[What?]
The Quilin’s eyes immediately narrowed, and its aura rose menacingly.
[Even if you are the Dragon Lord, you think you can just—.]
“I am asking nicely,” Kyran interrupted while also releasing his aura. “If you don’t want to give it to me then tell me your terms.”
He crossed his arms across his chest, not one bit intimidated by the Quilin’s rising aura.
[What terms? Did you think I will just—.”]
“Either you tell me your terms or I take it by force,” Kyran interrupted once more. “You know I can, so choose wisely.”
As he said, Kyran could easily suppress the Quilin and take its horn by force. However, he did not because the Quilin still had a use. Besides, he was also interested in how it spoke about being a servant to the Imperial Dragons because it sounded as if dragons still existed.
The Quilin growled, but it did not make any movement. It really was easy for the Dragon Lord to take its horn by force.
‘But he did not,’ the Quilin thought in confusion.
This human with a weird black mask denied being the Dragon Lord even though his aura was a dead giveaway. The Quilin found him different from the Dragon Lord it knew from the way he carried himself. For one thing, he was not rowdy. He even appeared calm.
The only thing he had in common with the Dragon Lord was his ominous presence.
‘He also possessed the power of nothingness,’ the Quilin thought, recalling how he destroyed the white magic orbs. ‘Just who is this human?’
Kyran silently observed the Quilin. He could sense its hesitation, and he could not help but wonder what the Quilin’s story was.
When the Quilin refused to speak after a couple of minutes, Kyran finally said, “Look. Those guys back there, still have people nearby. They are occupied earlier but who know until when. Besides, if they did not hear from the three guys you killed they will definitely come here to investigate.”
The Quilin scowled at once.
[It is you who killed them.]
Kyran raised his brows in amusement.
“You’re going to pin the blame on me? It was obvious you flatten them with your powerful outburst,” he pointed.
Kyran had a reason why he said these words. He wanted to remind the Quilin that though it unleashed such a powerful attack that easily killed off the three mages it initially had trouble with, Kyran survived. It was a testament to his strength.
The Quilin snorted at his words.
[They are already dead. I am aiming at you when I release my pressure.]
Kyran could not help but chuckle at the Quilin’s admittance. He also found its denial of killing the three mages a little cute.
‘Hm?’ Kyran suddenly frowned as he recalled something his grandfather once told him when he was still a child:
“All beasts and dragons that served under the Imperial Dragons were not allowed to kill humans. This agreement was put into place when our great ancestor was recognized by the Dragons.”
‘Could this Quilin be bound to that agreement?’ Kyran wondered.
It only occurred to him that the Quilin’s outburst could easily crush the people from the Templar Code. However, although it fought back, it did not deal with any fatal attack.
As for him, the Cloaking Array was still concealing his aura, so the Quilin might not have realized that he was a human.
“Don’t change the subject,” Kyran said, getting their conversation back on track. “I only need a piece of your horn. Don’t be stingy.”
Besides, he knew that the Quilin’s horn was similar to a human’s magic core. If he took it, then it would cripple the Quilin.
The Quilin snorted once more, and its aura slowly returned to normal.
[And why should I give it? Besides, even a piece of my horn can produce unimaginable strength. You, humans, are already above most species in this plane, and yet you still crave more power!]
“I don’t have time to argue with you about human principle. I told you, I can take it by force. I’m only giving you a chance to choose whether you want to offend me or not,” Kyran said, sounding a little impatient.
[And if I chose to offend you—.]
Before the Quilin could finish what it wanted to say, Kyran already uncrossed his arms and pointed his finger at its horn. Small purple rings started to converge at the tip of his finger.
The Quilin’s scalp had gone numb in fear, and it immediately shouted.
[Alright! Okay! I agree! You only need a piece, right?]
Kyran sighed and lowered his hand.
“You should have agreed in the first place. Why wait to be threatened?” He complained and stood up.
[As I said, you humans are greedy for power. Though my strength was nothing compared to my master’s, it is still powerful. A piece of my horn can easily grant you more strength comparable to a company of mages!]
Kyran snorted and disdainfully said, “Do I look like I need more strength?”
The Quilin fell silent.
He had a point. He already possessed the same aura and strength as the Dragon Lord, not to mention having the power of nothingness. He did not lack strength at all; as a matter of fact, he might even have the same strength as the Dragon King.
[Humph!]
The Quilin harumphed in disdain.
Kyran sneered at the Quilin’s reply and jumped from its snout to the ground.
With a short shake of its head, a piece of the Quilin’s horn fell and flew toward Kyran.
[What’s your name, human?]
Kyran took the piece of horn and put it in his space storage.
“You should introduce yourself first, before you ask for other’s name,” he replied with a shrug.
The Quilin scoffed but replied.
[I am Zephyr.]
As soon as Zephyr said its name, its whole body glowed and slowly decreased in size.
After a few seconds, the light that covered Zephyr eased and revealed… a human boy around ten years old.
Apart from its reptilian dark red eyes, Zephyr did look like a real human with distinctive red and violet long hair. He was wearing a dark red with violet and lilac accent dragon scale patterned leather coat.
Kyran gaped at Zephyr’s human form. He had read that dragons could imitate a human’s physical appearance. But he did not expect a Quilin, which was not even a full lesser dragon, since it was a part unicorn, to have a human form. More importantly, when Zephyr had spoken earlier, he sounded like a middle-aged man. How come his human form was a boy?
“So? What’s your name?”
Kyran snapped out of his thoughts and slightly shook his head.
“Nar,” he replied.
Zephyr frowned.
“That’s a pseudonym isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Zephyr scowled at Kyran’s admittance.
“I said my real name and yet you—.”
“What? Is it a big deal if I don’t tell you my real name?”
“You—.”
“Drop it. Tell me your terms so I can leave,” Kyran interrupted and diverted the conversation back on track.
Zephyr pursed his lips. He did not expect Kyran to ask for his terms still now that he gave him what he wanted.
Seeing Zephyr’s hesitation, Kyran heaved a sigh and said, “I said it before. Don’t lump me with those people who were after you. Since you gave me a piece of your horn, and I asked for your terms, I will do it.”
“You are one peculiar human.”
Kyran smiled, amused at how Zephyr’s appearance and boyish voice contradicted his adult speaking.
Unfortunately, Zephyr did not see his expression because of his mask.
After a short pause, Zephyr sighed and shook his head.
“Forget it. Even if I have one, it is useless to tell you. You got what you wanted. Take it as compensation for killing those three for me. Leave this place and never come back,” Zephyr said and turned to leave.
Kyran did not reply and only watched Zephyr make his way to the shrine. He could not help but sense how lonely the Quilin’s back looked as he walked away.
Taking a deep breath, Kyran looked at the entrance of the shrine. Earlier, he thought the Quilin wanted to go there because a trap awaited the three mages. From his attitude when he tried to escape from him, Kyran realized that the shrine must be the Quilin’s last haven. The three mages did not want the Quilin to enter the shrine because they probably could not enter it.
‘But why did he leave the shrine anyway? To hunt for food? There’s also the tunnel underground,’ Kyran thought with a slight frown.
Now that he felt more relaxed after securing the ‘rare stone’, Kyran was getting more curious about Zephy’s story. Apart from this, he really believed he could be useful to him.
Who wouldn’t want a powerful beast as an ally?
But taming Zephyr was out of the question.
Kyran was also afraid of over-exerting his central core if he tried to use the Sigil when his magic cores had not healed from the damage it received after dealing with the mutated Basilisks.
‘I can only convince him by helping solve his problem,’ Kyran thought, recalling that Zephyr might have suffered a lot from the Templar Code’s constant pursuit to get a piece of his horn.
‘Why does the Templar Code want his horn anyway?’
Suddenly, Kyran sensed several approaching auras.
Remembering the smashed bodies of the three elite mages, Kyran could only imagine how the Templar Code would retaliate.
Kyran looked at Zephyr, who was almost in front of the shrine. Then he looked up at the sky. It was almost four in the afternoon based on the sun’s position.
His deadline in delivering the rare stone was tomorrow. He had almost a day to spare.
‘Let’s go get a Quilin as an ally,’ Kyran decided after a few seconds with a faint smile.
