Chapter 201: Ancient Tradition

The party, which had been going on for some time, was finally drawing to a close.

Most of the Clan leaders had already left the hall, while a few others were still passing the time chatting and enjoying the remaining food. The servants had also begun clearing some of the tables, and the room that had been so lively before slowly grew quieter.

"Lady Cleenah, thank you for the welcome. I truly enjoyed tonight’s party."

"Fufu, I’m glad to hear it!"

Cleenah smiled at a Clan leader who was taking his leave.

"I hope you enjoy the Primordial Legacy Festival tomorrow, too!"

"Of course. Until we meet again, Lady Cleenah."

After offering a final greeting, the man left the hall with his entourage.

Cleenah kept her smile in place until they were out of sight. Then she slowly let her shoulders relax, feeling the exhaustion she had been trying to ignore all this time.

’...At last.’

Tonight’s party had gone fairly well.

At the very least, no major problem had occurred, even though some of the conversations had made her uncomfortable. Especially when Mercer had brought up the matter of the Voidborn in front of so many Clan leaders.

Cleenah still didn’t understand what that man actually wanted.

But she didn’t have time to keep thinking about it. After all, there were still a few things she had to prepare before the festival began.

"Lady Cleenah?"

A servant approached her with a slight bow.

"Would you like to go back and rest? We can take care of the rest."

"Ah, of course! Thank you for your hard work tonight."

Cleenah smiled.

"Don’t forget to rest once everything is done, alright? You’ve been working since earlier, too."

"Of course, Lady Cleenah."

After making sure no important guest still needed her presence, Cleenah finally left the hall.

She walked with her cane, passing through several corridors lit by crystal lamps. Now and then she had to slow her steps because her body was beginning to feel tired, and the discomfort in both her eyes still hadn’t entirely faded.

’...I want to sleep soon.’

Cleenah almost wanted to sigh.

Unfortunately, there was still one thing she needed to make sure of before she could truly rest.

Cleenah’s study looked just as it had when she left it.

Several documents lay neatly on the desk, while a crystal lamp lit part of the room. There was nothing particularly special, except for an ancient book that had been carefully stored in one of the drawers.

Cleenah closed the door, then walked to her chair.

"Haaa...."

At last she could sit comfortably.

After resting for a moment, Cleenah opened the drawer and took out an old book with a cover that had begun to fall apart.

The book looked quite plain.

But to Cleenah, its contents were something very precious.

’...Umm.’

She opened a few pages, looking over the magic circles that filled most of the book.

It was a record of an ancient tradition that had been forgotten for a very long time.

Even when she first found it, Cleenah herself hadn’t known that such a tradition had ever existed in the Dragon World.

And what was more interesting, the record came from a time so distant that relations between the Clans hadn’t yet become what they were now.

Unfortunately, the book wasn’t in good condition.

Several pages were damaged, parts of the notes were hard to read, and a number of magic circle designs were even incomplete.

But Cleenah hadn’t simply given up.

She had spent so much time studying it, trying to understand the principle behind each arrangement, and then repairing the parts that could no longer be used as they should be.

The work hadn’t been easy at all.

Even with her knowledge of magic circles, Cleenah had spent a great deal of time just understanding certain sections.

And of course, her body’s condition hadn’t helped much either.

There had been many occasions when she’d had to stop working because of exhaustion. Sometimes the pain in her eyes had even made it hard for Cleenah to continue the research she was conducting.

But all of that was behind her now.

Now, the result of all her effort lay right before her.

Beside the ancient book were several sheets of paper bearing far more complete magic circle designs.

Cleenah picked up one of them.

The interconnected lines looked so intricate, with all kinds of symbols arranged in an orderly way. Not everything followed the original design, since some parts had been altered and refined based on her own understanding.

And most importantly, all the preparations were finished.

’...Good.’

Cleenah smiled slightly.

She no longer had to think about how to repair that magic circle. Even the parts that had once been a problem had been solved some time ago.

There was only one thing she had deliberately not done yet.

Namely, completing the final part of the circle.

It wasn’t that Cleenah didn’t know how.

On the contrary, she understood very well what needed to be done, and had even confirmed that the entire arrangement would function as it should.

But if that last part were completed too early, there was a chance someone might notice the magic circle’s existence.

And Cleenah didn’t want anything like that to happen.

Especially when the person she had to face was Mercer.

’...I mustn’t be discovered.’

That was why Cleenah had deliberately left the final part unconnected.

She would complete it only when the right time came, so that no one would have a chance to notice what she was preparing.

Of course, that still carried risk.

But Cleenah had spent quite a lot of time making sure that she could do it.

And now, she had no reason to doubt the result of her own work.

’Everything is ready.’

Cleenah set the design back down on the desk.

Honestly, she had never imagined that the knowledge of magic circles she’d been studying all this time would become so important.

She didn’t have extraordinary strength like Garph.

Even compared with many other Dragons in the Qiezhuran, Cleenah’s fighting ability wasn’t very impressive either.

But that didn’t mean she had nothing she could do on her own.

At the very least, there was one field she had mastered fairly well.

And now, that very knowledge had helped her prepare something that had once been almost impossible.

’...I hope everything goes smoothly.’

Cleenah closed the ancient book carefully.

She had made every preparation she was capable of. If something didn’t go as hoped, then all she could do was face it when the moment truly came.

But at least for now, there was nothing more Cleenah needed to do to the magic circle.

The voices of a few people could still be heard from outside the room.

The servants didn’t seem to have entirely finished their work, while some other Dragons were still busy preparing various things for the festival that would begin tomorrow.

Cleenah could hear them talking with considerable enthusiasm.

Some were discussing decorations, while others were making sure that all the places to be used during the festival were properly prepared.

’...Tomorrow, then.’

Cleenah lifted her head slightly.

The Primordial Legacy Festival was finally going to begin.

After a party lasting two days and one night, the thing Cleenah feared was now right before her eyes.

She had actually been looking forward to the event for a long time. After all, it wasn’t every day that the Qiezhuran could welcome so many Dragons from so many Clans at once.

But this time, there were so many things that made it hard for her to enjoy the festival in peace.

’...What a shame.’

Cleenah felt a little disappointed.

She wanted to see the Dragons gather, enjoy various activities, and spend time together without having to think about other problems.

What’s more, it was an opportunity for the Qiezhuran to show that their Clan was still capable of holding a festival that everyone could enjoy.

Unfortunately, the present circumstances didn’t allow Cleenah to think only about such things.

She already knew that something might happen.

And precisely because of that, she had prepared everything she was able to.

Cleenah looked again at the ancient book on the desk.

’...Garph.’

For a moment, she thought of that old Dragon.

If Garph were here, he would probably have asked her to stop working and rest right away.

He might even have worried about her condition all over again, simply because Cleenah was still in her study when the night was so late.

Imagining it made Cleenah giggle a little.

’...Sorry, Garph.’

She knew Garph wouldn’t like what she was planning.

And perhaps, if that old Dragon learned everything, he would do whatever it took to stop her.

That was why Cleenah felt a little relieved that Garph was now far from the Qiezhuran with Julian.

At least she didn’t have to worry about them getting involved when the time came.

Cleenah began gathering several papers on the desk, then put them away again together with the ancient book.

After making sure everything was neatly arranged, she closed the drawer and took her cane.

Her body was already quite tired.

And tomorrow, she still had to attend the festival as the leader of the Qiezhuran.

’...Alright.’

Cleenah finally rose from her chair.

There was nothing more she needed to do tonight.

The magic circle was prepared, the guests had arrived, and all the necessities for the festival were nearly finished.

Now, she only had to play her role as usual.

Cleenah walked toward the door, then paused for a moment to look over her study.

A small smile appeared on her face again.

’...I hope tomorrow is a pleasant day.’

After that, she turned off the crystal lamp and left the room.