I Received System to Become Dragonborn

A portal opened in front of them. They were now at Erend's home after obtaining special permission from General Lennard to return early.

The portal was white and emitted a rather dazzling light. It was slightly different from the portals that had been taking them to Eternal Earth. But Aurdis's voice buzzing in Erend's head reassured him that this portal would indeed take them there.

"Aurdis said that when the King returned, an ancient Magic enveloping the Palace also ignited. That's what makes this portal appear brighter than before," Erend explained the situation to Adrien and Billy, who looked puzzled.

Adrien and Billy nodded their heads. They immediately realized that the power of the King of the Elves was indeed so powerful that with his presence, an ancient Magic could awaken from its slumber.

Erend, Adrien, and Billy stepped into the portal with confidence. After not going to that other world for so long, they finally returned there again.

After stepping out of the portal, they realized that they were directly teleported to the middle of the palace. Many Elves were looking at their arrival.

The weird thing was they showed friendly smiles of welcome, as if they were welcoming heroes returning after a long time.

Their relationship with these Elves had indeed improved significantly since their first arrival here. But the relationship had never reached this state of respect before.

"Welcome, my friends."

A deep voice was heard from in front of them. The three of them immediately turned and found the figure of the King sitting on his throne, which had previously been empty.

From his form alone, the aura of power was felt throughout the room. The king only gave them a faint smile. Adrien and Billy, who were ordinary humans, looked mesmerized by Gulben.

He was just like any other Elf, with a gorgeous face and a silver beard. Despite spending so long in exile, in just a few months, he had already regained his aura of a king.

But Erend was slightly different from them. He didn't feel the aura of King Gulben as strongly as the two of them did. What he saw from the Elf King was just the figure of a ruler Elf. He wasn't mesmerized like them.

"Thank you, uhh... Your Majesty," Erend said on behalf of the two of them. Gulben smiled. "Because you all are our valuable friends, I have prepared services that will surely satisfy you."

Erend frowned. What did he mean by that? "We are thankful, Your Majesty. But we prefer to discuss the matters that we need to address directly," Adrien, who had returned to his senses, said.

The smile on the Elf King's face disappeared. He said, "I see that you all are hasty beings. My apologies, I have never interacted with beings from another world before."

"That's alright," Adrien replied. The three of them hadn't forgotten what the king had done.

He had abandoned his kingdom, which ultimately caused many problems. Although they knew his reasons, a king should be able to set aside his feelings. He had to lead his people despite whatever happened, especially in times of crisis like that.

So, their respect for the king wasn't as high as it was supposed to be. And it might last for some time more.

"Please follow me. We will discuss the important matters as you wish," King Gulben said. Then he went to a room behind his throne.

Accompanied by him, Aurdis, Aerchon, and Saeldir followed. The three of them were indeed the most important figures in this palace besides the king himself.

"So he's just gonna act like a king right now, huh," Billy muttered, followed by a crooked smile on his face.

Adrien sighed. He said, "At least he came back. You can feel how the Magic energy in this Palace changes when he's here."

Billy thought for a moment, then nodded his head. "You're right, sir. At least for now, our odds are getting better. Though I still can't forgive him."

"I think none of us can forgive him that fast, Brook," Billy remarked. The three of them followed the king into a room that wasn't too large. This room was much smaller than the hall they were in earlier.

The walls of this room were made of some kind of black stone. It wasn't stacked together; instead, this room looked like someone had carved it from a whole stone to make it.

They all sat at a square table made of glass, or even maybe crystal. King Gulben sat in the seat of honor at the end of the table.

"Thank you for answering our call. I have heard what you have done for us, and I don't know how to thank you enough," King Gulben began.

"Just doing our duty, sir," Adrien replied with a thin smile. Erend and Billy remained silent because if they spoke, they would say something inappropriate.

King Gulben moved. He then looked at Erend, who sat upright, staring at him. Erend immediately felt that the king had his own agenda for him.

His eyes seemed like the eyes of a hawk that had found its target.

"So, what do you want to discuss now, Your Majesty?" Adrien asked.

"There is an artifact that can boost our power. It is a hammer that can be used to forge the most powerful weapon for us.

"However, it's not just that hammer that we need to obtain. That hammer can only be wielded by someone chosen."

Adrien, Erend, and Billy exchanged puzzled looks.

"So, what do we need to do?" Adrien asked.

"We have to retrieve the hammer, and also the being who can wield it."

Silence ensued for a few seconds. Then, Erend spoke up. "That complicates a lot of things, right?"

King Gulben nodded. "You're correct. It does make things more complicated. But I wouldn't suggest it if it weren't important for us."

Considering its function, the three of them agreed with the king. Obtaining a powerful weapon was clearly important for their survival.

"Where is that place?" Adrien asked.

"It's quite far."

Afterward, King Gulben explained about the location of the artifact. It was indeed pretty far based on his description, and the journey there was not an easy one.

The meeting lasted for about three hours before King Gulben finally said they should rest first. He mentioned he had something to attend to with Saeldir and instructed them to enjoy the feast he had prepared for them.

The three of them walked to the garden where the feast was set up. Aurdis and Aerchon joined them.

Erend noticed the smile on Aurdis's beautiful face as she approached him. The smile warmed his heart, which had been cold from holding back his feelings of longing.

Erend didn't realize it because he had been busy leveling up and thinking about the Great Calamity all this time. He didn't realize how much he missed the Elf princess.

When they were standing in front of him, Aurdis moved her hand to touch his arm. "Have you grown stronger again?" she asked.

Erend nodded. "I have to."

Aurdis looked up at him. "You need to relax. You're not alone, you know?"

Erend briefly forgot about it because of his fears. He actually wished he were alone. That way, he wouldn't have to involve his friends and loved ones in danger. Let him bear that burden and danger for himself.

"Sure," Erend replied shortly, accompanied by a faint smile.

Somehow, Aurdis knew that he didn't really mean it with his answer. It was visible in his eyes; Aurdis could sense it from Erend's eyes, which seemed to carry a heavy burden. But she didn't say anything about it.

"Let's eat. I'm sure you'll like it!" Aurdis said, pulling Erend's hand to the table to enjoy one of the dishes she recommended to him.

They all enjoyed the food provided with happy expressions. What Aurdis and King Gulben said was absolutely right. This food is truly delicious.

After the feast - which was only provided for the three of them - they entered a room designated specifically for them.

"I thought you preferred to be in the same room. But if you want separate rooms, we can provide that," Aurdis said.

"No. This is perfect," said Erend.

"Please rest. We still have to discuss something with the king," Aerchon said beside Aurdis.

Aurdis looked slightly disappointed. But then she smiled. "Enjoy your rest."

The Elf siblings left them in their room. Billy immediately threw himself onto the soft Elf Palace bed.

"I swear, this bed must have been created with Magic. There's no way something can be this comfortable," Billy said.

Adrien and Erend couldn't help but agree with that.

They spent some time in silence, enjoying the atmosphere for a few minutes. Thinking that this was the calm before the storm.

"What we're about to do seems quite dangerous," Erend said.

"Right..." Billy murmured.

"I hope you'll be careful."

"Don't worry, Drake. We're not children you need to worry about," Adrien chimed in.

The next day, they immediately began preparations, which turned out to be quite heavy. For Adrien and Billy, they had to train their use of Magic.

They didn't refuse because this would be a long and dangerous journey.

~~~

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