Wild Dragon of Rome 16

The potential arrival of a sorcerer made me rethink my strategy. My initial trick with the dress turned useless. It would be enough to trick a bunch of undisciplined pirates, but it wouldn’t work against professionals. 

Especially since they were determined to catch Lillian. Their determination was not in doubt. Otherwise, they wouldn’t send three ships and fought against the pirates just to get her. Too bad we didn’t know why, or we might have used it some way. If I knew they wanted her unharmed, for example, we might have created some kind of hostage situation to get away freely. 

Unfortunately, I suspected that they wanted her for some mystical reason — anything else didn’t justify the effort — so it was hard to guess exactly which condition they needed her. 

Worse, with such dedication, they wouldn’t stop until either they had found a body, or explored every inch of the island to ascertain she couldn’t be found. The way they had deployed their search parties made sure of it. 

I had been planning to trigger some fights between the search parties and the third-order beasts that were living on the island. When a mage and a third-order beast that could use magic externally fought, the smart bet was always the beast. However, that equation changed when mages had professional soldiers to support them and distract the beast… Especially when the mage had other mages to support them. 

When I saw them from the cropping, I had also seen the search parties they were preparing to deploy, lined on the shore. Each group had a leader who was dressed the same as the mages I killed, marking them as mages, supported by sixteen armored soldiers. 

There were six such groups, preparing to move. 

“It looks like I’m going to make a stupid move,” I muttered. It was one of the things that my grandfather had taught me, with strict instructions never to try unless it was the last resort during a disaster. 

The current situation certainly qualified. 

I ran back to the cave. It was the best location, and Lillian’s presence would help significantly. I needed some support while I was taking such a risky step. 

When I burst into the cave, I met with a glorious scene, one that forced me to turn my back immediately. “Sorry, it’s an emergency. I didn’t expect for you to be bathing … or have a bath here,” I said, giving Lillian a chance to put on her clothes back before I turned. Even clothed, her skin glistened under the blue light radiating from a sphere of water, the result of a spell. 

The fact that she was wearing my shirt added another layer to it. 

Her blush was visible even under the low light, but her shy gaze seemed to carry a suggestive question, her blue eyes with a soft glint. It would be a lie to say I wouldn’t have been tempted by it if the situation we were facing weren’t as dangerous. 

”I thought it was better to have some water in the cave to use as a weapon if a beast attacked. It’s not just for comfort,” she explained hurriedly, then my words registered. “An … emergency?” she asked, still shy. 

“Yes. I’m going to break through, and I need your help.” 

She sighed. “Not exactly an emergency, then,” she said, slightly frustrated. “At least my kidnappers were tricked by my dress. It served me well,” She looked around. “While I don’t want to spend a month in this cave, but I would —” 

“No,” I cut her off. “Your kidnappers are still here, and they are preparing to search the island,” I said. “That’s why it’s an emergency. I need to complete my breakthrough in a few hours, not a few weeks.” 

“But that’s impossible. Even a normal mage needs a week at a minimum, and that’s with things going as well as predicted. You have four cores to balance while shattering them,” she said. 

“All good points,” I said as I walked toward the center of the cave, carefully examining the ground. Preferably, I needed to find a solid ground. My breakthrough would inevitably attract the beasts. The last thing I needed was one to burst right under me. 

She paused, watching me. “Do you have some kind of secret method known only for Patrician families?” she asked, her tone hopeful. 

“My grandfather taught me one. The theory is solid, and I see no reason that it wouldn’t work.” 

She froze. “The t-theory is solid,” she stammered. “What do you mean? Someone else tried it before, right?” 

“No, it’s one of my grandfather’s theories. And, he was a genius of elemental theory. You have seen how good I can fight as a mere apprentice. It’s all because of his teachings. I have full confidence that it’ll work.” 

As I explained it, however, I neglected one very important detail. My grandfather warned me many times about the dangers of the method, and he was the man who thought throwing a teenager with a broken arm armed only with a dagger against a pack of hungry wolves was a character-building experience. 

I neglected to mention that detail to Lillian. If I failed, I would die, and she could make a decision between a last stand and surrendering. 

“Of course, there’s a chance that I won’t be in fighting condition after the breakthrough. If that happens, you have to decide how to act. Since they are determined to take you alive, you might think of leaving me and surrendering. Once I start to break through, a lot of beasts will attack us. It’ll be dangerous.” 

“And, what happens when you’re alone?” she said. 

“One good thing about my grandfather’s method is that I will be able to fight during it. I will  be able to handle a few beasts that attack me.” 

“Then, there’s no need to surrender, is there? Why mention it,” she asked sharply. Damn, I had hoped that she missed that. My mistake. She had been rather agreeable the last night … but a combination of exhaustion, mortal danger, and repeated shocks was hardly ideal. 

“Well, there’s a chance that it would be worse,” I said. A very big chance. “I wanted to give you the option to surrender. You don’t have to risk yourself with me when there’s another option.” 

She paused, thinking of my words. “Would you have surrendered if you were in my place?”

“Do you want to hear the truth, or a comforting lie?” I asked. She didn’t answer, but her stiff nod clued me still. “I would kill myself before letting them take me. The kidnapping, combined with the secrecy they had been aiming doesn’t create a nice picture. There are many options that would make death a pleasant alternative.” 

“And, you would bet your life on it?” she said. 

“Certainly,” I answered. “Even without the suspicious points, I wouldn’t have let them take me alive. What’s life without freedom.” 

She stayed silent while I continued checking the cave even more in detail, trying to pick the most ideal location. In the end, I picked a spot near the backend of the cave, toward the left, with a thick stone floor. 

Then, I pulled the dragon heart from its box, my hand trembling as I pulled it out. I was determined to use that method to break, but that didn’t make the prospect any less daunting. I took a shaky breath, trying to bring down my out-of-control heartbeat, but it didn’t work. 

“Last chance,” I told her. “I’m going to collapse the tunnel before we start, so there’s no turning back if you stay. Even if I’m successful, the commotion will be huge, and it’ll trigger a big fight. The only question is whether the beasts or the people will discover our location first.” 

She looked at me, her expression impossible to scrutinize, and then, without saying anything, she started climbing the steep tunnel. 

It was for the best, and there was no need to be disappointed. Yet, my emotions didn’t listen to me. Barely a few seconds after she walked the tunnel, I felt a flare of magic, and the tunnel collapsed. “At least she helped me one last time,” I sighed as I closed my eyes, trying to focus on my cores…

And opened them back right on when I heard footsteps, and watched Lillian appear at the entrance, dragging a large sphere of water with her to add in the bath. It overflowed, covering most of the floor. It made the ground muddy, but it also helped her to fight much better. A welcome tradeoff. 

“You look surprised, why?” she said, her smirk wide. 

“Well played,” I said, unable to keep my smile down as she walked toward me. 

“So, any idea how long it’ll take,” she said as she stood in front of me, the water following her movements. She looked far more competent when she wasn’t at the edge of collapse. 

“If it wasn’t for the dragon heart, at least three hours. With it … I have no idea. Somewhere between fifteen minutes and an hour, but even that’s not certain.” 

She turned back and gave me a pointed glare. “Why do I feel that it’s not as safe as you implied,” she said. 

I shrugged. “It’s not like we have a lot of options. Now, I’m starting.” 

She nodded, then paused. “A second,” she said as she turned toward me and grabbed my chin. Before I could process it, her lips landed on mine, giving me a gentle kiss, one that disappeared just as quickly. “For luck,” she whispered, her blush beautiful. “Survive, and there’ll be more.” 

I did feel luckier.