Chapter 203: Siege of Qiezhuran 2

Chaos began to break out in various parts of the Qiezhuran.

In the middle of a night that should have been peaceful, a great number of Dragons suddenly appeared and surrounded the territory from every direction. They came without warning, and some groups immediately took up positions around important places, paying no heed to the guards trying to stop them.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Stop! You may not enter this area without permission!"

A few guards quickly blocked a group of Dragons that was approaching. But instead of offering an explanation, the group simply kept moving, and the two sides began to clash.

Before long, the sound of impact rang out.

A guard was thrown back after trying to stop one of the Dragons breaking through. His comrade moved at once to help him, while the others began warning the Clan members nearby.

"Enemies! We’re being attacked by enemies!"

"Quick, tell the others!"

The commotion spread rapidly.

Most of the Qiezhuran’s members had made no preparations whatsoever to face something like this. They had just enjoyed the first day of the Primordial Legacy Festival, and many had already returned to their dwellings to rest.

A few Dragons were even still asleep when the sound of commotion began to come from outside.

"W-what’s happening?"

"Why are there so many Dragons outside?!"

"Aren’t they festival guests?!"

Question after question began to be heard, but few knew the answers.

Some Qiezhuran members tried to gather the guards, while others tried to make sure their families were somewhere safe. But the encirclement had already been formed before they truly understood what was happening.

And what was even more confusing, not all of the Dragons joining in the siege of the Qiezhuran came from other Clans.

Many of them were actually Qiezhuran members themselves.

That left the guards even more bewildered. They didn’t even know whether they should treat fellow Clan members as enemies, especially when some of them stood openly beside Dragons from the Drazhuel.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"Why are you on their side?!"

There were no satisfying answers.

Meanwhile, more and more Dragons began flying above Qiezhuran territory, revealing a number of besiegers far greater than had first been estimated.

***

In her residence, Cleenah finally became aware of the chaos taking place.

The noise from outside grew clearer, followed by a few shouts that made her leave her place at once.

"Lady Cleenah!"

A guard appeared in a hurry.

"T-there’s a serious problem! A number of Dragons have suddenly surrounded our territory! They’ve even already entered several parts of the Qiezhuran!"

Cleenah fell silent.

For a moment, the little girl only watched the guard, who was trying to catch his breath.

’...It’s begun?’

She had actually considered the possibility of something like this.

But when it truly happened, Cleenah still felt something hard to describe. So many things crossed her mind at once, but she had no time to think them through one by one.

"...I’ll go and see."

"L-Lady Cleenah? Please wait! It’s extremely dangerous outside!"

Cleenah didn’t answer.

She continued toward the outside of the residence, while the guard had no choice but to follow her with an anxious face.

Once outside, Cleenah immediately saw a situation very different from a few hours earlier.

Dragons were moving in every direction. Some were still confused, while others had already taken up positions to stand guard after realizing that their territory was being surrounded.

But Cleenah’s attention was quickly drawn to the sky.

Above, there were so many Dragons hovering around the Qiezhuran.

Some were in their Dragon forms, while others kept their humanoid shapes. They were so numerous that Cleenah could hardly estimate how many groups had been deployed for this siege.

’...This many?’

Cleenah tightened her grip on her cane.

Then, without wasting time, she spread both wings and began to fly up into the air.

"Lady Cleenah!"

The guard following her cried out, but the girl had already moved ahead.

From above, the Qiezhuran’s situation was much clearer.

The siege wasn’t happening in just one or two places. Many groups of Dragons had taken positions all around their territory, and some of them were even quite close to the area that had been used for the festival.

But it wasn’t the number of besiegers that drew Cleenah’s attention most.

It was the people among them.

’...The elders.’

Cleenah found figures she knew very well.

The elders of the Qiezhuran were among the besieging groups, standing together with Dragons from other Clans as though there were nothing strange about the situation.

And not only them.

Some Clan members who had always been kind to her were also seen on the same side. There was even a Clan leader who had attended the welcome party and had spoken to Cleenah so politely.

Now, they made no effort at all to hide where their loyalties lay.

’...So, this is how it is.’

Cleenah watched them for a few moments.

She wasn’t actually very surprised. From the beginning, there had been quite a lot of things that made her realize those people couldn’t be trusted.

But seeing so many familiar faces on the side of the besiegers still made her uncomfortable.

Especially when she remembered how those people had spoken to her over the past few days

Cleenah lowered her head slightly, feeling a tightness in her chest.

But before she could think of anything else, a few Dragons began flying toward her.

"Lady Cleenah!"

"Lady Cleenah, you mustn’t be here alone!"

They were members of the Qiezhuran who were still trying to understand the situation.

Some looked very alert, while others hadn’t even had time to put on the equipment they normally used for guard duty.

But the moment they found their leader, those Dragons immediately took positions around Cleenah.

They formed a simple protection with their own bodies, making sure no foreign Dragon could simply approach her.

"Lady Cleenah, we don’t know what’s really happening!"

"Everything came about so suddenly! Even the elders haven’t given us any explanation!"

"Are we being attacked by the Drazhuel?!"

Cleenah heard all those questions.

But she didn’t answer.

Her gaze stayed fixed on the group of Dragons before her, especially a man who stood calmly among them.

Mercer Cravel.

Then—

"LADY CLEENAH!"

A rather loud voice suddenly rang out from the side.

Cleenah turned slightly and found a young Dragon flying toward her with a panicked face.

Damien.

The Dragon who usually looked so self-assured now wore an entirely different expression. He even seemed to have difficulty controlling his breathing, as if he had just rushed from some distant place.

"Lady Cleenah! What on earth is happening here?!"

Damien immediately joined the group protecting her.

"Why are there so many Dragons from other Clans?! Didn’t they come to attend the festival?!"

There was no answer.

Damien turned his gaze to the besiegers, and his expression changed when he noticed several figures among them.

"W-wait... Aren’t those the elders?!"

He even had to look once more to make sure he wasn’t mistaken.

But nothing changed.

The elders of the Qiezhuran really were standing with the besieging group.

"What the hell is this?! Why are they over there?!"

Damien turned to Cleenah at once.

"Lady Cleenah, do you know something?! Are the elders doing something? Why are they letting those Dragons surround our territory?!"

Cleenah still didn’t answer.

She was still watching Mercer, while Damien began to feel more and more uneasy about the situation.

"...Lady Cleenah?"

For a moment, Damien seemed about to ask again.

But when he saw that Cleenah didn’t shift her gaze at all, he finally looked in the same direction.

Only then did he realize who was truly before them.

"...Mercer Cravel?"

Damien stiffened at once.

As a Dragon of the Qiezhuran, of course he knew who that man was.

The leader of the Drazhuel Clan.

And now, that man, whose strength far surpassed most of the Dragons in the Dragon World, was among the besiegers.

Damien looked again at the Dragons surrounding their territory.

’...Don’t tell me.’

He began to understand that the situation might be far worse than he had first thought.

But that didn’t mean Damien intended to leave the place.

Instead, he took a position slightly further forward, joining the other Dragons at the front.

Damien hated the weak, and he hated Cleenah for being so weak as a leader, but... Damien had never once let his loyalty to the Qiezhuran turn to ash.

"Lady Cleenah."

A voice finally came from the direction of the besiegers.

Mercer moved a little further forward, while the Dragons near him immediately gave him room.

His gaze rested on the little girl who was being protected by the Qiezhuran members.

"It seems you’ve come."

Cleenah looked at him.

"...Lord Mercer."

Her voice sounded quieter than usual.

There was no cheerful smile like the one she’d worn when they met at the party, but Cleenah also didn’t try to avoid the man’s gaze.

Mercer looked at the group of Dragons protecting her, then turned his attention back to Cleenah.

"I would like to speak with you."

"...About what?"

"I think you can guess."

Mercer let his gaze move over their surroundings.

"As you can see, most of the Qiezhuran’s territory is already under siege. Even your own elders have chosen to cooperate with us."

A few Dragons around Cleenah reacted at once.

"W-what?!"

"The elders truly betrayed us?!"

"How is that possible?!"

Their voices began to rise together, but Mercer paid them little mind.

He kept his eyes on Cleenah.

"I didn’t come to kill the members of your Clan, Lady. For that reason, I wish to settle this matter without unnecessary battle."

Mercer continued calmly.

"You still have a chance to avoid bloodshed. The Dragons behind you need not risk their lives, and the members of your Clan need not become involved in a battle."

A few Dragons began to look at one another.

They still didn’t fully understand what was happening, but Mercer’s words were enough to make them realize that this siege was no mere misunderstanding.

Damien looked even more furious.

But before he could open his mouth, Mercer spoke again.

"I will give you a choice."

The man paused briefly, then continued in the same tone.

"Surrender the Qiezhuran to the Drazhuel."

Silence immediately settled over both sides.

"If you are willing to submit, I will ensure that the members of your Clan remain safe as long as they offer no resistance. There is no reason for us to kill one another just to decide who will lead this territory."

Mercer looked at Cleenah calmly.

"But if you refuse, I will not withdraw my forces."

He turned his gaze for a moment to the Dragons standing to protect the girl.

"And I believe you understand well enough what will happen if they decide to fight."

Cleenah still hadn’t given an answer.

Meanwhile, Damien and the other Dragons could only watch their leader with great unease.

Mercer looked at Cleenah again.

"So, what is your decision?"