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Vur floated on top of the ocean, his wings spread wide open to keep him afloat without much effort. His legs kicked at the water, pushing him forward. Despite how little effort he was putting into swimming, his body cut through the water at a fast pace, leaving large white wakes on the ocean’s surface. Thanks to Mistle helping him out, he was actually swimming faster than he usually flew.
“To your right,” Mistle said from the runes on Vur’s back. The current pushing Vur forward changed directions, guiding him to paddle to the side. “There’s a boat not too far away.”
Soon, Vur saw the boat. It wasn’t large by any means. In fact, it was smaller than what he had expected. It was a little smaller than his torso, and it didn’t have a mast. When he got closer, he saw that there was supposed to be a mast, but the structure had been broken. The deck was also filled with scuff marks, and a portion of the railings had been cut away. Evidently, a fight had broken out.
Vur furrowed his brow and grabbed the boat. He hoisted it out of the water, holding it over his head. He shook it a few times, and although things rattled, no humans screamed or fell out. Vur frowned and put the boat down. Stella popped out of his snout and stared at the empty boat. “Another mystery,” she said and rubbed her chin. “Did they fight with each other, ending in a mutual destruction?”
Before anyone could respond, the fairy queen shook her head. “No, that doesn’t make any sense. There should be a victor, and the bodies shouldn’t have disappeared.” She turned around and shouted in the direction of Vur’s head. “Did something in the water eat them, Mistle?”
“Why would I know something like that?” Mistle asked in return. “There aren’t any large creatures in the area, so if something ate them, they must’ve already fled after sensing Vur’s presence.”
Vur frowned. How was he supposed to find the Dragon Slayers now? It seemed like he’d have to ask Auntie Lindyss to search for them the next time he saw her. With her wide network of skeletons, as long as they showed up where her religion had spread, she’d know about it. Since there was nothing he could do for now, Vur leapt out of the water and flapped his wings, sending himself into the air. It was much more comfortable to travel while flying. Water wouldn’t accidentally enter his nostrils, and the wind blowing against his face helped him fall asleep.
***
Tafel lifted the dragon scale in her hand. It shone with an ice-blue light, and traces of Vur appeared within the radius of the icy glow. The method Sera had given her to locate Vur was nearly identical to Minerva’s method of locating Susan and Emile. Tafel wasn’t sure which species came up with the idea first, but she didn’t wonder too much about it. Most likely, the dragons would claim they came up with it, and the phoenixes would claim it was theirs. As for the truth, probably only the Recordkeeper knew.
Vur’s traces were easier to follow than Susan’s and Emile’s. Since Vur enjoyed sleeping while he flew, his course rarely deviated, leaving an easy straight line for Tafel to track. Although there was one sharp turn that almost threw Tafel off, it took her less than a day to arrive on the Edward family’s island. Tafel raise an eyebrow upon seeing the buildings. Judging by their outward appearances, whoever owned the island was a filthy-rich noble.
Tafel walked along, following the traces Vur had left behind. Although some people looked at her funny, no one stopped her to ask what she was doing, much to her surprise. The security on a noble’s island shouldn’t have been that lacking; however, it suited Tafel just fine. They wouldn’t bother her, and she wouldn’t bother them. Eventually, she wound up inside of a large building; its entrance was large enough to accommodate an adult dragon. When Tafel was about to enter a room, a maid stopped her. “Excuse me. That room is specially reserved for His Majesty. I apologize, but I must stop you from entering.”
Tafel’s brow furrowed. “His Majesty? Which majesty are you referring to?”
“His Majesty, King Besteck, of course.”
“Oh,” Tafel said and glanced past the maid to stare at the large door. “Is he inside?”
“No. The auction is in progress,” the maid said. “His Majesty should be in attendance.”
“I’m Tafel Besteck, the queen of Konigreich,” Tafel said. “Do you mind if I take a look inside of my husband’s room?”
The maid blinked. “Oh, um, certainly,” she said after a moment of hesitation and stepped to the side. Although she wasn’t sure if the demon was telling the truth or not, she figured someone who dared to impersonate the king’s wife wouldn’t mind silencing a little nobody like herself. As long as she reported it to her boss later, she wouldn’t get in trouble even if the demon was lying, and if the demon was telling the truth, then she’d likely be praised. As for why she didn’t know what the queen of Konigreich looked like, the maid had never seen her before, so why would she know?
Tafel walked past the maid, not caring about what the servant thought. She pushed open the door, and her eyes widened upon seeing what was inside. It looked like a noble’s room, but everything inside had been scaled up in size to fit a dragon. She walked up the stairs leading to the base of the bed where she saw a clear imprint left behind on the mattress. A sigh escaped from Tafel’s lips as she pressed her hand against the mattress, her arm sinking in halfway up to her elbow. While she had been spending sleepless nights studying in a dark room with no windows, Vur probably had the best nap of his life sleeping on such a swanky bed.