Chapter 234: Unfinished Business (P2)
On the other hand, Helen was unusually calm observing the tense scene from her spot. It was a very strange attitude for someone who was always looking for fights, noise, and constant trouble.
It seemed as if she didn’t care in the slightest about what Ivis had just said in front of them. The black-haired swordswoman remained in silence, with her clothes still torn from her previous combat.
Perhaps she reacted in such a disinterested way because she usually fought strictly in close combat. Long-distance magic, barriers, and fields of perception were not topics that worried her in battle.
Or probably, the reason for her calm was much simpler and more direct than all that.
Simply because she didn’t manage to understand absolutely anything of what the dragon woman in front of her told them. Helen preferred to strike first and think later, leaving the technical details for the other members of the party.
"I see, so that was what it was about. Even so, I must admit that it is much more impressive than simple anti-magic." Ryan said, breaking the silence that had formed. He completely assimilated the valuable information and began to walk, shortening the distance between them.
Ryan stopped a couple of meters away from Ivis, looking at her with a renewed and evident interest. The capacity to nullify attacks directly from their origin was a terrifying advantage in any kind of confrontation.
"I am a bit surprised by your high level of control over your own element," Ryan continued with a deep voice.
He evaluated the woman’s relaxed posture, noticing the immense confidence radiating from her body.
"Tell me something, can all dragons do that?" Ryan asked with a genuine and clear curiosity.
Ivis did not immediately answer the new question formulated by her ally. She remained in her spot, thinking in silence for a few long seconds.
"High-ranking demons and dragons are not very different deep down. Both races prefer to use brute power and flashy attacks to destroy their enemies. So, while it is true that each one has their own techniques according to their elemental manifestation, it requires many specific conditions and a lot of patience to do what I do." Ivis began to explain.
She maintained a very calm tone of voice, almost as if she were reciting an old history book.
"And for the vast majority of dragons, that is simply an immense hassle; even I myself was not interested in expanding my skills that way at first. I didn’t do it until I realized that no matter how hard I tried, I would never manage to defeat Janina in a fight." Ivis confessed.
’She doesn’t care in the slightest to admit that Janina is stronger than her. And it was exactly that harsh defeat that expanded the world for her to create her own skills.’ Ryan thought to himself. He evaluated the great mental maturity that Ivis possessed regarding her own weaknesses and limits.
She was a woman even more capable, intelligent, and lethal than he had initially imagined.
’It will be best if I do not underestimate dragons when I go to face them.’ He decided firmly. Ryan burned that important thought into his mind as a clear warning for the near future.
A slight and almost imperceptible smile of satisfaction appeared on his lips under the dim light of the room.
"One second," Irina intervened suddenly, taking a quick step forward from her spot.
The elf princess had a furrowed brow and an expression of evident concern on her beautiful face.
The simple name that Ivis had just mentioned so naturally had set off alarms in her head.
"Janina is the well-known darkness dragon. There is no one in this world who doesn’t know of the existence of that terrifying woman." Irina stated with a certain tension in her voice.
Irina clasped her hands in front of her chest, remembering the horrible rumors that circulated throughout the continent.
"Everyone says her destructive power is completely overwhelming for any living being that faces her. Almost like a demon king. But what kind of skill does she really have?"
The elf princess asked with a mixture of genuine fear and deep curiosity for the unknown.
"I want to know that too. Now I am much more curious to know about the true capabilities of the other dragons." Mirian intervened, supporting her companion’s urgent question.
"Hmm..." Ivis murmured, bringing a hand to her chin slowly and casually. It seemed as if she were seriously thinking about sharing that valuable information with the group.
But after a short silence, she simply smiled in a somewhat gloomy manner full of mystery.
"I am very sorry, but I cannot say anything about Janina’s true skills. If she were to somehow find out that I spoke about her capabilities behind her back, she would try to kill me. And of course, she would kill all of you too."
She replied. Her tone of voice was very light and polite, but the message behind her simple words was lethal.
Faced with the heavy death threat that had just fallen over the party, Ryan decided to intervene to cut the topic short. He brought his gloved hands together in a loud, resounding clap that echoed continuously off the stone walls.
The sudden noise served to center all the girls’ attention onto him almost immediately.
"Alright, I believe that is more than enough for now," Ryan said with his usual, imposing tone of command.
He cut the growing tension short before Mirian or Irina could get any more scared or ask useless questions.
"In fact, what you have shared today and that information about your power was very helpful to us. For the moment, let’s leave it at this." He ordered, effectively ending the impromptu skills lesson.
He had a much more pressing and real matter to resolve in his own territory at that precise moment.
"Right now I want to personally take care of the holy knight woman that Helen brought to the village."
Ryan said with a deep voice, marking the next step on his tight schedule for the day before the war. Without waiting for any more answers or complaints from the group, he turned around with a fluid motion.
Ryan began to advance with long and firm steps, leaving the girls behind in the center of the gray room. He walked straight toward the bright, flickering light of the magical portal, fully ready to begin a harsh interrogation.