Chapter 184: Friendly Invitation

’...Eh?’

Julian was a little confused.

What had just happened?

Moments ago, he had still been standing before Cleenah, looking at the girl’s figure behind the white cloth that separated them.

But in the next moment, something strange had happened.

Cleenah suddenly appeared in a slightly different position.

It wasn’t because she had walked or moved the way she usually did. Julian hadn’t seen any movement at all, as though Cleenah’s position had simply changed in an instant.

And it wasn’t only Cleenah.

Felicya, who was still in his arms, had experienced the same thing. The position of her head had shifted slightly, while one of her hands, which had been near her chest, was now gripping Julian’s clothes.

"...?"

Julian lowered his head.

Felicya still had her eyes closed, looking to be asleep comfortably as before.

Nothing seemed strange about her condition.

But hadn’t he just seen something that made no sense?

’...Did I miss something?’

Julian tried to recall what had just happened.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t find anything. Everything had felt like it was going on as usual, apart from the sudden change in position.

He hadn’t even sensed any fluctuation of Mana or anything that might explain the incident.

’...Strange.’

For a moment, Julian considered the possibility that he had simply not been paying attention to his surroundings.

But after thinking it over again, he decided not to make a big deal of it.

After all, nothing bad had happened.

Felicya was still in his arms, and Cleenah seemed to be fine as well.

Maybe he was just being too sensitive.

’Well, forget it.’

Julian lifted his head again.

And right at that moment, the white cloth before him began to move.

Cleenah’s figure, which had been visible only as a faint shadow, slowly reached out a hand, then pushed the cloth aside.

"....?"

Julian was a little surprised.

Honestly, he hadn’t expected the Clan Leader of the Qiezhuran to show herself in person.

After all, ever since entering this hall, Cleenah had been behind that white cloth. Julian had even thought that perhaps that was how she received guests.

But now the girl had decided to come out.

And when he finally saw her appearance clearly, Julian was surprised once more.

’...She’s still so young.’

Before him stood a little girl with wavy dark green hair, black horns with golden accents, and a small tail visible behind her body.

Her skin looked pale, while both her eyes were covered by a white bandage.

But what caught Julian’s attention most was the condition of the girl’s body.

Cleenah looked so fragile.

Even to stand and walk, she needed the help of a simple cane held in her grip.

’...Is she ill?’

Julian didn’t know the answer.

He just found it rather strange that someone in such a condition was the leader of a Dragon Clan.

Especially after seeing Garph and a few other Dragons with such great power.

But Julian didn’t go so far as to doubt Cleenah’s position just because of her appearance.

After all, he already knew that the girl was the Clan Leader of the Qiezhuran. If Cleenah could hold that position, there had to be a certain reason behind it.

While Julian was still thinking about this, Cleenah began to walk down the small staircase connecting her bed to the hall.

Tap. Tap.

The sound of her cane was light as it touched the floor.

The girl’s steps were rather slow, occasionally pausing to make sure of her footing before walking again.

Julian watched it all calmly.

He had actually considered going closer to help, but Cleenah looked used to walking like that.

So he decided to stay where he was.

Before long, Cleenah finally stopped right before him.

The distance between them was fairly close now.

And when the girl lifted her head slightly, Julian saw a small smile appear on her lips.

A very sweet smile.

But for some reason, Julian felt there was a little sadness hidden behind it.

’...Hm?’

He didn’t know why.

In fact, considering that they had only just met, Julian felt he didn’t have enough information to understand what Cleenah was thinking.

"Lord Julian."

A gentle voice came from the girl’s lips.

Julian bowed his head slightly.

"Yes, Lady Cleenah?"

"Forgive me for making you come all this way."

"It’s no problem."

Julian answered calmly.

After all, he himself had wanted to meet the leader of the Qiezhuran. So the invitation was actually quite beneficial to him.

What’s more, after the incident with Damien earlier, Julian felt it would be better to have a good relationship with the one who led this Clan.

But Cleenah seemed to have something different to say.

"Lord Julian, I would like to ask something of you."

"...?"

Julian was a little confused.

Ask something of him?

Hadn’t they not even properly talked about anything yet?

But before Julian could think about it further, Cleenah had already continued.

"In a few days, many Dragons from other Clans will come to attend the Primordial Legacy Festival."

Julian nodded.

He already knew that.

Even while exploring the Qiezhuran settlement earlier, Julian had seen so many preparations being made to welcome the festival.

"And because of their arrival, I worry that conditions outside won’t be very safe for you."

"...Ah."

Julian began to understand what those words meant.

He was a human in the middle of the Dragons’ settlement.

What’s more, not all Dragons had a good view of other races. Even some Qiezhuran Dragons themselves had already shown hostility toward him.

If Dragons from other Clans came too, the chance of a similar problem occurring would clearly grow.

’...That’s true.’

Julian recalled how Damien had so openly tried to arrest them.

Even though he already had the badge Garph had given him, that hadn’t fully prevented trouble.

And if such an incident happened again, Julian wasn’t sure whether Garph would always be nearby to help.

That was clearly troublesome.

"For that reason, I would like to offer something."

Cleenah spoke again with a small smile.

"How about Lord Julian stays at my residence for a while?"

"..."

Julian fell silent.

’...What?’

He wondered for a moment whether he had misheard.

Stay at the residence of the Qiezhuran Clan Leader?

Wasn’t that a bit excessive?

Julian had only intended to meet Cleenah to introduce himself and perhaps discuss a few things about his presence in the Dragon World.

But now the girl was offering to let him live with her.

They didn’t even know each other well yet.

"...Here?"

Julian finally asked.

Cleenah nodded gently.

"That’s right. This residence has quite a lot of space, so Lord Julian needn’t worry about that."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"Of course, the friends who came with you are welcome to stay here as well."

"..."

Julian grew even more confused.

Even Monk and Lumi were allowed?

What about Felicya?

Well, of course the girl would stay with him anyway, but the offer truly felt too generous for someone he had only just met.

’...Are all Dragon leaders like this?’

Julian didn’t know the answer.

But considering how Garph had also treated him so well before, he began to feel that perhaps there was something about the Qiezhuran’s situation that he hadn’t yet understood.

Meanwhile, Cleenah simply kept up her small smile.

She naturally noticed Julian’s confusion.

But unlike Julian, Cleenah actually knew something that he didn’t.

The Primordial Dragon.

Earlier, that woman had explained a few things about Julian to her.

Including the fact that Julian himself apparently didn’t know about the Primordial Dragon within his soul.

That had startled Cleenah a little.

After all, she had never imagined that someone the Primordial Dragon called Master would be unaware of the existence of his own disciple.

But the Primordial Dragon had given a fairly clear warning.

She had asked Cleenah to promise not to tell Julian anything about her existence.

At least, for now.

According to the woman, the time simply wasn’t right yet.

Cleenah didn’t fully understand the reason behind that request. But of course she wouldn’t oppose something the Primordial Dragon herself had asked.

What’s more, after hearing how the woman spoke about Julian, Cleenah felt a little more certain that inviting him to stay here was the right decision.

’...Lord Julian.’

Cleenah looked again at the man standing before her.

His appearance was quite ordinary, while his expression remained calm even after receiving a rather unexpected offer.

If she hadn’t known what lay within his soul, Cleenah might not have guessed that this human had a connection to a legendary being like the Primordial Dragon.

But now she knew.

And of course, she intended to keep her promise.

"What do you think, Lord Julian?"

Cleenah’s voice brought Julian back from his thoughts.

"...Ah."

Julian considered the offer for a moment.

Honestly, he still felt something was off.

This meeting was going too smoothly.

He hadn’t even had the chance to ask many things, yet now the leader of the Qiezhuran was already offering him a much safer place to stay.

But after thinking it over again, Julian couldn’t find a strong enough reason to refuse.

After all, staying at the Clan Leader’s residence would probably reduce the chance of him being bothered by other Dragons again.

That was clearly beneficial.

"...Alright. If Lady Cleenah doesn’t mind, I will accept the offer."

Cleenah smiled.

"Of course. I would be glad if you did."

Julian nodded.

But as he looked at the girl once more, he still felt a little puzzled.

’...So, that’s it?’

He had actually thought their meeting would last a bit longer.

But perhaps Cleenah really didn’t have much time. After all, the girl was the Clan Leader of the Qiezhuran, preparing a large festival.

There must still be many matters she had to attend to.

’...Well, that makes sense.’

Julian finally decided not to think about it too much.

At the very least, he had managed to meet the leader of the Qiezhuran and had even gained a safer place to live for himself and his friends.

That was already a fairly good result.

It was only that Julian still felt as though something had been missed during the meeting.

Something he couldn’t explain.

But seeing Cleenah smile at him again, Julian could only accept the situation.

’...How truly strange.’