Chapter 6: A New Opportunity

Airelina Frembell

It’s already midnight. I was sitting on my cushiony bed, staring at the black ribbon I always wear on my head as I reminisced my past. Amphy and I came in a long way, and now he’s in the verge of promotion from Dragon Knight 3rd class to 2nd class after this assignment with Duchess Carousel. Just by thinking of it makes me jump with joy.

If Amphy was promoted to first class, he will be able to support the duchess’s bill. And the Arcadia’s goal; to free all the dragonoids will be a dream come true.

There was a knock. When the door opened, the young duchess came in.

“Duchess Carousel…”

“Corasell…” She said, her eyebrows twitching. “I’m sorry for barging in, but we have to talk.”

“I’m all ears! Totally!” I answered energetically. I led her to a small stool which she sat uncomfortably.

“It’s about Arcadia. I’m pretty sure that you know that I negotiated with Sir Estoff about funding your group for the exchange of my security. It’s no matter at all to me since we’re all fighting for the same cause, albeit not the same procedures. I prefer peaceful actions but you guys prefer a blood revolution. The question is, where is he going to put the money? Arcadia has been inactive for almost three years.”

“Sir Estoff is using those money for recruiting young soldiers and Dragon Knights for our cause. He also targets small companies that support the bill. But most of the money spent is used for buying information from government personnel. He’s really smart, totally!”

“Recruiting Dragon Knights is getting hard, I suppose.” She cooled herself using her golden fan she’s always holding. “The only dragon knight in your group aside from Sir Estoff is Amphere.”

“T-That’s true…but I think Amphy is good enough to do the entire job, totally…”

“It seems like you’re really supportive of Amphere. I see where the ninety-seven percent compatibility rate is coming from.”

Compatibility rate of dragonoids to dragon knights are measured by heartbeat reading devices. Higher compatibility rate means the dragonoid and the dragon knight’s heartbeat waves are more identical. This is to measure how powerful Vesryn Pulse can be, and how often can a dragon knight handle a dragonoid’s power.

“They said that a compatibility of above ninety-five percent means that a dragonoid has an emotional attachment to his knight.”

Hearing those words immediately made me cough and blush. There was a warm sensation on my face, and my heartbeat quadrupled in speed.

“…N-No! Not at all! Totally!” I shrugged. “T-That must be a lie!”

“Oh? I’ve read it from a lot of books. But if it’s a lie, it is maybe a lie, I suppose.” The duchess glared at me with sarcasm.

Well, Amphy is really kind and gentle. He might be silent and aristocratic, but he really brave especially when he saved me three years ago even though he knew he’s powerless. Whenever I think of his brown eyes, adorable face and black shaggy hair, it makes my heart pound.

“…I…I… Is it obvious? Like, totally!?” I held my cheeks which is already pinkish red in color. I really think I have to admit this early.

“It’s not that hard to read a dragonoid’s heart because I was gifted with that power. But you’re damned knight is so friggin silent that it bores me to learn a lot from him. I guess you’re attracted with his mysterious invisible charm that I can’t even comprehend.”

What is this duchess talking about? She blushed when my Amphy carried him on his shoulders! I’m almost jealous about it!

There was a sudden change in the duchess’ facial expression; from playful to serious. “Did he already know the Crimson Dragonfly?”

My reddish cheeks faded, but my heart maintained its speed. Crimson Dragonfly. It is a forbidden word that shouldn’t be spoken of. It is the name I should conceal its existence to Amphere. At all cost.

“He doesn’t. I knew that if he discovered everything about the Crimson Dragonfly, he will hate me. Totally.” I glared at the duchess. “Out of respect, please don’t tell anything to him. Once he knew, he would definitely quit Arcadia and the Dragon Knight Academy.”

“Don’t worry, no one will tell Amphere about it.” She waved her hand with a forced smile. “I guess Amphere has the most important role in Arcadia. It will be troublesome if my allies lost their most important asset.”

“Thank you.” I exhaled and reverted back to my smile.

“One more thing…”

The duchess reached her hands to her pocket of her skirt and revealed a single-page newspaper. It has a headline of “Pentagram Knight Found Dead”, which is apparently an issue two weeks ago. I reached it and read about the article.

…The authority has confirmed that a man with a white mask and a black cloak is the one responsible for the death of the Pentagram Knight. Apparently, the deceased Dragon Knight Birdge Lorsighte is a known supporter of the Dragonoid Rights Bill…

“The Black Phantom is after the ones who actively support the Dragonoid Rights Bill. That means even Sir Estoff is in danger of being assassinated.”

“That Black Phantom is totally troublesome!” I clenched my fist. “I’m sure Amphy and I will beat his ass someday!”

“I really hope so. But there are new opportunities for us.”

The duchess reached a black brochure from her sleeves. It has a golden dragon sigil engraved on a diamond shield and has a title: The Dragon Knight Tournament. I opened it and have the following invitation.

…The Dragon Knight Tournament is held every ten years which the aspiring knights from the Dragon Knights Academy are privileged to participate. It will be held in the floating city of Guardian’s Haven two months before the debut of our beloved Princess Serenity Elkyria. The champion of the tournament will be entitled as the Princess’s Royal Knight…

A Princess’s Royal Knight is the highest military rank that is even higher than the generals. The Pentagram Knights are something but a Princess’s Royal Knight is way above them! It is the ultimate dream of every Dragon Knight! Having this title is like having the military power of the whole empire!

“This is the easiest way to have the Dragonoid Rights Bill approved by the royal family. There will be no need for bloodlust for dragonoid’s freedom anymore.” The duchess said. “Sir Estoff said that we should have you and Amphere participate.”