Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot-Chapter 169 - 168 - The tension subsides.

The forest Raven and the others were in was close to the capital city of Valmoria.

So, it was only natural that so much noise, including Raven and the demon horde’s war and then Alex and Rufus’s fight with the Malformed King, would attract a lot of attention.

However, since this area was officially off-limits, no one could enter unless they had the king’s permission.

The sound of explosions from Raven’s fight would’ve already made the knights or the guards around this area send a message to the king, and once the king allowed for it, they would’ve rushed to investigate.

But seeing how they were arriving now when all the sound had died down, they were all pretty nervous.

That wasn’t uncalled for, though.

After all, this area was surrounded by various rumors, most of which were quite dangerous.

The reason for the group’s tension at Jake’s news, however, was that this matter involved the king.

However, not everyone was apprehensive.

Graye’s eyes sparkled like a starstruck tourist. "Royal knights? From Velmoria? I’ve never met one!"

Alex stared at her, wondering how there was someone worse than him in the group. "You’ve... never met a royal knight even though they literally roam around in the capital city’s streets?"

"Nope," she replied, grinning. "This is exciting!"

Clara, on the other hand, was already pulling Raven toward the trees. "We should leave. Now. Before this turns into politics and paperwork."

"Or a court trial. You know that the royals always try to find fault in the Vaises, right?" Selena added, her expression grave.

She was a royal herself, but she didn’t have much authority.

She was strong enough to control the royal knights around her, take care of assassins sent after her, and resist all of her brother’s oppression.

However, she didn’t have any support from the royal family, mainly because she was a girl and her family was patriarchal.

There had never been a woman leader.

Even her father’s love was based on how much profit she could bring.

It was then, before Selena went too deep in her thoughts, that Siris, currently brushing blood off her blade like a content cat, perked up.

"I still think we should kill them. Fast. Silent. Boom. Problem solved."

Everyone collectively gave her ’The Look™.’

"What?" She asked, tilting her head with a charmingly unhinged smile. "I’m just saying, if we kill them quickly and burn their bodies before someone else arrives, no one will know."

Graye raised a hand. "Counterpoint: maybe don’t?"

"I vote ’no murder,’" Jessy added. "I’m tired. I don’t want to spend the next week running from knights on horses."

"Seconded," Selena said, her eyes narrowed. "Since we don’t know how many eyes are observing us even now. If by chance, someone found out that we killed the royal knights, even being a Vaise won’t save you."

"Agreed." Lia stepped forward, her expression sagely. "No royal would let the murderer of their knights go scot-free."

Alex and Rufus, on the other hand, were now talking to Nibbles, getting a summary of what had happened in the cave when they were fighting Malfo.

Raven groaned and leaned against a tree. His skin felt like it was three sizes too tight, and his muscles throbbed with that deep, slow burn that said, ’You have two more moves left before passing out.’

"I’m also in Team ’Please Let Me Sleep,’" he muttered. "I can’t feel most of my muscles."

Selena, looking at the situation, chuckled. "We’re too tired for a clean fight. Let’s disappear."

"I agree," Clara nodded, already calculating escape routes.

"I still think we could kill, like, two, minimum," Siris whispered, pouting.

But then Jake’s voice cut in, low and sharp. "...We can’t run."

Everyone turned.

Jake stepped out from behind a tree, face unreadable, eyes focused in the distance.

"They’re coming from all directions."

Silence.

He pointed toward the thick woods. "Two squads moving in from the east and west. They’re sweeping in a circle. It looks like they don’t want whatever is inside to escape."

"They don’t want us to escape," Jessy muttered.

Then, Jake went silent, returning to his normal routine. The fact that he spoke that much was already shocking.

Raven’s eyes sharpened. "If we bolt without breaking the ring, they’ll follow. We’ll be eventually caught no matter what."

"So what do we do?" Clara asked, leaning closer.

Raven’s mouth thinned. "We knock out the squad in our path. Fast. Quiet. And then we vanish."

Siris lit up. "Knocking is just the polite form of killing."

"No lethal force," Clara said calmly, gripping her sword’s hilt.

Siris made a sound somewhere between a snarl and a sigh.

.................................

Ten minutes later.

The woods were darker now, tinted orange by the dying sun. Birdsong had gone eerily quiet.

The first squad stepped into view—six royal knights in polished armor, weapons ready. They looked like the poster children for a righteous war.

They lasted approximately thirty-seven seconds.

Jessy appeared from a tree and kicked one knight’s helmet into his own face.

Alex tackled two others, yelling "Diplomatic immunity!" as he choked them out with a squirrel.

Lia flicked her wrist, and vines snared another in a bridal-style hold.

Graye, oddly calm, stepped behind one and bashed him with a frying pan she definitely didn’t have two scenes ago.

As for Siris...

...Siris smiled.

She moved like smoke, whispering "Boop~" before slamming a knight’s head into the dirt hard enough to imprint the Velmoria crest into the soil.

The last one turned—then froze.

Raven stood behind him, eyes glowing faintly, face like a thundercloud that hadn’t had coffee. "Boo."

Knight down.

The others didn’t even need to move.

After the knights were taken care of, they regrouped in a small clearing. Raven sat against a tree, finally breathing.

Clara leaned beside him, wiping his forehead with a cool cloth, her expression gentle.

"You didn’t have to do anything, you know?" She said softly.

"I wouldn’t have to if I wasn’t surrounded by psychos," Raven mumbled.

Clara smiled. "And lovers."

"Also psychos."

She leaned down, lips brushing his cheek. "Maybe. But we’d burn the world for you."

He was about to respond when Selena, with her shadow twitching, approached, her eyes narrowed playfully.

"You were going to kiss him, weren’t you?" She asked Clara.

Clara shrugged. "He’s sweaty. So, maybe not."

Selena stepped closer, her royal aura at full force. "We need to leave."

"Yeah, there could be more of them around," Jessy added.

Squeak-Squeak-Squeak!

It was then that Nibbles squeaked, his expression filled with pride.

"He says, ’You don’t need to worry about any surprises, sir. I have sent my scouts all around. If they see any movement, they would inform us.’"

"Good," Raven nodded, rubbing Nibbles’s head with his finger. "You’re doing a great job."

The squirrel’s chest puffed out, his pride flowing out so much that he even smirked at Alex, as if saying, ’See? I’m being praised! Have you ever been praised?’

Alex somehow understood those expressions and growled. "Nibbles, why do I feel like we are growing distant?"

This made Nibbles’s expression freeze, and after turning to Raven, who stopped rubbing the little guy’s head, he rushed toward Alex, who now had his head lowered.

Squeak-Squeak!

"What do you mean moments like these are necessary for long friendships?" Alex whispered as he heard Nibbles’s words.

Squeak-Squeak!

"It is for me to learn how important you are and how much I must value you?"

Squeak!

"So, we aren’t growing distant? You don’t hate me or something?"

Nibbles quickly climbed Alex, sitting on his head, squeaking again.

"You find my head comfortable, so you won’t leave me?" Alex’s expression brightened. "That’s good."

Others merely stared at that interaction before shaking their heads with a sigh.

It was then that Siris approached Raven, smiling a little too wide. "Was someone talking about kisses? Can I get one as well?"

"No," Clara and Selena said in unison.

Siris crossed her arms. "I tried not to kill a knight for him."

"Doesn’t mean anything when you were NOT supposed to kill anyone, anyway," Selena replied.

Still, Raven chuckled. His body felt like someone had stuffed bricks into his spine, but for once... he didn’t mind.

Even Clara and Selena leaned into him from both sides—glancing at each other as if they were talking with their eyes.

He held both their hands without a comment.

Then Siris casually flopped onto his lap with zero shame.

Raven groaned. "My bones."

"You’re warm."

"You’re heavy."

She beamed. "Romantic."

Jessy glanced over. "You know, if we weren’t in a hurry to return to the mansion, this would almost be wholesome."

Alex looked up from inspecting the unconscious knights. "So... do we run now or nap dramatically?"

Graye stood, fists on hips. "I still wanted to meet a knight..."

"They met you," Jessy said. "With their faces."

Like that, another hectic arc of their life came to an end.

Or maybe it was the start of another one, but for now, none of them seemed to care.

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