At the end of the still-unfinished city wall, Nolan and Messmer stood side by side, their figures especially clear in the morning light.
Nolan did not answer Messmer's question right away. His gaze passed over the wall and settled on the boundless sea in the distance, while Messmer watched him.
At dawn, the sky was growing brighter, and the wind and waves were gradually calming. Ships came and went across the sea, weaving through the waters in a bustling scene.
Limgrave and Caelid had now been joined as one, which made sea transport between the two regions especially busy.
The hill beside the city wall had originally been flattened in the great battle, but it had now been restored to its former shape, though it looked as if it had been newly rebuilt.
Knights and soldiers patrolled the wall everywhere, but they were there to watch passing travelers and petty thieves sneaking in from the shadows. They were not about to question a Lord idly wandering around with nothing better to do.
Before long, Nolan's gaze shifted to a tall tower in the east. The tower stood beyond the sea, connected to Stormveil Castle by a great bridge.
Its peak pierced the clouds, with low-hanging wisps of cloud gathering around it, giving it an air of solemn grandeur. That was where the Two Fingers resided.
The Divine Tower of Limgrave.
According to legend, Limgrave's Two Fingers were placed at the top of that tower. Nolan had never visited the descendants of that supreme deity, but by now, the bridge leading up to the tower had long since collapsed and could no longer be crossed.
Nolan casually waved to his side, and Lansseax stepped forward from behind him.
"My High Priest," Nolan said sternly, "you were responsible for receiving our honored guests from the Royal Capital, weren't you? So, have we found them?"
His gaze fell on Lansseax, though there was not the slightest hint in his eyes that he truly cared.
"There's nothing we can do. We simply can't find those people from the Two Fingers Church. Even the Night's Cavalry don't know where they ran off to." Lansseax shook her head.
"They're just as useless as their masters. Back when they promised to help, no one was more eager than them. But once the fighting actually started, no one ran faster either."
After saying that, she curled her lip, her words full of sarcasm and disdain.
Nolan chuckled. "Maybe they ran because they saw me?" There was a hint of teasing in his voice.
Lansseax froze. "What do you mean?" She looked at Nolan in confusion, not understanding the playful look on his face.
"Leyndell's Golden Hero. Not everyone is necessarily fond of that title."
Nolan took Lansseax's soft hand and slowly raised it as if inviting her to dance, then gently pointed it toward the distant Divine Tower.
The Divine Tower rose into the clouds like an insurmountable monument, standing silently above the sea.
"The Golden Order could not stop the Scarlet Flower from blooming, yet it was stopped by the so-called Golden Hero. What do you think those people would make of that?"
Nolan lowered his head and leaned close to Lansseax's ear, as though waiting for her answer.
"Bullshit Golden Hero. You're a threat! An uncontrollable threat!" Lansseax turned to look at Nolan. "So those Church Confessors knew that and ran?"
"Marika can hardly protect herself, and she is no different from a puppet. With such an easy doll to control, I don't think they need another Lord they can't control," Nolan said softly.
Lansseax wore a white gown, her back pressed tightly against Nolan's chest. Her wings were folded and hidden beneath her long hair, while her thick tail coiled around Nolan's waist.
This woman truly had not changed.
Trina watched from the side and raised her hand in strong protest and condemnation, but Lansseax chose to ignore her former Lord.
Instead, that beautiful, entirely human-looking face leaned against Nolan, and Lansseax gave Her Highness the Goddess a sweet smile.
Provocation. This was blatant provocation.
Trina was angry. She decided she would show the dignity of a god and make this female dragon suffer a terrible nightmare tonight.
Nolan gently released Lansseax's hand, his gaze flicking back in passing.
The knights were watching their surroundings vigilantly, their expressions so resolute that they looked like game NPCs with built-in blind spots.
Lansseax frowned slightly and said, rather displeased, "It seems letting those people join the battle was a mistake."
Nolan grinned and smoothed Lansseax's hair for her.
"It wasn't your mistake. I want to become the Lord who stands before everyone. I should be the one shielding you from the front, not hiding somewhere no one can see me and trembling in fear."
He paused, then continued.
"And I'm not trying to blame anyone. It's just that those fingers seem to have a hand behind the Magic Academy as well, and now everyone knows about our relationship with Caria."
Nolan turned his gaze to Messmer and went on.
"Whether they target Ranni or me, they may interfere in Caria's civil war. That's why I'm sending you. You may as well take Knight Rellana with you."
Nolan unconsciously caught the little raised tip of the tail wrapped around his waist, and suddenly, a question flashed through his mind.
He remembered that Florissax could also assume human form, yet he had never seen her take on a shape as close to human as Lansseax's. She had always appeared as a half-dragon clad in Scale Armor.
Could every Ancient Dragon do what Lansseax did, or was Lansseax the only special one?
The question circled in Nolan's mind. As the Witch's student, and someone who ought to be an excellent scholar as well, he felt this was a subject very much worth studying in depth.
Just as Nolan was absorbed in thought, he suddenly felt someone poking his face.
He came back to his senses and found that it was Trina, playfully poking him with her finger.
For some reason, the bright smile on Nolan's face made Trina feel a little annoyed.
"Nolan, what are you thinking about?" Trina asked, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm thinking about a bright future where humans and dragons coexist. A child wouldn't understand," Nolan said, deliberately putting on a serious air as he patted Trina's head.
"Nolan, you big jerk! I'm not a child!" Trina punched Nolan's shoulder armor, only for the pain in her hand to nearly bring tears to her eyes.
Trina knew Nolan was bullying her. Whether she was a child or not, Nolan knew better than anyone.
"All right, stop messing around. We have guests." Nolan quickly took Trina's little hand and gestured for her to look toward the road outside the city gate.
Trina followed Nolan's gaze and saw three figures in black robes standing out clearly on the road beyond the gate.
Among the merchants and farmers, the three of them looked unusually tall. They were fully three meters in height, and their bulky builds made them look like a group of little giants.
"Tell the guards there's no need to search them. They're walking in so openly without even trying to hide. One glance is enough to tell they're here as guests, so let them in," Nolan said, his tone carrying a meaningful hint of teasing.
The knights looked at Nolan with some hesitation, but it lasted only an instant. In the end, they obeyed his order, and one knight accepted the command before leading several soldiers toward the city gate.
Nolan stood beside the battlements, took one last look at the distant tower, then turned and walked back into the city.