Dark Warlock in the Apocalypse-Chapter 213: top

"Absolutely amazing," I muttered in awe as I rode on top of Fafnir. The sensation of soaring through the sky atop a dragon was beyond exhilarating. The strong wind brushed against my cheeks, the world below looked like a miniature model, and the clouds seemed close enough to touch with an outstretched hand.

The sky, once painted in shades of red, had transitioned into a deep violet and navy blue, with stars starting to twinkle one by one. It felt as if I was witnessing a divine painting unfold before my very eyes.

"…Maybe I’m getting too sentimental," I chuckled to myself, amused at the thought.

"Kyarrkk," Fafnir growled softly beneath me, as if telling me not to overthink it and just enjoy the moment. His nonchalant attitude made me laugh as I gently patted his neck.

"Right, who cares if I’m being sentimental? No one’s watching. Might as well enjoy this to the fullest while I’m up here."

"Grrrr," Fafnir purred in satisfaction, his large body vibrating slightly like a pleased cat. Despite the considerable movement, the flight remained as smooth as ever. If I didn’t focus, I’d barely notice the subtle shifts, the stability was just that perfect.

I could really pull off aerial combat with this, couldn’t I? I thought to myself, once again impressed by how steady Fafnir’s flight was.

Honestly, I had initially assumed that riding Fafnir would be mostly for show or as a means of transportation during peaceful moments. After all, there were no safety harnesses or windshields, and even if I fitted him with reins, without stable footing, I’d risk falling off or dangling precariously mid-flight. I figured that if there was any aerial battle, I’d have to dismount and let Fafnir fight alone.

But with this level of stability, it’s a whole different story. I could easily cast spells while riding him in combat, I mused. Even without reins, I felt perfectly secure fighting ground enemies from his back. If we added proper reins, we might even stand a chance in air-to-air combat against other flying creatures.

The idea had merit, especially since Fafnir was clearly making adjustments to match my movements. His ability to sync with me so perfectly meant we could operate seamlessly in battle.

"Grrrr!" Fafnir growled, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Ah, looks like we’re almost there," I said as I looked ahead to see the castle coming into view. It was an impressive sight from the ground, but seeing it from the air like this gave it a new grandeur.

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"…Wait a second. Why does part of the castle look wrecked? My office is completely trashed," I muttered.

Fafnir, who had been growling confidently a moment ago, suddenly fell silent. He avoided my gaze, and I couldn’t help but laugh at his guilty behavior.

Well, I guess there was no way for him to get out without breaking things, I thought, letting it slide.

"Aaaaaah! It’s a dragon!"

"Wait, no! It’s the lord’s dragon!"

"What!? It’s back!?"

"Does that mean it’s not going to attack us?"

"I don’t know, but let’s just get out of here for now!"

As we drew closer to the ground, I could hear the panicked voices of my people. Apparently, I had flown too close, and they were all in a frenzy trying to figure out what to do.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at their reactions and called out, "What’s with you lot? Don’t you know how to greet your lord instead of running away?"

"...!?"

Hearing my playful tone, the people gasped in shock, their eyes widening in disbelief.

After teasing the townspeople for a moment, I turned Fafnir back toward the castle gates. As tempting as it was to make a grand entrance, there was something more important to do first: opening the portal.

As we approached the gates, I spotted Emily on the castle walls, conversing with the guards.

"Lord!" she called out in surprise as she noticed me approaching.

"Good work! How are Derek and Ethan doing?" I shouted back.

"They’re in the meeting room!" she replied, still in shock.

"Great, tell them to come to the gates. I’ve got something to discuss with them."

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"Understood!" she said, quickly hurrying back into the castle.

With the message delivered, I took one last moment to enjoy the flight before landing. The descent was smooth and controlled, much better than Fafnir’s usual rough landings. He had clearly been paying attention to my comfort during the entire ride.

"Thanks, you did well," I said, patting Fafnir’s side as I dismounted. I then pulled out the second half of the dimensional portal scroll from my inventory and tore it at the edge of the designated safe zone.

"You have used the Dimensional Portal Scroll. A portal will now be generated at this location."

"A temporary safe zone with a 10-meter radius has been established around the portal."

"Another portal has been detected. The two portals are now connected."

A soft hum filled the air as the portal shimmered into existence, linking with the other half that I had used earlier.

"What’s that?"

"It’s a dimensional portal!"

"Did the lord open it!?"

As expected, murmurs began to spread among the people as they saw the shimmering portal appear. From the other side of the portal, I could hear the voices of my companions who had stayed behind.

I waited for a moment, but it seemed like they were too busy talking among themselves to step through. With an amused sigh, I stuck my hand into the portal and gave them a scare.

"Ah! L-lord, is that you!?"

"Yeah, I opened the portal, so hurry up and come through."

After I waved them over, one by one, they began stepping through the portal, their eyes wide with awe as they experienced the portal’s effects for the first time since the tutorial. Once the last person had crossed over, a familiar voice called out from behind.

"This is insane! You actually came back!? Brother!" Derek exclaimed, rushing toward me with Ethan following close behind.

"What in the world did you pull off this time?" Eethan asked, equally astounded.

I shrugged and smiled. "A little bit of this, a little bit of that. But what’s going on here? I may have set some fires, but the place looks more burned than before."

"That’s because Fafnir finished what you started. He’s been spitting flames everywhere. Didn’t you notice?" Ethan replied.

"I’ve seen him breathe fire plenty of times, but… Fafnir did this? What was the reason?"

"This place has been through a lot as well," Ethan said with a wry smile, hinting that there were too many stories to tell.

Given that it had been over ten days since I left, it made sense that a lot had happened. Clearly, this wasn’t the time to delve into all the details.

"Let’s save the full story for tomorrow. Everyone’s been through a lot, and I’m sure everyone is exhausted."

"Agreed. I was just about to suggest that," Ethan replied, sounding relieved.

"I’ll go rest with Fafnir in the main hall. You and Emily can handle the rest of the work. Oh, and make sure to find a place for the newcomers to stay."

"I have no issue with that, but… Lord, you’ll have to repair the main hall before you can rest."

"What?"

"Fafnir wrecked most of the upper floors, including your bedroom, when he crashed through your office."

"..."

I blinked and turned to look at Fafnir. He, in turn, avoided my gaze, pretending to be interested in something far off in the distance.

You really enjoyed your newfound freedom a bit too much, didn’t you?

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to repair the main hall. As the leader, I had access to rapid repairs via the territory development system, as long as I was willing to pay for it.

However, getting Fafnir back into the stable proved to be quite a task. The issue wasn’t Fafnir himself but rather the wyverns that were already housed there.

"Screeeech! Screeeech!"

"Grrrr."

"Hey, stop intimidating them! And you, calm down! No one’s going to eat you!"

"Screeech!"

The wyverns, upon seeing the fully grown Fafnir, completely lost it. They thrashed around so violently that part of the stable was nearly destroyed in their panic.

After trying and failing to calm them down, I finally lost my patience and commanded Fafnir, "Fafnir, knock them around a bit until they settle down."

"Rooaaar!"

"Screech!?"

After a good 15 minutes of smacking around, the wyverns finally calmed down. Despite the beating, Fafnir had the sense to avoid doing any real damage to their bones and muscles. He must’ve understood that these creatures were meant to serve us later on.

Exhausted but satisfied, I finally managed to get some much-needed sleep, and I didn’t wake up until the afternoon of the next day. Because of that, the meeting that was supposed to happen at noon ended up being pushed back to the evening, just as the sun was beginning to set.

"So, let me get this straight. A coalition army from the nine territories attacked, and Fafnir burned them all to ashes?" I asked, trying to wrap my head around the situation.

"Yes, two breath attacks, and they were all reduced to charcoal. The grasslands also ended up scorched in the process," Ethan said, though his tone remained serious despite the casual delivery.

I could tell what was coming next, so I gave the answer they were likely expecting.

"In that case, the nine territories must be left defenseless now, right?"

"Exactly. They seem to have gathered every available soldier for the attack."

"How many soldiers do you think it would take to conquer one of those territories?"

"To be honest, just me or Derek with ten elite soldiers would be more than enough," Ethan answered confidently.

"Good. Let’s prepare two units and send them out tomorrow or the day after. No need to waste time on weaklings," I ordered, satisfied with the plan.

Ethan grinned as he completed his report. The rest of the matters discussed were minor, mostly about the panic caused by Fafnir’s awakening. Nothing significant.

"By the way, I heard Fafnir came to find you. How did that go? And what about the quest?"

"Well, about that…"

I proceeded to explain the events that had unfolded during the quest in detail. At first, the executives listened with interest, but as I got to the part where Fafnir saved the day, their faces grew pale.

"…You were really in danger, weren’t you? If Fafnir hadn’t shown up when he did, who knows what would’ve happened," Ethan remarked, his face tense.

"Well, I guess the heavens decided it wasn’t my time to go just yet. Maybe it’s fate, leading me along," I joked lightly.

"..."

The executives exchanged incredulous glances at my remark. They had clearly been trying to suggest that I should be more cautious, and here I was, chalking it all up to fate.

But I didn’t bother reassuring them. After all, to claim rewards ahead of everyone else, risks were inevitable. Hesitation would only leave you behind.

Realizing that I wasn’t going to give them the cautious response they wanted, the executives eventually gave up, shaking their heads.

"Well, setting that aside… the rewards from the quest are incredible. The guardian scrolls, the dimensional portal—everything," Ethan noted, trying to steer the conversation back.

"And those armor options are insane too. If I’d known the rewards were this good, I would’ve forced my way into joining you," Derek grumbled, his voice tinged with envy. It was understandable—aside from me, the two of them were the strongest in terms of combat ability. Missing out on such a haul would sting.

"I guess that’s how it goes. You can’t change the past, so let’s make the most of what we’ve got," I said, shrugging.

"That’s true. But about the dimensional portal scroll, what do you plan to do with it?" Ethan asked.

"Like I said earlier, I’ll use it as a foothold for interactions with other territories. My goal is to connect it to Damian’s territory, but…"

"Actually, I have something to say about that," Zachary interjected, stepping in between Ethan and Derek.

All eyes turned to him as he spoke with a serious expression. "It’s time we decide on a name for the city."

"...Huh?"

"The city’s name, my lord. We still haven’t named it," Zachary clarified.

"What?"

Everyone’s eyes widened as if they had just been hit by a realization. I, too, blinked in surprise. How had we not thought of something so basic?

We all exchanged bewildered looks, while Zachary stood there, the only one who had thought of it.

"…Come to think of it, we really haven’t named the city yet, have we?" I muttered.

"..."

Aside from Zachary, the other executives quickly averted their eyes, avoiding my gaze.