Chapter 316: Does the Pact with a Dragon Allow Me to Fly?

Ryan carefully evaluated the situation while standing in the courtyard. He stared at the three robust demon blacksmiths and the loud infernal twins waiting for his orders.

In truth, for now, there was absolutely nothing of vital importance that required his constant presence inside the castle.

He knew perfectly well that Alicia was competent enough to handle the entire administration of the place. The beastwoman had the necessary skills to organize the rooms, distribute the workspace, and take care of the basic needs of the newly invited blacksmiths.

Although she had just gone with Irina to confirm that the town’s new residents were alright, he trusted her efficiency. Ryan was certain that Alicia wouldn’t take long to return to the castle once she confirmed the safety of the villagers at the foot of the mountain.

Besides, resolving the important diplomatic matter Lise had brought up a few minutes ago was the most appropriate and urgent task at that moment. However, he had already made a very firm decision in his mind about exactly who he would take to the demon town to present himself as the new king.

"No, the three of you stay here. Make sure the blacksmiths get settled well in the castle and begin their work immediately. I’ll go alone with Beatrice and Lise." Ryan spoke in an unwavering tone, looking directly into the eyes of Helen, Mirian, and Karol.

Beatrice and Lise immediately nodded with pleasure at Ryan’s direct order. They showed a clear smile of satisfaction on their faces at being the only ones chosen to accompany him on this important scouting mission.

But, as was to be expected in their peculiar group, all the other women complained instantly. Helen frowned in deep annoyance and crossed her arms, while Mirian and Karol let out soft sighs of frustration at being left behind in the castle.

In a way, since they had all met Ryan, the group’s dynamic had drastically changed due to his incredible actions and wise decisions. Each of them admired him more and more as the days went by, acknowledging his immense power and leadership.

That deep admiration and attachment had reached the point where they constantly grew jealous and fought among themselves to win his attention. But because of that as well, they all always wanted to be right by his side, no matter what happened, whether it was a simple walk through a park on a calm night or facing an immense danger.

But Ryan had his own logical and well-founded reasons for choosing only Beatrice and Lise for this particular trip. His strategic decision was not open to any kind of emotional argument from his companions.

"No. As I said, only the three of us will go."

Ryan raised his hand slightly to silence the new complaints about to come out of Helen’s mouth.

"Even if demons submit to the strongest, something is happening right now that has never been seen in the history of this world. A human taking the place of a demon king must be very hard for them to assimilate. That’s why I want to present myself to the inhabitants of the demon town first with Lise, who was already an important and recognized member of this nation, and Beatrice, who is a demon by birth."

Ryan continued speaking in an extremely calm tone, wanting them all to understand the gravity of the political situation they faced when venturing through the nation of Kowarre.

"You are all human; I don’t want to create unnecessary prejudice by arriving with a group that isn’t of your race. Especially in this nation, which must be very defensive right now, since everyone knows perfectly well that Rigal was a very cruel demon king. Furthermore, if I am away from the castle for a few hours, I need you, the strongest in this nation, to guard the place from any possible threat."

He remembered the ugly stories about the former ruler of those cold lands and the bloody reputation he had left in his citizens’ minds.

Faced with such impeccable logic, Beatrice and Lise nodded with immense pride, puffing out their chests a bit at the trust they were given. Even Runa and Mika, who were listening very attentively from the side of the courtyard, supported Ryan’s plan, just like the three massive demon blacksmiths who nodded in silence.

But truly, not many more words were needed to convince the rest of the group. The three human girls had already been completely won over by their leader’s last sentence in the middle of the courtyard.

Ryan knew very well how to deal with their complex individual personalities when it came to denying their capricious demands. So each of them, blushing heavily at being directly called the strongest in the nation, proudly accepted the order from their human leader and demon king of Kowarre.

His firm position of power as a ruler was solidly established in the cold courtyard and left a very good impression of authority on the visiting demons. With that tense topic cleared up and closed, all that remained was to decide which of the two towns Lise had mentioned they would go to first.

Based on simple logic regarding time and distance, Ryan initially chose to head toward the small town that was only twenty-five kilometers away from the castle. But Lise quickly intervened and strongly suggested they go to the other settlement, the one thirty-five kilometers away.

Helen immediately narrowed her eyes upon hearing that. The swordsman saw it as a completely cynical proposal with a very specific and selfish goal on the dragon’s part: to spend much more time alone flying with Ryan through the skies.

Lise, faced with Helen’s harsh, direct accusation, couldn’t give a coherent answer at first. The white-haired woman searched for the right words for about half a minute, looking a bit nervous under the watchful gaze of everyone present.

Finally, Lise defended herself, completely denying the human’s accusation and providing a quite coherent and useful reason for everyone to accept her sudden request to change the route.

"The reason I want to go to the farther town isn’t to spend more time alone with my young master. It’s because the town, I mean, the city of Perishing Plains, is much more developed than the other nearby option."

Lise cleared her throat, regaining her usual confident posture in front of the annoyed human woman.

"And because of that, I plan for that specific city to inform the rest of the great continent. From there, we will send swift messengers to the other cities and towns so that all the lesser rulers can present themselves to my master at once."

She explained her point of view to those present, demonstrating her deep knowledge of the territory Rigal used to rule. Lise finished her detailed explanation of the route and looked directly at Ryan. Her large bicolored eyes shone with deep admiration.

"Isn’t it an excellent idea, young master?"

Ryan analyzed the mass communication plan and nodded at Lise’s great idea. Helen gritted her teeth hard, but she couldn’t refute her rival’s excellent argument, knowing it was the right way to handle things.

Then, when they had finally clarified all their next moves and the exact destination of their trip, Ryan ordered Lise to take her massive dragon form immediately so she could fly them to the distant city of Perishing Plains.

And at that simple transportation order, Lise smiled in a very particular way in front of everyone. It was a wide smile that expressed great admiration, enormous curiosity, and deep desire.

The dragon woman stated something with total naturalness that left the rest of those present highly restless and intrigued by the rules of her magic.

"Young master, you should now be entirely capable of flying on your own."

Lise spoke as she took a small step toward him.

"Because you now have an official pact with me, if you wish, you can use all my skills as if they were your own. Naturally, that includes the power of flight."