of that first step.
"That's one hurdle down, at least."
"Yep. Now the question is how to approach the sea dragon."
As Leo and Elna talked, they began following the two grand dukes toward the castle.
Suddenly, Elna turned and looked back at the ocean while reaching for her sword. Then she immediately drew the weapon.
"Elna?!"
"Everyone, assume defensive positions! Protect the prince and the grand dukes! It's coming!"
On Elna's command, imperial knights surrounded the royalty. At almost the same moment, a tornado formed over the ocean. It appeared in between the Rondine and Albatro fleets, which began to be sucked into the vortex.
Everyone watched in silent horror as nearly a third of each fleet was quickly swallowed up and sent to a water grave before the tornado abruptly vanished again.
Then, it appeared.
"The sea dragon Leviatano?!"
The dragon loomed up before them, its long, thin body covered in beautiful, water-like translucent blue scales.
It had a pair of wings and a pair of forelegs, and it probably also had hind legs underneath the water. It was a dragon suited for life in the sea.
In terms of appearance, it resembled a snake but much, much bigger. The visible portion of its body spanned over a hundred and fifty feet. It was even bigger and more threatening than the legends described. Everyone present shuddered with fear.
Their reactions didn't concern Leviatano. It slowly opened its mouth and a massive sphere of water began to form within. It was far and beyond the scale of any normal water magic.
Quickly recognizing the danger, Elna shouted out, "Take cover!"
The knights nearby gathered up the two grand dukes in their arms and fled to safety as they faithfully obeyed their commander's orders.
Elna, too, fled the area with Leo. Not a second later, the huge water bomb hit the spot where they'd been standing with a thunderous crash, leaving behind a giant crater worthy of a meteorite impact.
Leo and Elna both paled at the sight, but not out of concern for their own safety. They had just been given a glimpse of what would happen to the entire city during the battle that was about to occur.
"Damn it! ...Elna! Take charge here and help evacuate all the residents of the city!"
"Leo! Where are you going?!"
"I'm going out on the ship! If we don't get the dragon's attention focused out on the water, this city's done for!"
"That's crazy! What do you think you're going to accomplish with just one ship?!"
"I'm going to command the rest of the ships! They need a commander!"
"Ships of other countries? And those who until just recently stood against our own forces? One wrong move and they could shoot you down in the confusion!"
"My brother made the alliance possible in my place! I can't sit back and watch it be destroyed!" Leo answered back and took off running.
Elna wanted to yell out and stop him, but she never got the chance.
Leviatano shot off its second attack. The water bomb flew over the harbor and was headed toward the center of the capital city when Elna launched her own attack. It struck the bomb and changed its course, creating a second crater next to the first.
"I wonder how long we can hold out," Elna murmured to herself as she looked down at her numb right arm and the freshly chipped blade of her trusty sword. If only I had the holy sword, she thought.
Instead, Elna busied herself making sure the grand dukes and the residents were evacuated while she fended off the dragon's attacks.