Chapter 45: You have encountered a wild Paragon Knight

The next morning, Zephyr finally found the person he had been searching for.

An invisible baby dragon hovered above an open field outside a small village, watching several children run after a leather ball.

One of them matched almost everything Mira had told him.

Dusty blonde hair. Brown eyes. Around seven years old. Thin body. A tiny dark mark below his left ear.

Zephyr descended until he was only a few meters away from the child before calling out.

"Hey, little human. What is your name?"

The boy stopped running and looked around in confusion. The other children continued playing around him, apparently having not heard Zephyr since he had deliberately kept his voice low.

"Who said that?"

"Answer first."

The boy stared suspiciously at the empty space in front of him for several seconds before answering.

He was considerably more cautious after having been caught by slave traders, but in the end, he was still just a kid.

"Velan."

Zephyr’s golden pupils brightened. That was the name Mira had given him.

He had actually found the annoying little human’s brother.

Hehe. Alaric better give me something good for this.

However, the excitement barely lasted before Zephyr noticed something strange.

Zephyr remembered Mira saying that both of them had been captured at the same time before being separated.

But her brother seemed to be perfectly fine. He was even playing with other children in the middle of a village.

"Were you captured by slave traders?"

Velan’s expression immediately changed. "How do you know that?"

"Your sister told me."

For a moment, the boy simply stared at the empty air.

Then his eyes widened so much that Zephyr could practically see his entire mood change.

"Mira?! You know where Mira is? Is she alive? Where is she? Did she escape too? Is she hurt?"

Zephyr moved backward slightly when the boy started bombarding him with questions.

"She’s alive. Calm down. She’s staying with Alaric right now."

"Who is Alaric?"

"The weak human who is currently leading House Orlen."

Zephyr ignored his confused expression and asked what he actually wanted to know.

"If you were captured, how are you here?"

Velan hesitated before pointing toward the village.

"Master saved me. The people who took me were travelling somewhere when he attacked them. He killed some of them and the others ran away."

"Your master?"

"He said I’m talented."

Zephyr suddenly became much more cautious.

Anyone capable of attacking an armed group of slave traders, probably wasn’t some random person.

"Is your master still here?"

"Yes. He’s staying in the village."

Zephyr’s pupils constricted.

Well, I found him. My job is done.

He immediately turned around and began flying away.

But just then, he sensed movement of mana, and a massive hand formed in the sky before closing around his entire body.

Spell Model - Mighty Righty Handy

Zephyr was shocked.

For a brief moment, he genuinely couldn’t understand what had happened.

I am invisible! How can I be tracked?!

Nobody was supposed to be able to see him.

Spell Model — Detonation

However, he was after all a dragon. Casting a spell even amidst panic was no big deal.

Mana gathered around the wrist holding him before violently exploding.

BOOM!

Dust flew across the field, but the hand didn’t move whatsoever.

What the fuck?

Zephyr was scared. Unpleasant memories began surfacing in his mind about his life as a captive, when a curious voice came from behind him.

"What is a baby dragon doing sneaking around my disciple?"

Zephyr slowly turned his head.

An older man stood there, perhaps somewhere in his sixties.

He wore ordinary brown clothes and had long gray hair tied behind his head. There was nothing impressive about him whatsoever, at least in looks.

"Let me go." Zephyr yelled. He didn’t want to be captured again!

The older man looked mildly amused, but nevertheless dispersed the spell model.

Zephyr immediately flew several meters away before turning around.

"You can see me?"

"No."

"Then how did you catch me?"

"I can sense you."

Zephyr frowned. "That is basically the same thing."

"It really isn’t." The baby dragon ignored the annoying human.

The old man looked toward the place where the invisible dragon was floating and asked, "That invisibility of yours isn’t a spell model. I don’t sense any mana being used to keep you invisible. Is it a Divine Ability?"

Zephyr didn’t answer immediately.

Alaric had repeatedly told him that Divine Abilities were rare enough that he shouldn’t casually advertise his.

But this person had already figured it out himself. Zephyr didn’t give any confirmation.

The old man simply shrugged. "Why are you here?"

At that moment, Velan came running toward them before he could continue arguing.

"Master, he knows Mira!"

After some explanation, the older man finally understood why Zephyr had appeared.

His name was Celdric, a Paragon Knight who had encountered Velan by coincidence while travelling through the region.

He had noticed the boy’s unusual talent in movement, so he intended to take him as a disciple.

When Zephyr eventually mentioned Alaric, the older man’s expression became strange.

"Alaric Orlen? The young lord who has been making waves in this kingdom?"

Zephyr nodded. "Yes. He creates a lot of trouble."

"It seems to run in their blood."

"Huh?" Zephyr tilted his head.

"His mother is Marchioness Orlen, right?."

Zephyr still couldn’t understand. Celdric continued after a moment.

"Her reputation might not extend far outside military circles in this kingdom, but I spent many years in the Rathen Empire. The name Orlen is considerably better known there than you seem to realize."

"What did she do?"

Celdric smiled slightly. "Ask her yourself if you ever meet her. I’m not getting involved in the affairs of that family."

Zephyr ignored that, and asked something else instead.

"Can I get that boy?"

"No." The old man shook his head.

Zephyr didn’t say anything else, but contacted Alaric.

*****

Alaric had received a notification when he was changing his clothes.

[Quest: Find one missing member of Mira’s family without revealing your race — Zephyr Nightscale]

[Completed]

[Grade: A]

[Issuing Rewards.]

[The host has leveled up. Talent Point +1]

[Level: 9]

Oh? That little guy completed the quest already?

Alaric knew that Zephyr would be contacting him anytime soon now that he had found someone of Mira’s family.

And indeed, he received his message not long after.

However, his brows furrowed when he read the message.

He knows my mother and doesn’t want to get involved? Who the fuck is asking anyway?

Alaric knew that the situation had gotten a bit troublesome.

Sure, the quest had been completed, but he had to let Mira know what was going on or it wouldn’t sit right with his conscience.