Reincarnated As A Dragon With A Godly Inheritance
Chapter 31: A night for Ale

Chapter 31: A night for Ale

Kaedros said nothing.

Zevrak stood, his massive frame rising with surprising speed. The chair beneath him groaned in relief.

"Join his team. Await instructions."

"...As you wish," Kaedros replied flatly. "But before you leave, make sure the Order backs off."

Zevrak rubbed his thick hands together, voice low and confident.

"Oh, they will."

Until the forbidden zone raid, he didn’t say. But Kaedros heard it anyway.

The man turned and exited with his two cloaked escorts. Kaedros expanded his awareness again, still nothing. One of them was cloaked, and not by any ordinary means. High-level suppression magic, likely. He was sure of it.

The door clicked shut behind them.

Taria exhaled slowly, then turned to him. He expected anger, or perhaps fear. But what he saw instead was a fierce, grim smile.

"He’s strong."

"The strongest I’ve seen so far," Kaedros agreed. Among humans, he didn’t add.

"I want that," she said, eyes burning. "I want people to feel me enter a room. I want them to know." She lifted her spear with purpose.

"You’ll get there," Kaedros said with a rare smile. "You’ll surpass that rank."

She dropped the spear’s tip against the floor. "So... we’re joining?"

"We don’t have a choice," he said. "The Association has leverage on us now."

"Can you believe it? The Order tried to kill us. I know you’re not surprised, but still... it makes no sense."

Kaedros didn’t mention the Refiner he’d killed. That wasn’t the reason anyway.

"Didn’t you hear Rauk and Zevrak? They’ve been watching us for a while. And don’t forget—we took out one of the Order’s mutant beasts not long ago."

"So they want to silence us..." Taria muttered. She stomped over to the small bar, yanked a bottle of harsh-smelling liquor off the shelf, and took a long swig. "Ah. That hit the spot. I’m too damn weak for enemies like this."

Kaedros had survived enemies like this all his life, by hiding, adapting, surviving. But not this time. This time, he would rise. Strike first. Hit back.

"Just follow my lead, Taria." He walked over, his steps silent thanks to the muffling spell he’d cast. He gently patted her head, like one might a loyal beast. "You’ll come out stronger. I promise."

"...Thank you." Her voice was quiet. She didn’t look at him.

No one had helped her since her father died. And now, again, it all traced back to the Celestial Order.

’.....I won’t let them take anything else....’ she vowed silently.

Kaedros narrowed his eyes. "I’ve got business to attend to."

"Where?" she asked.

He smiled faintly. "Around town."

"Be careful."

He nodded once and stepped out into the night.

The moon hung high, a silver sliver in the sky. Its pale light poured over the cobbled rooftops. The wind was sharp, colder than usual.

He didn’t need to search for long, two spies were already trailing him, convinced he hadn’t noticed. Convinced they were the ones in control his movement.

He began weaving a cloaking spell, one that masked not only presence but intent. It was one of the darkness magic.

Then, he ran.

Not toward his true destination, but the opposite. Let them follow him and see if they could catch up with a Dragon.

He raced through winding alleys, vaulted low walls, turned sharp corners, and leapt over barrels and fences. He doubled back more than once, each movement planned. Each breath measured. And as the spell settled in full, he disappeared completely from their senses.

With a single, mana-infused step that cracked the stone beneath him, he launched into the sky.

He landed atop a sloped rooftop, crouched in silence, then began sprinting. Silent and swift. Shadow over stone. A flicker of his past self, when he had wings, when he truly ruled the skies.

It didn’t take long to reach his true destination.

A large, stone building stood before him, fortified, ancient, encircled by narrow towers like spears frozen in time.

A miniature fortress

"A small fortress indeed," Kaedros muttered as he studied it.

A wide, reinforced gate dominated the front, but no lights shone from within. The towers that should have been manned by patrolling guards stood empty, cloaked in silence and shadow.

Kaedros smiled. "But even a dead castle has its protections."

He could feel the magic etched into the walls and gate, runes, old and strong.

Shields. Strength wards. Anti-magic defenses. Traps. He sensed them all humming faintly beneath the stone like the low thrum of a waiting beast.

Back in the Dragon City, even after being cast out, he had poured most of his time into studying runehwork. Runes. Enchantments. Layered spell formations.

"I could destroy every one of these runes," he mused aloud. "But it would take too long. Maybe I should knock?"

He raised his hand and checked his mana reserves. He had burned through a lot today, but there was still enough left to make a point.

"Sun"

A small yellow red glow flared to life in front of his palm. It hovered, spinning and growing brighter as he fed it mana. When it reached the right intensity, he released it, not at the gate or walls, but at the air above the entrance.

The spell hit, colliding with an invisible barrier. The force made the gate shudder. Red and blue light rippled outward like waves across the sky. The magic shield hissed, distorting the air before flickering out.

"Now I wait..."

Something blurred toward him.

He darted left, mana surging to his legs as he leapt clear of a slashing sword, leaving behind blurring after images.

"I’m here to see Rauk." He said as he dodge her.

Knight Vexa didn’t answer. Her glowing blade cut through the air as she pursued him, forcing him to divert his mana toward deflecting her attacks. Her technique was precise, her aura brutal. She had him pinned in seconds, her sword humming beside his neck.

But as he looked at her, he realized he could kill her but he would have to reveal a lot of his power.

Kaedros gave a slow smile, sweat beading his forehead. His black hair clung messily to his face. "I haven’t been this close to death in a while."

’...not since a bus hit me and my Dragonvsiblings tried to kill me. Or bounty hunters hunting me. Eh....I’m always close to death...’

"You shouldn’t be close," Vexa said coldly. Her dark eyes were sharp, unforgiving. "You should be dead."

"So why am I still alive?" Kaedros asked calmly.

"It would be rude to kill a guest," a voice called from above.

Kaedros looked up. Crouching atop the gate like a lazy cat was Lord Rauk, waving with a smile.

"He’s not a guest. He’s an intruder," Vexa snapped, her blade still near Kaedros’s throat.

"An intruder?" Kaedros echoed with mock offense. "I came here for some midnight tea." He paused, then grimaced. "Actually, forget tea. Bad memory. Maybe ale."

Vexa answered by pressing her sword even closer.

"Seriously. I’m here to see Rauk," Kaedros said with a grin. "I’m sure he was expecting me."

A beat of silence passed. Then....

"Let him go, Vexa. He’s here for ale."