Ed Edward stood inside of Vur’s room with a straightened back. In front of him, there was Vur’s bed, a massive construct that could’ve housed several families if it were hollowed out and used as a living space. A flight of stairs had to be taken to arrive on top of the bed where Vur was sleeping, his body in the form of a dragon. As expected, when a dragon said he was going to nap for a week, he really didn’t wake up for a whole week.

A glint appeared in Ed’s eye sockets, which were hidden behind the mask that covered his whole face. He motioned with his arm, gesturing for the subordinates he brought with him to move. Like ghosts, they traveled across the room’s floor and up the flight of stairs without making a sound. They worked together to carry a large, black case up the steps. The case was nearly half of Vur’s size, requiring one person to hold up each corner.

Stella popped out of Vur’s snout and eyed the intruders with a wary expression. Only people with bad intentions would creep around a sleeping dragon. The fairy queen crossed her arms over her chest and waited. If they tried to harm Vur, then she’d be the third to stop them—the first and second being Sheryl and Zilphy. As for Mistle and Diamant, Stella was sure they’d only help after some goading from her part.

“Put it down,” Ed said. He had followed the group up the flight of stairs.

The four men placed the case down. Luckily, Vur’s bed was large enough to accommodate his body and the case. Ed Edward had designed it to fit two dragons for … reasons. Ed looked at the four men and nodded. “Open the case.”

Stella narrowed her eyes at the four men. They worked together and fiddled with a mechanism at the front of the large box. With a clicking sound, it sprung open and unraveled. Her eyes widened upon seeing what was inside, and Vur’s snout twitched. A furless behemoth bear lying on its stomach was revealed. Its front legs were splayed to the sides, and its hindlegs were stretched out behind it. An assortment of fruits had been placed inside of its mouth, propping it open, similar to how chefs placed an apple in the mouth of a roasted pig.

The snot bubble coming out of Vur’s nose deflated, hitting the bed and popping. His eyes opened, and he licked his lips. Without greeting anyone, he stretched his neck forward and bit down on the bear. It didn’t take very long for all of it to disappear into his stomach. He licked his lips and glanced down at Ed. The four helpers were standing with their chests puffed out and their hands held behind their backs, but their faces were a bit pale.

“Good morning, Your Majesty,” Ed said. “The auction will begin within a few hours.”

Vur sat up, resting on his haunches. He yawned and rubbed his eyes with the backs of his paws. “A few hours,” he said and scratched his belly. What would he do for a few hours while waiting? Powernap?

“I have a few things scheduled if you don’t have any plans, Your Majesty,” Ed said.

Vur tilted his head. “What things?”

“It involves eating,” Ed said. “Are you interested?”

Vur bobbed his head up and down. Eating was always interesting, almost as interesting as sleeping.

***

Tafel furrowed her brow and pinched her nose. She was standing in the middle of a swamp, in the region where Lulu had wanted to catch some toads. Rather than letting the holy dragon use the portal, Tafel went through herself. After all, if Kondra discovered Tafel had sent Lulu somewhere unsupervised, there were bound to be terrible consequences.

There was a popping sound as a bubble on the surface of the swamp burst, releasing a greenish-yellow gas that lingered before disappearing, adding to the haze that seemed to cover the region. Tafel’s horns glowed silver, and she opened up a portal. She reached inside, taking out a piece of cloth which she tied around her face to use as a mask. She reached into the portal again and pulled out the hilt of her sword. After a moment of hesitation, she put the sword back inside and took out a staff instead. Lulu probably wanted the toads alive and whole. What better way to do that than to freeze them?

Tafel exhaled, and the creases in her brow vanished. It felt good to get some fresh air and sunlight after being cooped up for so long—even though the swamp air wasn’t very fresh and the sun could barely be seen through the haze. She turned her head to the side, and a towering figure came into view. A toad that was as large as a bear was staring at her. Tafel raised her staff as her horns glowed blue. A layer of ice appeared around the toad, trapping it in a cube of frozen material. Tafel opened a portal and pushed the frozen creature through.

The portal closed, and Tafel leapt to the side, barely dodging a tongue that was thicker than her torso. The tongue snapped backwards after missing its target. Tafel raised her head, following the direction the tongue had come from. There were dozens of large shadows hidden behind the haze. Somehow, her presence had alerted all the toads within the vicinity, and they were clearly treating her as prey. Tafel opened a portal and reached inside, taking out her sword. The holy dragon only asked for four toads. It didn’t matter what happened to the rest.

Half an hour later, Tafel pushed three frozen toads through a portal and entered it herself. As for the other toads, they were reclaimed by the swamp. After cleaning herself off and giving the toads to Lulu, Tafel took a seat in front of her table and nodded. As expected, a healthy body led to a healthy mind. Getting some exercise was just what she needed to continue her studies.