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LEHRSATZ, the city of trade, was the first and largest gateway to the Kratos Kingdom. It boasted the largest station and railroad in the Rave Empire, connecting the Neutrahl and Verrat duchies. Lehrsatz was more akin to a resort town, where people mingled and enjoyed their wealth. Camila had expected the city to be flashy with opulent décor, and she stared down curiously from the sky to see the city was rich in history.
A large statue of a dragon, built in the likeness of Dragon God Rave, stood in the central square. Beautiful, large buildings exuding historical significance surrounded it. The river that flowed into the ocean had sturdy bridges erected over it, and even the outskirts of the city were well-maintained.
As you got closer to the ends of the city and the port, the buildings became more modernized, showcasing technological advancements over the years. Several resort hotels dotted the white beaches. Beyond the estuary, where the white sands ended, was a clearing with a small hill—this was where the estate of Duke Lehrsatz stood.
Even from high above, one would marvel at the sheer size of the estate. A vast courtyard garden stretched from the gates all the way to a water fountain. Several bell towers with steeples dotted the grounds, and the manor itself resembled a fortified castle. An arbor and a tiny stream within a well-maintained garden surrounded it. There was even a wide space for dragons to land and large dragon stables.
The residence of Duke Neutrahl utilized Dragon Knights, which bolstered their defenses for greater efficiency. It practically blended in with the fortress city of Neutrahl, but Lehrsatz’s mansion stood loud and proud as the city’s lord.
The splendid interior of the mansion blew a commoner like Camila away. It didn’t look tacky, but she could easily see how expensive and gorgeous it was. Every piece of furniture emanated elegance and sturdiness. The bright, inviting colors hinted at the mindset of Duke Lehrsatz. But if he was told that the Dragon Consort went missing, Camila wasn’t sure how the duke would react. And Grandpa disappeared before I knew it! Camila thought. Arghhh!
Rolf was the biological younger brother of Igor, the current Duke Lehrsatz. Camila had hoped that the old man had an excuse or two prepared, but he’d vanished almost immediately.
“How do we explain ourselves?” Zeke asked while they were being guided through the manor.
“What else can we do than to tell the truth? It’s not like we can lie,” Camila replied.
She turned defiant, and Zeke agreed with her decision as he also gave up on doing anything else. The meeting room they were shown to had a large, glass window that allowed ample sunlight to fill the room—it was bright, and the cool breeze made it a rather comfortable space. A box of clothes was in the corner of the room, piled high with other gifts to the Dragon Consort, which gave a menacing aura, but the Knights of the Dragon Consort took deep breaths. Just as they tried to bow to the people waiting in the back of the room, they froze when they spotted a very familiar face.
“Hey there, short time no see, Knights of the Dragon Consort,” said the emperor. He smiled as he relaxed on the sofa with his legs crossed. “It sure took you long. Where’s the other knight? Did he run?”
“Y-Your Majesty?!” Camila gasped. “Wh-Why are you—”
“You know why, don’t you? Where’s Jill?”
Pressured by the emperor’s gleaming, golden eyes, the two knights immediately pivoted right to flee, but Duke Igor Lehrsatz barred the entrance as though he awaited them.
“Welcome, Knights of the Dragon Consort,” Igor said. “Oh? Why do you two look so pale? Are you tired from your long journey? Please, do take a seat.”
The elderly duke was slender and had a cane, but his intensity made it apparent that the knights wouldn’t be allowed to flee. Camila, who was ready to bolt, mustered a response.
“D-Don’t mind us…” she murmured.
“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of doing that,” Igor replied. “My foolish younger brother is also in your care, isn’t he? Now, where is he?”
“No clue,” Zeke said gruffly, having resigned himself to his fate. “He disappeared before we knew it.”
“Ah. And is it true that the Dragon Consort is missing? His Majesty informed me of this and suddenly teleported here with a herald. As you can see, I’m utterly confused and came to welcome you all.”
It seemed Hadis had teleported here with the herald, and he likely caused quite a bit of trouble for Igor. A vein was throbbing on the duke’s temple, further illustrating his anger.
“I’d hoped that you could provide me with an adequate explanation,” the duke said.
“H-His Majesty has been informed by Raw already, right? Right?” Camila said, turning to the emperor behind the duke.
Hadis gave an exaggerated look of surprise. “That stupid dragon only told me that Jill went missing because she went searching for Prince Gerald.”
“That’s such a malicious way of cherry-picking information!” Camila cried.
“I’d expect no less from His Majesty’s spirit,” Zeke muttered. “Not to mention that he’s not totally off about how we got here.”
“Ah, I knew it. So, Jill did go searching for Prince Gerald,” Hadis said. His eyes were glazed over as he chuckled maniacally. “Heh. Heh heh heh heh!”
Camila and Zeke inched back, only to be pushed forward by Igor’s cane. Hadis noticed his subjects secretly fighting and turned to them.
“Ah, sorry, I’m fine,” he said. “Can you give me your report, just in case it differs?”
Camila gently nudged Zeke, and he sighed as he stepped forward.
“We wanted to confirm the rumored sighting of Prince Gerald when we were attacked by a weird group,” Zeke said. “Li’l Raw was abducted, and Captain chased after him. We got him back safe, but she disappeared. Grandpa Rolf suspects that a shady group called the Arks is involved.”
Igor furrowed his brows. “The Arks? They kidnapped Her Highness?”
“What I can tell you is that they were a curious group wearing black hoods. I’m not sure if this is directly related to the Arks, but we also spotted that weird dragon that appeared during the Dragon Flower Crown Festival.”
Hadis remained calm, likely having heard it all from Raw.
“But Captain ordered us to head to Lehrsatz after she saved Raw,” Zeke went on. “So, we all decided to head here and leave her behind. I don’t know much about the Arks, but I doubt she’d get done in so easily.”
“I wonder if Jill really did go after Prince Gerald…all by herself,” Hadis muttered.
That was a taboo topic for him. Igor sighed and stepped in front of the stiff knights.
“We should consider it a possibility, but that isn’t the main issue here, Your Majesty,” the duke said. He was the only one who dared to approach Hadis, which was worthy of respect. “The Kratos delegation, who arrived around the same time as Your Majesty, are requesting aid. The queen and her Sacred Spear were apparently abducted within the Rave Empire. They suspect that the Arks are behind it as well.”