Chapter 185: From Clyne to Garph for Cleenah

In the end, Julian really did end up living in Cleenah’s residence.

It was a large cave in the Qiezhuran mountains. But the inside turned out to be very different from what he had imagined.

Towering stone pillars, walls with intricate carvings, and various crystal lamps made the place look extremely magnificent. Some parts of the residence even had much smaller, cozier rooms meant for Dragons in humanoid form.

And what was even more surprising, there was a garden connected directly to the outside of the cave.

’...It’s a nice place.’

Julian rather liked it.

At the very least, while living here, he didn’t need to worry too much about other Dragons showing up to make trouble for him.

Monk and Lumi had also been given places to rest, while Felicya still preferred to spend most of her time with Julian.

And so the day passed without much trouble. But during his stay, Julian began to notice that Cleenah was very busy.

From early morning, the girl could be seen walking through the corridors several times, always with her cane in hand and Garph not far from her.

Sometimes, when they passed Julian, Cleenah would take a moment to greet him.

"Good morning, Lord Julian."

"Good morning, Lady Cleenah."

After that, Cleenah would smile a little before going back to her business.

Julian didn’t mind it much.

The Primordial Legacy Festival was about to begin, and as the Clan Leader of the Qiezhuran, Cleenah naturally had a great deal of work to finish.

What’s more, a few Dragons from small Clans had begun to arrive to help with the festival preparations. Their presence made the Qiezhuran settlement even livelier, although most of that activity still took place outside Cleenah’s residence.

Julian had noticed their arrival, but had no intention of getting involved.

After all, he had something far more important to think about.

The night had grown late.

In one of the corridors of Cleenah’s residence, Julian was walking with Felicya in his arms.

The little girl had been asleep for some time, while Julian hadn’t managed to close his eyes, even though he had tried to rest.

It wasn’t because the bed was uncomfortable.

On the contrary, since moving into Cleenah’s residence, Julian had been given a much better place than before.

The problem was in his own head.

’...Well, what should I do about all this now?’

Julian walked at a leisurely pace, but his mind was still filled with problems he hadn’t managed to resolve.

First, of course, was the way back to his original world.

Ever since he first got stuck in the Dragon World, Julian had been trying to find a way to leave.

And so far, the only reasonably plausible possibility was to use the Tool that could create a Breach.

Something Monk had explained before.

If he could find that Tool, at least they would have a chance to leave the Dragon World without waiting for a Breach to appear by coincidence.

But the problem wasn’t that simple.

’...I don’t even know where that thing is.’

Julian had used Oracle’s Revelation to look for clues about the Tool’s whereabouts.

Unfortunately, the result hadn’t been very helpful.

He had managed to see a room that seemed to be in a hidden place, but he didn’t know its actual location.

Even after thinking about that clue over and over, Julian still couldn’t decide where to begin searching.

And now, he was right in the middle of one of the Dragon Clans’ settlements.

A situation he had wanted to avoid before.

’...But maybe this is an opportunity.’

Julian began to consider something.

The Primordial Legacy Festival would soon take place, and from what he had seen, quite a few Dragons from various Clans would come to attend.

Not just ordinary Dragons, but probably also some important figures from each Clan.

If so, wasn’t it possible that their dwellings would be emptier while the festival was going on?

Julian didn’t know how many Dragons would leave their territories to attend the celebration. But if most of their attention was on the festival, the chance of infiltrating another Clan’s territory might be a little greater.

And if he was lucky enough, perhaps he could find the place where the Breach-creating Tool was kept.

’...It sounds possible.’

At the very least, it was far better than going to a Dragon lair when all of its residents were home.

But Julian wasn’t foolish enough to assume his plan would surely work.

He still didn’t know which lair he should head for. Even if he found the right place, that didn’t mean all its guards would leave just because of a festival.

What’s more, a Tool capable of creating a Breach was clearly no ordinary object.

Something that allowed Invaders to move from one world to another had to be extremely valuable. Julian didn’t believe an item like that would be kept carelessly without anyone watching over it.

’...I could die if I take one wrong step.’

Julian sighed a little in his mind.

Even with his current strength, he had no confidence in facing a Rank-S Dragon head-on.

Let alone if he had to deal with several powerful Dragons at once.

And although Garph had given him an Illusion Artifact before, the incident with Damien proved that the disguise wasn’t entirely reliable.

If his identity were exposed again while he was sneaking into another Clan’s territory, the situation might be far worse than before.

But Julian couldn’t keep staying in the Dragon World without doing anything either.

There were still people waiting for him in his original world.

His disciples, various unfinished matters, and so many things he couldn’t keep an eye on while stuck in this place.

He didn’t even know how they were doing now.

’...Why has everything become so troublesome...?’

Julian shifted Felicya a little in his arms.

The little girl stayed asleep, completely unaware of how complicated the problems Julian was thinking about were.

But after considering the issue further, Julian realized that finding the Breach-creating Tool wasn’t his only difficulty.

The Qiezhuran remained a separate problem, one that even created a dilemma for Julian.

Julian recalled his conversation with Garph a while back.

The old Dragon had explained how much the state of the Dragon race had changed. Even some Clans that once stood under Qiezhuran’s influence were now pulling away and pursuing their own interests.

Relations between the Clans didn’t seem to be going well either.

And worse still, Julian himself might have added a new problem to that situation.

’...That fox, the one they call a Voidborn. I truly don’t know what makes it so valuable. But judging from the Dragons’ reactions, it’s so valuable that trouble will really come just because of it.’

Julian still didn’t know all the reasons why they wanted the fox so badly. But after the incident with Damien, he already understood well enough that Lumi’s presence could become a serious problem.

What’s more, Julian was now under the protection of Garph and the Qiezhuran’s leader.

If the Drazhuel Dragons found out that the fox they were looking for was at Cleenah’s residence, how would they react?

Julian didn’t know the answer.

But he didn’t expect them to take it calmly either.

’...If I leave, will the problem be over?’

Julian considered that possibility.

If he managed to find the Breach-creating Tool and leave the Dragon World with Lumi, at least the Drazhuel wouldn’t be able to get the fox easily.

But the problem wasn’t that simple.

The Dragons already knew that Lumi had been under Qiezhuran’s protection. Even Garph had openly defended Julian when Damien tried to arrest them.

If the Drazhuel wanted to make an issue of that incident, Julian’s departure wouldn’t necessarily stop them.

What’s more, relations between the two Clans hadn’t been good for some time.

Perhaps even without Julian’s presence, the dispute between them would have happened anyway.

’...It’s become a problem because I’m one of the factors that created it.’

Julian began to find it hard to choose.

On one hand, he wanted to go back as soon as possible.

On the other, leaving just like that after receiving so much help from Garph and Cleenah didn’t feel right either.

It wasn’t that Julian considered himself responsible for all of the Qiezhuran’s problems. He didn’t even fully understand what was happening between the Dragons.

But at the very least, he didn’t want to make things worse for them just because of his presence.

The question was, what could he actually do?

He was just a Rank-B who hadn’t even found a way home.

Forcing his way into a dispute between Clans without knowing each side’s strength and goals might only add more problems.

’...I need to gather information first.’

That was the only conclusion that made enough sense for now.

Julian didn’t have to make a decision tonight. The festival hadn’t begun yet, so he still had time to consider the possibilities.

At the very least, he wanted to learn more about the Qiezhuran’s situation before deciding what to do.

With that thought, Julian kept walking without paying much attention to where his steps were taking him.

Until finally, he felt the cool night air touch his body.

"...Hm?"

Julian lifted his head.

Without realizing it, he had arrived at a part of the residence directly connected to the garden.

Out there, moonlight lit up some of the trees, while a few lanterns still burned along the stone path.

The atmosphere was very quiet.

Julian hadn’t actually intended to come to this place. But since he was already there, he considered taking a short walk before going back to rest.

Unfortunately, as he was about to step further, he saw someone.

’...Garph?’

The old Dragon stood not far from the door leading to the garden.

He looked calm, with both hands behind his back. But unlike usual, Garph seemed to be watching something very seriously.

Julian had first assumed the old Dragon was enjoying the night view.

But after following the direction of his gaze, Julian realized that Garph wasn’t looking at the sky at all.

He was looking at one of the darker parts of the garden.

And when Julian followed that gaze, he finally noticed something.

There was someone there.