Chapter 139: Catching Up with the Airship

Dion glanced around the room. Everyone was staring directly at him, still waiting for his final verdict.

Sigh. Dion finally exhaled a heavy breath and rubbed the back of his neck.

"All right, here’s the deal. Aria and I will take Gina and catch up with the airship that just passed by. Sound good to you, Aria?" Dion asked.

Before Aria could even reply, "Wait just a second!" Cleo, Luna, Sheila, and Mei shouted in unison.

"What do you think you’re doing, going off by yourself? What if the situation over there is dangerous?" Luna demanded.

"That’s right, please rethink this. The risks are way too high if you go alone," Mei added.

"I don’t doubt your strength, but still, going solo is reckless since I won’t be here to keep you in check," Cleo chimed in.

"Don’t forget... you’re a leader, a king. You can’t just act on a whim," Sheila reminded him.

Silence fell over the room. Aria slapped a hand to her forehead and shook her head, while Harumi sat on the sofa trying to listen in while wrangling Gina, who had just woken up because her name was called. Dion crossed his arms over his chest and stared down the five girls with a serious expression.

"All right, listen up. First: Cleo has to stay here to maintain the barrier protecting this city. Remember, this place just shook off a massive disaster. Mei is needed right here to patrol the perimeter and coordinate intel with the Shadow Hand operatives, so you clearly can’t leave. Sheila, don’t forget, this is your kingdom, and you still have people like Greta who need your care. And Luna, your ankle is sprained. Second: Right now, I am not a king. I haven’t been officially crowned, which means I’m just a free adventurer who can go wherever he pleases. Third: The only one who can come with me is Aria, since Thetor is her kingdom, and there’s no way I’m leaving her behind to stress out here alone. Understand?" Dion asked, locking eyes with the four girls who had just protested.

Hearing Dion’s logical breakdown, Luna glanced down at her injured ankle and finally backed down without another word. Cleo opened her mouth to argue, but thought better of it and kept silent. Mei mulled it over, digesting the sense in Dion’s words, while Sheila crossed her arms with an amused smile, completely understanding his angle. Meanwhile, Aria looked unbearably smug, standing with her chin tilted up, a wide grin on her face, and both fists propped proudly on her hips.

"There... no more objections. That’s the best solution for right now. If Aria and I aren’t back in two days by the time the main relief forces arrive, you guys have permission to follow us to Millfrost or the capital of Thetor," Dion stated.

"That’s right, because there’s a solid chance we won’t just be stopping at Millfrost. We’ll most likely have to head straight to Thetor’s capital too, since the situation there is just as critical," Aria chimed in.

Just then, Gina floated up and landed squarely on Dion’s head, having managed to wriggle out of Harumi’s grasp just as Harumi lunged to catch her.

"Can I come along too?" Harumi asked cheerfully.

"No, and don’t even think about trying to sneak aboard," Dion, Aria, Sheila, Luna, Cleo, and especially Mei barked at the same time.

"Whoa... why is everyone so coordinated about telling me no? Boo... this is no fun," Harumi pouted in shock.

"This isn’t a game, Harumi. Where we’re heading right now is a genuine warzone, not like when we first arrived here before things went sideways," Mei scolded her younger sister.

"Fine... I get it," Harumi grumbled, though her pretty face remained twisted in a sullen frown.

"All right... let’s move out, Aria... Gina," Dion called out.

"Got it! Kyuuuu!" Aria and Gina chorused together.

Without wasting a second, Dion strode over to the window and threw it open. He scooped up Gina and tossed her outside. Boom! Gina transformed into a massive dragon midair.

Grooooar!

Her thunderous roar shook the panes and echoed across every corner of the city. Dion then helped Aria climb out the window onto Gina’s back. The moment Aria settled in securely, Dion moved to leap out after her, but gyuutt! he was suddenly yanked backward by the collars of his shirt as Luna, Sheila, Mei, and Cleo grabbed him all at once.

"Hey, what the..."

Smoooch!

Before Dion could finish, Luna planted a kiss straight on his lips. Sheila immediately followed up with her own, trailed swiftly by Cleo, and finally Mei, kissing him back-to-back until Dion was left completely breathless and gasping for air.

"Hu... huh?" Dion stammered, his face bright red as he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve.

"Be careful, and bring Princess Olivia back safely with you," Luna instructed.

"We’ll hold down the fort here and handle everything until the relief arrives," Sheila added.

"Don’t worry about this place. As long as I’m here, the city stays safe from any attacks," Cleo promised.

"If anything major comes up, I’ll contact you. Leave the entire city perimeter to me, so... go help out the Kingdom of Thetor," Mei added firmly.

Dion looked into the eyes of Luna, Sheila, Cleo, and Mei. A soft smile broke across his face, and he reached out to pull all four of them into a warm, collective embrace. With that, he spun around and vaulted out the window.

"Gruuuuu!"

Gina banked sharply in midair. Boom! She rocketed forward with a explosive burst of speed that generated a loud sonic boom overhead. Luna, Sheila, Cleo, and Mei watched Gina streak away into the distance from the open window. Though their faces carried a trace of anxiety, their eyes shone with unshakable trust, and confident smiles graced each of their lips.

Gina tore through the skies toward the rugged mountain range where the earlier airship had vanished. Aria gripped Dion’s waist tightly, keeping her eyes squeezed shut. Thanks to Gina’s blistering flight speed, they soon spotted the airship up ahead in the distance, just clearing the snowy mountain ridge that served as the natural border between the Kingdom of Northgard and the frozen northern city of Millfrost.

"Papa... the ship is right up ahead!" a tiny voice echoed directly inside Dion’s head.

"Got it...chase it down, Gina. If we take too long, we’re gonna freeze solid out here," Dion replied.

"On it, Papa! Hang on tight!" Gina chirped.

Swoooosh!

Gina accelerated even further. In the blink of an eye, the airship, which had previously looked like a mere speck, ballooned rapidly in size. Meanwhile, up on the deck of the zeppelin, a frantic crew member sprinted toward Johan, Astrid, and Takeshi, who were standing out in the open air.

"Reporting, Lord Johan! There’s a dragon closing in fast on our tail!" the crewman stammered, his face entirely drained of color.

"Huh? A dragon? Where? Show me," Johan ordered calmly.

The crewman led Johan, Astrid, and Takeshi toward the stern of the ship. All three froze in shock as they spotted a massive black dragon rocketing toward them at impossible speeds. Johan whipped out his spyglass and peered through the lens. The moment he recognized the silhouette, his tense shoulders dropped instantly, and a faint smile touched his lips. He lowered the spyglass and handed it back to the crewman.

"Open the main deck bay. That dragon is Gina, and riding on her back are His Majesty Dion and Princess Aria," Johan instructed.

"At once, Lord Johan!" the crewman saluted crisply.

The crewman hurried off to execute the order. Astrid and Takeshi stepped up on either side of Johan as he turned to face the rear of the vessel.

"What brings His Majesty all the way out here to catch up with us?" Astrid asked, rubbing her hands together against the biting chill.

"Who knows? But if he intends to lend a hand, our chances of success just skyrocketed," Johan replied, gently clasping his wife’s cold hands to warm them.

"Oho... So that’s His Majesty Dion, eh? Honestly, I’m quite curious about him, both his appearance and his actual strength. I’ve heard quite a few tall tales from King Araki and Lord Haruto," Takeshi remarked, stroking his chin and rubbing his beard thoughtfully.

Johan and Astrid glanced sideways at Takeshi, whose body was practically radiating a palpable aura of battle-lust as he grinned sharply, staring intently at the approaching dragon.

"Um... Lord Makoto... You aren’t planning on picking a fight with His Majesty Dion or anything foolish like that, are you?" Johan asked, making doubly sure.

"Hmm... We’ll see when we get there," Takeshi chuckled.

Moments later, Gina pulled alongside the airship. Aria hopped agilely down onto the deck, followed closely by Dion. Boom! Gina shrank down instantly into her palm-sized form and fluttered right back onto the top of Dion’s head. Johan and Astrid immediately stepped forward to welcome Dion, Aria, and Gina, while Takeshi lingered just behind them, his sharp eyes stripping Dion down from head to toe and back up again.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of Your Majesty catching up to us way out here?" Johan asked.

"Aria and I are here to help secure Millfrost and the capital of Thetor," Dion answered simply.

"Hmm... Very well. With His Majesty Dion and Princess Aria joining our ranks, our operational strength has just jumped to an entirely different level," Johan replied, a wave of relief washing over him.

"Indeed. We can finally breathe easy," Astrid agreed, looking equally relieved.

Suddenly, two heavy hands landed squarely on Johan and Astrid’s shoulders at the same time, gently shoving them aside. Takeshi stepped straight into the center. He hunched over slightly, bringing his face dangerously close to Dion’s as he inspected the younger man with a critical eye, still rubbing his chin. Dion blinked, thoroughly baffled by this stranger who looked to be in his early forties, sporting his hair pulled back into a topknot, a decently long beard, sleeveless samurai-style robes devoid of heavy armor, twin swords at his hip, one long, one short and a ridiculously oversized katana strapped to his back.

"Um... Who might you be?" Dion asked.

"Hmm... So you’re the one. His Majesty Dion... You’re weak," Takeshi declared flatly.

An absolute dead silence fell over the deck. Every crew member froze, turning their heads in horror toward Dion and Takeshi. Johan and Astrid’s faces turned ghost-white in an instant, while Aria and Gina looked ready to lunge at Takeshi and rip him to shreds.

Instead of getting angry, however, Dion lowered his head as his shoulders began to quiver. Then, he looked straight up at Takeshi with a massive, ear-to-ear grin, reaching out to shake the man’s hand.

"Finally... someone out there who actually understands that I’m genuinely weak," Dion beamed with pure delight, leaving Takeshi with one eyebrow raised sky-high and a thoroughly bewildered expression on his face.