We both stared at each other in the silence of the empty room, but a moment later, Mr. Dragon burst into laughter. «Hahaha! I was wondering when you were coming, but who knew it would be today? Do you know how surprised I was to find out you were alive?».
That was the same greeting that everyone from my past had given me since my return. Naturally, my answer was the same one I gave to everyone else. «Yes I'm sorry. I was thinking of visiting you before, but I had a lot of things to take care of».
«Yes, I heard you've been through a lot lately. I know your situation to some extent, so don't worry».
Oh well, in that case... Wait, how much was it «to some extent»?
While I was preoccupied with that thought, he continued speaking. «Anyway, it's a relief to see you now. My daughter was very depressed when she found out about your death. Oh, should we visit her? I'm sure she wants to see you too».
«I'll go see her when we're done talking».
«So you have something to discuss... I guess that means you didn't just come to say hello?».
«¿No te lo dijo Ravien?»
«My oldest daughter just told me that you wanted to see me, so I was going to summon you here with my Dragon Speech when that paper broke».
His eyes lit up with curiosity when I mentioned that he had something to discuss, so it didn't seem like he was lying. So Ravien didn't really say anything to him? Suddenly, I felt a new respect and trust for her.
«So if you're not here just to say hello... what brought you here?».
«First I need you to promise me something».
«¿Oh?»
«Promise me you won't tell anyone what we talk about today».
Not even if the king himself asks you to, I added silently.
He seemed to quickly realize the seriousness of my request. Despite this, he accepted calmly. «I swear by the true name of my soul, Pirsearaidormus».
This was the minimum safeguard I needed. He didn't quite understand the purpose of swearing on a name so long and difficult to pronounce, but at least he knew how seriously the dragonians took promises like that.
«Alright, shall we start then?»
The quickest way to catch up would be to let him see it for himself. I opened my subspace, took out a box and showed him what was inside.
«That is...» As soon as he saw the exotic fruit-shaped heart, he frowned. He must have recognized it right away, being a dragonian himself. «It is the heart of a dragonian. Does it belong to who I believe?».
«Yeah. This is the heart of Dragon Hunter Regal Vagos».
«Ya veo... »
He seemed to be fighting some kind of internal battle, as I could see the muscles around his eyes contracting from the barely suppressed emotion. He probably had a feeling as soon as he saw the heart, but hearing it out loud confirmed it. However, since he was the leader of the dragonians, he soon controlled himself.
«To be honest... I am overcome with many emotions at this unexpected turn of events, but let me say this first of all». He looked me in the eyes before deliberately bowing his head, his voice sounding loud and clear. «Bjorn, son of Yandel, on behalf of the dragonians, and as the father of a very dear daughter, I thank you with all my heart».
His reaction spoke for itself, and at that moment I knew it. Whether or not he had the title of baron or barbarian chief, his behavior and gratitude would remain the same. I honestly didn't expect him to respond so strongly, but that worked in my favor. Now, there was a better chance that he would accept the request he was going to make.
«...So what happened? It's the first time I've heard of the death of the Dragon Slayer. Where did you meet him?»
«The Dragon Hunter died on the Ice Rock».
«You mean... on that expedition?»
«How much do you know about it?»
«Only what was publicly revealed. My daughter Ravien didn't want to say much about it».
«Then I'll have to start there».
I began by explaining everything that happened to us on that expedition. He listened silently as he assimilated the deluge of new information, but in reality there was one main conclusion. It wasn't Noark chasing us, or the royal family abandoning us, or even the death of the Dragon Slayer.
«The Order of the Rose... You killed them...»
It was the fact that we killed members of the Order of the Rose. In other words, we had committed a direct act of betrayal against the royal family.
«Now I understand why you insisted on the importance of not divulging the details of our conversation today to others. Still, why wouldn't my own daughter tell me?».
«Don't get too angry. Thanks to her I have been able to meet with you today and give you my heart».
«...I guess so. Then I should thank you for coming too». He let out a heavy sigh. «On the other hand, however, I can't help but be afraid».
It was no surprise that, as the leader of the dragonians, he was quick on reflexes.
«So what do you want from me?»
It was time to get to the point.
If you could get a reward from the most powerful person in the dragonian tribe, what would you ask for? The answer would vary from person to person. As for me, countless things came to mind. Although dragonians were few, they had a ridiculous life expectancy and were almost as prosperous as humans. Therefore, they now had the ability to grant almost any blessing. However...
«I want the unconditional support and cooperation of the Dragonian people».
As soon as I revealed what I wanted, he was startled and raised his voice in protest. «It's a ridiculous request».
«Well, it's not like I asked you for money or treasure».
«It would have been better if you had done it. What you just asked for could lead our entire race to ruin»..
Mr. Dragon, in an attempt to show that his gratitude was sincere, tried to convince me that he would grant me anything else I wanted, but not that. Thus, I was forced to activate Barbarian Negotiation Mode.
«I do not care! Just do it! Or I won't give you my heart».
My stubborn refusal made him break out in a cold sweat as his expression became even more worried. However, as time passed, he slowly began to adapt to the Barbarian Negotiation Mode, even changing tactics himself.
«Didn't you promise you'd give me anything?!»
«Promise? Technically, I never promised to reward you!», he replied. «No, in fact, I would even say that you were rewarded in advance! I'm wrong?»
Of course not. In addition to receiving a reward for bringing back the Dragon Slayer's sword, I had been granted the Dragon Blessing before I even set out to search for his heart.
«...So, are you going to ignore the fact that this is the only way to save your daughter?»
«I already told you! I am extremely grateful for what you have done... but I cannot grant you that favor! Please ask me anything else».
In the end, I had no choice but to give in. No amount of Barbarian Negotiation Mode was going to change his mind.
Yes, by no means would a little stubbornness be enough to change your mind on such an important matter.
Enough of the nonsense. It was time to get to the heart of the matter. «Lapir. It's because of the royal family that you can't accept my request, right?»
«...I won't deny it. You may not know it yet, but the king is a terrifying man».
That's what everyone said. The more I heard that, the more frustrated I became. Hopefully, I could soon see the king for myself. That way I would know if they were telling the truth or not.
With a smile on his face, Mr. Dragon began to reason with me. «...If we limit unconditional support to situations that do not involve the king, I can grant that request. What do you think?»
Although it was a commitment, it greatly benefited me. The offer spoke of how grateful he was to me. However, what did he mean by situations that did not involve the king? Did that mean that if there was a conflict with the marquis, a duke or even the other races, he would support me with everything he had?
I'm sure the deal doesn't include war.
«If your actions were justified, then an unfair attack against you will not be considered any different than an attack against me».
I was thoughtful. Normally, negotiations were a battle of making concessions little by little. You had to give up a little to recover a little more.
This was to be his last offer.
But this negotiation was a little different. He had skipped the entire back-and-forth process and declared his final offer from the beginning. It was not for lack of negotiating skill, but simply out of genuine gratitude.
So I shouldn't have pressured him anymore.
Honestly, I would have been happy even if all I had agreed to was lean on my dealings with the other races. As he said, my original reward for this quest was the Dragon Blessing, which I had already received.
His expression remained worried and he added hesitantly: «I really can't...».
I decided to interrupt him and save him the trouble. I wasn't going to ask him for anything else. «Your offer is enough. I will accept it». I didn't forget to thank him, of course. «And I really want to thank you for putting up with my ridiculous demands».
«...Huh, no esperaba eso.»
«I only acted like this because I'm desperate to protect mine. But I'll make sure I don't cause you more trouble than necessary».
«It is not necessary. After all, my daughter is already involved».
True, he had forgotten for a second that Ravien was his daughter. So that's why I was willing to go so far.
«Well, if that's resolved, let's move on to another topic. I'm curious, what have you been doing for the last two years? Were you really on a secret mission like the marquis said?».
After our negotiations, we settled into a relaxed conversation and had a good time catching up.
«Oh, I should ask you this since I'm here. You agreed to support me, would you be a witness in my trial against Count Alminus?».
«A witness... against Count Alminus...?»
«Well, you are the boss of the dragonians. I think I'll be able to save some face if you come out and publicly take my side.»
«...Save face?»
«Hahaha! He was joking, he was just joking!»
Luckily, it seemed like the guy had a sense of humor too. «Well, I'm sure it's been a while since I've had so much fun. Look how much time has passed already! I have a meeting with the elders soon, so I should go».
«¿In series?»
«Are you going to leave now? Should I send you back?»
«No. I'll go see Pen and Ravien while I'm here».
«I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure they will be delighted. My meeting won't last long, so in the meantime, why don't you have some tea or something with my daughters?». He told me where Pen and Ravien were, and with that, I got up and headed in that direction.
Step step.
Every step he took resonated on the marble floor. Before I could go out into the hallway, I turned around once more.
«Is there anything else you want to say?», Mr. Dragon asked.
«I can't help but feel like I'll regret it if I don't ask him now».
He straightened his shoulders, gesturing for me to continue.
«Yes, and I mean only yes...» My voice resonated in the space that separated us. «If I get stronger, and gather more support... and you judge that it is worth trying... and that it is not suicidal, then...».
All consideration of his position aside, I finished asking for what I wanted.
«Could you help me?»
After a long silence, he finally responded. «...If that day comes, then I will consider your request with more optimism».
«Ya veo.»
I turned around and continued down the hallway.
Step step.
It was enough for today.