// A troublesome situation. //

"You know full well!
why we are here!"
A roar of a woman wearing a white beautiful robe cried out from the entrance of their palace.
Utilizing wind magic her voice echoed across the place.

Her priestly hat and gaudy appearance embody a high ranking official of their religion.
She appeared with an army of men in front of the palace of Bristle,
A crowd of people slowly gathered from a distance as she preaches.

"There is no use hiding such powerful talent from us,
Our ears and eyes, reaches far and wide among your people."

"A young youth capable of vanquishing the darkness in one brilliant light."

The King could only groan as he gazed at his wife.
He was instructing his people to perform repairs for the castle, as well as compensation for the people who were victims of the attack. As he exhaled deeply while complaining.

"I expected them to come soon.
But not this quickly."

The Queen was rubbing her head in annoyance to her voice.
As she replied to her husband.

"I never thought that the child I brought here would be Rue.
Not to mention, she became the mistress of demon-king himself.
At this rate we will be called heretics and the Order of Light will be the next pain in the neck."

Her aide Caillou then asked.
"What shall we do then your royal highness?"

Her eyes turned to him as she then asked.
"Where is Leanne right now?
We might need the help of her friend, to explain things a bit."

Caillou replied.
"She's already moving towards her room."

________________________________________________________________________________

// Leanne's Struggles level's Up. //

Leanne, right now was walking with Lana, she had a really annoyed and frustrated expression.
Like a bombshell that exploded right in front of them.
Her secrets were revealed, one by one as chaos unfolds before them in quick successions.

She then said.
"Ugh, what the heck is happening to us?"

Lana snarkily replied.
"Don't ask me,
I stopped caring about common sense at this point."

A few moments ago, the Queen had a private talk with Leanne.

"Leanne I have a special task for you." her mother sharp gaze pierced her as she nods in reply.

"Never let go of that friend of yours.
If we continue to forge a bond between our nations.
The amount of knowledge and power they hold may become a part of ours.

So... do everything in your power to keep her at our side."

Leanne swallowed her saliva as she gazed the wide smile on her face.
She nods to her in response as the Queen then said with a fierce look on her eyes.

"I've checked on, your work with Caillou.
I'm quite impressed that you managed to escape such a scenario with her help.
Though, it seems you suspect your own brother for plotting such a terrible scheme upon you.

Why exactly is that?"

Leanne the replied with a pale expression.
"The bandit that attacked us had an interest in my maid.
Despite making any enemies except for him." [Chapter 9.]

"Although, during the chaos, he didn't seem to express any surprise upon my arrival.
But I still haven't ruled out the possibility of him, being related to that attack."

The Queen gazed at her with curiosity as she then said.
"Are you sure, you're not just trying to remove him as a fellow competitor for the throne?"

Leanne trembled at her words as though, the Queen had seen through her.
It was a part of her plan, as well as a part of her goal.
If her brother was indeed the culprit, she can take the throne with absolute control.

Once her family decides to recede the throne.
Roland is still far too young, hence her odds of becoming the Queen of her own nation will undoubtedly be assured without her own brother existence.

The Queen then said.
"Though, after I heard news from your father, that curing me was your work.
Your odds of claiming the throne is now higher than his...

Sending my own personal servants to spy on his actions might be a wise action on paper.
It is also a foolish move on your part. "

"Eh?" Leanne replied to her words in confusion.

"Your own greed is blinding you, my daughter."

"Your brother isn't the only threat here.
Look below your feet and you will see, who the true enemy are..."

As she said those words, Leanne froze as she paused to think.
"Mother...
You're not saying that  
Those below us are plotting to claim the throne for their own?"

"Are you?" she said in disbelief.

She opened her fan, in front with a sharp gaze towards her.
As she then said.
"Your eyes are sharp and so is your tongue.
Instead of making many enemies with it.
Isn't it about time you make allies?

Because I am telling you now, dear daughter.
Your brother has already made many of them.
And one of them, without a doubt had plotted them for him."

"That attack will not be the first and will not be the last.
Prepare yourself.
That young lass we found, may perhaps be your only shield."

As present time returns as she continued to walk the corridors in frustration.
[To think, things will turn out like this.
Without a doubt, without Estel help.
I would have turned into a slave and Lana would have been played with.

But, but, but...
How the heck am...
I suppose to deal with this mischievous girl,
when everything she does is a complete and utter surprise!?]

As Leanne and Lana reached the door, to Estel room.
She took a deep breath while turning the knob and pushed it open.

"Estel... I'm going to need.
Your... help?"

Leanne was watching a strange spectacle,
There was a tiny white dragon on the table and a shadow knight captain in front of her.

Her hair had returned to the color purple which she originally had.
And she didn't understand what was happening.
Causing her mind to freeze in surprise and dread as their dragonlike eyes gazed at her.

Estel who relaxed in a chair while drinking her tea then said.
"What's wrong? Come in." as she raised a brow to them.

_________________________________________________________________________

// Friends and Dragons //

As two dragons gazed at her with curiousity.
Leanne's face twitch with anxiety as Estel provided the two with her own mix of tea.

Aisha then asked.
"Why are you still serving them?"

Her grandfather then asked with his brow furrowing while gazing at them with a piercing glare.
"Serve them?"

The two shuddered in terror as they recalled the man before he transformed into a large dragon. Estel then retorts to his expression with displeasure.

"Grandfather, if you keep gazing at them like that!
I'll never talk to you, ever again!"

He then panics as he said.
"But, but..."

"I enjoyed serving them as their maid.
They never made me do anything ridiculous aside from making me wear a ridiculous dress."

While Estel turned away from them, busying herself with the trolly she requested making herself a new set of tea.

The word ridiculous made him think of something showy and perverted.
"What do you mean by ri-ridiculous?"
He said with anger as the table began to make a cracking sound while one of his hand pinched it.
The two froze with fear as they sensed his killing intent while he gently smiled at them.

"A beautiful maid clothing that looked more like a dress than fitting the usual maid clothing."

His silent fury towards them, then subsided as he heard the word dress.
As the table then instantly repaired itself as Estel turned to walk back to her seat.

The two were dead silent while they drank tea.
As Estel then asked.
"You said, you needed my help?"

Leanne then replied.
"Uhh... yes, the order of light seems to have arrived.
They appear to have sought you out to recruit you as one of their own."

Estel gazed at her with a bored expression as she frowned.
"The problems, never ends does it?"

But as she said those words.
Her grandfather then said.
"Those fools, dare to bother my granddaughter.
I'll show them, the true terror of facing against a True Dragon."

While Leanne and Lana could only bite their lips in worry.
Estel then retorts.
"Stop!
You're just going to make things worse by showing up in front of them!"

He then asked.
"Then what are we suppose to do then?"

Estel placed her hand on her chin as she then said.
"I had an idea, but it's a way...
Too ridiculous."

Leanne then said with brightly shining eyes.
"No matter how ridiculous it is...
I'm pretty sure your idea already saved our necks once.
What makes this one so different?"

As she fiddled her fingers as she then said.
"It involves myself showing myself in front of them while I escape from this place.
Though, I have no idea where else to go."

The two blink at her with a wry smile as they heard her words.
"See, I told you it was a ridiculous idea!"

But her grandfather then said.
"Actually, that can work.
One of your servants just handed me this."

In his hand, a letter from the queen was given to him.
A letter of enrollment for Bristle's Academia.

"We can leave from here to there.
So we can begin our training."

Estel could only give her grandfather a wry smile as he mentioned training.
while chucking as he said.

"I doubt their horses can climb wall's,
We wouldn't have any trouble of getting out of their sights.
Since I can just fly us there."

Leanne then asked.
"Can you take us with you?"

Lana retorts.
"Leanne are you serious!?"

She then pulls her as the two huddled while she whispered to her ears.
"My father is planning on keeping me inside the palace after he discovered ambush placed on me.
This is my only chance of leaving this place while keeping my mother from dragging me back into that ridiculous education."

"What if we fall?" she asks

"Then we are goners, simple as that."

Aisha who was taking a nap on the bed then told them.
"Dragon-kins have keen senses that can hear from afar, you know?
Just ride along with them, or be left behind!"

Estel and her grandpa could only turn away, as Leanne and Lana turned towards them.
The two then turned red as Leanne who is beet red politely then asked.

"Please allow us to join you, fly towards the Academy."

Her grandfather nods to them,
As he soon stood outside the window while blowing a loud whistle through his mouth.
What everyone did not expect was soon to arrive at their doorstep.

________________________________________________________________________________

// A Ridiculous Escape. //

A few moment later...

While her Leanne family bought time, keeping the Order of Light in their gates.
They sooner lost patience as they had begun to attack their gate.
"Have your people gone insane!?" The king on the other side of the gate cried out.

The Priestly female bishop then said.
"You had dragged this for too long!
The fact she has not offered her yet is a terrible crime to our order!
Your people from here henceforth will be-"

As she continued to speak, her men behind her were crying and shouting.

"What the hell is that thing!"

"It's coming this way!"

A giant black wyvern has appeared wearing the steel armor and emblem of the demon-kingdom.
As it flew past by the walls of the city, it soon reached the palace as the air trembled and shook upon its arrival. In a few short seconds, it later landed on the garden of the palace where the duel between the lich and the black dragon were made.

The gardeners weep as they saw their plants turn into one gigantic mess after another.

With Leanne, Lana, Estel with her grandfather along with another shadow knight coming with them.
It soon flapped its wings as it slowly flew in the sky with a burst of wind gushing with every force as it flew in the sky.

The Order of Light along with Leanne's parents saw the spectacle as, the silver-haired girl stood on the side of the wyvern watching them from the sky while Leanne, Lana, and her grandfather was holding her up properly from behind with their hands, keeping her from falling as well as keeping themselves hidden as she gazed at them on the corner of the wyvern.

As it later moved to fly away.

The dumbfounded order made haste to chase them, but it was a futile effort as the city wall's and buildings were preventing any chance of keeping them in their sights. They soon bombarded the Bristle family parents with questions, but they sooner gave up as their objective had already fled from them.