The Dragon’s tomb was nothing short of majestic.

The doors opened to a well preserved rome, a space that was even larger than the hallway had been.

Even after what must have been hundreds of years, there was not a single cobweb or spec of dust in sight.

The roof down to the walls were filled with lots of inscriptions, each one telling a story of a time past.

Statues were carved into the walls at all sides like ancient sentinels. Some were of dragons, some of Dragon-kiln, while a few were regular humans.

But even in the grandeur of the room, there was one thing that stood out among the rest.

Lying on the floor, bony hands wrapped around a stash of bountiful treasures, was the skeleton of a great dragon, one so large that it dwarfed even Alex.

Its body was propped around its stash, its tail forming a barrier around it as though to protect his treasures even in death.

"This is amazing." Eliron said breathlessly. "I have never seen something so beautiful in the entirety of my life..."

"Indeed..." Alex had transformed to his human form and was staring at the tomb with a similar awe fueled expression.

"To think this has been lying here for all this time. It is truly outstanding..."

Eliron nodded. "It is. I am surprised by how it has retained its form for so long. I have no doubt that it is just as impactful as it had been years ago."

Alex smiled. "Dragons are resilient creatures, not even time can erode our bones."

Eliron ran his hand through his hair and let out a sharp breath. "This is enough to buy an entire barony, land and people combined."

"You are right my frie... wait, what? What are you talking about?" Alex immediately turned to stare at Eliron, only to see him jumping head first into the pile of gold.

He wiggled his legs, then sunk into it like a worm, swimming through the vast amount of wealth.

While Eliron was gold-bathing, a shadow suddenly appeared over his face.

"Only God knows how long these coins have been sitting here, do you want to contract some strange unspeakable illness?"

Eliron frowned. "Loosen up would, Alex, come join me—"

"No, don’t even dare try to—"

?!

While Alex was trying to get away, Eliron grabbed him and pulled him into the pile. But the moment he touched the hold, two horns sprung out of his head.

Eliron stared at the horns with a puzzled expression. "Wait, don’t tell me, hahahahah!"

"To think gold dragons would have such a reaction to gold!"

Alex frowned and climbed out of the pile. "In the past , when my kind would sneak amongst humans to steal princesses, the only way to tell one apart was by handing them a gold coin..."

"We are called gold dragons not because of our skin, but because of this weird reaction."

"Of course it won’t work if I suppress it..." Alex paused and frowned when he noticed Eliron snickering.

"Wait, you knew this didn’t you?!" He reached out to grab Eliron when he slipped into the gold like a mole, appearing on the other side.

Just as he popped out at the other side of the room, Eliron saw the very item they had come down here to find.

Right next to the dragon’s tail was an artifact that was camouflaged by the numerous gold coins.

An ornate scepter with fiery patterns on its staff, two Draconic wings jutting out at its top, with a clear, crystal like shard in between the wings.

The Scepter Of Truth.

He picked up the scepter without hesitation, and the moment he touched it, a sudden surge of boldness filled him.

It was as though the scepter swallowed every ounce of fear within his body. At the same time, there was also a sudden surge of power, the scepter was constantly magnifying his magical power and output.

"What is this feeling?" Alex muttered as he glanced at Eliron from the other side of the room.

"You can feel it too?"

"Yes... I feel strangely driven. Like I can pull down a mountain with effort alone. It is weird... unnatural."

’So the artifact does not only buff the user? It also affects all of his allies?’

Eliron could see why a king would desire such a weapon. All he had to do was wave his scepter and he would have an army of fearless, driven knights at his command.

He did not have to say any long speeches to boost morale, all he had to do was erase their fears, their very survival instinct, and they would gladly die for his cause.

It was a vile artifact, but at the same time it was more than useful, especially in a war such as this.

But sadly...

Eliron grabbed the gem atop it, and with some effort, pried it off the top. He brought it to his eyes and watched it closely, staring at the mana swirling within it.

...He had no use for the scepter, all he needed was this jewel. The spirit core of a calamity grade dryad...

Eliron smirked and first and foremost, stuffed it in his pouch.

"Mission complete."

"Hey, Alex."

The prince glanced in his direction, only to see the other part of the scepter flying towards him. He grabbed it from the air and looked back at Eliron, a surprised look on his face.

"I have taken the core, but it is still a high grade artifact. Get one of your artisans to find a replacement core for it. You can keep it."

"Seriously?" He sounded suspicious.

"Of course, I’ve gotten what I need already. Now help me shove all of this gold into my pouch, we’ve spent enough time here."

"Uhum..." Alex cleared his throat. "Remwber that time you used the artifact?"

Eliron suddenly got a bad premonition. "Yes..."

"Well..." Alex scratched his cheek. "I might have made a tiny, tinyy little mistake." He said, bringing his finger together.

"What sort of mistake?" Eliron was already walking toward him, trying to see what he was talking about.

When he got to where Alex was, the prince nonchalantly pointed at a golden case that was bound with chains, and dozens of talismans, all of which were now torn...

The chains had also been broken.

Eliron gave him a deadpan stare, his voice cold. "What did you do?"

"Well, I saw a pink flame within the case and I got curious..."

Eliron blinked twice, his left eye twitching.

"And..."

"Well I opened it."

"So let me get this straight. You saw a sealed, ominous box in a dead dragon’s tomb, sealed up with talismans, mind you! And your brilliant idea was to open it??"

"Well, now that I think back on it, it might not have been a very bright decisi..."

Alex suddenly stopped talking and fell face first into the pile of gold.

Eliron slapped his forehead and slowly brought the hand down his face. "Is this guy for real?!"

Since he was a dragon, Eliron wasn’t too worried. If it was a devious spell, he would shake it off, dragons were very resistant to things like that.

"Huh? What the heck is this??" A shocked feminine voice came from behind him.

Eliron immediately turned around to see a silver-haired girl waving at him with a goofy grin on her face.

"Eliron?? Fancy meeting you here!"

"Yen? What are you doing in this place??"

Yennefer was in a light chemise that hung loosely on her shoulders. Her hair was messy, meaning she had already gone to bed, yet she had a handful of candy.

Typical of Yen...

After he asked his question, she popped another one into her mouth.

"Ion know..." she said while she sucked on it. "One second I was chatting with Artie, and the next I found myself here..."

She pouted. "Are you experimenting with some new skill or something?"

’Teleportation magic?’ It was unlikely, magic was not supposed to work in this room.

Then was the Yen in front of him an illusion?

"Stop looking at me like that..." Yen covered the candy in her hand protectively.

But when Eliron kept staring, she snorted. "Ugh, alright but you can only have one."

"Gee, thank you."

’I will find out through the candy...’

There were many ways to deceive the senses, but if Eliron grabbed the candy and passed his mana into it, he would be able to easily tell if the girl in front of him was the real thing.

Of course, he could force his mana through her as well, but Eliron did not want to alert her.

If it was a vile spirit, or illusion, he needed to know what their intentions were first.

That was what was running through Eliron’s mind, but nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

Yennefer walked towards him, and Eliron stretched out his hand to take it, but instead of handing the candy to him, Yennefer took his hand in hers, pulled him closer, then kissed him.

Her warm lips met his in a passionate kiss, her tongue infiltrating his mouth.

She tasted like honey with a slice of lemon, likely the taste of the candy she had been eating.

Yen nibbled on his lower lip, tugging at it, her arms wrapped around his neck, her supple, soft body pressed against his.

He could feel the warmth of her skin, sense her pulse, and breathe in the intoxicating scent of her hair, like wild flowers on a dewy morning.

Yen deepened the kiss, her lips exploring his own, and for a second, it felt like it would never end.

Then at the last moment, she passed the candy into his mouth and broke off the kiss, both of them breathing heavily, their faces blushed pink, and a thousand questions running through their minds.

"How d-does it taste?" Yen stammered, covering her face with both her hands.

Meanwhile, Eliron was left speechless.

’What the fuck just happened??’