I stepped out of the inn and discretely hid my face beneath my hood as I made my way to the alley from which the light had emerged. The sun was setting, and most people had abandoned the streets a few hours after the tournament; a significant departure from the streets that never slept when we first entered Romellus.

  As I stepped into the dark alley, I found the person who grabbed my attention waiting.

  “Greetings and salutations, O Great One.” He said, bowing deeply towards me.

  A young man in exotic clothing stood before me – likely from one of the Republic’s provinces.

  “Err, hello? Who might you be?” I asked.

  “I am but a humble servant. It is my distinct honor to stand before you today, Your Lordship. Long have I – have we – awaited your return. Our faith in the Divine Dragons has never been extinguished, in spite of the infidels’ best efforts.”

  The young man, who on closer look seemed more like a teenage boy, raised his head slightly as he looked towards me with an emotion that I had never expected to see directed towards me.

  Worship.

  “Well, uh, let’s slow down a bit and take things one at a time. What’s your name?” I asked.

  “You honor me, Divine One! This humble servant’s name is Turpin, though there is no need for one such as yourself to rem-”

  “Alright, Turpin!” I interjected.

  “Let’s cut down on the fancy schmancy talk. I am Kiara. Now that we know each others’ names, why don’t you tell me what you want with me? I have a feeling that we aren’t on the same page.”

  “As you wish, Great One.” He bowed once more.

  “I am the archbishop of the Dragon Temple, though I am chagrined to admit that we have been forced into hiding for the past centuries. Upon witnessing your great victory today, we simply could not resist making contact. After five hundred excruciating years beneath the Romellan heel, our Gods have finally returned to this land once more!”

  A fervent look in the young man’s eyes slightly unsettled me, though it was clear he meant no harm.

  “Right. I am not familiar with church hierarchies, but archbishop is pretty high up the ranks, isn’t it? What’s someone like that doing meeting little old me?” I asked.

  “You are correct, Divine One. To be specific, I am the head of the human congregation of the Dragon Temple – the highest-ranking human member of the faith. It would be a grave sin to send anyone less than that to greet our long-awaited Gods! That said, Great One, there was no way for us to miss the message you left for us.”

  What message is this guy talking about?!

  “…Just so I can ensure you understood my message clearly, what exactly did you think I was saying?” I asked.

  “But of course, Divine One. When you had first emerged during the tournament, you caught our eye for possessing the last name ‘Azoth.’ To my knowledge, even the four nations held strong and misguided enmity towards the Divine Dragons, so it was unlikely that anyone would take the name of the Great Frost Dragon as a surname.” He explained.

  “We suspected that you may have been trying to contact the Dragon Temple, but we did not know who you were and what you wanted with us. It was only after you openly showed yourself to be a dragon that things finally became clear! Everyone knows that the Divine Dragons do not adopt surnames, so we realized that this was your way of letting us know your affiliation with Lady Azoth!”

  …

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  “Y-Yes, you’re right. As expected of the faithful!”

  Turpin basked in bliss at my praise, which was a small mercy as I tried to resist the urge to dig a hole and bury myself in it. The day I met Auntie and Durreg has come back to bite me in the rear yet again.

  Eventually, when I got my shame under control, I felt the need to clear things up.

  “Archbishop Turpin.” I said, snapping the young man out of his blissful epiphany.

  “Yes, Divine One?”

  “Let’s get a few things straight. You’re right to assume that I am the Frost Dragon’s daughter – but I am not a god. At least not yet anyway. Also, I am still a child. Mother said that she will teach me about the Celestial War and the history of the Dragons when I am older, so I am not actually familiar with anything regarding you, the Dragon Temple, or the history of the continent.” I said.

  “Finally, my purpose in being here was to show the willingness of the Isles to move towards a true peace with mankind and its gods. I am not aware of whatever machinations and intrigue are going on behind the scenes, and I don’t intend to get involved. You’ll have to speak with my mother or the adult dragons to learn more, which should be feasible in the coming years if the way things seem to be heading are anything to go by.”

  Instead of looking dismayed or disillusioned by my words, Turpin simply nodded up and down fervently.

  “As you say, Great One. Even if you are still young, you are both a child of Divinity and destined to reaching it yourself.”

  “Uhh, aren’t you disappointed or something? I am not exactly what you’re looking for, nor am I capable of what you may be hoping for.”

  Turpin chuckled politely.

  “Surely you jest, Divine One! The pleasure of meeting an esteemed one such as yourself is in itself a tremendous blessing. Generations of worshippers did not get that privilege, and I would be a fool amongst fools to be an ingrate after that! As for our hopes,” he said, “we wouldn’t dare to place expectations on the Divine Dragons. Whatever it is you choose to do, we of the Dragon Temple can only show our gratitude for the favor you’ve bestowed upon us over the centuries.”

  Huh.

  “I see.”

  ‘What to do, what to do…’

  As I thought over what to do about this encounter, I got a decent idea.

  “Here, catch!” I said, tossing an enchanted arcana mana stone.

  Turpin hurriedly caught it, then his eyes widened at the tool.

  “This is a communication device.” I said.

  “If you want to contact the Dragons so much, you can use this to speak with the Frost Dragon directly.”

  Turpin’s jaw dropped, and he was rendered completely speechless by my gesture.

  Although I didn’t know if Mom had anything to do with the Dragon Temple, Turpin shared a lot of the features that mom’s golems – Baudouin and Elyscia – had. I am sure she has complicated feelings about them, but fondness was an unmistakable part of it. At worst, mom could just avoid responding if she doesn’t want to engage with them.

  “I’ve got to leave for now – I’ve got people waiting for me. If you need anything else, you’re welcome to find me.” I said as headed away towards the inn.

  Turpin thanked me profusely on my way out of the alley, to which I responded with a wave of my hand.

  ***

  The day quickly passed, and the next one arrived soon after. We fought against the Germanic Titans, and they proved no match for our team – particularly since I could openly use my powers as a dragon. The match between the Romellus Legionnaires and the Ionian Hoplites ended in a surprising upset, with the Hoplites achieving a crushing victory against the Legionnaires.

  Against a team that relies on teamwork and discipline like the Legionnaires, Nisos’s commanding ability shined through; trying to outmatch the Ionian at coordination was an exercise in futility. With the team tournament’s finale being a rematch set for tomorrow, all eyes turned back to the individuals’ tournament.

  The round of 32 took up most of the day, and Asten, Nico, Durreg all qualified through it. So did Spartacus and most of the people I had an eye on.

  It was no surprise that some of these did end up facing each other, though, as Sir Lanselot and Orlando faced each other, leading to an incredibly close fight between the two. Ultimately, Sir Lanselot’s abilities were ever so slightly more suited for one-on-one combat, leading to Orlando’s elimination from the tournament. Despite the famous rivalry between Brittania and the Franks, the two of them shook hands after it ended.

  Tomorrow, the finals for the team tournament – as well as the quarterfinals, the semifinals, and the finals of the individual tournament were all to be held. The tournament, as exciting as it had been, was finally coming to a close.

  Just as I returned to my room to rest, another of the communication devices I brought with me started shaking. I grabbed it off the dresser next to my bed and lay down as I answered the call.

  ‘Hey mom. How have you been?’

  ‘I am well, Kiara. I’ve been keeping up with your progress in the tournament; I am proud of you.’

  A silly grin grew on my face appeared on my face, earning a raised eyebrow from Nico, who didn’t realize I was talking to someone else.

  ‘That said, I’ve received an interesting call today through this artifact. Would you mind explaining why I found myself on the receiving end of communications from the underground remnants of the Dragon Temple?’

  My smile froze.

  ‘Erm, surprise…?’