Wise returned to the arena holdings to meet a very impressed Stanley.
He had expected Wise to be crushed in first few seconds but to his surprise, Wise not only survived but came out on top.
Stanley walked up to him and wrapped his arm around Wise's shoulder.
"You didn't tell me you were so strong kid! You flattened that demon like it was a bug."
Wise tossed the broken sword to the side. "I'm not very strong, I'm actually pretty weak…"
'At least compared to other dragons…' he thought in his mind.
"Nonsense." Stanley said while they both walked deeper into the arena. "With your current strength you actually have a shot at winning the battle arena."
"Really?" Wise asked, looking surprised.
He had thought they would be far stronger foes to worry about.
"On second thought, maybe not." Stanley said. "But hey, you'll go far at least."
The two of them continued walking until they arrived at the exit door. The old man gave him a friendly tap on the back.
"Thank you for walking me, um… but you know death row warriors can't leave right?"
Wise glanced at the guard standing in front of the door. "I think I'll be fine."
He then walked towards the Ork, standing in front of him.
The Ork looked him over before walking out of his path, letting him and the old man through.
'Just as I thought, the queen isn't locking me here.'
She knew he would not leave until he had accomplished his task, so there was no need to keep him as a prisoner.
By now it was already the early hours of night, and so Wise wished the old man a good night and left.
The people on the streets were reasonably much more than when they arrived, no doubt due to the games.
Wise had his hands in his pockets as he observed the beautiful scenery. The night was peaceful, the cool breeze was calming and the gentle background chatter made the town lively.
He continued walking for a few minutes before realising something—
'I'm definitely lost aren't I?'
Just as he realised it, a female Ork suddenly hurried past him as though in a haste, but before she could get too far, Wise held onto her shoulders.
She turned swiftly, her eyes anxious until they locked on him, there was still visible unease but to a lesser extent.
"Sorry to disturb you." Wise said, smiling apologetically. "But by chance, do you know where the queen's house is located?"
The young woman immediately rushed over a series of instructions as though she had left her stove on and scurried away, leaving Wise alone.
"Well that was weird…" Wise kept his eyes on her, watching as she went farther and farther away.
'It's not my business, I'll let someone else handle it.' He thought and continued on his way.
Although her directions were said so hastily that Wise could not pick everything out, it turned out to be perfectly correct, because soon, Wise arrived at the doorstep of the queen's home.
Just like the last time he came around, there was no guard in sight. It was either the queen felt she was too strong to need them or they were hidden out of sight.
He walked up to the door and gave it a gentle knock then relaxed his back on the wall while he awaited an answer.
The queen didn't know he knew of her plan to keep the girls hostage, to keep her plan a secret, she would allow them to see him but stop them if they tried to leave the city.
At least that was what he believed….
Definitely, she would have some of her best guards shadow them just for that exact purpose.
A few seconds later, he heard the lock clicking open and then suddenly, someone dived at him from within the room.
Wise braced himself and opened his arms to accept the girl, just as Freya collided with him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Hello, Freya. Did you really miss me that much?"
Freya smiled and let go of him. "Just this little," she said, pinching her hands together.
Wise couldn't help but smile.
Freya wasn't always this perky, at first when he found her she was a very depressed person.
Who wouldn't be when your family traded you to a dragon without batting an eye?
She was the last daughter of a noble house and at the time Wise did not know that the system considered noble daughters as princesses as well…
It was only when the quest popped up that he connected the dots.
Freya received little love from her family. Seen as useless due to having not inherited the family ability— She was easily offered to Wise in exchange for protection against the demon king's army.
They didn't even bother to ask why he asked for her. Even with the old folktale of dragons feasting on princesses, they could care less...
He patted the girl's head just as Esme hurried over to him and began inspecting him like a mother who heard her kid had been in a fight.
"Are you alright? Were you hurt anywhere?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
"I'm fine, I'm fine."
"Good, good. I can't let them hurt you before I get to do my experiments." Esme said, a crazed look in her eyes, one he remembered from when he first met her.
Wise cautiously took a step back.
Daphne was the last one to emerge from the room, she stared around the streets of the city and walked forward without sparing him a glance.
"Let's get going, didn't you come here so that we can go out for dinner?"
It was her way of saying, "You must be hungry."
Wise nodded. "Alright, let's go."
Daphne waited up until she was sure Wise was looking ahead, then she finally turned to look at him, her eyes roaming over his features.
'He's fine… that is good.' She thought before hurried forward to join the rest.
***
The Queens Mansion, Teasei.
Agatha's house, although normal in design, bore many secrets, secrets that were kept hidden from the public eye.
One of those secrets was the room she was currently in.
At the edge of the relatively small space was a tiny ball covered in runic symbols. This artificial not only acted as a lamp but as a cloaking device as well.
While active, no one would be able to eavesdrop on them, neither with a skill nor by physical listening in.
"You mean to tell me that thing is loose?" She asked, her voice icy. "How can you be so incompetent?"
The Orks in front of her bowed low, their heads touching the floor.
"Forgive me my queen, we will catch it before much damage can be done."
The queen placed her chin in her hands and frowned.
"Before much damage can be done?"
"W-what I-I meant w-wa—"
Thump!
The head of the Ork who spoke suddenly landed on the floor. In an instant, the queen had decapitated him without so much as breaking a sweat.
She turned to the person closest to her, the dagger in her hand dripping blood.
"You, you're in charge now. We are in a festive mood here in Teasei… Kill it before the situation gets worse."
"If you fail, your death would be far less peaceful."