Chapter 621: A Phoenix egg?

"Once again, allow me to thank you for offering to take our entourage with you," Oberon said, forming a fist with one hand and cupping it with the other before bowing respectfully toward Elion.

"It’s no problem," Elion replied. "You guys have helped me with plenty already. And as you said, we are family now. It’s only obvious that I would lend a hand when you need it."

He smiled lightly before glancing over Oberon’s shoulder.

Celeste, Isla, Lucius, and Lilith were standing side by side a short distance away.

Lucius and Lilith gave him a small nod.

All the goodbyes had already been said, including the more heartfelt farewells he had shared with Isla and Celeste.

After all, Elion had ultimately decided to leave Isla with Celeste.

The two seemed to be getting along incredibly well, and he had almost felt bad at the thought of tearing them apart so soon.

Celeste had already complained about how unbearably bored she was whenever everyone around her refused to let her do anything, while Isla didn’t seem like she would fit in particularly well with the succubi for long periods of time.

So, in the end, the arrangement worked rather well for both of them while he was away.

And when Elion had suggested the idea, Isla had practically been over the moon.

His guess had been right.

As for Zenith and the succubi...

Well, he had left them behind in Haven on the same day he travelled back to Dreadmoor Hollow.

They had lives to rebuild, after all.

More specifically, their idea of helping Elion mostly revolved around finances.

Which was why they were currently preparing to open yet another brothel in Haven.

Their plan was to start small once again before slowly expanding into the surrounding towns and cities, eventually spreading throughout the entire kingdom.

After that, they hoped to begin encroaching upon Beastmen and Elven territory as well.

Though that particular goal still seemed quite far off.

Elion had also left Zenith with them for protection, just in case it turned out they actually needed it.

After all, he still had no idea whether some foolhardy dragon might eventually decide to avenge the one he had killed.

Better safe than sorry.

Oberon, Morgana, Dorian, and the other elders stood off to the side, while several of them remained near the five young Vampires Elion would be taking with him.

His gaze eventually met Dorian’s abyssal-black eyes.

Elion flinched.

The man had a far too satisfied grin stretched across his face.

Elion’s bruises still hadn’t completely healed, and nearly every part of his body ached.

After all, they hadn’t stopped training until earlier that morning. And while Elion couldn’t deny that he had improved quite a bit...

A small part of him suspected that the damned Vampire had simply been trying to get back at him for something.

Dorian walked over just as Oberon was stepping back.

Bam!

He placed a heavy hand on Elion’s shoulder, making the younger man hunch slightly in pain.

"Bastard..." Elion hissed under his breath.

Dorian only laughed.

"Remember your training, young one. We didn’t have enough time to really get into it, but it’s a good thing you’re such a fast learner. When you get back, we will continue where we left off."

"Of course..." Elion muttered.

Dorian leaned closer.

"What’s that? I didn’t hear you." His hand tightened around Elion’s already bruised shoulder.

Elion’s face immediately twisted in pain. He gritted his teeth.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master!"

He shouted the words toward the sky with his eyes squeezed shut, his expression comically strained.

"Hahahahahaha!" The sight sent Dorian into uproarious laughter; a moment later, several of the others joined in as well.

Everyone except Elion.

He stood there with a deeply disgruntled expression, feeling like he might actually cry.

’Someone is going to pay for this.’

The laughter eventually died down.

The group was standing within the training grounds, where they had spent most of their time over the past week.

At this point, all that was left was for them to depart.

Though Elion’s body was still aching in more places than he cared to count, his appearance was actually quite prim and proper.

If anything, perhaps even more than usual.

He was proud to say that Lilith had dressed him up rather extravagantly.

Not personally, of course, but she had been responsible for choosing the particular outfit he was wearing.

It seems like part of his duties as Prince Consort involved making sure he dressed appropriately during important gatherings.

That made Elion wonder how he had somehow escaped something like this when attending the Royal Court hearing.

The attire was something between a sleek black bodysuit and a formal outfit, consisting of a tight-fitting top with a neat collar, matching trousers, and a pair of black boots that almost seemed to continue directly from the fabric covering his legs.

With how perfectly everything matched, the entire outfit almost looked like one seamless suit.

The five young Vampires travelling with him were dressed in something similar, though theirs were grey.

His, naturally, looked much better.

The material itself was a dull shade of black, and although it appeared tight and perhaps even uncomfortable from the outside, it was actually incredibly pleasant to wear.

Elion could stretch, twist, and move without the slightest restriction. It almost felt like he wasn’t wearing anything at all.

Intricate golden seams and embroidery ran through specific parts of the outfit, giving it just enough ornamentation to make him look like some ridiculously wealthy, spoiled young master.

Not that Elion particularly minded.

There was only one downside, though. The damned thing defined his ass a little too well, but that was negligible.

His mother-in-law had gone through the trouble of having this fashioned for him, after all.

There was no way he was taking it off over something so meaningless.

"Oh, before I forget, I’ve been meaning to ask..."

With a thought, Elion summoned an oval-shaped stone from his storage and held it out toward Dorian.

The moment it appeared, the faint incandescent glow leaking through the cracks along its stony surface immediately drew everyone’s attention.

Elion turned it carefully between both hands, feeling the gentle warmth radiating from within.

"How exactly do you hatch a phoenix egg?"

Dorian’s expression went through a wide range of changes.

"What did you just say!?" His voice came out far louder than Elion expected.

Lucius, Oberon, Morgana, and the others immediately stepped closer, their attention fixed entirely on the strange object resting in Elion’s hands.

Elion blinked at their reactions.

"You’ve been carrying around a phoenix egg this entire time!?"

"Haha..."

Elion let out a sheepish laugh.

"Well, a lot has been going on recently, and I haven’t exactly had the perfect opportunity to reveal it."

He certainly wasn’t about to admit that he had forgotten about it.

And he definitely was not going to confess that he had gotten distracted by spending time pleasuring his women.

’Not a chance.’

Lucius brought his hands forward, and Elion quickly understood that the monarch wanted to inspect the egg himself.

"Is this real?" Lucius asked as Elion carefully handed it over.

Elion nodded.

"Unless the Bloodline Trial’s reward chamber somehow swindled me out of one of my well-earned rewards, then yes. It’s very real."

"Unbelievable..." Lilith commented as she stepped closer to her husband.

She could already sense the life contained within the egg with vivid clarity.

"Even our archives contain very little information about phoenixes. Their existence has become little more than an old tale at this point."

Her gaze remained fixed upon the glowing cracks running across the shell.

"But from what little information we do possess..." Lilith’s expression became thoughtful. "...It is said that, one day, they simply vanished from the face of the world."

"Do you mind holding onto it for me?" Elion asked. "And if you can find anything in the archives about how to properly nurture it, that would be great as well."

"Huh?"

Lucius looked at Elion in surprise.

Lilith seemed just as taken aback.

"Don’t give me that look. I’m not giving it to you," Elion added quickly. "I’ve already formed a bond with it, so there’s little chance of you stealing it from me once it hatches. That is, if you were thinking about it."

Lucius’s brow twitched.

Had he just been accused of potentially stealing from his own son-in-law?

Him?

The esteemed monarch of the Vampires?