Kaedros smiled. He would do it, he would make Rauk into a King.
In the Draconic City, a scheme would’ve been suicide. But here, in the human world, everything was different.
Here... things were different.
"Did you hear that, Vexa? He wants to be King. And I will make it so."
It wasn’t just a statement. It was a vow. A proclamation.
Vexa gave him a disgusted look. "You’ll need to fix that mouth before you meet the future King. It would be a shame if you died simply because you couldn’t keep it shut."
Kaedros smiled wider. "You already have him here with you, Vexa. Your future King."
"Oh? Let’s indulge this madness for a moment. Say you want to make him King. How will you do that? You think you can take over a kingdom without an army?"
Kaedros paused, then shrugged. "That’s beside the point. I have Taria. I have myself. And I have the Prince-to-be. Isn’t that enough?"
Taria groaned and rubbed her forehead.
Sometimes Kael could be so blind, she thought.
Rauk remained silent, standing still as though none of this concerned him at all.
Vexa’s body shook with laughter. "You? Just because you have potential doesn’t mean you’ll become a powerful Ascendants. And that girl? She’s barely a footnote. As for Rauk, he’s already a lost cause."
But Kaedros had already made up his mind.
He was going to crown a new King in Thalvaris, and nothing would stop him.
It was more than just another scheme, more than the political games he’d been denied back in the Dragon City. There was something about Rauk that resonated with him, something little bit familiar.
Like how a wolf would notice a strange pattern from a rat.
Kaedros knew what that felt like. He remembered the bitter sting of being punished for things beyond his control.
"So what if we don’t have soldiers?" Kaedros said, voice full of quiet steel. "We’ll raise them."
Vexa’s hand tightened around her sword.
"You’re speaking treason," she said.
"How? The kingdom has no heir, not officially. And here stands a Prince. Where’s the treason?"
Vexa was silent. Her eyes narrowed. This, this, was the reason the Second Prince wanted Rauk dead. Because there would always be Lords who saw value in backing a bastard they could control once he became king.
A puppet on the throne and now, this trashy bounty hunter was doing the same.
"Well?" Vexa asked. "Don’t you have anything to say, Bastard?"
Rauk looked up at her and smiled.
His father had once told him that words held more power than swords.
"Bastard Prince," he corrected.
"What?" Vexa blinked, stunned.
"A bastard who’s also a prince. That’s who I am," Rauk said. He shrugged, calm and composed, a smirk tugging at his lips. "And if I want... I’ll be a bastard who becomes a King."
Vexa recoiled as if he’d grown fangs and suddenly bit her. She didn’t like it. Not one bit.
"I planned to give you a painless death as a parting gift," she snarled, "but I’ve changed my mind. I’ll make you suffer."
"The shivers," Taria muttered, rolling her eyes. Fear had long since worn away. Constant brushes with death had left only exhaustion.
"Enough!" Vexa hissed. Her blade rose.
The same vibrating energy that had turned Thandor to pulp surged toward them, but a spinning shield snapped into place and stopped it.
Vexa’s eyes went wide. "Impossible! Anything below rank two shield shouldn’t stop that, and you’re level one, stage five! What kind of cheap tricks are you using?!"
"We all have our secrets," Kaedros said, glancing toward Rauk.
The Prince removed a spatial ring from his finger and tossed it.
Kaedros caught it effortlessly.
Vexa’s eyes gleamed. "You really do have potential. I won’t damage you too much before handing you over to the Prince."
"You know, I’m starting to get jealous," Taria said dryly. "Kael and I are the same rank. Shouldn’t someone mention my potential too?"
Kaedros grinned. "Don’t be jealous, my little warrior. Where I go, you must come too, to defend me."
Taria mock-pouted. "I’m not serving any Prince."
"Of course not. We’re just helping a bastard Prince. Nothing more," Kaedros replied.
Vexa’s face twitched. Her headache returned, fury etching lines into her expression.
"I know. I’ll bring you to my Prince, Kael... but I’ll kill the girl."
He raised his head slowly, his expression shifting into something cold, inhuman.
"What did you say?" he asked softly.
Vexa instinctively stepped back. For a second, her fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. Why?
Was it his tone, each word laced in black ice?
Was it the way his gaze seemed to peer through her?
For a moment, she could have sworn something not human was looking at her.
But no... that was impossible.
He was just a rank one mage.
So she raised her sword again.
Kaedros shook his head. "It’s already too late."
The plan had been simple, create an explosion strong enough to take Vexa out in one go.
The problem? None of them had the power to do it.
At least, not officially. Kaedros didn’t trust any of them with his secrets unless he wanted to kill them again. And now, he had two investments.
He wanted to play in the human world before he head to the Draconic City. And he must do it without drawing attention to the fact that he was the Dragon of sun. Or the Dragon of....? Kaedros didn’t know if his title has changed with his core.
So the only option left... was to generate such an explosion.
That was where Rauk’s spatial ring came in.
Kaedros had been overloading it with mana this entire time, during their back-and-forth. But doing so without triggering a premature explosion was delicate work.
"You’re babbling again," Vexa said, narrowing her eyes. "Let’s see if your shield survives this."
Kaedros threw the ring.
Vexa’s instincts took over—she slashed it with her sword.
The explosion shattered the corridor.
And everything drowned in light of rippling red.