Chapter 147: Conscience of a Twig

While Riley had personal issues with the elven lot, he wasn’t one to point fingers at innocents, especially not children.

It wasn’t that he believed children couldn’t commit crimes. As a human, he’d seen enough to know that magical beings, from the youngest to the oldest, were fully capable of atrocities in the name of fun or curiosity. Humans had been their targets too many times for him to forget that.

But, like with that dragonling Orien, Riley believed such behavior was shaped by more than just innate nature.

Nature versus nurture.

Actually, he didn’t even have to reach as far as Orien for proof. He only had to glance sideways at the golden lizard sitting in front of him, who was every bit an anomaly.

By nature, dragons weren’t supposed to be easy-going. In fact, maybe it was only Lord Karion and Lady Cirila who were the exceptions among their kind.

Because honestly, how many could suppress their abilities for the sake of everyone else and do it for so long without becoming irritable, bitter, or flat-out dangerous?

The whole system was unfair. Everyone wanted dragons to suppress their nature until it was convenient, and then they demanded nurture to mold them into compliant beings who would be compelled to use the same nature they tried so hard to curtail.

While everyone else encouraged individuality and acceptance, if the dragons practiced the same and loved their true forms more than their human-like ones, then how many natural disasters would result from someone just deciding to take a stroll?

So yes, Riley understood the unfairness of it. He didn’t like it, but he understood it.

Even now, as he sat there trying to convince his boss to do something about the children, Riley couldn’t help but ask himself why. Why was he the one pushing this?

And more importantly, how dare he?

Humans always said victims shouldn’t be forced to associate with their perpetrators. So why didn’t that logic seem to apply when it came to Kael?

Argh!

More importantly, why was his conscience choosing now to wake up?

Still, he had to push for it. Because if nothing else, wasn’t this technically Kael’s job? Not his, Riley’s. His official duty was just to fuss over the dragon lord. But times like this, he wished he could whip out the ’this is our job’ card and shove it in Kael’s face.

Before he could rant further, a low, matter-of-fact response cut through his thoughts.

“I know.”

Riley froze. Blinked. Blinked again.

Several times, in fact.

As if irritated by his lack of reaction, Kael repeated himself, sharper this time.

“I said I know.”

“!!!”

He knows? Wait. Does that mean…?

“Sir, you mean we’ll look for them?”

“Mn.”

Kael rolled his eyes, though not out of true annoyance. If anything, the faint twitch of his lips betrayed a trace of amusement at how relieved the twig looked just from hearing that they would look for the missing children.

He had expected this.

Even if that careless human wanted nothing more than to go home as quickly as possible, even if they had already achieved their objective, the moment Riley learned about a kidnapped child, he was never going to leave. He would voluntarily chain himself to the problem.

Only this time, Riley hadn’t expected Kael’s methodology.

“Hand me the rough blueprint of the elven castle,” Kael said evenly.

Riley blinked. “Huh? The blueprint?”

The aide scrambled, muttering under his breath as he dug around for that thing he likely threw in there after learning where they were going. While Kael studied the layout, Riley figured they would be moving soon.

So he immediately began cleaning up, shoving things into his pack in haste, until Kael’s voice stopped him.

“Keep eating. Wait here. I’ll be back.”

The twig froze mid-bite, eyes going round. “What? You’re leaving me here?!” His words came out muffled with food still in his mouth. He glared, convinced this was some kind of twisted payback for pushing Kael to save the children.

Was his boss trying to get him killed?!

Kael, exasperated, flicked a pebble at him.

The human’s instinctive reaction was to snap back and dodge, even though it was nearly invisible because of the speed. But instead of being hit, the pebble hit an invisible field right in front of him, disintegrating instantly.

A shimmering barrier glowed faintly where it struck.

Kael’s gaze was sharp. “Do not leave this barrier under any circumstances. I will return soon.”

Riley’s mouth opened, words tumbling out before he could stop them. “Wait, Sir!”

Kael paused, turning his head slightly. “If you come and end up discovered, they will realize you’re not cursed.” His eyes flicked over Riley’s unusually worried expression, and something sly entered his tone. “For someone who always wanted more breaks, is there a reason you’d like to come with me after being told to stay put?”

Riley stiffened.

Kael tilted his head. “Should I be concerned?”

Riley’s left eye twitched. He wanted to snarl, but forced a smile instead. “No, Sir. Just didn’t want to be told later that I was slacking off, is all. But since it’s your instruction, I’ll sit tight here.”

Satisfied, Kael vanished, golden light dissolving into the shadows.

Riley sat back inside the glowing barrier, chewing the last of his food with a grimace.

Seriously. How dare he spend his few remaining brain cells worrying about dragon morality? Why did he even bother wasting time wondering if he had somehow coerced the dragon lord into saving kidnapped children?

Hmph.

__

Meanwhile, back at the elven palace, the focus had turned to repairing the damage with magic.

Stone shifted, walls mended, and floors stitched themselves back together under careful spells. It shouldn’t have been difficult to rebuild, but the servants whispered uneasily as they worked. Their leaders’ priorities were clearly elsewhere.

Faces were grim. Voices hushed. Some of the braver ones murmured about Crown Prince Rowan earning his father’s ire. It wasn’t hard to believe. The Elven King had not even dined with his family since the incident, a silence heavier than any reprimand.

But all of it was pointless.

Because instead of mending the palace structure, their first concern should have been the wards. The wards that had once sealed the most secure wing of the palace. The wards that now lay in pieces.

And in one of those rooms—once considered untouchable—stood a dragon lord.

Kael moved with quiet precision, golden eyes glinting as he rummaged through the remnants of one child’s supposed private space. Shelves, drawers, cupboards. Nothing was left untouched.

But what struck him most was not what he found.

It was how obsessive that woman truly was.

Her mana clung to everything. So thick it reeked, smeared over trinkets, linens, and books as if she could not bear to release control of a single thing.

Then again, by the looks of that room, that woman likely wept here every night.

By the end of it, the only item untainted enough for him to take was…a toothbrush.

He held it between two fingers, unimpressed.

At least it was clean of other mana. He certainly wasn’t about to touch anyone’s undergarments, so if he had to use such things, maybe he would just call off the whole thing.

But that should be enough.

With that, Kael turned, the stolen toothbrush clenched loosely in his hand. And when he returned to the secluded cave in the mountain, ready to confront the insistent aide who had begged to come along, he found him—

Fast asleep again.

The twig had once again curled into his sleeping bag, utterly oblivious to his return.

Kael’s jaw tightened before he scoffed. For all his fussing about being included, the moment he was left alone, Riley really chose sleep.

Typical.

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