How To Break Qaq If The Dragon Catches The Wrong Person? Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Feather

“Do we know each other?” Mian felt a little bewildered by the sudden question.

He quickly searched his mind but couldn’t recall ever meeting the person in front of him. Moreover, this was his first time visiting human territory, and he was quite certain he didn’t know any human besides his aunt.

“That’s not important.” The young man frowned at him, saying seriously, “Why are you here? Answer me quickly.”

This person was too strange and his words too abrupt. Mian didn’t answer immediately, a mix of confusion and wariness rising in his eyes.

After a moment, the person seemed to realize his emotions were running high. He paused and quickly calmed down.

“Prince Mian of the Dragon Race.” He spoke Mian’s name, then added, “My name is Mori. Now we know each other.”

Mian was stunned.

It seemed this person really did know him.

…Could he be a member of the Dragon Race?

But he didn’t sense the aura of his kin from this person.

The young man didn’t pay attention to what Mian was thinking, continuing to look at him with a frown. “Are you just playing around? Why are you still here at a time like this? You’re running out of time, you know?”

As he spoke, his tone remained uncontrollably tense.

Mian heard this and figured he was talking about the matter of taking Kairis back before summer.

Counting the time, it seemed there wasn’t much left.

But he was surprised that Mori knew so much, so after a moment of hesitation, he asked, “Are you a dragon?”

Mori: “I am not.”

“Then how do you know all this… How did you recognize me?”

“I just know you.” The person’s brow hadn’t relaxed since he saw Mian, as if he had encountered an extremely tricky problem.

But he didn’t seem to harbor any ill will toward him.

After observing Mian for a moment, Mori asked again, “Weren’t you supposed to be looking for your Princess this time? Why haven’t you taken him away yet?”

Mian felt he wasn’t a bad person, especially since he had just helped him out of a tight spot. So, although he didn’t know why this person was so anxious about something that didn’t concern him, he replied, “I know, I’ll go back soon.”

“Do you… do you completely fail to grasp how serious this is?” Mori looked utterly baffled, pacing back and forth in agitation. “No, I must take you away.”

“…Take me away?” Mian was confused. “Where are you taking me? I can go back by myself.”

“Of course, I’m taking you to find your Princess,” Mori answered seriously. “If we don’t find him first, how can I help you…”

He stopped abruptly, hesitated for a moment, and didn’t continue. Instead, he changed his tone and said firmly, “In any case, you can’t stay here any longer… I have something to do here today. I’ll be back once I’m done. Wait here, and you must leave with me immediately afterward.”

Mian also frowned, finding him inexplicable.

“I’ve already found the Princess,” he said.

Mori: “?”

What kind of Princess did he find in Velen?

Mori pursed his lips, forcing himself to calm down, and scrutinized the Little Dragon in front of him once more.

Then, when he saw the pattern on the clothes Mian was wearing, his temple throbbed heavily.

“…Who is your Princess?” Mori asked expressionlessly.

“It’s…” Mian was about to say the name.

But that person had made him quite unhappy recently, so he lowered his gaze, remained silent for a while, and then whispered, “Kairis.”

Mori: “…………”

Mori was silent for a full half-minute.

So Mian stood with him for half a minute, equally perplexed.

The atmosphere between them was eerily silent, completely out of place with the noisy Gemstone Tavern, yet it felt as if they were separated from the outside world by a barrier, with no sound penetrating.

“Does he know he is your Princess?” Finally, Mori broke the silence and asked somewhat laboriously.

“Of course, he knows,” Mian replied.

Mori fell silent again.

“So you are currently… in the Royal Palace of Velen?”

Mian: “Yes.”

Mori closed his eyes, feeling that the situation had become extremely difficult.

What was going on? Why was the Prince of the Velen Royal Family getting involved?

Was he holding the Little Dragon hostage? After all, relations between Velen and Fes were indeed quite tense recently.

But that Prince was famously a man of integrity.

Yet, this was the only possible reason.

…And he hoped it truly was just that.

Moreover, judging by appearances, the Little Dragon seemed completely unaware of the situation.

Thinking this, Mori looked at Mian again, pursed his lips, and felt that things had suddenly become very hard to manage.

The day summer arrived was drawing closer…

His frown deepened.

His initial plan was to quickly go to Fes to find the Little Dragon, and then proceed with his actions.

Even after finding him, things were already difficult, and success was uncertain.

He hadn’t expected Kairis to detain the Little Dragon, which created a massive obstacle to what he needed to do.

…If he hadn’t come to this tavern today, something terrible would have happened.

Thinking of the dying instructions his teacher had given him, Mori closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on.

The most urgent task was to get the Little Dragon to leave with him.

They were running out of time.

Thinking this, Mori looked at Mian, trying to organize his words to explain to Mian that he had found the wrong person.

“Mr. Mori, the boss is waiting for you in the reception room.” Just then, a tavern attendant suddenly approached them, nodding to Mori. “I apologize, but he is extremely busy today and only has ten minutes for a private meeting. Please proceed quickly.”

Mori’s brow twitched.

He looked at the somewhat bewildered Mian, then at the reception room not far away. In a few short seconds, he made a quick decision.

The Prince of Velen was a major variable. It would be dangerous to rashly take the Little Dragon away immediately. He needed time to explain the situation clearly to Mian.

But not now.

Thinking this, he took a pure black feather from his pocket and handed it to Mian. “Take this. Don’t lose it.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” he added. “We will meet again soon.”

Mian instinctively took it.

The moment he touched it, he watched it vanish into thin air right before his eyes.

Seeing this, Mori felt relieved and followed the attendant away.

Velen was an unavoidable stop on the way to Fes. Mori had come to this tavern merely because the timing was right, hoping to try his luck and add an extra layer of assurance to his mission.

With the current unexpected turn of events, his meeting with the gemstone merchant became even more crucial.

They needed… more time.

“Mr. Mori, this is everything.”

In the lavishly decorated reception room, the renowned gemstone merchant had someone spread a velvet bag open on the table in front of them.

A considerable pile of emeralds quickly scattered as the drawstring of the bag was pulled, rolling on the wooden table, which was covered by a layer of cloth, making a pleasant, muffled sound.

—Unlike the gems displayed on the tavern walls for casual purchase, these were truly precious, rare items not easily put up for external sale.

Now, they were casually spread across the tabletop, making the air in the entire room seem infinitely more expensive.

Mori’s expression didn’t change much upon seeing them. He simply nodded and thanked the merchant politely, “Thank you for your trouble.”

“You’re welcome. I hope you find what you’re looking for here,” the tavern boss said courteously.

After all, the person standing before him was the sole student of the greatest Wizard on the Ers Continent. Establishing a connection with such a person and doing him a favor could only bring benefits.

Mori casually picked up a gem from the pile and examined it closely.

The tavern boss sat watching for a while, unable to discern anything significant. He checked the time and excused himself. “The tavern is truly busy today, and I have other important guests to see… How about you take your time selecting what you like here, and then have an attendant call me?”

“No problem.” Mori shifted his gaze from the gem in his hand and nodded. “Please go ahead.”

The boss nodded and left the room with the attendant, leaving Mori alone, completely unconcerned about the safety of the table full of expensive gems.

Once the door closed, Mori exhaled and continued to inspect the gems one by one.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally finished examining all of them. He shook his head, his brow deeply furrowed.

None of them were the one he was looking for.

After asking the tavern boss again and receiving confirmation that these were indeed all the gems available, Mori’s mood grew heavier.

Returning the bag of gems exactly as he found it, he left the reception room, intending to step out of the tavern for some air and carefully consider his next steps.

As soon as he stepped out, he saw that familiar back again.

—It was Mian.

He was walking toward the tavern entrance, presumably about to leave.

Most importantly, a tall figure was accompanying him.

That person was straight and imposing, with neat, light-gold short hair. Just looking at his back conveyed a powerful presence.

Even though the tavern was crowded, everyone around them spontaneously cleared a path as they passed, and the entire tavern seemed to have quieted down at some point.

Mori recognized him almost instantly: that person was Kairis, the current Crown Prince of the Velen Empire.

Where Mori stood, he could see outside the door. A carriage of Royal Palace specifications was parked outside the tavern.

…Had Kairis specifically come to pick up Mian?

Mori frowned.

He watched the two walk to the carriage. Kairis raised a hand, signaling Mian to enter first.

Mian didn’t look at him and climbed in by himself.

Then he stumbled slightly.

Kairis instinctively reached out to steady him, but Mian quickly grabbed onto something nearby and regained his balance.

Kairis paused, withdrew his hand, and waited until Mian was settled before entering the carriage himself.

The curtains closed, and those outside could no longer see what was happening inside. The Palace Guard driving the carriage urged the horses forward, and the wheels began to turn, carrying the carriage and its occupants away.

Once the carriage completely disappeared from view, Mori withdrew his gaze, losing all desire to go out for air. He only felt that the difficulty of the situation had just escalated significantly.