š Scene ā When Loki Smiles in the Shadows
The dragons sent by the Dragon King to retrieve the flower had already arrived in the lands of the demi-humans, heading straight toward the palace of the Demi-Human King.
At that moment, Lilith and the others who had hoped to take advantage of the situation began retreating slowly, unease creeping into their hearts.
The presence of dragons hereā¦ made it nearly impossible for anyone to obtain the flower.
So, most of them withdrew.
Only a few remainedā¦
Those who did not care whether they lived or died, or those who possessed blind confidence in themselves and did not fear even dragons.
Lilithā¦ and the Crown Prince of the human empireā¦ were among those few.
Both were waiting for the right moment to act.
š The Storm Approaches
The dragons were already nearing the royal capital of the demi-humansā¦
Before they could arrive, the Demi-Human King himself went out to meet them.
He walked with steady steps, silently thanking his sister's husband for his warning and well-crafted plan.
He stepped forward, bowed slightly in respect, and said:
"May I know the reason for the great dragons' visit?"
The leader of the dragons looked at him with slight irritation and said:
"Do you truly not knowā¦ or are you trying to hide the flower from us, even now?"
The Demi-Human King widened his eyes in feigned shock and said:
"Even you believe those rumors? How is that possible?!"
One of the dragons stepped forward sharply and said:
"These are not rumorsā¦ they are the truth. Stop lying and show us the flower's locationā¦ or you know the consequences."
š The Deception
The Demi-Human King pretended to think, as if confused, then quickly said:
"There have beenā¦ strange movements near the capital. We discovered they were from the dark elves. I don't know if this will help you, but I can show you the place."
The dragons looked at one another, doubt filling their eyes.
Could it be that this king truly didn't know?
Or was he trying to deceive them?
After a moment of thought, they concluded that he was trying to divert danger away from his people and redirect it toward the dark elves.
Finally, the dragon leader said:
"Show us the way."
The Demi-Human King nodded quickly and led them forward, silently thanking his brother-in-law's plan once againā
removing the guards, erasing the demi-humans' tracesā¦ and leaving only the traces of the dark elves.
š² Inside the Forest
They all arrived at the forest near the royal capital.
As soon as they entered, the dragonsāusing their sharp sensesādetected traces of dark elf energy in the area.
They also sensed faint traces of demi-humansā¦
but paid them no attention, as that was natural near the capital.
They focused only on the traces of the dark elves.
They exchanged glances, their suspicion beginning to fadeā¦
and even felt a degree of respect for the Demi-Human King.
If he had been lyingā¦ he would have stationed guards here.
But the place was completely empty.
And that confirmed his honestyā¦ or so they believed.
šø The Discovery of the Flower
The dragon leader stepped forward and stared deeply into the heart of the forest, then said in a low voice:
"I've found itā¦"
In an instant, he rushed forward at tremendous speed.
When they reached the spot, they sensed something strangeā¦
a different, faint aura lingering in the area.
They exchanged looks, but didn't think much of it.
Perhaps it belonged to an animal that had passed byā¦ or something insignificant.
It didn't matter.
What matteredā¦ was the flower.
The dragon leader extended his hand and waved it slightlyā¦
The flower rose from the soil and settled into his grasp.
He examined it for a moment, then said decisively:
"We've found it."
ā” Departure
In the next moment, he and the other dragons launched into the sky, speeding back toward the land of dragons.
Before they disappeared, their leader called out:
"We will thoroughly investigate who hid this flower from usā¦ and if you demi-humans are telling the truth, we will reward you with something of equal value."
Thenā¦ they vanished.
š The End of the First Phase
The Demi-Human King stood in place, watching the sky where the dragons had disappearedā¦
He let out a relieved sigh and said quietly:
"Good thing I was preparedā¦"
Then he smiled faintly and added:
"I've removed all suspicion from usā¦ and turned all attention toward the dark elves."
Butā¦ what he did not knowā¦
Was that everything that had happened
was unfolding exactly as plannedā¦
by Loki.
Around the Demi-Human Kingdom, Lilith stood still, watching as the group of dragons flew back toward their lands, a look of confusion clearly drawn across her face.
She thought to herself in astonishment:
"Did they really find it that easily? Didn't the demi-humans even slow them down a little? Orā¦ did they simply hand the flower over on a silver platter?"
Lilith let out a sigh, as did the others who had been waiting for a chance to take advantage of the chaos.
One thought circled in all their minds:
If there had been a battleā¦ even a small oneā¦
they could have moved and stolen the flower without the dragons noticing.
Butā¦
The swift actions of the demi-humans, and their complete submission, shattered all their plans and closed every opportunity before them.
Everyone dispersed, each going their own way, thinking about what had just happenedā¦
unable to fully comprehend it.
Everyone believedā¦
that the dragons were the ones who benefitedā¦ that they were the ones who obtained the flower.
But the truthā¦ was entirely different.
š·ļø What Happened in Secret
A few hours before the dragons arrivedā¦
and after the Demi-Human King had removed all the guards from the areaā¦
Loki had already begun executing his plan.
But not by himself.
Instead, through a large bird he had found, taken control of, and ordered to search for the flower.
And indeedā¦ the bird succeeded.
When Loki saw what the bird had foundāfeeling it through their connectionāhis eyes lit up with joy.
There wasn't just one flowerā¦
There were four.
Loki seized the opportunity immediately, ordering the bird to take three flowers and leave only one behind for the dragons, who were about to arrive.
And so, the bird carried the three flowers back to Loki.
ā³ Waiting at the Border
Nowā¦
Loki stood near the borders of the Demi-Human Kingdom,
the three flowers in his possessionā¦
waiting.
Waiting for something specific.
And his expectations were not disappointed.
After a short while, he sensed a strange aura in the area.
He looked aroundā¦
and saw a peculiar light forming.
From within itā¦
the duke's wife emerged.
She held a strange-looking sword in her hand.
āļø Betrayal
As soon as she approached, before she could say a word, Loki spoke calmly:
"Well done. You succeeded in your mission. Is there any danger or important information?"
The duchess shook her head.
Stealing the sword had been incredibly easy for her.
She entered the treasury aloneā¦
searched for a whileā¦
then found the swordā¦
and hid it within a special storage tool she possessed.
No one suspected her.
She was the beloved sister of the Demi-Human Kingā¦
no one could have imagined she would steal from him.
She left the palaceā¦
then the capital entirelyā¦
and used a teleportation tool to reach the place Loki had designated.
š©ø The End
Loki listened to her calmlyā¦
Then he sighed and said in a cold voice:
"Well doneā¦ it's truly unfortunate that your brother's trust in you has now been destroyed."
Before she could say a wordā¦
He waved his hand.
The duchess fell to the groundā¦ dead.
But the sword in her handā¦
flew straight toward Loki, as if drawn to him.
š A Moment of Arrogance
Loki grabbed the sword, along with the three flowersā¦
Then laughed arrogantly and said:
"I am the strongest and smartest being in this world, Iā"
But before he could finishā¦
The ravens appeared.
They seized him without any respect and began flying him back toward Asgard.
Loki fell silent for a moment, suspended in the airā¦
Then sighed in mild annoyance and said:
"At leastā¦ let me finish my sentence."
(Author's Note):
Hello everyone! Thank you for your continuous support of this novel; your comments and interactions mean the world to me.
Stepping away from our story here for a moment, I wanted to share another project I've been working on with great passion. I have started publishing a webtoon (comic) on the Webtoon platform titled "Me and the Wolf."
It is a [Comedy / Fantasy] story about a miserable young man and a cunning wolf who is constantly getting him into trouble! If you enjoy my writing style and the way I build scenarios, I promise you're going to love this comic.
I would be so grateful if you could go check it out, subscribe to the series, and let me know what you think in the comments there!
š Search on the Webtoon app for: [Me and the Wolf]